Read Novel Full Chapter 266
Chapter 266: The Children’s New Dreams
While the people here had not yet dispersed, Chen Dashan’s team returned as well. As they entered the village, Uncle Xu informed them that Lu Erlang and the others had arrived ahead of them. The group quickly headed to the Shen household, where it was evident that everyone who could be there was gathered.
Chen’s family was not present, but Zhou Cunzheng’s wife and Shen Tie were there. Even Shen Yin had come over to check the news. His position was good, and he spotted Chen Dashan and the others right away, excitedly calling out, “My brothers are back!”
“My brothers are back too!”
Lu Erlang, Xu Wenqing, Zhou Silang, and Shi Erniu were all thrilled.
“Dasha, how did it go for you?”
Chen Dashan and Zhou Sanlang glanced at the papers beside Shen Ning. Zhou Sanlang, with sharp eyes, gave Chen Dashan a thumbs-up!
Chen Dashan laughed heartily, looking modest. “Not much, not much.”
He then pulled out a stack of papers from his pocket, unfolded them, and placed them in the middle of the table. Zhou Sanlang cheerfully did the same with his stack, placing it next to Chen Dashan’s.
Xu Wenqing took a look and was stunned. “How many counties did you visit?”
In just five days, they had visited four counties. Could it be that Chen Dashan’s team could fly? He sorted through the stack: one stack of five orders, another of four.
Nine orders???!!!
Chen Dashan grinned. “Four counties.”
“That’s impossible!”
County towns weren’t as well-recovered as the state capital, and not all of them could be relatively affluent.
Xu Wenqing grabbed a handful of orders and examined them closely: fermented tofu, vermicelli, fermented tofu, vermicelli, fermented tofu, vermicelli—no mistakes there. Then he flipped to the bottom, where there were orders for meat floss, meat jerky, and honey.
When his eyes fell on the name “Dongfu Restaurant” written on one of the orders, Xu Wenqing felt as though he had been struck by an arrow!
“Why didn’t I think of that!”
Lu Erlang also took a look at Zhou Sanlang’s stack of orders but was at a loss as he couldn’t read!
Realizing how pitiful his illiteracy was, he hurriedly handed the orders to Zhou Silang. “Quick, look! How did they get so many orders?”
Before Zhou Silang could check, Xu Wenqing had already said, “They also supplied a restaurant.”
Chen Dashan had enjoyed enough of the excitement and patted Xiao Jin on the back. “This time, it was Xiao Jin’s idea to suggest trying the restaurant. These things we’re selling are things the restaurant needs.”
In the counties they visited, two relatively affluent ones had opened branches of Dongfu Restaurant. At such a time, a restaurant that could afford to stock up must have some financial backing. What in Dongfu Restaurant wasn’t easy to sell?
Shen Ning’s eyes lit up. “Good job, Xiao Jin.”
Shen Jin’s smile grew as he was praised, though he remained humble. “I thought about how my sister-in-law used to supply goods to Uncle Xu. At that time, it was just mealtime, and I saw that the people coming in and out of Dongfu Restaurant were dressed well.”
“Observant!” Sang Luo thought Shen Jin was truly suited for business. She looked at the contracts signed by several people, all very detailed, and smiled. “Uncle Xu taught well.”
She then turned to Wei Lingzhen and asked, “Does Uncle Xu’s restaurant also have tofu and vermicelli and such?”
Wei Lingzhen nodded. “Yes, but in small quantities. He had the kitchen buy them from the East Market, not from here.”
Restaurant ingredients need to be fresh, and with the current situation, the daily customer flow wasn’t very large. So, they didn’t need much. They either bought from Wang’s village or the East Market. Previously, tofu in Qiyang County was bought at the original price from Qin Fangniang, just with delivery. Now, would they really go out of their way to discuss cooperation with Sang Luo for such a modest daily business of one or two hundred coins?
Now, Sang Luo was no longer the same as before. With the shop open and managed by someone else, was it really necessary to give him a discount?
Since vermicelli keeps well and can be stockpiled, and because they were family, Uncle Xu decided not to fuss about it and bought it at the original price like other vegetables.
However, he hadn’t anticipated selling items like meat jerky, meat floss, and fermented tofu through the restaurant. Previously, Sang Luo had never worried about selling these items; the only concern had been running out of pork. She had never thought about expanding the business.
“This really is a new channel,” she teased Xu Wenqing. “Wenqing, you could go with your father to sign a contract tonight.”
“What’s the big deal? My father can just come directly to An Ning. Tomorrow, when we go out to deliver, I need to check out a few more restaurants in those counties. I think there are two or so,” he said, handing all the orders to Shen Ning. He then asked Shen Ning, “Is the stock sufficient? Can we load up and leave tomorrow?”
Shen Ning glanced over Chen Dashan’s and Zhou Sanlang’s orders and nodded. “Yes, we’re good. We’re a bit tight on honey, so be cautious with future orders. First, ensure that our own shop is well-stocked. We’ll take new orders when spring honey is available. The rest is fine.”
Xu Wenqing was relieved, and together with Chen Dashan, handed over the advance payment. Sang Luo called Shen Yin to bring some tea to moisten their throats and asked about the situation in the surrounding counties. The group listened and chatted for about fifteen to twenty minutes before dispersing.
The eight of them had visited eight counties, centered around Shezhou, running north and south, and had found fifteen distributors. The total orders amounted to 260 taels. Although it seemed like a lot, with 40% of the profit going to the distributors, and including raw materials, labor costs, and various expenses, the profit for the Shen family was much lower than before. Sang Luo roughly calculated and estimated that around 80 taels of profit remained.
When calculating these figures, Shen Jin and his brothers were not kept in the dark. Shen Ning remained calm compared to before, having seen the large sums from the capital’s clients. Shen Yin and Shen Tie, on the other hand, were astonished when they heard the 80 taels profit. “Earned so much?”
Shen Jin looked at his two younger brothers and said, “Where is there so much? Big Sister and the others worked very hard. The raw materials need to be grown and processed, and their efforts are in places you can’t see. You two should learn more and help Big Sister share the burden in the future. Don’t talk about the accounts you hear or see outside.”
Shen Yin replied, “I understand.”
Shen Tie shrugged. “I’m not stupid. I won’t say such things outside.”
Sang Luo laughed. “You’re too concerned. You’re all quite clever.”
The three of them had all experienced hardship. Shen Tie, who had been the most naive as a child, had grown up. With two older brothers teaching him, he was actually quite sharp, though he appeared simple at home. Outside, he wasn’t so naive.
Hearing this, Shen Tie gave Shen Jin a triumphant look.
Shen Jin chuckled, looking around. “Didn’t you see Big Brother and Xiao An?”
“They went to help at the Magistrate’s Office. You haven’t had a good rest these days, have you? Let Xiao Yin help by heating some water for a bath to relieve your fatigue. We’ll have dinner here tonight.”
Once Shen Jin left, Shen Yin and Shen Tie were used to being left at home for meals by Sang Luo. They had become accustomed to it. Shen Jin was pleased and didn’t refuse. “Thank you, Big Sister.”
As he spoke, he remembered Ayao and Qian Bao, intending to tease them, only to see his sister-in-law moving quietly, carrying each one back to the room.
Well, Shen Tie had fallen asleep while being rocked. Water wouldn’t be ready quickly, so he helped Shen Ning clean up the inkstones.
……
Meanwhile, Mrs. Xu returned home and privately told Wei Lingzhen, “An Ning’s teaching is truly impressive. With that efficiency, she’ll be remarkable after a few more years of experience.”
The old lady looked at the children talking outside. Although Wenbo was of similar age, she shook her head, realizing that without passing the imperial examination with distinction, they wouldn’t be able to climb the ranks. The Shen family had risen too quickly.
Mrs. Xu saw Shen Ning’s brilliance. In the villages outside of Daxing Village, the children of the helpers who attended Shen Ning’s classes were now telling their families about what they had seen and heard at the Shen household.
Chen Dashan and Zhou Sanlang’s commission amounts weren’t explicitly mentioned by Shen Ning, but they had heard about Lu Erlang’s and Xu Wenqing’s commissions.
One was over 600 wen, and the other was over 1,000 wen!
At the Zhao family, Old Man Zhao and Mrs. Zhao were stunned and could barely close their mouths.
“How much?”
“1,188 wen.”
“Did I hear that right?”
The Zhao siblings shook their heads in unison.
The old couple looked at each other. Mrs. Zhao turned to remind her grandchildren, “This matter must not be mentioned outside.”
The Zhao family’s young daughter-in-law nodded. “I understand. I only mentioned it to Grandpa and Grandma.”
Old Man Zhao nodded. “That’s right. Your father and Fourth Uncle are working for Sang Luo. Your mother and several aunts have also joined the vermicelli workshop. You siblings can still study and learn to read. Sang Luo has been good to us, allowing you to study at home. You shouldn’t talk about what you hear and see outside.”
He then asked his granddaughter, “Did you say that the two young tutors you were taught by have gone to become traveling merchants?”
The Zhao siblings nodded.
Old Man Zhao pondered for a moment and said, “You two should study hard. Being able to read and calculate is better than farming or doing hard work. If you learn these skills well, when you grow up and Sang Luo’s business needs people, you might get a chance to be an apprentice.”
The siblings’ eyes brightened.
“I’ll study hard!”
After the two children left, Old Man Zhao thought for a long time and asked his old wife, “Do you think we can send the older children to learn to read and calculate there as well? They’re always behind compared to Liu Ya and Xiao Dou. The teachers there are better.”
A day is about an hour or so; as the children grow up with prospects, working a bit more daily wouldn’t hurt.
Mrs. Zhao was also tempted but hesitated. “Is that okay?”
The Shen family didn’t run a school; they only offered some chickens, ducks, and local products as a token of gratitude each year.
Old Man Zhao felt a bit embarrassed but, thinking about Sang Luo’s previous attitude and the four strong workers in the Shen family for the sake of his grandchildren’s future, he decided to muster up the courage. “How about tomorrow, we let the eldest take two chickens and ask Sang Luo?”
Mrs. Zhao rubbed her hands on her apron and said, “I’ll give it a try tomorrow morning.”
The same scene played out in the households of the other two families who worked for the Shen family. At this moment, Sang Luo was unaware that Daxing Village’s small classroom was about to expand again and that a group of children were developing new dreams—becoming apprentices in preparation for Daxing Village.