He leaned closer and smelled the wood ear mushroom. "I hope it's not poisonous."

Qiu Xu shook his head repeatedly, "Absolutely not!"

Qiu Yan couldn't help but cough a few times. "Young shopkeeper, I have no grudge against you, why would I harm you? If you don't trust me, our wood ear mushrooms and fungi are always open to inspection."

Xingyue Tower is indeed out of wood ear mushrooms. Not only are they missing wood ear mushrooms, but many other items are also lacking. Looking at the dire state of his restaurant, Zhou Zifang shrugged, "Miss, do you think wood ear mushrooms will sell in my restaurant?"

The restaurant was losing money every day. He was so poor that he could hardly afford to eat. All the waiters, accountants, and other staff had quit. The young waiter was fast asleep, and the only chef was left... He had forced his personal bodyguard to become a helper.

Zhou Zifang, a rich boy, was sent to this remote county by his father to endure hardship because he didn't want to study. The purpose of the father's plan was to make him go back and study properly.

But Zhou Zifang just didn't like studying. His family were wealthy merchants in Dongjin, with countless riches. Why would he need to study? He didn't want to become an official anyway.

Now that he's ruined his business like this, even if he wanted to go back, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

“If business is good, we can naturally sell our products; otherwise, we need to find a way to salvage the situation.” Qiu Yan felt that the young man was just too young and lacked experience.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zifang carefully observed the girl in front of him. Although she was poorly dressed, she was neither humble nor arrogant, and her demeanor was generous. She did not seem like a girl from an ordinary village, but rather like a young lady from a wealthy family who had fallen on hard times.

In his desperation, he began to seek any solution, asking, "Does the young lady have any ideas on how to resolve my struggling business?"

Qiu Yan reviewed her past dining habits and said, "In my opinion, the success of a restaurant depends on three factors. First, location; second, cleanliness of the premises; and third, good service."

Selling eggs was her first time doing business, but she came from the experienced modern world. Although she hadn't actually experienced it, she had heard a lot about business concepts in the modern world.

After she finished speaking, she couldn't help but glance at the leftover dishes and chopsticks on the table, the garbage piled up in the corner, and the waiter who was fast asleep.

Of these three, Xingyuelou only qualifies for one.

“This…” Zhou Zifang was somewhat helpless. Everyone had left, and these tasks were usually done by his second brother, but his second brother really spoiled him too much.

“I understand what you mean, but… if the guests don’t approve of our Xingyuelou, there’s nothing I can do.”

"It's getting hot. Try offering some free sweet soups and teas to your customers. Think of some ways to improve business."

Free sweet soup and tea? Zhou Zifang really wanted to change the current situation of his restaurant, and after hearing Qiu Yan say this, he had an idea.

"Is this really feasible?"

Qiu Yan retorted, "How do you know it won't work if you don't try?... The restaurant is famous for its dishes..."

Qiu Yan summarized the key points and left the rest for him to figure out on his own.

Zhou Zifang pondered for a moment, and his mind became clearer.

Without much thought, he made up his mind that starting tomorrow, he would change the current state of the restaurant.

To run a successful business, the right ingredients are the first step. "How do you sell them?"

Qiu Yan was secretly pleased, her words had not been in vain. "Black fungus is 25 coins a pound, and mushrooms are 5 coins a pound."

The wood ear mushrooms were dried, while the mushrooms were fresh and had not been dried.

She had already inquired about the price last time, and she didn't want much.

Zhou Zifang started calculating the bill and collecting money. The wood ear mushrooms weighed five catties and six taels, and Qiu Yan didn't ask for money for the mushrooms. In the end, he left Xingyue Tower satisfied with one hundred and forty coins.

The business of selling mountain products is actually quite good, it's just that the restaurant's business is so dismal.

If one place doesn't work, she could try restaurants and inns. However, now that the deal is done, Qiu Yan no longer needs to ask.

Although the price of mountain products was not high, Zhou Zifang was buying more than just mountain products; he was also buying his slightly altered ideas.

Qiu Xu stared at the money pouch in his sister's hand, feeling that his sister was too clever these days, managing to persuade the young shopkeeper to buy his family's wood ear mushrooms with just a few words.

We left Xingyue Tower around 1:00 PM.

Compared to the novelty of yesterday, Qiu Xu felt a little uncomfortable today. "Sister, let's go back."

Although the clothes worn by the people of Baiyang County are not particularly stylish, they are all clean and tidy, unlike the clothes worn by the three siblings, which are patched upon patched, and they have already suffered a lot of disdain.

"Let's eat before we go back," Qiu Yan said. After a busy morning, the three of them were starving.

Qiu Ling'er looked at the noodle stall on the street, the aroma of bone broth wafting into her nose.

Looking again at the milky white soup and the white noodles, she felt even hungrier.

A bowl of bone broth noodles at a street stall costs only three coins. Now that she has earned a little money, Qiu Yan decided to treat herself to a delicious meal.

"Auntie, cook us three bowls of noodles."

Qiu Yan pulled her younger brother and sister-in-law to sit on the small stools in front of the table and paid the stall owner nine coins directly.

Take a bite of the noodles, and the aroma of broth and meat will burst forth, leaving a lingering fragrance on your lips and teeth.

Little Ling'er's mouth opened and closed; she was so happy, but it was difficult for her to eat without her front teeth.

The delicious noodle soup, however, brought tears of bitterness to Qiu Xu's eyes.

The brother and sister had never eaten refined grains like wheat flour before. Now that they tasted it, they realized that the noodles were smooth and silky, much tastier than cornmeal porridge. They ate every last bite, experiencing the feeling of being full for the first time in their lives.

After eating and drinking their fill, the three of them suddenly felt full of energy.

Now that I have money, of course I need to buy some more household items.

They went to a clothing store first. Although they shouldn't spend the money recklessly, the clothes they were wearing were really too shabby.

When Qiu Yan is out and about, especially since she is trying to sell things, it's not good if she's mistaken for a beggar.

Furthermore, the younger siblings don't even have a change of clothes.

Logically speaking, buying fabric is much more cost-effective than buying ready-made clothes, but unfortunately Qiu Yan doesn't know how to sew.

Asking her to work late into the night making clothes is less efficient than simply having her run ten kilometers.

Inside the clothing store, the seller was a middle-aged woman. Qiu Yan briefly explained her purpose, and the woman recommended three of the most inexpensive clothes to her.

Qiu Yan carefully examined the items, bargained a bit, and bought three sets of coarse cloth shirts.

Afterwards, they went to the same grocery store as before.

The young man saw that the girl had come again, and greeted her with a forced smile, "Miss, what would you like to order today?"

"I need an iron pot."

We can't keep borrowing our neighbor's pots and pans to eat.

Finally, she also bought a sickle and a shovel.

These are all essential; she needs them to gather herbs.

I bought three jin of cornmeal and one jin of wheat flour at the grain and oil shop.

If possible, she would also like to buy a wooden bucket.

But... Qiu Yan looked at the two copper coins she had left and sighed inwardly, "Money really doesn't last long. I need to work harder to earn more."