Travel to the mountains and make a fortune in silence

Originally, Shang Congjian came to talk business with Mu Nan. He had never been to Mu Nan's house before and didn't know how to get there, so he went to the Yun residence to ask Yun Kai to show him the way. He happened to run into Mu Zhicheng at the Yun residence, so they decided to come together.

Mu Nan asked, "How do you plan to cooperate on the restaurant food business?"

"As my sister-in-law said before, all the profits from the new dishes she makes will be distributed to you by Fuxianglou at a rate of 30%. This is the contract I have prepared."

As Shang Congjian spoke, he took out a contract and handed one to Mu Nan.

Mu Nan took the contract, unfolded it, and handed it directly to his wife, Wang Qing'er, who then began to read it.

"Wow, Fuxianglou has thirty branches, with the main store in the capital. This is going to be a money-making machine!" Wang Qing'er looked at the contract, her face expressionless, but her heart was already pounding with excitement.

Many of the ingredients in her dishes are unique to her, so she not only gets 30% of the profits from the dishes, but also earns money from selling seasonings, such as chili peppers, salted duck eggs soaked at home, pickled vegetables, and sweet potato starch, all of which can be sold to restaurants. She can also make sweet potato noodles from the starch and sell them to restaurants.

Even if others grow and produce these things in the future, she will still have an exclusive right to them for the next few years, allowing her to make a profit.

She won't sell the braised meat recipe; it's her backup plan.

“Young Master Shang, there’s nothing wrong with the contract,” Wang Qing’er said after quickly reading it.

"Sister-in-law, since there are no problems, let's sign the contract today. Also, what are those things in your yard? Are they edible?"

Shang Congjian pointed to a coil of mosquito coils in the courtyard and asked, "I saw it when I came in and I've wanted to ask about it for a long time."

"Uh, Young Master Shang, these are mosquito coils. I lit them all around the pavilion. Haven't you noticed that you've been sitting here for so long and no mosquitoes have bitten you?"

Wang Qing'er almost burst out laughing. How could she act like a child, thinking that everything was edible?

"Mosquito coils? Are they the incense we use every day?" Shang Congjian didn't know much about these things; he only knew that the women in his family liked to use incense.

But he really didn't feel any mosquitoes biting him even after sitting for so long; normally he would have been bitten several times by now.

Not only her, but others also felt it, especially the two girls, Yun Jing and Qin Miaomiao.

"Uh, more or less. The fragrance I made is also very nice, but not as nice as the incense you usually burn. But my mosquito coils are specifically for repelling insects." Seeing that he didn't understand, Wang Qing'er had to explain again.

"Sister-in-law, how come you know everything? I'll buy some mosquito coils too. Let me sign the food sharing agreement quickly."

Shang Congjian urged them to sign the contract, as if he was worried that Wang Qing'er would refuse to sign it if they waited too long.

"Well, the mosquito coils in the courtyard are all pre-ordered by guests. If Young Master Shang wants some, you'll have to wait a few more days."

After Wang Qing'er finished speaking, she looked up at the sky again. It was getting dark. They had come all this way, so they should stay for a meal. It would also be a good opportunity for them to try her dishes before signing the contract. So she continued:

"Young Master Shang, you've only ever tasted my braised meat, not my other dishes. How about I cook a few more today, and we can sign the contract after we've eaten?"

"Wouldn't this be too much trouble for my sister-in-law?" Shang Congjian said, but in his heart he thought it would be best if they could try a few dishes before signing the contract.

"No trouble at all, we have all the ingredients at home. You all stay here, have some tea and chat, I'll be done in no time." Wang Qing'er said, then got up and went to the kitchen.

"Sister-in-law, let's go help you too!" Yun Jing and Qin Miaomiao quickly got up and followed behind Wang Qing'er.

“Okay, let’s go together. Let’s go to the garden in the back and pick some vegetables first.” Wang Qing’er didn’t refuse. If they wanted to come along, then so be it. She just wondered what these young ladies from wealthy families would do.

"Sister-in-law, did you really make that braised meat?" Qin Miaomiao couldn't help but ask as they walked.

"And did you also process those tea leaves?" Yun Jing asked.

Wang Qing'er replied, "Yes, actually making braised meat is very simple, and frying tea leaves isn't difficult either. Do you know how to cook?"

"I can only cook a few dishes, but I'm good at needlework," Yun Jing said somewhat shyly.

"I can't do any of them, but I love to eat. I love anything that's edible!" Qin Miaomiao said happily, her eyes shining as she thought of the delicious food.

"Miaomiao, how dare you say that? You don't know any of the things a woman should know." Yun Jing was starting to look down on her friend.

"Sister-in-law, I've never seen these vegetables in your garden before. We don't have any of these vegetables on our farm."

Qin Miaomiao's family owns several estates on the outskirts of Beijing, and she often goes there to pick out fresh fruits and vegetables.

Having never seen these vegetables before, he couldn't resist running around in the garden, looking at and touching everything.

Wang Qing'er followed behind her, introducing the various vegetables.

Now the chili pepper trees are laden with lush green chilies, and the cucumbers and loofahs are ready to eat.

The earliest batches of tomatoes, watermelons, and melons planted have already borne fruit, but they will take some time to ripen and cannot be eaten yet.

When Qin Miaomiao heard that the fruits were not yet ripe, her little face scrunched up: "It's a pity, I can't try them all today."

Wang Qing'er said with a smile, "When they're ripe, I'll send some to Fuxianglou and have him deliver some to you."

Qin Miaomiao was delighted to hear that some fruit would be given to her when it ripened, and said happily, "Thank you so much, sister-in-law!"

After thanking Wang Qing'er, he said smugly to Yun Jing:

"Fortunately, my husband is serving as the magistrate of Wuyang County. We won't be returning to the capital for the time being. Being close to my sister-in-law's home means we can eat the fruit she grows."

"Yun Jing, you and Shang Congjian should return to the capital. It's a journey of about ten days from here to the capital. I'm afraid you won't be able to eat it then. By the time the fruit arrives in the capital, it will probably be spoiled!"

Wang Qing'er thought to herself that Qin Miaomiao was really a social butterfly. They hadn't known each other for long, but she was already calling him "sister-in-law" all the time.

I guess she's a bit older than me! Yun Jing is much more reserved; I wonder if she's that person's sister.

"No, these fruits can be stored for a while and there will be no problem sending them to the capital. I will send some to Yun Jing and the others after they ripen."

Wang Qing'er felt that the journey to the capital was only about ten days, and these fruits could be transported there easily.

If she were to sell them in the capital, she could definitely get a good price. This casual conversation led her to discover another way to make money.

"Thank you, sister-in-law. It's so kind of you to spend so much money and go to so much trouble," Yun Jing said somewhat embarrassedly.

Wang Qing'er smiled and said, "It's no trouble at all. These are all fruits grown at home. I'm just glad you like them!"

"Sister-in-law, how could we not like it? The vegetables and fruits here are all things we've never eaten or seen before, they must taste great."

Qin Miaomiao was so eager to eat it that she even wanted to ask Wang Qing'er for some seeds to plant on her own estate.

Even though it's a community cow, I'm still a little embarrassed to ask for it, because it might be someone else's livelihood.