Chapter 7: The Culinary Tycoon

Cooperation

Partnership?

The village chief was taken aback and asked, “You want to partner with me? For what?” Didn’t you already sell me all the blueprints?

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “I have some other blueprints and I want to collaborate with you…”

“Wait!” Yu Qingze’s words were interrupted by Grandpa Chang.

Curious, everyone turned to look at Grandpa Chang.

To their surprise, Grandpa Chang smiled and said, “You continue your conversation. Xiao Le and Xiao Hao, let’s go to the kitchen.” He then led the way towards the kitchen.

Chang Le and Chang Hao didn’t ask why. Although they were curious about Yu Qingze’s blueprints and business, they obediently followed their grandfather to the kitchen. After walking a few steps, Chang Hao ran back and grabbed his writing board. He had already learned the character ‘Chang’ and was currently learning the character ‘Hao’.

Seeing Grandpa Chang’s actions, Yu Qingze and the village chief understood that he was making space for them and avoiding suspicion.

They exchanged glances, and the village chief said, “Young friend, how about we go to my house to discuss? My old house is empty, so we can talk there. Plus, I’ll give you the money for the rice bed blueprint.”

Yu Qingze nodded, “Sure.”

The two of them informed Grandpa Chang and the brothers in the kitchen. Grandpa Chang said it was fine for them to continue their discussion. However, the village chief insisted that his son join as well. Since Grandpa Chang didn’t insist further, he instructed the village chief to have Da Jian send Yu Qingze back later.

The village chief’s house was not far away, but because Yu Qingze couldn’t walk fast, it took them about fifteen minutes to reach there.

The village chief had three sons, and the eldest and second sons were already married. The eldest son had two children, and the second son had a child who was about six months old. The village chief’s mother was still alive, and the whole extended family lived together without splitting up.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Due to the large number of people in the house, although it had four bedrooms and one living room, it was still crowded. Therefore, the village chief and his wife slept in the old house, and the hall of the old house had been transformed into a woodworking workshop.

When Yu Qingze arrived at the door, he saw a young man carrying a baby on his back, feeding another child who was about two or three years old. He hesitated at the door and didn’t go in.

The village chief took out a cloth bag from inside the house and led Yu Qingze through the hall to the back of the old house.

There were two oil lamps lit in the old house, making it bright. The village chief’s three sons were all busy inside, and there were some finished products placed in the back of the house, such as cabinets, tables, chairs, wooden barrels, and wooden basins.

“Da Zhuang, you go out first. I need to discuss something with your brothers,” the village chief said as soon as he entered the house, addressing his third son.

Da Zhuang was a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy. He had gotten into trouble with the cattle yesterday and received a punishment of a spanking. Now he was behaving obediently, so he left the house without hesitation.

While the village chief was tidying up, Yu Qingze took the opportunity to carefully observe the finished product area at the back. Although the styles of these items were simple and traditional, it had to be said that the craftsmanship passed down in the village chief’s family was indeed excellent.

If previously Yu Qingze was only interested in partnering with the village chief to make some quick money based on the village chief’s character, now Yu Qingze has changed his mindset. Perhaps long-term collaboration is also feasible, after all, the craftsmanship is truly excellent.

The village chief closed the door, cleared the table in the middle, asked Yu Qingze to sit down, and called his two sons. The four of them gathered around the table to start the meeting.

The village chief first introduced Yu Qingze, his eldest son Yu Dajian, and his second son Yu Dayong.

Then, the village chief took out a cloth bag containing thirty taels of silver, including a large silver ingot and several silver pieces, as well as many copper coins. He handed it to Yu Qingze and asked him to count it.

“I trust the village chief,” Yu Qingze said with a smile, without counting the money. He casually put the bag aside.

Thirty taels of silver, without even blinking an eye or counting. How impressive! The village chief sighed inwardly. Hearing that Yu Qingze trusted him so much made him feel good.

In reality, the reason why Yu Qingze didn’t count the silver was that he had no idea how to count it!

If it were three silver ingots, it would be easier. He had seen many period dramas, and roughly the size of one ingot would be around ten taels of silver. Copper coins were also easy to calculate, with one tael of silver equivalent to 1,000 copper coins.

The problem was, how should he count those miscellaneous silver pieces of different sizes? Should he count them as half a tael, one tael, or two taels? Or maybe 2.5 taels?

Since he didn’t know, he decided not to count them at all.

Yu Dajian and Yu Dayong, who were next to him, saw the thirty taels of silver being left uncounted and didn’t know what was going on. They exchanged glances, and as the eldest brother, Yu Dajian spoke up, “Father, what’s this about?”

The village chief took out the wooden board with the design of the rice bed and handed it to them, saying, “Yu Dajian, Yu Dayong, take a look at this. It’s called a rice bed, invented by Aze. I think it can make money, so I bought it for thirty taels.”

Buying a piece of paper for thirty taels? Yu Dajian and Yu Dayong curiously took a look at it, while the village chief explained to them.

Yu Dajian had a quick mind and was bold. He quickly recognized the business opportunities and prospects involved and agreed with his father’s decision.

Yu Dayong was more cautious, but since his father had already made an agreement with someone else, he had no choice but to go along with it, especially since his father and brother both agreed.

After finishing the discussion about the rice bed, the village chief brought up the topic of partnering with Yu Qingze in business.

Dajian asked, “I wonder what specific business Big brother Yu is talking about?”

Yu Qingze, 28 years old and six years older than Dajian, was addressed as Big brother Yu, which was correct.

Yu Qingze replied, “A threshing machine that is even more efficient and time-saving than the rice bed.”

The three sons of the village chief were puzzled. Then they realized what he meant and became a bit angry.

If there was a threshing machine that was more efficient and time-saving than the rice bed, why did he sell the rice bed to their family?! Was he playing a joke on them?!

And he still wanted their thirty taels of silver! That was the money they had been saving to build a house!

Indeed, due to the large number of people in the village, the village chief’s family was crowded. In a few years, the third son would also be getting married, and by then, the children would have grown up even more, making the living situation even more difficult. They had been saving money for these years, planning to build another house, preferably two houses. That way, each of the three sons would have their own house, avoiding any favoritism.

The three of them looked at Yu Qingze with a strange look in their eyes. Not to mention the two young men, Dajian and Dayong, even the village chief, who had seen many “big scenes,” couldn’t maintain their composure.

Thirty taels of silver was a significant amount for an ordinary family.

With a stern face, Dayong said, “Big brother Yu, we address you as Big Brother, you shouldn’t deceive us. If there’s something better, then what should we do with the rice bed?”

Exactly. Dajian and the village chief nodded, all looking at Yu Qingze, waiting for his explanation.

“Don’t worry, I would never deceive you. I also plan to live in Niu Tou Village,” Yu Qingze said calmly.

Dajian sensed that there was something else behind his words and asked, “What do you mean, Big brother Yu?”

Yu Qingze no longer played coy and said, “The reason I didn’t mention selling you the threshing machine is, firstly, the craftsmanship is complex. The first machine will require continuous testing, and I estimate it will take at least two to three months to fully make the first one.”

Upon hearing that it would take such a long time, the three members of the village chief’s family grew curious about what the threshing machine would look like.

Yu Qingze continued, “Secondly, even if it is made, I don’t anticipate the sales volume to be very high.”

Dajian pondered for a moment and asked, “Is it because the price is too high?” Complex craftsmanship certainly comes with a higher price.

Yu Qingze nodded. “Yes. Unless several families pool their money together to buy, similar to buying a cow. Let me put it this way, if the rice bed sells for one tael of silver per piece, the threshing machine would sell for at least thirty taels each. And that’s a conservative estimate.”

Thirty taels for one machine!

The three members of the village chief’s family fell silent.

If the threshing machine was priced at thirty taels per unit, although the profit would be substantial, very few families could afford it. Unlike the rice bed, which most ordinary families could manage to buy even with some effort.

Moreover, the crucial point was that the rice bed had simple craftsmanship, and if it sold well, the profit would be considerable.

At this point, they finally believed that Yu Qingze wasn’t trying to deceive them. If they were to buy the threshing machine, but no one would purchase it when they finished making it, then their money would truly go down the drain.

Dajian suddenly asked, “Big brother Yu, can you show us what the threshing machine looks like?”

Yu Qingze smiled. “Once we reach an agreement, I will naturally show it to you.”

The three members of the village chief’s family looked at each other for a moment, and finally, the village chief spoke, “Aze, how would this cooperation work? Let’s hear the specifics of the collaboration.”

Yu Qingze said, “It’s simple. I provide the blueprints, you provide the craftsmanship, and you also cover the cost of materials. I will take a 30% share of the profit.”

The three members of the village chief’s family fell into contemplation.

The threshing machine was being sold at such a high price. Even though it was more efficient and time-saving, its actual usage time was not very long. With the availability of the rice bed, most ordinary farming households would likely choose to work a bit harder rather than buy it. However, its future prospects were indeed enticing. When everyone became more prosperous, they would have the purchasing power for it.

After a while, Dajian asked again, “Big brother Yu, you mentioned earlier that there are other tools as well?”

“Yes. There is another tool for separating chaff from the grain,” Yu Qingze didn’t hide anything and said, “This tool is called a winnowing cart. If the rice bed sells for one tael, this one can be sold for around ten taels of silver per unit.”

The village chief and his two family members were dumbfounded. They couldn’t understand how Yu Qingze came up with so many tools.

Yu Qingze looked at them and added, “The threshing machine and winnowing cart are a bit more complex to make, but once the first one is done, it won’t be difficult anymore. You can consider it carefully, but even if no one buys them, it would still be great to have them for personal use.” Yu Qingze’s greatest desire was to make one and give it to the Chang Le family as a way to repay them for saving his life.

Dajian looked at his father and younger brother and said, “Father, I think it’s feasible.”

This was essentially Yu Qingze giving them a money-making opportunity for free. Moreover, the initial investment only required manpower and wood, and they didn’t need to spend money on blueprints again. The capital required was not significant. If they didn’t seize this opportunity, Yu Qingze could easily find someone else to do it. Besides, Dajian was very interested in the threshing machine and winnowing cart. Even if they didn’t sell well, he was curious about what they would look like and wanted to try making them.

Dayong, on the other hand, was more cautious. “If we do this and that, we won’t have time to make the rice beds.”

That was also a problem. They had already spent money on the blueprints for the rice beds, and they needed to recoup their investment during this autumn harvest. Otherwise, once that time passed, it was certain that others would have already made them.

Seeing the three’s concerns, Yu Qingze wasn’t in a hurry. He asked, “Do you have writing materials at home? I can draw three more variations of the rice bed for you.”

Dajian brought writing materials, and he, his father, and younger brother watched as Yu Qingze quickly drew three different designs of the rice bed. Instantly, their trust in his words increased.

Look at the ideas in this person’s mind!

After finishing the drawings, Yu Qingze handed them to the village chief and stood up, saying, “Village chief, it’s getting late, so I’ll take my leave now. You can think it over. If we reach an agreement, I have many more practical tool blueprints that I can provide to you, ones that ordinary people can afford.”

Yu Qingze paused for a moment and thought about the young man he saw with a child earlier. He continued, “For example, something that makes it easier for adults to take care of children, like a baby carriage or a walker for infants a few months old.”

“A baby carriage?” Dayong’s eyes lit up. His son was six months old and very active. His wife found it challenging to take care of the child while doing farm work. If there was something that could make it easier for them, it would be great.

Yu Qingze nodded. “It can make things much easier for adults and convenient for outings. It should sell well.”

The three of them were very intrigued.

The village chief nodded and said solemnly, “We will discuss it thoroughly tonight and give you an answer tomorrow.”

Yu Qingze replied, “That’s great.”

Leisurely, Yu Qingze cast his fishing line again and, accompanied by Dajian, returned home. He believed that tomorrow he would receive a satisfactory response.

As he touched the thirty taels of silver in his arms, Yu Qingze thought about it. With the startup capital in hand, once his foot and arm healed, he would go to the city to explore and consider reviving his old profession. However, before that, there was an important issue to resolve—the issue of food and lodging in the future.

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