Chapter 63 062. Robbing someone is not a big deal
Mengluo's fleet is very large.
There are five to six hundred permanent employees on the ship alone, a small number of whom are service personnel such as chefs and servants, and most of them are guards, because there are also pirates on the river.
The red fire grass that Zhang Daqiang mentioned was clearly displayed on the boat. It was in its fruiting season. Among the green leaves were slender, bright red, pointed fruits.
It's chili pepper.
Zhou Yi observed it from a distance for a while and felt that it looked very much like the Erjingtiao from the Sichuan-Shu region.
Erjingtiao peppers have a strong aroma, spicy and sweet taste, and bright color. They can be used in cooking, making dried peppers, pickles, bean paste, chili powder, chili oil, etc. They are a very good condiment.
This means that Lei Li's plan can most likely be implemented, provided that the naive young master Meng Luo is persuaded.
Mengluo is a typical second-generation rich man who has no worries about food and drink. He has the help of the shopkeeper with a mustache in his business. He can't understand the account books very well. All he does all day is wander around and eat.
The food at Lei Ji Fast Food Restaurant was quite to Meng Luo's liking, so he came early the next day and was a little disappointed to find that he was not the first customer.
"Master Mengluo."
Lei Li greeted Meng Luo with a smile as if he had seen a walking treasury. "What would you like to eat? We have new dishes today: soy sauce chicken, vinegar carp, and baked spare ribs with sand ginger. They're all delicious."
"What kind of ginger is sand ginger?"
Meng Luo, a novice cook, only knows how to taste and knows nothing about the seasonings in the kitchen. "I have seen turmeric flowers, they grow in clusters, pink and very beautiful."
"Sand ginger is a seasoning with a very distinctive flavor, and wild sand ginger has a more pronounced and pungent taste."
Zhou Yi explained, "Its scientific name is Kaempferia galanga. It has white flowers with purple spots at the base of the lip. Besides being used as a seasoning, its rhizome also has the effects of dispelling cold, removing dampness, warming the spleen and stomach, and warding off bad air."
"The aromatic oil extracted from its rhizome, also known as sand ginger, can be used as a perfume raw material and has a strong fragrance-fixing power."
However, Zhou Yi always felt that people who liked the smell of spices like sand ginger were most likely foodies, because he himself liked the taste of sand ginger.
"Oh, it's Kaempferia galanga..."
Meng Luo looked as if he had suddenly realized something, then scratched his face sheepishly. "I don't think I've seen it before, but it sounds very useful. Then give me a serving of baked spare ribs with sand ginger and a serving of soy sauce chicken. I like soy sauce chicken, it's smooth and tender."
"Okay, Master Mengluo."
Lei Li agreed with a smile and said, "It's too crowded outside. Why don't we go inside? That's where my husband and I eat. It's quieter."
"Okay, okay, thank you for your help."
Meng Luo nodded repeatedly.
The scene yesterday where there were so many people that they almost squeezed him out was really a bit scary. Although he personally did not look down on the working people, the smell of sweat did... affect his mood for eating.
Moreover, the shopkeeper with a mustache said that there was a thief and his jade pendant was stolen at some point, which caused the shopkeeper with a mustache to mutter angrily for a long time.
Mengluo was almost covered in calluses from listening to him, so he gave him a piece of his own mutton-fat jade pendant. Only then did the shopkeeper with a mustache start talking about business with a smile on his face.
But then they said this year's rice wasn't as good as last year's, yet the price hadn't changed. Four cents a pound of rice was a real rip-off, when you could buy it in the countryside for three cents...
Seeing that the shopkeeper with a mustache was about to object to his going in again, Meng Luo sighed inwardly and said before him, "Shopkeeper Hu, go eat by yourself. You don't have to follow me..."
"How can that be possible?"
The shopkeeper with a mustache raised his beard and glared at Lei Li. "Who knows, these low-class people may let you in to take the opportunity to rob or extort you? It's happened before..."
"That's because other people are mean-spirited."
Lei Li looked at him with a forced smile, and said to him in a subtle way, "Our store is the cleanest. If you don't believe me, go ask around. Everyone knows that Lei Ji Fast Food Restaurant has good quality and low prices, and the two owners are kind-hearted."
"Except for those with dirty hearts and dirty mouths who maliciously slander us, Shopkeeper Hu is very discerning and shouldn't believe in rumors. Shouldn't he trust us?"
"I……"
The shopkeeper with a mustache choked for a moment, then pointed at Lei Li's nose and shouted at Meng Luo, "Young Master, look at how slick these low-class people are. If you go in there, you might get cheated and sell your money without even knowing it..."
Lei Li still glanced at Shopkeeper Hu with a smile on his face. He looked kind, but in his heart he was already planning to find an opportunity to break Shopkeeper Hu's fingers.
He hates it most when people point fingers at him and say dirty things about him. He thinks he deserves a beating.
"Alright, alright, Manager Hu, stop talking."
Meng Luo quickly intervened and gave the mustache-wearing shopkeeper ten taels of silver. "I believe the two shop owners are good people. Don't worry about me. Go and do your work."
"Well, alright then."
The shopkeeper with a mustache was very satisfied with the silver in his pocket, and he even snorted before leaving.
Lei Li still had a smile on his face, but his dark eyes narrowed slightly. He had killed people before, so robbing someone in a sack tonight was no big deal, right?
“……?”
Zhou Yi noticed something and looked at Lei Li suspiciously. Seeing that Lei Li looked at him with a half-smile and thoughtful expression, he shook his arm unconsciously.
I always feel like nothing good is happening.
—
Lei Li asked Zhang Daqiang to serve food and collect money temporarily on his behalf. He and Zhou Yi took the excuse of serving food to go into the inner room to talk to Meng Luo about the chili business.
"ah……"
Meng Luo was a little confused. "Are you saying that I can make a fortune just by taking out a few pots of flowers and opening a few restaurants?"
"Master Mengluo."
Lei Li didn't answer directly, but asked with a smile, "Have you tried our food? What do you think?"
Meng Luo nodded without hesitation, "It's delicious."
Lei Li smiled again and said, "My husband once said that to capture a person's heart is to capture his stomach."
Meng Luo was amused when he heard this. "I have an aunt who has great cooking skills. That's why she can stay in my father's backyard. Even my mother praises the noodles and sweet soup she makes..."
“Delicious food can make people happy and gain their love.”
Lei Li changed the subject, "But Master Mengluo, have you ever thought about this? Food is the most important thing for the people, and the price of food is the most important thing. Many people can't even afford such delicious food."
"this……"
Mengluo Pelican seemed to have received an enlightenment, but was also a little confused. "What does this have to do with the chili business you told me about?"
"The food sold in restaurants nowadays is too expensive, which makes many people stay away from it."
Lei Li said, "If the price of food were lowered, or if people could choose their own dishes and pay the right price, like in our fast food restaurants, wouldn't more people be able to eat better food?"
Zhou Yi listened to Lei Li's nonsense, wanting to say something but stopping himself. However, Lei Li pinched him secretly and he shut up.
Mengluo traveled to many places with the fleet and saw many poor people who were hungry and poorly clothed. He was soft-hearted but could not do much, so he asked people to give out porridge.
He also loved to treat his own workers to meals and generously fed them.
Whenever Mengluo hears their excitement and gratitude, he feels very happy and cheerful, even happier than if he had eaten delicious food or earned money.
But he never thought that the price of food could be lowered. If all the fast food restaurants were as good and cheap as Lei Ji, it seemed that many people would be able to afford it?
Not to mention eating it every day, but eating it a few times a month should be okay, right?
Meng Luo was lost in thought, not realizing that he had fallen into Lei Li's trap.
"If we use a few chili peppers to enhance the flavor of food, provide more choices, and open many such cheap fast food restaurants, many ordinary people will be able to taste more delicious food like you, young master."
"We can also make a lot of money. Although you don't covet money, money can help more people."
Lei Li patiently coaxed, "You saw it yesterday. When you offered a free meal, most people chose ours among so many fast food restaurants. And normally, our business is the best."
"And that's simply because we were constrained by funding and timing."
"As long as we have enough funds and connections, we can open our fast food restaurant from here, in Qingmi County, to Zhongchuan Prefecture. Not only can we provide better food for the common people, but we can also earn money from the rich and powerful to help more poor people."
"But……"
Meng Luo was a little hesitant, "Nobles would eat in a fast food restaurant like this, right? There are too many people here, it's too..." dirty and messy.
No matter how good Lei Li and Zhou Yi's hygiene is, there are always some people who are not so particular and will spit bones on the ground or on the table, or even spit casually.
"That's right, so we can open some high-end restaurants targeting dignitaries and wealthy families. High-end, grand, and upscale restaurants, just like the Shanzhen Restaurant you went to yesterday, Master Mengluo."
Lei Li smiled and said, "Come to think of it, we know the owner of the Shanzhen Restaurant. Some of his soups are recipes that we sold him."
"We do the same thing, but we use fancy packaging and more expensive ingredients to sell it for one and a half taels of silver per bowl. Our ingredients are more ordinary, and we offer them for free to attract more customers. This is a different business approach targeting different groups of people."
"Wow……"
Master Mengluo suddenly understood. Some of the terms sounded a little vague to him, but this made Lei Li appear very professional and powerful.
Lei Li's speech slowed down, but his tone was emphatic and tempting. "Master Mengluo, look, all we need to invest is a few chili peppers and a little silver... I believe that for a noble like you, this amount of silver is not much."
"But with just a little money, many ordinary people can have delicious meals and see many children's happy and lovely smiles."
"Master Mengluo is a kind-hearted person. I believe you don't want the elderly, young children, and nursing mothers to go without rice and meat..."
Lei Li smiled again. "And I heard you have three older brothers and sisters, and Master Meng Fuguang really likes you. Don't you want to make achievements in front of them and gain their praise?"
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