No one has ever barged into Youranju to deliver goods, let alone such strange and unusual items.
At first, the head manager only wanted to appease the two siblings, but when the sausages and meat with the aroma of cured meat were served, he raised an eyebrow.
The chef in the kitchen must have sneaked a bite; his lips glistened with oil, and his eyes were filled with amazement and excitement. When he brought over the steamed cured meat, he even included a pair of chopsticks.
The head shopkeeper picked it up with a hint of doubt, as if examining poison with his eyes.
"Boss, eat up, try it!" the head chef urged from the side.
Even the waiter swallowed hard.
The sausage, wafting with the aroma of cured meat, finally enters the mouth. The first bite releases a burst of juice, splashing into the mouth while simultaneously enveloping the tender lean meat. After a few chews, a slightly sweet and unique aroma dances on the tongue, accompanied by a faint whiff of alcohol.
The head manager's eyes widened.
Fengjing is a land of outstanding people and abundant resources, and it has never lacked delicious food. But as soon as this sausage enters your mouth, shrewd people know that a new market has arrived.
It's not that it's amazing, but rather that it has a unique aroma that is exclusive to cured meats and that ordinary foods don't have.
Special is the ticket to food.
Deliciousness is the passport of food.
When the two are combined, it's hard not to sell them well.
After tasting the sausage, the head steward picked up a piece of translucent cured pork, but frowned the moment he put it in his mouth; he didn't like fatty meat.
The head chef standing nearby had a gleam in his eyes. "This cured pork is really good. It's fatty but not greasy. It will definitely taste even better after being stir-fried a little."
Jiang Sheng felt an instant surge of affection for the head chef. The stir-fried cured pork wasn't too greasy and had a subtle smoky flavor. Adding some garlic sprouts made it absolutely delicious.
After tasting everything, the head steward put down his chopsticks and said, "How much of the preserved meat do you two young friends want? You Ran Ju will take it all."
He probably mistakenly thought that Jiang Sheng and his sister had bought some goods from out of town and wanted to sell them to restaurants at a profit.
Zheng Ruqian cleared his throat, preparing to discuss cooperation with Youranju as before.
Jiang Sheng suddenly stopped her, blinked, and stepped forward, "Okay."
Zheng Ruqian was taken aback.
Why is my sister abandoning long-term business and opting for one-off deals?
However, the tacit understanding between the siblings, who had been together for a long time, kept him silent and watched as Jiang Sheng sold the 500 catties of cured meat she had brought at 500 coins per catty.
Five hundred coins wasn't cheap, but it wasn't expensive in Fengjing either.
The head manager readily agreed and delivered the goods that same day, settling all accounts.
After leaving Youranju, the brother and sister had two hundred and fifty taels of silver in their arms.
On the way, Zheng Ruqian couldn't help but ask, "Why not cooperate with Youranju? Just like in Anshui County and Xieyang County, long-term supply would be a win-win situation."
Jiang Sheng remained silent for a moment.
She has always been cheerful and talkative, innocent and sensible, and a warm and caring daughter to her brothers.
But at this moment, the little girl spoke in a low voice, "Second brother, they look down on us."
The head manager treated them fairly politely, initially for the sake of You Ran Ju's reputation, and later for the sake of the preserved meats.
But whether it's him or Xiao Erge, they are inherently arrogant.
Their eyes were full of contempt, like superiors looking down on inferiors.
But we are all human beings.
Jiang Sheng had experienced this kind of gaze before. As a homeless child, everyone was superior to her, and everyone could spit on her.
But she isn't anymore.
The older brothers are even less so.
The eldest brother was refined and noble, the second brother was cheerful and outgoing, the third brother was heroic and valiant, the fourth brother was gentle and weak, and the fifth brother was handsome and dashing.
They shouldn't be looked down upon like Jiang Sheng. They are the most outstanding young men in the world, and they are no worse than anyone else.
The ten-year-old girl's eyes were red. "Jiang Sheng can be looked down upon, but Jiang Sheng cannot tolerate her brothers following suit."
Those who have been scorned, only those who have experienced it know the taste of it.
Zheng Ruqian remained seated, frozen in place.
Outside, Jiang San was driving a horse-drawn cart, and on both sides, people were hawking their wares. The price of meat buns wasn't too expensive, and people could afford candied hawthorns.
Looking back on his years in business, he seemed to have long since become accustomed to throwing his pride aside, crushing it, and still being able to approach with a grin and ask, "Want some goods?"
Anything is acceptable as long as it makes money.
Zheng Ruqian once believed in this saying wholeheartedly, but now, looking at Jiang Sheng's flushed face, he reached out and stroked his sister's hair.
The kids have grown up and now they know how to protect their older brothers' self-esteem.
Zheng Ruqian felt a surge of tenderness in his heart, and a burst of heroic spirit welled up within him. "Alright, we won't do business with Youranju anymore. We'll do business with someone else."
They do business with whoever respects them.
Money can be earned back, but once dignity is gone, it's truly gone.
It would have been better if Zheng Ruqian's expression hadn't been so heartbroken.
Jiang Sheng burst into laughter through her tears, scratching her head. "Second brother, that's not what I meant. We still need to keep doing business at Youranju."
The book says that business can be divided into proactive and reactive.
Sending sausages to Youranju and letting the head manager choose and taste them is itself a passive act.
If you want dignity, you have to turn passivity into initiative.
“I get it. It’s just like when I wanted to raise the price of sausages in Anshui County.” Zheng Ruqian suddenly realized, “We have to give Youranju a taste of their own medicine first. When they want more sausages, they’ll have to beg us.”
But during this time, they had to use their limited silver to build and operate a new workshop in Fengjing.
Two hundred and fifty taels of silver, plus three hundred and seventy taels at home, might be enough in Anshui County, but it would be a bit of a stretch in Fengjing.
When Zheng Ruqian first discussed cooperation, he also wanted a deposit as start-up capital.
But now, it's not a problem even without a deposit.
Zheng Ruqian clenched his fist, a real flame burning in his eyes, "Six hundred taels it is, I will definitely be able to build this workshop in Fengjing."
Jiang Sheng didn't speak, but her firm gaze revealed her determination.
They must earn the respect of the people of Fengjing through their own efforts.
These things sound simple, but they are quite difficult to do.
The first step is to rent a space. The workshop is divided into three areas: a preparation area, a production area, and a drying area.
To meet these three requirements, you need at least a three-courtyard house, and the rent alone would be exorbitant.
Zheng Ruqian visited three brokerage firms and finally managed to rent a small three-courtyard house at the junction of the east and west sides of the city, costing 130 taels including the deposit.
Then comes buying pork.
Prices in Fengjing were exorbitant; a pound of pork could sell for twenty coins, and even with the most aggressive bargaining, you'd only get seventeen or eighteen coins, not to mention other condiments, pig intestines, and so on.
Finally, there's the manual method.
In Anshui County, a day's wages are five copper coins, and there are still a lot of aunts and uncles vying for the job. In Fengjing, a day's wages are less than twenty copper coins, and it's impossible to hire anyone.
After completing the preparations, Jiang Sheng only had ten taels of silver left.
Fortunately, the preserved meats did not disappoint her.
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