Li Ping'an looked up and saw a two-story building in front of him. The plaque at the door said "Juwei Pavilion".
Over the past few days, he has often gone to Dr. Zhu to learn how to read. Not only did he recognize the characters that have surpassed wealth, but he also understood the meaning of the characters. Doctor Zhu was amazed and called him a monster. He also regretted that Li Ping'an was not born in a wealthy family. If you had enlightened earlier, you might be a little prodigy now.
He wiped his sweat, straightened his clothes, and walked in with a smile on his face without being timid at all.
A waiter came up to him, smiling and looking very energetic. As soon as he finished greeting, Li Ping'an asked straight to the point: "Brother, is the shopkeeper here? I want to discuss a deal with the shopkeeper."
The waiter was stunned for a moment, then came back to his senses and said, "The shopkeeper is delayed because of something. He will be here late. The guest might as well sit down and wait."
Li Pingan sat down nearby, and the waiter quickly brought tea. He did not hesitate because of the rough clothes of Li Pingan and the others. Li Pingan felt warm in his heart and felt respected.
The time now is early in the morning, which is about between nine and ten o'clock. There are not many customers in the store, only two tables. During the two quarters of an hour that Li Ping'an was waiting, two more tables of customers came in one after another. When he thought that the middle-aged man with a big belly who walked in before him was also a guest, he saw the waiter who greeted them approaching and whispering in a low voice.
Li Pingan knew that this middle-aged man was the shopkeeper of Juwei Pavilion.
As expected, after listening to the clerk's report, the middle-aged man's plump face put on a smile and walked towards Li Ping'an, "My surname is Zhan. I heard from the clerk that the little brother wants to negotiate a deal with me?"
Obviously the waiter had just told him that among the three of them, Li Ping'an, a humble young man, was the one who made the decision, so when shopkeeper Zhan spoke, he was staring at Li Ping'an.
Li Pingan stood up and bowed his hands in salute, "Hello, shopkeeper Zhan. My surname is Li and my first name is Pingan. I really want to discuss a deal with shopkeeper Zhan today."
"Looking at the accent, my little brother is not a local, right?"
"Yes, I just escaped from famine not long ago, and now I have settled in Zhutao Village. There are too many places to spend money. I just had some free time and made some food that we don't have in Mingxia County. I wanted to get some from Shopkeeper Zhan. money."
Shopkeeper Zhan nodded slightly, glanced at the tightly covered wooden barrel at the foot of Zhang Xiaoshan with interest, and asked Li Ping'an and the other three to follow him.
Went up to the second floor and entered a private room. Shopkeeper Zhan asked what the food was before he sat down.
Li Ping'an quickly opened the lid of the wooden barrel, and then opened the covering filter cloth, "Shopkeeper, please look, this is the food we made. I call it jelly. It is not only refreshing and chewy, but also cool and refreshing. Shopkeeper, you might as well Ask the waiter to bring you bowls and chopsticks, and taste it yourself. Oh, by the way, it will taste even better if it is poured with syrup."
It's so black. Are you sure it's edible?
Shopkeeper Zhan hesitated, "This should be a dessert, right?"
Li Ping'an nodded and said: "Yes, it is indeed a dessert, but it is indeed a fresh food. At present, it is only available here."
After a pause, he said bluntly: "I guess Shopkeeper Zhan's restaurant hasn't introduced new dishes for a long time, right?"
"Huh?" Shopkeeper Zhan twitched his brows, "How did the little brother know?"
"It's very simple. There is only one restaurant in Mingxia County, Juweige. Those restaurants are not as good as restaurants. People of certain status should look down on those restaurants and food stalls. Shopkeeper Zhan, don't worry about not having any customers." , so I won’t be too obsessed with introducing new dishes.”
Shopkeeper Zhan couldn't help but take a high look at Li Ping'an. He originally thought he was an ordinary refugee fleeing the disaster based on his clothes, but he didn't expect that he was a little clever.
"Wait a moment, I'll have someone bring me bowls and chopsticks. I'll talk about it after I've tasted this jelly." Shopkeeper Zhan shouted out the door, and a waiter walked in. It was the waiter who had just served Li Ping'an. , "Fu Yun, go get me a set of dishes and chopsticks, and ask the kitchen to boil some syrup."
Fuyun exited in response, and soon returned. Shopkeeper Zhan filled a small bowl, hesitated for a few times, put the dark jelly into his mouth, tasted it carefully, nodded and praised: " It is indeed as you said, little brother, it is refreshing and chewy, with a refreshing taste. This deal is worth discussing. I wonder how the little brother plans to sell it to us?"
Finally getting to the point, Li Ping'an looked serious, "I plan to supply to restaurants for a long time. Shopkeeper, although the jelly tastes cool, it is not only suitable for eating in the hot summer. It can also be eaten when the weather gets cooler. Add a spoonful of warm noodles. The hot syrup also has a unique flavor.”
Shopkeeper Zhan had a different opinion, "Can't I sell my son?"
Li Ping'an shook his head, "Sorry, I have no plans to sell my son for the time being."
"That's a pity..." Shopkeeper Zhan sighed. If Li Ping'an hadn't been staring into his eyes, he might have thought that there was nothing to talk about. Sure enough, the next moment, Shopkeeper Zhan asked about the confession. The price of the goods.
Li Ping'an readily made an offer: "The minimum purchase price is five kilograms, two cents per kilogram."
One pound of rice can be ground to produce more than two pounds of rice pulp. Generally, one pound of jelly grass requires more than one pound of rice pulp. The amount of jelly produced depends on the gelatin of the jellygrass. Grass with good gelatin can produce about 20 kilograms. The average gelatin weighs about ten kilograms.
Li Ping'an asked Li Yinshan when he was on the road. Polished rice in Mingxia County sold for eighty cents per dou, which was rounded up to seven cents per catty. Putting aside the jelly grass that grows naturally and costs no money, a pound of rice was beaten. Rice milk can make almost twenty kilograms of jelly, which means that the cost of twenty kilograms of jelly is about seven cents.
If shopkeeper Zhan had no objection, Li Ping'an would still be able to earn three cents from the minimum purchase price of only five kilograms. It may seem like a small amount, but it’s so difficult to earn a penny these days. I went to the dock to carry bags all day, and after going through the big stewards and the little stewards to pump water, I only got 20 cents, and I didn’t care about eating!
For shopkeeper Zhan, the price is not unacceptable, and for a mere two cents per pound, he can make the decision himself without having to report it to his employer. But he still lowered the price out of habit. Seeing that Li Ping'an was refusing to let go of the price, he retreated and asked whether it would be cheaper to buy more. If the total amount could be lowered, it would be regarded as lowering the unit price.
This time Li Ping'an relented quickly, but the specific amount depends mainly on how much shopkeeper Zhan wants. The more he wants, the greater the discount. For example, if shopkeeper Zhan wants fifty kilograms at a time, he can give him a discount. 15% off.
At this time, Fuyun brought the syrup. Shopkeeper Zhan was full of praise after tasting the syrup. He ate a few bowls before stopping and said, "Don't sell the rest in your bucket, I'll buy them all." , I just happened to send it to my boss."
I heard that the old lady at my boss's house has not had much appetite recently, so I sent her some fresh food. If the old lady eats a few mouthfuls, my boss will be happy and will reward her. If the old lady still has no appetite, it's no big deal. She has done her best and the boss will see it and won't treat her badly.
He was making money anyway, and he could help this little brother who was running away from famine, so why not do it.
