Before Li Niang's mother died, the land had already been divided up by her uncles and aunts. After her death, she couldn't even keep the last courtyard, which was demolished and used to build a wedding house for Li Niang's cousin.

Upon hearing about her background, Meng Zhao took the initiative to sign an agreement with Li Niang, agreeing to pay for her treatment. Once she recovered, she would only receive half of her monthly salary for the same job, until the medical expenses and interest were fully repaid.

With such a family background, Meng Zhao wasn't worried that Li Niang would run away after her leg was healed.

Since the demonstration outlets haven't been established yet, naturally no franchisees will come. At present, there's no need to make too much braising sauce, so Meng Zhao took the rest of the people to the outskirts of the city to set up mushroom sheds and vegetable greenhouses. On one hand, they were adding dishes to the braised pork shop that was about to open, and on the other hand, there were quite a few wealthy households in Quyang, so they were preparing for off-season vegetables in the autumn and winter seasons.

***

On the morning of the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, a slight chill filled the air. Before dawn, Meng Zhao got up early and, along with Yin Chun, Xiao Yu, Song Jin, and Xiao Qi, wearing raincoats and carrying bamboo baskets, went into the nearby mountains and forests.

"Shopkeeper, slow down. It rained a few days ago, and the soil in the mountains is still wet. What if you slip?" Yin Chun, following behind Meng Zhao, couldn't help but remind her when she saw how fast she was walking.

Meng Zhao was somewhat excited. "It's okay, I'm using crutches, I won't fall. We have to pick mushrooms early, or they'll all be picked by others."

Summer has arrived and temperatures are rising, but a few days ago it rained and the temperature dropped considerably. This warm and humid climate is exactly what fungi like, so she needs to take advantage of the opportunity to collect more for breeding.

Sure enough, as long as the climate is suitable, mushrooms are extremely productive. Before they had gone far, they discovered a pine forest. Meng Zhao, with her sharp eyes, immediately spotted a plump matsutake mushroom lying quietly under the pine needles. Pushing aside the branches and leaves above, they found several more in places they hadn't seen before.

Meng Zhao reached out and grasped the cap of the mushroom, gently shook it, and slowly pulled it out, thus plucking out the whole matsutake mushroom. Xiao Yu exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, I've never seen such a big matsutake mushroom before. It must weigh about half a pound."

Meng Zhao weighed it in his hand and nodded, "About right, it's at least four ounces if not half a pound. We're really lucky."

Although matsutake mushrooms cannot be artificially cultivated, they are delicious. They can sell for tens of dollars per pound in the market. Even if you don't sell them, it's good to take them home to cook and try them out.

The group quickly harvested the remaining matsutake mushrooms, totaling more than a dozen, and then continued on to the next location.

"Shopkeeper, look!" Song Jin pointed in a direction and exclaimed in surprise.

Meng Zhao looked in the direction she pointed and saw that the ground was covered with countless white dots. Upon closer inspection, he realized that these were button mushrooms, which are very common on modern dining tables.

As Song Jin squatted down to pick mushrooms, she said with a smile, "Shopkeeper, these white mushrooms aren't as expensive as matsutake mushrooms, but they're still delicious when stir-fried with meat." Her movements were gentle; she lightly pinched the base of the mushroom with her fingers, carefully shook it a few times, and then picked it off.

Button mushrooms are delicious, high-yielding, and easy to cultivate, which Meng Zhao particularly likes. She also squatted down to pick mushrooms. She noticed Song Jin's actions and said, "Song Jin, you don't need to be so careful. You should pull it up by the roots, preferably with the mycelium attached, so that we can collect the spawn."

Song Jin paused for a moment, then nodded in sudden realization: "Oh, I see! My mother used to take me mushroom picking and always told me to go slowly, saying that this way I could leave the roots so they could grow again later. But if I want to collect the spawn, I'll go faster."

There were plenty of button mushrooms, and the group quickly filled a large basket. On the way, they also met villagers who were picking mushrooms. Meng Zhao used the matsutake mushrooms she had to exchange for many other kinds of fungi from them. After all, she wanted to try to cultivate more types of mushrooms, and there was no need for her to try matsutake mushrooms, a variety that even modern high technology could not conquer.

Once everyone had filled all the bamboo baskets they had carried up the mountain, they stopped going in and began to return along the path they had come from.

As soon as they returned to the courtyard, the others came up to take the mushroom baskets and began to process them according to Meng Zhao's instructions. Meng Zhao originally wanted to change her clothes to check if they were doing it correctly, but Yin Chun asked, "Shopkeeper, the braised pork shop is opening today. Would you like to go and take a look?"

Meng Zhao was taken aback, then slapped his head and said with annoyance, "Oh dear, mushroom picking is so much fun! I remembered it last night, but I completely forgot about it today!"

Although Shen Yun was experienced, she was still a little worried, so she quickly took a bath, changed her clothes, and then asked Yin Chun to put the carriage on the cart so they could go to the city to take a look.

For ease of management, the two shops did not open at the same time; only one was open today. As they entered the street in their carriage, they saw a lively lion dance troupe walking by, followed by many onlookers. Behind the lion dance troupe was a sign that read "Meng's Braised Offal".

Before even reaching the shop entrance, one could see a long queue of people waiting outside, and faintly hear Fang Xiaohua's clear and loud voice: "Mengji Braised Pork is having a grand opening sale! Spend over twenty coins and get a free large bowl! While supplies last!"

"Come and take a look if you're passing by! We have a variety of braised dishes, all available for free tasting. One bite and you'll love it, two bites and you won't be able to leave. We guarantee you'll be satisfied."

Hearing that familiar call, Meng Zhao felt as if she had traveled back to the time when she first opened her shop. Shen Yun had originally come out to check on things, but upon seeing Meng Zhao's carriage, she quickly came over to greet her: "Sister Meng Zhao, you've arrived!"

Meng Zhao jumped off the carriage and asked, "How was it? Did everything go smoothly?"

"It went very smoothly! Everything was ready, and we started queuing up early this morning. The line is almost at the street corner now!" Shen Yun couldn't contain her excitement; this was the first time she had taken on such a major responsibility.

Meng Zhao nodded approvingly, "Well done!"

"It's all thanks to Sister Meng Zhao's excellent teaching. We've been running the store for so long, and we've already tested all the methods that have worked, based on the reports from the branches. I just need to use them exactly as they are."

Moreover, many people who came today, after having eaten our braised food elsewhere or heard about our reputation from others, came specifically to try it; otherwise, business wouldn't be so good.

Meng Zhao was somewhat surprised, "Even though we're so far away, people have eaten our food?"

Shen Yun nodded heavily, "That's right, I was quite surprised. It seems our braised pork offal shop is becoming more and more famous."

This is the advantage of brand stores: they can leverage the existing brand's reputation to quickly capture the market and gain consumer recognition more rapidly, while reducing initial promotional investment.

Seeing the smiling faces of everyone in the shop, busy with their respective tasks, and looking much better than when she first met them, Meng Zhao was extremely satisfied.