After sending Qin Zhantian away, Gu Lingze and the others went to the flower hall to continue discussing the topic that they had not finished just now.
Buying Jinyulou is a big investment. Although it costs a lot of money, Gu Lingze and his friends are still confident that they can make it back. However, this initial investment may not be enough even if all their money is added together.
Xie Luocheng listened to their conversation and said with a smile: "If you are worried about this problem, I think you don't have to worry about it. I am not good at other things, but I am good at making money. If you need money, just take it from me."
"How can this be possible?" Gu Lingze and Xu Mingyan said almost in unison.
Xie Luocheng waved his hand, "I'm not giving it to you for free, but I have an idea for cooperation, you guys should listen to whether it is feasible."
Gu Lingze and the other two nodded.
"Lingze, I'm very interested in your method of making ice, but we only talked about half of it last time. Could you demonstrate it to me in person?"
"What's the problem? Uncle, come with me to the kitchen."
The group went to the kitchen. Zhao Chengmo had seen Gu Lingze do it several times before, so he took over this time.
After the ice was made, even though Xu Mingyan had seen this process twice, he still found it magical, not to mention Xie Luocheng who saw it for the first time.
"Lingze, how did you come up with this idea?"
Gu Lingze smiled and said, "I once read in a book that when the Northern Emperor's Mysterious Pearl is dissolved in water, it tastes salty and cold, and if there is too much of it, it will turn into ice."
"I used to think that the Northern Emperor's Mysterious Pearl was some kind of natural treasure, but later my master told me that it was actually ground frost, or saltpeter."
Xie Luocheng nodded thoughtfully, "Then your master also told you this refining method?"
"That's right."
"This is what my uncle wants to cooperate with you on. Let's go back and sit down and discuss it slowly."
They returned to the flower hall, and Xie Luocheng asked the maid to serve hot tea again.
"For so many years, my caravan has traveled all over the country, and I have been to the Western Desert and the southern islands. The climate there is hot all year round. Even when it is the coldest, people only wear long clothes. Even if we dig ice from the north, it is difficult to store it and it will melt before the hottest time."
Gu Lingze's eyes lit up, "So uncle, you want to take the saltpeter over there to sell."
Xie Luocheng smiled and said, "That's right, but we only sell refined raw saltpeter. I will let my medicine shops buy the ground frost in batches. This way, people won't be able to guess the method of making ice, and some people won't take the opportunity to raise the price of the ground frost."
Gu Lingze and the other two couldn't help but admire Xie Luocheng's cleverness. As the saying goes, every profession has its specialties, and professional matters should be done by people who know the subject.
"How about it, are you willing to cooperate with uncle?"
How could Gu Lingze not agree? He nodded and agreed immediately.
"There is one more thing I need to discuss with Nephew Xu."
Xu Mingyan paused for a moment, then pointed at himself, "Me?"
"I once stayed in Beiyong Prefecture for a short time and tried the snacks made by your family. I thought they tasted very good. If you can make a kind of pastry that is easy to store in the future, I think it will be very popular."
Xie Luocheng and Xu Mingyan were discussing something, but Gu Lingze's thoughts drifted in another direction.
In ancient times, if you wanted to buy local specialties, you either had to travel across mountains and rivers to buy them, or wait for relatives and friends to go out and bring them back, which was very troublesome.
In addition to inconvenient transportation, there is also the issue of inheritance. Craftsmanship secrets have always been passed down from grandfather to father, father to son, or master to apprentice. Every family keeps it well-kept for fear that someone will learn it secretly. With limited manpower, how can they open businesses across the country?
When Gu Lingze thought of this, a sudden inspiration came to him and he remembered the modern marketing model.
"Why don't we open a pastry franchise store?" Gu Lingze said loudly.
"Franchise store?" The three looked at him in confusion. They had never heard of this term before.
Gu Lingze briefly explained the operating model of the franchise store that he had just thought of. After the three listened, they pondered over it carefully in their minds.
"The initial joining fee is not high, and ordinary people with more money can also join. After making money every year, it will not be difficult to pay the joining fee."
Xu Mingyan then asked, "What if some people learn how to make these snacks and don't pay the money the next year?"
Gu Lingze smiled and said, "So when you join, you must clearly write down the contents of the contract. If you violate the terms, then the signboard and the decorated storefront will all be removed."
"But other people have already learned how to make dim sum. Even if these things are dismantled, they can still open their own shops and continue to sell them."
"First, this should be written into the contract. If you breach the contract, you have to pay a fine. If you don't pay, you will be prosecuted. This will be a huge loss."
"Furthermore, merchants who pay franchise fees every year can learn a new special dim sum we launch every season. As time goes by, our dim sum restaurant's reputation becomes more and more famous. When people eat dim sum, they will think of us first. This is also our invisible signboard."
Afterwards, Gu Lingze added some details, and the three people who listened nodded frequently, feeling that it was more feasible.
Zhao Chengmo and Xu Mingyan were already used to Gu Lingze's rhythm of coming up with various ideas from time to time, but Xie Luocheng was experiencing it for the first time. He was also a businessman, and this business model that gathered the wisdom of future generations made his heart surge.
Gu Lingze watched Xie Luocheng walk back and forth quickly for more than a dozen times, feeling somewhat confused and not knowing whether his uncle agreed or not.
Just as he was about to ask, Xie Luocheng suddenly grabbed Gu Lingze's shoulders with both hands, shook him and said, "My dear nephew, why don't you go and do business with me!"
Xie Qingwan came over from the front yard, preparing to ask the four of them to go to the main hall for dinner. As soon as she reached the door, she heard Xie Luocheng say this. She pushed the door open and said loudly, "I don't agree!"
Before Xie Luocheng could react, Xie Qingwan stepped forward and grabbed his ear.
"It's bad enough that you stay away from home all year round to make money, and now you want to force your nephew to follow you."
"Lingze has only been at home for a short time, and as a mother, I haven't seen enough of him yet, and you want to take him out."
Xie Luocheng was grimacing as he was being pulled, "Sister, sister, my ears, my ears."
Xie Qingwan was so angry that she exerted more force on her hands, "I'll take you to see dad in a while..."
Taking advantage of Xie Qingwan's anger, Gu Lingze, Zhao Chengmo and Xu Mingyan seized the opportunity, bent over and secretly ran out of the flower hall.
As they walked away, they could still hear Xie Qingwan scolding Xie Luocheng, and the three of them couldn't help but smile at each other.
"Lingze, your idea is good, but how do we let others know about the joining?" Zhao Chengmo asked.
"Then we'll have to rely on my uncle. We can promote it well when we sell the snacks in the early stages, and we can also hold free tasting events at the prefecture and county markets, so that more and more people will know about it."
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