Jiayin recognized the young woman and guessed she was the wife of one of her bodyguards, so she asked with a smile, "Auntie, tell me, is there something troubling you?"
Seeing that Jiayin was so amiable, the young woman breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Princess, it's cold in winter, so we don't sell many dried noodles, and there's not much work to be done in the workshop."
"We're always a bit restless. I wonder if the princess could help us think of some small business opportunities?"
"Let's add some more income to the family before the New Year..."
After saying that, fearing that Jiayin might misunderstand, she quickly waved her hand to make amends, saying, "If there isn't a suitable small business, it's okay, we... we can prepare New Year's goods at home just the same."
Jiayin couldn't help but laugh when she saw how honest she was.
Looking around, everyone else, including Xiao Cui, also looked hopeful; it was clear that everyone wanted to earn more money.
She thought for a moment and said, "There should be many business opportunities, but I don't have any ideas yet about finding one that is low-cost and quick to yield results."
"Okay, wait a moment while I go back and think about it. I'll discuss it with you again once I have a result."
"Okay, thank you, Princess!"
The young wives and women all laughed with joy and agreed in unison.
They had a strange trust in the princess; whatever she said, they believed without a doubt that it might just be polite platitudes.
Jiayin suddenly felt immense pressure, waved her hand, got into the car, and went back to the village.
In the courtyard of the old house, Granny Lin was talking to the cook at the door of the kitchen when they suddenly saw their master return and they all stepped forward to greet him.
Jiayin asked with a smile, "What are you busy with, Granny? Nothing much has been going on at home these past few days, has anything?"
"No, no, everything is fine." Granny Lin quickly replied, and then said somewhat awkwardly while holding the basin in her hand, "This old servant and Master Yang were trying to grow bean sprouts, but unfortunately most of them rotted."
The cook, Yang Jiu, was a fat man. He smiled sheepishly and said, "I saw Madam Hui sprouting bean sprouts in the backyard before, and it seemed so easy. I didn't expect that I would find out there was a lot to learn when I tried it myself."
Jiayin peeked inside and saw that the basin was half full of soybeans, some of which had sprouted a little white, while others were black and half-rotten.
A brilliant idea flashed through her mind, and she exclaimed with delight, "Wow, isn't this a great business opportunity with low costs and quick returns?"
Granny Lin and Master Yang didn't understand what was going on, but Shuiyun and Shuiling remembered the requests made by the women from the second village earlier.
The two were delighted, and Shui Ling said, "Yes, Miss, we can sell bean sprouts!"
Shuiyun nodded repeatedly, "One pound of beans can produce eight pounds of bean sprouts, it's incredibly profitable!"
Jia Yin had specifically taught Jia Xi and Jia An how to grow these bean sprouts when they were about to go out to sea.
They hoped to provide them with a dish to supplement their nutrition during their long voyage.
As a result, Hui Niang, who was standing nearby, learned the technique after listening to a few words, and would occasionally grow a few pots of bean sprouts and send some to various places.
After all, we never lacked vegetables at home, so eating bean sprouts was just a change of pace.
But I haven't seen anyone selling them outside!
Or rather, for the entire Tianwu, this is definitely something new, and in this winter, it's sure to be a good business opportunity.
"What's the price of a pound of soybeans and mung beans these days?" Jiayin asked.
Chef Yang immediately replied, "Three coins for a pound of soybeans, four coins for a pound of mung beans."
Jiayin quickly did the conversion and became even happier. "Shuiyun, go and check on the village chief."
“I remember my master also taught Aunt Wu how to grow bean sprouts. If there are any ready-made ones, we should ask for some.”
"I'll cook a dish myself tonight to help bring in a big client."
Shuiyun readily agreed and turned to leave.
After Jiayin changed into her everyday clothes, Shuiyun indeed returned carrying a pot of bean sprouts.
Half mung bean sprouts, half soybean sprouts, all plump and juicy white...
In the evening, Lord Hou, Li Lao Er, and Mr. Wen returned from the city as agreed and found the house to be very lively.
The village elders, Uncle Zhao and several other old men, and even Chief Escort Liu were all present.
They were a little puzzled, but didn't think much of it, assuming that Jiayin just wanted more people to eat with her because the house was too quiet.
As a result, the dishes were served one after another, and the last dish to be served was actually two plates of bean sprouts.
One plate is a stir-fried mixed vegetable dish, made with mung bean sprouts, eggs, chives, and glass noodles. It is brightly colored, crisp, and tender, and looks very appetizing.
The other dish was stir-fried bean sprouts, made only with bean sprouts and dried chili peppers, with vinegar added. Just by smelling it, you could tell it would be sour, spicy, and refreshing.
Li Lao Er guessed that something must have happened to his niece, so he jokingly asked, "What's going on, Fu Niu'er? Your grandma just passed away, and now the family is struggling to make ends meet and has to eat beans to stave off hunger?"
Everyone laughed along.
The village chief chimed in, "Yes, surely not. I still have over a hundred taels left. I'll use it all to buy meat for the princess tomorrow!"
With a smile, Jiayin placed a piece of stir-fried mixed vegetables on Houye's plate, then invited everyone to eat, "Oh, Second Uncle, Grandpa Village Chief, these two bean sprout dishes are made by me. Why don't you try them first and see how they taste?"
Everyone picked up their chopsticks and reached for the two plates of bean sprouts.
I must say, Jiayin's cooking skills are quite good.
Mr. Wen praised, "If there were rice porridge and steamed buns, these two bean sprout dishes would be even more suitable."
The Marquis nodded, looked at Jiayin, and silently inquired about her intentions.
Jiayin quickly asked, "Godfather, what kind of vegetables do they usually eat at the dockside military camp? Cabbage, potatoes, and radishes?"
"Would you like to add some bean sprouts, just to change things up?"
Everyone was stunned for a moment before realizing that Jiayin had her sights set on the bean sprout business and was trying to get the biggest customer right away.
But the Marquis was very puzzled!
Everyday Fruits and Vegetables is making a fortune, and the hot pot restaurant is about to open. Jiayin probably wouldn't even look at such a small business...
Before they could ask, Jiayin said, "The aunties from the second village said they had nothing to do and wanted to do some small business to supplement their household income."
"I suddenly saw bean sprouts and remembered that this business was good."
"A pound of soybeans costs three coins, and it yields eight pounds of bean sprouts. Even if the bean sprouts sell for two coins a pound, there's still a profit of thirteen coins."
"If the military camp needs one or two thousand catties every day, and restaurants like Xiankelai sell one thousand catties, plus the fact that the people of the vast new capital all need to eat vegetables, it wouldn't be difficult to sell two thousand catties in retail."
"All of this adds up to four or five thousand catties a day, with a profit of five or six ounces."
"It doesn't sound like much, but it's over a hundred taels a month, enough for the aunties in the second village to live on."
"Even once bean sprouts become more famous and people get used to eating them, and there are more ways to eat them, we'll definitely sell more, and the profit margin can be increased even further!"
"The best part is that sprouting beans is really easy. All you need is some baskets and beans, and you can water them every day. It won't interfere with any of your household chores, and even children can do it!"
Jiayin became more and more excited as she spoke, and at the end she looked at everyone, as if she was eager to receive praise.
The group exchanged glances, genuinely surprised and moved.
Sometimes they really are strange; they don't know how Jiayin's brain works.
It's not easy for a grown man to earn even a little money to support his family.
She could earn over a hundred taels of silver a month just by casually putting together two dishes!
If word got out, I wonder how many people would be green with envy!
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