Two hundred jin of kimchi daily, working together, the two families were busy and happy, earning six hundred wen a day. Li Shan's wife couldn't stop smiling from morning till night.
After finishing the cabbage from Li Shan's wife's family, Li Shan's wife went out to collect cabbage from the village. Gradually, the villagers learned that the two families were doing business together. Some said the Qi family was restless, some said they were crazy for money, and some said cabbage was just cabbage, how could they make something special out of it?
Qi Zhenzhen had always been indifferent to these rumors. Li Shan and his wife were focused on making money, so let them say whatever they wanted, as long as it didn't hinder her from making money.
While these people were sour, they sent cabbage to the Qi family. Qi Zhenzhen was strict in her selection, rejecting bad cabbage and those that were not firm. If they were willing to sell, they sold; if not, they could take it back. In the northern region, vegetables were scarce in winter, but cabbage was plentiful. It was a resilient vegetable, and even if it couldn't be bought nearby, the supply wouldn't be cut off if they went a little further.
Some families tried to be difficult, but seeing Qi Zhenzhen's indifferent attitude, they all backed down.
In previous years, the cabbage either rotted or was fed to pigs and chickens. This year, it could be sold for money, and only a fool would go against money.
After selling for more than ten days, the business was stable every day. The two hundred jin of kimchi were usually sold out in half a day. The two families would gather for a meal and then prepare the kimchi for the next day.
One morning, Qi Zhenzhen heard the sound of the door opening. When she went out, she saw Li Shan's wife returning, with a young man behind her.
Qi Zhenzhen looked closely and recognized the person.
The young man also looked delighted, "It's you."
The visitor was the young shop assistant who had sold Qi Zhenzhen wolf peach seeds at the North-South General Store. When she saw him that day, he was wearing cotton clothes, but today he was wearing a padded jacket of brocade and a fur cloak.
Qi Zhenzhen invited him in, and after a few words, she learned that the young shop assistant had good luck and was now the manager of the general store.
"May I ask why Manager Lin has come?" Qi Zhenzhen asked with a smile.
"We are old acquaintances, so I won't beat around the bush. I want to talk to you about a business deal," Manager Lin said with a smile. "I want to sell this kimchi in our general store."
Manager Lin was well-prepared and stated his intentions in a few words.
He wanted to buy the kimchi recipe for a hundred taels of silver.
At first glance, a hundred taels of silver seemed like a lot, but two hundred jin of kimchi could earn one tael and two qian of silver a day, and over a winter, they could earn eighty to ninety taels. However, if the recipe was sold, the Qi and Li families would no longer be able to sell kimchi for money. Unless they were in urgent need of money or were slow-witted, who would agree?
Qi Zhenzhen smiled, "Manager Lin, you are indeed a shrewd calculator. Your North-South General Store will be prosperous in the future, and we will be left with a hundred taels of silver to live on? Do you think I, Qi Zhenzhen, am foolish enough to do that?"
Being cornered, Manager Lin did not get angry. Business was about negotiation, not dictation.
"Miss Qi, please don't be angry. Let's discuss it further," Manager Lin said amiably.
Finally, Qi Zhenzhen agreed. The recipe would remain with Qi Zhenzhen, and she would supply the North-South General Store. In addition, she could continue to sell retail, but she was not allowed to sell in large quantities to buyers other than the North-South General Store.
For the time being, she would supply four hundred jin of kimchi to the general store daily. If it sold well, all the North-South General Stores in the Great Feng Dynasty would stock it.
For bulk purchases, the price would be calculated by the jin, at four wen per jin, settled daily.
They drew up a contract, pressed their handprints, and each kept a copy.
To show his sincerity, Qi Zhenzhen also gave Manager Lin several kimchi recipes. As for what Manager Lin would do with these recipes, it was no longer Qi Zhenzhen's concern.
After seeing Manager Lin off, Qi Zhenzhen sat down with Li Shan's wife. "Sister-in-law, what do you think of this arrangement? From now on, if you buy from me and sell retail, it will be three wen per jin."
Li Shan and his wife exchanged glances. Of course, they agreed. It was one wen less than Manager Lin's price. If they sold two hundred jin, they would earn one tael of silver, which was even more than they earned when they first partnered.
"However, I have one condition: the goods you buy can only be sold retail by you two," Qi Zhenzhen added. "After all, I have signed a contract with Manager Lin..."
Li Shan's wife nodded quickly, "That's a must. You know what kind of people I and your Brother Shan are. If anyone wants this kimchi, even my own family, I won't give it to them."
In this case, it would not be appropriate to ask Li Shan and his wife to help make kimchi for free anymore. Qi Zhenzhen thought for a moment and decided to find a few neat and quick women from the village to help.
When she mentioned it to Li Shan's wife, she quickly recommended five women around her age.
Ten wen a day, and the work was not tiring. After Li Shan's wife spoke to them, the five women came that day. After Qi Zhenzhen explained the precautions, they agreed to start working from tomorrow.
After sending them away, Qi Zhenzhen went to the Song family. Chief Song and Grandma Song couldn't stop praising Qi Zhenzhen, calling her capable, which made Qi Zhenzhen feel a little embarrassed. After they had finished their praise, Qi Zhenzhen stated her purpose and asked if Aunt Song was willing to help, for ten wen a day.
Although the Chief's family lived well, who would refuse money?
Ten wen a day meant three hundred wen a month, which was enough to supplement the family's income and improve their lives.
Aunt Song happily agreed.
Song Mingyue tugged at Qi Zhenzhen's hand pitifully, "Zhenzhen, can I go to work too?"
Qi Zhenzhen whispered something in Song Mingyue's ear, and Song Mingyue jumped up with joy, smiling like a flower.
After sending Qi Zhenzhen away, Song Mingyue happily returned to her room. A moment later, her mother followed her in. "Mingyue, what did Zhenzhen say to you just now?"
"Didn't I give Zhenzhen two taels of silver earlier to invest in the wild apricot forest? Zhenzhen just told me that the two taels of silver are divided into two parts, one part for the kimchi and one part for the wild apricot forest. For every ten jin of kimchi sold, I get one wen. Now, six hundred jin of kimchi are sold daily, and I get sixty wen without doing anything." Song Mingyue did not hide it from her mother.
Yu Shi was shocked. This was not investing; this was simply giving Mingyue money.
Sixty wen a day meant nearly two taels of silver a month.
Yu Shi did not delay and hurried to the main house to tell the elders about it.
Chief Song took a deep drag of his pipe, exhaled a puff of smoke, which drifted in front of his face, making his expression unreadable.
"This is the friendship between the Qi family girl and our Mingyue. We should keep this in mind and neither refuse nor try to curry favor. The money earned will be Mingyue's dowry, but this matter should not be told to others, and the eldest branch should also be kept in the dark. This is to prevent them from having any improper thoughts."