Chapter 90: Can’t Protect the Formula

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Qiao Mai stir-fried duck blood, made a sour soup with beef slices, and prepared a sour soup with fish. She took a large portion of sauce-covered beef bones from her space and heated them. She also steamed a pot of rice.

Although there weren’t many different dishes, each one had generous servings, enough to satisfy everyone.

Early in the morning, the aroma from the kitchen lured the people who were still sleeping.

One by one, they got up and went to the kitchen. When they saw Qiao Mai cooking, they all smiled.

After the Wang family’s father and son had breakfast, they asked Yuan Jiaqi to take the children to play in the yard. Inside the house, negotiations began.

“With yesterday’s recipes plus today’s, I offer twenty thousand taels to buy them outright.”

Qiao Mai shook her head. “Fifty thousand taels, not a single tael less.”

“You’re asking for quite a lot, aren’t you?”

Qiao Mai smiled. “Don’t be in a hurry. Please listen to what I have to say first. If I’m wrong, you can accuse me of being unscrupulous.”

“Go ahead.”

“First of all, while they seem like recipes, there are several items that aren’t recipes at all. For example, the condiments used for hotpot. Do you know what they are made of?”

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“They are made from sesame seeds, and sesame seeds can also be fried into sesame oil. Pure sesame paste doesn’t taste good; it must be processed with something else. In addition, the condiments also contain two other recipes:

fermented tofu and chive flower sauce. For this one type of condiment, there are three recipes, and they are all beneficial. Would I sell them for twenty thousand taels?”

“Is there more?”

“Take, for example, what we had for breakfast this morning: glass noodles, wide noodles, and vermicelli. They are made from sweet potatoes. You need to turn them into starch first. Tell me, how many recipes are there in this?”

The Wang father and son were taken aback. “There are indeed quite a few.”

“There are many recipes, and all of them bring substantial benefits. Sweet potatoes can not only be used to make these dishes but can also be used to thicken soup. When added to dishes, they enhance the flavor, especially when used in soup, making it thick and flavorful. You should know that all these items can be stored for a long time and produced in large quantities, sold all over the country and even abroad.”

The Wang father and son were once again shocked. “Why don’t you open a workshop for this?”

“That’s simple. I don’t have the connections. I can’t protect these formulas.

They are limited to personal use, and I will only share them with people I trust.

When ordinary people come to my house, I only prepare regular dishes.”

Both of them nodded. “Are the recipes ready?”

“They are all ready.”

Wang Zongsheng took the silver notes from his pocket. Fortunately, he had brought extra.

He handed over fifty thousand taels to Qiao Mai. “Miss, do we need to write a contract?”

“We must write one. Clear accounts make good friends. I’ve taken your family’s silver. From now on, I will only use these recipes at home. Others shouldn’t even think about extracting a single word from me. Of course, you need to keep this a secret. Don’t reveal my identity.”

“Yes, that’s necessary.”

Qiao Mai handed the recipes to Wang Zongsheng, who carefully examined them. “What if my people don’t understand something?”

“They can come to me anytime, and I’ll teach them personally. However, I don’t think that will happen. I’ve written everything down thoroughly.”

“Let’s get some paper and pen to write the contract!”

Both sides were straightforward, and they quickly drafted the agreement.

Wang Zongsheng looked at Qiao Mai with admiration. “I didn’t expect you,

Madam Qiao, to be so outstanding.”

“I come from a farming background. I only know how to cook. I hope you both are satisfied.’

With the deal done, Wang Zongsheng, Wang Jiaru, and Wang Zihan departed after a short rest.

They had collected quite a bit of goods from Qiao Mai’s house. Their vehicle was almost filled to the brim when they left.

Qiao Mai was in a good mood after receiving fifty thousand taels.

She believed that with these recipes, the Wang family wouldn’t come to her again for at least three to five years.

She also hoped the Wang family would flourish with these recipes. That way, she could buy sesame oil, sesame paste, and other items like hotpot ingredients in the future right here in Tianshui Town.

After enjoying several good meals in a row, Old Mister Wang no longer made any demands.

They opted for lighter dishes for the next few meals, but the flavors were still good.

After finally sending them off, Qiao Mai made up her mind. She would hire two kitchen maids once she moved to her new house. She couldn’t continue to cook like this. It would exhaust her.

Everything she did was a hobby driven by interest. Her passion and interest would be eroded if it turned into a profession.

Also, their shop was about to be completed. Once she started the renovation, it would be ready for business.

Her daughter was still young, and she couldn’t divert her attention too much to handle the shop. Otherwise, she might neglect her daughter.

Qiao Mai calculated that the shop would need twelve employees – One manager, two assistants, two maids, two cooks, and five service crew.

If Shopkeeper Lu and her family were moving over, they would need even more staff.

The main issue was that Lu Sanniang’s maids were all skilled in embroidery. They could help temporarily, but in the long run, it wouldn’t work.

So now, Qiao Mai had to hire twelve people. If it weren’t for these fifty thousand taels, she wouldn’t have dared to think about it.

In any case, working at her place is better than elsewhere. Let’s see who’s fortunate enough.

The worker who had served her last time greeted her. “Madam Qiao, you’re here?”

“Yes, is the shop about to be completed?”

“Yes, you can start renovating and using it anytime.”

“I’d like to hire twelve people: one manager, two assistants, two maids, two cooks, and five service maids. They should be honest and reliable, with good character as the top priority and appearance as a secondary consideration. Do you have such people?”

“We do. That’s what our Broker Center specializes in.”

“I trust you. Please select them for me. The manager should be around thirty years old, the assistants around twenty, the cooks around thirty, and the service maids shouldn’t be older than forty.”

“You can rest assured. I’ll carefully pick for you.”

“Great. Please also prepare the left side of my house for them. Here’s the blueprint. Can you finish the work in ten days?”

“Ten days might be tight, but I think it should be doable.”

“Add it to my account for settlement.”

“Of course.’

With her child in her arms, Qiao Mai came to look at the new house. The construction had progressed significantly, and it seemed she could start the renovation and buy furniture in June.

She took a deep breath. She would have to stock up more once the shop was open. With such a large household to support, there would be a lot of monthly expenses.

Qiao Mai had plenty of grains in her space and didn’t need to buy fruits and vegetables. She also had all the seasonings she needed. The only expenses would be the monthly wages for the twelve employees.

Monthly wages here were not high; a well-trained servant maid would cost only two hundred coins a month, while a cook would be around the same. A service maid would only cost one hundred coins.

A manager would cost about one tael, and an assistant would be two hundred coins. These were the rates she had inquired about and were considered higher-end.

Including the pocket money for her children, she would need around twenty taels per month.

Based on this calculation, it wouldn’t be much, mainly because her space allowed her to save a lot of money on supplies.

Qiao Mai could earn that much in one day of business. She didn’t have to worry about running out of money.

On the ninth day of April, a manager and two assistants were hired.

Qiao Mai had to admit that Assistant Qiu from the Broker Center had a good eye for people. She was satisfied with these three.

She immediately hired them and took them to the shop. Although the front was still under renovation, the back, where people would live, and the warehouse didn’t need much work, just some basic furniture.

The manager’s surname was Niu, and the assistants didn’t have names. She named them Dong Cheng and Xi Jiu.

Qiao Mai gave the manager a hundred taels of silver to buy furniture and other essentials, such as account books, an abacus, pens, ink, paper, and inkstones…

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