Wanjin Lady

Chapter 406 Self-disruption
The elder lady watched intently. Her eyes were dim and she could only place the oil lamp in the nearest place. Her back was hunched, and her face didn't show much emotion when she heard the words. "You opened this restaurant by snatching food from the tiger's mouth. You're stealing her food, so do you expect her to be polite to you?"

"None of this matters!" The elder lady looked up and rubbed her tearful eyes. "Wen Wan has rallied all the major shops in the city and released the recipe. After today, countless Spring Towers will spring up tomorrow. Her move is to use the enemy's strength to counterattack..."

Speaking of this, the elder lady actually felt a bit of admiration for Wen Wan.

This girl seems to have no method in doing business, but she always manages to find her opponent's weak spot in the end.

If only Wen Wan hadn't gotten married and had children, then she wouldn't object to Cheng Yunzhang and Wen Wan's marriage.

Wouldn't it be more reassuring to hand over such a huge family business to Wen Wan than to a few nephews?

No.

That young lady is frivolous and restless. She is flirting with Cheng Yunzhang on one side and flirting with Lord Wei on the other. She is a disaster!

Jia's face was gloomy. "The accountant reminded me that the price of raw materials for making sweet soup in the city will definitely increase in the next few days, especially the milk used in milk tea. We must think of a solution in advance."

"I've already sent someone to sign exclusive supply agreements with those cattle farmers. However, word somehow leaked out, and those farmers, knowing full well that they've been informed, are refusing to sign. They're desperately hoping that in a couple of days, every restaurant in Bozhou City will come to them to buy their milk. Then, when the price goes up, they'll be able to raise the price."

"Fortunately, I have temporarily collected all the milk, which can buy us at least two or three days."

The elder lady rarely looked at Jia's face. She thought that Jia had been indifferent to the family business in the past, and she thought she was just a silver spear. She never thought that she could fight with Wen Wan so well.

Jia lowered her eyes. "Even so... it's still several times higher than the previous purchase price."

The elder lady comforted her, "In business, we're not afraid of spending money, we're just afraid of spending it worthlessly. Besides, Wen Wan is not easy to deal with. It's not easy for you to think this far."

When Jia heard this, she felt relieved.

She has never done business, but her family business is big.

Accountant Zhou was sentenced to ten years in prison, and she was at her wit's end. Her parents then sent her a capable man. This man had never eaten pork, but had never seen a pig run.
When it comes to business, it’s all about the same things over and over again!
The elder lady pointed to a certain expense in the account book and asked, "Why did they suddenly raise the wages of the female workers for today?"

Jia snorted coldly, "Today, Wen Wan sent people to poach Chunri Lou's staff and offered them double the wages. The female workers couldn't resist the instigation and all wanted a raise, otherwise they would all go to Honglou. They almost couldn't open the shop normally this afternoon."

The elder lady's face was filled with worry. "How can we let our subordinates control us? Blindly indulging them will only lead to chaos!" She sighed again, "Never mind, desperate times call for desperate measures. Once Chunri Tower is back on track, fire all the troublemakers! Replace them with obedient, less expensive ones. The work at Chunri Tower is easy, and if they don't do it, outsiders will take it!"

"That's not true!" Jia couldn't help but feel proud of herself for being so superior. "Besides, Wen Wan shamelessly came to my Chunri Tower to poach people, which proves that this Red Mansion is already facing difficulties."

The elder lady frowned slightly. The oil lamp shone brightly, and she could clearly see her drooping eyelids and the chloasma at the corners of her eyes. "We've definitely spent quite a bit of money these past two or three days."

After calculating the workers' wage increases, the raw materials for the sweet soup, and other miscellaneous items, the elder lady closed the account book and made a decision in her mind, "This time... Chunri Tower has not started to make a profit."

However, she was also well aware that if Chunrilou wanted to compete with Honglou, the initial investment would be a complete waste. Moreover, although Chunrilou's sweet soups and pastries sold well, their prices were four or five times lower than those of Honglou, so there was naturally little profit to be made.

Jia thought that her eldest sister was too impatient. Chunri Tower had only been open for twenty days, and she had already used her dowry to support it. How could she expect to make money in such a short time?

She didn't open Chunrilou just to make money!
If the government cannot give her justice, then she will make Wen Wan lose everything!

"Spring House isn't making any profit, but Red House is almost bankrupt. Look at this account book—"

The elder lady pulled out another account book from under the table and unfolded it. She lowered her voice, the light from the lamp reflecting in her pupils. "This is the account book for the Red Mansion. I asked the accountant to calculate it. Chunri Mansion may not be making any money, but the situation of the Red Mansion is not optimistic either."

"The account books of the Red Mansion?" Jia Shi couldn't hide her shock. Previously, her elder sister hadn't interfered with Chunri Mansion's business, letting her run it alone. She had thought her elder sister didn't care about Chunri Mansion. She had never expected that she would even touch the most important account books. She quickly flipped through the books, feeling doubtful. "Where did this account book come from?"

"I have my own way."

Jia stopped asking. She could only glimpse the account books, but the Red Mansion's account books were clear, and even a glimpse of the whole situation could be seen. Jia's brows gradually frowned, "Don't be fooled by the grandeur of the Red Mansion and the high price of the sweet soup, but it's just working for Manager Mo. A month's rent... is three hundred and thirty taels!"

Jia was puzzled. "Didn't they say... that Manager Mo used the land deed to invest in the company?"

"This is the cunning and vicious nature of Wen Wan. That steward beside Shopkeeper Mo... loves to drink a couple of cups of wine every day. I had someone force-feed him two bowls of yellow soup, and he confusedly changed his story, saying that Wen Wan begged Shopkeeper Mo to let others say she was using the restaurant's rent as a stake. This way, we have no idea how much the Red Mansion is profitable."

This mix of truth and falsehood is in line with Wen Wan's work style. "The Red Mansion's business looks prosperous, but in reality, it is weak inside."

It seems that the battle between Chunri Tower and Honglou ended in a draw.

"Now let's see who can outlast whom!"

Jia closed the account book and said, "According to this account book, in another month, the Red Mansion will be unable to make ends meet. Big sister..." Jia slowly approached, her intentions exposed, "Lend me some more money, and I will definitely make Wen Wan go bankrupt and return to Ping County."

The elder lady's eyelids twitched, and she felt furious as she recalled Jia's threats and inducements last time.

Jia patiently coaxed, "Sister... why bother? I know you dislike Wen Wan, too. She's only been in Bozhou for a short time, and she's already stolen the limelight from our Cheng family wine. Now the people of Bozhou only know about Wen family wine, not Cheng family wine. Even the wine merchants in the city mostly rely on Wen Wan for their livelihoods. Can you swallow this insult, sister?"

Madam Yuan Lao knew about the new and old grudges between Jia and Wen Wan, and she didn't want to get involved. But when she thought of the small portrait of Wen Wan in Cheng Yunzhang's room, she wanted to cut the Gordian knot.

What's more, if Wen Wan was really squeezed out, Chunri Tower would also be a good deal.

The elder lady made the final decision: "Okay, I'll give you another 1,000 taels of silver."

With this one thousand taels, Jia Shi straightened her back even more and was thinking about how to quickly make Wen Wan lose everything. Destroying the Red Mansion was only the first step. Next, she would make Wen Wan lose her reputation.

If I can't take her life, I must at least make her live a life worse than death.