The vegetables here are all rare treasures, because they are simply not available in Da Gan!

Just like tomatoes and zucchini, even if we place them before Sun Jian's time travel, they were only introduced to China during the Qing Dynasty.

The current level of Da Gan is only comparable to that of the Sui Dynasty in the history before he traveled through time.

In some technologies and processes, agriculture was even far inferior to that of the Sui Dynasty.

Hearing Sun Jian praise the vegetables, Chu Qingcheng smiled and told Sun Jian from the side.

Actually, these vegetables are the second batch of ripe produce. The previous batch had already been consumed by the Sun family during the period when Sun Jian was not back.

Even the recipe and cooking method were told to Chu Qingcheng and the others by Sun Jian after he had been drinking. Naturally, they would try it out when Sun Jian was out to see what it tasted like.

It is indeed a rare and delicious dish!

Hearing Chu Qingcheng and the others' praise, Sun Jian nodded and added a few words about how it could be done, without lingering there any longer.

Sun Jian only told us how to cook the dishes, but he didn't say whether he would eat them or not. He didn't say anything, but Lao Jiang and the others should understand the Marquis's intentions!

Regardless of whether the Marquis likes it or not, we must take it seriously once he has said it!

They immediately instructed several discerning maids to pick vegetables from the garden, and then immediately ordered the kitchen to begin preparing the meal.

Of course, all of this was done without Sun Jian's knowledge.

After leaving the vegetable garden, Sun Jian led everyone on a short tour of the Sun residence. They found it to be nothing special, just a bit more magnificent, and nothing more. There was no point in continuing the tour, so they went to the study in the inner courtyard.

More than ten days have passed since the locust plague began.

Returning to his small study, Sun Jian naturally felt a sense of comfort.

But this comfort didn't last long before it was replaced by a flood of trivial matters in my mind.

Not to mention that His Highness the Crown Prince will be married in three days and that he will be in charge of the wedding, nor that he will be going to the palace tomorrow to treat the Emperor's illness.

There's quite a bit of stuff that's been piling up lately.

For example, counterfeit Ganwutang products are rampant in the market, so anti-counterfeiting labels and precautions are needed.

For example, he had previously promised to send a batch of Forget-Worry Valley to more than a dozen ministers at the banquet in Gaoling County.

Of course, in addition to these, Huangzhuang is about to start planting potatoes, and the technology for new products such as soap and perfume will be handed over to others, and the quality of the first batch of goods will be closely monitored.

Thinking about so many things, Sun Jian couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

As one's status and reputation grow, so do all sorts of troublesome matters.

Worrying is useless because it doesn't solve anything.

Thinking of this, Sun Jian rubbed the bridge of his nose and muttered to himself, "Sigh! No matter how much there is to do, it has to be done one step at a time!"

Let's start with the market and shops!

Sun Jian first inquired about the recent operations of the shops and workshops from Lao Jiang, Lao Cao, and others, who reported back one by one.

In summary, after such a long period of operation, Qiankuntang's stores have spread throughout the entire city of Kyoto.

Kyoto City now has 179 stores, all of which are in operation!

"How much...?"

Even with Sun Jian's shrewdness and composure, he was startled by the number and almost thought he had misheard. He repeatedly asked Old Jiang to confirm.

"One hundred...one hundred and seventy-nine!"

Old Jiang thought he had said something wrong, so he exchanged a glance with Old Cao beside him. After confirming that he hadn't said anything wrong, he stammered and repeated himself again.

hiss!

Upon hearing this number again, Sun Jian couldn't help but gasp.

Holy crap...

It's already reached 179 stores?

Is it that fast?

That's somewhat terrifying.

Seeing Sun Jian frown, Old Jiang hurriedly asked timidly, "My lord, is there...is there a problem?"

"There's no problem. I'm just curious, it's only been half a month since the locust plague started and it subsided, how come we suddenly have so many more shops?"

Sun Jian directly stated what he didn't understand.

Upon hearing that Sun Jian's concerns lay here, Lao Jiang, Lao Cao, and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems the Marquis wasn't blaming them for anything wrong or said incorrectly; he was simply astonished by the sheer number of shops...

But his expression and tone were a bit too frightening; they were almost scared to death.

Seeing this amusing scene, Chu Qingcheng, Gu Zijian, and Zhou Wan'er couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Old Jiang, his face flushed, began to explain to Sun Jian: "My lord, it's like this..."

After listening to what Old Jiang said, Sun Jian suddenly realized what was going on.

It turns out that Sun Jian had been mistaken. He thought that since he hadn't been home for half a month and the last time he went home was just before the locust plague, he assumed that all the shops had been newly opened in the past half month. But that wasn't the case.

Before the last locust plague, Kyoto Qiankuntang already had nearly 80 or 90 stores open, and in the past ten days or so, the number has only doubled.

So, it's not surprising that the store has opened 179 stores so far.

You should know that Kyoto is a very large city.

These 179 shops, scattered across the area, are not an exaggerated number.

After reporting on the shop's situation, Lao Jiang didn't forget to report to Sun Jian on the current expenses and wages of the workers.

This number is even more alarming than the 179 stores.

Sun Jian now has a wealth of talent under his command. Old Jiang, Old Cao, and Gou Sheng each have hundreds of people working and serving them.

This only includes the shop assistants and servants who handle the buying and selling of goods; it doesn't include the workers in the new workshop.

There are too many people below, and not enough leaders.

So two weeks ago, Lao Jiang started selecting clever and quick-witted people from the earliest batch of villagers in Sunjiazhuang to be his subordinates.

They have subordinates as well; if you count carefully, there are now more than a thousand people under the name of Qiankun Hall!

Every month, Sun Jian is responsible for paying wages to more than a thousand people in his accounts!

This is no small sum!

Of course, there are expenses and income, and Sun Jian's income is now even more considerable.

Currently, Qiankuntang has launched three product categories: refined salt, Forget-Worry Valley (a type of salt), and white sugar.

The daily income is more than making a fortune!

Because right now, they can already earn tens of thousands of silver coins every day.

As Old Jiang finished speaking, he didn't forget to pull out a horsehide bundle containing an account book from his pocket.

"My lord, this is our shop's recent income. Please take a look..."

"Don't show me these things. I never touch money, and I'm not interested in it."

Sun Jian responded to Lao Jiang using the classic lines from Yunzi before he traveled through time, which moved Lao Jiang deeply.

He believed that the Marquis appreciated him and that was why he had entrusted him with the financial power, and he was moved to tears.