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Chapter 353 Acquiring Kyushu!

"Manager, we're running low on ingredients!"

"Where are the poultry, livestock, and spirit seedlings left?"

"Wu...Wu Lu Business".

"purchase!"

"They're too expensive. Whether it's livestock, poultry, or various spirit seedlings, the prices are even higher than those of grain."

"First, use the remaining ingredients to adjust the prices and test the affordability of our regular customers. Don't listen to their complaints about being poor. These powerful families have deep pockets. Given the current food shortage, those scions of these families won't really cut back on their own spending."

"Understood, shopkeeper."

There are many famous restaurants in Shengjing, and Hongdingxuan is the most popular one, famous throughout the country for its Holy Spirit Banquet.

These traders on the front lines are the most sensitive to the food shortage problem in Kyushu, and they have been working hard to stockpile food even when prices are soaring.

The problem is that some things can't be solved by taking the first step. When the source dries up completely, even if you try to get things done earlier, the chain will eventually break. They have to think about the way forward.

As a result, within just a few days, the prices of dishes in major restaurants began to skyrocket.

And just as the manager of Hongdingxuan said, even with the price soaring, countless disciples of the immortal sects, accustomed to a life of luxury, still flocked to the store, signing up and sending the money home even if they didn't have enough money on them.

The elderly shopkeeper immediately understood and hurriedly went to the Wulu Trading Company in the city.

"Manager Qi, it's been a long time!"

"So it's Manager Lin from Hongdingxuan. Long time no see."

At the counter of Wulu Store, a middle-aged man looked up upon hearing the voice and gave him a slight bow.

His name was Qi Fa, and he was in charge of the operation of businesses in Shengjing and southern Zhongzhou. He had a goatee and was tall and thin.

Three years ago, he was dispatched from Fengzhou to Shengjing, and then worked his way up to the position of regional manager, becoming a well-known shrewd figure in the Shengjing business circle.

After exchanging pleasantries, Manager Lin of Hongdingxuan made a request to purchase livestock, poultry, and spirit seedlings.

Four years ago, after joint reclamation and joint cultivation, Fengzhou continued to develop its agriculture, and its grain production doubled rapidly every year.

Subsequently, they hired out-of-state workers and, on Ji You's advice, began to implement a strategy of transitioning from agriculture to animal husbandry.

Now, three years later, their livestock scale has become quite considerable, so when grain goes on sale, countless poultry and livestock are also listed on Wuyou Trading Company and sold remotely.

The so-called "remote selling" means that you pay first to place an order, and then live poultry will be delivered from Fengzhou to ensure freshness.

"Manager Lin has never bought goods from us before, why has he suddenly remembered us today?"

"Wu Lu Trading Company previously only sold grains; I never expected your company to have everything."

Manager Qi chuckled softly across the counter: "How much does Manager Lin want?"

Manager Lin took out a scroll from his sleeve: "The required ingredients are all written on this scroll."

"That's quite a lot. Manager Lin, have you inquired about the prices?"

"I have naturally looked into that price that makes one's eyes turn black."

"Then you must know that we require payment in advance."

"clear."

Manager Lin of Hongdingxuan was actually late. Before him, the managers of several other restaurants in Shengjing, such as Shiweixian, Xihe, and Zuixianju, had already come.

Therefore, Manager Qi was very skilled in his business, and with a few quick taps on his abacus, he collected countless spirit stones and money.

Manager Lin, his heart bleeding, bowed and asked, "May I ask when the goods I requested will be delivered?"

"Five days, or perhaps earlier."

"Could it be even earlier?"

"It depends on the transportation capacity."

Manager Lin is currently only concerned with business and has not investigated the matter further.

Although Fengzhou is not far from Shengjing, five days is not too long, and their restaurant can hold out.

After Manager Lin left, other restaurant owners arrived one after another, bargained, and finally reached a deal.

They were busy until the afternoon. After seeing off the merchants, Manager Qi glanced at the list and thought it was about time. So he left through the back door with the shop assistants who were resting in the backyard.

The back door of Wulu Trading Company is adjacent to the collapsed Chunhua Lane, and three fully loaded horse-drawn carriages are parked at the corner.

At Manager Qi's command, the carriage started moving and headed towards the Spring Breeze Expressway in the city.

"I hope you are well, Manager Wang."

"So it's Manager Qi from Wulu Trading Company."

In the courtyard of Chunfeng Inn, Manager Wang looked up at Qi Fa and gently cupped his hands in greeting: "The Wulu Trading Company must be extremely busy these days, yet Manager Qi still has time to come here."

Manager Qi smiled gently: "Our boss said that the trading company and the post station will always be like brothers, so I would like to ask Manager Wang, what do you think of the matter we discussed the other day?"

"Manager Qi, my inn's business is a family heirloom..."

“Ancestral property is indeed important, but our boss also said that the living should not think too much about the dead in difficult times, but should make plans for the young children first.”

"This is unfilial."

“We are just investing to help Chunfeng Inn overcome its difficulties. We will not interfere with your operations. In name, you are still the one in charge of Chunfeng Inn.”

Manager Wang of Chunfeng Inn remained silent for a long time, then clasped his hands together and bowed slightly.

Manager Qi nodded and gave a wink to the workers behind him. A group of people then began unloading the goods with swift movements.

Before long, the grain on the first carriage was unloaded, and Manager Qi came out of the house with a contract in his hand, then led his men to the next house.

After that, restaurants in Shengjing continued to raise their prices.

The ancestors of the old manager of Hongdingxuan received many greetings, but also made a lot of money.

Since established families were unwilling to bow down to Wulu Trading Company when purchasing grain, restaurants naturally became their only place of consumption.

But they didn't have much food to begin with, and it wouldn't last more than a few days.

Therefore, Manager Lin would send someone to Wulu Trading Company almost every morning to inquire whether the poultry, livestock and various spiritual seedlings he had ordered had arrived.

Wulu Trading Company did not disappoint Manager Lin. The entire transportation journey did not take five days, but was delivered to his courtyard on the morning of the fourth day.

"Manager Qi, your company's delivery speed is indeed quite fast."

"There will be many opportunities for future cooperation. This is not a one-off deal. We will work day and night to speed things up so as not to delay Manager Lin's business."

With a smile, Manager Qi handed the waybill to Manager Lin: "My boss said that businesses that deal in agriculture and animal husbandry and restaurants are all one family."

Manager Lin immediately nodded: "That's right, that's right."

"Alright, we won't disturb Manager Lin's business any longer."

"Hey, how can you come and go so soon? I've already ordered the staff to prepare a feast. Eat before you leave!"

Upon hearing this, Manager Qi quickly waved his hand, saying, "I'd better not, I can't afford your price."

Manager Lin's lips twitched. He thought to himself that these outrageous prices were all driven up by them, but he immediately reassured them, "Manager Qi, you misunderstand. This is a thank-you banquet for Hongdingxuan. How could we ask you for money? We just hope that you can give us a slight discount next time you place an order."

"You flatter me, sir. There are still a few restaurants that need to be delivered, so it's really inconvenient for me to stay any longer."

"This……"

"There will be opportunities, Manager Lin. Farewell."

Manager Qi quickly left Hongdingxuan and headed to several other restaurants.

Manager Lin watched his convoy disappear down the street, then immediately ordered his staff to begin processing the poultry and livestock, as well as the spirit seedlings, and summoned the chefs to start researching new banquets and setting new prices.

Their previous inventory ran out, and now they've switched to more expensive ingredients, causing their costs to skyrocket. In principle, prices should be raised as well.

However, during the discussion, Manager Lin still slightly lowered the prices of the dishes in the restaurant and offered a discount on the new banquet.

Because a restaurant is a business that requires a steady stream of customers, having a stable base of regular patrons is extremely important. Moreover, there are still several formidable competitors in the market that we must be wary of.

In this situation, retaining customers is the most important thing; offering discounts is for a better future.

As expected, as night fell and the lights came on, Hongdingxuan Restaurant, which had lowered its prices, was immediately packed with guests, and people kept clinking glasses and chatting.

Shiweixian and Hongdingxuan share a similar approach, and Shiweixian has also launched a so-called new banquet.

However, the two methods differ slightly.

They invited the most generous scions of prominent families in Shengjing to host the banquet, offering them half-price deals and asking them to invite their friends. They also boasted that such a high-class feast was a must-have for the elite.

Just as Manager Lin said, the immortal cultivation family that has been plundering the world for thousands of years truly has an incredibly rich fortune.

The reason they did not buy grain from Wulu Trading Company was simply because they perceived Ji You's attitude as offensive.

Restaurants that can provide emotional value may have prices higher than their raw materials, but there will still be spendthrifts willing to pay for them.

Fang Jincheng's group, in particular, were very generous with their spending at the restaurant, yet they wished Ji You's grain would rot in the warehouse.

However, after the price reduction and the Tianjiao Must-Eat Feast became a hit, a trace of worry suddenly appeared between Manager Lin's brows.

He noticed that the number of guests in the building was gradually decreasing.

At first, he thought it was just normal, but when the number of customers started to halve and the loss was getting faster and faster, he realized that things didn't seem to be normal.

"Where are the guests? Where have all the guests in the building gone?!"

"Reporting to the shopkeeper, it seems that some regular customers have suddenly stopped coming."

"You've changed the price back?"

"I'm innocent, shopkeeper! Who would dare to change the price you set?"

Manager Lin pondered for a long time, then stepped forward and waved his sleeve: "Go, send all the staff out to see what the problem is!"

Upon hearing the order, the staff of Hongdingxuan immediately filed out of the building and disappeared into the night.

Before long, three shop assistants ran in from outside, looking at Manager Lin with astonishment.

"what happened?"

"Manager, all the guests have gone to Taipinglou."

"?"

Shopkeeper Lin paused for a moment, then came out from behind the counter, put on a thick coat, and headed east.

On Sajin Street in the eastern part of the city, there is a restaurant called Taipinglou, which is also a long-established brand in Shengjing.

However, because of its remote location, business is not very good.

When Manager Lin arrived, he found the once quiet street now teeming with people, even some vendors who used to run small businesses in the East and West markets had moved here, and shouts of vendors filled the air. Dressed in warm clothes, Manager Lin made his way through the crowd, and before he even entered Taiping Tower, he saw two familiar faces.

One is Manager Zhao of Shiweixian Restaurant, and the other is Manager Zhou of Zuixianlou Restaurant.

Both of them, in terms of expression and demeanor, were remarkably similar to Manager Lin, their solemnity tinged with a hint of doubt.

"None of your customers are coming anymore?"

"Indeed, could it be that Manager Lin's Hongdingxuan is also one?"

As they talked, the three managers all looked toward the bustling crowd at Taiping Tower. After exchanging glances for a moment, they began to cradle forward together.

After a great deal of effort, the three of them finally squeezed into the front hall, and then stood there stunned.

What stunned them was not the unexpectedly large number of customers at Taipinglou, but the price tag hanging above the counter, or rather, the price displayed on the price tag.

The price was outrageously low, even cheaper than the year before when grain prices hadn't increased at all.

"Are they desperate for a living? How could they possibly offer such a price?"

Manager Lin was a little excited, and his beard bristled as his blood pressure rose.

Zhao, the manager of Shiweixian next to him, frowned: "Taipinglou doesn't have a solid foundation. Perhaps they want to clear out their inventory, change their reputation, attract customers, and then raise prices in a desperate gamble."

"Does Manager Zhao mean that he's trying to take a risky, all-or-nothing approach? It won't last long."

"That's right, such a price will bankrupt him."

The struggles in the world of Qingyun have always been fierce, with the most eye-catching being the conflict between immortal sects and aristocratic families.

But in reality, competition exists in all industries, and the intensity of this competition is no less than a real fight.

The problem is that things are not as simple as Manager Zhao of Shiweixian thought.

Because Taipinglou maintained its low prices for several days afterward, it attracted even more customers.

Throughout the vast land of China, no matter where you are, nighttime is the busiest and most profitable time for restaurants.

However, with its absolute price advantage, Taipinglou is almost devoid of both bustling activity and desolation, and is still packed with people even in the early morning.

They even quickly rented nearby courtyards and set up an open-air banquet.

No, this is not right.

After waiting for several days, the shopkeeper, Lin, who was feeling listless and exhausted, felt his head starting to buzz.

That night, after listening to Manager Zhao's analysis, he returned to Hongdingxuan, waiting for Taipinglou to be dragged down and for customers to return.

But as he waited, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

If we follow Manager Zhao's analysis, Taipinglou should have collapsed on the second day.

Because Taipinglou shouldn't have so much inventory.

This is not something you can just store indiscriminately, especially food items, which have an extremely short shelf life. The amount of food stored must be based on the sales volume, otherwise it will definitely spoil.

As competitors in the same region, Manager Lin naturally knew Taipinglou's sales volume and could also deduce their inventory.

They shouldn't have so much inventory, and more importantly, their dishes can't always be fresh.

While pondering, the old shopkeeper suddenly noticed a rustling sound, so he turned to look at the backyard.

With just one glance, he immediately stood up from behind the counter.

"Where are you going? Stop right there!"

"The shopkeeper..."

The backyard connects the kitchen to the food delivery area, and at this moment, a group of chefs and waiters are carrying their bags and tiptoeing through the backyard, intending to leave through the back door.

Manager Lin stepped into the backyard: "Where are you going?"

"To be honest, Taipinglou is too busy to handle everything and has asked for high prices to hire staff."

"you……"

Upon hearing this, Chef Pang, who was in charge of the stove, said, "Don't worry, boss. We're just doing odd jobs. We'll definitely come back when we have more customers!"

As the number of guests at Taipinglou increases, staff will naturally become scarce.

Meanwhile, business in other buildings was dismal. The chefs didn't receive enough pay, and the waiters didn't get any tips, so naturally they all left.

The most critical problem is that the ingredients that Hong Ding Xuan bought with its savings have already started to rot.

Even though they used magical artifacts to preserve it, it still took several days to cook it.

If Taipinglou continues to maintain its current prices, all the restaurants in Shengjing will collapse without a fight.

Unable to stop his employee from escaping, Manager Lin, his face flushed, immediately returned to the front hall: "Xiao Hui, go, go to Shiweixian and invite Manager Zhao over. Tell him that if this continues, it will be fatal!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Go!"

The waiter named Xiao Hui immediately rushed out the door and ran along the long street towards Shiweixian in the south of the city.

Less than half an hour later, Xiao Hui returned to Hongdingxuan, panting heavily as he leaned on the counter: "Manager, Shiweixian is closed."

"what?"

"They're closed. I asked the pharmacy next door, and they said they closed the day before yesterday."

Upon hearing this, Manager Lin's bloodshot eyes widened instantly.

This is impossible.

Why is it closed?!

Like Hongdingxuan, Shiweixian also spent a lot of money to purchase ingredients from Wulu Trading Company. Who will bear such a huge loss?
Manager Lin sensed something was wrong and his mind raced. Just then, he saw Manager Qi walking towards the door.

His expression was very relaxed, his face was radiant and he had a smile on his face. Before his feet had even crossed the threshold, his hands were already clasped in front of his chest.

"Manager Lin, how have you been?"

"What brings Manager Qi here?" Manager Lin asked with a puzzled look.

"Having learned that Hongdingxuan is in bad shape, I came here to help."

"?"

Manager Qi took out a scroll and placed it on the table: "Do you remember what our boss said, that we would definitely be as close as family?"

Shopkeeper Lin was taken aback at first, then his gaze shifted to the scroll in front of him. After only a couple of glances, his mind went blank.

It felt like the clouds and mist on the mountain had dispersed, and the sky and earth had suddenly cleared up, making everything visible again.

"You're the ones who sabotaged Taiping Tower?!" Manager Lin's eyes widened in fury.

"We just gave them some discounted ingredients, how could we be up to anything?" Manager Qi handed him a pen. "It's just an investment, we won't interfere with the business. What do you think, Manager Lin?"

"Shameless! Do you really think those ingredients can deplete all of Hongdingxuan's resources? You're dreaming! We can choose to close down with Shiweixian, even if it means undergoing painful treatment, rather than be manipulated by others!"

"Does Manager Lin think closing down is enough to survive? How long do you plan to hold out? Until next autumn harvest?"

Without food, livestock cannot be raised, and even if grain seeds are planted, it will take a year to restore the vitality of Qingyun World, and the same goes for the spiritual seedlings needed for the Immortal Banquet.

This is not something that can be recovered from with a little rest; it requires enduring a full year of hardship, which would be a devastating blow to any business.

Manager Qi looked at him and said, "Even if you manage to hold out until the autumn harvest, things may not improve. Don't forget, there's still a war in the North. Who knows if they'll continue to attack? And how can you be sure that we haven't acquired your previous distribution channels and businesses?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Manager Lin's eyes widened instantly.

"As for Shiweixian, I'm really sorry, Shiweixian didn't struggle. They wisely sold their shares. Three days later, our boss will compensate them for all their losses."

Manager Qi took out another scroll from his sleeve, which was stamped with the seal of Shi Wei Xian.

After a long silence, Manager Lin raised his head and asked, "If you agree to sell your shares, will you allow us to get low-priced ingredients like Taipinglou?"

"how is this possible?"

"Then what's the point of us signing this transfer agreement?!"

Manager Qi raised the corners of his mouth: "You won't get the ingredients at a low price after you sign, but... Taipinglou will raise prices along with you."

A fierce glint flashed in Manager Lin's eyes: "You are doing something extremely dangerous by trying to make cultivators bleed."

"Manager Lin also comes from a prominent family, right? Have you ever heard of the Qi family?"

"What Qi family?"

Manager Qi reached out and grasped a ball of spiritual energy: "That's right, there is no Qi family in the Qingyun family because we come from the countryside. But have you ever wondered why I have cultivation?"

Shopkeeper Lin was stunned for a long time: "You're a private cultivator?!"

"Our boss even dares to take in unauthorized repairmen, so what's a little danger?"

The same thing happened not only in Shengjing, but also in other major cities of Qingyun Tianxia.

Because of the food shortage, all cities and Shengjing were in almost the same situation.

Under the dim yellow sky, another autumn rain is slowly gathering.

At this time, within Fengzhou, countless vehicles were speeding along the official roads, with the sound of horses' hooves echoing back and forth.

The driver, hired by Fengzhou, drove into the prefecture and his first stop was Jizhai, where he carried a sandalwood box in and out.

Cao Jingsong, Wen Zhengxin, Ban Yangshu, and the Lu sisters were all in Ji Zhai's courtyard. Curious, they stopped everyone and examined each contract in the brocade box, their expressions turning to astonishment.

This is fucking robbing the entire Kyushu.

The one who looked most dazed was none other than Lu Qingqiu, the eldest daughter of the Lu family.

She came from a family of spirit stone merchants and had been exposed to the ways of business since childhood, but this was the first time she had ever seen business done in such a way.

Ji You was sitting behind the desk in his study, reviewing the returned contracts one by one, before handing them to Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu to arrange and put them in a box.

A major problem in the social structure of Qingyun Tianxia is that immortals constantly exploit mortals, but mortals can get nothing from them.

Therefore, he needs some businesses that can make cultivators bleed, whether it's a restaurant or a spirit winery.

Over the years, Fengzhou has carried out large-scale land reclamation and then livestock industry reforms, but it is still at the bottom level. If it wants to reclaim more, it must extend the industrial chain.

At this critical juncture when food is as valuable as gold, this is the best course of action, and it will also ensure a better life in the future.

Looking at the contracts in his hand, Ji You suddenly felt no connection to money, as if they were just a string of numbers.

However, there is still a problem: the sale of grain by Wulu Trading Company has not progressed.

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(End of this chapter)