CH 32

Cheng Yun briefly expressed his thoughts and put forward the request for “sharing.”

Such a cooperative model is common in later generations, but unheard of in this era. Therefore, when Cheng Yun finished speaking, Liu Wen fell silent for a moment.

He touched his chin and glanced at Cheng Bao’er, his eyes filled with curiosity.

He trusted Cheng Yun, but he didn’t completely trust the person Cheng Yun introduced. Moreover, this young Ge’er looked thin and weak, and he had been huddled next to Cheng Yun since he entered. Although they were brothers, he lacked the confidence that Cheng Yun had shown back then. Could such a person really handle this job well?

Cheng Yun knew what Liu Wen was worried about, but he was not deterred by his hesitation.

He pushed the two cups of sour plum soup they had just drunk in front of Liu Wen and asked, “Brother Liu, do you have any thoughts about the sour plum soup we just drank?”

Liu Wen paused for a moment, then lowered his head and looked at the two cups. Being quick-witted, he immediately understood.

Cheng Yun smiled and said, “One of the jars here was made by me, and the other jar was made by Bao’er. He is very talented and can produce a taste comparable to mine after just one attempt.”

After saying that, he patted Cheng Bao’er’s shoulder and praised, “I’m not just saying this because he’s my younger brother, but Bao’er is very serious and responsible in his work. I can trust him completely.”

Liu Wen remained silent and stared at the two cups for a while. After a long time, he said, “You said one cup of sour plum soup sells for two yuan, with Yueqiong Tower and you each taking one yuan?”

“Yes,” Cheng Yun’s expression became serious when it came to business matters. “This is my preliminary pricing, but Yueqiong Tower doesn’t need to provide any manpower or resources. They only need to allocate a small space for us to display our products.”

Liu Wen rubbed his chin and pondered for a moment before saying, “I disagree.”

As soon as these words were spoken, both Cheng brothers were stunned.

But soon, Liu Wen smiled and said, “At Yueqiong Tower, tea costs more than that.” He gestured with his hand, “Six yuan, divided evenly between the two sides. If it’s acceptable, we can start today.”

Not only Cheng Bao’er, but even Cheng Yun’s mood fluctuated like a roller coaster. But when he heard Liu Wen finish speaking, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Bao’er’s reaction was even more direct. He grabbed Cheng Yun’s arm, leaving five red marks from his strong grip.

Is it settled like this? The conditions are even better than imagined!

Yang Hongjin, who had been sitting quietly on the side, suddenly became unhappy. He furrowed his brows and stared at Cheng Bao’er’s hand, but his wife had said that he was his younger brother and he couldn’t intervene in front of others. As a result, he could only watch helplessly, his expression even more serious than when Cheng Yun was negotiating.

Liu Wen and Cheng Yun discussed some details of their cooperation. The first time Cheng Yun was challenged by the shopkeeper, he was asked for a tea fee of ten yuan. But later, every time they came to Yueqiong Tower, they were treated well. Therefore, Cheng Yun still didn’t know the specific prices at Yueqiong Tower, he only had a rough idea.

Under detailed questioning this time, he learned that at Yueqiong Tower, if you only drank tea without eating anything, it would cost eight yuan as a tea fee. But if you ordered other food, the tea fee would only be one yuan. In comparison, Liu Wen’s proposal of selling a cup of sour plum soup for six yuan was not particularly exaggerated.

Cheng Yun further refined it, saying, “Sour plum soup can be considered a gimmick to let more people taste it. We can sell it in two sizes. One jar of sour plum soup can be sold for six yuan. If someone wants to buy just one cup, it will be two yuan per cup. This way, even when people are waiting for a table, we can sell a lot of sour plum soup.”

Liu Wen’s calculation started in his mind. He quietly moved his fingers to calculate and felt that this method was indeed ingenious!

Now, because of the popular pine nut fish, Yueqiong Tower was crowded with customers every day. It was even busier during dinner time. Not only the people from Tengyun Town but also many people from the entire Nanming City came here because of its reputation. Those customers who couldn’t find a seat eventually had to choose to eat at other restaurants. Over time, Liu Wen was worried that they might not come back.

Now with the addition of sour plum soup, even those who couldn’t eat the pine nut fish could have a taste and experience the deliciousness of Yueqiong Tower. This way, he didn’t have to worry about them going to other restaurants in the short term. Eventually, they would come back to eat here.

Moreover, sour plum soup was a refreshing and appetizing drink. He had just drunk a small cup and couldn’t help but want to eat something. In the long run, the business in the shop would definitely improve!

But Liu Wen had even greater ambitions than Cheng Yun. He wanted to take the high-end route and earn the business of the wealthy. Normally, just charging a tea fee inside the shop would cost eight yuan. Since sour plum soup was such a good thing, after a discussion, they finally priced the sour plum soup at ten yuan per jar and four yuan per cup. It would be split evenly between Yueqiong Tower and the Cheng brothers.

After everything was settled, Cheng Bao’er’s mind was still dizzy. In the past, they couldn’t earn much in a month, and even self-sufficiency was difficult. But now, a drink that could be finished in a few sips could be sold for the exorbitant price of ten yuan per jar!

In an instant, his perspective on sour plum soup completely changed, and he looked at his elder brother with admiration.

After discussing the sour plum soup, Liu Wen rubbed his hands and asked Cheng Yun if he had any good ideas recently.

Cheng Yun smiled and said, “There are no new hot dishes at the moment, but I specially prepared some pickled vegetables for you to taste today.” As he said that, he brought the jar of sour and crisp radishes to the table.

“Pickled vegetables…” Liu Wen’s tone sounded a bit disappointed, but he still gave face and said, “Alright, I’ll give it a try.”

To be strict, the crispy pickled radish made by Cheng Yun wasn’t really anything special. It just happened that a large radish was grown earlier, and on such a hot day, he didn’t feel like eating stewed radish. So he decided to make crispy and delicious pickled radish.

At this moment, the waiter who had been instructed by Liu Wen brought several plates of pastries to the table. To ensure that the boss and esteemed guests had enough to eat, the kitchen also prepared a large bowl of noodle soup, made from a well-stocked pig’s trotter broth with some chopped green onions on top, looking incredibly appetizing.

Cheng Yun had arrived early and Liu Wen had been busy attending to guests, so neither of them had eaten much. Cheng Yun had just had two cups of sour plum soup, and now his stomach was growling.

Liu Wen immediately served himself a small bowl of noodle soup and said, “I haven’t eaten anything yet, you all help yourselves, no need to treat yourselves as guests.”

The dishes at Yueqiong Tower were generously portioned and made with fresh ingredients. Just the aroma alone was mouthwatering. After taking two bites of the noodles, Liu Wen felt warmth spreading throughout his body.

But with the generous portions, it also became a bit greasy. After only a few bites, Liu Wen put down his chopsticks and casually drank a few sips of water from the cup on the table.

He smacked his lips and felt that he still hadn’t relieved the greasiness. When he saw the two jars of sour plum soup on the table, his eyes lit up. “Hey, Cheng-Ge’er, give me another cup of sour plum soup. The noodles are delicious, but they’re a bit greasy. It’ll be just right with your sour plum soup.”

Unexpectedly, Cheng Yun didn’t budge at the request and continued calmly tinkering with the small clay pot.

He took a pair of clean chopsticks, picked up some radish strips from the clay pot, and placed them on a small plate. Then he pushed the plate towards Liu Wen and said, “Brother Liu, try this.”

Liu Wen raised an eyebrow, not knowing what Cheng Yun was up to, but he still followed his instructions and took a bite.

He picked up a tender and white radish strip that looked like it hadn’t been cooked yet. His face couldn’t help but show a bit of disdain, “Can this really be eaten? I’ve eaten raw radish before, and it made my mouth so spicy I couldn’t open it. Don’t trick me, okay?”

“You’ll know once you try it,” Cheng Yun said.

With a hint of trust in Cheng Yun, Liu Wen reluctantly bit into the radish strip.

He chewed on the radish strip with a wrinkled face. After two seconds, his eyes suddenly widened, and he looked at the radish strip in shock.

Then he took another bite, and his expression went from doubt to astonishment to delight. He finished one piece and couldn’t help but pick up another, saying, “Cheng-Ge’er, this white radish of yours is quite interesting! Why didn’t I think of making it this way before?”

Seeing his satisfaction, Cheng Yun said, “Actually, the method is quite simple. Once you know it, it’s nothing special.”

He quickly explained the ingredients and the process required for making it, saying, “Besides white radish, you can use the same cooking method for other vegetables as well, like cucumber, mustard greens, and garlic. It’s easy to make and has low production costs. It’s perfect for relieving greasiness during the summer.”

Liu Wen listened attentively from start to finish and felt that Cheng Yun was his money tree. But after thinking for a moment, he became worried again, “Your idea is great, but this kind of small dish can at most be a side dish, not as substantial as the cold dishes we had before. How can I make money from it?”

Cheng Yun smiled and said, “There are many ways to make money; it just depends on how you think about it.”

“Oh?” Liu Wen posed in a listening posture and said, “Tell me about it.”

Cheng Yun proposed, “I can think of two ways. First, like what you just did, offer it as a complimentary side dish free of charge when introducing it to the market. Then gradually start charging for it, adding a penny for each additional small plate. If people try it and find it good, a penny isn’t expensive, and they will willingly pay for it.”

“Second,” Cheng Yun continued, “we can customize a batch of small clay pots and sell different types of pickled vegetables separately, directly imprinting Yueqiong Tower’s name on the pots. Whether people buy them to eat at home or as gifts, they will see the Yueqiong Tower logo at a glance. This way, it will also contribute to promoting the reputation of Yueqiong Tower.”

Previously, when Liu Wen mentioned opening branches and gradually expanding the business to the capital, Cheng Yun had already pondered this issue. How to establish his own name and create a unique brand logo was crucial. This approach was common in the future, but people in this era didn’t have a strong brand awareness. The method Cheng Yun suggested was where having a personal logo became the best way to promote a product.

Liu Wen was stunned by Cheng Yun’s proposal, feeling as if he had been enlightened. With his keen business sense, he instantly understood the potential benefits of this approach. He completely forgot about breakfast, his face turning red with excitement. He grabbed Cheng Yun’s hand tightly and exclaimed, “You are truly my benefactor!”

Yang Hongjin, who had been holding back for a while, couldn’t stand it anymore. He didn’t care if there were other people present and rushed forward, snatching Cheng Yun and embracing him tightly, glaring at Liu Wen as if they were enemies.

Cheng Yun, who felt like he hadn’t done anything: “…”
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