TATSD Chapter 82

“The old man has such a large business; why would he need to partner with me?” Ji Wei said with a bitter smile. He was so overwhelmed with his own problems that the supply of goods in his shop was dwindling every day, while the number of customers kept increasing. He was focused solely on resolving this issue and hadn’t even thought about expanding the business.

You can’t become a big success overnight; it’s too hasty to expect to run before you can walk, especially when the business is just starting.

“Ah, you misspoke,” Elder Zhang replied, tapping his cane. “Doing business is like rowing upstream; if you don’t advance, you’ll fall back. If you become complacent, it won’t be long before others will take away the foundation I’ve built. By then, it will be too late to try and catch up.”

“My son Mingyuan loves to read, but he has no interest in business. If I don’t work hard, I’m afraid that after I’m gone, this business won’t even be enough for him to squander.”

“Zhang Xucai is diligent and won’t act that way.”

Elder Zhang stroked his chin confidently and smiled. “You must be worried about your insufficient supply, Ji Xiaoyou. Have you managed to find a new source of milk yet?”

“Indeed, good news seldom travels far, but bad news spreads like wildfire. Even you know about my troubles.”

Holding a stack of books was a bit tiring for him, so Elder Zhang kindly invited Ji Wei to rest at the stone table in the corner of the garden. “I only heard about it because an old friend mentioned it when we met. As for why I’m saying this, of course, I have my reasons.”

“It’s a good thing for young people to have skills, abilities, and drive. But you’ve accomplished in just a few months what others take ten years to achieve, which is rather hasty and lacks depth. If you could spend a year or two securing your sources and hiring enough staff, I believe several towns nearby would be yours for the taking.” Elder Zhang’s words were not exaggerated; he was older, experienced, and had made his fortune in business, so he saw this.

Once he understood Ji Wei’s difficulties, he realized where the problem lay, enabling him to target Ji Wei’s pain points when discussing terms.

“As for our Zhang family, we may lack in other areas, but our connections are among the best. If we spread the word, we won’t have trouble finding strong workers. We also have branches in major towns nearby. If you’re willing, within a month, I can help you make your products popular in ten towns, and then you’ll earn profits a hundredfold compared to today!”

Ji Wei sighed, reluctantly admitting that Elder Zhang had sharp insights that hit the nail on the head.

In just a few words, he had clearly articulated the difficulties Ji Wei faced. Yet even though Ji Wei recognized the problems, finding a solution was far from easy.

Take the search for a new milk source, for instance. Ji Wei had been running around trying to find one but to no avail. Compared to that, not having enough staff wasn’t as big of a problem.

Elder Zhang must have had some plans in mind when he said this.

“What conditions do you have in mind?” Ji Wei asked.

“I can provide you access to our Zhang family’s connections, shop, and manpower, but you need to let the Zhang family participate in the cake-making process. Afterward, we can split the earnings four to six, with you getting four and me six,” Elder Zhang said with a smile, his demeanor calm. However, the glint in his eyes added immense pressure on Ji Wei.

“So, you’re suggesting that you’ll trade manpower, resources, and financial support for my secret recipe?” Ji Wei grasped Elder Zhang’s intentions, and the unsettling feeling within him dissipated. He returned to his usual calm demeanor.

“What do you think, Ji Xiaoyou?”

Ji Wei shook his head. “The secret of the recipe lies in its exclusivity. This is my foundation, so I cannot share it with you, Elder Zhang.”

Seeing Elder Zhang’s expression, Ji Wei quickly added, “Actually, our collaboration during the Mid-Autumn Festival to sell mooncakes went quite smoothly. If you think it went well, we can continue that way. However, this time, let the Zhang family handle the procurement, while I hire staff to make the cakes and deliver them to your various pastry shops for sale. We can still do six for you and four for me; it’s worth a try.”

Most of the ingredients for pastries include milk, sugar, and fine white flour, and none of them are particularly cheap.

If everything is sourced by the Zhang family, the profits would drop by thirty percent. This means that out of the sixty percent, the Zhang family would earn a maximum of thirty percent.

With the Zhang family handling the logistics, and putting in time and effort, they would only receive that measly thirty percent. If Elder Zhang wasn’t interested in Ji Wei’s secret recipe, there probably wouldn’t even be a negotiation.

The secret recipe is precious, and only those with discerning eyes can recognize its value.

“Hmm…” Elder Zhang lowered his gaze, focusing on the intricate natural patterns of the stone table, quickly calculating in his mind.

No matter how talented Ji Wei was, this “delicious flavor” had only emerged in the last two months.

In a remote town, many people had still never heard of or tasted it. In the short term, it wouldn’t yield significant profits. However, if this product became widely known, the profits could multiply by dozens, then it would truly be a big deal.

According to Elder Zhang, this process would take at least six months.

That meant he had to prepare himself for a period during which he wouldn’t earn much…

“How much revenue have you generated since February?” Elder Zhang inquired.

Ji Wei calculated quickly in his head. “It’s only just over four hundred at most.”

Elder Zhang nodded instinctively, praising, “Four hundred isn’t too bad—wait, did you say four hundred taels!?” He suddenly realized, losing his composure and becoming somewhat tongue-tied.

“About that; there might be some discrepancies, but did you think it was too little?” Ji Wei felt a twinge of regret; ever since they ran out of the packaging for mooncake gift boxes, he had stopped taking orders and producing Cantonese mooncakes.

First, the Mid-Autumn Festival had passed, and the prices for mooncake gift boxes had become excessively high, saturating the market.

Secondly, the production was too labor-intensive. With the current focus on snow-skin mooncakes, donuts, and croissants, he was already overwhelmed, and if he added Cantonese mooncakes, it would be difficult to keep the little shop running.

Just from the Cantonese mooncakes alone, Ji Wei had earned nearly two hundred taels.

Along with the bustling business on North Street these days, bringing in over ten taels daily, when considering the previous fillings and ice skin mooncakes, he had already surpassed the four hundred tael mark.

Not calculating this was one thing, but when he did, he was genuinely shocked.

However, while he was merely surprised, Elder Zhang was stunned into silence.

He thought it was too little. How was that possible!?

It should be noted that the Zhang family’s business was large. Aside from the rice shop, they had Zhang pastry and grocery stores in major towns within Qingcheng and the county, yet even so, they only earned about eight or nine hundred taels a month.

As for Ji Wei? Just a few months ago, he was a small-time thug on the street, collecting protection money. Now, in the blink of an eye, he has become a business prodigy, even surpassing this old man. How could that not leave Elder Zhang stunned and speechless?

“Elder?” Ji Wei called out again.

“No need to say more; I agree!” Elder Zhang’s heart raced, but he tried to maintain a calm facade. He looked at Ji Wei and couldn’t help but sigh, “It’s a pity you’re not a Zhang!”

“Hmm?” Ji Wei thought he must have misheard.

“If you were a member of my Zhang family, even a distant relative, I would have to snatch you up.” Elder Zhang chuckled, getting up from the stone bench and stretching lazily. “What bad luck this is.”

“I’m a bit tired; it’s time for me to go back and rest.”

As he turned to leave, Ji Wei still hadn’t heard how Elder Zhang planned to solve the milk supply issue. Panicked, he called out to him, “What about the milk?”

“Don’t worry, in Baisha Town and Baishui Town, there are cattle and sheep farmers who have more than Zhao Qiang’s flock. It should be enough for you for now. But if you want to solve this issue completely, we should consider raising our livestock. That way, we can reduce costs and minimize unnecessary labor waste.”

“That’s probably going to take quite a bit of time,” Ji Wei said. Raising cattle and sheep is labor-intensive, and without Zhang’s help, he wouldn’t be able to manage it alone.

“Let’s first resolve your current problem. We can discuss raising livestock later.”

Although the conversation with Elder Zhang was just a verbal agreement, it significantly relieved Ji Wei’s stress.

Holding a stack of books, he returned to the shop on North Street, where he explained a few things to Zhao Hu. Just as he was about to leave, Zhao Hu stopped him.

“You can’t leave! You’re not allowed to go!” Zhao Hu grabbed Ji Wei’s arm and shoved the cake order book at him. “This is your rule: you need to arrange an order every day. You said you were just going home to take a bath and rest, but you didn’t wash up, didn’t make any cakes, and now you’re saying you’re leaving this afternoon? No way! That’s not happening!”

Ji Wei sighed, feeling like he was shooting himself in the foot. He compromised, “I’ll make the cakes first, then I’ll leave. That’s acceptable, right?”

Zhao Hu furrowed his brow, but when he saw the stack of books, his expression relaxed. “Are you planning to go to Daxi Town to find Xiao Liu?”

Before Ji Wei could respond, Zhao Hu nodded repeatedly and clapped his big hand on Ji Wei’s shoulder. “If my mom finds out, she’ll be thrilled!”

“What does that have to do with your mom?”

“My mom treats Xiao Liu like her own son! She dotes on him more than on me, her own child. He’s been at the county school for ten days now, and she’s been worried sick. She even said she wanted to go to Daxi Town to see him. If I hadn’t stopped her, she would have hired a carriage to go see you.”

Zhao Hu was pleased, reaching out to pat Ji Wei again, but he dodged him.

“I was going to mention this to you, but I completely forgot.”

“If it weren’t for Zhao Qiang’s sheep drying up, I would have gone already. I didn’t need you to remind me!” Ji Wei huffed. “By the way, have you found that donkey I asked you to help me pick out? It’s not convenient to keep borrowing the ox cart from Sister Lin.”

“The donkey was bought with my mom’s help; it’s being kept in my yard. You should have told me earlier, and I would have brought it over.”

“Alright, I’ll go make the cakes, and you run over and bring the donkey back for me.”

With time passing quickly, Ji Wei didn’t want to delay any longer.

Fortunately, he only had to make a basic whipped cream cake today, which involved whipping cream, baking chiffon, and decorating it.

However, he wanted to bring a gift to Liu Yimian.

Making one cake is fine, but making two is just as easy. He decided to make a six-inch cake filled with ripe peaches and topped with diced peaches. He packaged it in a small box tied with a pink ribbon and grabbed a snack package prepared especially for Liu Yimian. He hopped onto the small donkey that Zhao Hu had brought for him and headed toward Daxi Town.

As he left Changliu Town, Ji Wei was deep in thought, wishing he had wings to fly straight to Liu Yimian. He wanted to check if the boy was hungry, thin, or even sick.

But as the donkey trotted along, he gradually became more anxious, feeling thirsty and dizzy. When he finally dismounted, his legs felt weak, and he nearly collapsed onto the ground.

Fortunately, he held on tight, but he accidentally startled the donkey, which blew hot breath flecked with saliva all over him.

Ji Wei left the donkey at the school’s stable and walked down the road, one hand carrying a cake and the other holding a snack package. His rugged looks, mismatched with the scholarly environment, caught the attention of many passersby, some of whom turned to snicker at him. This made Ji Wei feel a little confused and anxious.

As he neared the schoolhouse, his steps became slower.

Ji Wei glanced around and noticed that the door to the Green Bamboo dormitory was tightly shut, seeming unoccupied. He felt relieved.

He chose an empty table to sit at, but just as he was about to wait, he heard a familiar shout coming from afar. Startled, Ji Wei shifted awkwardly in his seat and nearly fell over, feeling dizzy and momentarily forgetting to respond.

Liu Yimian, seeing this, abandoned the three people he was with and sprinted to Ji Wei. He squatted down and hugged one of Ji Wei’s arms tightly to his chest, both excited and worried as he said, “Ji Ge, are you alright?”

Ji Wei looked at him and just shook his head, unable to speak.

“It’s good if you’re okay. It’s good,” Liu Yimian murmured, staring at Ji Wei without blinking, and tears suddenly fell from his eyes.

“Why are you crying?” Ji Wei was still processing what had happened and felt a bit dazed, instinctively reaching out to wipe away the tears rolling down Liu Yimian’s cheeks.

Liu Yimian bit his lip, instinctively wanting to lean closer but feeling shy at the same time, so he awkwardly turned his face away and softly argued, “I’m just too happy; I didn’t react in time. I’m not crying.”

Despite his words, tears quickly welled up in his eyes again.

Ji Wei chuckled, “Alright, you’re not crying at all.”