Chapter 85 Jinjiang First Release Chapter 85 The husband and wife are in the county town...
The breakfast at Fuyue Restaurant was indeed sumptuous. Not only had the chef prepared all the things Fang Shu had mentioned Yu Qinglong's favorites, but the buns were even filled with different fillings. Yu Qinglong had options not only with pork and scallions, but also with lamb and radish, and braised pork and bamboo shoots.
Bamboo is rare in the north, so bamboo shoots are much more expensive than in the south and are not often seen on ordinary people's tables. However, Yu Qinglong likes this filling very much.
He ate quite a bit, then, taking advantage of the early morning crowd, went to the small kitchen to make milk tea. He wasn't very skilled at rolling the dumplings, so they were all different sizes, but it made the tea brew much faster. He asked Guo Hengan and Guo Qingshan to try some while it was still hot.
That's right, Guo Qingshan had come over after hearing that he and Fang Shu were coming. This guy was considered their "intermediary," so he must have gotten some benefits. He looked very happy.
"It smells delicious!" Guo Qingshan said. "Why haven't I thought of this before? I've had that milk tea from the north before. It's salty, but it's quite good, and it doesn't make you crave it. But this one is different. I'm thinking I'll want it again next time after I finish it."
"Brother Xiaoyu has so many ideas," Guo Hengan said. "So, why don't you sell this along with the egg tarts?"
"Yes, we'll sell them together. As for the price, Boss Guo is more experienced than I am, so you can decide for yourselves. But no matter how much these two items sell for, you don't have to give me a penny."
"Brother Xiaoyu and Brother Fang are so kind," Guo Hengan said. "Then our Fuyue Restaurant will just charge you for the labor and ingredients."
"Thank you, Boss Guo, for your concern. But as I said yesterday, if you buy a lot, you can give us some free gifts, like a free dish or a discount for future banquets at Fuyuelou," Yu Qinglong said. "People want to use what they get. So, they're definitely going to order a few dishes, which will also boost business here."
"Brother Xiaoyu is right."
"Boss Guo could also create a list of people who buy the most milk tea and egg tarts, calling it a 'lucky list' or something like that. There's a lot of people coming and going in this building, and some people care about their reputation, so maybe they'll buy more after seeing it. What do you think?"
"That makes sense. I'll have someone prepare it today."
It's just a piece of red paper and some ink and paper, it's nothing.
Guo Hengan walked away a few steps before returning. "Brother Fang, Brother Xiaoyu, why don't you change the name of this 'Egg Tart'? 'Tart' doesn't sound very nice anyway."
"Then change it." Yu Qinglong asked Fang Shu, "What do you think is a good name?"
"Let's just call it Fushan Cake. That's how everyone will think of it."
"That makes sense! Let's call it 'Fushan Cake'!"
From that day on, Fuyuelou began promoting its business. Yu Qinglong also told them how to get flyers and asked Niu Quan to ask if the county could issue a notice in the name of the government, which would be more credible.
This kind of thing, which only required writing dozens or hundreds of pieces of paper and posting them, was naturally not a big deal. It didn't cost much and it would earn you a good reputation. Who wouldn't want to do it? Magistrate Ma gave the order, and the entire county was covered with posters that very day.
Fu Yue Lou became popular immediately, and every household was talking about how Fu Yue Lou was going to cooperate with the county government to do charity and raise money for the disaster victims in the surrounding area to spend the winter.
In the past, people were asked to donate, which sounded nice, but was actually almost the same as robbery. But it was not like this time, where everyone was asked to buy snacks, and all the money earned from selling snacks was donated to the suffering victims.
There was a lot of discussion about this matter among scholars, and many people were initially skeptical. After all, who in business is not looking to make money? Could they really donate all their earnings?
But they bought some out of curiosity and found that someone was keeping accounts. And from time to time, there were special officers who came to inspect and they could tell it was fake.
The news spread within a few days.
Some kindhearted people, even those who had never tried the "Fushan Cake," came to buy it. They figured since they were buying dim sum anyway, they might as well try out this new twist. Fuyuelou's chef was already quite famous in the area, so everyone bought in without hesitation.
One Fushan cake costs ten coins, ten together only cost ninety coins, and a hundred together only cost eight hundred coins.
What makes those who don't have much money but are still hungry for something really happy is that they sell even a single dim sum! This is something you don't see in other dim sum shops. Most dim sum shops start at at least half a pound.
But the owner of Fuyuelou said, kindness is not big or small, and even a little bit of money can make a big difference! Everyone should contribute as much as they can, and even a penny of money can show their kindness!
So many people buy one or two.
At first, when the wealthy families heard about it, they all thought that this thing probably wasn't very delicious, otherwise why would it sell for ten or eight coins each? Among them was the father of the young master of the Qin family, who was dressed in silk and wore a gold locket around his neck and had bought "Picking the Moon".
Old Master Qin was a wealthy local businessman. When his youngest son mentioned "Fushan Cake," he said, "It's just flour with some sugar and oil, what else could it be? If you want some dim sum, aren't our own chefs much better than those out there?"
Young Master Qin said, "That's completely different, Father. You have no idea how popular Fuyuelou is right now. It's always crowded with people, with long lines. The pancakes there are so crispy and tender, oh my, they're so much better than anything I've ever had before."
Old Master Qin doted on his youngest son. Although he was a younger brother, he was a son born in old age, clever and considerate. Upon hearing this, he said, "Then tell someone to buy more. I can handle you eating a hundred of your father's a day, but just make sure you don't spoil your appetite. Why are you still wearing clothes? Are you going out?"
Young Master Qin was being helped by his servants to put on his cape. He said with a smile, "I won't ask the servants to buy any. Fuyuelou has a red list. The more you buy, the more your name will be written on it. I'll buy more and ask them to put me on the list too. That way everyone will know that my Qin family are all famous philanthropists! It will also give Big Brother some good reputation."
His elder brother is an official in the provincial capital.
Mr. Qin said, "Then where are you going to send all these things?"
Young Master Qin said, "Buy some for everyone in our family to try!"
As he spoke, he walked out quickly.
Master Qin wondered who came up with this idea. Wouldn't it make those young and energetic kids buy more if they did this?
Since the beginning of the morning, there were people standing outside the Fuyue Restaurant. Some were sent servants, some had lined up on their own, and some were simply there for breakfast.
It was very lively when there were more people, and it was more attractive when it was lively. The Fushan cakes sold in one day were much more than Yu Qinglong and Guo Hengan had originally expected.
But this is also because Guo Hengan did not set the price arbitrarily.
The pastry used egg custard, which was already expensive. Add to that the molds, the charcoal, and the labor, and the total cost for one piece was five wen. Guo Heng'an said they couldn't sell it cheaply to raise money for the disaster victims. Yu Qinglong thought each piece would cost at least ten or twenty wen, but it turned out to be nothing.
To be honest, Guo Hengan was quite foresighted. If this thing was too expensive, someone would find a way to learn how to make it. If it couldn't sell in the county town, they could sell it elsewhere. Even at a lower price, they could still make a profit. But at this price, if they lowered it any further, there would be basically no profit.
At this price, most people living in the county can afford it. The only difference is whether it takes a long time to finish one, or whether you can buy 100 or 80 at a time.
Fu Yue Lou can currently make 800 a day, but selling them is a piece of cake; they're not even enough for the whole morning. They started working hard yesterday to build an additional oven and baking trays.
Young Master Qin lined up and each person wanted to buy three hundred taels. Three hundred taels, that's tens of thousands of Fushan cakes!
The clerk selling Fushan cakes was so dumbfounded that he almost couldn't figure out the cost. "But, but Young Master Qin, we only make 800 a day."
Qin Yushuang said, "I only need one hundred Fushan cakes with my three hundred taels of silver. The rest of the money is donated by our Qin family to the victims."
Fang Shu was helping with the accounting. Yu Qinglong seemed to be inspecting the area, but he was actually noting the number of people present, their attire, and so on. Hearing this, he said, "Thank you very much, young master, for your generosity. We thank you on behalf of the disaster victims everywhere. Brother Ma, please help write this young master's name on the red list."
When Qin Yushuang saw the two of them, her eyes lit up and she said, "Hey? Aren't you the two young masters in that Dexin Bookstore? Schoolbags! That's right! Schoolbags!!!"
Yu Qinglong: “???”
Fang Shu asked, "Is there anything wrong with the schoolbag?"
Qin Yushuang told someone to quickly leave the banknotes behind and pack up the Fushan cakes. She then told Fang Shu and Yu Qinglong, "I want that schoolbag, the same one you made in the first batch."
Yu Qinglong said with a smile, "As a young master, it wouldn't be a big deal to find someone to make the same one."
Qin Yushuang said, "That's different. If I hire someone to make it myself, I'll just be imitating their style, rather than just buying it from a merchant because I like it. That wouldn't be beautiful."
He hadn't noticed it at first, thinking it wouldn't be anything special since it was made of coarse cloth. But then he saw several of his classmates carrying it to school, and it was truly useful. But when he asked, he found no other copies. He didn't want to ask someone to copy it, as if he was desperately trying to imitate them. Those people said that only those were the ones in that batch. Anything else would be different, a knockoff from someone else.
Yu Qinglong understood. This guy liked being "special" and didn't like to "follow the trend."
But this was a good reminder for him.
"Thank you, Young Master Qin, for your kindness. But we're busy with disaster relief efforts these days, so we can't get school bags for the time being. Furthermore, the first batch is just those, and we won't be producing more. And if we do, it won't be the first batch. But I can find time to make a new style just for you. I guarantee that no one has had the same style before you. Anyone who has one is probably copying you."
Qin Yushuang's face flushed with joy when she heard this. The snow fox fur collared cape made the boy look like a jade doll. He asked with a smile, "Is this true?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Of course it's true. So many people have heard it, I won't break my promise."
Qin Yushuang said, "That's settled. I'll be waiting for you when I get back."
There was also a scholar present who asked, "Sir, do you have any new styles of pen holders?"
Some students bought pen holders, but later on, there were also ones that could be used as paperweights and ones that could hold small bottles of water. It can be said that with such a pen holder, it is very convenient to write anything anywhere.
Yu Qinglong said, "Yes, but it won't be until next month. There will be new models next month."
The scholars were also happy to hear this and vowed to keep two of them if they found any.
Yu Qinglong agreed, and at the same time he was thinking about what kind of unique benefits he should give to customers like Qin Yushuang who bought a lot.
These people are not short of money, and what they like is nothing more than some special treatment that is different from others. Especially rich children of this age, they often like to compete in the things they like.
To put it bluntly, this is a luxury goods professional.
Yu Qinglong was just thinking about it when another rich lady came.
This wealthy young lady didn't spend that much at once. But she still spent a hundred taels of silver, which was quite a lot. And for that hundred taels of silver, she only wanted thirty Fushan cakes.
Yu Qinglong thought that he could make a single bag for the 100 taels, but that wouldn't necessarily be what anyone wanted. Girls all love beauty, so it would be better to give her something special.
Yu Qinglong said to the wealthy young lady, "Thank you for your kindness. I wonder which family you are from? Our people will write it down on the red list."
The maid beside the girl said, "Our young lady is from the Luo family in the east of the city."
Yu Qinglong said, "So it's Miss Luo. If you don't mind, I'll send you a pattern of a ready-made garment on the eighth day of next month. If you like it, you can prepare the materials yourself and take it to the tailor shop to make it."
The girl was a little surprised: "Ready-made clothing pictures?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Exactly. Just like what happened to that young Master Qin, I'll make sure the one I make is different from what others wear. Of course, it's up to you, young lady, to decide whether to make it or not."
The girl said, "Yes, I would like to thank this gentleman. But I don't know who he is at Fuyue Restaurant. I have never seen him before."
Yu Qinglong said, "My last name is Yu. I'm just here to help with some small favors. Don't worry about it, young lady."
The girl nodded and said, "When the time comes, I will ask someone to come to this restaurant to pick up the picture."
Yu Qinglong bowed, and the girl left with the maid.
Fang Shu remained silent, yet while recording the number of cakes sold, he also wrote down these things, writing rapidly. Someone noticed and said, "Brother, your handwriting is very good!"
Fang Shu smiled and said, "Brother, thank you for your compliment."
A few people came over to look at Fang Shu's handwriting. People are like that, they love to join in the fun. They thought it would be great, but it turned out to be truly elegant! It had a natural, uninhibited style!
Afterwards, several more people came, some to see the calligraphy, some to buy cakes. Some even asked Fang Shu if they could write on their fans for a fee.
Fang Shu agreed and promised to use the reward as relief funds. Then someone actually came and placed a high order, asking if he could help copy scriptures.
Fang Shu said it was okay, but it would take a long time.
Later, there were also many people who offered more money but didn't ask for many cakes. But even if they didn't ask for many, they would still order at least ten cakes, and soon the Fushan cakes were sold out.
But there were still people lining up to buy. Yu Qinglong said, "It's still being prepared inside, so please wait a little longer. If you're feeling cold, you can try our new milk tea! It's the first day of sale, and a bowl is only fifteen cents! It'll keep the cold away, satisfy your cravings, and even keep you full!"
We haven't been selling them outside because we didn't have enough people to make Fushan biscuits. We were so busy that we only gave them away to our key customers. Today, a new employee came to help us and we started making more.
Someone asked, "How can this tea satisfy your hunger?"
Yu Qinglong said: "You will know after you try it! This tea is more than just tea!"
Fifteen coins seems okay. It's definitely more expensive than regular tea, but don't they say it's both satisfying and filling?!
Someone said, "Give me a bowl!"
Someone heard this and said, "Then I'll buy a bowl and try it too!"
The bowl looked large, but it was actually quite shallow. It held at most 250 milliliters. Yu Qinglong had someone add more dumplings to the mix, so he could use less milk tea and keep costs down. The price of milk wasn't bad, but the price of sugar was too high.
The people who bought milk tea found that they were given a spoon when they bought it. But when they scooped it up, they found that there were small balls that looked like black agate inside.
When you bite it, it is smooth, elastic and chewy. Eat a few pieces and then take a sip of milk tea. It is so delicious.
Some people who were on the sidelines saw that everyone who bought it was saying it was delicious, so they bought some. But not as many as those who bought Fushan biscuits. Everyone thought biscuits were more substantial.
But selling over a hundred bowls wasn't a small number. Yu Qinglong felt it was okay.
At the end of the day, he actually earned over 600 taels of silver. That's over 600 taels! After deducting the costs, there's still over 500 taels left.
You should know that after Cao Kuo emptied the official treasury of Qixia Town, the money he could take out for "investment" was less than two hundred taels.
This was already the sixth day, and including the money from the previous few days, there were already 1,200 taels of silver.
What does this mean? It means that even at the increased rice price, it can buy 3,000 dan of grain. How many disaster victims can this save? That's a lot!
This amount of money really shocked Cao Kuo. It's not that he had never seen such a large amount of money before, nor had he never imagined that he could make so much money. He just didn't expect to make so much money so quickly!
At night, after discussing with Cao Zhenshou, Magistrate Ma decided to meet Fang Shu and Yu Qinglong together.
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Author's words: Qinglong: My husband, I'm so tired [burst into tears]
Fang Shu: Then take a rest quickly [hug]
Qinglong: I’m tired, not sleepy. I’m hungry [covering my face with laughter and tears]
Fang Shu: Then I'll buy you some food! Buy three [Let me know]
Qinglong: Then I want roast duck and cheese, and plum cake [laughing]
Fang Shu: Okay, okay, I'll go ask the aunts for it. Aunts, please [please][empty bowl][empty bowl][empty bowl]
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