northernbook Chapter 177 Celebration
Chapter 177 Celebration
Lin Qingchuan had been holding back in front of Manager Du and Manager Jiang, but now that they weren't around, he chuckled to himself, secretly pleased with himself.
"Tang'er, I'm so happy! You have no idea how worried I was when I first entered the private room and saw Manager Du's unapproachable demeanor. After hearing what he said earlier, I thought the matter was not going to be resolved. But it turned out to be just a false alarm."
"That's right. At the time, I had the same thought as my father. I also thought that we couldn't negotiate a deal with our restaurant in the whole Pingding County. I felt that I would be too ashamed to face Uncle Shuisheng when we went back."
When we asked him to help us with the supply, we assured him it was a done deal. If we couldn't even secure a deal with a single restaurant, and Uncle Shuisheng's fields were rented out, he wouldn't be able to go home and continue farming. I even considered setting up a stall in Pingding County every day to sell our produce.”
Lin Qingchuan asked in surprise, "We used to sell roasted sweet potatoes at a stall. A sweet potato only cost one or two coins, which wasn't much money. It was filling, so it wasn't surprising that people bought them. But if we set up a stall to sell braised pig's trotters, will we be able to sell them?"
Most of the customers who go to restaurants are wealthy people. If they are wealthy, why would they only eat braised pig's trotters at a street stall?
Most of the customers at this stall are ordinary families; how many of them would be willing to spend so much on braised pig's trotters?
Lin Xiaotang thought her father made sense, so she sighed and said, "Yes, that's the point. We supply the restaurant with fifty coins a stick. If we set up a stall, we will lose the restaurant's reputation and sell far fewer sticks."
"We can't lower the price, because we supply Manager Su's restaurant with fifty coins per stick. If we set up a stall and lower the price, and the customers at those two restaurants find out, they'll definitely cause trouble. If Manager Su knows we're selling the same thing at two different prices, he'll definitely think we're dishonest, and the cooperation will fall through immediately."
This is why she didn't set up a stall to sell until she had saved enough money to open a shop.
Lin Qingchuan frowned at first, feeling a little scared, but then his expression immediately relaxed and he grinned.
"Thank goodness we managed to close this deal, otherwise I wouldn't have the face to go back and see your Uncle Shuisheng. When we get back today, we must cook a lot of dishes so that our family and your Uncle Shuisheng can have a good celebration. From now on, we can make money together."
"Yes, today is a day worth celebrating. After we buy the seasonings, we'll go buy meat, chicken, and vegetables. I'll take care of lunch today. I'll definitely cook a feast to nourish everyone. Starting tomorrow, we'll officially divide the work and work together to make big money."
"Tang'er, back when we divided the family property and built our brick house, we were dirt poor. Now we have two carriages, a small house in town, and some extra money. Today we've secured a new restaurant, and we'll be making more and more money in the future. I think we'll be rich soon."
Lin Xiaotang's face was filled with a happy smile. "Yes, our family's life is getting better and better, and we are earning more and more money. We're about to get rich. When we save enough money, we'll open a braised pig's trotter shop in the county and hire more employees."
"We'll be like Manager Su and Manager Du, only needing to inspect occasionally and arrange daily work for everyone. Wait... no, we'll have Uncle Shuisheng as the manager, letting him oversee the restaurant and the staff. I'll be responsible for daily inspections, and you and Mother can just enjoy your retirement at home."
"Hehe... Tang'er, you're absolutely right. I think we're about to live such a good life. Tang'er is our lucky star. With you here, we're sure we'll live such a good life."
"Dad used to think these things were just wishful thinking, but now he doesn't think so anymore. As long as we work hard, those good days will definitely come."
"Yes, it will definitely happen, and very soon, in just a few years!"
The father and daughter were both overjoyed, their faces beaming with smiles. They drove their carriage to different pepper shops to buy some spices and asked the shop assistants to grind them up.
To prevent her stepmother from secretly buying seasonings and doing the same thing again, Lin Xiaotang has divided the seasonings in the recipe into three portions.
One portion was bought by her and her father from several pepper shops in Pingding County, another portion was bought by Xiao Jiu and Uncle Shuisheng from several pepper shops in Dushui County, and the last portion was bought by her from the only pepper shop in Qinghe Town.
By doing this, even if those rivals were tempted, they wouldn't be able to gather all of her recipe.
Then they went to the butcher shop and bought a few pounds of meat, along with twenty extra raw pig trotters, an old hen from elsewhere, some seasonal vegetables, and a bag of candy for Xiaoyu.
When they arrived home in Qinghe Town, Shuisheng and Xiaojiu had already arrived home before them.
Upon hearing the sound of horses' hooves, Shui Sheng immediately went to the gate to greet them.
He was a little nervous and uneasy, and asked impatiently, "Brother Qingchuan, how did your talks with Xiaotang about finding a restaurant in Pingding County go? Did you manage to get anything done?"
He was worried that if the deal fell through, he would have no reason to continue going to Dushui County with Xiao Jiu to deliver supplies. He couldn't let Qingchuan and Xiaotang stay at home idle just to earn five taels of silver a month, could he?
Xiao Tang smiled and said eagerly, "It's settled, Uncle Shuisheng, don't worry. Starting tomorrow, we can go to deliver supplies together. However, it's not convenient for us to go to a county town by carriage alone."
Shui Sheng was both surprised and delighted, and for a moment he could hardly believe what he was hearing. He was so excited that his hands trembled and he grabbed Lin Qingchuan's arm.
He choked up a little as he said, "Brother Qingchuan, did I hear that right? You two actually managed to secure the new restaurant! You're really something! With you and Xiaotang involved, things are bound to succeed. No wonder you've made so much money. You two are incredibly capable. I truly admire you!"
Seeing that Shui Sheng was happy, Lin Qingchuan was happy too, and immediately told Shui Sheng that it was all true, reassuring him.
The two men unloaded the items from the carriage.
Lin Qingchuan said, "Shuisheng, don't leave at noon. Xiaotang and I bought some meat and vegetables. Xiaotang is a good cook, let her show off her skills and we'll have a good celebration."
"Alright, it's definitely worth celebrating that you and Xiaotang have finalized a new deal!"
Not only did Qingchuan's family secure a new business deal, but his supply job also became stable, meaning he would receive a monthly wage and be able to use Qingchuan's carriage to take his mother to the county to see a doctor and get medicine.
Everything will be alright soon!
To be able to meet Brother Qingchuan and work for him, he must have done something extraordinary in his past life to have such a great opportunity in this one!
When Xiao Jiu came out of the outhouse and saw Xiao Tang, his face turned red instantly. He immediately ran to the well to wash his hands and then went to the carriage to help everyone move things.
These past few days, Liu noticed that Shuisheng's shoes had holes showing his toes and his clothes had many patches, almost the same as when his family hadn't separated. So she found some unused fabric that she had stored away and made clothes and shoes for Shuisheng. She could still make some while she was still showing her pregnancy, because she wouldn't be able to make any more in the second half of the year.
Xiaoyu held a bag of candy, circled around everyone, and popped one into everyone's mouth.
Everyone praised Xiaoyu for being well-behaved and sensible, making her very happy.
Shui Sheng helped Lin Qingchuan burn pig hair and wash pig trotters by the well, while Lin Xiaotang and Xiao Jiu cooked lunch in the kitchen. Xiao Jiu helped pick vegetables and start the fire, and Xiao Tang cooked the dishes. Everyone worked together very well, and the "big family" was happy and harmonious.