Chapter 141: The Culinary Tycoon

Tactics

“Boss Yu, come, come, you’ve come at the right time. We were just saying that you disappeared again. Old Hu, quickly fill up his cup,” Master Hu shouted as soon as he saw Yu Qingze arrive.

Yu Qingze laughed and took a seat in the spot he was in earlier, saying, “I went to greet the officials and the others. Seeing that everyone enjoys the food, I feel relieved.”

“The dishes you made, even those who don’t usually enjoy them now love them,” Master Hu said with a smile as he poured a glass of wine for Yu Qingze. He continued, “Old Liao has been waiting for you for a while.”

Yu Qingze smiled, raised his glass to toast with Master Liao across the table, and took a drink before sitting back down.

Seeing Master Liao drink without any change in his expression, Yu Qingze couldn’t help but admire him and feel fortunate that it was the ancient times. They only had Baijiu and not beer; otherwise, someone like Master Liao would surely get into trouble.

After chatting casually with the heads of the families for a while, Yu Qingze began to inquire with Master Hu.

“Master Hu, you are familiar with shipping, and I’m not very knowledgeable in this area. I have some questions I’d like to ask you.”

Master Hu peeled a shrimp, dipped it in sauce, and ate it. He said, “What’s the matter? Speak.”

“I want to specially arrange a ship for someone to bring back some ingredients or new crops that Tongshan doesn’t have from various places. They can also bring back flour and raw materials for me. Do you think it’s feasible? How much does it cost to maintain a commercial ship?” Yu Qingze asked directly.

Master Hu looked at Yu Qingze and asked, “Do you want to buy a ship yourself? Or rent one?”

Yu Qingze asked directly, “How much does a seaworthy ship cost? And how much for renting?”

Master Hu said, “Ships come in different sizes, it depends on which one you want to buy. Here, we generally have three sizes. Excluding the ordinary fishing boats, there are three sizes that can go out to sea. There are those that are about three zhang long, five zhang, and eight zhang. Moreover, the price varies depending on the type of wood used for construction, such as fir, pine, and nanmu. Each type has a different price. The lowest would cost around fifty to sixty taels of silver, while the expensive ones can cost four to five hundred taels. Also, if you buy a ship and want to go out to sea, you’ll need a crew. Hiring an experienced helmsman and crew members would also require a considerable amount of money. The expenses for a year are not insignificant. If you’re just buying ingredients for a restaurant, it’s completely unnecessary to buy a ship.”

(T/N: A zhang is equivalent to approximately 3.3 to 3.7 meters or 10 to 12 feet).

“What about renting?” Yu Qingze asked.

Master Hu replied, “Renting is much cheaper. It’s similar to our cargo transportation. It depends on the amount of goods and the distance traveled. Generally, it ranges from ten to twenty taels or even up to a hundred taels. We usually have a fixed route for transporting goods, and one ship may have several customers. Of course, there are also cases where the entire ship is chartered if there’s a large quantity of goods.”

“Oh, I see…” Yu Qingze fell into contemplation.

Master Liao, who was nearby, heard and asked, “What’s the matter, Boss Yu? Thinking of getting a boat for fun?”

Snap out of his thoughts, Yu Qingze smiled and said, “No, it’s just that recently, flour and seafood prices have been rising. I thought about sourcing the raw materials myself. Otherwise, we’re always at the mercy of others. If another situation like Li Xiaoren or Wang Xiaoren arises one day, it would put us in a passive position.”

“In addition, there’s a fellow in our village who runs boats this year. I’ve asked him to bring back some fresh things from the places he goes to in the south and north. The durian, guava, abalone, and squid that I sell in my shop, as well as the tomatoes and eggs we currently have at home, are all brought back by him. They are all excellent products.”

“In Tongshan City, we only have Hongyun dealing with seafood, and they mostly focus on fresh products. Dried goods are scarce, so there’s still a big market for it. This time, the fellow brought back some dried seafood from the south, and I thought it could be an opportunity. That’s why I wanted to ask Master Hu about matters related to shipping. But now it seems that I can’t afford to maintain a commercial ship. It’s too expensive and not cost-effective.”

Yu Qingze sighed helplessly, took a sip of tea, ate a piece of squid, shook his head regretfully, and said, “This squid tastes great and is good for the body. It would be even better with abalone, but we hardly have any here. There are so many things that we don’t have in our area. It’s a pity.”

One of the family heads said, “Many perishable foods are difficult to preserve. Even if we manage to bring them back, they spoil after a few days. It’s unavoidable.”

“Yes, if we want to acquire something, it should be items that are easy to preserve,” another family head added.

Yu Qingze lifted his chin slightly towards the table and smiled, saying, “Well, these dried goods are good. They can be sun-dried and stored for a long time. It’s just that Hongyun doesn’t have many of them. It’s a pity I can’t afford a fleet, otherwise, I would bring back more. But Master Hu, you can do it. Your fleet often travels through various places.”

Master Hu shook his head and said, “You may not be aware, but it’s not that Hongyun brings back a small quantity. They used to bring back more, but no one bought them. It took a long time to sell, so they started bringing back only a small amount each time.”

Yu Qingze had a faint guess in his mind, but he still asked in surprise, “Why?”

Master Hu explained, “We are quite far from the sea here. People here are accustomed to eating fish and shrimp from the river. Many people find the taste of sea fish and shrimp too fishy and heavy. Moreover, they don’t know how to cook them. They only buy them once in a while to try something new. You can tell by the fact that there are only a few seafood stalls in the entire city. If the business was good, there would be more customers.”

Young Master Zhao nodded and said, “That’s true. It’s not only that they don’t know how to cook, but even when my family’s chef brings them back, as someone who loves to eat seafood, I find the taste not good. Not to mention those who don’t care much about seafood in the first place.”

The other family heads also nodded in agreement.

Master Liao suddenly said, “Well, now we have Boss Yu here, who knows how to cook. And Master Hu, you have ships. Why don’t you cooperate?”

Master Hu shook his head and said, “Bringing them back won’t be of any use. How much can House of Prosperity sell? Those who don’t like to eat seafood still won’t buy it, and those who like to eat it don’t know how to cook it and won’t regularly purchase it. Besides, not every household can afford to eat at House of Prosperity.”

Master Liao paused for a moment. It was indeed a practical issue. If they brought the seafood back, they still had to sell it.

Yu Qingze pondered for a moment and said, “I might have a solution to this problem.”

The others looked at him and asked, “What solution?”

Yu Qingze replied, “For those who don’t like to eat seafood, I’ll make them enjoy it. For those who don’t know how to cook, I can publicly teach them one or two simple recipes so that they can make it at home. Will that solve the problem?”

Young Master Zhao immediately applauded and said, “That’s a great idea. When will you teach? I’ll have my family’s chef come and learn immediately.”

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Young Master Zhao, you’re too eager.”

Master Liao chimed in, “But that does solve the problem. Once everyone knows how to cook and develops a taste for it, you won’t have to worry about not finding buyers for the seafood.”

Master Hu thought for a moment and asked Yu Qingze, “What method do you plan to use to make everyone fall in love with eating seafood?”

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Seafood has many ways of preparation, and we people from Tongshan love spicy food. There’s a cooking style that is particularly suitable and spreads rapidly, called Tie Ban Shao. This dish can be made with squid, scallops, shrimp, as well as chicken legs, wings, and breasts. Vegetables like mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and cilantro can also be included. Oh, and Tie Ban Shao tofu is also delicious. It can be considered a type of snack.”

As he spoke, Yu Qingze sighed and said, “Ah, I had thought about opening such a place before, but at that time, we didn’t have squid, and I didn’t have enough capital and energy to pursue it.”

(T/N: “铁板烧” (tiě bǎn shāo) is a Chinese term that refers to a style of cooking where food is prepared on a hot iron plate or griddle. It is often associated with Japanese teppanyaki, which is a similar style of cooking where ingredients like meat, seafood, and vegetables are grilled on a flat iron plate in front of diners.

There were so many possibilities, and Young Master Zhao felt impressed just listening to it. “You can open a restaurant like that now.”

Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “I don’t have enough energy. The assistant managing my snack shop has been trained for a long time, and I trust him. As for the restaurant, I haven’t been able to train any apprentices yet. I don’t have enough energy to open another shop. I can’t handle it alone. Unless I find someone to collaborate with.”

“Do you find Tie Ban Shao complicated?” Young Master Zhao asked.

Yu Qingze replied, “It’s not complicated. It’s actually quite easy to learn. I can teach someone in just a couple of days. But the problem is that I don’t have enough staff here. I need someone trustworthy to manage the operations.”

“And let me tell you, this food business is definitely profitable, especially because the prices are affordable, even for ordinary people. If more people start eating it, we can quickly introduce items like squid, scallops, and shrimp. Wouldn’t that be great?”

Upon hearing this, the group became intrigued.

Yu Qingze took a sip of tea, looked at the expressions of the family heads, and felt the need to further ignite their interest. He set down his teacup and continued, “This type of food is not affected by seasons. You can simply eat these foods skewered on bamboo sticks. It doesn’t matter if there are no tables and chairs. It’s perfectly fine to eat while walking. We have so many merchants in Tongshan, and the population is large. There will definitely be many customers.”

Master Liao, one of the family heads, sighed and said, “You’ve got me interested with what you’re saying.”

The other two family heads nodded in agreement.

Seeing their reactions, Yu Qingze’s eyes lit up, and he asked, “Are you all interested?”

One of the family heads replied, “You make it sound so profitable, and those foods sound delicious. How can we not be interested?”

“Exactly. Boss Yu, are you intentionally trying to tempt us?” another family head chimed in.

Yu Qingze laughed heartily and said, “Oh, not at all. I initially wanted to talk to Master Hu about the ship and thought about getting flour and seafood for myself. It just so happened that our conversation reminded me of my past desire to open such a restaurant.”

Yu’s Delicious Delights specializes in dim sum, while House of Prosperity is a restaurant targeting relatively well-off families. However, in Tongshan, there are still many ordinary households. The market potential in this area is significant and needs to be properly developed.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Moreover, after the previous price surge incident, Yu Qingze deeply realized the importance of controlling the source of raw materials. He knew very well that he couldn’t afford to own a commercial ship on his own, but the Hu family did. If he could collaborate with them, it would be convenient.

Furthermore, if he formed an alliance with the Hu and Zhao families, creating a community of shared interests, in the future, if he encountered a situation like what happened with Jia Xiaoren, he could seek their help. Even if he didn’t ask, they might proactively come to his aid.

“But honestly, I really want to open such a restaurant. The amount of money to invest isn’t much of a concern. I’m just worried about the lack of seafood and someone to help manage the shop. Otherwise, I would have opened it long ago. If the family heads are interested, we can partner up and open a restaurant together, fulfilling my desire.” Yu Qingze sighed and said.

Master Hu thought for a moment and said, “We can give it a try.”

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