The gates of the Li family workshop opened, and Li Xuming led the county magistrate, Cao Qian, and other distinguished guests from the county on a tour of the workshop.
The women of the Li family also had their own matters to attend to. The men had things to discuss, and the female guests also needed to be received. Yan Min had once been an official's wife, so she was the best person to receive them.
It is somewhat inappropriate to ask these ladies and young women to crowd into the gathering.
If any of the ladies felt slighted, they could go home and whisper in the ear of the other woman's ear, and the Li family might be in trouble.
Therefore, the reception was held at the Li family's house.
Those remaining at the workshop entrance were ordinary people who had come to register.
At the entrance of the workshop, two tables were placed on the left and right. Yuan Shi and Li Shijie stood in front of the tables, while the two boys sat down and began grinding ink.
The two boys were also members of the Li family, Li Shijie's two grandsons. They were also educated and had no problem writing.
"Listen up! Men, line up on the left; women, line up here. No noise, and form a single line! Anyone who makes a fuss will not be hired and will be sent straight home!"
Yuan shouted loudly, and upon hearing her words, the noisy crowd stopped scrambling and lined up obediently.
"Registration takes two days! The best of the best will be selected, and the list of successful applicants will be announced on the third day."
Those who weren't selected this time, don't panic, we'll be recruiting again next time!
"You have to report your name, place of origin, and what jobs you've done."
Upon hearing the requirements, the first person in line quickly spoke up.
"My name is Liao Shengnan! I'm from Shuxia Village. I usually farm at home, and I've also worked in the kitchen of a restaurant in town. I can handle food preparation and some physical labor!"
A girl with slightly dark skin introduces herself.
As she spoke, the boy wielded his brush and began to record her information.
The men from the other team quickly signed up as well.
"I'm Sun Daniu from Futian Village. I've worked as a laborer in the county..."
My name is….
“….”
The workshop was bustling with activity.
Inside the workshop, the adults who were visiting nodded repeatedly as they looked at the facilities.
"Sir, this workshop is divided into several areas because our workshop mainly deals in bean products."
The soybean grinding area is located here, and it is mainly staffed by male workers.
Look this way, this is where we make tofu, this area is for making dried bean curd sticks, and this area is for making bean curd sheets.
There's another area behind that, with cubicles for making different kinds of goods, like spicy strips, and other things...
As Li Xuming led everyone through the workshop, he explained that it was divided into several areas, each with its own separate entrance, and the areas were not interconnected.
This is to prevent the workshop workers from colluding to steal the recipe.
Of course, the Li family had other ways to avoid this, such as staggering lunch times, and breaking down responsibilities within the same area into smaller, streamlined tasks.
Even if someone does manage to reconstruct their process, the preceding steps have been broken down, and it wouldn't be easy for them to do it themselves, since there's still the prerequisite of making tofu.
Each area is under the jurisdiction of the Li family, and the security is extremely tight.
Of course, there's no need to tell everyone about these things.
"Not bad, not bad."
Lin Pei nodded with satisfaction. Judging from the architecture of the Li family workshop, he knew that the Li family had ambitions to continue expanding.
It remains to be seen whether their goods will be a resounding success and match their ambitions.
As if knowing what everyone was thinking, Li Xuming led them to a small house with the door wide open, inside which were products made by the Li family.
"My lord, distinguished guests, please take a look. These are products from our Li family workshop."
Li Xushi and Li Xuyue stepped forward at the opportune moment to explain the workshop's goods in detail to the other distinguished guests and wealthy merchants.
"Tofu, as everyone knows, is our Li family's exclusive product. It is delicious and inexpensive. Now many businesses are cooperating with us. I believe you have all tasted it. It is said that tofu is mixed with scallions and is very clear and pure."
The tofu is white and delicate, just like us as people—pure and honest.
The following passage was something Li Xushi had heard from Pan Jinhua, and when he quoted it verbatim, the effect was still remarkable.
It was obvious that Magistrate Lin Pei's gaze towards this tofu changed instantly.
"This tofu is quite interesting compared to people."
Lin Pei gave a compliment.
The Li family is quite refined.
"This is dried tofu, which is easier to preserve than soft tofu. The texture is different from soft tofu; it's chewier."
"Dried bean curd sticks and bean curd sheets."
Li Xuyue then pointed to two other things.
"Both of these are very delicious and will be served as dishes at the banquet later. You are welcome to try them."
The idea of turning a banquet into a tofu feast came from Pan Jinhua.
After all, Li's Workshop is in the tofu business, so a grand tofu banquet at its opening would be distinctive and unique.
This will also allow the wealthy merchants and restaurant owners who come here to clearly understand how delicious bean products are.
Upon hearing Li Xuyue mention that these products would be served as dishes at the later banquet, even wealthy businessmen who had no intention of doing business with them were willing to try them out at the dinner table.
Everyone knows that tofu is delicious, but it doesn't keep well and is cheap, so there's not much profit to be made.
If other products are also delicious like tofu, then they could collaborate.
This was the thinking of businessmen who hadn't cooperated with the Li family before, not to mention the restaurant owners who had done business with the Li family before. Some of them had already bought some dried bean curd sticks and bean curd sheets to cook and taste, and today they were here to place an order.
———
The Li family's courtyard has undergone significant changes.
The tools used for making tofu had long been moved to the workshop, and the courtyard was clean and tidy, with only a few rows of vegetables, lush and green.
But no matter how much you clean it, the appearance is still what it is, and it certainly can't compare to the magnificent splendor of those wealthy people's homes.
If you can't work on the surface, you have to pay close attention to the details.
As soon as Madam Lin entered, Liu Yun led the Li family girls to serve tea to everyone.
"My humble abode is simple. These are some drinks that I have recently prepared. I would like to invite you ladies to try them."
Yan Min sat with a smile on her face next to Madam Lin, while Madam Cao and Cao Ying sat on the other side of Madam Lin.
This drink was made by Pan Jinhua.
Yan Min and the rest of the Li family had already tried it, and she was very confident in this drink.
Even if she were placed in the capital, she would surely be liked by those noble ladies. I don't know how my aunt is so clever, she can think of everything.
"What good things could there be in this poor, remote place?"
There was a delicate lady who covered her nose with a handkerchief, looking extremely disgusted.
What is the Li family's status? A group of exiled criminals. It's already a huge honor for her to come here, let alone appraise anything. She's quite the actor.
This lady was the wife of a wealthy merchant in the county, and this was her third marriage. Because she was favored, the merchant doted on her, providing her with excellent food, clothing, and daily necessities, so she became somewhat arrogant.
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