The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

Since it wasn't convenient to discuss matters in the main hall, Shen Cao took Wei Siyu to the study.

Wei Siyu casually found a chair and sat down, and Shen Cao sat down next to him.

He lowered his head and thought for a moment before slowly speaking, "Actually, it's not a big deal. It's just that if we continue at the current pace, it might be difficult for us to officially open for business on the eighth day of the third lunar month."

It turned out that although what Shen Cao said that day had piqued the interest of many people, many people went to inquire about the specifics that day.

However, when Steward Wei brought out the contract and asked them to sign it, they all hesitated, saying they would go back and discuss it with their families.

Butler Wei knew at the time that this discussion was unlikely to succeed.

Sure enough, when the appointed time arrived, only a few people came with their wives to sign the contract.

Moreover, I repeatedly confirmed with him before signing to see if it was the same as what Shen Cao had said.

They were only relieved after Steward Wei pointed out the words on the contract and listened to the notary's words.

"How many stalls have been rented out now?"

Wei Siyu held up three fingers. "At most, it's only 30%." He didn't say that half of that 30% was from a job he asked Butler Wei to do for the servants in his mansion to earn some pocket money. He had to put in three months' rent to find that job.

In reality, less than 10% of people are willing to completely trust them; most only sign contracts for one month.

Upon hearing this, Shen Cao fell into deep thought.

She didn't expect this first step to be so difficult; everything is difficult at the beginning.

"Actually, I've been asking around these past few days and I know some of the reasons."

Shen Cao "?"

Wei Siyu continued, "The people selling food at the dock are mostly villagers from villages around the county. Some of them come to earn some money during the off-season for farming."

"Some of them are elderly grandmothers who want to set up stalls to earn some money to supplement their family income."

“These people don’t have a strong desire to make money. They just sell what they can at their stalls and take the rest home to eat.”

"So, we've started collecting rent from them, and this amount is almost all the money they had from their previous stall."

"If you calculate it that way, they'll work for a month and have nothing left."

After listening to Wei Siyu's words, Shen Cao nodded thoughtfully, but then remained silent for a long time.

This was a situation she had never considered before. Her original plan was to turn the stalls along the dock into their main way of making money, hoping that these small stalls could help everyone earn enough income.

However, she overlooked a crucial point—these stall owners were the breadwinners and main breadwinners of their respective families! They not only had to work hard selling goods at the docks, but also had to take time to rush home to farm their fields to make a living.

At this moment, Shen Cao desperately hoped that all these people would trust him wholeheartedly and firmly believe that as long as he managed this small stall diligently, he would definitely be able to make a fortune.

Unfortunately, reality is often cruel and unforgiving.

After all, she was just a teenager, still young and naive. Who would easily believe what such a greenhorn would say?

Thinking of this, Shen Cao couldn't help but sigh deeply: "Sigh, this is really too difficult!"

If only time could turn back to a past life! Back then, there were countless vivid examples of people getting rich by setting up stalls, and there was no need to worry and rack one's brains to convince others like there is now.

Wei Siyu silently watched Shen Cao, noticing that her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed and her gaze was fixed on the distance, clearly deep in thought.

So he decided to remain quiet and not disturb her thoughts, but to wait patiently.

Time passed second by second. Finally, when Wei Siyu caught a glimpse of relief on Shen Cao's face, he cleared his throat and continued, "Actually, resolving this matter is not difficult. The key issue is that these people lack trust in us."

It is worth mentioning that he used the word "we" instead of "I" here.

Hearing this, Shen Cao slowly turned her head, staring directly at Wei Siyu, and said softly, "Yes, please continue."

Wei Siyu nodded and continued her analysis: "Let's start with the first point. The reason why those people have doubts is ultimately because they don't trust you enough."

Although Shen's Restaurant is now bustling with customers, and everyone who has tasted the dishes raves about them, this only proves your culinary skills are superb; it doesn't guarantee that others can master such exquisite techniques.

Therefore, they naturally wouldn't easily believe that you would impart such exquisite culinary skills to them without reservation.

After a pause, Wei Siyu continued, "Let's talk about the second point, which is that these people also have doubts about the Wei family and the Shen family."

Logically speaking, if this were in the capital, any business that the Shen and Wei families were involved in would be met with fierce competition from other merchants who would rack their brains to get involved and get a share of the profits.

But this isn't the capital! In the capital, everyone knows that the Shen and Wei families have deep roots and immense power. As the saying goes, 'You can run away, but you can't hide.' Even if something goes wrong, there's no shortage of people to hold accountable."

“Xin’an County is different. It’s just a base for our two families. Once we stop making money and leave, who will they complain to?”

"Go to the capital? It's a long way, we can't even afford the travel expenses, and it's not worth it."

"So what do you mean by 'easy to solve'?" She was still completely confused after hearing this, and couldn't understand what was so easy about it.

Wei Siyu kept everyone in suspense, then stood up and walked up to Shen Cao, "Do you believe me?"

Shen Cao was completely baffled by his sudden remark, but she still nodded.

"Then why do you trust me so much?"

Shen Cao thought about it carefully, "Because you are my friend."

"Also, I know your character, and you are someone I can trust."

Upon hearing this, Wei Siyu exclaimed excitedly, "Yes, because you know me, and I am worthy of your trust."

"Those people don't believe you because they don't know you well enough and don't know that you are trustworthy."

Shen Cao suddenly realized, "That's right, because they don't understand me."

However, she's not exactly a celebrity...

Yes, instead of spending time getting them to know her, it's better to find someone they already know.

"Then let's find someone they know to act as guarantor!"

Sure enough, he knew that Shen Cao was a clever child.

Wei Siyu looked at Shen Cao with great agreement, "The key is how to find someone they all know."

Shen Cao looked at him. Since he had thought of this problem long ago, he must have already found such a person. He just must not have determined which one it was yet, which is why he wanted to discuss it with her.

“Brother Wei, since you’ve thought of this, I believe you must already have someone in mind.”

Wei Siyu nodded. "I do have a very suitable candidate here." After saying that, he looked troubled.

It seems this person is unwilling to vouch for them.

"But she never vouches for anyone, and she despises businessmen the most."