Chapter 88 Who cares whether it’s true or not?
"Sister Cheng, can you help me? I want to meet Brother Cheng?" Fang Caiwei said courageously.
Cheng Fangjiao lowered her eyes and hid the disdain in her eyes. Her elder brother and Mr. Luo San were of the same kind. If it weren't for the fact that her elder brother was the son of the county magistrate, would Fang Caiwei like him?
Cheng Fangjiao took the cup lid and stirred the tea, saying, "I can help you with this, but you know my eldest brother's temper. Whether it can succeed depends on you."
"Sister Cheng, you're so kind!" Fang Caiwei breathed a sigh of relief and began praising Cheng Fangjiao again, saying, "Regarding the plum blossom viewing banquet, I never thought that bitch Tang Tian could get away with it. And that woman in blue, do you know who she is? I don't know where she comes from, and it seems the Tang family doesn't have any relatives with the surname Xiao."
"I know." Cheng Fangjiao revealed Xiao Jiuyue's identity, saying, "He was exiled from Shengjing after his family was confiscated, so he fled to Lancang County in disgrace."
"Ah..." Fang Caiwei's eyes almost popped out of her head in shock, and she murmured, "No wonder, she looks so extraordinary."
'Pah.'
Cheng Fangjiao threw the tea lid in her hand directly onto the teacup, making a clanging sound. She said, "I'm not sure whether she is from the Xiao family or not."
"Sister Cheng, you are truly a beauty. The guests who came that day all praised Sister Cheng for her beauty, like a rich and elegant peony." Fang Caiwei praised Cheng Fangjiao profusely before asking, "So, is she the Xiao family member whose property was confiscated and exiled?"
"Why would you care? As long as she's involved, do you think her reputation will be any better?" Cheng Fangjiao's eyes flickered as she said, "When rumors start spreading, who among the common people cares whether it's true or not?"
"Sister Cheng, this, this kind of thing can't be spread around. If things go wrong, the higher-ups might blame us." Fang Caiwei swallowed her saliva. Last time she helped Cheng Fangjiao, by poisoning the canned oranges, she could get rid of Fang Caifei, who always suppressed her sister. Secondly, she could make Cheng Fangjiao owe her a favor.
But this time, if such a rumor spreads, what if the higher-ups blame her? A second-rank official can confiscate her property or exile her at will. Then how can a small merchant like her survive?
"Fang Caiwei, you can't even handle such a small thing? You messed up the canned oranges thing last time. How can I introduce you to my eldest brother if you're like this?" Cheng Fangjiao looked up at her, her eyes full of threats.
…
Xiao Jiuyue had no idea that Cheng Fangjiao had set her sights on her. She was busy making vinegar, pickled radishes and pickled cabbage.
At Fengchunlou, Zeng Qing waited for several days but did not see Xiao Jiuyue. He picked a time and went to her house under the pretext of delivering food.
"Who did you say is here?" Xiao Jiuyue was busy teaching Mrs. Geng how to make pickled radish in the kitchen. When she heard Lianxin's words, she thought she had misheard.
"Shopkeeper Zeng." Lian Xin answered affirmatively: "It's the reputation of the restaurant that delivers food, but it's Shopkeeper Zeng who came."
"It seems that Manager Zeng is more anxious than me." Xiao Jiuyue clapped his hands. After leaving Manager Zeng alone for a few days, he couldn't wait any longer?
Xiao Jiuyue changed into clean clothes and washed her hands before going to the front hall to meet the guests. When she saw Shopkeeper Zeng, she said apologetically, "Shopkeeper Zeng, I'm so sorry. I've been busy with family affairs recently and haven't had time to come over. So, Shopkeeper Zeng came in person."
"Miss Xiao, you are too polite. I brought a few dishes with me, and specially asked you to taste them and see if they taste as usual." Shopkeeper Zeng asked someone to hand over the food boxes, most of which were the dishes that Xiao Jiuyue had sold to Shopkeeper Zeng before!
"Okay." Xiao Jiuyue responded and tasted every dish. They all tasted excellent. Xiao Jiuyue also served some snacks from the candy shop as a treat.
Shopkeeper Zeng waited and waited, but Xiao Jiuyue didn't ask about his purpose. Shopkeeper Zeng couldn't help but ask, "Miss Xiao, I wonder if the cooperation we proposed earlier, to turn our restaurant into the best restaurant in Hongdu, is still valid?"
Finally, we get to the point.
Xiao Jiuyue raised her lips slightly, looking at him in surprise. "Manager Zeng, didn't you say that such a major matter should be consulted with your master? Could it be that your master saw that the restaurant's business was booming and agreed to this? Your master must have praised you quite a bit in the past six months, right?"
When Shopkeeper Zeng mentioned this, his eyes lit up with a smile, because his was just a restaurant in a small county town in Hongdu. Although the annual account book did not make a loss, compared with other businesses, it was too little!
In the past six months, we earned more than in a whole year, even more than those big restaurants!
"Thanks to Miss Xiao, my master has indeed praised me and agreed to cooperate with her!" Shopkeeper Zeng said excitedly, "As long as Miss Xiao truly makes our restaurant the best in Hongdu, then my master will give her an extra gift!"
Shopkeeper Zeng was very excited, but when he saw Xiao Jiuyue's calmness, his fiery heart slowly calmed down. He asked, "Miss Xiao, what do you think?"
He thought that Miss Xiao would be very excited and thrilled when she heard the news!
"Cooperation is good, but things are different now. I want 40% of the profits." Xiao Jiuyue looked at Shopkeeper Zeng. His light words were like a heavy hammer hitting Shopkeeper Zeng's heart.
"Four, forty percent?" Shopkeeper Zeng looked at her. Even though he was prepared to ask for a huge sum, he never expected Xiao Jiuyue to want forty percent of the profits. He said, "Miss Xiao, if you open a restaurant in Hongdu City, it will be difficult to find a shop like this. You also need to renovate it. The expenses will be a lot of money."
"Forty percent is too much!" Shopkeeper Zeng looked at Xiao Jiuyue with embarrassment.
"Boss Zeng, those ten dishes have already made our restaurant a runaway success in Lancang County. Even Hongxing Restaurant, with its strong backing, is left sighing in despair. It's no match for Fengchun Restaurant. With such a booming business, whoever runs it will make money."
Xiao Jiuyue chuckled and said, "If Shopkeeper Zeng had directly agreed to my proposal, it would have been the restaurant taking the risk, and I would have been fine with taking 30% of the profit. But now, with this guaranteed win-win deal, 30% is definitely not an option."
"This..." Zeng Qing understood Xiao Jiuyue's meaning. Indeed, he had only thought that the ten dishes could earn him one thousand taels of silver, but he had never thought that the limelight of Hongxinglou would be completely snatched away. During the New Year period, the restaurant's business was unprecedentedly busy. The number of dishes delivered to various houses increased more than three times.
"As for the restaurant shop that Shopkeeper Zeng mentioned, I can contribute half of the money for renovations. Afterwards, I will only be responsible for coming up with ideas and serving dishes. I'll get 40% of the profits." Xiao Jiuyue's eyes flickered slightly as he said, "As the number one restaurant in Hongdu Prefecture, even 60% will be enough for your family to make a fortune."
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