FH Chapter 47: 飞来横财
‘Windfall Gain’
At the back door of the Fu Xiang Teahouse, a few people dressed as subordinates (servants) were poking their heads in and looking around. Their family’s master had rushed for two days to come see the theater but was told that there was no seat.
The private room has long been booked, the rest is in the lobby. What kind of joke is this? Their master is bad at everything, his character is bad, his body falls short, his look sucks, but not lacking money only!
Let the master and a group of poor people crowded in the lobby to listen to the theater, he, this butler is also doing it until the end!
“Good for nothing, a bunch of wastes, order you to buy theater tickets, where is it? The theater is about to start, how can I explain it to the Master?”
Dressed in satin and silk clothes, the big bellied butler kicks on a boy dressed in the young male servant’s buttock, flying into a rage, “I do not care, you hurry to lobby (mediate) or you know the consequences, right?!”
“Head housekeeper, not this little subordinate, doesn’t want to go ah, people who can buy the private room theater tickets are what kind of people? Certainly not poor, I heard that the prefect officer is coming too!”
The young male servant became gloomy, in case he went to the governor there. Not only did he not have the theater ticket thing, his own master also followed to get into trouble.
“Waste (Good for nothing)!”
The butler looked at the sky, his forehead sweating, anxious like an ant on a hot pan (restless).
“This dear brother, are you seeking theater tickets?”
Li Haitang lets her little brother go to the corner and wait, she disguises herself up a little, puts on a conical bamboo hat and says in a rough voice, “Let’s not talk nonsense, how much silver can you offer?”
“Who are you ah? Where did you come from?”
The butler was getting annoyed, when he saw Li Haitang come to strike up the conversation with him. He opened his mouth, since it was for the theater tickets, he was instantly refreshed, “You have it there?”
“Of course, it depends on whether you can afford the price.”
Li Haitang had inquired in advance, the ordinary private room, speculated to be eight hundred taels of silver. Those who can come to listen to the theater do not lack money.
This was the first performance of De Quanban, listening to the theater for face (prestige) and status, and the price would come down in the future when it cycled through the performances.
“As long as you have a doorway (the social connection), the price is good.”
What a joke, their master can’t afford the money? A ginseng that is usually the tonic would cost a few hundred taels, moreover that’s just the ordinary goods.
“I’m in a hurry to leave, one thousand taels, no second price.”
The theater tickets are for nothing, not a penny spent, empty gloves, Li Haitang estimated that before the show starts soon, if she can ask an exorbitant price then she can ask for more.
But many people saw it, easy to remember, one thousand taels of silver is already a flying fortune (windfall gain),behave, do not be too greedy.
“Who knows if your theater ticket is real!?”
One thousand taels for the private room, the head housekeeper felt completely acceptable, he turned back and said more to the master, the remaining people everyone got a point, the silver went into his pocket.
Being a servant, bending and scraping to curry favor all day long, greeting and flattering, if there is no bit of grease (profit), who would do it ah? !
“If you have silver bills now, let’s go directly to the Fu Xiang teahouse to trade it inside.”
Li Haitang was afraid that Xiao LingChuan would wait too long, simply said, “My master had booked a private room, but there was a temporary emergency, so …”
“Good!”
The head housekeeper saw that this could not be faked, and immediately followed Li Haitang up the stairs, and it did not occur to him that the private room was directly opposite the theater.
Able to book such a seat or location, is bound to be not an ordinary person, the housekeeper did not dare to play tricks, painfully paid the silver ticket, openly and secretly set the word, inquiring about the background.
The silver ticket in hand, the shortage of money disturbed the breath! Who knows if Little Red Peach will suddenly appear, anyway, she slipped away first!
Before and after the transaction, in less than a quarter of an hour, Li Haitang was already sitting in the carriage with her little brother.
Making money depends on good luck or lucky chance, she is not a heartless one, so she decided to wait until the next time to see Little Peach Red, to thank him once. Before, she planned to find a few walk-in customers to follow them into the private room and collect the head fee (fee levied according to the number of people) but now she was selling the theater tickets in one fell swoop (in a spurt of energy).
