The third brother coughed once, but didn't make a sound.
The second brother glanced at He Cong and awkwardly tried to smooth things over, "Little sister, quickly explain yourself, otherwise people will think you're swearing!"
Upon hearing this, Manager Yu offered to help explain:
"The girl is right. These are turtle eggs. Turtle is also called soft-shelled turtle, so they are usually called soft-shelled turtle roe or soft-shelled turtle eggs. They are very nutritious!"
He Cong smiled easily, showing no displeasure whatsoever. "I see. This is the first time I've seen this!"
Manager Yu explained, "It is indeed uncommon. If a soft-shelled turtle is found, it is usually killed and stewed directly, and the eggs are not taken out separately."
He Cong nodded as if he had been taught a lesson.
Ruan Meng briefly introduced the origin of the soft-shelled turtle eggs. Upon hearing that Ruan Meng was going to cook herself, she also invited the young master of Xinglin Hall and Manager Du. Manager Yu enthusiastically went to make the arrangements.
Taking advantage of the remaining time for communication, He Cong couldn't resist his curiosity and asked Ruan Meng about the business she had asked Xiao Kai to convey.
Although the He family is very wealthy, it is perfectly reasonable for them to casually acquire four shops and for the other party to inquire about their situation.
"Young master, do you still remember the fish noodles you ate in the village a few days ago?"
He Cong nodded, still savoring the taste of the fish noodles stewed with chicken soup.
Ruan Meng recounted, "At the time, Manager Yu arranged for four chefs to help, and they were so tired from chopping meat that their shoulders and arms ached..."
"I asked the craftsmen brought by Young Master Sun to make a tool with an upper and lower structure, which I call a meat grinder."
"Place chunks of meat on top, and step on them from below to rotate the hemp rope and blades, thus shredding the meat."
"Besides the craftsmen's labor, the materials used were wood, hemp rope, and blades. But it took four cooks more than an hour to chop the same fish. Young master, how long do you think the meat grinder took?"
He Cong raised his eyebrows. He had never seen such a tool on the market before, so he carefully estimated that one tool was equivalent to four skilled cooks. In the same way, it would save a lot of effort.
He Cong tentatively replied, "An hour and a half?"
Ruan Meng smiled faintly, "Four quarters of an hour."
He Cong straightened his expression and asked seriously, "Miss, if you were to price this tool, roughly how much would it cost?"
Ruan Meng thought for a moment, "If it's tall, more meat can be minced at once, which requires a certain capacity. The tree trunks used must be thick and strong, and the number of blades and ropes used will also increase accordingly. This places higher demands on the craftsmen and increases costs invisibly."
"Correspondingly, the number of shops that can afford it and are willing to try it will become narrower. If meat can be ground in small amounts and multiple times, and the volume requirement is not that large, then ordinary tree trunks can be used to make it, fewer blades are needed, and the price will naturally come down."
"In this way, not only large restaurants and eateries can purchase it, but even ordinary dumpling and wonton stalls can afford it."
"We can even make smaller batches to help grind the meat. Once the meat chunks are mostly broken up, the vendors only need to take them out and cut them a little more before using them. This would reduce the cost even more than what we just mentioned."
As the two talked, He Cong finally looked at Sun Chengen. From the moment he entered the private room, Sun Chengen had no expression and had not uttered a word, but his strong sense of pressure made his presence impossible to ignore.
Upon receiving He Cong's gaze, Sun Chengen's expression finally softened, and he spoke:
"If my cousin needs it, we can just have the craftsman provide the blueprints."
He Cong didn't stand on ceremony; he knew what a huge business opportunity this would be.
Ruan Meng continued, "A meat grinder isn't just for grinding meat. If you add scallions, ginger, and garlic, it can grind them into minced scallions, ginger, and garlic. If you add vegetables, it can grind them into minced vegetables."
“Originally, many people would have been needed to help, but this meat grinder can handle many of the auxiliary tasks. In particular, the people in the village who are responsible for preparing the big feast only need one meat grinder to help with many of the food preparation steps.”
"When an army marches, it needs a kitchen, right? Even if only large restaurants and eateries can afford it, the vast area on the other side of the river presents a huge business opportunity."
"This is on a large scale. For wealthy families, they might buy one as a backup in case they don't have enough manpower or when they need to prepare plenty of food and drink for festivals..."
"What does the young master think?"
He Cong took a deep breath and looked at Ruan Meng, "How would you like to cooperate, young lady?"
Before Ruan Meng could speak, He Cong reminded her, "This is not like planting or raising livestock, which requires skilled craftsmen to make."
Ruan Meng agreed, but also cautioned, "If sales increase, the demand for artisans will inevitably increase as well."
"Pricing, sales, and profits are all yours, young master. I don't need to take a cut. However, I have other requirements."
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