Busy days always pass quickly. Another half month has passed, and Li Xiangping and his team have already received five thousand orders, with the number still increasing daily.
Yan Qingqing looked at these orders with mixed feelings. She was happy that business was good and she could make a lot of money, but she was worried that if business was too good and there were too many orders, she might not be able to fulfill them all.
Finally, Yan Qingqing hardened her heart and said to Li Xiangping, "Integrity is the foundation of business. Rather than accepting an order and losing our integrity by not being able to deliver, it's better not to accept it at all. You can accept the last day's orders, and we'll focus on making and delivering mooncakes."
Li Xiangping was aware of this situation. Although he also felt it was a pity, his mother was right; they couldn't afford to lose their reputation so early in their business.
But to everyone's surprise, on the last day, Li Xiangping and his team received a thousand orders.
Yan Qingqing frowned as she looked at the five hundred bills from Chengyang County Government on the ledger.
Li Xiangjian said with difficulty, "We were originally planning to close up shop, but an uncle rushed over and placed an order for 500 orders and paid a deposit."
After he gave us the delivery address, we realized something was wrong, but we didn't dare refuse.
Li Xiang'an chimed in, "Mother, will there be any problems with these 500 orders? Could it be that we've been targeted and someone is using the county magistrate to take revenge on us?"
Li Xiang'an probably associates with too many business people, so he tends to think the worst of anything that seems out of the ordinary.
Yan Qingqing shook her head and said, "It's not that bad. I heard the county magistrate is a good official. Besides, we can finish these 500 orders by working overtime."
"Tell your uncles to work harder and finish making these 500 orders of mooncakes today. Deliver them to the county government office first thing tomorrow morning. Also, make sure to deliver the mooncakes to the other families on time."
Li Xiangping and Li Xiangjian kept Yan Qingqing's words firmly in mind and expressed their determination to handle it well.
Early the next morning at the Chengyang County government office, Steward Ling greeted Magistrate Ling with a smile, saying, "Master, the mooncakes we ordered have arrived."
Magistrate Ling replied in surprise, "So fast? The order was placed yesterday and it's already delivered today?"
Steward Ling smiled and said, "You are the county magistrate, so naturally we will be treated with the utmost care. Who would dare to neglect you?"
Magistrate Ling stroked his beard and said, "I didn't expect to bully people like this. But it's all good. I was worried that even if the mooncakes were made, there wouldn't be enough time to send them to the capital. Now I have plenty of time."
"Have the post station send these mooncakes to the capital as quickly as possible. Once they arrive, it will let the old man know I'm thinking of him, and he'll be more likely to back us up if anything happens."
Butler Ling chuckled, "Is Your Excellency worried that the Emperor will be displeased if the legendary lucky star cannot be found?"
Magistrate Ling chuckled and said, "I've come to terms with it now. The lucky star of the Great Yan Dynasty might not even exist. Let's not waste our energy on it. It's more reliable to eat and drink well and do some practical things for the people."
Butler Ling agreed wholeheartedly and said, "Then I'll arrange for someone to send it to the capital right away."
After saying that, he prepared to leave Magistrate Ling's room, but Magistrate Ling quickly called out, "Don't send them all away, I still need to keep some for myself."
Butler Ling quickly agreed with a smile. The adults in their family didn't have any other hobbies; their only hobby was food.
Before she knew it, it was August 13th. Finally, all the orders were completed, and Yan Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief.
Next, it was time to calculate the start-up costs. In the past few days, a total of 6,500 orders of mooncakes were sold, including 3,500 high-end orders and 3,000 mid-range orders, for a total profit of 1,650 taels of silver.
After deducting material costs of 240 taels, packaging costs of 65 taels, and labor costs of 8 taels, Yan Qingqing made a net profit of 1,377 taels.
This is more than they've earned in the past four months.
Yan Qingqing felt a great sense of accomplishment; this was something she had earned little by little through her own hard work.
After Yan Qingqing finished calculating the accounts, she came out and saw that the people who had helped her family were still there and were even cleaning their yard. She was touched; these people were truly kind and honest.
Yan Qingqing looked at them and said, "Alright, everyone has worked hard these past few days. I'll have Dalang and the others clean the yard later."
Big Head's wife replied, "Auntie, it's alright. This courtyard is so grand that we don't even have a chance to clean it normally."
Besides, my aunt's family is usually very busy, and it's inconvenient for her to do housework while she's heavily pregnant.
Others chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, it's just something that happens easily."
Yan Qingqing didn't force them to work, but simply instructed Yuan Huiniang to bring over the prepared mooncakes and wages.
Yan Qingqing spoke again, "Since it's your kind gesture, I'll accept it without hesitation. I'll pay the wages first. We've all worked for twenty days, so each of us will receive 600 coins. The three of you who worked the night shift deserve an extra 5 coins per day, for a total of 700 coins."
They earned six or seven hundred coins in twenty days, and everyone's face was beaming with joy.
At this moment, Yuan Huiniang and Li Yueniang brought over a basket of copper coins, and everyone's eyes lit up when they saw the copper coins in the basket.
After distributing the copper coins, Yuan Huiniang said, "My mother said that everyone has worked hard during this time. When you leave, each of you should take a few mooncakes home for the children to try."
They knew how expensive Yan Qingqing's mooncakes were; even the county magistrate loved them and had reportedly placed an order for 500. Could they really afford to eat them? It suddenly felt like a dream.
After everyone realized what was happening, there was another string of thanks. Actually, it wasn't just them who had mooncakes; the person who made the headdress for Yan Qingqing's family also had some. Yan Qingqing thought of it as a Mid-Autumn Festival bonus.
There was no such thing as welfare in ancient times. Besides, Yan Qingqing's family business hadn't reached a significant scale yet, so she couldn't be too special and could only give out a few mooncakes as a token gesture.
After seeing off the helpers, the three Yan brothers were about to go home. Yan Qingqing did not try to stop them and gave each of them five taels of silver.
The three of them naturally refused. They were all workers for Yan Qingqing's family, but she only earned seven hundred coins while working the night shift. They were being offered fifteen taels of silver at once. Even if all three of them were sold, they might not be worth that much silver.
Yan Qingqing looked at her three brothers helplessly and said, "Please don't fire them anymore. I haven't been home for so many years and haven't been able to fulfill my filial duties to our parents."
Use this money to buy some holiday gifts for your family, and buy two new outfits for your parents and sisters-in-law.
I promised Mom I'd go back home when I had time, but things have been so busy at home. I'm due to give birth in a little over a month, so it's not convenient for me to travel back and forth. Please buy some things for Mom and Dad for me.
Yan Qingshi was about to refuse when Yan Qingqing angrily said, "If you don't accept it, I won't ask you for help with anything at home in the future. I'm going to do big business in the future. If you plan to follow me and have a way out, then accept it. If you think following me is unreliable, then just take the wages you deserve."
After spending more than twenty days together, the three Yan brothers naturally understood their sister's capabilities. Considering that their sister's family was not short of money, they no longer refused.
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