The old man was stunned for a moment, but he wasn't too anxious. He poured tea while asking, "What's the matter? Did you hear any rumors? Don't worry too much. After all, this business isn't ours to monopolize. If others see the money they can make and want to get involved, we can't stop them!"
Manager Min didn't expect the old man to be so open-minded and felt a little relieved.
Just then, Zhuzhu and Zhimaqiu ran in from outside. Zhuzhu hugged his thighs and said, "Uncle Min, Zhuzhu missed you! Why did you come to see me just now?"
Manager Min was so coaxed by the fat girl that his face lit up with smiles. He held her on his lap and said, "Uncle is quite busy today, but now he has come to see our most obedient daughter, Zhuzhu. Is your mother worried about you coming with grandpa? Didn't you ask Chunhong or Erya to come along to help?"
"Sister Erya is here!" Zhuzhu pointed outside the door. The door of the kitchen in the yard was open, and steam was faintly coming out. It was Erya who was cooking dinner.
Manager Min said, "That's not bad. With Erya here, you don't have to worry about no one taking care of your three meals a day. When Erya is free later, ask her to take you to the shop to get some snacks. Take whatever you like!"
"Okay, thank you Uncle Min!" Zhuzhu was waiting for this sentence. Her big eyes curved into crescents with joy, and the tender little white fat on her face was trembling!
Sesame Ball also wagged its tail a few times and barked twice. Zhuzhu immediately jumped off the ground and climbed onto Sesame Ball's back.
"Grandpa, Uncle Min, Zhimaqiu said he would take me to get some snacks!" After saying that, the man and the dog ran away in a hurry.
The old man and Manager Min did not stop them. The dim sum shop was really too close. They could see the back door of the dim sum shop as soon as they opened the door. Moreover, the yard was full of villagers, so they followed the two of them immediately.
Without the child around, Manager Min returned to the main topic, "Uncle, I heard today that the Qu family in the south of the city has also started an ice sculpture business! They're quite famous in this city. Everyday, families who need to build houses often come to them. They also have a woodworking shop on the commercial street. Their craftsmanship is really impeccable!"
Old Master Tai frowned slightly and replied, "Since you have good carpentry skills, it would be easy to convert it into an ice sculpture. Has their family spread the word? What's the price?"
"Yes, I heard they're going to harvest ice tomorrow, and they've announced their wages." Manager Min paused, then added, "And the wages are only half of ours."
Mr. Tai asked again, "Has anyone come to you recently and inquire about having our family make ice sculptures?"
Manager Min nodded and said, "Yes, but I don't know if our wages have changed this year, so I dare not agree rashly."
"If anyone comes to ask again, please give me a price. It should be half of last year's. If the other party wants to ask our family to make ice sculptures, they can give a deposit of two taels of silver. Jiye and the children are not at home, so please help me make the account books." Old Man Tai took out his pipe, puffed twice, and settled the matter.
But Manager Min was very surprised and tried to persuade him, "Uncle, isn't it too much to cut the price in half? Our family has an excellent reputation, and wealthy families will definitely trust us more. Even if the price is higher than what the Qu family set, I'm sure we will still get business."
Old Man Tai waved his hand and replied, "It's because everyone trusts our family that we can't ask for a higher price. Besides, this ice sculpture business was originally meant to provide a winter livelihood for the villagers, young and old, and to earn some money for the New Year. Our family doesn't need that money right now, so giving up half of the profits will be a way to live up to everyone's trust and also save the villagers' hard-earned money. As long as both sides are happy, that's fine."
Manager Min felt a little relieved and breathed a sigh of relief.
If you ask for something, you will suffer.
The Tai family didn't rely on this business to survive, so naturally they weren't afraid of the Qu family competing for it. Moreover, at the same price, the Qu family wouldn't necessarily be able to snatch it away even if they wanted to.
From a reputational perspective, the Tai family had a good reputation from last year, so other families preferred to focus on familiar customers rather than new ones. From a profit perspective, the people of Taijia Village were not greedy and were content with earning a hard-earned income. However, the Qu family's chefs were usually paid a high salary, and now they would not be happy to endure the cold and hardship for the same salary.
If the Qu family is planning to squeeze out the Tai family and become the only dominant family, and then take the opportunity to raise prices, then they are making a wrong calculation!
Erya came in from outside and asked the old man with a smile, "Sixth Grandpa, I made hand-rolled noodles and heated up the mushroom and meat sauce I brought from home to make the stew. Is it time to eat?"
"Okay, everyone's hungry, let's set the table." The old man knocked on his pipe and smiled as he invited the steward to eat. "You don't have to go back either, stay and have a bowl of hot noodles. There are so many people here today, so it's going to be lively."
"Okay, then I'll try Erya's cooking!" Manager Min didn't hesitate and accompanied the old man to eat two bowls of noodles.
As a result, Yongning and Yongfeng came back just as they put down their dishes.
Yongning held the fat girl in his arms, followed by the sesame balls. The fat girl pinched the snack and ate it happily, not forgetting to stuff it into her brother's mouth.
Yongfeng was a lively man. He ran in happily and shouted, "Sixth Grandpa, Mr. Ning'er's article today was praised by the teacher. The teacher also gave him a set of good pens!"
"Really?" The old man was delighted to hear this and quickly called his grandson over to ask carefully.
Yongning was not complacent and replied, "Today's article is something that the teacher has talked about before. I have also tried to write it once, so I am more familiar with it than my senior brothers. If it were any other day, I would definitely not be able to write as well as my senior brothers."
Yongfeng was unconvinced and retorted, "No, it's because you're a good student, and that's why the teacher praises you more often."
Old Master Tai patted the brat on the shoulder and patiently instructed him, "You are just too straightforward. Yongning is a disciple of Mr. Wu along with his fellow apprentices, and he is the youngest, so he should be more humble.
"Even if Yongning's background isn't as deep as his senior brothers', even if he's truly much better than them, he shouldn't be complacent. Learning never ends. Right now, his senior brothers aren't as good as him, but what about the future? Who can guarantee that Yongning will always be ahead?"
Yongfeng wasn't stupid, he just had a blind admiration for his younger brother. After listening to the elders' teachings, he scratched the back of his head and replied, "I understand, Sixth Grandpa, I won't say anything nonsense again."
"That's right, let's go eat." Old Master Tai chased him away. "Yongning, finish your homework after dinner. It's dark and we can light the lights. I'm going to visit the Wu family. Please help me take care of Zhuzhu."
Zhuzhu immediately responded obediently, "Grandpa, don't worry, Zhuzhu will be a good boy!"
The old man smiled and ruffled his granddaughter's hair, "My Zhuzhu is the most sensible one!"
After sitting for a while, Manager Min returned to the Min family and left the courtyard with the old man.
The next day, someone came to the dim sum shop to inquire about making some ice lanterns at home and outside. Not only would it look good, it would also be convenient for the neighbors and would also create a good reputation.
After receiving Mr. Tai's approval, Manager Min understood what was going on and responded, "Mr. Tai said that when they were making ice lanterns last year, their family and the village were having a hard time. Thanks to the trust of the various nobles in the county, they have received a lot of business, which is really a great help."
"Life is better in the village now. In order to repay the families, the wages are reduced by half. The villagers just need to earn hard-earned money."
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