Even knowing that Chunfenglou was a large and powerful family, Meng Zhao was still shocked by the quantity on the contract. To place an order for 2,000 catties of a material that he didn't even fully understand, showed how great Chunfenglou's demand was.
It was precisely because of this excessive number that she hesitated.
One pound of starch requires five pounds of potatoes to produce, which means she needs to purchase at least 10,000 pounds of raw materials every month.
Nowadays, every household has grain stored up, but most of them only have about 100 jin (50 kg). There are about 100 households in Shenjia Village, and just one month's worth of orders can empty all of Shenjia Village's stockpiles.
If she accepts this order, she will inevitably need to make a lot of external purchases. It's fine for nearby villages, as manpower can handle it, but once the potatoes in the surrounding areas are purchased, it will increase the transportation costs to more distant places.
Moreover, large-scale purchases may drive up potato prices. Her original starch selling price already had a relatively low profit margin, and once various costs increase, she will inevitably be unable to make ends meet.
Putting everything else aside, the penalty for breach of contract in this agreement alone would be enough to send her back to abject poverty.
“Young Master Xiao, you probably know my situation. This amount is too much.”
"Miss Meng, you should also understand my difficulties. Chunfenglou has hundreds of branches in the Central Plains, and two thousand catties is not much."
Although it's true that you shouldn't take on a job you're not qualified for, she couldn't ignore the solid money right there. Meng Zhao continued reading the contract in her hand, and when she saw the last clause, she laughed.
"Young Master Xiao, you are also a businessman. May I ask how long it will take for other restaurants to follow suit and sell the new dishes at Chunfeng Restaurant?"
Xiao Youzhi pondered for a moment, "If things go quickly, similar ones will appear within three days; if things go slowly, it will take no more than a month."
"Aren't you making it difficult for me by asking me to guarantee that no similar products will appear on the market within six months?"
"Boss Meng should know the allure of this unique product. If it were available everywhere, how could its value be realized?"
The production of starch is not difficult, but once it is used on a large scale, it will inevitably attract attention. Anyone who is interested can easily discover the methods by studying it carefully.
To keep it a secret, both parties need to cooperate. First, no one should know that the starch was bought from her. Second, she should be discreet when making the purchase to avoid people guessing that the raw material is potatoes.
However, this cannot be hidden for long. My stall is small and doesn't attract much attention, but if Chunfenglou comes up with something new, it will inevitably attract the attention of my competitors. After a thorough investigation, it won't be difficult for them to find my stall.
"I can only guarantee that within three months, I will not supply goods to any place other than my stall and Chunfenglou. I cannot guarantee anything else."
Things that cannot be guaranteed should never be written in the contract. Who knows if someone in some unknown place will have also figured out how to make starch in a few days? In that case, even if she didn't leak the recipe, she would still have to pay the penalty for breach of contract.
"Young Lady Meng, this puts me in a very difficult position."
"Don't worry, Young Master Xiao, no one will turn away business. Like you, I don't want the formula to be leaked, and I will do my best to keep it confidential."
Xiao Youzhi swirled his teacup, going over the matter in his mind. They hadn't fully mastered the use of starch yet, and it would probably take more than a month before they could develop a new menu.
The Central Plains region is vast, and Chunfenglou is widely distributed. It would take two or three months to add new dishes to each branch. As long as both sides are well prepared and keep it confidential, a few months of exclusivity should be guaranteed.
He then made a decision: "If that's the case, the monthly delivery volume for the first three months will be increased by 1,000 jin."
Good heavens, she was already covered in sore throats from 2,000 jin (1,000 kg) of food. Now, adding another 1,000 jin (500 kg) would be the death of her. But she really didn't want to give up this hard-won order.
Meng Zhao folded the form and stuffed it into his pocket. "I need to go back and discuss this matter. I'll give you an answer in a couple of days."
Xiao Youzhi stood up to see the guest off, saying, "Alright, then I'll await good news."
By the end of August, the work in the fields was almost finished. Without the help of advanced farming tools, the farmers worked very hard, especially during the harvest season, when it was a race against time.
Now that the previous season's grain has been harvested and the next season's seedlings have been planted, farmers finally have a moment to catch their breath.
When Meng Zhao returned from the county, he went directly to the village head's house. Because he was a junior and rarely visited, he brought a bag of snacks from the county.
Li Yumei, who was sewing shoe soles in the yard, saw Meng Zhao coming and hurriedly went to greet him.
"Qing'an's wife, did you just come back from the county? How come you have time to come over now?"
Meng Zhao handed over the snacks in her hand, "Yes, sister-in-law, I just came back from the county. I have something I want to discuss with the village head. Is the old man home?"
"Oh, you've come all this way, what did you bring?"
Li Yumei refused to accept it. The package looked like it had been bought from a pastry shop in town, and it must have cost at least twenty or thirty coins. Even her family usually only bought some for the children to try during festivals like the New Year.
Meng Zhao smiled and handed the things to her, "I've been busy these days and haven't had time to visit the old man. I finally managed to come all this way, so I brought some snacks for the children on the way. Please accept them, sister-in-law."
These words made Li Yumei even happier. Although her father was the village head, he had never taken advantage of the village. Even when people came to ask for favors, they rarely brought anything, let alone such expensive snacks.
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