Chapter 57: A Small Fortune

Had they really pulled it off?

Not only had they closed a deal and made money, but they had also established a future partnership. They no longer needed to worry about the sales channels for their river noodles, and they already had a major customer for their unmade sauerkraut.

If Yi Pin Zhai could feature sauerkraut fish, the demand for sauerkraut would likely exceed supply. Then, he could also make other pickled and brined vegetables with several flavors. Once he opened the door to Yi Pin Zhai, he wouldn’t have to worry about sales channels.

“Kid, I really can’t tell what you’re capable of.” Sun Ji reached out and slapped Cao Xiangnan on the shoulder, admiring the man from the bottom of his heart. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have known that Cao Xiangnan had this trick up his sleeve.

Today’s first-hand experience made him even more convinced that following Cao Xiangnan was the right thing to do. Before, he had come more because he trusted his cousin, Sun Bailian, but now he trusted Cao Xiangnan more. The current Cao Xiangnan was very different from the Cao Si Lang he knew, but he couldn’t say exactly what the difference was.

“Hehe.” Cao Xiangnan grinned foolishly. Having made a small fortune, he was in a good mood. “Brother Sun Ji, what do you think of Manager Liu?” he asked.

Seeing that Sun Ji didn’t say anything, Cao Xiangnan told him, “He’s a sly old fox who doesn’t show his cards. We need to be careful when dealing with him in the future; otherwise, we might get tricked.” Who asked them to be delivering themselves to be tricked? Slightly depressing.

Sun Ji expressed his agreement.

“My recipes for those two fish dishes are worth more than that price, but who asked us to be powerless right now! We need to find a powerful backer. Yi Pin Zhai has been here for so long, so it must have a background. We need a backer to gain a foothold in this town. Those recipes can be considered half-sold and half-given away. This business will take time to develop. The road ahead is long, so let’s just treat it as selling a favor.”

He understood so many things because he had been alone and helpless in his previous life. He had to learn everything himself. These were just survival skills.

“We used to be just in Caojia Village. What we saw was Caojia Village. When we came out to Fenshui Town, what we saw was Fenshui Town. But outside Fenshui Town, there are still many places that we haven’t been to and many things that we haven’t seen. Brother Sun Ji, we need to go to farther places in the future to see more things. We’ll take it one step at a time, and we’ll learn many things step by step.” Cao Xiangnan’s eyes were filled with beautiful expectations for the future. Fenshui Town was just a small place; there was a larger world outside.

“Okay.” Sun Ji’s heart also began to look forward to the farther places and more things that Cao Xiangnan spoke of.

Compared to Cao Xiangnan, Sun Ji suddenly realized that he was inferior to this person in many ways. It turned out that he didn’t understand anything. The little bit of cleverness he usually thought he had was useless. At least he couldn’t use his little cleverness to exchange for such a large tael of silver.

In the sunlight, Cao Xiangnan’s smiling face was imprinted in his heart, along with the words he had said. For a long time afterward, Sun Ji remembered the words that Cao Xiangnan had said to him when they walked out of Yi Pin Zhai, and his expression.

“Brother Sun Ji, in the future, I’ll leave these things dealing with others to you. Do you have the confidence to do it well?” Cao Xiangnan stopped walking, leaning on his crutches, and looked at Sun Ji, asking.

“Yes!” Sun Ji took a deep breath and said.

“That’s good. Later, you go and talk to the other restaurants in town, asking them if they want our river noodles. As for Zui Xian Lou, don’t go there,” Cao Xiangnan’s smile never faded. Anyone with money in their pocket would be in a good mood.

“Okay.” Sun Ji looked at the smiling person and followed behind him.

Looking at the person leaning on crutches, walking firmly step by step, he also strengthened his thoughts.

It was almost noon when they returned. People who had been working at the docks for half a day could stop working to have lunch, so more people began to come to their stall to eat.

Cao Xiangnan ordered Cao Dapeng to deliver ten catties of river noodles to Yi Pin Zhai. Manager Liu was interesting enough, ordering ten catties of river noodles from him as soon as the business deal was done. Cao Dapeng carried the ten catties of river noodles and quickly went to the restaurant.

“You’re back.” Qi Wanfeng, who was standing in front of the stall cooking river noodles, turned around and saw the returning people without asking much. Cao Xiangnan acknowledged with an “Mm” and said, “I’ll take over here.” Then, he was responsible for cooking the river noodles, and Qi Wanfeng stood by to assist him.

“Boss, one large bowl of soup river noodles, please.”

“Okay, please sit over there.”

They were prepared today and had set up two more tables in the back. They were well-prepared. There were also two more people to help today, so they could handle the increasing number of people who came.

The business today was even better than yesterday. A large pot of clean radishes was quickly running out, but fortunately, there was still some left in the pot for the people who came later. Today, they had made ten more catties of rice than yesterday. Yi Pin Zhai had ordered ten catties of river noodles at once, so there weren’t many river noodles left at the end.

After the peak period had passed, Cao Xiangnan called Cao Gang over and whispered a few words in his ear. Cao Gang listened and nodded in agreement. Fortunately, there weren’t many customers coming now, so they could manage with two fewer people. He turned around and greeted Qi Wanfeng and the others, and then he left with Cao Gang.

The town had a market that specialized in selling livestock, but it only sold ordinary donkeys, mules, sheep, and the like. The smell inside wasn’t pleasant. Horses had to be bought at a horse market that specialized in selling horses. Horses were more expensive, and ordinary people rarely bought them. The two of them walked from the front market to the horse market.

Cao Xiangnan didn’t know much about buying these things. He knew that Cao Gang did, so he dragged him along.

“Two young masters, are you here to buy horses?” Seeing someone looking at horses, Manager Qian ordered the stable boy to do something and walked over quickly. Most of the people who came to the horse market wanted to buy horses. Ordinary families wouldn’t come to their place to look at horses. He asked, “What kind of horse do you need? I can introduce you to some.”

“How much is this horse?” Cao Gang patted the horse’s butt and asked.

“Fifteen taels of silver is already the lowest price,” Manager Qian quoted a price.

Cao Gang shook his head and said, “Too expensive.”

When he was in Guanwai, he had seen all kinds of good horses. He had even ridden the king of horses. Good horses were worth a thousand gold pieces, and you couldn’t necessarily buy them even if you had money. This kind of ordinary horse wasn’t worth this price. He knew that the price was so high because it had been transported here.

“There’s no way around it. The journey to transport a batch of horses here is so long. Counting the deaths and injuries along the way, the price can’t be too low. Otherwise, young master, give me an approximate price, and I’ll see if there’s a horse that suits your needs.” Seeing that the other party also understood horses, the manager didn’t try to show off. Since the other party wanted to buy, he would try his best to sell.

Cao Gang made a gesture, indicating a price.

Manager Qian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this price, saying, “I have a few old horses here that are half that price. They can’t run too fast, but their stamina is still very good. I just don’t know what you’re buying them for. I’ll take you to see them. If you like them, we can discuss the price.”

“Okay, let’s go take a look,” Cao Xiangnan said.

The two of them followed the manager inside. Cao Gang suddenly stopped and pointed to a horse that was kept separately, asking, “What’s wrong with that horse?”

“Oh, that horse? It refuses to eat and doesn’t allow anyone to approach it. It kicks anyone who gets close. It hasn’t eaten anything for several days. I’m worried about what to do. Young master, if you can get it to listen to you, I’ll give it to you almost for free,” Manager Qian said jokingly.

Cao Gang raised an eyebrow and walked toward the horse that was tied up separately. It was a young stallion, handsome and tall, with nostrils constantly snorting. The look in its eyes showed that it wasn’t good-tempered.

“Brother Cao Gang, are you really planning to?” Cao Xiangnan was glanced at by the horse and worried that it would come over and kick him. Moreover, there were many children at home. They were buying a horse to pull goods; they should buy a gentle one. This kind of horse would be difficult to control.

Cao Gang made a gesture to Cao Xiangnan. Cao Xiangnan understood and fell silent.

Man and horse confronted each other. The big black horse swished its tail, its nostrils puffing out hot air, and its front hooves moving constantly. Cao Gang stood in front of the black horse, staring at it, silently exuding a pressure.

Suddenly, he moved. His movements were quick. He grabbed the rope with one hand and nimbly flipped onto the horse. Cao Gang was on the big black horse. A cloud of dust rose, and Cao Xiangnan, who was watching from behind, couldn’t help swallowing, fearing that the horse would throw Cao Gang off, which wouldn’t be a joke.

“It seems I’ve met an expert today,” Manager Qian sighed, knowing that he would lose money on this deal today.

The one who had been running in a circle came back. Cao Gang nimbly dismounted, tied the reins to the pillar, and reached out to pat the horse’s head. The horse snorted, but it didn’t use its front hooves to kick him.

Manager Qian smiled and shook his head, saying, “Alright, alright, since I promised you, I’ll sell it to you at a loss. I think this beast is destined for you. Besides you, no one else can tame it.”

In the end, they also bought a second-hand carriage from the horse market. Together with the horse, they paid the money. Seeing Manager Qian’s pained expression, Cao Xiangnan knew that Cao Gang had ripped him off.

Cao Gang personally fed the horse grass. After the horse had eaten its fill, he hitched it to the carriage. The two of them got into the carriage and left.

The manager standing behind watched the two people leave, shook his head, and went inside. He was also a horse lover. Rather than let this horse die here, it was better to find it a good owner.