Su Muqing smiled and nodded, pointing at the ice in the wooden basin and asking, "What if we placed large blocks of ice all around the restaurant? Do you think anyone would still come in to eat then?"
"Ice? Large blocks? All around?" Qi Xingjie pointed at the entire restaurant and then gestured, asking three consecutive questions.
"Yes! Large blocks! All around!" Su Muqing smiled and answered his questions one by one, not saying much more as she saw his exaggerated movements.
Shopkeeper Tu glanced at Su Muqing, feeling that her smile held a hidden meaning. However, he still shook his head and offered his opinion sincerely.
"Placing ice blocks is indeed a way to attract customers, but ice is quite expensive in this summer!"
Shopkeeper Tu had one thing left unsaid: the price of a large block of ice might be equivalent to two hot pot meals. Anyone with common sense could see that this was clearly a losing business...
It was known that even the town mayor's family and the young master Qi could only afford to buy a few pieces to store and chip off a little to quench their thirst during this scorching summer.
For common folk like them, ice was a treasure they dared not even dream of!
If, as Su Muqing suggested, the entire restaurant were filled with ice, the cost would be astronomical. Shopkeeper Tu secretly shook his head; he dared not even think of the figure.
Seeing the disappointment in Shopkeeper Tu's eyes, Su Muqing's smile remained unchanged. Under their gazes, she slowly said, "What if I told you I can make ice?"
As Su Muqing's words fell, both men were stunned for a moment. Then, Qi Xingjie shot up from his seat, his eyes burning with a brilliance that was almost painful.
"You say you can make ice? You can actually make ice? Aren't you a doctor? This is a good business! Since you can make ice, why bother opening a restaurant? It's tiring and doesn't make money!"
Shopkeeper Tu's eyes also shone brightly, but he lacked the confidence to speak to Su Muqing like the young master. However, in his heart, he agreed. If it were between selling ice and running a hot pot restaurant, the former would undoubtedly bring more and faster profits.
Many wealthy families had to pay exorbitant prices for ice during the summer, but the supply was always limited, and priority was given to those in power. Often, money alone couldn't secure a purchase.
Su Muqing had considered selling ice before, but her thoughts had changed. The method of making ice with saltpeter was actually quite simple, and she hoped to spread this method so that everyone could afford ice.
Everyone shared the same sun, and everyone knew how unpleasant the heat felt. Her reason for wanting to do this was to make it affordable for ordinary people.
In fact, this method was no longer a secret. Especially in the Heavenly Radiance Kingdom, which faced the sea on three sides and had summer for most of the year, almost every household knew how to make ice.
People in the Great Xia Dynasty were also generally aware of this method. However, due to the ongoing war with the Great Yu Dynasty, Great Xia was essentially a place one could enter but not leave. Therefore, this method had not yet been widely disseminated.
Under their eager and expectant gazes, Su Muqing shook her head firmly. "I don't want to make money selling ice. The higher the price of ice is driven up, the less affordable it becomes for ordinary people. My idea is for everyone to learn how to make ice, so that when summer arrives, even those living at the bottom can use ice to cool down."
As she spoke, Shopkeeper Tu and Qi Xingjie's faces were initially filled with shock and disbelief, followed by a surge of warmth and embarrassment.
They never expected that this petite young gentleman would have such grand ideas. Not only was he unmoved by the highly profitable business of selling ice, but he also intended to teach everyone the method of ice making, solely so that ordinary people could use ice!
Their gazes towards Su Muqing shifted from admiration for her exceptional medical skills to profound respect. They looked at her as if she were a remarkable great person.
"Although ice is highly profitable, it is not a sustainable business. Once the method spreads from elsewhere, it will immediately become worthless. But opening a restaurant or a hot pot shop is different. I am the only one in the world with this hot pot broth base, and the ingredients and recipe are all in my hands. Even if others try to imitate it, they can only replicate about forty to fifty percent."
Qi Xingjie now saw a shining halo above Su Muqing's head. Without waiting for Shopkeeper Tu to make a decision, he quickly said, "Young Master Su, I want to open a hot pot restaurant with you! Shopkeeper Tu, what do you say? If you're a man, be decisive and stop being so wishy-washy. I say we go all out, open three to five branches everywhere, and steal their business!"
Listening to the ruffian-like tone in Qi Xingjie's voice, Su Muqing's lips twitched involuntarily. She wanted to open a hot pot restaurant, not a black market den selling human-meat buns. Why did this person talk as if they were a group of bandits plotting a nefarious deed!
Shopkeeper Tu hesitated for a moment, then slammed his palm onto the table and said with determination, "Thank you both for your trust! I'm in!"
Looking at Shopkeeper Tu's heroic expression, as if he were heading to his doom, Su Muqing wondered if she had found the wrong people. One seemed like a bandit about to raid a village, and the other like someone about to charge into battle. Both were incredibly dramatic!
"Since Shopkeeper Tu agrees, I'll give you some drawings. You can take these to the blacksmith to have copper pots made, and also prepare enough small stoves. As for the restaurant's decor, I will inform someone to deliver the necessary materials. Then, after we've finished our tasks, we can discuss it further." Su Muqing said, taking out several drawings of copper pots and鸳鸯 (mandarin duck) pots from her sleeve and handing them to the two.
She then gave Leng Ren a look and took out a specially modified small stove from their luggage, leaving it for the two.
This small stove was hollow. The middle section was for placing charcoal. At the very top, there was a metal plate with an adjustable switch, designed after modern dry pot stoves.
When customers ate, if the heat was too high, they could move the metal plate to cover part of the fire, and then uncover it when needed.