Chapter 66

Madam Lu assumed that the young lady in front of her was unwilling to sell the recipe, and she didn’t insist. Even if they partnered to make grape wine, it wouldn’t be a large-scale operation initially, adding only about ten to twenty thousand taels of silver annually. Madam Lu didn’t need that extra money. She thought it was fine if the young lady didn’t want to sell the recipe, as she wasn’t the type to force a sale.

However, if the young lady was willing, Madam Lu could provide the space and manpower next year, allowing the young lady to make more grape wine, benefiting both of them.

Ultimately, it was up to the young lady to decide.

The following year, Madam Lu and the young lady did indeed partner to make grape wine. They bought land in a nearby village and built a workshop. The wine-making process required shaded areas, and once the workers started picking and washing the grapes and sealing the jars, the young lady didn’t hide the process from them. The method seemed too simple, so some workers tried to make the wine secretly. However, the wine they produced was either too sweet, too sour, astringent, or just plain, never matching the young lady’s wine.

Madam Lu then realized that it wasn’t that the young lady was unwilling to sell the recipe, but that others couldn’t replicate the taste even with the same recipe. Madam Lu later dealt with the workers who tried to make the wine secretly. These events were in the future. At that moment, Madam Lu was still waiting for the young lady’s response.

For Xu Qinyu, making money was always a good thing. She readily agreed and discussed the details with Madam Lu, such as building the workshop, arranging manpower, and dividing the profits from the wine.

Innkeeper Zhou, Cheng Ge’er, and Xu Feng had no chance to speak and could only sit quietly and wait.

Innkeeper Zhou realized that despite her young age, Young Lady Xu could handle things independently, had excellent culinary skills, and was confident in business discussions with Madam Lu.

Even Madam Lu was surprised. Although the young lady was only in her teens, she discussed business more skillfully than many family heads, considering every aspect thoroughly.

In the end, they agreed that Xu Qinyu wouldn’t handle the workshop or manpower. She would only need to manage the ratio of grapes to sugar, the timing for sealing the jars, and the first fermentation.

Even the cost of the wine jars and bottles, as well as the sugar, would be covered by Madam Lu.

In summary, Xu Qinyu would only need to oversee the ratio of grapes to sugar and determine the timing for the second fermentation.

The grape wine would be sold to Madam Lu at one tael of silver per jin. Madam Lu would handle the distribution, destinations, and pricing.

After half an hour of discussion, Madam Lu smiled and said, “I never expected a young lady like you to be so eloquent and able to discuss business with me so confidently. And I even agreed!”

Madam Lu initially thought she would provide the workshop and manpower, while Xu Qinyu would cover the cost of the wine jars, bottles, and sugar, selling the wine at the same price. However, the result was that Xu Qinyu only needed to provide her expertise without any financial investment.

Xu Qinyu smiled and said, “Even though I don’t need to invest any money, I assure you that I will only make this wine with you and no one else. Moreover, even if others try to imitate the wine, they won’t be able to match the taste, so you won’t lose out.”

Madam Lu laughed and said, “Then let’s write up the contract.”

In reality, after deducting all costs and labor, Madam Lu would earn more by selling the wine in wealthy areas, but it would require a lot of effort, including hiring escorts for transportation.

As a businesswoman, she naturally wanted to maximize profits, but she was convinced by the young lady in front of her.

To be honest, Xu Qinyu would benefit the most from this deal, as she wouldn’t have to worry about anything.

Madam Lu had a maid bring paper and pen to write the contract. The contract specified that Xu Qinyu would only make the wine with Madam Lu, and the taste of the wine must meet Madam Lu’s satisfaction. If the taste changed, Madam Lu could demand compensation.

After signing the contract, Madam Lu smiled and said, “It’s getting late. Would you, Innkeeper Zhou, and the two young men like to stay for dinner?”

Xu Qinyu smiled and replied, “After discussing such a big business deal, I should be the one treating you, Madam Lu. Unfortunately, I need to return to Yuanbao Town today. Otherwise, the gates will close, and I have to open the restaurant early tomorrow.”

Realizing Xu Qinyu’s culinary skills, Madam Lu was surprised to learn she also ran a restaurant. She remarked, “I didn’t expect such a young lady to run a restaurant. Truly impressive.”

Xu Qinyu thanked Innkeeper Zhou for introducing her to Madam Lu and mentioned that she would give him a commission for the two thousand bottles of wine, which amounted to about eighty taels of silver. Innkeeper Zhou declined, saying that Xu Qinyu teaching his son to cook was already a great favor.

After leaving Madam Lu’s residence, Xu Qinyu shared some cooking tips with Zhou Daqing before returning to Yuanbao Town with Cheng Ge’er and Xu Feng.

The next day, when the person Madam Lu sent to Yuanbao Town to pick up the wine arrived, Xu’s Food Mansion was bustling with customers. The man was in his thirties, tall and well-built, with a dignified appearance and narrow, long eyes. He wasn’t very talkative.

Cheng Ge’er received him and learned that his name was Zhen Wu. He was the leader of Madam Lu’s merchant team, known for his stern demeanor.

Zhen Wu first loaded the wine from Xu’s Food Mansion onto the carriage. Cheng Ge’er said, “There are two more batches in Osmanthus Alley. One batch needs eight more days of fermentation before it can be opened. I’ll show you which one it is when we go to pick it up. Just keep it for another eight days after you return.”

Zhen Wu handed Cheng Ge’er a silver note worth two thousand taels, which Cheng Ge’er took to the kitchen to give to Xu Qinyu. Xu Qinyu then instructed him to lead the team to Osmanthus Alley to move the wine.

The merchant team consisted of about seven or eight people. As they moved the wine, one of them couldn’t help but say, “Boss, we haven’t had breakfast yet, and Xu’s Food Mansion’s breakfast smells so good. Why don’t we eat here?”

Zhen Wu glanced at the queue of customers and said, “Let’s move the wine first and find another place to eat later.”

Cheng Ge’er couldn’t do much as it was the busiest time, with many customers holding number cards. Taking food from the kitchen for them wasn’t feasible, as their large appetites would consume half of the prepared food, making other customers wait too long.

The men scratched their heads, wanting to say more, but Zhen Wu had already gotten on the carriage and left.

The others had no choice but to follow. They weren’t interested in other restaurants or food stalls; they just found Xu’s Food Mansion breakfast too tempting and wanted to try it. However, with so many customers and their Boss urging them to leave, they had to follow.

Cheng Ge’er led them to Osmanthus Alley, where they loaded the wine stored at the Pei and Wen families’ places onto the carriage. Zhen Wu then took the team back to Raozhou City.

Upon seeing Zhen Wu, Madam Lu opened a bottle of wine for him to taste. Zhen Wu directly drank the wine from the white porcelain bottle.

Madam Lu sighed, “You’re like a bull chewing on peonies.”

Zhen Wu replied, “It’s a sweet and sour taste, just the way you like it.” He preferred strong liquor, but the person he liked was delicate and refined.

Madam Lu couldn’t help but look at him and finally sighed, “Why do you do this?”

Back when she was with the Shi family, Shi Ling’s death had nothing to do with her. Even though she was willing to live with Shi Ling afterward, she never shared a room with him again. She hadn’t forgiven him and didn’t know what to do next, so she stayed with the Shi family to figure things out. Unexpectedly, Shi Ling died in an accident within six months while on a business trip.

Shi Ling had managed the merchant team, and after his death, the Shi family wanted to take over the business.

As a woman, even though she was the daughter of Duke Lu, she couldn’t compete with the Shi family, especially with the Duke’s residence being over a thousand miles away. If it weren’t for Zhen Wu’s help, the Shi family wouldn’t have returned her dowry and would have driven her away.

Zhen Wu, two or three years younger than her, had significant influence in the merchant team. He led those willing to follow him and helped her reclaim her dowry and most of Shi Ling’s business. The merchant team split, with half following Zhen Wu and the rest staying with the Shi family. Zhen Wu devised a plan that caused conflicts of interest between the Shi family and the remaining team members, leading to the team’s departure from the Shi family. The Shi family lost both the team and the business, and with Zhen Wu’s covert pressure, they left Raozhou City, allowing her to live peacefully.

Madam Lu had always known Zhen Wu’s feelings for her, even before Shi Ling’s death and before she knew Shi Ling’s true character.

When she was pregnant, she met Zhen Wu, who looked at her like a wolf.

Later, Zhen Wu helped her, and she followed him.

Over the years, Zhen Wu managed the merchant team and business, with all the earnings under her name.

Zhen Wu had been with her for over ten years, never marrying or taking concubines, only having her. She had suggested they part ways and let him remarry, as she couldn’t have children due to complications from childbirth and didn’t want to remarry. But Zhen Wu never responded, only looking at her deeply and leaving in anger. He couldn’t stay angry for more than two days and eventually came back to her, even trying to coax her.

Thinking about this, Madam Lu couldn’t help but feel soft-hearted. She naturally had feelings for Zhen Wu and knew that no matter how many times she told him, he probably wouldn’t marry or have children. So be it; as long as he was willing, she would accompany him for the rest of her life.

Madam Lu pulled the tall, burly man to sit down and then sat on his lap. His anger subsided a bit as he held her.

Madam Lu asked him about his trip to Yuanbao Town and Young Lady Xu. She mentioned that she had opened a restaurant and wondered if he had tasted her cooking.

She thought that Zhen Wu and his team would have arrived in Yuanbao Town just in time for breakfast and could have eaten at Miss Xu’s restaurant.

Zhen Wu shook his head, “The young lady’s restaurant is very popular, with a queue at the door, so we didn’t get to taste her cooking, but it smelled very good.”

Madam Lu was a bit surprised. It seemed that Young Lady Xu was quite capable, running a restaurant at such a young age and daring to discuss business with her. She wondered which family had raised such a talented girl.

Madam Lu then told Zhen Wu about her plans to partner with Young Lady Xu to make wine. They would likely need to buy land and build a workshop near Yuanbao Town after the New Year, and she asked him to keep an eye on things.

Zhen Wu nodded, assuring her not to worry.

…

Xu Qinyu was busy at the restaurant until the evening. She counted the silver notes, which totaled exactly two thousand taels, and stored them in her chest. She took out a few dozen taels to reward Cheng Ge’er and the others.

Although the wine had earned two thousand taels, the cost of the wine jars, bottles, and sugar was about five hundred taels, meaning she had made a profit of fifteen hundred taels of silver from the wine this summer, equivalent to over two months’ income from the restaurant.

In fact, Cheng Ge’er and Gong Ge’er had done most of the work for the wine-making, so everyone received a reward.

The next day, Xu Qinyu went to the eatery and called the children over. She told them that they had made a good profit from brewing wine this time, and since everyone had contributed, each person would receive a red envelope.

Cheng Ge’er, Gong Ge’er, and Xu Feng, the three boys who had worked the hardest, were the main force in picking grapes on the mountain. Each of them received ten taels of silver.

Next was Luo Daniu, who, although not as strong as the three boys, was diligent and quick in her work. She did most of the washing and drying of the grapes, so she received eight taels of silver as a reward.

Xu Tiao received six taels.

Being too young, Xu Yu and Xu Shun received four taels each.

Even the youngest, Luo Erniu, received one tael of silver as she had helped wash the grapes.

Xu Qinyu had promised these red envelopes beforehand, so everyone happily accepted them with rosy cheeks.

Luo Daniu and Luo Erniu wanted to give their rewards to Madam Lin to repay the thirty taels of silver owed to the Luo family.

Madam Lin refused, telling her daughters to keep the money they had earned themselves. She advised them to save it for their own use or for future needs.

Madam Lin felt that giving five hundred wen to the Luo family each month was sufficient. She feared that if they gave the nine taels of silver all at once, Old Madam Luo might become greedy and come up with more schemes to harm Xu’s Food Mansion.

Luo Daniu and Luo Erniu then saved their money.

Luo Daniu, being a few years older than Erniu, had her own ideas. She no longer just thought about playing and eating. She wanted to learn pastry-making from Young Lady Xu, hoping she would accept her as an apprentice if she were diligent and smart. If she learned how to make pastries, she hoped to either stay at Xu’s Food Mansion as a pastry chef or open her own pastry stall to support her mother and sister.

Erniu’s thoughts were simpler. She wanted to buy pretty hair ribbons and silk flowers for herself and her sister, as they didn’t have any.

Having been little beggars for several years and having suffered enough, Xu Feng and the others cherished the opportunity to meet such a good master as Xu Qinyu. They all saved their red envelopes.

…

Time passed quickly, and as autumn turned to winter, Xu Feng led the others to buy two sets of winter clothes. Besides the red envelopes from their master, they now received a monthly wage of one hundred wen.

A few days ago, they had just apprenticed themselves to Young Lady Xu, along with Daniu. Now, all five of them were Xu Qinyu’s apprentices.

Xu Qinyu was willing to take them as apprentices because they genuinely wanted to learn culinary skills. Daniu and Xu Tiao had some talent for cooking. Daniu was good at making pastries, while Xu Tiao was sensitive to smells. The others were also willing to learn and work with her.

Being a cook doesn’t necessarily require talent. As long as one is diligent and willing to learn and practice, one can make delicious food.

So, a month ago, Xu Qinyu decided to take them all as apprentices.

Xu Feng and the other three still live in the small storage room at the eatery. Xu Qinyu hired a carpenter to make a bunk bed to save space, and it’s enough for them to live in. Now, they have their own wages and recently received red envelopes from the grape wine profits, which is enough for them to buy things for themselves.

Xu’s Food Mansion business has always been good. In early summer, Xu Ji helped disaster victims and received praise from Magistrate Yang. Even though some eateries and restaurants were jealous of Xu’s Food Mansion business, they didn’t dare play any tricks against Xu’s Food Mansion, fearing they might end up like Ping’an Eatery or be investigated by Magistrate Yang. So, even if some people envied Xu’s Food Mansion’s business, it has been able to operate steadily for the past six months.

The weather in the southwest has been normal this year. Unlike last year, when it started snowing heavily in early winter, this year, it’s just the beginning of winter, and they’ve only started wearing thin jackets. It hasn’t snowed yet. In another month, there will be a few snowfalls, then the New Year will come, and after that, spring will arrive, and the weather will warm up.

Time passed leisurely, and another month went by.

Xu Qinyu didn’t have much free time because Xu’s Food Mansion was too busy. She didn’t have time to think about Fourth Brother. When she came back at night, she would wash up and go straight to sleep. Even during her two days off each month, she mostly spent her time sleeping. But occasionally, she would still worry about Fourth Brother.

Fourth Brother had been away on business for almost a year. He left after the New Year when spring began, and now, with another month to go before the New Year, he still hadn’t returned.

Saying she wasn’t worried would be a lie. Generally, business trips within the provinces of the Great Sheng Dynasty took two to three months. Even if it was to other countries on land, it would take four to five months, at most half a year. But Fourth Brother had been gone for almost a year without sending a single letter.

Sometimes, even Xu Qinyu couldn’t help but worry if Fourth Brother had died outside.

It’s not unreasonable for her to think this way, as she had never heard of anyone being away on business for almost a year without any news.

Even Madam Wen was so worried about Fourth Brother that she fell ill a few days ago. Fortunately, it wasn’t serious, and she recovered after taking some medicine. Xu Qinyu asked her to rest for half a month and invited Cheng Ge’er’s mother, Madam Meng, to be the manager at the eatery for half a month to help with the accounts.

Madam Meng had always been at home. Her husband was a businessman, and Cheng Ge’er and Gong Ge’er received wages every month. Additionally, Cheng Ge’er’s sister, Tao Jie’er, now helps Ning Jie’er make bags, and Ning Jie’er pays her a monthly wage. So, Madam Meng didn’t lack money and just took care of things at home with Madam Bai.

The Wen family’s third household has now purchased the courtyard they had been renting, and their days are prosperous.

In the past few days, Madam Wen rested for seven or eight days but couldn’t stay idle and returned to the eatery to continue helping.

However, it was clear that Madam Wen still missed her son.

It wasn’t that Pei Weixuan didn’t want to return; even he hadn’t anticipated how vast, magnificent, and perilous the sea would be.

Since the journey began, they encountered four major storms. Three times, he was able to find islands by observing the weather and took shelter there. Once, even though he predicted bad weather, they couldn’t find an island. That time, the entire crew almost perished. The large ship was like a small leaf on the sea, battered by the storm and waves, but fortunately, they survived.

Later, they really did encounter other countries. The people there had golden hair, green eyes, and deep-set features. They were also very curious to see them.

Pei Weixuan found what he was looking for there.

Huo Ye looked at the baskets of crops and other seeds of fruits and vegetables he had never seen before and couldn’t believe that His Highness had taken them on such a perilous journey just to find some crops. But His Highness said they were of great use, so Huo Ye followed his orders, though he couldn’t understand what great use these crops could have.

Having obtained what he wanted, Pei Weixuan decided not to continue forward and wanted to return. But it was already winter, and they could only stay in the foreign country for two months, waiting for spring to return to Great Sheng.

Xu Qinyu never expected that her casual mention to Fourth Brother about high-yield crops from the future, which could provide surplus grain and prevent famine victims from starving during disasters, would lead him to actually set sail.

The ships here were different from those in the future, slow and driven only by sails. Going to sea was fraught with danger.

She didn’t know where Pei Weixuan was at that moment, but that night, the sky was dark, and it began to snow.

They went to bed early, but in the middle of the night, there was a sudden loud knocking on the door, waking the Pei family.

Madam Wen thought it was Xuan Ge’er returning and hurriedly opened the courtyard door, only to find it wasn’t Pei Weixuan.