"Jinglan, when did you wake up? How are you feeling right now?"
Wei Jinglan raised the corners of her mouth slightly, "I just woke up not long ago. I always felt weak all over before, probably because of the medicine I took this morning. After waking up, I feel much better."
After saying that, she slowly shifted her gaze to Madam Gu, her eyes full of gratitude, "I must thank Aunt Gu for leaving me some food. I just ate something and I feel much more energetic now."
With two people asleep in the house, Gu was worried that they would be hungry if they woke up, so she took a small pot and cooked some porridge so they could eat as soon as they got up. Anyway, cooking porridge while warming themselves by the fire wouldn't take up much time.
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao nodded slightly, "It's good that you're feeling better. It's so cold outside, I was really worried that your illness would get worse."
Wei Jinglan shook her head. She had always been in good health; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to endure so long in the bandit's den. She had previously thought she was ill and depressed, which was why she had been so sickly.
Knowing that they are not sick and that they have many years to live, they feel more at ease and their spirits improve.
Then, Wei Jinglan said with a smile, "Aunt Gu's cooking is really good. The congee with preserved egg and lean pork that I just ate was so delicious. I've never had such a unique congee before."
Hearing this, Aunt Feng'e had something to say, "Then you haven't tasted Zhao Zhao's cooking. That's truly exceptional. All the dishes in our shop were developed by Zhao Zhao."
Madam Gu smiled and nodded repeatedly, "This preserved egg and lean pork congee was taught to me by Zhaozhao. I've only learned about 70-80% of it. Zhaozhao's is truly fragrant and rich. Some of the regular customers at the stall can tell who made it just by tasting it."
The two women chatted back and forth about the shop, which greatly appealed to Wei Jinglan. Although she came from a merchant family, she had never been involved in the family business due to ancestral rules. She had only studied etiquette, poetry, and prose.
Her usual friends were all from families with similar circumstances. Even those few who helped manage the shops rarely actually went to the shops. Most of them only needed to inspect the accounts periodically, leaving the actual implementation to the managers.
This made him even more curious about Meng Zhao.
The snow fell all day and only gradually stopped in the evening. The next morning, Meng Zhao didn't stay at home but went to shovel snow with the rest of the group.
Although there is an old saying, "Everyone sweeps the snow from their own doorstep," it is obviously not applicable in the current situation. When Meng Zhao came out, many neighbors had already gathered on the street.
Everyone just shoveled whatever snow they saw, and gradually, the snow was cleared away bit by bit.
Meng Zhao and the others also brought two sturdy bamboo baskets from home, and shoveled up and moved away some of the snow that they couldn't find anywhere to pile up.
As the sun rose higher, the snow on the streets and alleys was gradually cleared away, revealing the original appearance of the roads. Meng Zhao felt that as long as the snow didn't continue, her business wouldn't be delayed for too long.
When the group returned with brooms, an uninvited guest arrived at their home.
The man who came was a young man in his early twenties named Xiao Zheng, a clerk at the brokerage firm. He was wearing a very thick cotton-padded coat, but his face was still red from the cold. When he saw Meng Zhao, he said warmly, "Boss Meng, I'm so glad to have found you."
The braised meat shop on Tongfu Street was rented through him. Some time ago, Meng Zhao had the idea of opening a branch, so he went to him again to ask him to help him see if there was a suitable shop.
"Brother Zheng, what's up? Have you found a way to get the shop I want?"
Xiao Zheng nodded. "Yes, I have a shop that perfectly meets Boss Meng's requirements. I didn't wait a moment longer and came to you right away, afraid that someone else would snatch it away. You know, good shops don't wait for anyone. Once the news spreads, there will definitely be a lot of people eyeing them."
Upon hearing about the good shop, Meng Zhao disregarded the snow and immediately followed him out.
This shop is located on Xishui Street, where you can find rice shops, teahouses, taverns, pharmacies, and all sorts of other shops along the way.
Upon arriving at the shop, Meng Zhao discovered that the backyard was closely connected to the shop, and the space was very spacious. She roughly estimated that the area of the backyard and the shop was much larger than her shop on Tongfu Street.
Moreover, the original layout of the shop was relatively reasonable, so after she moved in, she could open for business without major changes, which solved her problem of being short on time.
However satisfied he was inside, he couldn't show it on his face, so he remained calm and carefully examined every corner of the shop for a long time. Little Zheng, who was standing next to him, couldn't hold back any longer and eagerly asked:
"Mr. Meng, what do you think of this shop? If you like it, I have some great news to tell you."
"What good news?"
Xiao Zheng said excitedly, "The owner of this shop is in a hurry to raise money and has said that he will only sell and not rent it. Now, you can buy this shop directly for only three hundred and fifty taels!"
Hearing the price, Meng Zhao was genuinely surprised, "Three hundred and fifty taels?"
She had considered buying the shop, because if she rented it, what if the landlord got greedy and took it back to run it herself once her business became successful? Wouldn't all her previous efforts, hard work, and energy have been wasted?
The asking price from Tongfu Street was 300 taels, which meant she could buy the shop by paying five years' rent upfront. The price was quite reasonable, but she simply didn't have that much money and had to give up.
But this shop is much bigger than the one on Tongfu Street, and the location is better. It only costs 350 taels of silver, and Meng Zhao couldn't help but be tempted.
Xiao Zheng, seemingly seeing through Meng Zhao's thoughts, continued, "Yes, if it were a normal, legitimate transaction, this shop would easily fetch five hundred taels, but now it only costs three hundred and fifty taels."
"Your shop on Tongfu Street is doing so well. Once this shop opens, it will be a money-making machine. I think you can earn back the money you spent on the shop in less than a year."
"I saw that Mr. Meng was very decisive during the last transaction, so I came to tell you as soon as possible. As long as the word about this shop is spread, there will be no problem selling it. This is a rare opportunity, Mr. Meng."
Xiao Zheng's words quickly fueled Meng Zhao's desire to buy the shop, but as someone who had been through the ups and downs of the business world, after a moment of excitement, reason gradually prevailed, allowing her to calm down.
Such a large sum of money cannot be decided impulsively; she needs to investigate further.
"I need to go back and discuss this matter."
With such a large sum of money, Xiao Zheng didn't expect Meng Zhao to make a decision on the spot. He simply added, "Then Boss Meng, you'd better make a decision quickly. Opportunities don't wait for anyone; once you miss them, they're gone."
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