Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2765 Madam Shi 5.0
Shen Cha barely managed to finish her bowl of noodles, not counting the portion she had initially given to Mei Lin and Jin Miaomiao.

"Not bad!" Chu Han nodded to Shen Cha when he saw the empty bowl. "I've been observing her these past two days. Although she doesn't eat much at each meal, she eats quite often, right?" Seeing Shen Cha nod, he smiled and said, "That's right. Don't be too rigid about three or two meals a day. If you're not hungry, don't eat. If you're hungry, you must eat."

“This is how I am,” Shen Cha smiled. “Miao Miao said this would be better for me.” She looked at Chu Han, then at Xiao Fengqi, and finally at the Third Master. “The Shi family’s business dealings aren’t actually as clean as they claim, are they?”

"Let me put it this way, there's a dirty secret behind every seemingly clean business, that's for sure." Chu Han sneered. "Want to know what those shops that miraculously came back to life were?"

"What is it?"

"The first one appeared to be a general store, but it was actually a gambling den. Logically, a gambling den shouldn't be forced to close down; that business is always extremely profitable, right?" Seeing everyone nod, Chu Han continued, "The reason it closed was because it was raided by the authorities several times. Regular customers lost their basic trust in the gambling den due to these frequent raids, and gradually fewer people came. The second and third ones appeared to be a jewelry shop and a cosmetics shop, but in reality, they were brothels and pleasure houses. Like the gambling den, they were frequently reported, and the authorities would raid them from time to time. Not every time they were caught red-handed, but at least once every three times, their reputations were ruined. Later, rumors spread that people who went to these shops were going to..." He raised an eyebrow at everyone and said, "You know what I mean!"

"Understood!" Shen Cha, Jin Miaomiao, and Xiao Fengqi nodded in unison. "And then? What happens after Madam Shi takes over?"

"She demolished the shop inside and out and rebuilt it on the original site. Moreover, she didn't do the same business anymore. Most importantly, everything is transparent. Anyone who wants to come and find out can come anytime, anywhere, and no one will stop them from going anywhere."

"She converted these three shops into one?" Shen Cha frowned slightly. "Originally, these three shops were together?"

“Yes, they are connected.” Chu Han nodded, finished the last bite of duck meat, put down his bowl, and said, “Although these shops have a bad reputation, it has not affected the Shi family’s reputation.”

"Why? Are you saying that nobody knows they're the real bosses?"

“That’s right.” Chu Han nodded to Shen Cha. “The nominal owners of these shops are people who have absolutely no connection with them. It took several detours to trace them back to them. You can’t find them without some tricks up your sleeve. But since we were able to find them, it proves that the big families in Jiangnan are all aware of this. However, since everyone has this kind of business, no one needs to laugh at anyone else or look down on anyone else.”

“That’s true.” Shen Cha nodded. “Aside from the top few families and those who are already skilled in business, these are the best choices if you want to make money quickly. Many families may seem aloof, but they are actually quite ruthless in their dealings.”

“That’s right.” Chu Han smiled. “Later, Madam Shi used various means to let everyone know that these shops had come under the control of the Shi family, and that the Shi family would not do those things. So, she combined the three shops together and turned them into a place for eating, drinking, and having fun. There was food, drinks, and entertainment, as well as singers, dancers, and musicians. Both men and women could come in. Not only that, there was also a place to drink tea and a place to listen to music and storytelling.”

"Ah!" Shen Cha thought for a moment, then looked at Xiao Fengqi, "This place sounds familiar. I think I've seen it in Linhuang Prefecture before, haven't I?"

"Yes." Xiao Fengqi opened his mouth, hesitated, thought for a moment, and finally said, "The place where they had the accident." Hearing Xiao Fengqi's words, Shen Cha didn't react much. She nodded slightly, indicating that she remembered it too.

“It seems that places like this are popular no matter where they are or what kind of people they are targeting.” She looked at Chu Han. “However, it is quite possible that they did not make much money in the first two years. The initial investment is too large. If they want to really make money and become the Shi family’s cash cow, it will probably take at least seven or eight years, or even ten years.”

"That's why I said it's not profitable, it just means we won't have to close down." Chu Han spread his hands. "But only eleven-year-old Madam Shi passed the final test and was chosen as the heir, leaving her brothers and sisters far behind. Unless she makes a very big mistake in the future and causes unpredictable losses to the Shi family, the others will be further and further away from the position of family head."

"The fact that she eventually became Madam Shi means that this unexpected event did not occur, right?"

“Yes!” Chu Han sighed. “However, this shop was not ultimately left to the Shi family, nor to Madam Shi. Instead, it was sold. Now, its owner should be a merchant from the Western Regions, and it has been transformed into a restaurant specializing in Western Region cuisine.”

When was it sold?

"Hmm, it must have changed hands by the time Flower Language Chronicles opened!" Chu Han shook his head slightly. "I don't remember anymore. Now that I think about it, it was probably to lay the foundation for Flower Language Chronicles."

"Huayuji must have been opened when Madam Shi was very young, right?"

"Around the time I was eleven or twelve, I opened my first shop, which was a jewelry shop."

Chu Han glanced at Xiao Fengqi, then at Shen Cha, then at Jin Miaomiao and Mei Lin, sighed softly, and exchanged a look with Third Grandfather, who understood what he was about to say. Both of them looked somewhat helpless.

"What do your expressions mean?" Xiao Fengqi and Shen Cha exchanged a glance.

"What I mean is, none of you know anything about jewelry, so you can't understand how much of a stir Huayuji's jewelry shop has caused in Jiangnan." Chu Han spread his hands. "Even merchants from the Liao and Jin kingdoms have to order from Huayuji."

"Jewelry." Shen Cha, Jin Miaomiao, and Mei Lin exchanged glances. "The styles are all pretty much the same, aren't they? They just keep changing, is there any particular need to order any?"

“Not all hairpins look the same, and not all hair ornaments look the same.” Chu Han smiled helplessly. “Never mind, all you need to know is that Huayuji’s jewelry has been extremely difficult to obtain since the day it was launched. This has completely established Madam Shi’s position in the Shi family, which is unshakeable.”