Master Liu admired the woman before him. He was truly impressed. It was no surprise that the fine wine that day was related to Lady Hui. To be able to brew such good wine and hold it in one's hands was something that ordinary people could not easily do.
He said somewhat urgently, "Madam, would you be willing to sell this wine exclusively to me? I can lower the price of the sorghum even further."
Song Anxin knew that Master Liu had already shown her great sincerity. Although it was only 10%, brewing wine required a lot of grain, and over the years, it could save a lot of money. However, she did not plan to do so. She wanted to open up the national market in the future.
Before she could refuse, a voice rang out from outside the door:
"Sir, the things you asked me to fetch from the storeroom have been brought."
Their conversation was interrupted when Master Liu said to the outside, "Oh, so soon. Then bring it in."
He then turned to Song Anxin and said, "Madam Hui, we'll discuss this later. Now that you've brought this, please take a look at it first."
“We merchants along the way would deal with each other. One of the horse merchants exchanged several bags of things with foreigners, saying they were grain. But after those people cooked and ate some, they all vomited and had diarrhea. The horse merchant thought the stuff was poisonous and wanted to throw it away. I happened to see this and, remembering what you asked me to keep an eye out for, I asked them to give it to me.”
When Song Anxin saw the cloth bag being opened, revealing rows of small potatoes inside, her eyes immediately lit up. Ignoring the dirt still on them, she picked one up and carefully confirmed that these small potatoes were indeed potatoes.
"Master Liu, this is exactly what I've been looking for. Thank you so much!"
Seeing Song Anxin's excited expression, Master Liu looked somewhat puzzled and said:
"But the horse merchants said this stuff is poisonous. I wouldn't have brought it back if I hadn't been so desperate to find something else. Do you, madam, have some other clever uses for this poison?"
Song Anxin noticed that most of the potatoes in the bag were green and sprouting. "It's no wonder they're poisonous," she said.
"The foreigners didn't lie to them. This thing is indeed a grain called taro, also known as potato. They were poisoned because potatoes contain toxins after they sprout and cannot be eaten. But if they are good and haven't sprouted, they are a good grain."
After hearing this, Master Liu looked at her with an expression of understanding and said, "You are truly knowledgeable, Madam Hui, that you even know about things from foreign lands."
Song Anxin chuckled awkwardly, "I just happened to see it in a miscellaneous book." She pressed on, "I wonder how much the horse merchant received?"
Master Liu said, "It weighs about a hundred pounds. It was precisely because they knew it was poisonous that they thought it was too heavy to carry and wanted to throw it away. Fortunately, I didn't mind its weight and brought it back. And luckily, it's exactly what you wanted, Madam."
Song Anxin was extremely grateful to Master Liu. He had really done her a great favor. She couldn't let him sell Tianqing Wine alone, but she could do the other project.
She took the handkerchief from Granny Wei, wiped the dust from her hands, sat down, took a sip of tea—it was excellent tea—and, after thinking for a moment, spoke:
“Master Liu, let’s continue with what we were talking about earlier. I’ve not only given you this gift, but I’m afraid it’s not enough to sell it to you alone. How about this, I have a unique business opportunity that you can learn about.”
Although Master Liu felt a pang of heartache upon hearing this, he immediately perked up at the prospect of a unique business opportunity. Song Anxin then continued:
"This is also about wine. I know that you own quite a few taverns, Master Liu. I'm thinking we could open a new type of tavern together. The wine in this tavern will be different from that in ordinary taverns. It will be served in very beautiful vessels, and all the wines will be specially mixed. The interior decoration will also be different..."
Song Anxin explained to him in detail that it was actually modeled after modern bars, specifically quiet ones.
After listening, Master Liu was stunned for a long time. He recalled what Madam Hui had just said, and the more he thought about it, the more excited he became. His eyes instantly lit up with excitement as he said:
"Madam Hui is indeed clever and resourceful, able to devise such a method for running a tavern, but the method of mixing the wine..."
"I will teach you how to mix drinks, and I will also draw up the design plans for the tavern," Song Anxin said.
Master Liu was very pleased. Madam Hui's products were always unique in the market, and she had actually partnered with him on such a lucrative business. He said:
“Then I will split the accounts 50/50 with you, and the accounts will be sent to your residence regularly. You can also send someone to check the accounts at any time.”
Song Anxin hadn't even mentioned the profit split yet, but unexpectedly, this Master Liu brought it up himself and was quite generous, offering to split it 50/50 with her. She hadn't contributed a single penny to the tavern's materials and labor, and her accounts were always transparent; naturally, she wouldn't take advantage of him like that, so she said:
"Let's split it 20/80."
Master Liu quickly replied, "Very well, very well, it's probably my second wife."
The wine business is very profitable, and besides, this is the only business that Madam Hui gave him. Even if he gets 20%, he won't lose money, Master Liu thought to himself.
Song Anxin almost spat out her tea. This Master Liu was really too generous!
“Master Liu, what I’m saying is that you get 80% and I get 20%. I’m only responsible for handing these things over to you; I won’t concern myself with anything else.”
Master Liu said repeatedly, “This will not do. Without Madam Hui, we would not have this business. How can we let Madam Hui suffer such a loss? Madam Hui, rest assured, this matter is entirely entrusted to me.”
In the end, after the two declined, Song Anxin still took 40%. She thought that she couldn't just be a hands-off manager for the time being. She should personally oversee the beverage business in the early stages and pay more attention during the opening period. She couldn't let down Master Liu's generosity.
The two discussed the specifics of the tavern and signed the contract. Since Master Liu also wanted to place an order for "Tianqing Wine," they signed a pre-order agreement.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, a servant came to report that lunch was ready. Madam Su, Lin Taohua, and her elder brother and sister-in-law had already gone over, so the two of them, along with their entourage, moved to the dining hall.
Song Anxin and Master Liu quickly arrived at the dining hall. Lin Erxi, Feng Yao, Liu Mingzhu, and Mingyue, who had been playing in the courtyard earlier, also came over. As soon as Lin Mingyue and Mingzhu saw Song Anxin, they came over obediently and said:
"Hello, Second Aunt! The cupcakes you made are so delicious!"
"I'm glad you like it. Next time your second aunt makes some, I'll bring some back for you to eat." Song Anxin smiled and patted their heads.
"The food that Madam Hui makes never disappoints. No wonder Mingzhu, Mingyue, and Mingjie like it so much. I also tried the book cake. It's not too sweet or greasy, and the taste is truly excellent," said Master Liu from the side.
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