AWB Chapter 396 Talking about business
Chapter 396 Talking about business
While preparing the two kinds of pills, Lu Cheng also had people build some devices, distill some alcohol, and make some perfumes.
As for the invention or improvement of items such as soap, glass, and gunpowder, there is no rush to produce them. After all, the current foundation is still a bit weak.
Even the perfume is not planned to be produced on a large scale for the time being, and it will only be promoted and sold on a small scale.
There is a Zuihonglou on West Street in Yuncheng County. It is the largest brothel in the area and also a famous place of pleasure and den of vengeance in Yuncheng County.
That evening, Zuihonglou had just opened for business when Lu Cheng, accompanied by his servants Lai Fu and Lai Wang, arrived at the door of Zuihonglou.
When the tortoise at the door saw Lu Cheng, he immediately came up to him with a smile on his face: "Hello, Mr. Lu."
Lu Cheng was also a well-known wealthy man in Yuncheng County. In addition, Lu Cheng himself was handsome and suave. There were even rumors that Lu Cheng was the most beautiful man in Yuncheng County. He once became the dream lover of many girls.
The girls in the brothels had all heard of Lu Cheng's name, but Lu Cheng had never been to a brothel, which made the girls feel deeply regretful.
Today, Lu Cheng came to Zuihonglou for the first time, and even Gui Gong was surprised.
Lu Cheng signaled to Lai Fu who was standing beside him, and Lai Fu immediately gave each of them an entrance fee of 100 wen. The three of them followed Gui Gong's guidance and entered Zuihonglou.
In a county like Yuncheng County, the entrance fee to a brothel was not too high. But in Bianjing, any upscale brothel would have an entrance fee starting at 10 yuan. The cost of drinks and tips for the girls would be even higher.
Just like in "The Oil Seller and the Oiran", the meeting fee of the oiran was ten taels of silver.
Zuihonglou is a two-story building facing the street. The space inside is extremely large, with pink or blue gauze hanging everywhere. There is a stage in the middle where girls perform singing and dancing.
In fact, brothels in ancient times were different from prostitutes. Brothels were considered high-end entertainment venues, where the women knew how to play the piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, and play musical instruments. Some of them performed art but not their bodies. The fees were very high, and the customers were usually dignitaries and wealthy businessmen.
Most of the women in brothels sell their bodies, simple and direct.
Officials in the Song Dynasty were strictly prohibited from visiting prostitutes. In order to protect their positions and reputations, officials would generally only go to brothels to listen to music and have fun.
However, Yuncheng County was just a county town after all. There were not so many literati and scholars, so naturally there were not so many people who would go to the brothels to enjoy singing and dancing.
Therefore, this Zuihonglou not only has singing and dancing performances, but also has many prostitutes who can provide various services.
After entering the lobby, Wang Mama from Zuihonglou immediately came up to greet them with a smile on her face: "Hey, isn't this Mr. Lu, the most handsome man in Yuncheng County? The girls in our building have been looking forward to your arrival. Girls, come out and greet us."
"I'm coming…"
Soon, a group of young girls ran out from the second floor. Some of them did not have time to go downstairs, so they looked down.
After seeing Lu Cheng, a group of girls dressed in colorful clothes ran downstairs.
Lu Cheng turned to look at Mother Wang beside him and said, "Mother Wang, I came here today because I want to discuss a business with you, not to find a girl."
Mother Wang laughed and said, "Mr. Lu, you are joking. What business do you want to discuss with me?"
Lu Cheng casually took out a small porcelain bottle, uncorked it, fanned it with his hands, and then smiled and said, "Mother Wang, how does this fragrance smell?"
Mother Wang was startled, then sniffed it carefully and nodded immediately, "Very good, what is this?"
"This thing is called Hundred Flowers Jade Dew. I collected the essence of freshly bloomed flowers and made it. Just drop a few drops on your body and it will leave you with a long-lasting fragrance."
Upon hearing this, Mother Wang immediately smiled and said, "Can you let me try it?"
"Of course no problem. Please stretch out your wrist, Madam Wang."
Upon hearing this, Mother Wang immediately stretched out both her wrists.
Lu Cheng dropped a drop of perfume on each of her wrists. Mother Wang raised her wrists and sniffed carefully, then moved closer: "Master Lu, drop some here, here too."
As she spoke, Mother Wang patted her shoulders and puffed out her chest.
I heard that when she was young, Mother Wang was a courtesan in a brothel in the city of Bianjing. Later, when she was nearly 40 and had saved enough money, she came to Yuncheng County and opened the Zuihonglou. Within three to five years, she developed the Zuihonglou into the largest brothel in Yuncheng County. She was not a simple person.
Lu Cheng chuckled and handed the bottle of perfume directly to Mother Wang: "Mother Wang, this bottle of perfume is given to you as a gift. If you like it, you can ask people to come to Huichuntang to buy it. However, this thing is not easy to make, and it requires a lot of fresh flowers. The price is not cheap."
Mother Wang took the vase and applied a few drops to various parts of her body before she asked, "How much is Mr. Lu going to sell it for?"
"A bottle of Hundred Flowers Jade Dew is one tael of silver."
"So expensive? Many girls here work hard all night and can't even earn a tael of silver."
"Mother Wang, that's not how it works. If you use this bottle of perfume sparingly, it can last at least half a month. And the girls who use perfume will have body odor, which will naturally increase their value. It's just a small amount of money, and the girls can definitely earn more back."
"Master Lu is a good businessman. All right, we at Zuihonglou will take the Hundred Flowers Jade Dew. I just wonder how many bottles of Hundred Flowers Jade Dew Master Lu's Huichuntang can produce every month?"
"The current output is not high, about 30 to 50 bottles. I am asking people to buy flowers, and later I will purchase some land specifically for growing flowers. By then, the output will naturally increase."
"Then can Mr. Lu give me priority in supplying Zui Hong Lou?"
"If mom is willing to help me promote another product, I can guarantee that in the first three months, all the Baihua Yulu produced will be sold to Zuihonglou and not to anyone else."
"Oh? What new things does Mr. Lu have?"
Lu Cheng signaled to Lai Fu who was standing beside him, and Lai Fu immediately took out two new porcelain bottles.
"These are Golden Gun Pills and Dragon Tiger Pills. I don't need to explain their efficacy in detail. Both medicines have 10 pills per bottle. Golden Gun Pills cost coins per bottle. Dragon Tiger Pills cost taels of silver per bottle."
"Five taels of silver? So expensive? I'm afraid there aren't many people in our entire Yuncheng County who can afford it."
"Mother Wang, you are joking. There should be distinguished guests who spend more than five taels of silver every day in Zuihonglou, right? This bottle of pills contains 10 pills, so each pill is only half a tael of silver. The effects of these pills are absolutely immediate, and those who have used them will know."
Mother Wang smiled charmingly: "Has Mr. Lu ever used it himself?"
"I don't need these yet."
Facing Mother Wang's teasing, Lu Cheng remained calm. He was not a young man who had never seen the world, so he naturally didn't care about these things.
"Well, I will help Mr. Lu sell these two medicines. But let's make it clear that we can only sell as many as we can. I can't guarantee the sales volume."
"No problem. If the girls help sell it, they can get 10% of every bottle sold."
"That's good. Mr. Lu has a conscience."
After the deal was settled, Mother Wang called a few pretty young girls over and said, "Mr. Lu, would you like to stay tonight and enjoy the beautiful scenery of our Zuihonglou?"
"That's not necessary. Goodbye."
"Mr. Lu, don't be in such a hurry to leave."
"Hey, Mr. Lu, let me accompany you. I don't want any money."
"Mr. Lu, I can sing and play the flute..."
As they were talking, several girls reached out to grab Lu Cheng, and two of them even boldly touched Lu Cheng's chest.
Lu Cheng immediately turned around and walked away quickly, and was almost taken advantage of by these girls.
After leaving Zuihonglou, Laifu and Laiwang were still a little disappointed: "Master, we spent 300 coins and did nothing."
"Why? What else do you want to do?"
"Master, I have never touched a woman's hand."
"If you want to touch it, go spend your own money."