After a fierce battle, both sides were severely injured, and with three minds on their own, they scattered and fled.
Jiang Sheng was still a little dazed when she came out of You Ran Ju. She looked up and asked, "Second Brother, don't we want the cooperation we just agreed on?"
"No, I don't want it anymore." Zheng Ruqian said firmly. "At first, it was the people of Fengjing who were proud, and now it's the aristocratic families who are arrogant. So we ordinary people deserve to be looked down upon?"
Since it's a business transaction, both parties should be on equal footing.
Although that's impossible.
If the pride of the people of Fengjing is ingrained in their bones, then the nobility of aristocratic families is passed down through generations.
They come from wealthy families, they spend money like water, they enjoy the highest level of education, they stand at the top of society, and they still look down on the behavior and conduct of people at the bottom.
But who wants to be born into the lower class?
If these two groups of people were switched, the lower class could be educated into the prestigious upper class, but the upper class might not live as fulfilling a life as the lower class.
“Different people have different ways of living. True cultivation should be about embracing the diversity of this world, rather than using one’s own superiority to look down on those who are not as good as oneself.” Zheng Ruqian spoke eloquently and casually.
Jiang Sheng nodded earnestly, her little face full of conviction.
Before we knew it, my second brother had also begun to radiate his own charm.
“However…” Zheng Ruqian’s tone changed, “That little wench from the Jiang family is really a piece of trash. She won’t even allow Youranju to do business with us. She’s like a dung beetle yawning, with a foul mouth.”
Jiang Sheng, "..."
"Second Brother," the heartbroken girl asked timidly, "aren't you afraid of retaliation for offending the Jiang family like this?"
Are you scared?
I'm scared.
Zheng Ruqian laughed, "Even if we're going to face retaliation, Second Brother can't just stand by and watch our little girl get bullied. At worst, we'll fight to the death, and no one will get away with it."
Seeing Jiang Sheng's smile freeze, he knew that the young girl was starting to worry again.
Zheng Ruqian quickly regained his composure, "Don't worry, it won't happen. She has an older brother. During that intense conflict, her brother didn't stand up to help her, which shows he doesn't approve of her."
"Really?" Jiang Sheng asked doubtfully, holding his hand.
Zheng Ruqian said seriously, "Of course it's true, but I don't know how his sister will react to him."
After all, if outsiders can see it, how could the person involved not feel it?
The brother and sister held hands and waited for Jiang's four-wheel drive car to head to Tianjiekou.
Jiuzhenfang officially opens for business today.
Zheng Ruqian's initial business philosophy was: to raise prices with novelty without exaggeration and make more money.
But novelty can only last so long. Once people have seen a lot of something new and exciting, they will get used to it.
Aunt Zhang painstakingly introduced new pastries, but she could only barely keep Jiuzhenfang's business afloat, and it couldn't achieve a booming sales.
After returning from Hebei County, Zheng Ruqian changed his business philosophy, believing that small profits lead to large sales, and that reducing costs would increase profits more effectively than raising prices.
During the Spring Festival, he discussed the prices of pastries in the shop with Aunt Zhang and they agreed that the prices should not be lowered to avoid dissatisfaction among customers who had already purchased them.
But we can add a bonus.
For example, the "buy one pound, get half a pound free" promotion for glutinous rice and jujube cake was changed to "buy one pound, get one pound free," which actually works out to 150 coins per pound. Compared to the market price of 80 or 90 coins for glutinous rice flour, this is considered good value for money.
The candied hawthorns that originally sold for 30 to 50 coins are now being sold at a discounted price, with offers of buy one get half a coin or buy one get one free.
Even the newly launched sugar-roasted chestnuts only cost thirty coins per catty.
This directly caused a traffic jam at the already crowded Tianjie intersection. Jiang Si had been driving the carriage for a long time but couldn't get through. He could only say with a long face, "Second Young Master, Miss, you can walk over. The carriage just can't move."
Jiang Sheng expressed her understanding, jumped off the carriage, and, relying on her small and agile figure, weaved around the noisy carriage, finally arriving at the entrance of Jiuzhenfang.
Miao Zhaoying was enthusiastically roasting chestnuts under the eaves, with a long line of Fengjing people standing on tiptoe, eagerly waiting in front of her.
Those once-noble locals were completely won over by the aroma of the broth, and were utterly captivated by outsiders.
Some people patiently waited in line for half an hour; some were servants from large families; others bought a couple of bites casually, and then lined up again if they found it delicious.
As Miao Zhaoying roasted the chestnuts and took them out of the pan, she filtered out two jin (1 kg) of them. Da Ya, standing nearby, deftly and skillfully packed them in oil paper and handed them to the first person in the group.
The man eagerly grabbed one, peeled it in full view of everyone, and popped it into his mouth. Finally, he sighed, "I didn't buy enough."
These rare and delicious roasted chestnuts are fragrant and chewy, yet they only cost thirty coins a pound—who could resist that?
The second one must weigh ten jin (5 kg).
Miao Zhaoying smiled and shook her head, "Young master, we have a limited supply of chestnuts. Each person can only buy two catties. If you want more, we'll let you eat your fill once the owner brings the chestnuts back."
This statement is reasonable, well-founded, and offers a way out, making people feel comfortable and willing to accept even a small price.
Soon, the whole pot of roasted chestnuts was gone.
Miao Zhaoying poured the raw chestnuts back in and vigorously stir-fried them.
The people of Fengjing who were queuing were surprisingly well-behaved; there was no noise or argument, and they all waited quietly.
Faced with this situation, Jiang Sheng subconsciously took out a warm chestnut from her bosom, peeled off a piece, and threw it into her mouth.
Feeling the soft, sweet, and fragrant taste lingering on her tongue, she was finally satisfied.
Given the popularity of roasted chestnuts, even if they offended Youranju, there would still be people vying to do business with them.
"Second brother," the little girl said, remembering something, "did you go to get some new chestnuts? Don't let them all sell out."
"Don't worry, the Gao brothers will go and transport them right after the New Year." Zheng Ruqian patted her head. "They should be able to bring back two thousand catties of chestnuts in twenty days at most."
Two thousand catties.
It sounds like a lot, but in reality, it won't sell for very long, which is why Zheng Ruqian set a "limit of two jin per purchase".
Chestnuts purchased from Hebei County for three coins were transported all the way to Fengjing, where they were processed into sugar-roasted chestnuts and sold for only thirty coins per catty. The goal was no longer profit, but reputation.
Whenever the people of Fengjing visit relatives and friends, or when they are tempted by something delicious, the first thing that comes to mind is "Jiuzhenfang" – that is true success.
Roasted chestnuts are just the beginning; there will be more exotic delicacies to come, and more people will become loyal fans of Jiuzhenfang.
This was a pivotal turning point in Zheng Ruqian's business, the source of his confidence to separate from Youranju, and the beginning of his grand business empire.
The area was crowded with horse-drawn carriages and people, making it difficult to walk.
But Zheng Ruqian, standing among them, seemed to be on a mountaintop, proud and aloof from the world.
His radiant confidence would have shocked anyone in Xieyang County at the time.
But in the eyes of one person, all that remained was a smile and the words, "You brat."
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