After seeing Ji San off, Cheng Yue, seeing that no one else was coming, went with Chen An, Chen Tong, and Chen Ning to count the number of gift boxes that had been ordered.
"Mrs. Chen alone has thirty boxes of each item, and then there are Mr. Zhai, Mr. Jin, Mrs. Qi... so many!"
As Chen Tong and Chen Ning calculated, they sighed in amazement, secretly alarmed.
Yesterday they were worried that business would be bad, but today they have received so many reservations that they can't even count them all.
Cheng Yue kept track of the numbers and said softly, "This isn't all yet. There will definitely be more zongzi and braised food gift boxes tomorrow. Let's be careful and make sure we check the names and addresses so we don't make any mistakes."
The servants had just returned not long ago, and she might not receive a reply until tomorrow, but she was confident that she could still secure quite a few more.
After all, the county magistrate has already placed the order, which is a bellwether for the county; it would be strange if they didn't follow suit.
After the braised food sold out, the family finally figured it out. Cheng Yue then took out her notebook and reported to everyone:
"So far, we've received the most pastry gift boxes, a total of 360 boxes; 76 braised food gift boxes; and 60 zongzi gift boxes, which were ordered by Mrs. Chen."
A gift box of pastries contains 16 pieces and costs 300 coins; a box of braised food contains 2 catties and costs 100 coins including the gift box; a box of zongzi contains 9 pieces and costs 150 coins.
If we only count those that have already been reserved, that's 124 taels and 6 mace!
Cheng Yue cheered inwardly, "Holidays are great! I can make a lot of money during holidays!"
No wonder some shopping platforms are always having Singles' Day or Double Twelve sales, or offering all sorts of subsidies and such.
Besides these, there are all sorts of Valentine's Days, Father's Day, Mother's Day, basically creating holidays even if there aren't any. Isn't this just a way of emptying their pockets?
This trick works! She needs to learn it too. How else can she make money during the holidays?
Fortunately, she wasn't targeting ordinary people; she was targeting capitalists!
As Cheng Yue was pondering this, Chen Tong also finished calculating with a pen and exclaimed in surprise, covering her mouth, "A total of 496 boxes, totaling 124.6 taels! My God! That's terrifying!"
This girl is the most clever and the fastest at calculating. Cheng Yue couldn't understand why she was so bad at doing delicate work.
However, there's no connection between them, it's just a pity, they would be so suitable to be trained in business.
Chen Tong noticed that his mother was looking at him strangely, and his heart pounded. "Mom, I... I miscalculated?"
Cheng Yue smiled and said, "That's right, absolutely right."
What a pity! With such a brilliant mind, she couldn't follow in her footsteps; she had to be interested in kung fu...
Chen Tong asked worriedly, "Mother, with so much stuff, will we be able to finish it all?"
She has a lot of money, but there's a lot to do. If business is bad, she'll worry; if business is too good, she'll worry about her mother and sister being overburdened. She can't really help much anyway...
There's no reason to let money slip through your fingers once it's in your hands. Cheng Yue said, "We still have half a month, we'll definitely finish. Leave the braised dishes to your older brother and the others."
I'll come over for the first couple of days when the shop opens, and then Xiao Ning and I will stay home and focus on making pastries and zongzi. The rest of the time, you and your dad can come and keep an eye on things."
After Cheng Yue finished speaking, she assigned tasks to everyone. With so many things to do, the pastry shop couldn't possibly keep an eye on things every day, so it had to be left to Chen An and his daughter Chen Tong.
Chen An is steady and reliable, while Chen Tong is quick-witted. They should be able to manage the business in a few days. If they could succeed with the braised food shop, their pastry shop will be just as successful.
Chen Tong was initially a little frustrated because she couldn't help, but Cheng Yue's words immediately cheered her up. "Mom, I'm sure I can do it!"
As long as it makes her mother less tired, she's willing to do anything, even things she herself doesn't want to do.
Chen An smiled and said, "I'll do whatever A-Yue says."
Phew, finally I can help!
After a moment's thought, Chen An said again, "We need to order the gift boxes in advance; the ones we ordered a few days ago were too few."
Who would have thought that so many gift boxes could be pre-ordered? They only ordered two hundred, and they were still short.
Although there are still two weeks left, it's still reassuring to prepare beforehand and to be on the safe side.
Cheng Yue nodded, "Okay, but the exact number probably won't be available until tomorrow. Why don't we go tomorrow? It won't make a difference if we go another half day."
Running around to the left and right is too much trouble, and she can't even guess the exact number. Once the servants reply tomorrow, adding a few dozen more gift boxes will definitely be enough.
Although there are indeed quite a few, it's not necessary to have them done at just one carpentry shop. We can just find a few more and we'll definitely be able to finish them.
At this point, Chen An's desire to form a carpentry team grew even stronger. How much money could he save if he made all these gift boxes himself?
But this can't be rushed. Compared to being a carpenter, the shop's business is definitely more important.
However, that didn't stop him from inquiring beforehand. With that in mind, Chen An cautiously asked:
"Ah Yue, when I get home today, can I ask about taking on apprentices first? Just asking first won't delay anything."
Chen Ansheng was tall and strong, but he had a delicate face, especially his big, round, dark eyes, which made him look pure and innocent when he looked at her.
Ugh, that word doesn't fit the description of a grown man at all...
However, she naturally had to support such a thrifty and ambitious idea.
Cheng Yue looked away, coughed lightly, and said, "Okay, you can inquire first and see if there are any suitable candidates."
"After the Dragon Boat Festival, you can get back to your work. The pastry shop definitely needs a young assistant."
If Chen An were to take up carpentry work, he definitely wouldn't come to the shop anymore. It's definitely not appropriate for Chen Tong, a girl, to stay here, and she doesn't really like it either.
She and Chen Ning make pastries, and most of the time they stay at home, since the backyard of the shop is too small to make pastries.
They come every day, but they can't stay at the shop all day, so we definitely need to hire people.
It's easy to find a young helper; we can eat and live here, and there's a bedroom left in the backyard.
Chen An thought for a moment and said, "Then it might be difficult to find someone in the village who can read and write and do arithmetic this time. Why don't we ask your parents-in-law?"
Besides Cheng's father and his family, there are also Cheng Yue's uncles from Dalinggou. They are all good people and can lend a hand.
Cheng Yue had also thought of that, but, "My uncles are all hunters, and my cousins and nephews are all illiterate, so it might be a bit difficult..."
"That's true..."
Cheng Yue smiled and said, "I know you mean well. If this can't be done, we can find them something else to do. As for the shop, we can hire someone to be a shop assistant."
She didn't have the mindset that hiring people was bad; when in Rome, do as the Romans do! Besides, she wouldn't hit or scold anyone; she treated them like employees, wasn't that great?
"Mother, do you want to buy someone?"
Chen Tong stared wide-eyed, unable to believe it.
They had only ever heard of children being sold to other families as servants in the village, but they never imagined that their own family could buy someone to serve as a servant.
It seems their family is really different from before!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com