Chapter 19-019 Buying Tables and Chairs [First Update]
Every night was Wen's mother's time to do the accounting. She would use a calculator to add and subtract, and the final amount came to an astonishing two thousand.
Although this figure doesn't include rent, utilities, and other operating costs, it's still over two thousand...
Mother Wen muttered to herself, "No wonder people say that cold dishes and braised dishes are profitable."
I'd heard before that a small braised food stall in a certain market could earn enough in a year to buy a house, but it never really felt real. Now I see, this stuff is convenient to make and sells itself easily, making it even more profitable.
We use high-quality materials ourselves, and we can achieve a 40/60 split between cost and profit.
Some unscrupulous shops use frozen meat for their braised dishes, add braising paste and flavoring, and then add a couple of drops of flavor enhancer when the meat is done. It's unimaginable how much profit these shops can make.
Wen's mother sighed a few times, then confidently arranged to make more braised dishes the next day.
"The amount has been steadily increasing these past few days; let's see where it can be stabilized. As for cold dishes, let's add a little less."
Wen Fan once said that cold dishes are best sold within two hours of being mixed; although they can still be eaten after a while, the taste is not as good as when they are freshly mixed. For this reason, Wen's father worked in the kitchen, busy making claypot rice on one hand and mixing cold dishes on the other.
However, once the braised and cold dishes were served, Wen's father's claypot rice orders dwindled.
The store has a wider variety of new products, giving customers more choices. It's currently the hottest time of the year, so the temporary lull in popularity of claypot rice is to be expected. I imagine that when the autumn winds blow, people will return to the embrace of claypot rice.
Wen's mother closed the notebook: "I'll go buy some more stools tomorrow."
Wen Fan suddenly interjected, "Mom, I'll go with you tomorrow. I'll buy some reference books."
Wen's mother: "Okay, after we buy the reference books, let's go shopping and buy some clothes."
Wen Fan instinctively wanted to refuse. She really didn't care what she wore. The original owner had a lot of clothes, although most of them were short-sleeved shirts and long pants, but Wen Fan thought that was fine and convenient for movement.
Wen's mother looked at her daughter's short hair: "Your old clothes went well with your long hair, so buy some clothes that are suitable for short hair."
Wen Fan touched his hair and remained silent.
As Wen's mother hummed a song, she felt that life was full of hope.
...
The next morning, Wen's mother took Wen Fan to the secondhand market.
"You don't need to buy a brand new folding table."
The restaurant business has been tough these past two years; shops close down every month. As soon as a shop closes, it's taken over by secondhand dealers. Some shops are so rushed that they're sold their entire premises to secondhand dealers. You can buy tables, chairs, and benches here for very cheap prices.
Wen's mother asked two families and happened to run into the second family who had just acquired some second-hand decorations.
"This place used to run a snail rice noodle shop. Tsk tsk, it only lasted a little over a month before it went out of business. If you want it, six tables and chairs, take it for a thousand yuan."
Wen's mother was satisfied. Because the house had closed down quickly, everything was brand new. The table was large and the chairs had backs.
"Six hundred, I'll take it all if you're willing."
"Where can you find that price? The most you can get is a hundred."
"Then I'll take another look."
"...Eight hundred, eight hundred, this thing is really good, when people bought it, a table cost two hundred."
"Six hundred, if that's not acceptable, then forget it."
"Seven hundred! You can at least let me make a little profit."
"Six hundred and fifty."
"...Here you go!"
The secondhand dealer looked pained.
Wen's mother whispered to Wen Fan, "Even so, he's probably making at least half a profit."
Wen Fan nodded, showing great respect for his mother.
Ms. Wen meticulously inspected the tables, unfolding each one to see if it could be folded smoothly. Only after selecting the ones she was satisfied with did she schedule a delivery truck to be sent to the store through the delivery platform.
The secondhand dealer helped load the truck and said, "Want to look at anything else? We have a freshly acquired oven and rice cooker, as well as a saucepan and a brand new LPG pan, all in 90% new condition."
Wen Fan wasn't interested in anything else, but when the oven was mentioned, she perked up her ears.
Wen's mother took her daughter inside to see, and there was a shiny silver oven on the shelf, with the plastic film still on the control panel.
Have you used this before?
The secondhand dealer sighed, "What are we going to do with this? They said they were going to open a pizza shop, and the shop was all renovated, but I don't know what happened, the couple started arguing and quit. They haven't been open for a single day."
Perhaps having seen this many times before, the secondhand dealer quickly stopped marveling and instead focused on promoting how prestigious the brand of the oven was.
"The two young people bought all sorts of good stuff when they started working, all brand-name products, and there was even a coffee machine in the back."
I have no idea what it means to add a coffee machine to a pizzeria.
The oven wasn't the kind of large oven used in baking shops; it was just a simple medium-sized oven. When Wenmu opened the oven door, there were four shelves inside, one above the other.
"This is a combination oven and convection oven. Don't be fooled by its small appearance; it can easily bake four six-inch cake bases on one layer."
Wen Fan looked at the buttons up and down with curiosity. He thought back to when he was in the palace, he had specially opened three or four kilns to make dishes like roast duck and baked pancakes. How could a simple little box in modern times solve all of this?
"How much is this?" Wen's mother asked directly when she saw that Wen Fan wanted it.
The man's eyes darted to the side: "Two thousand."
Wen's mother playfully grabbed her daughter and tried to leave.
"Hey, hey, don't go!"
Wen's mother: "Give me a fair price. When you bought it, you must have bought the whole store's worth. Even after discounts, this thing is unlikely to be worth more than a thousand."
The secondhand dealer complained, "This thing sells for 2,800 yuan brand new on their online store!"
"You know it's brand new."
"Fifteen thousand, take it if you want."
...
After another round of bargaining, Wen's mother finally won the oven for 1,100 yuan.
The mother and daughter put the oven on the truck and then called Mr. Wen to pick it up.
Wen's mother, having shed her earlier haggling demeanor, hopped on her electric scooter and said, "Let's go buy clothes and books."
Wen Fan had already decided which books to buy online, so when he arrived at the store, he went straight to the textbook section.
Wen's mother was also afraid that her daughter would save her money: "Buy a few more books. It's summer vacation, don't just do exercises all the time."
"What novels and comics do other little girls read? Wen Fan used to love them too." Wen's mother pointed to a few books on the display shelf: "Take a look and see if there's anything you like?"
Having lived in the palace for so long, Wen Fan quickly regained her old sense of routine in this new environment. Recently, she has only been reading textbooks and study guides. She has the original owner's miscellaneous books in her mind, but she has never taken the time to read them.
Wen's mother didn't understand those things either, she just picked up a few comic books and stuffed them into Wen Fan's hands: "Let's settle this together."
The mother in the novel couldn't get over her inner turmoil. Her daughter was growing more and more outstanding. She used to be a bit shy, but this summer, perhaps she had come to terms with it, and she was now very outgoing, with no longer the reserved person she used to be. The mother occasionally paid extra attention to Yang Tao and Qu Xiaoyu, afraid that her precious daughter might be targeted by someone else right under her nose.
Romance novels?
NoNoNo.
The comics are alright.
Wen Fan obediently accepted the comic book and decided to reschedule his time tonight, reserving time for reading comics tomorrow.
...
Wen's father cleared away the tables and chairs in the shop and stared in disbelief at the oven. Fortunately, Qu Xiaoyu and Yang Tao came to freeload a meal in the morning, and the three of them managed to clear a space in the back kitchen to put the oven.
Yang Tao wiped his brow: "Why did Aunt Xia buy an oven? Are you planning to make roast duck?"
Ah, roast duck sounds pretty good too. Roast duck wrapped in pancakes, just thinking about it makes Yang Tao's mouth water.
Mr. Wen had no idea why he bought the oven, but since he had bought it, his daughter would definitely use it later.
"Who knows? Let's just leave it for now."
The morning was neither particularly busy nor particularly quiet. Yang Tao and Qu Xiaoyu helped pick and wash the vegetables, and it wasn't until around 11 a.m. that everything was ready.
At this moment, Wen's mother returned with her daughter.
Wen Fan tugged uncomfortably at her dress. Her mother had bought her three or four outfits today, and this black and white schoolgirl dress looked really awkward to her, but her mother's eyes lit up and she insisted on buying it.
"This outfit looks great on you, I'll buy it."
My daughter looked radiant in the dress. Her short hair already accentuated her long, slender neck, and the dress created a beautiful curve at her shoulders and neck, making her look even younger and more youthful.
"That's good. I was worried that you'd be in the kitchen all day, and that you'd be dressed so old-fashioned for such a young lady."
After paying the bill, Wen's mother said, "I'll wear this dress today."
Wen Fan said helplessly, "It'll get dirty again."
The kitchen is always full of oil and sauce; if you wear a new dress in there, it will be so dirty by the evening that it's unsightly.
Wen's mother: "We also have aprons. If it's inconvenient to change at the store, we can always change."
Wen Fan got off the electric scooter, leaving his father and the others dumbfounded.
Yang Tao's thick accent popped out again: "Oh my, is this some kind of fairy descended from heaven?"
Mother Wen laughed and said, "Don't stare at her, you'll make her feel embarrassed."
Mr. Wen nodded: "Good purchase. We'll buy more in a few days. Honey, why didn't you buy more?"
Isn't the point of making money to spend it? Father Wen is frugal with himself, but very generous with his wife and daughter.
Wen's mother: "I bought it, and I bought one for you too."
Now that the shop was making money, Wen's mother instinctively wanted to change her family's living conditions. Wen's father had been wearing the same white short-sleeved shirt for three years, with a small hole in the back, but he just couldn't bear to replace it.
Wen's mother also spent over a hundred yuan on a long dress today, feeling both heartache and a sense of satisfaction.
The tangible benefits of the recent good business are truly felt on my body.
"start!"
Another busy noon has begun.
*****
Yang Tao and Qu Xiaoyu went to deliver food, but the restaurant was so busy that there wasn't enough room to sit down.
However, Wen's mother's good mood didn't last long, as Yang Tao and Qu Xiaoyu both returned with somber faces.
"Aunt Xia, there's something I need to tell you."
Yang Tao huffed and puffed angrily, "I just went to deliver food and saw Sun Mengyun and Wu Daneng."
Wen's mother was still confused: "Where? The library?"
Qu Xiaoyu nodded, and the usually silent man was now speaking: "Sun Mengyun and Wu Daneng were handing out flyers at the door."
They handed him a flyer, which the two of them had secretly picked up from behind.
The flyer boldly proclaimed: "Summer lunch program, 10 yuan per serving, daily delivery, freshness guaranteed."
Below are pictures of various dishes.
[Freshly made to order, no pre-prepared food needed, visible health benefits. Join our group if interested.]
Yang Tao was furious: "This guy has no shame! He's on the same street, he doesn't even make his own rice noodles, but he insists on coming over to steal our business!"
Qu Xiaoyu silently handed Yang Tao a glass of water. On their way back, Yang Tao had been cursing her the whole way.
Wen's mother's mind seemed to explode.
It wasn't that I felt my business would be taken away, but I suddenly remembered how Sun Mengyun had come to the store the day before yesterday and asked around, which made me feel a little nauseous.
At that time, she only thought Sun Mengyun liked to take advantage of small things. Who would have thought that she was sitting in her own shop, thinking about how to steal business?
Wen's father's expression also turned sour.
Ten yuan a serving, this is clearly a price war.
Our daily orders are increasing, and we've already had over thirty meals at lunchtime. This sudden accident might reduce our lunch orders.
Sure enough, after noon, someone in the group said that they would not order food for tomorrow.
Although there were only two, the rest of them made sarcastic remarks.
Other vendors sell theirs for ten yuan, but you're selling it for fifteen. Even with delivery fees, it's not worth that much.
After Zhuangzhuang's maternal grandmother sent the above message, she finally felt a little better.
The grandson has set his sights on this family, and Zhuangzhuang's maternal grandmother doesn't dare to change them easily, but she still dares to say something sarcastic to her.
She pursed her lips, feeling that she was absolutely right. A set meal should only cost ten yuan, so why was theirs selling it for fifteen?
As for whether it tastes good, it's just that kids these days are spoiled. In the past, they could eat anything, from tree bark to grass roots.
Hmph, this time I'll make sure she cuts the price by a dollar or two!
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