Chapter 49: Fine, 60% It Is

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Fine, 60% It Is

Zeng Anmin raised his eyebrows slightly, gently stroking his chin. It was obvious that Nan’s identity had been laid bare before his eyes. Jiang Country’s Princess Wencheng? To think Nan was actually a girl! He thought, "How interesting."

"Mr. Zeng?" Shen Jun called out cautiously, his voice so soft it pulled Zeng Anmin back from his daze.

"Mhm." Zeng Anmin snapped back to reality. He looked at Shen Jun seriously, smoothed his robes, and picked up his chopsticks to take a casual bite. As he ate, he said, "This collaboration is actually a personal venture between me and Jin Taiping."

"I understand," Shen Jun nodded earnestly, his tone highly respectful. "I am willing to offer thirty percent of Jin Taiping’s profits to partner with you, Mr. Zeng."

Zeng Anmin paused his chopsticks in mid-air and looked at Shen Jun in confusion, only to find the young man’s gaze completely frank.

"You misunderstand." Zeng Anmin could tell Shen Jun had gotten the wrong idea. His expression turned solemn. "I am not here for Jin Taiping’s wealth. I was drawn to this partnership solely by your exceptional character, Shen Jun. You withstood three months of brutal torture in prison without breaking. After the case was solved, you were willing to accept punishment in your uncle’s stead. And when faced with Xu Yunfeng’s false accusations, you dared to step forward and argue against him.

"Such unwavering resilience, deep familial devotion, and fearless defiance of authority have earned my profound respect. I genuinely wish to befriend you, which is why I chose you for this endeavor."

When it came to winning people’s hearts, even a veteran official like Zeng Shilin might not be a match for Zeng Anmin. With every sentence he spoke, Shen Jun’s face grew a shade redder. For a moment, he stared blankly, a thousand words swirling in his heart with no way to express them.

As a merchant’s son, he naturally felt a sense of inferiority in front of a nobleman like Zeng Anmin. Therefore, he had never even entertained the thought of becoming his friend; he believed that merely acting as a lackey at Mr. Zeng’s disposal was a blessing bestowed by the heavens. Who could have expected that Mr. Zeng would actually...

"Mr. Zeng..." Shen Jun felt as though something was blocking his throat, leaving him momentarily speechless.

"My courtesy name is Quan Fu. You can just call me Quan Fu from now on." Zeng Anmin smiled jovially, picking up some food from his bowl. After taking a sip of tea, he pulled a small porcelain bottle from his clothes.

"Quan Fu," Shen Jun said. He was a man of few words, but his fists were clenched tight. The fear in his eyes had faded, replaced by genuine, overflowing emotion.

He thought, "Well, young people are always so easily bewitched by a few sweet words." Zeng Anmin let out a soft chuckle. He then placed the porcelain bottle on the table. "This item is the medium for our collaboration."

"Oh?" Shen Jun looked at the bottle, deep confusion flickering between his brows. "What is it?"

"Good question." The corners of Zeng Anmin’s mouth curled up. He picked up the bottle carefully, uncorked it, and pointed at a steaming basin of fresh soup on the table. "Take a sip first."

Shen Jun didn’t understand, but he complied. He scooped a bowl full of soup with a ladle and took a sip.

"How does it taste?"

"The soup at Wangxian Restaurant has always tasted like this," Shen Jun replied blankly.

Zeng Anmin smiled mysteriously. He tilted the bottle over the soup basin and gave it a gentle shake, dropping a few granules into the hot broth. The granules melted instantly upon contact with the liquid, and Zeng Anmin stirred it a few times with his chopsticks. "Now that I’ve added my seasoning, try it again."

Although Shen Jun didn’t know what those granules were, after hearing Mr. Zeng’s heartfelt words, he would have drunk it even if it were poison. He carefully picked up his spoon and grabbed a clean bowl. To show his loyalty, he filled it to the brim. Then, under Zeng Anmin’s astonished gaze, he tipped his head back and downed the entire bowl in one gulp.

"No, wait..." Zeng Anmin was speechless. Was this guy drinking soup or taking medicine? What was with that expression?

Just as Shen Jun was about to speak after finishing the soup, he suddenly noticed the rich, savory flavor exploding in his mouth. His eyes went wide. "This..." He stared intensely at the soup basin, then as if remembering something, abruptly snapped his gaze to the porcelain bottle in Zeng Anmin’s hand. "Wh-what kind of seasoning is this? It’s so incredibly delicious!"

For a moment, Shen Jun was incoherent. Coming from a wealthy family, he had never lacked fine delicacies growing up. But he could swear this was his first time encountering such a top-tier seasoning—just a tiny amount was enough to completely elevate the dish!

Seeing his expression, Zeng Anmin knew he had him hooked. The impact of chicken bouillon on people of the feudal era would be epoch-making! Although this kind of chicken bouillon plot had been written to death by hack authors in the web novels he read in his past life, there was no denying that, once transmigrated, this stuff was absolutely a massive source of profit in this era. It was also the safest way for a transmigrator to build a fortune. If your status was low, you could open a restaurant. If your status was noble, you could just sell the seasoning directly.

Zeng Anmin’s lips curled up slightly. He recorked the bottle, pushed it toward Shen Jun, and smiled. "This seasoning is called ’Weijixian’—the Ultimate Umami. You can add it to any dish, and its primary function is to make the food taste a few degrees more savory."

"You can add it to any dish?!" This was the key point. Shen Jun instantly sniffed out the business opportunity. Food was the necessity of the people, and that saying was absolutely no joke in the feudal era. It could be said that anything related to food was extremely profitable.

"Yes, you can try it out." Relaxing inwardly, Zeng Anmin smiled and slid the bottle right in front of Shen Jun. Talking to smart people was so effortless.

Shen Jun stared at the porcelain bottle in a daze, clearly still digesting the information. He carefully uncorked it and sprinkled a little bit of the chicken bouillon onto the freshly served braised fish. In mere moments, the already delicious fish exuded an even richer aroma. The scent alone made Shen Jun instinctively swallow a mouthful of saliva.

"First, we open restaurants. We’ll set up branches across all forty-three commanderies of the eleven circuits of the Great Saint Dynasty. Once we’ve thoroughly built our reputation, we’ll start selling this seasoning directly, introducing it into the homes of ordinary commoners," Zeng Anmin said calmly. While painting this beautiful blueprint for Shen Jun, he also started negotiating his own profits. After all, building restaurants and hiring staff required money, and since he wanted to be a hands-off boss, he naturally had to concede some of the profits. "I will invest the recipe and take an exclusive thirty percent of the profits."

"Thirty percent?!" Shen Jun looked up at Zeng Anmin in disbelief, a tremor in his voice. "How can that be enough?!"

Zeng Anmin frowned. Was thirty percent not a lot? Had he misjudged the person? Did this kid look virtuous on the outside but was actually a wolf in sheep’s clothing?

"Although Jin Taiping is not a massive merchant empire, I have been immersed in this trade since childhood. I know full well that merchants rely on secret formulas for profit. Thirty percent for a secret recipe like this is far too little!" Shen Jun stood up, bowed to Zeng Anmin, and said with a solemn face, "It has to be at least sixty percent. If you don’t agree to this, Quan Fu, then I have no face to even discuss this partnership with you."

Zeng Anmin’s brow smoothed out. He thought, "Good kid... who else could pave a road as wide as you?"

"Alright!" Zeng Anmin laughed heartily. "Sixty percent it is. I agree!"

The first step of Zeng Anmin’s grand wealth-building plan was thus happily decided. The Shopkeeper of this Wangxian Restaurant could never have imagined that the root cause of his business eventually becoming completely deserted was actually negotiated right inside his own establishment...