This trip back cost Xichun several dozen taels of silver. Now she needs to hurry up and make money, otherwise she won't have enough silver to stock up on goods next time.
Zhou Xiaoxue had been making Professor Xichun's chili oil, and the courtyard was filled with the aroma of chili peppers.
"Now we need to sell all the chilies as soon as possible to earn some money. Qiangzi, you two should set up a stall tomorrow, in the spot we picked out before." Looking at the chili oil and chopped chilies in the yard, Xichun felt that the conditions for opening a stall had been met, so he asked the two of them to try it out tomorrow.
Many people have already tried Xichun's hot pot and cold pot skewers. The secret to making the cold pot skewers delicious is naturally the chili oil. So when people heard that their chili oil was sold separately, they came to try it.
Xi Chun also sold it at the original stall, which also attracted customers to that area. People who tried the chili oil thought it tasted really good, so more people started buying it.
"I found that when I take your chili oil home, even someone like me who can't cook noodles, just adding a spoonful makes the food taste delicious. From now on, whenever I go out on business, I just need to bring the chili oil with me, and it will make my rice taste even better."
"Hehe, as long as everyone likes it, that's great. Our chili oil is excellent value for money. Those who need it can go directly to Chen's Chili Oil stall on the other side. If you need a large quantity, you can also pre-order."
“Miss Chen, I’ll order twenty jars first. My relatives in the prefectural city also enjoy spring, so I’ll send some to them to try.”
"Okay, if you need it, just go and place your order. We will deliver on time."
In just one month, the chili oil and chopped chili peppers have become bestsellers in the city. Many people have tried to make the same taste based on the chili oil, but something is always missing.
"This month we spent twenty-three taels of silver on chili peppers, and made a profit of fifty-seven taels and six hundred and thirty-two cash from selling them. After deducting other costs, we made a total profit of fifteen taels and two hundred and eighty-nine cash." Xi Chun called Qiangzi and Zhou Xiaoxue over and explained the accounts to them.
"That's great! I was thinking about making money, but I didn't expect to make this much." Qiangzi was very excited. He had worked in the restaurant for a long time, but the restaurant's accounts could not be disclosed to them. He had started as an apprentice, learning from the other waiters, and his monthly wages were not even as high as Taozi's.
It was only after he became more familiar with the job that his earnings gradually increased, eventually reaching 300 coins per month. Even so, he was already very happy. However, seeing himself earn more than 10 taels of silver was still a huge shock.
"As long as you work hard, you can earn even more money in the future. But I want to emphasize one point: even if you make money, we must ensure the quality. This is a business that can be passed down for generations. We can't let it collapse after just a few months. Even if we recruit more people in the future, we must stay true to our original intentions."
“Xichun is right, we will definitely do as he says, work hard in the future, ensure quality, and sell the chili oil.” Zhou Xiaoxue quickly expressed her loyalty as well.
"Alright, now it's time to split the money. This is your wages, Brother Qiangzi. You've worked the hardest this month, so I'm giving you 500 coins. And this is your sister-in-law's, 450 coins. It includes the money you earned from working overtime. Keep up the good work, and I'm planning to give you a commission based on the quantity you sell. The more you sell, the more you earn."
Xi Chun gave the money to the two men, which they deserved after working so hard for so long. Moreover, the two men were the veterans here, so naturally, she couldn't let them down.
"This is really for me, so much silver, Xichun, did you make a mistake?" Zhou Xiaoxue asked incredulously, looking at the several strings of coins in front of her. She had never received so much silver in her life.
"Yes, I used to work in a restaurant, which was even more tiring, but I only earned a little over three hundred coins. This much? Is there a mistake in the calculation?" Although Qiangzi wasn't as surprised as his wife, he was still a little worried when he saw so much money.
"Don't worry, this will only be less, not more. Considering your hard work, it's well deserved. The more you buy in the future, the more you'll earn," Xi Chun said after explaining the wage distribution method to the two of them.
"We'll definitely work hard from now on, Xichun, don't worry," the two said excitedly, holding the rather heavy copper coins.
Since the yard also needed to hold vegetables and other items for hot pot, and would be even more crowded with the addition of chili peppers, Xichun thought that she should continue to look for a yard nearby specifically for making chili oil, and also give Qiangzi and his wife a separate room. Otherwise, it wouldn't be good for the young couple to start living separately after arriving here, as Aunt Zhang was still looking forward to having a grandson.
Several months passed in the blink of an eye. Xichun rented a new courtyard, and Qiangzi and Zhou Xiaoxue moved in. They could keep an eye on things while also working in the courtyard. The two houses were next to each other, so they could look after each other.
Pick the fruit on the mountain as soon as it turns red, and now that it's autumn, the fruit is plentiful. There are even more jars in Xichun's courtyard. In order to preserve them, she has asked people to dig many cellars specifically for storage, just waiting for winter so that they can shine brightly.
That day, Xichun was coming from the chili pepper stall when Aunt Zhang and the others quickly pulled her over.
“Xichun, have you heard? Chen Lizhong was swindled out of all his wealth. Old Master Chen and Madam Du followed him all the way, crying and saying that Chen Lizhong had gambled away all the money in their house.”
"He was scammed? How was he scammed?" Xi Chun hadn't seen the scene they described, but imagining it, she couldn't help but ask.
"Who knows? They went to the government office. I asked Taozi to inquire, but they haven't come back yet. The Chen family used to be so proud, but now they've collapsed all of a sudden. A few days ago, when Du Shi saw me, she looked down on me. Now, the way they look is so pathetic, it's unbearable to look at." Aunt He sighed.
"That's right. If it weren't for Madam Du following behind, I wouldn't have been able to tell that the person with clothes that weren't even a single piece of good cloth and hair that looked like a bird's nest was actually Chen Lizhong. Tsk tsk tsk, I don't know how he was deceived, but he looks really miserable."
"I heard that her husband, Chen Xique, works as an embroiderer in the county magistrate's mansion. Who knows, she might rise up again someday. People like that can cause trouble and still live a good life."
"That's true. That family is really troublesome. If the couple could control their son, they wouldn't be in this situation now. I wonder what happened. Why hasn't Taozi come back yet?"
"Mom, I found out! Sister Xichun, you're here too!" Taozi ran back breathlessly and greeted Xichun again.
"So, what did Chen Lizhong do? How did he get scammed?" Aunt Zhang and the others couldn't wait to find out.
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