Feng Hexagram (Top-Tier Hexagram)

Chapter 55, the Abundance Hexagram (Superior Hexagram) - Special Delivery by Dongtuan

For diners, as long as the price is reasonable and the taste is acceptable, that's enough.

"It's alright, let them copy if they want, this kind of thing was bound to happen sooner or later."

Li Fuquan listened to Rong Yan's calm tone, which showed no surprise, as if he had expected this to happen. "Could it be that you already have a countermeasure?"

Rong Yan smiled. "That's right. Since they want to copy, let them copy. As long as our chefs maintain their standards and don't use inferior ingredients, there will still be a market. However, that alone is not enough; we also need to constantly innovate. I've already developed new dishes, and I need to meet with Madam Du and Chef Gan to discuss them. But I have another idea. Perhaps Mr. Li could also listen to it and give his opinion?"

Li Fuquan stepped forward and listened closely, his eyes widening in shock. "What?! Such a thing could be done? I've never heard of it before!"

After Rong Yan explained, Li Fuquan found it somewhat unbelievable. After a moment, he shook his head and said, "It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I don't think this method will work."

"What do you think is wrong, Mr. Li?"

Li Fuquan seemed to have been digesting Rong Yan's words for a while before explaining, "The special delivery that the young mistress mentioned should be for delivering food to each diner's door?"

Rong Yan smiled and shook his head, "No, it's specially delivered for the worshippers who come to the temple. After all, we are a Taoist temple, not a restaurant. The vegetarian meals are delivered just to make things easier for them."

“But if one person goes out, there’s one less person to help in the shop. If we deliver to every household, the busier the business, the more staff we’ll need. Besides, all the ingredients we use are genuine, without any adulteration. Even the walnut oil is new oil, not cheap old oil. Our costs are already high, so we have to follow the low-profit, high-volume strategy you mentioned before, Madam. This… with delivery added on, the costs will be unbearable. It’s truly a money-losing path.” After his initial surprise, Li Fuquan’s face showed deep worry.

Rong Yan nodded in agreement, reassuring Li Fuquan, "I've considered what you've said, Mr. Li, but if we want to break through in Bianliang, we have to take an unconventional approach. It's true that our Hebai Temple is newly opened, but we must be a rising star. How can we attract customers from these century-old temples and restaurants? We must innovate. Your concerns are not without merit; what if the cost of hiring staff or delivery is passed on to the diners?"

Li Fuquan was slightly taken aback. "Asking the diners for it? Madam, what do you mean..."

“That’s right. Since we’re going for a low-profit, high-volume strategy, the customers can bear the costs. We can waive the delivery fee for a week first. After that, if the customers’ servants are willing to come and pick it up, the delivery fee will be waived. If they want our people to deliver, it will cost ten coins per kilometer, and it will be delivered within an hour.”

In its past life, Tuantuan Delivery was a market darling. Its launch brought immense convenience to countless office workers and homebodies. But in this Song Dynasty, this plump crab remains uneaten.

Rong Yan naturally set his sights on this golden toad.

Li Fuquan was still somewhat puzzled. "Ten coins per kilometer is neither too much nor too little. But at this price, I'm afraid we won't earn much in a day. If there are many customers, perhaps we can give it a try."

Rong Yan smiled and said, "It might be a little difficult at first, but as long as the quality of our dishes is excellent, good wine needs no bush. Once business picks up and there are more diners on the same route, we can earn several orders just by delivering to one route, since delivery can be completed within an hour. And now that it's early summer, we don't have to worry about the food getting cold."

Li Fuquan listened carefully and was secretly pleased. Indeed, such a plan had room for implementation and might even make him an instant success.

“This idea is indeed brilliant, but I still have some doubts.”

"Please speak, Mr. Li."

"Our food boxes were all made by Master Xie himself from beech wood. It's already quite light to carry one box. If, as you say, you want to carry several at once, let alone whether you can carry them all at once, if the distance is far, it's probably impossible to do it by manpower. Besides, Master Xie's carving skills are solid. The dozens of boxes in the Taoist temple alone were made by working day and night. If you include those being delivered, there would probably be at least a hundred. Didn't you see, Third Uncle's fingers are covered in injuries?"

"Mr. Li, you are mistaken! My wife is so devoted to the Taoist temple, what difficulty could there be for a mere sculptor like me?!"

Xie Qisheng's cheerful voice came from outside the door. He walked in wearing a bright red dress, looking energetic. Although his fingers were covered in cuts and bruises from carving some mundane pieces recently, he was still working diligently, all for his daughter.

Rong Yan glanced at Xie Qisheng's fingers with a hint of heartache, but since there were outsiders present, she didn't dare to show too much concern.

"Thank you for your concern, Third Uncle. I will remember your help. However, you should take good care of yourself. If your finger is injured, it will cause trouble later. The eldest young master gave me some medicine. You can go to my courtyard to get it when you get back."

Xie Qisheng didn't think it was a big deal at first, but seeing how much his daughter cared about him, he happily nodded.

Du Chunhong rolled her eyes at him from the side. She couldn't persuade him no matter what she tried, but her little darling's words were the only ones that worked.

Du Chunhong pulled Rong Yan aside and whispered, "Now many restaurants on the street are imitating our vegetarian dishes, with names like Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, Three Pure Ones Blessing... they've gone from competing in dishes to competing in dish names. I've eaten at a few places, and while some don't taste as good as ours, others have a novel flavor. If our dishes don't change, I'm afraid we'll be overtaken."

"Third Aunt, I can't speak for other people's cooking skills, but I have great faith in yours."

If a national chef cannot create as many dishes as a chef from the ancient times, then his culinary skills are truly lacking.

Du was even more motivated after being praised by her daughter.

Seeing that everyone present was one of her own, Rong Yan said, "I had already gone to submit the official documents for her early in the morning, and Ji Xin also went into the city with me. She said to Li Fuquan, Du Chunhong and Xie Qisheng, "Speaking of which, I originally wanted to launch a lightweight food box, but after thinking about it, I felt that it was not environmentally friendly enough."

The convenient food box was just a cardboard box for takeout. The two elderly people understood what it meant immediately, but Li Fuquan didn't understand. He asked, "What is environmental protection?"

"It's just that they can't be recycled, which is a waste of resources. You have to understand that even a tree takes several years to grow, and no matter how many trees you have, they will eventually run out. Hundreds of years, thousands of years, it's just a matter of time."

Li Fuquan was greatly shocked. In his mind, who throughout history has not lived by utilizing resources? From officials to commoners, who hasn't lived by utilizing resources?

Especially regarding wood, in Li Fuquan's view, once firewood is burned, it's gone forever.

How can it be made to cycle?

The challenge for Rongyan lies in the recycling of wood pulp.

This requires not only craftsmanship, but also a small processing plant.

Xie Qisheng then said, "If you really want to process it with cardboard boxes, I can do it, but it's less interesting than carving."

Du Chunhong: "What's so interesting about it? You're here to help, not to show off your skills."

Li Fuquan: !!!

He opened his mouth in shock. He had thought that the pampered Master Xie could carve, and that he could carve well, was already beyond his expectations.

He can even process paper?!

And the young mistress's cyclical remarks—he understood them immediately and said it wasn't difficult at all!

He was stunned for a long time before he could react. Seeing that the expressions on everyone's faces didn't seem like a joke, he finally said after a long while, "That's wonderful. I was overthinking it. The young mistress is very thoughtful and has thought everything through. Even the third uncle is very capable. I had underestimated him before. I am truly ashamed, extremely ashamed!"

Xie Qisheng blushed at Li Fuquan's sincere praise. His reputation was not good, and now that the former manager had recognized him so well, he felt both proud and embarrassed.

What he's doing now is just relying on his past life's achievements.

If he were a true local, he might not even have half the skills of Li Fuquan.

“Mr. Li, you must not think that way. Even with my own ideas, I may not be able to handle everything perfectly. If it weren’t for everyone’s help, how could things have been accomplished? I will have to ask you to take care of things in the future.”

"You are too modest. I will certainly do my best."

Rong Yan's method greatly improved Li Fuquan's spirits, and he no longer showed the anxious expression he had when he heard that other restaurants were imitating his dishes.

When someone even reported that another restaurant was making the same dish, Li Fuquan waved his hand dismissively and said with a smug look on his face, "It doesn't matter, it just proves that our vegetarian cuisine is too good to be true!"

Rong Yan smiled to herself, watching everyone busy at their respective posts, and a sense of satisfaction welled up inside her.

It's been a long time since I've felt this way—a group of people who love life working together towards the same goal.