The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

Chen Xi listened quietly, frowned slightly, and fell into deep thought.

After a moment, she spoke slowly, with a bit of determination in her voice: "Second brother, why don't we open a restaurant directly in the county town. There are dense crowds of people there, and the business must be more prosperous than in the town. Moreover, restaurants are places frequented by wealthy people, and a meal costs at least one or two taels of silver. Except for wealthy families like Mr. Hu, ordinary people in the town can't afford it."

Chen Pingan naturally understood these principles, but he looked embarrassed and hesitated: "Sister, the rent of the county restaurant is expensive, I am afraid that my family will not be able to afford it in the long run."

Indeed, the rent of shops in the county town is far from comparable to that in the countryside and is a considerable expense.

Chen Xi's eyes turned and he proposed a new plan: "Second brother, we can work together. I will pay for the rent of the restaurant. Moreover, relying on stewed food alone is not enough. I will also teach you and Second Sister-in-law to make more modern dishes, such as squirrel mandarin fish, Dongpo pork, mapo tofu, pickled pepper bullfrog, and preserved vegetable braised pork. These are novel and unique in this era and will definitely attract customers."

Not only that, she had another trump card in mind - the fine wine stored in the space, which could serve as a major feature of the restaurant.

After hearing this, Chen Pingan said a little embarrassedly: "Wouldn't this be taking advantage of you too much, sister?"

Chen Xi shook his head gently, smiling gently, "No, second brother. I am actually only participating in name only, and I can get half of the profits every year, which is not a disadvantage for me."

Chen Pingan thought about it carefully and felt that his sister's words made sense, so he suggested: "Then let your second sister-in-law and I bear the cost of recruiting employees."

Chen Xi readily agreed, and the two continued to discuss the details of the restaurant, and Xie Tianyi listened to all of this silently.

After a moment, Xie Tianyi suddenly spoke up and decided to join them, "I am also willing to pay one hundred taels of silver as an investment."

Chen Xi was stunned at first, then smiled brightly, and a warm feeling surged in his heart.

With Xie Tianyi's support, the restaurant will undoubtedly have a solid foundation for expansion in the future.

After all, who would dare to easily touch the business interests of the Prime Minister?

Thinking of the records in the book, Xie Tianyi ascended to the position of Prime Minister in just five years. If the restaurant can prosper under his indirect protection in five years, opening a branch will be a natural thing.

Even if Xie Tianyi no longer serves as the Prime Minister in the next few years, his official position will definitely be prominent and his influence cannot be underestimated.

"Great, this way, you will be our third shopkeeper, second brother will be the chief shopkeeper, and I will be the second shopkeeper." Chen Xi smiled and assigned the roles.

Chen Pingan waved his hands quickly and declined sincerely, "How can this be possible, brother-in-law, Xiaoxi has already paid, how can I let you spend more money?"

Chen Xi insisted, "Oh, second brother, it's decided. It's just one hundred taels of silver."

In the countryside, one hundred taels of silver is indeed a considerable fortune, but in a prosperous county town, such an amount is not conspicuous.

In the end, after some negotiations, Chen Xi took 40% of the restaurant's shares by virtue of his capital investment and recipe contribution; Brother Chen also held 40% by virtue of his actual operation and financial support; and Xie Tianyi, although he invested the least, took 20% of the shares because of his special status.

The villagers, with smiles on their faces and simple enthusiasm, came to the Chen family's courtyard one after another. Everyone was holding carefully prepared local specialties and home-cooked delicious dishes in their hands, and the baskets exuded tempting aromas.

Chen Xi stood at the kitchen door, his eyes moving between a pile of fresh ingredients.

She carefully selected brightly colored vegetables, firm fish, and a variety of spices, preparing to personally guide her second brother Chen Ping'an to transform these simple ingredients into delicious dishes on the table.

The sunlight shines through the window lattices, casting a light on their busy figures.

In just one afternoon, under Chen Xi's patient and meticulous guidance, Chen Ping'an's skills went from being unfamiliar to being proficient.

The dinner table was filled with a wide variety of dishes and filled with fragrance, winning unanimous praise from the villagers.

After dinner, Chen Ping'an had a heavy stack of two hundred taels of silver in his pocket, which was a recognition of his efforts today.

Walking on the way home, he felt unprecedented satisfaction, but at the same time a little nervous, as he always felt that there was a bit of envy and curiosity in the eyes of passers-by.

In the center of town, in Mo Yue Study, the boss paced back and forth anxiously in front of the counter, until the familiar figure of Xie Tianyi appeared at the door, and then a relieved smile broke out on his face.

"Oh, Mr. Xie, you are finally here. Did you bring the book?" The boss' voice was full of anticipation.

Xie Tianyi smiled and nodded, then gently took out a beautifully bound book from his arms. The cover was smooth and delicate to the touch. It was carefully made of high-quality paper specially supplied to the study.

The boss took the book and couldn't wait to open it. He saw that the book was densely packed with fables with profound meanings and close to the pulse of the times.

"Great! Quick, get five hundred taels of silver for Mr. Xie!" the boss excitedly instructed the waiter, his excitement hard to conceal in his voice.

Soon, Xie Tianyi left the study with satisfaction, carrying a heavy load of five hundred taels of silver notes, two new books and a stack of high-quality paper in his hands.

He did not forget to share this joy with Chen Xi, and specially gave her three hundred taels, saying it was the profit from writing books. Chen Xi thought it was still the result brought by those fables, so she gladly accepted it.

Thinking that Xie Tianyi was about to go to the county town and the restaurant was about to open, Chen Xi was thinking about how to use these silver coins to make more preparations for the future.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, the restaurant in the county town is about to open.

Chen Xi, Chen Pingan and his second sister-in-law went to the town together. The restaurant looked simple yet elegant, and the two-story building was particularly eye-catching in the town.

In the early days of the business, the prospects were still unclear, so Chen Pingan cautiously hired only two skillful assistants and a calculating accountant. He and his second sister-in-law cooked personally to ensure that every dish tasted the best.

On the first day of opening, they continued with their previous successful marketing strategy and placed a variety of tasting dishes in front of the door. The aroma was so fragrant that it attracted many passers-by to stop and taste them.

In addition, the preferential treatment of only paying 70% of the silver for consumption on the first day made the restaurant very popular and customers came in an endless stream.

Chen Xi also had to roll up his sleeves and worked busy in the kitchen for the whole afternoon.

In the afternoon, when everything gradually calmed down, Chen Xi tidied up the kitchen and prepared to leave.

Looking at the still lively scene in the restaurant, her heart was filled with relief and pride.

However, at this moment, a hurried "Get out of the way!" broke the tranquility of the street.

A carriage was speeding down the main street. The driver whipped the horse and pedestrians around hurriedly dodged. Only a child stood in the middle of the road, his face pale with fear and unable to move.