Chapter 270 - 270 Business
270 Business
“It’s good that you have a plan in mind. I can rest assured after telling you about this.”
After Yang Dashan finished, he changed the topic, “By the way, I met Fang Tianliu today. He said that there was nothing fresh to eat in winter, so he wanted to sell tofu in the shop, but he said that he didn’t know how.”
“Dashan, please prepare two more extra plates when you make the tofu tomorrow. When Chen Xiaolang comes to deliver the goods, bring them with him. I have more time on my hands now, so I’ll go to the shop when I’m free.”
After Yang Dashan heard him, he hurried back to the warehouse behind.
Now, he was the one preparing everything in the Hundred Flavors Restaurant. Zhao Zhan was only responsible for preparing the brine and seasonings in advance. Yang Dashan prepared the ingredients according to the list he was given. The taste might be a little different from what Zhao Zhan made personally, but it was already better than most food.
Yang Dashan was energetic when he left. After all, he still owed Zhao Zhan money and his child was about to be born. Even his meals were prepared by Li Miao and sent to him.
Before Zhao Zhan set off, he was worried that Yue Jiaojiao wouldn’t be able to find him when she woke up, so he told Madam Qin in advance of his whereabouts. Then, he tied the dagger to his belt and walked to town.
…
“You’re here!”
Fang Tianliu was busy with his work. When he saw Zhao Zhan entering the shop, he hurriedly greeted him. “Wait…Why are you here?”
“I had some free time.”
Zhao Zhan rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward to help.
The pressure on Fang Tianliu’s shoulder was instantly lifted. He couldn’t help but hit his waist and let out a long sigh of relief. “Although I’ve been busy in the shop for so long, I still can’t compare to your swift actions.”
“I’m going to sell this shop.”
“What?”
Fang Tianliu stood up straight in shock. “We’re doing so well! Although we don’t earn a lot of money, I think our future is limitless. I’m even thinking of opening another branch!”
Li Xiangjun, who was dressed in men’s clothing, heard the commotion and came over. However, she wasn’t as impulsive in her speech as before. She only asked, “Do you have other plans?”
Fortunately, the guests were slowly leaving so they had time to talk about it.
Fang Tianliu asked the other staff to take care of the front while he pulled Zhao Zhan and Li Xiangjun to the backyard. “Zhao Zhan, there’s no one here now. Be honest, we’ve been through so much. What do you have planned?”
Although Li Xiangjun didn’t show anything on her face, she also perked up her ears with these words.
“Fang Tianliu, there’s nothing to worry about.”
Zhao Zhan carefully chose his words to sort out his thoughts.
“I’m still thinking about it. Should I keep this shop and open another one, or directly change it to what I want?”
“When the weather gets warmer next month, we can prepare the bean and chili seedlings. After the wheat harvest in June and July, the gap between planting the next season of wheat is enough to harvest a batch of soybeans. By then, our shortage of raw materials will be solved.
“The tofu in our shop is cheap, so I’m planning to turn the tofu and bean sprouts into household ingredients that even ordinary farmers can afford.”
“I understand.”
Fang Tianliu was still a little confused, but Li Xiangjun had a rough idea of what was going on. “Are you planning on selling tofu? Is it because Fang Tianliu mentioned it?”
“If it’s only selling tofu, why would you want to close the shop? Fang Tianliu couldn’t figure it out. “Zhao Zhan, please explain clearly. I’m freaking out.”
“I’m going to open a shop to specialize in total sales.”
Thinking that the words total sales might not be understood by the two of them, Zhao Zhan continued to explain.
“This is an idea that my wife mentioned once or twice before. We will be the main sellers, and those inns or other people who want to cooperate with us can come to us.
“For example, when we sell tofu, there will be a market in Wangshan Town once every three days. Usually, many people in the village will not come to the town once in half a month…”
“So we can fix a set price for tofu there!” Xiangjun said. “Then, people can come to our village to carry a load and sell it at a higher price in various villages, or come to the inn to buy it directly. That’s a genius move!”
“But Zhao Zhan…” Fang Tianliu felt that the other party was being too optimistic. “Aren’t you afraid that others will learn your tofu-making secret recipe?”
“Our secret recipe can also be sold to the outside world.”
“What?!”
Li Xiangjun and Fang Tianliu opened their mouths in unison, their faces full of shock. Zhao Zhan, “Are you short on cash? I can lend you some silver first if you need it.”
“It’s not because of this. There’s a key thing in the formation of tofu, and that’s what I’m planning to sell.” Zhao Zhan was full of fighting spirit.
“Tofu is not easy to store and easily goes bad. It’s not realistic to sell it without sharing the secret.
“But the good thing is that the brine can be preserved for a long time.
“Other than tofu, I can also marinate spices in our shop.
“There’s also cooking condiments, soybean paste, and chili sauce. These are all the things I’m planning to sell later too.”
Fang Tianliu and Li Xiangjun finally understood what he meant.
“Zhao Zhan, if that’s the case, why don’t we just set up the shop in Huai County?” Fang Tianliu was eager to Bet on this business. “Wangshan Town can’t be connected in all directions without a waterway. If we set up this shop in Huai County, we can quickly spread our name.”
His idea was exactly what Zhao Zhan wanted to convey.
Shang’s monopoly was in Huai County. If he stayed in Wangshan to develop, it would take too long to draw Shang down!
Since he dared to treat Yue Jiaojiao like this, Zhao Zhan would definitely not let him off so easily!
“Sorry for barging in like this…” Chen Xiaolang walked out of the room and looked at the three people in the courtyard apologetically. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I was just taking something from inside and didn’t expect you to be here discussing something. I have a request, but I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to say it.”
Fang Tianliu was still on bad terms with Chen Xiaolang, and it was already his greatest concession to hold back his sarcasm. He only scoffed and waved his hand in the air.
Zhao Zhan had an assumption but did not act on it until it was true.
“Tell me.”
“My mother’s skill in making porridge is unparalleled. I was thinking that if this shop sells many kinds of things in the future, it would be better to let my mother help you take care of it. She can sell steamed buns, tofu pudding, and porridge. This way, it can add to your income, right?
“As for me, I’ll help you sell tofu and bean sprouts everywhere, as well as wholesale to save some money for my mother’s retirement. What do you think?”
“There’s no conclusion on this matter yet. Can you wait for me to think about it before I answer you?”
“Sure, of course.” Chen Xiaolang nodded repeatedly. “You can come to me anytime.”
He was now used to this kind of ordinary but not disdainful life. He didn’t want to go back and do those scamming and extorting things. He lived like a stray dog in town every day and even implicated his mother in trouble. He vowed to never go back to the way he was.
“I’ll man the front for you”
“Zhao Zhan, in my opinion, why don’t you just come with me to Huai County? Those are all your recipes. If Xiangjun and I go to Huai County alone, we won’t have much confidence in the business succeeding.”