Ruan Meng and her two brothers stood up, cupped their hands in farewell, and prepared to take their leave.
Even if the shipment is made the day after tomorrow, there is still a lot of preparation work to be done.
Manager Yu personally escorted the three of them out. They passed many customers, who all greeted Manager Yu politely. It was clear that Manager Yu was quite popular.
Because Manager Yu personally saw them off, many people also turned their attention to Ruan Meng and her two companions.
Manager Yu summoned a servant and instructed him to lead a donkey and tie it to the cart that Ruan Meng had brought. He also instructed the servant to prepare a clean large vat for storing pickles and tie it to the cart as well.
He told the servant to fetch a jar of salt and vinegar and put it in a large vat. He took out a small silver ingot from his sleeve, thought for a moment, and then put it back. He told the servant to fetch two strings of cash and then handed them to Ruan Meng.
Before Ruan Meng could speak, Manager Yu said sincerely, "Consider this a deposit. You need money to buy materials too!"
"Donkey, just consider it a personal loan. I'll deliver it first thing the day after tomorrow. It will take you one or two hours on the way."
"Consider it as me doing this for the sake of the store's business, so you won't be late."
"After we deliver the soup, we'll send out some more at noon that day to see how customers react. We suggest you stay and have your meal at the restaurant while you're there, and get everyone's feedback."
"If it works well, we can sign an agreement on the same day and agree on the future delivery volume."
"Consider these two jars of salt and vinegar a personal gift from me, as a token of my appreciation! Thank you for thinking highly of He Family Restaurant and me, and for choosing us as a partner!"
Hearing this, Ruan Meng did not refuse again.
She will repay the olive branch extended by Manager Yu even more.
However, a donkey is not cheap.
Ruan Meng asked her second brother to take out paper and pen, write down an IOU, sign it herself, and hand it to the shopkeeper.
Since the shopkeeper had lent the money, it meant he trusted them. But their thoughtfulness made Shopkeeper Yu think even more highly of them, and he watched them go for a long time.
In fact, he recognized Ruan Meng and the others as exiles from their clothes.
He did not underestimate them. The world was tough, and those exiled to the southern islands were not necessarily villains. On the contrary, some were respectable people who were not afraid of the powerful.
If someone in the family had money to bribe officials, they might not have faced such a perilous situation and been exiled here.
From the woman's conversation last time and Ruan Meng's explanation today, he felt more and more that this family was knowledgeable and insightful, and must have come from a wealthy family.
Those who have seen good things are more likely to create good things.
Given their reliable character, Yu Zhangui placed his bets on this family, hoping for a win-win partnership.
Although countless people were vying to supply goods to He Family Restaurant, many of them even promised generous kickbacks.
But being greedy for petty gains will only lead him further down a narrow path, which is why his employer trusts him so much.
After leaving the restaurant, Ruan Meng and her two companions headed straight for the long stalls at the entrance of the temple. They first used the money their sister-in-law had advanced to buy several bolts of coarse cloth, and then went to the clothing store to buy five sets of ready-made clothes.
The second brother felt sorry for his sister and said, "Sister, I can make the clothes at home."
Ruan Meng smiled, "These coarse cloths are for my second brother."
The fabrics in the ready-made clothing store had some patterns, looked sophisticated, and were twice the price of coarse cloth, but not unacceptably expensive.
"The shopkeeper invited us to dine at the restaurant the day after tomorrow to observe customer feedback..."
"We can't be too shabby. We'll be going to restaurants more often and doing other business, so we'll wear the ready-made clothes in the city."
"At home, shall I wear the clothes my second brother made?"
The second and third sons nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, feeling that it couldn't be more appropriate.
Upon entering the city yesterday, I clearly sensed the contempt shown towards their status as vagrants by the local scoundrels.
While not exactly fragile, there was no need for them to parade around in the clothes of exiles, reminding themselves of their status.
My sister-in-law used to manage the household, but she wasn't always frugal. My father always taught me that we should save where we could, but we shouldn't be stingy when it came to spending money.
They couldn't bring themselves to say anything about entering the city dressed as exiles and raising prices.
Ruan Meng was delighted. She hadn't expected that soy sauce and white sugar would exist in this era. She bought a jar of each, and also a small jar of honey.
Oil is also sold on the island, mainly rapeseed oil and lard, but the price is relatively expensive and ordinary people cannot afford it. It is mainly purchased by high-end restaurants and eateries, or by wealthy families.
After inquiring about the price, Ruan Meng gritted her teeth and bought a small jar of each.
The second and third sons felt the pinch, but neither objected.
They believed that what their sister sold must be useful.
Following the list, they bought scallions, ginger, and garlic, and also made dozens of steamed buns before returning to the village.
On the way, the three of them each ate a few steamed buns. Perhaps they had a mule pulling the cart, or perhaps they were happy with the business deal they had just concluded. After eating and drinking their fill, they walked briskly and arrived home half an hour earlier than yesterday.
However, as soon as I got home, I found a group of people gathered inside.
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