Chapter 360: Xu Laifu

Chapter 360: Chapter 360: Xu Laifu

The young man looked a little embarrassed. "It’s strange, I know, but I just love this smell. I enjoy thinking about it in my spare time.

"Occasionally, a well-traveled merchant passing through would chat with me.

"I’ve also met people who used to work at Sauce and Vinegar Workshops in other towns, and I’d ask them about their methods and write everything down...

"I was going to tell the Shopkeeper, but I was fired before I got the chance.

"After they kicked me out, I was so frustrated. I wanted to prove to the Shopkeeper that it wasn’t just some crazy dream of mine..."

Ji Huan was amazed by the man’s intelligence and determination, but even more so by his ability to research something and actually act on it.

"Not getting the chance to tell him was a stroke of luck for you. If you had told that Shopkeeper, you’d still just be an employee. Now you can brew your own and sell your own. You don’t have to put up with him anymore."

"That’s what I thought at first, too, but..." The young man gave a bitter smile.

"My family wasn’t wealthy, but we were doing okay. Then I got stubborn about this project and sank all our money into it, even going into debt. My older brother and his wife even split from the household over it. They said my parents were indulging my nonsense and that I’d bankrupt the family sooner or later.

"And it turns out they might have been right. The Shopkeeper was right, too. Maybe I really was just being unrealistic. I’ve been running this stall in Yeyang for ages, and I’ve hardly sold anything. I barely get any customers..."

"Who says you don’t have customers? Aren’t I one?"

The young man blinked. "You really want to buy some? Thanks for the support. I can give you a discount, since it’s not selling anyway..."

Ji Huan waved her hand. "Charge the proper price. I’m familiar with the prices in town, and I have a good idea what your ingredients cost. Your price really isn’t high at all."

The young man was clearly happy to be understood, but his tone quickly grew heavy again.

"The price can be as reasonable as possible, but it doesn’t change anything. I’m planning to sell off the rest of my stock and then call it quits. I should just go find a shop and work as an assistant. I’m not cut out to be a boss." ℯ

"Don’t do that." Ji Huan thought it was a shame. Her eyes darted thoughtfully. "How about this? I’ll give you two ideas. Pick one, and let’s see if it can help you out of this mess."

The young man wasn’t very hopeful, but he still asked earnestly, "What are they?"

"Since you’re planning to quit and just want to sell off your stock anyway, why not sell it all to one person instead of peddling it bit by bit?"

"Who?" The young man was bewildered. He still had several vats of the stuff at home. Where could he possibly find someone to buy all of it?

Ji Huan didn’t keep him in suspense and got straight to the point.

"The young master of the Wan Family—the one who just galloped through the street and deliberately wrecked your things. He loves crashing his horse into things and cracking his whip, doesn’t he? So, find out his usual route, set up your goods on the side of the road, and let him trample them. Let him smash them. Let him smash them to his heart’s content. After he’s destroyed everything, you go to the Wan Mansion and demand compensation. I hear they always pay for the damages."

The young man looked stunned. ’You can do that?’

"But that... that’s not very honest."

"Honesty depends on the person. With a little punk like him, you should give him a taste of his own medicine. That way, you get his money, you recover your losses, and you get rid of your stock. Isn’t it a great plan?"

Ji Huan stared at him, unblinking, her words laced with a potent, tempting quality.

The young man thought it over and over, but still shook his head.

"Your plan is definitely satisfying, but I don’t want to do something that weighs on my conscience. It’s not that I’m inflexible, it’s just..."

The young man pointed to the broken shards on the ground.

"I’ll make him compensate me for this. He owes me that much. But I can’t proactively set out to trap someone. Besides... I worked so hard to brew this stuff. I still want people to have a chance to taste it. Even if I really can’t sell it in the end, I’d rather give it away than see it spilled on the ground. Still, thank you. Thank you for thinking of me..."

Ji Huan made a small sound of understanding. "Since the first idea doesn’t suit you, how about the second one? Partner with me."

The young man didn’t quite follow at first. "You want to get into this business, too?"

He hesitated slightly before saying, "Since I’m planning to quit, I don’t mind teaching you. But you’ve seen for yourself—it’ll probably just lose money..."

Ji Huan had to admit, she was tempted.

’Getting the brewing recipe for free? Where else would I find such a good deal, or such an honest person?’

However, her conscience stopped her greedy impulse.

’If I were in his shoes,’ she thought, ’if I had a priceless recipe without realizing its true worth, only to be tricked out of it by some smooth-talker with ulterior motives who then made a fortune... how would I feel when I finally figured it out?’

Besides, she valued the person far more than any inanimate object.

"You’ve misunderstood me. I mean we should brew and sell it together. Or, you handle the brewing, and I’ll handle the sales."

The young man was starting to understand. "You want to hire me?"

Ji Huan had initially considered that, but she had just finished praising him for striking out on his own to avoid being mistreated. ’And if I just hire him as a simple laborer, isn’t that the same as stealing his technique? I’d be taking possession of him, too.’

’If the business takes off later and he realizes the situation, will he feel resentful? Could we become enemies? It’s impossible to know.’

"Not employment. A partnership. There are two ways we could do this.

"First, you continue to do the brewing. You sell all the finished products exclusively to me, and I’ll pay you in full for them. You won’t have to worry about marketing or sales. But we’ll need to sign a contract with a witness beforehand stating that you can, and will, only sell to me. You can’t sell to anyone else, nor can you share the brewing method with anyone.

"Second, I’ve recently started a seasoning workshop that specializes in these kinds of products. You can join, and then the... autumn oil and vinegar will become products of the workshop. From that point on, you’ll get a share of whatever the workshop earns. Likewise, you’ll have to share in the risks.

"I need to be very clear about this part:

"Your percentage won’t be tiny, but it won’t be huge either, because the workshop will have more than just these two products. To put it another way, I’m still the main proprietor. The workshop belongs to me, and I have the final say. However, you wouldn’t be a regular employee. You’d be more like a junior partner, with a voice in how things are run."

The young man wasn’t slow. It took him a moment, but he understood the difference between the two options.

The first option was the safe one. It was a simple transaction—cash for goods. He would never have to worry about his stock not selling.

But it was a fixed income. He’d get paid what was agreed upon and not a cent more.

The second option came with both risks and opportunities.

If her seasoning workshop succeeded, he would get a share of the profits. The bigger the business grew, the more money he’d make.

’Even the manager of a grain and oil shop doesn’t get a share of the profits from the owner.’

But it was also a huge gamble. If the business failed, not only would his efforts be for nothing, but he’d also lose out on the guaranteed money from the first option.

’Then again, what was ever guaranteed?’ he thought. ’If I hadn’t met this young woman today, I’d still be ending up with nothing, right?’

’So why not take a gamble?’

The young man gritted his teeth and said with determination, "I’ll take the second option."

A smile lit up Ji Huan’s eyes. "Then let’s have a proper introduction. I’m Ji Huan."

The young man grinned. "My name is Xu Laifu."