HCB Chapter 226: So Calculating
Chapter 226: So Calculating
The two went straight to a teahouse.
Many people gather here every day.
There are opera singers and storytellers in the teahouse.
They were drinking tea and listening to music here, feeling very leisurely.
Today a storyteller was performing on the stage. The audience was filled with tables and chairs, and there were many people sitting there to watch the show.
Su Xiaoxiao was in a wheelchair and it was inconvenient for her to walk to the front row, so Xiao Ran found a suitable seat in the last row and settled Su Xiaoxiao down. He then found a chair and sat next to her.
He also asked the waiter to serve a lot of candied fruits and dried fruits.
The two of them ate, drank and watched.
The storyteller was very interesting and Su Xiaoxiao listened with great interest.
Seeing that Su Xiaoxiao had forgotten the unpleasantness just now, Xiao Ran raised the corners of his mouth slightly and continued listening to the book.
I don't know how long I listened before I heard the storyteller say something.
"If you want to know what happened next time, please listen to the breakdown!"
After one performance ended, a guy came on stage to introduce the next act.
"Dear guests, please take a short break. The opera performance will continue in a quarter of an hour!"
During the intermission, Su Xiaoxiao wanted to go to the bathroom, so Xiao Ran immediately pushed Su Xiaoxiao to the backyard to find a toilet.
After taking care of Su Xiaoxiao, Xiao Ran put Su Xiaoxiao in a wheelchair and pushed her to a side position farther away from the toilet.
"Wife, wait for me, I need to go to the bathroom too!"
"it is good!"
While Su Xiaoxiao was waiting, she suddenly saw a young woman chasing a middle-aged man and begging him at a distance ahead.
"Boss, please give our troupe another chance!"
"I'm so sorry, but we already have a troupe to work with. Please find another one!"
"Boss, you know the reputation of the Ji family troupe. We promise to perform seriously, and the price is negotiable!"
"This isn't a matter of price. Your Ji family troupe is great, but I really don't need them here. You should go somewhere else!"
After saying that, the shopkeeper flicked his sleeves and strode away, leaving the boss frozen in place.
Su Xiaoxiao looked at the young woman with some confusion.
Are there any female owners of opera troupes?
The woman didn't see Su Xiaoxiao. She looked at the shopkeeper's departing back in despair for a moment, then squatted down, hugged herself and sobbed softly.
If she couldn't get any more performances and couldn't make any money, the opera troupe left by her ancestors would disband.
She didn't want the troupe to be ruined in her hands.
Su Xiaoxiao felt pity as she watched the woman's body twitching slightly.
At the same time, she suddenly thought of a way to renovate the Liyuan Building.
She said, "This girl!"
The woman heard someone shouting, wiped her tears with her sleeve, looked in the direction of the voice, and saw Su Xiaoxiao sitting in a wheelchair.
She looked around but saw no one else except Su Xiaoxiao, who looked quite young and had a woman's bun on.
She pointed a finger at herself in confusion.
"Madam, are you calling me?"
Su Xiaoxiao nodded, "Yes, there is no one else here."
Seeing that Su Xiaoxiao was dressed elegantly, the woman thought she must be the wife of a wealthy family. She quickly stood up, took a deep breath, adjusted her mood and breathing, and came to Su Xiaoxiao.
"What do you want, Madam?"
"Are you the owner of the opera troupe?"
When the woman heard Su Xiaoxiao ask this, her eyes lit up and she answered immediately.
"Yes, ma'am, my name is Ji Qingqing, and I'm the owner of the Ji family opera troupe! Ma'am, are you planning to invite the troupe to perform? We can sing any kind of opera, and we sing it very well!"
"How much does it cost to have you perform once?"
Ji Qingqing answered truthfully.
"Simple ones cost three or five taels, complicated ones cost ten or eight taels, and there are even more difficult ones that cost dozens of taels!"
Su Xiaoxiao nodded, "Do you have any performances in the near future?"
Ji Qingqing waved her hands repeatedly, "We don't have any plans yet. I wonder which play Madam would like to hear? Which palace would you like to see it performed in? I'll go back and arrange it right away!"
"No rush! I can't perform yet!"
Ji Qingqing was puzzled. "Madam, do you want to book a performance for a later date? As long as you pay the money for the scheduled performance first, we will definitely come to perform on time. Then, you can pay the remaining money at the same time!"
She was afraid that Su Xiaoxiao would go back on her word, so she added another sentence.
"Please rest assured, Madam. Our Ji family troupe's credibility and reputation are among the best in the industry. You don't have to worry about us not performing after receiving the deposit."
Su Xiaoxiao smiled slightly.
"It's just a few taels of silver. I'm not really worried about it."
Ji Qingqing finally breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that Su Xiaoxiao was not short of money.
"Yes, yes, the lady looks wealthy and noble."
While they were talking, Xiao Ran came back from the bathroom.
He saw Su Xiaoxiao talking to a woman and hurried over.
"Wife, who is this?"
Su Xiaoxiao looked up at Xiao Ran and explained, "This is the troupe owner. I want to hire a troupe for the Liyuan Building and have them perform different plays every day! What do you think?"
Xiao Ran raised his eyebrows and thought seriously.
"That's fine too!"
Ji Qingqing knew Liyuanlou.
The owner of Liyuanlou was named Huo, a man in his forties. He recognized Xiao Ran and Su Xiaoxiao, but had never seen them before.
She asked tentatively, "Are you the owner of Liyuanlou?"
"Yes!"
Ji Qingqing was a little confused. Why would a restaurant invite opera singers? Wouldn't that disturb the customers' meals?
Looking across the entire Linzhou Prefecture, there is not a single restaurant that hires a troupe of actors!
However, she couldn't care less.
There are many mouths to feed in the troupe waiting to perform to earn money to support their families.
As long as she can make money, she will take the show no matter what.
She looked at Su Xiaoxiao and Xiao Ran with anticipation.
"Please rest assured, as long as there is a stage, our troupe can sing anything!"
Su Xiaoxiao looked at Ji Qingqing and said, "I want to cooperate with you for a long time."
"Yes, yes, as long as the price is right, we are willing to perform in Liyuanlou for a long time."
Su Xiaoxiao shook her head. "I won't pay you for your work. Instead, I'll charge you for your future earnings."
Ji Qingqing was stunned.
"I don't understand what you mean, ma'am?"
Xiao Ran was also confused.
Normally, when hiring a troupe to perform, the fee is paid in one lump sum. How did Su Xiaoxiao change the rules?
Su Xiaoxiao explained, "I want to revive the Liyuan Building. After the renovation, it will definitely be very popular. I want you to become a part of the Liyuan Building. The Liyuan Building's venue is at your disposal. I will provide you with the venue and the storybooks. When the time comes, you can give me 20% of the money you earn!"
Ji Qingqing frowned slightly.
This doesn't cost a penny, but you still make money from the troupe?
This lady looks young, but I didn't expect her to be so calculating.
“What if business is bad?”
Su Xiaoxiao said firmly, "That will never happen. Besides, the script I give you will definitely be very popular. By then, I'm afraid your troupe will make a lot of money and be envied by other troupes!"
Ji Qingqing looked at Su Xiaoxiao again, curious about how Su Xiaoxiao could be so confident at such a young age.
The risks involved are too great!