After collecting everyone's personal information, Meng Zhao began to plan. She chose Qing Shi County as her base, not because of its geographical location or natural conditions, but simply because she happened to be transported there. If she were to choose another place to settle down, the location would be crucial.
Quyang County is located in a bustling area, close to the capital, and has convenient transportation, making it a good choice. With a preliminary plan in mind, she decided to start with a braised pork shop, since it was the area she was most familiar with.
When she was preparing to expand her business, she struggled for a long time between the franchise model and the direct operation model. In the end, she chose the franchise model because of the cost.
She currently has two directly operated stores: the Xishui Street store managed by Aunt Feng'e, and the Tongfu Street store, which was originally managed by Madam Gu but was later jointly managed by Aunts Suyun and Shuhua. The accounts of the stores are all sent to her, and she is the direct store owner.
As for the others, whether it's the Hongnong County store owned by her former second aunt Zhao San Niang, or the stores opened in other counties by Manager Zhou, Chef Zhou, and Manager Qin, they are all just franchise stores. She doesn't manage the accounts; after collecting the franchise fees, she only supplies goods and supervises the stores.
Currently, most of the franchise stores of Lu Zhu Pu Zi are located in Pingyang County and one or two surrounding counties, because it is difficult to manage places that are too far away.
Meng Zhao drew a rough regional map on paper and decided to adopt an operation model of one directly operated store managing multiple franchise stores. He would treat Quyang as a base camp similar to Qingshi County, open demonstration outlets, and set up a workshop for making spice packets. Then, he would recruit franchisees from surrounding counties and prefectures for supply and supervision.
Now that a decision has been made, it should be implemented as soon as possible. Meng Zhao handed the bets in the box to Yin Chun.
"Yin Chun, take these bets to the capital and exchange them for cash. I heard from Jing Lan that there is a Wantong Escort Agency here with a very good reputation. Take the silver and hire two escorts to protect you on your way there."
Yin Chun took the box, looking somewhat puzzled. "Shopkeeper, are you so sure that Shen Erlang will pass the imperial examination with top honors? To be frank, if you don't bet right, then this bodyguard will have been hired for nothing."
Of all the scholars in the world, many fail to pass the imperial examinations even into their forties or fifties, let alone achieve the top rank in the provincial examinations—only one in three years does! Shen Erlang is not even seventeen yet; to pass the imperial examinations is already a rare feat, let alone become the top scholar in the provincial examinations.
Meng Zhao smiled and said, "Give it a try. I still believe in him. Besides, even if you don't pass the exam, the bodyguard isn't hired for nothing. I'm not comfortable letting you go to such a far place alone."
Seeing Meng Zhao's concern for him, Yin Chun felt a surge of warmth in his heart and nodded with a smile, "Don't worry, manager, I will definitely handle things well." After saying that, he turned and went to the escort agency.
After Yin Chun left, Meng Zhao didn't stay idle either. She and Wei Jinglan, a local, started choosing a shop.
Finally, I found two shops in a relatively bustling area and close to residential areas. Both shops had a front storefront and a back courtyard. The two shops were about an hour's walk apart, which would prevent the two shops from having overlapping customer groups.
The shops are about the same size as those on Xishui Street. Meng Zhao plans to assign six workers to each shop, and she also tries to take into account the personal preferences of the employees when selecting them.
Although she felt that everyone should do what they want regardless of what others think, some people are introverted, don't like to show their faces, and don't like being watched by others. She didn't need to change this habit, and letting them stay in the braising workshop was a good choice.
Wei Jinglan had already heard about Meng Zhao's betting and was very shocked. She teased, "Zhao Zhao, I thought you were always careful and cautious. I didn't expect you to do something so dangerous. That's four hundred taels of silver! If you really lose, you'll probably cry."
Meng Zhao smiled awkwardly. It would be a lie to say she wasn't worried. Ever since Yin Chun left, she would always think about this before going to bed at night. If she really lost, she would probably cry for several days.
Just then, Huang Cui excitedly knocked on the door: "Manager! Manager! Yin Chun is back!"
Meng Zhao rushed downstairs and saw Yin Chun standing by the carriage. Ignoring everything else, she hurriedly asked, "How did it go? Did you pass?"
Yin Chun took a deep breath, his eyes full of admiration: "He passed! Shen Erlang passed the imperial examination with top honors! The news has spread throughout the capital."
The people in front of the inn cheered, not only because they could win money, but also because they were genuinely happy for Shen Qing.
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