"What do you know about doing business? You're so short-sighted!" Mr. He said irritably. "Are you trying to teach your apprentice to steal your business?"

"Dad, don't get so agitated," He Wenlin said calmly. "Have you considered why other cake shops and breakfast shops would be willing to take on apprentices? Haven't they thought about this question?"

Mr. He fell silent.

He Wenlin continued, "It's not that if you know how to make this product, you're guaranteed to succeed in business. Doing business also requires some luck."

We charge 1,688 yuan to hire one apprentice, so 16,088 yuan for ten. Each rice ball costs 1.5 yuan, and after deducting costs, how many rice balls do we need to sell to make that much money? The most important point is that this money is risk-free; we only need to cover the cost of raw materials.

"If they're lucky enough to open one right next door, wouldn't we just be creating an enemy for ourselves?"

“Dad, you’re worried that others will steal our business, and others are also worried that with competitors like us around, they won’t be able to do business. Because of this concern, ordinary people may not choose to live near us.”

After thinking for a moment, Mr. He shook his head and said, "That won't do either. We can't create rivals for ourselves."

“We can sign a contract with them, and they will not be allowed to sell within a two-kilometer radius of our current store,” He Wenlin said. “They have only learned how to make glutinous rice balls, and that’s their only product. It’s not enough to support a store, so they can only set up a stall. Moreover, Shaoxing is such a big city, and there will be more factories and more migrant workers in the future, so you don’t have to worry about them taking away our business. On the contrary, we can take this opportunity to recruit apprentices, and we can even set up a snack training class to recruit apprentices.”

Mr. Liu was definitely not the only one envious of He Wenlin's glutinous rice business. He Wenlin could take this opportunity to recruit more apprentices and quickly accumulate wealth.

Mr. He looked surprised: "A training course?"

“Dad, there are many vocational training schools now, such as Lanxiang and New Oriental. We are just not as big as them. If possible in the future, we can also open a cooking school and register our own brand to attract more people to join us.”

The terms "brand registration" and "franchise" were unfamiliar to He's father, Lin Fei, and He Shan, but they felt that what He Wenlin was saying sounded very impressive.

"Linlin, what is brand franchising?" He Shan asked.

“Take our glutinous rice balls as an example. We give them a name, Xiangmeizi (湘妹子), and then register them. But after registering them, other people's glutinous rice balls can't be called Xiangmeizi glutinous rice balls.”

If someone wants to sell Xiangmeizi glutinous rice balls, they must become a franchisee. If they don't become a franchisee and don't get our permission, they're breaking the law, and we can sue them. Becoming a franchisee requires paying a franchise fee and sourcing raw materials from us. However, we must teach them the techniques and help them choose a location. That's roughly the idea.

Mr. He pondered He Wenlin's words carefully: "Then how do you make money? Through franchise fees?"

"Yes, we mainly rely on franchise fees. This is much less risky than opening our own stores. Think about how many cities there are in the country, and how many counties and towns are there in a single city? Let's not talk about the majority. Just take Shaoxing as the center and radiate to the surrounding towns. If we open fifty stores, and each franchise fee is 10,000 yuan, that's 500,000 yuan!"

"Five hundred thousand!" He's father, Lin Fei, and He Shan exclaimed in unison.

Five thousand yuan was a lot of money at that time, and many families couldn't afford it, let alone five hundred thousand.

So, how could He Shan and Lin Fei not be excited when they heard this number?

In fact, franchisees can also make money from the raw materials they purchase, but He Wenlin didn't mention that.

Moreover, we're getting off-topic now. He Wenlin is still young, her family business is just starting out, and they have limited funds. So, franchising and such can only be done when He Wenlin comes of age.

He Wenlin continued, "It's all too far-fetched to talk about these things now, as this is a few years from now. Let's talk about Boss Liu's apprenticeship now."

Dad, I think it's feasible. First of all, we can't go out and set up a stall, and opening a branch store would take at least six months. So, being able to take on apprentices now and monetize our skills seems like a good idea.

We can't rely on our own unique business forever. Besides, I'm not the only one in the world who knows how to make glutinous rice. If Boss Liu finds someone else to learn it, we'll not only have more competitors, but we'll also lose the opportunity to earn 1,600 yuan.

Mr. He: "Anyone else knows how to make it? Who else knows how to make it? I think only our family around here knows how to make it."

“Dad, I didn’t invent this thing. There must be other people who can make it besides me. Since they want to learn, it means they are envious of our business and have high hopes for this product. They will definitely ask around and find out where they can learn it. Oh right, New Oriental should be a place where they can learn it.”

Upon hearing this, Mr. He became anxious. If Mr. Liu were to learn the skill elsewhere, they would suffer a huge loss.

"Linlin, where did you learn these skills?" Lin Fei asked. "Konjac braised duck, glutinous rice balls, and that braised chicken I used to eat—I've never even heard of them. Where did you learn them?"

Mr. He looked at He Wenlin and asked, "Yes, I'd also like to know where you learned it?"

He Wenlin cleared her throat and said mysteriously, "Since you've found out, I won't pretend anymore. I am General Manager He from twenty years in the future. I am not only proficient in all kinds of martial arts, but also..."

"Tch!" Lin Fei scoffed. "I'm from three hundred years ago, so if you don't want to talk about it, fine."

"I really am from decades in the future..."

He Shan: "This princess really does come from the Tang Dynasty..."

He Wenlin: ...

These days, nobody believes you when you tell the truth.

Mr. He said, "I'll think about what you just said. Without my permission, you are not allowed to take on apprentices or pass on secret recipes. Do you understand?"

"Dad, you have a day to think it over. Give me your answer tomorrow morning."

That's what she said, but in reality, He Wenlin had already made up her mind. Regardless of whether her father agreed or not, she was willing to take on apprentices, provided that the tuition fees were not less than hers.

"It's almost time, everyone get to work."

Today's lunchbox A consisted of pounded chili and preserved egg, a simple and delicious meal, and broccoli.

Boxed lunch B consists of minced pork and eggplant, a simple and delicious meal, and broccoli.

"Farmer's Bowl of Fragrance" is a dish from He Wenlin's hometown. It's actually a dish of stir-fried pork with chili peppers and eggs, which is very fragrant and goes well with rice. He Wenlin especially loves to eat it.

He Wenlin made arrangements for what she needed to do in the morning, then ordered three thousand takeout boxes and paid a deposit of sixty yuan. With the increasing number of takeout orders, she decided to order more this time.

I also spent 100 yuan on disposable chopsticks, disposable cups, and takeout bags.

After buying the items, He Wenlin hurried to Meihua Garment Factory, wondering if they had any orders.