The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

"Doctor Chen, the price you propose must be consistent with our pricing in the town. This may be feasible in a small town, but if we expand to the county town or even the provincial capital in the future, will this price be too low?"

Mr. Fang raised a practical question, which made Chen Xi fall into deep thought.

Indeed, operating costs in county towns and provincial cities are much higher than in rural areas, and maintaining original prices may face profitability difficulties.

"You are right. The pricing in this town is fair and can attract customers. But if we expand to a wider market, we do need to re-evaluate the price. I am not familiar with the market there. Do you know anything about it, Mr. Fang?" Chen Xi answered frankly.

In that quaint county town, the prices of those well-known bakery shops were usually kept within a range that made ordinary people think twice, about one hundred to two hundred copper coins per catty.

If we turn our attention to the more prosperous capital city, the top-quality pastries there are sold at a price as high as 500 wen per pound.

As for the situation in the capital, I dare not say anything, but I can be sure that the prices there will be even more staggering.

"So, our plan is finalized." Chen Xi's voice was gentle but firm. "If we open a branch in the county, we will set the price at 150 wen per catty, which is both affordable and classy. As for the prefectural city, considering the consumption level and demand, we can set the price at 300 wen per catty, which not only shows the quality but also maintains the market competitiveness."

After hearing this, Master Fang nodded slightly, his eyes revealing his approval of Chen Xi's astute considerations.

He knew very well that such a pricing strategy would not cause excessive economic burden to the residents of the county and the provincial capital, while ensuring profit margins, making it a win-win situation.

"As for the franchise fee," Chen Xi continued, with a hint of determination in his tone, "Whether you choose to open a store in a quiet town, a bustling county town, or a distinguished city, we will charge a uniform fee of 200 taels of silver as the franchise fee. This fee not only covers the valuable franchise rights, but also includes the full cost of learning our dessert making process. As for the daily operation of the store, attracting customers and other matters, the franchisee will be responsible for it."

"After joining, the store must hang the sign of 'Chen's Desserts', and every time the headquarters launches a new product, we will teach the production skills free of charge and will not charge any additional fees." She added, her tone full of sincerity and confidence.

Mr. Fang hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded in agreement: "This condition sounds quite fair, I accept it."

He knew very well how popular "Chen's Dessert" was in the town, and this was undoubtedly a sure-win investment.

"Doctor Chen, I'm interested in joining two stores." Mr. Fang suddenly came up with a bold idea.

Chen Xi was slightly surprised and frowned: "Two? Isn't that a bit too many? After all, my second brother already has a store in the town. If we add two more, I'm afraid there will be an oversupply situation, which will be detrimental to sales."

Seeing this, Mr. Fang quickly comforted him, "Doctor Chen, please rest assured. My plan is to open one store in the town and the other in the county seat to spread the risk and expand the market. Here is four hundred taels of silver, please keep it."

As he spoke, he pulled out two heavy banknotes from his sleeve and handed them to Chen Xi.

Chen Xi took the banknote and thought about the next step in his mind: "Okay, Master Fang can send someone to learn directly from my second brother's shop. But please be careful when choosing people and choose reliable people."

Mr. Fang nodded heavily, and there was no need to say more.

It was early morning and the sun was shining brightly. Chen Xi decided to take this opportunity to go to the county government office to sign a formal contract.

This is not because of the other party's lack of trust, but for the benefit of both parties, to ensure the safety of the dessert secret recipe and avoid unnecessary leakage.

Mr. Fang was concerned about his wife at home, so he specially sent his butler to accompany Chen Xi to the county government office.

After completing some formalities, the two men walked out of the county government gate holding documents with official seals, each with their own thoughts in mind.

"Doctor Chen, have a safe journey. I will go back and present the document to the master now." The butler said respectfully.

Chen Xi smiled slightly, nodded in greeting, then turned and walked towards the path leading to the town's shops.

The store was still bustling with people. Chen Xi told his second brother and his wife to continue working while he made a pot of cool ice water.

The icy water slid into the throat, instantly dispelling the heat from the body, making people feel relaxed and refreshed.

"Sister, how come you have time to come back to town today?" The second brother and his wife were very surprised to see Chen Xi.

Chen Pingan and his second sister-in-law knew nothing about the treatment of Master Fang and his wife, so Chen Xi had to explain it patiently.

"So that's why. No wonder Mr. Fang is no longer obsessed with buying the formula. It's because of you, my sister, who has cured his wife's chronic illness with your miraculous hands." Chen Ping'an suddenly realized.

"This is only one aspect. I also successfully persuaded Mr. Fang to join our store." Chen Xi said with a smile.

Chen Pingan and his second sister-in-law looked at each other. Join?

The word seemed strange and new to them.

"To put it simply, they are using our brand and selling the same products. Oh, by the way, Mr. Fang may send people to learn how to make desserts. I hope my second brother and his wife will be willing to give us some advice when the time comes." Chen Xi explained further.

Upon hearing this, Chen Pingan asked anxiously, "Sister, how could you just give it up like this?"

"Brother, how can it be free? The franchise fee for each store is two hundred taels of silver. Moreover, they are using our brand, which is also invisibly promoting us and increasing our popularity." Chen Xi explained patiently.

As soon as these words came out, Chen Ping'an and his second sister-in-law's eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.

Putting aside the improvement of reputation, can one easily earn two thousand taels of silver just by having a name?

This sounds incredible!

Looking at the astonished expressions of the two, Chen Xi couldn't help but chuckled: "Master Fang has joined two stores in total, with a total of 8,000 taels of silver. We will share this money together. This is the share you deserve."

After that, Chen Xi took out a silver note of four thousand taels from his arms and handed it to Chen Pingan solemnly.

"Mother of my child, please take a look. Am I seeing things? Is this really a silver note worth four thousand taels?" Chen Ping'an's voice was filled with unbelievable joy.

"Really, father, it's definitely four thousand taels!" Chen Xi's fingertips gently stroked the heavy banknote.

There was a gleam of disbelief in the eyes of the two men, and the silver note was turned over and over in their hands.

After all, it was the first time to see such a huge amount of silver on such an ordinary day, and the excitement almost overflowed from my chest.

Chen Xi secretly rejoiced in his heart, with a barely perceptible smile on the corner of his mouth.

Although it was her first time facing such a huge amount, she tried to stay calm.