So Xu Ran began to prepare to buy chestnuts. They would buy raw chestnuts in the village, asking villagers to pick chestnuts, peel the shells and then sell to Xu Ran. They would also buy from the nearby villages if they didn't get enough in their own village.
Villagers probably would not deny this opportunity to earn some extra money for their families.
Xu Ran asked Liu Tong to invite Wu Mei and the other two families over and shared his idea with them. Wu Mei agreed immediately. No one would reject extra money; besides, it was not a difficult job.
Xu Ran also said it would be enough that each family sent one family member for this job. Wu Mei and others went to the town to buy chestnuts and Liu Tong stayed in their village. Xu Ran would cover the cost in advance.
The tools to roast chestnuts was pretty simple-one wok, one spatula, some firewood and sand, plus some oil paper to wrap chestnuts, not very complicated. Xu Ran trained them at home several times and they had all learned this skill.
Before knowing if it was a good business, they had taken many chestnuts picked by Xu Ran from the hill to sell. Xu Ran had put a lot of efforts on this, filling his pack basket with a lot of peeled chestnuts.
On the first day, Xu An and other men found somewhere to place the wok in the town, then left leaving their spouses to do the business in the way they liked.
Wu Mei had been always bold and after the first batch of chestnuts were done, he started to hawk his wares, "Roast chestnuts, hot tasty chestnuts, don't miss when passing. Come to have a look!"
The hawking was also taught by Xu Ran, no matter it was coarse or not, as long as it worked. Besides, according to Xu Ran's instruction, Wu Mei also offered some free chestnuts for customers, so people could taste before they bought.
This stuff was surely new here, and no one had done that before. It was not bad to hold the warm chestnuts in hands especially in such a cold weather. The cost of roast chestnuts was not high and the price for customers was quite favorable so many people came to buy a pack of chestnuts.
Wu Mei was in charge of hawking and collecting money. Wu Lan and Liu Qing were on the roast and pack work, splitting the work clearly and wasting no time. They sold out all the chestnuts in the pack packet in only one morning.
There were still guests who came back to buy some more when they were putting their stall away. Wu Mei answered with a smile, "Today all sold out. Please come back tomorrow! We will still be here then."
The customer was also very easygoing and said, "Okay. If I come late tomorrow, you must keep some more for me."
Surely Wu Mei agreed.
In the morning, Xu An and other men came by the ox cart and walked out, leaving the ox cart to their wives. Wu Mei, Wu Lan, and Liu Qing loaded everything into the ox cart and drove back to Xu Village. They arrived at Xu Ran's first with the ox cart. Wu Mei shouted as soon as he walked into the room, "Are you there, Husband, Xu Ran, Liu Tong? Come out, come out, all are sold out, all are sold out!"
Several people who had been conversing in the room rushed out after hearing Wu Mei's words. They were both taken aback when they saw Wu Mei's empty pack basket. "I wasn't expecting such good business." Xu Ran said.
"Yes! Yes! There were even customers would like us to reserve chestnuts for them tomorrow before we left. Xu Ran, go get some more chestnuts in the village. What if we have nothing to sell tomorrow?" Speaking of this, Wu Mei was kind of worried.
Xu Ran waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about this. We have already prepared all the tools. We are going to buy chestnuts later. You can go back and have a rest first. You must be very tired today."
"No, not at all. " Making so much money, the three Ge'ers all agreed that they could sell chestnuts for another half day.
Xu Ran stopped him decisively, "More haste, less speed. Don't always think about making money. Leave the rest things to us! Just send your children here. As for you, go back and need no worry!
Xu Ran winked at Xu An and the others as he spoke, suggesting that they should return home with their spouses. After ordering everyone to leave, Xu Ran reached for the tools on the table and began hawking them around the village with a swarm of children.
Xu Ran was carrying a brass gong borrowed from the village chief. This item was normally only brought out when anything major occurred in the village. It took a long time for Xu Ran to obtain permission from the village chief to borrow the gong. Xu Ran was striking the gong while he was walking, hawking, "Buy chestnuts, five pence for half kilo of peeled chestnuts! No matter how many you have, I will take all!"
With Xu Ran's hawking, the kids began to hawk as well. All in the village, from the far end to the far end, heard it. When they returned, some people started to question whether or not it was valid, where their chestnuts could be sent, and whether or not it was paid in cash or in some other way.
Every question was answered by Xu Ran. There were still some chestnuts on the ground when he arrived home. Liu Tong weighed the chestnuts on the site before inspecting them and paying the sellers brass coins. Others simply followed the lead set by the leaders. Furthermore, several families who did not have chestnuts immediately went out to the hill with their backpacks.
Xu Ran not only hawked in Xu Village, but he also rode the ox cart to nearby villages to hawk. To buy chestnuts, Xu Ran had to go to the village himself. He went to a nearby village and left some money with the village head, asking him to help him keep the chestnuts for the time being, and he would come to pick them up every afternoon.
The village chief wasn't stupid, and he was happy to lead his villagers to make more money, so he smiled and agreed. Xu Ran didn't take it for granted, either, and gave the village chief what he deserved. There were already more than 50 kilos of chestnuts when Xu Ran tested after arriving home late at night.
Xu Ran's plan didn't call for him to only sell fried chestnuts, which was his current main source of income. He intended to sell them to Mr. Chen because they could be used in a number of dishes, including chestnut rice, chestnut soup, and chestnut pastries. In reality, the restaurant needed many well-known pastries to attract customers!
With this plan in mind, Xu Ran arrived in town the next day with Wu Mei and others. With half a basket of chestnuts on his back, he went straight to Mr. Chen's restaurant. Mr. Chen had formed a favorable opinion of Xu Ran because every time Xu Ran visited, he provided him with opportunities to earn money. He believed that this time would be no exception. Of course, Xu Ran was warmly received by Mr. Chen.
As the chestnuts in the basket were covered, Mr. Chen didn't know what was inside. He was curious and asked in a hurry, "What have you brought to me this time? Is it still chili paste? "
"No, Mr. Chen, but they're no worse than chili paste. I think the customers to your restaurant for dinner may have been tired of chili paste, so I'm here to give them a change this time. "
"What is it? Take it out and let me look at it?" asked Mr. Chen. He couldn't wait to see the result.
Xu Ran looked around and found that there were many people coming in and out of the restaurant, so he suggested, "Mr. Chen, we'd better find a room to have a good talk about it! "
Mr. Chen was well aware of Xu Ran's personality. Mr. Chen did not resist and instantly took Xu Ran to the second floor, assuming he had anything important to discuss with him because he said so.
On the second floor, Mr. Chen had his own room. As soon as Xu Ran was led into the room, he sat his back basket down and addressed Mr. Chen directly, "Mr. Chen, these are chestnuts. I think you also know this stuff. It can be mixed in rice, can be used to make soup, can be made into dishes, and can be made into pastries as well. Do you like them?"
'Yes, definitely!' When hearing Xu Ran say that this stuff could be made into dishes, Mr. Chen had already been moved, let alone the fact that it could be made into pastries.
"Xu Ran, just tell me directly! How much shall I pay to get all these including your recipe for it?"
Mr. Chen was also not a moron. He was well aware that Xu Ran's motivation for taking this to his own restaurant was to make money, and that no one would hesitate to buy it.
"Mr. Chen is really a smart man. Now let's see if my proposal is feasible. From now on, I will offer you chestnuts at the price of 10 pence half a kilo. In addition, I will sell you my complete set of three secret recipes. You only need to pay me 200 taels of silver for all of them. "
"Two hundred taels of silver? Xu Ran, you're not very kind! Let's say 150! You sell them all to me."
"Don't worry, Mr. Chen. First you can have your servants go to the stalls selling fried chestnuts to buy some back to taste. You'll find out if it's worth two hundred taels of silver. The secret recipe for fried chestnuts is also from me."
Mr. Chen didn't hesitate when he heard this. He went outside, summoned a servant, and gave him money to go out and buy some chestnuts on the street. Even though the fried chestnuts had only been on the market for a day, everybody in the neighborhood knew about them. The servant had always been well-informed, so he knew them as well, and he dashed out to get some fried chestnuts.
Xu Ran requested that Mr. Chen prepare some paper and a writing brush for him at this time, and he started writing down the secret recipes, the most important of which was the secret recipe for cooking chestnut rice, which Xu Ran noted. People should remember to add some oil and salt to their chestnut rice, as well as some lean meat. In this way, when the chestnut rice was ready, it was fragrant and powdery, very delicious.
Of course, it was also good to cook chestnuts directly with rice without oil and salt.
As for the ways of making chestnut roast chicken and chestnut chicken soup, they were simple, just remembering to add chestnuts when making them.
Last but not least, there was the method for making chestnut pastries. This restaurant's chef was much superior to him in the kitchen. What Xu Ran needed to do was write down exactly how to incorporate chestnuts into the pastries-making process.
The servant bought back the fried chestnuts after Xu Ran finished writing the secret recipes, and they were still warm. Mr. Chen took a chestnut and sampled it, declaring it to be delicious. Mr. Chen figured the company was worth it even though he invested another 50 taels of silver, looking at the paper full of writing in Xu Ran's hand. Moreover, the chestnuts would be kept in supply in the future. He could save a lot of effort.
Mr. Chen made a decision right away and said, "You said you'd supply me with chestnuts in the future, Xu Ran. In addition, for these secrets, I'll pay you two hundred taels of silver. However, you will be unable to give them to anyone other than your immediate family in the future."
Xu Ran nodded, "Of course I'll keep my promise."
He then drew his basket over to me and said, "I'll give you these chestnuts today, Mr. Chen. You give them to the chef to try first. If they don't sell, I'll refund your money when I return the next day."
"All right. You are indeed a trustworthy man. Ha ha." Mr. Chen laughed happily. He immediately settled Xu Ran's account and instructed the workers to deliver the chestnuts to the kitchen. And, with ease, Xu Ran returned to Wu Mei's sale stall.
04.21.21