Chapter 101: The Chain Strategy

Auctioning Shops?

Clearly, this struck a nerve with certain people.

They had only ever known that these shops could be sold outright but had never considered the possibility of auctioning them.

This was simply outrageous.

“But how do we set the price? And will the merchants even be willing to accept this?” Chen Tianwei asked with some doubt.

At first, she felt the situation wasn’t quite as they had imagined. Now that she thought it through, it indeed seemed a bit strange.

“By doing this, not only will the local merchants be grateful to you, but people will also see your actions as fair,” someone explained.

Huh?

This left him somewhat confused.

“According to previous customs, these shops would definitely have been sold to those who were on good terms with you. But now, by openly putting them up for auction, anyone who might have tried to use underhanded methods no longer has that opportunity.”

That… made sense.

And it didn’t feel odd to them anymore.

“Alright.”

The plan was adopted.

The auctioning of these shops immediately captured the attention of the locals.

They had never imagined things could unfold this way; it even seemed somewhat unbelievable.

Merchants from various places buzzed with discussion.

Previously, the shops could only be bought by local merchants, but now, through auctions, any merchant could bid.

This encouraged outsiders to stimulate the local economy.

Even if they were unwilling, they had to admit it was quite remarkable.

“Have you heard? My distant cousin came all the way from another city just to see if these few restaurants are worth buying.”

“It’s not as easy as you say. The highest bidder wins, after all.”

“Right. But before, we had no chance to get those restaurants. Now, there’s a possibility.”

The merchants were all eager and engaged in endless discussion.

This quickly elevated Chen Tianwei’s status throughout Blue City.

Those who had been skeptical were now growing increasingly calm.

“What’s wrong? You all seem unhappy about this,” Old Master Zhou asked, puzzled.

“Yes. The situation isn’t right. We were hoping to get on good terms with Chen Tianwei so we could easily obtain the rights to the restaurants. But now…”

Zhou Chenjing spoke with frustration.

Hearing that this was Han Qing’s doing only made him more impatient.

They probably never expected this issue to be so closely tied to them.

“What’s there to fear? How many businesses in Blue City dare to compete with us?” he said abruptly.

The other small merchants were simply beneath their notice.

So there was no need to be afraid.

“But this was supposed to be a done deal. Now that it’s fallen through, it’s hard not to feel frustrated.”

However, since they had to go through the process anyway, there was no reason to fear.

Just unfortunate that things didn’t go as planned.

Three days later.

The Hongyun Restaurant auction officially began.

The attendees were all dignitaries and wealthy gentlemen from outside the city.

The Zhou family had specially arranged people to attend, determined to secure the restaurant.

But the opening bids were anything but low.

Originally valued at two hundred taels, the price suddenly soared several levels higher.

This startled some people awake.

They hadn’t cared at first, assuming no one would dare to raise the price.

But they had miscalculated.

Not only did the bids keep climbing, but they even exceeded expectations.

“Three hundred taels!”

“Three hundred fifty!”

“Five hundred!”

“Six hundred!”

“One thousand taels!”

What?

The crowd was baffled.

No matter how profitable this restaurant was, it couldn’t be worth triple the asking price.

It was simply terrifying.

Most refused to believe it.

Yet, a bidder from Beijun City stubbornly pushed the price higher.

The Zhou family’s representatives awkwardly shook their heads.

Their expectation had been five hundred taels; anything beyond that seemed impossible.

Moreover, they had hoped to use other methods, but it now appeared useless.

“Who is he? I’ve never heard of anyone wealthier than the Zhou family,” someone asked.

“Never heard either. Probably from another place.”

“Checked around—he’s from a small bookstore in Beijun City. Who knows why he’s risking so much capital? What’s the point?”

These people all thought the bidder foolish.

They had no idea that this ordinary restaurant could generate such a high amount of silver.

Thus, others didn’t take it seriously.

The Zhou family calmed down.

There were still two more restaurants.

Having lost this one, what about the others?

But the other two were also bought by this same person.

Han Qing had never appeared, and no one suspected him.

Other merchants had to accept defeat—no higher bids, no purchase—which was understandable.

“This idea is truly brilliant. The merchants don’t hold much resentment toward me, at most they think their own wealth is insufficient.”

That had been the plan all along.

Others simply wouldn’t be satisfied.

“What? Not a single restaurant won? What have you been doing?” Old Master Zhou said angrily.

The situation was frustrating, but they had to admit it was their own misfortune.

“Father, we had the silver ready, but someone raised the price too high. Who dares to gamble on three thousand taels for three restaurants?”

The old master sighed deeply.

It was indeed strange.

“Did you investigate that person’s identity?”

“He’s from a small bookstore in Beijun City, supposedly connected to the royal family in Luo Capital.”

That was truly beyond their control.

“Father, the restaurant business hasn’t been doing well lately. Even if they get their hands on them, it won’t matter much.”

Zhou family’s second young master said with pride.

That was true.

“When the Du family controlled them, it didn’t work out. That was because a hotpot restaurant was suppressing them. Now that the owner has changed, maybe things will be different.”

The old master nodded.

Let’s hope so.

Otherwise, if the Zhou family wanted to develop further in the Blue family’s territory, these restaurant assets would affect their standing.

But Young Master Zhu didn’t understand.

Why pay such a high price to buy the restaurants? What use was it?

“Brother Han, can I really make back these three thousand taels?”

“Absolutely. It’s just a matter of time.”

He nodded.

“Aren’t you worried the other merchants will realize this is a setup and band together?”

“Merchants only act when there’s profit. That’s common sense—they won’t misunderstand.”

Han Qing spoke fearlessly.

Everything had been planned long ago.

As for the restaurants, they would serve another important purpose in his hands.