Qi Zhenzhen smiled, "Manager Lin's thoughtfulness is truly remarkable."
As the shop assistants were about to leave, Qi Zhenzhen brought out four small jars of kimchi and gave one to each of them, "Thank you for your hard work, young sirs. Please take these four jars home for your families to try."
The leading shop assistant politely thanked her and happily accepted, his impression of Qi Zhenzhen improving. She was so generous and didn't look down on them for being mere shop assistants, even preparing gifts specifically for them.
"I'd like to go into town today. I wonder if I could hitch a ride."
"If you don't mind, of course, you can," the leading shop assistant agreed with a nod.
She needed to prepare more ingredients for the chili paste. She didn't dare entrust this task to anyone else and preferred to procure them herself. Moreover, she had some matters to discuss with Manager Lin that hadn't been considered when the contract was initially drawn up.
With money in hand and her household affairs entrusted to Madam Yu, Qi Zhenzhen boarded the carriage to head to town.
The carriage drove directly into the back courtyard of the general store. Manager Lin, having heard the commotion, was already waiting.
Qi Zhenzhen hopped off the carriage and curtsied to Manager Lin, offering her greetings.
Despite being a country girl dressed in simple cotton clothes, Manager Lin felt Qi Zhenzhen possessed an extraordinary demeanor, no less than that of a young lady from a wealthy family.
Smiling warmly, Manager Lin's attitude was very enthusiastic, "Why has Miss Qi come in person? Please, come inside, have a seat, and a cup of tea to warm yourself up."
Qi Zhenzhen had something to say, and with many people around outside, it wasn't a suitable place for discussion. She followed Manager Lin into the room.
The room was warm from the underfloor heating. A small table by the window held a pot of iron stem begonia, its flowers blooming vibrantly, adding a touch of spring to the room.
"Manager Lin, how do you plan to sell this kimchi?" Qi Zhenzhen got straight to the point.
"We'll display it in the shop and sell it by the jin," Manager Lin hadn't thought much about it; this was how the shop's side dishes were usually sold.
Qi Zhenzhen shook her head, "This method won't do. If sold this way, I don't think Manager Lin will be able to sell four hundred jin daily."
The North and South General Store always had a large flow of customers, and the kimchi tasted good. Manager Lin had never imagined it wouldn't sell. His only thought was that four hundred jin a day wouldn't be enough, and he would need to procure more kimchi. After reporting to the owner, the kimchi would be available in all Qian family general stores across Da Feng. That would truly be a goldmine, and the owner would surely look upon him favorably.
Therefore, Manager Lin had never considered the possibility of the kimchi not selling.
If it didn't sell, he would be ruined.
The contract was signed for the entire winter. As long as there were cabbages and the temperature was low enough to ensure the kimchi wouldn't spoil, the general store had to procure at least four hundred jin of kimchi daily.
"What does Miss Qi mean by that?" Manager Lin suppressed his nervousness and asked calmly.
"Selling it by going door-to-door is different from selling it in the shop. When selling door-to-door, people value practicality. In the shop, it's not just about that," Qi Zhenzhen explained.
"What is Miss Qi's meaning?" Manager Lin was a bit confused.
Qi Zhenzhen elaborated on her ideas. Manager Lin suddenly stood up, walked out quickly, and returned shortly with a small white porcelain jar in his hand, his face alight with excitement, "Miss Qi, you are too clever."
The small white porcelain jar wasn't large, and it was fired by the Qian family's own kilns. The cost of a jar of this size was about four wen. If the kimchi was packed into it and sold for ten wen per portion, it would surely sell well. One jin of kimchi could be divided into five portions. After deducting the cost, the net profit would be twenty-six wen.
Qi Zhenzhen also mentioned larger jars and value packs. Manager Lin's smile grew wider.
Indeed, selling it this way was much better than his previous casual approach. Most importantly, the general stores here were located in the town. Many more general stores were in the prefectural city and prosperous counties, where good packaging became even more crucial.
"Miss Qi, you have truly helped me immensely," Manager Lin expressed his sincere gratitude.
Qi Zhenzhen waved her hand, "I am also doing this for myself. If Manager Lin's business improves, my income will be higher. Furthermore, I have a request." Qi Zhenzhen paused for a moment before continuing, "I would like to have my mark placed on Manager Lin's white porcelain jars, so that people eating kimchi know that my family's kimchi is the authentic one, and when they eat kimchi, they will naturally think of my family."
Manager Lin was stunned, greatly surprised by Qi Zhenzhen's words. This young lady had considerable ambition.
Although her kimchi was currently unique, food was something that if she could make it, others might too. Even if they couldn't make it initially, by buying hers multiple times and repeatedly trying to replicate it, they might eventually succeed. Then, by selling it cheaper, they could also capture a share of the market. However, if the kimchi had her family's mark from the beginning, it would be different. Even if imitations appeared, they wouldn't significantly impact the Qi family's kimchi. Da Feng Novel Network.
However, Manager Lin couldn't make the decision about marking the jars.
"How about this, Miss Qi, I will send a letter to our owner right away and see what he says," Manager Lin said after some thought.
Qi Zhenzhen didn't expect Manager Lin to be able to make the decision and nodded, "Then I will trouble Manager Lin. Since I am here today, may I also make those two recipes for Manager Lin to try?"
Manager Lin nodded and personally led her to the kitchen, then asked someone to bring some kimchi.
Stir-fried kimchi with pork belly, and then kimchi and pork belly fried rice. One rice dish and one main dish, with simple preparation. Manager Lin watched from the side, muttering to himself, "How can these be called recipes? Even I, who am not good at cooking, can understand and learn them. Such ordinary dishes are hardly worth sending to a restaurant." When he first received the recipes, Manager Lin had planned to send the kimchi and recipes to the Qian family's restaurant. If they were a great success, it would be another great achievement for him. But now...
Manager Lin felt it was rather uncertain.
Qi Zhenzhen slowly finished her work. The stir-fried kimchi with pork belly was served with white rice, and the kimchi fried rice was plated directly.
"Manager Lin, please try?"
The young lady's smile was radiant, and Manager Lin couldn't refuse. He enjoyed white rice, so he picked up his white rice first and then took a bite of the kimchi. His expression was casual at first, but after one bite, his face became somewhat serious. After another bite, and another, soon, a bowl of white rice was finished, and the stir-fried kimchi with pork belly was completely gone, not even the sauce left.
He hadn't expected it to be so delicious. Manager Lin, still wanting more, picked up the fried rice and ate more than half of it. It wasn't that it wasn't tasty, but rather that he was full. If there had been any space left in his stomach, he would have eaten it all.
What did this mean? It meant that both dishes could be served in restaurants, and Manager Lin firmly believed they would be very popular.