A tragic journey through ancient times, trying to make money

The next day at the beginning of the Si hour.

Zhang Yunyue and Zhang Chao were already waiting at the door of the hot pot restaurant.

By the time it was exactly 9 o'clock in the morning, a total of five grocery store owners had arrived.

Zhang Chao led the five people into the box on the third floor and asked them to sit down. Then Zhang Yunyue followed them into the box.

Zhang Chao raised his finger and pointed at Zhang Yunyue and introduced: "Hello shopkeepers, this is the owner of our workshop and also the owner of the food store."

Zhang Chao then introduced everyone's identities to Zhang Yunyue.

Zhang Yunyue bowed to everyone, and they all sat down.

He said, "My dear shopkeepers, I heard from Manager Zhang Chao that you want to buy chili peppers and crispy whistles from our workshop to sell."

One of the shopkeepers said, "Yes, Mr. Zhang, it is like this. Since your store opened, we have noticed that your chili peppers and crispy fried chicken are selling very well.

But the city is too big, with too many people, and there are also people from the surrounding villages and towns. We all know that your food shop can't eat up all the food, so we want to purchase from your workshop, and we can sell together."

Zhang Yunyue nodded and said, "That's why I asked Manager Zhang Chao to come here today. The workshop can sell goods to you, but there is one thing you must guarantee in our workshop, and that is the selling price in the prefecture city must be the same.

The original purpose of the workshop was to allow ordinary people to eat these, rather than preparing them specifically for certain people.”

"Don't worry, Miss Zhang. It will be good for us to sell at the same price. At least there won't be any malicious competition.

Besides, our grocery stores are quite far away and they all have their own customers, so Mr. Zhang can rest assured."

“That’s good, in that case, let’s talk about the price the workshop gives you and your selling price.

At present, the chili oil sold in the food shops in the city is 80 wen per catty, the chili oil with pork and chicken is 90 wen per catty, and the chili oil with crispy salsa is 100 wen per catty.

You don't need to purchase goods from workshops. We have special delivery staff here, so I can give you a discount of 22 cents per pound.

The two cents are to subsidize you to prepare the pottery jars by yourself. The pottery jars in my shop are brought from the village, so the price is relatively cheap.

Your grocery stores all have pottery jars, which can be cheaper, so with the two cents subsidy, you can still earn at least twenty cents."

The shopkeepers present felt that what Zhang Yunyue said took both herself and them into consideration, and her words made everyone feel soothed.

The shopkeeper who had just spoken said, "Mr. Zhang, since you have considered this for us, this price is also very favorable to us. You are sincere in selling, and we are sincere in buying. Then I will express my position first. I agree to do as you say."

"Mr. Zhang, I also agree with your price."

"I agree."

The five shopkeepers agreed to Zhang Yunyue's price without hesitation and did not bargain any further.

“Okay, in that case, let’s sign the contract, except for the price of each item of goods.

It must also be stated that if the grocery store no longer needs the goods from Zhang's workshop, the contract must be terminated seven days in advance. If the grocery store temporarily cancels the contract and does not want the goods for no reason (except natural disasters or man-made disasters), it must compensate Zhang's workshop five hundred taels.

If the Zhang family workshop temporarily breaches the contract and fails to provide goods to the grocery stores without reason (except for natural disasters or man-made calamities), it must compensate the grocery stores five hundred taels. If it needs to terminate the contract, it must notify the grocery stores seven days in advance.

Do you have anything else to add?"

Several shopkeepers looked at each other and shook their heads at the shopkeeper who had been negotiating with Zhang Yunyue, indicating that they had no objections.

"Okay, Mr. Zhang, this contract binds both you and us. Okay, we don't have anything to add."

"Okay, I'll have someone bring up the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone so we can sign the contract."

Zhang Yunyue glanced at Zhang Chao and nodded. Zhang Chao understood and left the box.

After a while, Zhang Chao entered the box with the pen, ink, paper and inkstone he took from the counter.

Zhang Yunyue wrote down everything he had just said on paper and showed it to a few shopkeepers. After they saw that there was no problem, he copied it fourteen more times.

Each copy was signed with his or her own name and stamped with his or her own fingerprint, and then handed to five people, three copies for each person.

After the five grocery store owners signed the contract and put their fingerprints on it, each of them kept a copy.

Zhang Yunyue: "Shopkeepers, I will have someone take the contract to the county government office for filing later. In addition, we will go back to the village to pick up the first batch of goods in the next two days. Please tell us the quantity you need first, and we will deliver the goods to the grocery store within ten days.

If you need any goods in the future, just go to the food store and register seven days in advance, and they will deliver the goods to your door."

"Well, that's what we should do."

Next, Zhang Yunyue asked Zhang Chao to write down the quantity of various peppers needed by the five shopkeepers. A rough calculation showed that it was about four thousand kilograms.

"Okay, now that we have finished discussing cooperation, and it is already noon, you can stay and try the hot pot in our hot pot restaurant."

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Zhang. I will obey your command."

"I've heard of the reputation of this hot pot restaurant for a long time, and today I finally got to try it."

So Zhang Yunyue and Zhang Chao accompanied a few people to have a hotpot meal and then returned to Yunyue Lane, while Zhang Chao took the five contracts to the county government for filing.

In the evening, wait for Zhang Xingyun and others to come back.

Zhang Yunyue called everyone to the main room to discuss the matter.

"Uncle Li, you also went to the hot pot restaurant today, and you also know that you have signed contracts with several grocery stores. You should go back to the village in the next two days. Didn't Uncle Zhao's guards say that they can be officially used when you return this time?

It just so happens that you go to the livestock market in town and buy fifteen carriages to deliver the first batch of goods. I will tell you what to do with the remaining goods next."

Li Da: "Okay, I'll leave tomorrow."

"Big Brother, Second Brother, Little Brother Chao, I thought about it. Now that the three stores are stable, this order from the grocery store gave me an idea.

Originally, we had said that we would start opening branches after the city was stabilized, but now I have rethought it. Branches must be opened, but they will be postponed for a while.

I want everyone to go to various counties and towns to promote and sell chili oil and crispy whistles. Part of the reason we opened the food store is to sell chili oil and crispy whistles, and most of the profit of the food store also comes from this.

So it’s just right that we don’t need to open a food store. We can just open food stores in towns, counties and prefectural cities. In the future, we can directly find grocery stores to help us sell our products. This time, Uncle Zhao’s people have been trained, so they can come over when they are delivering goods.

We will plan ahead and decide which county to start with. Then the three of you will form a team to go to the town below the county and the grocery store to sell the products from the workshop.

Once I use peppers to pave the way, I will have some connections in the county and will be able to do things. It's a good time to accumulate some money during this period, otherwise I'm afraid I won't have enough money by then, hehe.