As soon as Yun Ruoxia led Yun Ling inside, a waiter came forward and, without showing any coldness because of their shabby clothes, said with a smile, "Please come in, gentlemen. Are you here to see someone or to have a meal?"
"Young man, I'd like to see your manager. Could you please do me a favor?"
Yun Ruoxia stuffed the only two coins in her pocket into the waiter's hand in one go, thinking to herself, "If you don't spend small amounts, you won't make big money."
The waiter grinned even wider after receiving the money. "I wonder what business it is with the manager? I'll pass on the message for you."
"It's like this, my sister and I brought some top-quality shiitake mushrooms, and we were thinking of talking business with the shopkeeper. Thank you for your help, young man."
The waiter knew what was going on. His restaurant had no shortage of kitchen staff, but since they had accepted two orders, they had to meet the manager first. As for whether they would cooperate in the end, that was none of his business.
He nodded and went inside, calling the top-grade mushrooms "special grade mushrooms," the little sister a prodigy, and the two of them a force of thousands.
Manager Zhou had no choice but to come out and meet him.
"Young lady, this is our manager, surnamed Zhou."
Yun Ruoxia immediately put on her standard smile and got straight to the point, "Greetings, Manager Zhou. We've come today to recommend a variety of shiitake mushrooms that are not yet available on the market."
Yunling obediently lifted the cloth cover, revealing the small black mushrooms inside. Manager Zhou peeked in and didn't think much of it at first, but upon closer inspection, he knew these weren't ordinary small black mushrooms. However, in business, it's best not to be too obvious, so he simply shook his head and said:
"Isn't this just a black mushroom? Heh, I thought it was something special, what a waste of time."
Yun Ruoxia didn't miss the way he secretly sized up Hei Xiaogu.
"Oh, Manager Zhou, you're joking. These are indeed black mushrooms, and they're really good quality. Our family has been growing mushrooms for three generations. Nowadays, whether wild or cultivated, none of the black mushrooms on the market are of such superior quality. They're so tender when stir-fried."
"Little black mushroom? Humph, do you think I'm a little kid?"
Even so, he couldn't help but reach forward and pick one out of the basket to examine it. This mushroom was indeed plump. These days, the restaurant hasn't had any new dishes for a while. Perhaps starting with the ingredients could help them innovate.
Yun Ruoxia knew that these people cared a lot about their reputation and would only agree after being begged repeatedly, in order to show off their negotiating skills. Since that was the case, she would give him face.
"I hit it off with Manager Zhou right away. How about this, I'll give you this batch of black mushrooms at the current market price of three copper coins per tael. If they sell well, consider it making friends with you, Manager Zhou. If you don't like them, you won't lose out, right?"
Manager Zhou, seeing the kind words Yun Ruoxia spoke, concluded that she was a good candidate for business. Furthermore, Yun Ling was quite beautiful, and as a young woman, she might marry someone in the future. Why not take the opportunity she offered and let everyone benefit?
"Alright, take them all."
They brought three baskets with them this time, but they didn't know the exact weight. Now that they've weighed them, they know they weigh a total of twelve catties, so they got three hundred and sixty coins.
Compared to Yun Ruoxia selling black mushrooms, Yun Ling's selling of medicinal herbs was much simpler. The herbs she collected were not rare or exotic, nor did she use any special abilities to enhance them. She easily sold them simply because of their large quantity, variety, and the reliable Ren'an Hall.
Yun Ruoxia looked at Yun Ling and was filled with envy as she saw her easily sell for 220 coins. "Ling-jie, was it that old man from your dream who taught you to identify medicinal herbs again?"
"Uh-huh."
Yun Ruoxia hated that she didn't have that ability, so she thought of returning the 360 coins to Yun Ling. Although she was reluctant to part with the money, it was after all what Yun Ling got from growing mushrooms, and she couldn't keep it for herself.
Yunling felt the money was burning her hands, and hurriedly stuffed the 180 coins back into Yun Ruoxia's hand, "Aunt, you deserve a lot of credit for not being able to sell these mushrooms, so let's split them equally."
"I... I didn't contribute anything."
"If it weren't for Aunt driving, would I have been able to come out? If it weren't for Aunt swindling people at the restaurant, how could it have been sold so easily? Speaking of which, Aunt really has the makings of a businesswoman; she could be a big boss in the future."
As Yun Ruoxia listened, she stuffed the coins back into her purse one by one, grinning from ear to ear. She couldn't help but chime in, "That's right, your aunt is pretty amazing."
The villagers all thought she was idle all day long, only knowing that she wandered around with melon seeds in her hand. Little did they know that she was gossiping and eavesdropping everywhere, trying to find out news from the city.
Seeing her like this, Yunling was also happy and invited her to eat at a roadside stall. The two of them ordered two bowls of wontons and two meat buns, which cost thirteen coins.
Although the wontons didn't taste as good as Zhang's, they were undoubtedly a delicacy for the two of them, who were earning money for the first time and eating out for the first time.
The two ate everything, not even leaving a drop of soup. Before leaving, they also bought two pieces of pork belly and two chickens from the meat stall. They had been working hard planting rice seedlings in the fields these past few days, so they deserved to eat more.
The thought of tender, juicy pork belly made both of them feel better about returning to the village.
Zhang was uneasy all day, constantly thinking about Yunling's abduction, and bad images kept flashing through her mind.
She didn't agree to Yunling going to the county town, but the little girl made every effort to ensure that she would follow Yun Ruoxia closely, and her grandmother kept saying that she had the protection of the immortals, so she reluctantly agreed.
But she couldn't put her mind at ease, and couldn't do anything properly. After delivering the food to the fields, she would wait at the crossroads until she saw a car moving along the long road and heard a loud "Mother!" before she could truly relax.
When Yun Chu saw that Yun Ling had earned money and brought back the meat, and realized that she herself had nothing of value, she hurriedly went back to her room to embroider handkerchiefs. Handkerchiefs could also be sold for money, and she could also contribute to the family.
In the evening, when everyone learned that raising mushrooms and selling herbs could make money, they were so excited that they forgot the fatigue of a day's work. Moreover, Zhang's braised pork was tender and delicious, and everyone couldn't help but eat two more bowls of rice.
**
Two days later, when they arrived at Shengfu Restaurant, Manager Zhou personally greeted them, saying, "You've come at just the right time. We just ran out of black mushrooms, and today Master Li is hosting a banquet and specifically asked to try them. I was wondering where to look for you."
Manager Zhou was in a hurry, but Yun Ruoxia wasn't. They had packed five baskets of black mushrooms today, which they estimated to weigh about twenty catties. If the price was higher, they could earn more.
Yunling understood this as well, and cooperated, saying, "Aunt, didn't we come to see Manager Zhou? Now that we've seen him, let's hurry up and leave, others are waiting."
When Manager Zhou heard the word "others," he broke out in a cold sweat. He had worked so hard to make Black Mushrooms a famous brand, only to have it benefit someone else.
What's the difference between this and your own daughter calling the neighbor "Dad"?
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