Chapter 98: Talking Business: You can only sell this chicken mushroom sauce to me in the future,...
Compared to the market held every May Day, the town is usually much quieter.
The streets where shops were once lined up one after another no longer had the bustling scene of stalls and shops standing side by side. The front of each shop was clean, with only a few individual customers coming in and out of the shops, most of whom were local residents.
The pharmacy He Guixiang mentioned was called Baijitang. It was located at the end of the street, even further back than the bookstore Lin Shu had visited last time. It was the last shop on the street. The line of people seeking medical treatment and prescriptions stretched from the entrance of Baijitang to the end of the street, then turned into another alley. There were eight or nine people in the exposed section, and there was no telling how many more people were lined up behind the other side.
And they were considered to have arrived early.
Lin Shu and the other two did not wait for Zhou Ye and came to Baekje Hall first.
He Guixiang quickened her pace and said to her two daughters, "Let's go quickly. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can see the doctor."
Lin Shu glanced at the eight or nine people who had emerged, then at He Guixiang's reaction. She asked curiously, "Mother, is there another long line of people in that alleyway?"
The last time she went to the market, she went to some bookstores ahead and took a look at the pharmacy. At that time, it seemed that there were not many people there, and there was no queue at the door.
"I don't know how many there are, but every time I come back, there are always a lot of people."
When the three of them turned around and took a look, Lin Shu was suddenly shocked.
After turning around, there were another ten or so people. Adding up, there were twenty or thirty of them!
"Mother, why weren't there so many people at the market that day?" Lin Shu asked.
He Guixiang explained, "On market days, the old doctor in the pharmacy is not in office. The pharmacy can only dispense medicine, so there are not as many people as usual."
"I'll go line up first. When I get to the front of the line, someone in the pharmacy will give me a wooden sign with a number on it. Make sure you hold onto this sign. I've seen people lose their signs before. If you lose them, you have to line up again. They don't recognize people, they only recognize the sign!"
Lin Shu thought to herself, isn't this just getting a number at the hospital?
"Mother, how many pharmacies are there in this town?"
"There are only two of them, but the old doctor here is very skilled in Chinese medicine. If you want to see a doctor, this is the best place to go. If you just want medicine, you can go to the other one. However, the other pharmacy is much smaller, and sometimes they don't sell all the medicines."
As they were talking, they had already reached the end of the team. Lin Shu estimated that there were about twenty-five or twenty-six people in front of them.
It sounded okay, but the old doctor was slow at taking pulses, and he also had to observe, smell, ask, and palpate, plus write out prescriptions. It was likely that each patient would take more than a quarter of an hour. So, in the morning, he could only see thirty people at most. By noon, there was no telling if they would even get a turn.
After He Guixiang had finished lining up, she glanced at Lin Xiaopu, who was looking around, and said to Lin Shu, "Ah Shu, Xiaopu hasn't been to town for a long time. Why don't you take her around? It won't be A-niang's turn for a while."
Lin Shu thought about it and nodded, "Okay, I'll come find A Niang later."
After they were some distance away, Lin Xiaopu asked in a low voice, "Sister, isn't it a bad idea to leave Mother here alone?"
Lin Shu pointed to the corner of her mouth and said, "Put away that smile before you say this."
Lin Xiaopu immediately laughed out loud, "I haven't been here for a long time!"
Lin Shu said: "I didn't come here empty-handed today. We have other tasks."
Lin Shu was carrying a bamboo basket filled with the chicken mushroom sauce she had just made. She gave one jar to Wang Yingen's family, left two jars at home, and took the remaining seven jars with her.
Lin Xiaopu also knew that her elder sister had brought some chicken mushroom sauce to sell, but when she heard that her elder sister had priced it at forty-five cents per jar, she became very worried, fearing that her elder sister would not be able to sell the chicken mushroom sauce.
Although she thought the chicken mushroom sauce made by her elder sister was delicious, the bamboo jar was so small that it couldn't hold much. Forty-five copper coins could buy more than a pound of pork. Would anyone really buy it?
"Let's go to Li's Noodle Soup Shop first." Lin Shu said.
The townspeople ate three meals a day, and now was breakfast time, which wasn't a good time, as the shopkeeper might be busy. But if she went there at this time, she could also check on the noodle soup shop's business and have a better idea of what was going on.
Lin Shu took Lin Xiaopu by the hand and ran straight to the noodle soup shop they had been to last time. Compared to the market day, the business of the noodle soup shop was not as prosperous as that day, but the business was definitely not bad either. Regular customers came to patronize this old noodle shop one after another, and most of the seats inside were occupied.
The noodle soup shop is bustling with people every day. The shop assistants may not recognize customers who have only been there once, but Lin Shu is pretty. She came here with Zhou Ye last time, and Zhou Ye's unusually tall stature was also very impressive.
So as soon as Lin Shu and Lin Xiaopu entered the door, the waiter who had entertained her last time recognized her.
"Hey, it's you, young lady. Please come in and take a seat! There is an empty table today, so you don't have to share it with other diners." The waiter greeted warmly.
Lin Shu waved her hands shyly, "Little Brother, I'm not here to eat noodles today. I'm here to bring the chicken mushroom sauce to the shopkeeper. I originally promised to deliver it to the next market, but I happened to be in town for something today, so I made this chicken mushroom sauce in advance and brought it along."
The clerk heard this, but his smile remained unchanged as he led her to the shopkeeper, "Young lady, just follow me."
The owner of the noodle soup shop was a man in his early forties. His hair was tied very tightly, revealing a shiny forehead. He always smiled when he met people, and he made people like him just by looking at him.
He didn't take advantage of Lin Shu's young age and said politely, "The store was busy last time and I neglected you. Today I have some free time, so I can talk to you for a few more words. I remember you said last time that this sauce recipe is an heirloom in your family?"
Lin Shu speculated about the shopkeeper's intentions, then nodded with a smile and replied, "I dare not lie to you, shopkeeper. This recipe is indeed passed down from my ancestors. The recipe is not difficult, but the difficult part is choosing the ingredients. I can guarantee that my family is the only one in this area who knows how to make this chicken mushroom sauce, and I am the only one who knows how to select the ingredients for this sauce to make it taste better."
As she spoke, she took out two bamboo jars from the basket. "These are the two jars of chicken mushroom sauce that the shopkeeper asked me to order in advance last time. Originally, they were forty-five coins each, but the shopkeeper was kind enough to take care of my business, so I gave him a discount. I'll only charge him eighty-five coins for two jars."
The shopkeeper saw that there were still several jars of sauces in her bamboo basket. A gleam of light flashed in his eyes and he said with a smile, "There's no rush for this matter. I saw that there are still several jars in your bamboo basket. I wonder what these jars are?"
"I made some extra and plan to sell it from door to door. My chicken mushroom sauce is not only delicious when put in noodles, but also delicious when put in dry rice, cold dishes, flatbreads, and anything else you mix it with is delicious!"
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper stroked his beard, his expression somewhat conflicted. After a while, he said, "To be honest, young lady, I really like the taste of your sauce. My noodle soup shop hasn't introduced a new product in a while. If you're willing, I'd like to introduce a new product at the end of the month, during the market. This sauce is called Chicken Mushroom Sauce, and the new product will be called Chicken Mushroom Noodles."
Before Lin Shu could say anything, Lin Xiaopu, who was listening nearby, opened his mouth in surprise.
What the shopkeeper meant was that he could take away all the chicken mushroom sauce that my sister could make?
She was actually worried that her sister's chicken mushroom sauce couldn't be sold!
The owner of this noodle soup shop alone can buy all their chicken mushroom sauce!
What kind of pie in the sky is this!
Lin Shu was very calm, even hesitant in her eyes. "Thank you for your kindness, shopkeeper. However, my recipe for Alstonia Alpiniae was passed down from my ancestors, so I will definitely not sell it to anyone."
The shopkeeper's eyes flashed. He didn't expect that the young lady had guessed his intention before he even said anything.
"If you are willing to sell the house, I will give you a satisfactory price." He made a five with his hands. "How about this number?"
Lin Xiaopu suddenly covered his mouth.
She knows how to make chicken mushroom sauce. The only thing is to be careful not to stick to the pan when boiling the diced chicken mushrooms. The other steps are very simple. The shopkeeper is willing to pay five hundred dollars for this recipe?
Lin Shu shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, shopkeeper. I really can't sell this recipe. If you really like my sauce, I can make a fixed amount of chicken mushroom sauce and send it to you every month."
The shopkeeper, however, had a look of regret on his face. "If I can't keep this recipe in my own hands, and have to rely on outsiders to deliver the sauce every month, then if something unexpected happens to you, won't my supply be cut off? That's not right."
Lin Shu pretended to be puzzled and said, "But the shopkeeper doesn't rely solely on me for the sauce. His noodle soup shop has so many toppings. One more or one less won't make a difference. Even if my supply is cut off, it will just be back to the time before new products were launched. How much loss can it cause to the shopkeeper? Besides, this chicken mushroom sauce has its season."
As she spoke, she actually took the initiative to change the subject, "Boss, please pay for these two cans first. Business is something that can be successful, but if it can't, it doesn't matter. I will come to your shop to eat noodles in the future."
The shopkeeper never expected that this young lady, who looked innocent and harmless, was actually very shrewd.
He sighed inwardly, thinking that what he had done was indeed not right, but that was it.
"My dear lady, your words have awakened me from my dream. I was overthinking it before. How about this? Sell me all the chicken mushroom sauce in this basket. Before the market at the end of the month, make me ten more jars. I'll try selling them at the next market. If they sell well, you can supply me with this chicken mushroom sauce every month from now on."
Lin Shu was delighted in her heart, but she nodded calmly. "For me, this is a big deal. Why wouldn't I want to do it? But words alone are not enough. The shopkeeper should write a deed and pay me a deposit."
The shopkeeper couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. "Young lady, you are very thoughtful. This is the way it should be. However, you can only sell this chicken mushroom sauce to me in the future. Do you agree to this?"
Lin Shu hesitated and said, "It's fine if I only sell it to the shopkeeper, but this chicken mushroom sauce is made by me after all. I can promise not to sell it to any other shops besides Li Ji Soup Noodles, but I still want to continue selling it myself. But don't worry, shopkeeper, if I sell chicken mushroom sauce, I will never sell it here at the noodle soup shop, but somewhere else..."
When Lin Shu came out holding Lin Xiaopu's hand, Lin Xiaopu was still dizzy.
Not only did the sister sell the chicken mushroom sauce she brought this time, she also made ten more jars of chicken mushroom sauce!
If it sells well, there will be big business like this every month in the future!
Just now, the elder sister was very articulate and not afraid at all, and she won a lot of benefits for herself. The elder sister is really amazing! If it were her, she would have sold the house when the shop owner wanted to buy it. After all, the other party offered a full five taels of silver, which is definitely a lot of money!
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