Shen Zhangyu quickly cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Young Master Jiang, please don't be in a hurry."
Xiao Youran didn't move, but tugged at her brother's sleeve, telling him to sit down again.
She asked in a childish voice, "Brother Shen Zhangyu, do you know what a partnership is?"
Judging from his appearance, Shen Zhangyu is only a little over ten years old, and judging from the setup of that small wonton stall, he must be from a poor family.
People in ancient times were risk-averse and had no idea about partnering with others in business, let alone asking a stranger to partner with them. Where did this guy get his confidence?
Shen Zhangyu smiled bitterly, “To be honest, young master and young lady, my father was the manager of the Xiankelai Restaurant in the capital when he was alive. He passed away three months ago. Our second uncle took over the restaurant, and my elder brother, sister-in-law, and I were kicked out of the house by him. We were forced to set up this wonton stall to make a living. I have loved cooking since I was a child. I learned a lot of skills from my father at the Xiankelai Restaurant, so when my sister-in-law came back a few days ago and told me how to make pan-fried buns, I immediately understood. Originally, we just wanted to make a living with this stall, but with a few casual tips from you, young lady, our business has multiplied several times. If we can get your financial support, young master and young lady, and with your intelligence and resourcefulness, I am confident that we can create another Xiankelai Restaurant.”
Jiang Youchen looked her up and down, clearly disbelieving. "Since you're so confident, why don't you become a chef in another restaurant? Wouldn't that be much easier?"
There is no need to bear the risk of business failure.
Shen Zhangyu looked bitter. “I originally wanted to work as a head chef at another restaurant, but my elder brother advised me that many of the dishes at Xiankelai Restaurant are signature dishes created by Father. If you make them, not only will you reveal Father’s skills to other restaurants, but you may also attract the revenge of my second uncle. Although my second uncle is ruthless, we don’t want more outsiders to know about Father’s hard work. We should first establish ourselves.”
Xiao Youran asked in a clear, crisp voice, "Brother Shen Zhangyu, do you know how much silver is needed to open a restaurant?"
Shen Zhangyu's eyes darkened, and he nodded. "A small eatery, about three zhang in length and width, would cost at least a hundred taels of silver from renting to furnishing and opening."
As for my father's Xiankelai Restaurant, it took four owners a total of nearly three thousand taels of silver to set it up five or six years ago.
Of course, he couldn't possibly aim for such a large scale right from the start. So he submitted a budget for a small shop.
Xiao Youran did some mental calculations. Three zhang is about 9 to 10 meters, so a shop with a length and width of three zhang would have an area of about 100 square meters.
She turned to her brother and asked, "How much money do we have?"
Jiang Youchen was shocked. Was his sister really going to throw money away after just a few words?
But thinking about it, it makes sense; she used to be the type to throw money at people all the time...
Last time, I don't know which cousin upset my younger sister, so she just ripped off her jadeite skirt, worth several hundred taels of silver, and threw it at her... and then... it shattered to pieces...
Just think how my sister made the wontons taste so much better with just a few words, and those delicious pan-fried buns... Hmm... Maybe it's not such a bad idea to throw money at this wonton stall...
Perhaps more importantly, what's wrong with him also wanting to eat those fried dough sticks that his sister mentioned?
Shen Zhangyu was very uneasy. "Young Master Jiang, we are definitely not liars. I have seen the contracts that Daddy and the restaurant owners signed, and I know how those contracts are written. We can sign a contract too."
Clearly, he had already inquired when he arrived. Only the Jiang family, consisting of a mother and her two children, were staying at the inn. Madam Jiang was seriously ill and bedridden, and Miss Jiang was only four years old. The one who could make the decisions must be this young master Jiang.
Although this young master of the Jiang family is only a seven-year-old boy, the government has no rule that only contracts signed by adults are valid.
Moreover, he had an extremely strong premonition that this four-year-old Miss Jiang must be their benefactor.
Jiang Youchen was clearly very skeptical, "You actually know how to write a contract?"
Shen Zhangyu nodded vigorously, “When Father was alive, my brother and I both started learning to read at the age of three. Last year, I was the one who copied the contract that Father signed with the employer.”
If it weren't for the rule in the Great Zhou Dynasty that merchants could not take the imperial examinations for three generations, my father would have loved to let them study all the way to the Imperial Academy to take the imperial examinations.
Xiao Youran suddenly giggled, "Brother, it's just a few hundred taels of silver, just give it to him!"
She felt that with that little accounting notebook, what kind of swindler would dare to cheat her?
If such a swindler really existed, she would make sure he was kept in suspense and questioned his very existence!
I'm that confident, a thousand-year-old ghost!
And she knew that in two or three years, they would own the largest restaurant in Kyoto. Losing money? Absolutely not!
Jiang Youchen felt that this was the first time his younger sister had spent money on something important. Should he give her face, or give her face, or give her face?
Seeing that her brother hadn't reacted for a while, Xiao Youran unconsciously reached for a hairpin in her hair.
She felt that the round, smooth, golden pearl on her hairpin should still be worth some money.
Upon seeing his sister's actions, Jiang Youchen immediately trembled and quickly stopped her with his hand. Then, he put his other hand into his sleeve and took out two silver notes.
Just kidding. To ensure safety, he specially replaced his mother's and sister's jewelry with these flashy but impractical items that looked worthless, so as not to attract thieves.
If this cheap pearl is given away, and then the owner goes to the pawnshop to inquire about its value, what will become of his reputation as the young master of the Jiang family and the grandson of the Su family?
Xiao Youran smiled. This older brother seemed indifferent to her, but he actually gave her a lot of face.
Jiang Youchen took out the silver notes and prepared to draw one of them.
To everyone's surprise, Xiao Youran snatched them all away, saying, "Give them all to him!"
Jiang Youchen's lips twitched: ...
This is a banknote, not silver... It wouldn't even make a sound if you threw it into the water...
Xiao Youran patted her brother's arm, "Don't worry, he'll earn back this money sooner or later!"
Shen Zhangyu didn't hear her inexplicably confident words because he was already stunned by the stack of silver notes in front of him.
His fingertips trembled as he counted... Twenty bills equals two thousand taels?!
Oh my god!
What kind of wealthy brother and sister are they?
Although he wasn't very knowledgeable about clothes and jewelry, he was mentally prepared that the brother and sister were from a wealthy family.
But how could he have imagined that this unassuming seven-year-old boy could casually pull out two thousand taels of silver notes from his sleeve?
And he gave his eyes to this stranger he was meeting for the first time today without even blinking?
And the only guarantee he could offer was... those few empty words he just uttered, enough to sign a contract?
What kind of wealthy family raised this child?
Is this how money is thrown around?
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