A letter, along with a large jar of kimchi and Qi Zhenzhen's request, was sent to the capital with all haste.
Cui Ping Town was not far from the capital, and it took only half a day to reach it by fast horse.
The goods were presented to Qian Yuanbao shortly after noon.
After reading the letter, Qian Yuanbao curled his lips. The other party had quite ambitious ideas. A mere side dish, it would be fortunate to occupy a place in the general store, yet they wanted a monopoly. Setting aside whether they had such an appetite, was the dish even qualified?
Qian Yuanbao could understand Manager Lin's intentions. A new official always wanted to make bold moves and demonstrate their capabilities.
"Tell Manager Lin that if he's willing to sell, he can sell. If not, then so be it. We'll just pay a small penalty for breach of contract," Qian Yuanbao said nonchalantly. "Also, tell Manager Lin that there are plenty of things that want to enter our general store, so there's no need to be so timid."
The messenger, thinking of his manager's instructions, mustered his courage and said, "Master, the manager said that although this dish looks unremarkable, it is absolutely unforgettable once tasted. He asked me to give the menu to the chef by your side, so the chef can make it for you to try. This dish can not only be served as a side dish but can also be sold in restaurants. To be honest, the manager left half of the kimchi fried rice, and I ate it. It was indeed delicious."
Qian Yuanbao was also a foodie, but this kimchi looked ordinary, failing to catch his eye. Yet, the messenger and Manager Lin praised it so much. Perhaps he should try it?
He called for the chef and handed him the kimchi along with the recipe. In less than fifteen minutes, a small dish served separately, stir-fried pork with kimchi, and kimchi fried rice with pork were placed before Qian Yuanbao. Each portion was not large, but it looked exquisite and more appetizing.
Qian Yuanbao, with his usual nonchalant demeanor, took a bite of the side dish.
The messenger and the chef watched intently as Qian Yuanbao devoured everything.
It was indeed delicious, so delicious that he almost bit his tongue.
He never expected such an ordinary-looking side dish to be so flavorful.
Qian Yuanbao began to reconsider the matter mentioned in Manager Lin's letter. He no longer thought the other party was ignorant but rather that good things should be treated as such. After quickly calculating the costs, he realized it would only benefit the general store. Therefore, it was best to agree to the other party's request.
The messenger left happily, carrying Qian Yuanbao's reply and a reward.
A day later, Manager Lin personally visited to finalize the deal.
Qi Zhenzhen personally drew a logo: a set of adorable, Q-version pandas hugging and gnawing on a large cabbage, with the characters "Yun Ji" subtly hidden within the illustration.
Manager Lin felt that even if they didn't sell the kimchi, just having this illustration fired onto the white porcelain jars would attract a lot of attention.
The previously agreed-upon contract was extended. Initially for one year, it was now increased to five years, after which the cooperation between the two parties would be decided based on circumstances.
The daily consumption of kimchi increased from four hundred jin to eight hundred jin, as the general store not only sold it but also supplied it to restaurants.
Calculating it, Qi Zhenzhen's daily income was over one tael, and this was temporary. Manager Lin was contacting the managers of general stores in various regions, and the volume would increase significantly.
Eight hundred jin per store, and with so many general stores across Da Feng, even if this business only lasted for one season, it would be a considerable income.
Madam Yu also helped find five more women, and with Madam Yu, a total of eleven people were working. Li Shan and his wife also came to help in the afternoon. Even so, they could barely complete the eight hundred jin. Including the amount Li Shan and his wife needed to sell, they had to make one thousand jin of kimchi daily, consuming an uncountable amount of cabbage.
Fortunately, Manager Lin was there, otherwise, even the supply of cabbage would have been insufficient.
The Qi family's carts and horses were constantly coming and going, appearing quite prosperous. When one became prosperous, envious people would emerge.
Everyone knew that the Qi family's girl was not to be trifled with, so no one dared to provoke them. Instead, they instigated some of the older villagers, even the village head respected these elders. The Qi family were people of Xinghua Village. Since the Qi family's business was making money, there was no reason for others to just watch enviously.
Therefore, the current scene unfolded—
Several old men in Xinghua Village, all in their seventies and eighties, with white hair and beards, sat in the main hall of the Qi family's house, earnestly persuading:
"Qi family girl, you can't forget your roots just because you've become rich. You know how our village has treated you and your mother. You must help out, mustn't you?"
"If it weren't for the people of our village protecting you and your mother, would you have such good fortune?"
"Manager Lin of the North-South General Store, who is he? He's someone who has seen the world. The fact that he lowered himself to discuss business and trade with you is because of our village's reputation."
Over and over, they reiterated that the entire Xinghua Village had been kind to the Qi family's mother and daughter, and they could not forget this kindness or hoard all the profits. When they made money, they should share it with everyone.
Qi Zhenzhen was amused to the point of anger. The people of Xinghua Village had been kind to them? For the past three years, they had had little contact with the villagers. It was only in recent years that they had started interacting a bit more. The village head's family had been kind to them, Li Shan's family was friendly with them, and the Zhang brothers protected them. What about the others?
Madam Yu had rushed home to call her father-in-law. Only then did Village Head Song realize that the villagers had done something foolish.
"What are you doing, what are you doing?" Village Head Song, holding his pipe, pointed at the people behind him. "The elders are old and should be enjoying their retirement. You juniors are not at home serving them properly, but instigating them to come out. The roads are slippery in the snow. If anything happens, who will take responsibility?"
He immediately shifted the blame to the younger generation. He knew those old men well; they were muddled all day and couldn't think of so many things.
These people hadn't expected Village Head Song to come. To their surprise, he even reprimanded them.
Qi Zhenzhen invited Village Head Song to sit down and cleared her throat. "I understand what you all mean, but I want to ask, on what grounds?"
Scanning the group who had come to cause trouble, Qi Zhenzhen spoke slowly, "The recipe for kimchi is an heirloom of my Qi family. Why should it be distributed to you just because it's making money? You keep saying you've been kind to our family. Why don't you list it out one by one and see if I, Qi Zhenzhen, am truly ungrateful and indifferent to your kindness!"
After speaking, she crossed her arms and looked at them with a half-smile.
"Qi family girl, you can't say that. You live in our village, so you are part of the village. How can you bear to eat and drink well while the villagers watch from the sidelines? Besides, you think you don't owe the village anything by living here. Don't you think about it? You are a widow with children. If you didn't have the village to rely on, do you really think you could be so comfortable? It's not just the people in our village who are eyeing your business!"