Ye Caiping said, "I have a better solution."

"How about this, we'll make the best Hu spicy soup and deliver it to your restaurant every day. We'll make as much as you need."

Manager Lin frowned, noting that other merchants also supplied them with vegetables in the same way.

But their Baiweilou restaurant isn't just in this town; they have more than twenty branches in other prefectures and counties.

He wanted to make Hu spicy soup a signature dish of Baiweilou.

If this matter succeeds, not only will he receive a generous reward, but he might also be promoted to become the chief manager of the entire Yue'an County.

Even if Ye Caiping could supply them, it would only be within Dashu Town, and the profits would be limited.

Ye Caiping said, "Shopkeeper, what do you think?"

Manager Lin smiled and said, "Young lady, why don't we go to Baiwei Restaurant for a meal and have a good chat?"

Ye Caiping was a seasoned businesswoman; she knew his tricks and pointed them out directly:

"Are we going to discuss the supply or the recipe? If it's the supply, we can sit here and talk. But if it's the recipe, forget it. No matter the price, we won't sell it."

Manager Lin's smile froze on his face. Just from a few words, he knew that the woman in front of him was not easy to fool.

Frowning, he said, "Young lady, I'll offer one hundred taels!"

For ordinary farmers, one hundred taels of silver is a huge sum of money that they would never dare to dream of and could never earn in their entire lives!

Grandma Ye and Jin'er and Huan'er gasped, feeling somewhat tempted.

Manager Lin noticed the change in the three men's expressions, and a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes:

“We can sign a contract. After you buy the recipe, we will only sell it at the lunch and dinner markets. You can set up a stall at the morning market. But once you sell the recipe to us, you can’t sell it to anyone else.”

Grandma Ye was deeply moved. If they could continue to set up their stall, they could continue to make money!

If we sell the prescription, wouldn't that hundred taels be like giving it away for free?

She secretly tugged at Ye Caiping's sleeve.

Ye Caiping slapped her hand away and looked at Manager Lin: "I'm sorry, I'm not selling the house."

Manager Lin's smile faded: "The price can be negotiated. Why don't you make an offer?"

"I wouldn't sell it for ten thousand taels."

Manager Lin choked. Ten thousand taels? His bottom line was three hundred taels!

And what did she just say? Not even for ten thousand? Does she think she's some kind of genius?!

Shopkeeper Lin was a respected figure in town, and now that a mere street vendor had humiliated him like this, even the most patient person couldn't take it anymore.

"We don't necessarily need the recipe. Baiweilou has plenty of chefs with keen senses of taste; what recipe can't they taste? In the future, Baiweilou will develop an even better recipe, and your business will suffer. Don't regret it then."

Grandma Ye was somewhat frightened and looked at Ye Caiping.

Ye Caiping remained calm: "If I'm really impressed by your new formula, I'll accept defeat wholeheartedly."

Manager Lin was surprised by how stubborn this young lady was, and he stormed off.

He just couldn't believe that Baiweilou, a prestigious restaurant, couldn't develop its own recipe.

Grandma Ye looked worried: "Caiping... that's a hundred taels! If you had that hundred taels, you'd be a rich man!"

"And we can continue to set up a stall and earn several hundred coins a day."

Ye Caiping said, "The deed for selling a property is not that simple; there will definitely be many restrictions. Even if I continue to set up a stall, I can only do so in Dashu Town. I can't open a shop, and I can't leave the town, so I really can only set up a stall."

Grandma Ye didn't understand: "Setting up a stall is quite good, the business is so good..."

Ye Huan'er said softly, "Grandma, if Baiweilou also sells spicy soup, then customers will have a choice."

“In the past, customers would come in the morning just to drink our soup. Now that Baiweilou also sells it, customers will think that they don’t necessarily have to eat it in the morning; they can eat it at noon or in the evening as well. Customers will share half of it.”

Ye Caiping was taken aback and looked Ye Huan'er up and down.

This girl is only eleven years old, yet she is so perceptive at such a young age.

Grandma Ye seemed to understand, but still sighed, "That's true... but setting up a stall isn't a long-term solution. Look at the current situation... who knows, one day we might not be able to sell anything."

“But a hundred taels is different; that’s real money in your hands. If you sell the formula and business slows down, you can sell fewer and be more financially secure.”

Seeing the regretful look on Grandma Ye's face, Ye Caiping didn't blame her.

How far-sighted can an ordinary village woman be expected to be?

Ye Caiping said, "This matter is settled, and I won't sell my son. I have other plans after the hot and sour soup."

Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Ye regretted saying so much.

Both the business and the recipe belong to my daughter, and I shouldn't interfere too much.

Besides, my daughter has become more and more opinionated and shrewd; I just need to listen to her.

There were only two buckets of spicy soup left today. After they were sold out, it was still before noon, so Ye Caiping asked Bajin to take them back.

Upon entering the village, Ye Caiping overheard the villagers discussing something.

The story goes that Li Xiucai from Lijia Village found ginseng on the second day after his stepdaughter entered the family, shocking several nearby villages.

"That ginseng was at least sixty years old, and it sold for a full two hundred taels of silver! Wow! That's incredible!"

"How lucky she is! I heard that even the most difficult old woman, Granny Li, rubbed her step-granddaughter's face and praised her as a little lucky star."

"These two, grandmother and granddaughter, are so close. Back when Caiping lived with the Li family, she never gave her two granddaughters a kind look, she..."

He suddenly stopped talking.

Ye Bajin was driving his oxcart past when Ye Caiping and the others were on it.

Those who were just excitedly discussing the matter all looked at Ye Caiping and her daughter with sympathy.

Back then, Caiping was the most beautiful woman in the surrounding villages, and she married into the family with a pure and innocent reputation.

As a result, she was disliked in every way and even divorced. Her two daughters were also born to the Li family, but they were not treated well.

The woman Li Xiucai married later had not only been married before, but also had two children from previous marriages, yet she was treated like a treasure.

Sigh, it's true what they say, comparisons are the thief of joy!

After the oxcart had gone far away, the aunties started chattering again, their words full of sympathy.

However, there were discordant voices: "Even if Li Xiucai's new wife has been married before, she is still a daughter of a wealthy family."

"Those two burdens are both exceptionally successful. The boy is a good student, and the girl is a lucky star. She earned two hundred taels of silver for the family as soon as she entered the household. If it were me, I would love them too."

“Cai Ping is quite successful; her hot and sour soup business is booming!” one of the aunties retorted.

"No matter how good business is, how much can you make? With such high costs, you have to use meat and oil like they're free to make it taste good. If you can make a few dozen coins a day, you should be lucky."

"Even if you work for a hundred years, you won't earn two hundred taels of silver. So, the Li family's stepdaughter is really more successful!"

Hearing this, even the aunties who defended Ye Caiping couldn't refute it.

It has to be said, the Li family is really about to take off!

They have achieved fame and fortune; they are becoming more and more prosperous!