Chapter 180 Difficulties

Lin Yuesha put the fabric away and replied perfunctorily, "Brother, I'm just happy because I'm thinking we're going to make another fortune."

Making money is always the most important thing.

Lin Yuesha had a slight worry in her heart. If the Prince of Zhenbei could not defend Hanmen Pass, and the northern border city fell and was occupied by the barbarians, then what good days would the common people have?

Whenever war breaks out, the price of food will inevitably skyrocket, and people will have to start stockpiling food.

"Making money is not that easy."

It wasn't that Xiao Qi was discouraging Lin Yuesha, but rather that while the little girl's idea was good, it was somewhat impractical. Her parents didn't have much experience running a stall, and if they went that day, they would definitely be overwhelmed and unable to manage.

"Brother, what are you saying?"

At least for now, making money is relatively easy for them, and they haven't encountered any bottlenecks.

Of course, she was also lucky to have met a benefactor, which allowed her family's business to thrive. Some people with envious eyes did try to linger around the house, but with Lord Zhang in charge, they didn't dare try to steal the formula.

"Then let me ask you, what preparations did you make to set up your stall?"

Xiao Qi poured tea onto the table, dipped his fingertip in the water, and began to write and draw.

"If there is wind and snow on that day, we will set up a shed, wrap it with tarpaulin, and keep it warm from the wind."

Lin Yuesha talked about her plan: Zhang Qing'er would take over the stall sign, and the tables and chairs would be borrowed from the Jiang family.

As for what kind of business to run, it's even simpler: add different toppings to the hot and sour noodles for customers to choose from, plus sesame flatbread and fried dough. If you have a big appetite and aren't full, you can order two flatbreads to go with the hot and sour noodles to fill your stomach.

"Okay, you've thought of the tables, chairs, signboard, and food. Now, where's the manpower?"

Yes, hot and sour noodles made with broth are unique in the north and are sure to attract many diners. So here's the question.

"Hands are our parents, you and me."

Lin Yuesha pouted. She was actually a bit playful and wanted to explore more, but the thought of making money outweighed her desire to play. She planned to just go for a walk with Zhang Qing'er and the others to broaden her horizons, and then go back home to help out at her stall.

Father and elder brother can collect money and also lend a hand when cooking noodles.

"My job is to add the toppings to the hot and sour noodles and deliver them to the diners' seats."

Details, these are all details, Lin Yuesha had already planned them out.

"Where do those bowls and chopsticks come from? Every bowl of hot and sour noodles has chili oil on it, and the bowls and chopsticks are hard to wash. They have to be washed with hot water. Who washes the bowls? Who boils the water? Who wipes the table?"

Xiao Qi looked at his younger sister with a smile, only to see Lin Yuesha's expression change.

"Everyone comes out to enjoy the lanterns; who would bring bowls and chopsticks with them?"

Customers eat hot and sour noodles at the stall, and they have to provide their own bowls and chopsticks. Assuming the stall is full, at least dozens of bowls and chopsticks will be needed.

"I……"

Lin Yuesha blinked, stumped by her stepbrother's question.

Indeed, her thinking is still stuck in modern fast food delivery, where disposable containers are simple and convenient, but she has overlooked these aspects.

Unfortunately, Jiang Baozhu and Zhang Qing'er, being born into wealth, couldn't think of the details, and their mother, Chen, lacking experience, also forgot about them.

If it weren't for her stepbrother's mention, Lin Yuesha could have imagined that not only would business be bad during the Lantern Festival, but the noodles she made wouldn't sell, and she would even have to pay a loss.

She patted her head, feeling very depressed.

"Brother, I didn't think it through."

Lin Yuesha humbly admitted her mistake. She hadn't even thought about such a simple thing. She had become arrogant when it came to making money.

She recalled her past life, where she was only responsible for cooking, but never truly involved in the business. Even her elder brother, a pedantic scholar, knew more than she did.

"It's not too late to prepare now. According to you, we don't have enough manpower."

Lin Yuesha calculated that one person in her family would need to wash the dishes, but her father and eldest brother rarely went into the kitchen, so they would definitely feel constrained in doing it.

“I’ve thought about it. We need to set up at least two shops on each of the four streets in the east, west, south, and north to make money.”

It's been snowing these past few days, and the village roads are impassable; otherwise, she would have begged her parents to go to Chenjia Village to inform her eldest uncle's family.

The eldest uncle's family has enough manpower: the eldest uncle Chen Tieniu, the eldest aunt Wang Jinhua, the cousin and his wife, and the second cousin Chen Xiaohua, all of whom are strong laborers.

With two shops, the need for bowls and chopsticks would be even greater, which gave Lin Yuesha a headache.

The bowls and chopsticks needed by each household were standardized. The bowls were the two large bowls that ordinary people used to eat noodles, plus a small plate for holding pastries, and the size was relatively uniform.

If we rely on borrowing, it would take at least a dozen households to gather enough money, and we would also have to rely on personal connections. The only way is to buy.

However, bowls and chopsticks were not cheap these days. A large, coarse porcelain bowl cost five coins, while a bowl of her hot and sour noodles only cost around ten coins.

Lin Yuesha had a bitter face. She wished there was a place to rent dishes.

"I was thinking that if we buy it, it will be better if we can use it later. But if our family doesn't do this business after the New Year, we won't be able to use the two big bowls."

The parents preferred to build a house in the village first, and then move the whole family to the city. Chen was already planning to buy a courtyard house.

Since they need to have a fixed snack shop in the prefectural city to make a living, they probably won't continue setting up a stall.

There are many families in the village, and when someone has a happy occasion, they need to borrow bowls and chopsticks. Everyone borrows them from each other, as there is no place to rent them.

"First of all, there are bowls and chopsticks. Chopsticks are easy to find, but bowls and plates are hard to come by."

Xiao Qi pointed out that another difficulty was how to clean the dishes and chopsticks.

In most households, oil pans are soaked in wood ash overnight, then scrubbed clean with a loofah.

However, selling hot and sour noodles at the lantern festival requires quickly washing the bowls and chopsticks so as not to delay the next customer's meal, which is quite challenging.

Xiao Qi had no experience with these things, so he could only say what he thought of.

"Waaah..."

Lin Yuesha let out a howl and covered her face with her hands. She had made a stupid mistake; these were the most basic things.

"Brother, let me have some peace and quiet."

The issues of bowls, chopsticks, and costs had to be resolved. Mother Chen was working feverishly; she couldn't very well announce at this point that the business had failed.

With so many bowls and chopsticks, we had no choice but to buy them in bulk from a general store.

However, it wasn't even the Lantern Festival yet, and only a few shops were open, so getting a low price wasn't easy.

“There’s an elderly couple who sell wontons across the street from us, but they probably won’t be setting up their stall for the Lantern Festival.”

Xiao Qi preferred to spend money to buy it, but seeing his younger sister's pained expression, he didn't say anything.

"Really?"

Lin Yuesha stood up and quickly grabbed Xiao Qi's sleeve. "Big brother, you're so popular, why don't you go and ask him for me?"

If the other party is willing to lend it, she is not the kind of person who likes to take advantage of others, so she can send them some things, in any case, she won't let the old couple suffer any loss.

This is the only way out right now. Anyway, it's better to borrow from someone than to go from house to house in Chenjia Village and take it. It would take too much time to explain, and it would be troublesome to return it. If anyone asks, it would be hard to hide it from the villagers.