After a while, the crowds would dwindle, and no one would buy snacks anymore, unless the shop stayed open all day. Stalls like hers would have dispersed and gone home.
Kun Zhang also calculated that if she came every day, she could earn more than one or two taels a month.
Just when Kun Zhang was happy, a middle-aged man came over and looked her over. Kun Zhang was a little scared and took a few steps back: "You..."
As she was about to speak, the middle-aged man also spoke at the same time: "Madam, may I have a moment to talk with you?"
Kun Zhang was a little hesitant: "Do you have something to say?"
The middle-aged man said, "Don't worry, ma'am. I'm the owner of the pastry shop over there..." He pointed to a pastry shop not far away and said, "I think your pastries are quite good. Are you planning to sell them to your family?"
Speaking of which, last year, there was a woman who often came here to sell these pastries. At first, he didn't pay much attention to them, but later he noticed them and asked his servants to buy some pastries to try. They were indeed cheap and delicious.
At that time, he also wanted to buy this recipe, but something happened and delayed him for a few days. When he came back, he found that the woman had stopped selling snacks. Until today, a woman came to sell snacks, and he also asked his servants to buy snacks. The taste was the same as last year, so he came here in person.
Kun Zhang refused directly: "I'm sorry, this recipe is not mine, and this pastry is not made by me. I just ordered some for my own business in the county."
The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes. "Oh?" He stared at Kun Zhang, trying to discern truth from her expression. However, while Kun Zhang's fear was genuine, he couldn't discern humility. He smiled and said, "Well, when you go back, ask the owner if he's willing to sell you this recipe. If he is, you can come to my shop and see me. Is that okay with you?"
Kun Zhang nodded immediately: "Okay."
Middle-aged man: "Sorry to bother you, my lady."
After the middle-aged man left, Kun Zhang stopped doing business. She still had some small cakes and biscuits, so she took them home to give to her son.
After all, she had earned some money that day.
Kun Zhang didn't know that as soon as she left, the middle-aged man said to the servants, "Go follow her and find out where she lives and who the boss of the dim sum she mentioned is."
Servant: "Yes."
When Kun Zhang arrived at the county gate, she paid two cents and boarded the donkey cart that took her from the county to the town. The servant, seeing this, also paid two cents and followed.
When Kun Zhang returned to Qianfu's house, it was still early. Yang Haiyan and the others had gone to the countryside and hadn't returned yet. By the time she'd finished cooking lunch and stewed the chicken from yesterday, Yang Haiyan and the others had returned. She heard a commotion outside and immediately went out. "Madam..."
Kunshi saw his wife coming over and looked at her with some confusion.
Kun Zhang came to see Yang Haiyan. She nodded and greeted Kun Shi, then bowed to Qin Fang and Yang Haiyan and said, "Madam, I have something to tell you."
Seeing that she looked a little nervous, Yang Haiyan said,
"Come with me." Then she said to Aunt Fan,
"Aunt Fan, let's have chicken noodle soup for lunch."
Aunt Fan: "Yes."
Yang Haiyan took Kun Zhang to the inner courtyard and sat down at the stone table: "Captain Kun's wife, what's wrong with you? Sit down and tell me slowly."
Kun Zhang: "Thank you, madam. This is what happened. Today I went to the county town to sell snacks..." She told the story of the middle-aged man,
"Madam, have I caused you any trouble?"
Yang Haiyan thought it was something else, but it turned out to be this. She said, "It's nothing serious.
If you go to the county town tomorrow, you can ask the owner of the pastry shop to tell him to come here and talk to me."
Kun Zhang was relieved to see that Yang Haiyan's expression did not seem fake, as she was afraid that she would implicate the wife.
The next day, Kun Zhang went to the county town to do business again. But before going to the business, she went to the pastry shop, met the middle-aged man, and brought Yang Haiyan's words with her.
In reality, the middle-aged man had already known about it yesterday. The servant had followed Kun Zhang to the military camp's family housing and had witnessed her build a two-story courtyard house. As a native of the borderlands, he naturally knew that the military camp's family housing meant a place of residence for the Marquis of Yonghe's soldiers. And the two-story courtyard house inside was the residence of a seventh-rank official.
If he had initially hoped to buy the recipe cheaply, then after learning that it was related to Lord Qianfu, he no longer had this crooked idea. Of course, he wasn't a bad person, and as a businessman, it was normal for him to want the recipe to be cheaper.
After Kun Zhang arrived, the middle-aged man also learned more certain news. It turned out that this woman's husband was the captain of the personal guard of Qin Qianfu. The private guard was equivalent to the confidant of Qin Qianfu. That's why this woman was able to get the dim sum from Mrs.Qin's dim sum shop.
After Kun Zhang sold all the cakes and cookies for the day, she got on the middle-aged man's donkey cart and returned to the family quarters.
Yang Haiyan had just finished teaching Qin Siya arithmetic when Nanny Lian arrived to report that the owner of the county snack shop had arrived.
Because the guest was an outsider, and presumably a man, Yang Haiyan took Nanny Lian to the main hall to greet him. Normally, whether it was Uncle Hong or the private guard, Yang Haiyan would have been accompanied by Nanny Lian in the study to discuss matters. However, outsiders had to be kept away to avoid gossip.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long." Yang Haiyan walked into the main hall where Ping, the owner of the dim sum shop, was sitting. When he saw Yang Haiyan coming, he quickly stood up.
Shopkeeper Ping said, "Greetings, Madam."
It was the first time Yang Haiyan had met someone so formally. After she sat down, she said, "Boss, there's no need to be so polite. Please take a seat.
Aunt Lian, bring the tea."
Aunt Lian: "Yes."
Shopkeeper Ping sat down and said without beating around the bush, "Mrs. Qin, I believe you know why I'm here. I wonder if you've ever considered selling the recipes for those little cakes and cookies."
Of course, it couldn't be sold, because ancient technology couldn't make butter. While it wouldn't matter if it didn't, it would have been more fragrant.
Furthermore, Yang Haiyan wasn't interested in getting rich; otherwise, she could have come up with a few more pastry recipes. But making money that way was pointless. After selling the soap recipe, she wasn't short of money. Now, the pastry shop could earn ten taels of silver a month. She had no worries about clothes and daily necessities, so why bother selling a recipe?
So Yang Haiyan shook her head and said, "I'm very sorry, but l intend to pass this recipe down from generation to generation. I won't sell it."
In fact, after learning Yang Haiyan's identity,
Shopkeeper Ping also knew that the purchase of the wife was a futile task. He had come today for other matters, and the purchase of the wife was just a casual mention. Shopkeeper Ping asked, "Can you give us the cakes from Madam's shop and sell them in our shop in the county town?"
Yang Haiyan said: "Of course there is no problem with this." They are all doing business, and they are doing business openly. Why would she not agree when others come to order snacks?
The two then began to negotiate prices. Yang Haiyan usually earned around 30 yuan per pound of cakes and cookies, but now, by selling them wholesale to Shopkeeper Ping, she was giving him a 5 yuan discount per pound, effectively making the same price as Yang Dahua and Kun Zhang. In this business, wholesale prices should be unified; otherwise, it would be unpleasant to see one person more expensive and the other cheaper. Then, every day, she would have to provide Shopkeeper Ping with 10 pounds of cakes and 10 pounds of cookies.
Yang Haiyan calculated that according to the amount set by Manager Ping, she could earn twelve taels of silver from him every month, which was equivalent to one hundred and forty-four taels a year.
However, Yang Haiyan also signed a contract with the shopkeeper, and she could no longer be so reluctant to grant it to other people in the county.
After the two signed the contract, because there was no county government office in the town, they also asked the mayor to be a witness.
After the deed was signed, Manager Ping first paid the April payment and then left in a good mood.
Manager Ping's boss was introduced by Kun Zhang, and even if Kun Zhang was just a coincidence, as a boss, he must reward his employees when it's time to do so. So Yang Haiyan asked Nanny Lian to ask Kun Zhang to call the main courtyard.
When Kun Zhang came, she was a little nervous:
"Madam, are you looking for me?"
Yang Haiyan said, "We have already taken care of the dim sum in our county town. From now on, we can no longer sell our dim sum in the county town."
Kun Zhang felt a little sorry after hearing this. She couldn't continue this business in the county town.
Although she felt sorry, she also understood. After all, the snacks and buns in the county town were a big business.
While Yang Haiyan was talking about this, she observed Kun Zhang's expression. Seeing that she didn't show any strange emotions, Yang Haiyan continued, "It was you who brought this business to Manager Ping. These ten taels of silver are a reward for you."
Kun Zhang hurriedly said, "No, no, no, I can't have it.
Madam, I can't have this." She didn't help much. If the shopkeeper liked the dim sum, he could find it even without her.