Joe's Farming

The shopkeeper of Fu Man Lou came for three days in a row, but Qiao Yu refused to give in. Until Lao Ma also waited by the stall.

Old Ma is always tactful and waits quietly for Qiao Yu to close the stall.

After collecting all the food, Qiao Yu asked Lao Ma, "Brother Ma, why didn't you ask the servant to come over today? Do you have something to talk to me about?" Ever since Lao Ma brought back the braised dishes for the first time, he would send his servant to buy them every few days.

Old Ma waved his hand and said with a smile, "The young master invited me today. I wonder if Brother Qiao is free?"

Qiao Yu followed Lao Ma in front of the shopkeeper of Fumanlou. Wen Ge'er went to wait outside the town first.

Qiao Yu followed Lao Ma to a restaurant, and saw the three big characters of Yipinxuan. Although he had never been there, he knew that this restaurant, like Fumanlou, was a well-known restaurant in the town. The signature dish was Zui Xiang Chicken, which Gu Feng had bought for him. It was indeed delicious, but too expensive at 800 Wen per chicken. He was a little reluctant to part with it, so he asked Gu Feng to buy it directly from the village whenever he wanted to eat chicken, and he could stew, roast or fry it himself, and it was delicious anyway.

Old Ma took Qiao Yu to the private room on the second floor, where a handsome young man, about fifteen or sixteen years old, was already sitting. The table was filled with delicious dishes, with the Drunken Chicken in the center.

When Mr. Xu saw someone coming, he stood up quickly. He was very thin, not much taller than Qiao Yu, but very elegant. He smiled at Qiao Yu first. Qiao Yu thought that if this man were alive in the present world, he would definitely be the most popular gentleman in the entertainment industry.

Xu Yuan bowed to Qiao Yu and introduced himself, "Hello, Boss Qiao, I'm Xu Yuan. I'm the young master of Yipinxuan. I asked you to come here today to ask if you can sell your braised food recipe to Yipinxuan?"

Xu Yuan is good-looking and has a pleasant voice, which makes people feel like spring breeze.

Qiao Yu did not keep the secret and said bluntly: "I wonder how much Mr. Xu is willing to offer? If it is suitable, I will consider it."

Xu Yuan didn't expect Qiao Yu to be so straightforward. He knew that Qiao Yu's current income basically came from braised dishes.

Xu Yuan poured a cup of tea for Qiao Yu and said slowly, "Boss Qiao, can you tell me how much is your daily net profit now?"

Qiao Yu took a sip of tea. Even though he didn't know much about tea, he could tell it tasted good. He didn't want to keep Xu Yuan in suspense: "At least two taels."

Xu Yuan was secretly shocked. He had observed Qiao Yu's stall from afar and could earn so much in less than two hours a day. He originally planned to buy the recipe for two hundred taels, but now he thought that he couldn't get it. Yipinxuan's customers were more than a small stall could match. If Yipinxuan sold it, it could earn ten taels a day.

Qiao Yu was a little surprised when he saw Xu Yuan suddenly stop. Did he say too much? So he asked, "Mr. Xu, if you don't believe me, you can ask Brother Ma. He buys things frequently and should be able to calculate the approximate cost."

Xu Yuan smiled bitterly: "Boss Qiao misunderstood. I just felt that the money I originally prepared was not enough. But if it is too much, I am afraid my father will not agree."

Qiao Yu smiled and asked, "How much has Master Xu prepared?"

Xu Yuan said ashamedly: "Two hundred taels. I know it's a little too little, but it's just a prescription, so I can only offer this price."

When Qiao Yu heard this, he felt that it was not as reliable as the fifty taels from Fu Man Lou: "Okay. But there are a few conditions. I wonder if Master Xu can agree to them?"

Xu Yuan's eyes lit up: "Boss Qiao, just tell me, as long as I can do it."

"First, this recipe can only be used in Yipinxuan and cannot be sold to other people or other restaurants. Second, my family and I can get a 50% discount on Zui Xiang Chicken from now on." Qiao Yu said seriously.

Xu Yuan laughed: "Haha, OK! I promise you."

Qiao Yu then happily started to eat the food. Xu Yuan asked someone to bring paper and pen. Qiao Yu checked and confirmed that there was no problem. He also added that he would have to pay ten times the silver for breach of contract, and then he signed his name and put his handprint on it. Xu Yuan then asked someone to send it to the government for stamping, and then he accompanied Qiao Yu for dinner.

Qiao Yu didn't eat much to begin with, and Xu Yuan, a sickly man, ate very little too. In the end, Xu Yuan packed up all the food that he had barely touched for Qiao Yu, gave him the lunch box, and sent Qiao Yu out of the city in a carriage.

"Ask someone to buy all the spices first, and I'll send you another seasoning tomorrow. I'll go to Yipinxuan to find you after I finish setting up my stall tomorrow." Qiao Yu said to Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan nodded: "Thank you, Boss Qiao."

Qiao Yu felt that Xu Yuan was too polite, so he said, "Just call me Brother Qiao, no need to call me you, that's too polite."

Xu Yuan finally revealed a bit of the boyish temperament that suited his age, and said shyly: "Okay, Brother Qiao."

Qiao Yu continued, "Since you are going to start selling braised dishes, I will not open my stall. But I may have to open it for another three days to let old customers know that they can go to Yipinxuan to buy braised dishes in the future. Half of my customers will make reservations in advance, and then I will have them delivered to their homes. I will not give these customers to you. I will sell until they no longer need them."

Xu Yuan affirmed: "This is natural."

"I don't recommend you to set the price too high. I have a good profit. You can add some expensive ingredients and sell it at a higher price. You can also sell it with your wine, or make it into a platter and set a higher price." Qiao Yu wanted to say that the braised duck was also good, but thought it would be better to leave some room for himself and let them figure it out on their own.

Xu Yuan also agreed and told Qiao Yu a lot of his own ideas. Qiao Yu expressed his opinions one by one, and the two had a great conversation. They felt sorry for not meeting each other earlier, and finally they became brothers. Because Qiao Yu was a little older, Xu Yuan just called Qiao Yu "Brother Qiao".

Qiao Yu thought that Xu Di or Yuan Di were too corny, so she just called him Xu Yuan.

After Xu Yuan sent the person there, he remembered the autumn pear paste that he had not bought before, so he asked for ten cans. This time he charged 100 coins per can. It was exactly one liang.

Qiao Yu didn't even take the money, and said generously: "You already called me brother, so this is a meeting gift. I'll send it to you tomorrow."

Xu Yuan was happy to acknowledge a brother and did not hesitate: "Then I will wait for Brother Qiao at Yipinxuan tomorrow." Then Xu Yuan nodded to Wen Ge'er as a greeting before lowering the curtain and going home.

Lin Da recognized the carriage and asked Qiao Yu, "Mr. Gu, is this the young master of the Xu family?"

Qiao Yu nodded and said proudly: "He's handsome, right? I just recognized him as my brother."

When Wen Ge'er heard this, he was surprised and asked, "Aren't you afraid that Brother Gu will be jealous?"

Qiao Yu was puzzled: "If Brother Gu knew him, he would probably like him. He is good-looking and polite, but a little thin."

Lin Da interrupted at the right time and said, "This young master is a sickly person. A fortune teller said earlier that he would not live past the age of 18. The Xu family is in great pain. He seldom goes out."

Qiao Yu originally thought that Xu Yuan just had a weak immune system and it wasn't a serious illness, but now she felt that it was a bit serious. She was so scared that she asked Lin Da what the specific illness was. Lin Da didn't know, and he only said that what he heard was not true, anyway, it was said that he needed to stay in bed for two or three days to rest.

Qiao Yu spent almost an hour with Xu Yuan today and felt that he was just a little weak, but it didn't seem like he had an incurable disease.

Wen Ge'er comforted him, "Don't believe all rumors. Don't you remember how the village spread rumors about Brother Gu?"

Qiao Yu was deeply touched and stopped thinking about it.