Chapter 169: Tea and refreshments at the flower viewing party
Wen Zhenyi turned to look at Master Cheng: "If there are five or six kinds of cakes, and each person eats one, do you think it's enough?"
"Other people might not eat more after eating one or two pieces, but it's hard to say about yours." Master Cheng is still very confident in her cooking skills.
Moreover, this is not a steamed pastry, but baked. The taste is unique to other pastries, and few people can resist it.
Wen Zhenyi saw the managers' dilemma and said, "How about I give you a suggestion?"
The chief steward turned to look at her and said, "Miss Wen, please tell me."
"You can use bamboo baskets, line them with clean lotus leaves, and place each type of cake in the basket. Give one portion to each guest who enters the courtyard. As for tea and popsicles, place them in the pavilions throughout the area. Anyone who needs them can take them at any time. There are no restrictions."
The chief steward looked at the other stewards and asked, "What do you think?"
"I think it's okay, but in that case, the cakes should be in even numbers, because good things come in pairs."
Wen Zhenyi thought about it and realized that even if this were the case, she could still earn at least 20 to 30 taels of silver a day. This business was worth doing: "Of course it's possible."
The steward thought for a moment and said, "Miss Wen, we don't know what kind of bamboo basket to choose. Why don't you do it for us all at once? We'll add ten taels of silver for this. We'll also pick the lotus leaves a day in advance, wash them, and send them to you, okay?"
"Yes, I also need a lot of lotus flowers to decorate the basket."
"That's no problem. I'll have it delivered to you a day in advance."
"Okay, I'll deliver the first day's 100 cakes early in the morning on the day of the flower viewing party."
The chief steward discussed it with several other stewards. After finding no problem, they pulled out a 100-liang, a 50-liang, and a 10-liang silver note and handed them to her: "This is the silver for the pastries for the next three days."
Wen Zhenyi was slightly stunned: "You're giving it all to me now?"
"You were introduced by Master Cheng, and we trust you as a person. You won't ruin your reputation for such a small sum of money."
Wen Zhenyi readily accepted the banknote and said, "I'll deliver the items on time in three days, but I can't bring the popsicles and ice for the tea. I hope you can prepare them."
"Okay, no problem, I'll prepare it in advance."
After Wen Zhenyi reached an agreement with them, she prepared to leave. She still had to buy some raw materials as there were not many left in the store.
Mr. Cheng also stood up and said goodbye.
Wen Zhenyi walked out of the hall and saw Ma Yushun and Ma Ruier boating in the lake: "Second cousin, cousin, we should go back."
Ma Yushun turned and looked at where she was. "Okay, you wait for us at the gate and we'll row over."
Master Cheng didn't ask the steward to see them off; they could just walk out on their own. "Wen girl, is one hundred and sixty taels enough? If not, I can lend you some."
"That's enough. I don't think it would cost that much to build a pigsty."
"You want to build a pigpen?"
"Well, I plan to use this money to build a pigpen. I also need to pay for the pigs. This money is enough."
"If you put it that way, the pigs purchased in other counties will indeed arrive soon."
"Yes, there are still many things to prepare. I am so busy every day that I don't have time to rest."
"I see you're living a pretty fulfilling life. I just heard you say you have a delivery service?"
"Yes, each food item will cost an extra penny. Does Master Cheng need it?"
"That's so convenient. Any time is fine?"
"If you go past the time I open the shop, it will be gone."
"That's great. You don't know that I have to get up very early every day to eat your breakfast. Otherwise, you won't be able to buy it if you're late."
"Okay, I'll have someone come to register you. Breakfast changes every two weeks. When we deliver the meal to you, we'll also tell you the tea for the day. If you need it, you can order it directly and it will be delivered to you in the afternoon."
Mr. Cheng stroked his beard and thought for a moment: "How did I discover the business opportunity here?"
"There is indeed a business opportunity, but it's not mature yet. If you're interested, I'll tell you about it when I have time, and we can cooperate."
"Okay, let's put it this way. Remember to have someone go to my house to register, and I'll ask my friends if they need this for you."
Wen Zhenyi had to hurry back and ask his grandparents to build a pigpen, otherwise there would be no place to put the pigs when they arrived.
When they arrived at the gate, Ma Yushun and Ma Ruier also jumped from the pleasure boat to the shore and ran towards her: "Rafting is really cool."
"I see your face is covered in sweat, don't let it get you tanned."
Several people got on the carriage, and Master Cheng sent them back to the shop. He also had a bowl of herbal tea before returning satisfied.
When Wen Zhenyi came back, the shop was about to close. It was too late to leave the city and come back, so he could only go tomorrow.
The shop closed early today, so Wen Zhenyi called Ma Yinghe and his wife into the room: "Dad and Mom."
Wen Chengwen looked at Wen Zhenyi who was playing with cream: "Yiyi, what's the matter?"
Wen Zhen handed the two of them a silver note worth one hundred taels: "Dad, you two should go back. You can use part of this money to help grandpa and grandma build a pigpen, and part of it to buy pigs."
Ma Yinghe looked at the 100 taels of silver in her hand and said, "Yiyi, you gave us all of it. What about the money for buying food?"
"There are still fifty taels, enough to buy food."
"Let's go back. Are you the only ones left in the store who can handle it?"
"Come here if you're busy. Go back and take care of the pigpen first. I heard from Master Cheng that the pigs from other counties should be arriving soon. Don't let them arrive and have nowhere to put them."
"Then we'll go back for two or three days, and then come back the day before the flower viewing party to help you make pastries."
"Okay, okay, we also need to buy some bamboo baskets."
Wen Chengwen asked doubtfully, "You want to buy a basket?"
"Well, to pack the pastries, we'll need about three hundred."
"so much."
"Yeah, I don't know if it's too late."
"The old people in the village all know how to weave bamboo baskets. I think they can make several a day. I just don't know what kind you want."
"real?"
"Yeah. Let them try."
"Dad, wait a minute. I'll ask Brother Shen to draw it for me. You can take it back and ask the village chief to take a look. If you can weave it, I'll buy 300 of them at 30 cents each. But the first batch of 100 will be delivered to me before the flower viewing."
"Okay, I'll take it back and have a look. This is pie in the sky."
Wen Zhenyi let Cream stand on his shoulders and went out to find Shen Hanxing: “Brother Shen, help me draw a basket.”
Shen Hanxing put down the account book and looked up at the little snow ferret standing on her shoulder: "This little guy seems to have gained a lot of weight."
Cream didn’t hate Shen Hanxing, she jumped onto his shoulder and stood there, rubbing his neck.
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