The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 157

 

| TBBOTOF | 157

Tang Xu thought for a moment and quickly grasped what Luo Pingping was getting at. However, he didn’t mention it directly, preferring to hear her out. 

Understanding Tang Xu's straightforward nature, Luo Pingping didn’t beat around the bush. She explained, “The shop is doing well. You know how Liu Yao used to carry a load of marinated offal to sell? We have a lot of people in the family, so I was wondering if Tang Zu could take up the job.”

Tang Xu raised an eyebrow, and Luo Pingping continued, “We’ll buy the offal, and you provide the seasoning packs. We’ll take forty percent, and you take sixty percent.”

Tang Xu blinked and looked at her. “Auntie, have you discussed this with your family? Selling like this in the village can be tiring, and the profit you’re suggesting isn’t much for you.”

“Even if it’s not much, it’s better than farming and selling grain. We can slowly save up and build a small fortune,” Luo Pingping said with a kind smile. “Besides, selling this won’t interfere with farming. We’ll go out to sell in the morning or late afternoon, and during our free time, we’ll work in the fields. With your uncle and Wei around, we can manage everything except for the busy planting and harvest seasons.”

Tang Xu nodded, then jokingly added, “True, my dad wasn’t keen on going out before, and now he’s not keen on coming back.”

“We’re family, so I won’t give you any empty talk. Let’s see how it goes with the money,” Luo Pingping said, stopping to face him. “What do you think?”

Tang Xu quickly calculated and nodded, a cheerful smile spreading across his face as he linked arms with her. “Of course it’s doable. Why wouldn’t it be? I’m making money from you, it's not the first time I made money with my aunt, how can I not trust you? "

The business of selling liangpi wasn't very profitable anymore, mainly because the people in town had managed to adjust the taste of their noodles to be quite similar. As a result, this summer, the restaurants probably wouldn't be ordering large quantities of liangpi from them. 

Tang Xu had already discussed this with Luo Pingping and Wei Zhonghong, and they were all quite disappointed. 

After all, it had been a profitable venture and not too exhausting, but now the opportunity was gone.

This realization gave Tang Xu an idea. He thought for a moment and said, "Auntie, why don’t we call Aunt Wei over too? The three of us can discuss it together. It’s not necessary for me to take sixty percent. I don’t think we need to limit ourselves to just our village."

Luo Pingping was silent for a moment before nodding. “Alright.”

They reached the fork in the road, and turning right wasn’t far from Wei Zhonghong's house, so they decided to go together.

Wei Zhonghong was at home sorting dried radish. After several rains, some of the dried radishes had started to mold, so she was picking out the bad ones to discard. 

While taking a break to drink water, she looked up and saw them entering the courtyard. She paused, her eyes scanning for the chubby child but not seeing him.

“Why didn’t you bring your son over?” Wei Zhonghong asked with a smile, standing up to greet them.

“They went to a banquet. I ran into him on the way,” Luo Pingping replied.

Wei Zhonghong looked puzzled. “What’s going on? Are you here for me too?”

Luo Pingping, familiar with her, didn’t even go into the courtyard. Instead, she pulled Wei Zhonghong a few steps closer to the gate and lowered her voice. “Yes, I mentioned it to Xu Ge’er, and he said it could work. Now we want to know if you’re willing to do it too.”

Wei Zhonghong felt even more confused. What was this all about, being so mysterious?

Tang Xu, standing beside them, glanced at Luo Pingping, signaling her to speak.

"Ehu's shop in town is doing pretty well. Since Liu Yao used to carry the burden and sell in the village but isn't here anymore, I thought, since no one else is doing it, why not let my third son take over? I mentioned it to Xu Ge’er and he agreed," Luo Pingping explained, then looked at Wei Zhonghong.

Wei Zhonghong listened intently. Seeing her stop, she still didn't grasp what Luo Pingping was trying to say.

She thought, if they've already agreed, then just do it.

Could it be because the deal wasn't finalized?

But on second thought, that didn't seem right either.

"What are you two here to talk to me about?" she asked.

Luo Pingping sighed and patted her arm. "Why don't you understand? If my third son can do it, your fourth son can too."

Wei Zhonghong was stunned and stared at her blankly, "Huh?"

Tang Xu sighed.

Wei Zhonghong's third son, Wu Weiming, who was the general in the original story, had left home and never returned, though he occasionally sent letters back.

Wei Zhonghong never shared the contents of the letters, but seeing her unconcerned, it was clear that his life was not in danger.

Wu Hong is already sixteen this year. At the beginning of the year, Wei Zhonghong mentioned arranging a marriage for him, but Wu Hong didn't agree, saying he wanted to wait and see for himself.

In recent years, Wei Zhonghong had focused more on her grandchildren and paid less attention to her son. After all, she believed that her fourth son would not have any trouble finding a wife, so she thought there was no rush.

However, when Wu Hong told her he wanted to go out and explore, she immediately refused. Having one son leave home and never return was already troubling enough for her, she couldn't handle another. She feared she wouldn't live past fifty if that happened.

Wu Hong, after being scolded by her, didn't bring it up again, but his behavior suggested he hadn't given up on the idea.

Due to her worries about her youngest son, Wei Zhonghong developed several large blisters on her lips from the stress and only managed to get rid of them after taking three doses of cooling medicine.

At this moment, hearing Luo Pingping’s suggestion, Wei Zhonghong’s first thought wasn't whether the business would be profitable, but that her fourth son would have a chance to go out and not be cooped up at home.

She quickly came around to the idea and turned to Tang Xu, asking, "Our village is so small, can someone carrying a load and selling braised offal really be able to do it?"

"The nearby villages aren't far away, and now that the weather is warm and it gets dark late, they can travel further. When it gets too hot, they can set up a stall and sell cold soup skewers in the front village. When it cools down, they can carry the load and sell braised offal in the streets. Isn't that great?"

Tang Xu, a laid-back manager who preferred not to work if he could help it, had no objection to letting trustworthy people handle the job if it meant he could still make money without lifting a finger.

Moreover, as he mentioned, even if it's a small profit, as long as they're willing to work hard and aren't afraid of hard work, they could save up some money within three years. If they don't want to continue after that, they could use the savings to start some other business.

Luo Pingping nodded repeatedly in agreement and praised his suggestion, "Exactly, let him work hard for a few years, and once he has some money, he'll be ready to settle down and get married. It's much better than always asking you for money."

Wei Zhonghong nodded, agreeing with a hum, "Yes, you're right."

"What did you two decide? I want to split it forty-sixty, with Xu Ge’er taking sixty," she said, looking at Luo Pingping.

Luo Pingping clapped her hands and laughed, "That's why we're on the same page. That's exactly what I proposed to him."

Tang Xu waved his hand with a smile, "No, no, that's not necessary. I'm just providing the spice mix. Taking sixty percent isn't fair. I'll take thirty percent."

"Thirty percent is too little," Wei Zhonghong frowned.

"It's enough. I said thirty percent, so thirty percent it is. You two go home and inform them, then we'll meet up to discuss which areas to sell in," Tang Xu said, yawning, feeling sleepy.

Wei Zhonghong and Luo Pingping nodded in agreement, and Tang Xu didn't stay any longer, waving them off and heading home.

Ever since Tang Erhu and his group went to town to open a shop selling braised food, the village had suffered. 

Especially those who loved drinking; they constantly missed having braised offal as a side dish. 

They often asked Wei Dong when they'd run into him, not because they wished ill on someone else's business, but just hoping they could continue selling braised offal in the village again.

In early May, the braised offal started being sold again in the village. However, this time, it wasn't Liu Yao carrying the load and calling out for customers, but Wei Zhonghong's fourth son, Wu Hong.

Although Wu Hong had the ambition of a young man wanting to explore, he was quite nervous the first time he went out to sell. He was afraid no one would buy the braised offal he was carrying and also worried that his mother's braised food wouldn't taste as good as Tang Xu's.

As it turned out, he didn't even need to shout. As soon as he carried the load onto the village path, he encountered a few men returning from working in the fields. Seeing him with the load from a distance, they curiously approached him.

The rich aroma of the braised offal was detectable from far away.

He was immediately surrounded.

When he told them he would be selling braised offal every day and gave them a small taste, their eyes lit up instantly.

"Don't leave! I'll go home and get some money right now!"

"Yes, yes, don't go anywhere."

The men, who hadn't brought their money with them while working, ran home as fast as they could to get their wallets. Meanwhile, the remaining three men each handed him a few copper coins. When they realized the prices hadn't gone up, they quickly bought a portion.

And just like that, he made his first sale.

Word spread quickly throughout the village. Wu Hong, who had initially feared he wouldn't sell everything and the food would spoil, found that he didn't even need to move around. He could just stand by the crossroads of the village and shout out, he sold everything within half an hour.

The only problem was that while his village was covered, people from the neighboring village wanted to buy but couldn't. Even if they were not afraid of coming from a long distance, they had already sold out.

Luo Pingping saw that this approach wasn't working well, so she went to discuss it with Wei Zhonghong again. After their discussion, they decided to have both of their sons sell in the front village. Each would carry a load, and if they couldn't sell everything within an hour, they would then move on to other villages.

They were careful not to prepare too much since the weather was getting hotter, and even if they could sell everything, they worried that the food might spoil and affect the taste.

Moreover, Tang Xu had specifically reminded them to keep the customers wanting more and not to satisfy them completely in one go. Otherwise, who would buy the food if they got too full?

The braised offal business took off in the front village, with sales booming and demand always exceeding supply.

They couldn't make more than they already did, so by early July, they started selling skewers instead.

Due to the stop of the braised offal sales, many men in the village directly confronted them about it.

But instead of going to Luo Pingping and Wei Zhonghong, they went straight to Wei Dong.

When Wei Dong heard their demands, he was genuinely puzzled.

So he asked, "Don't you get tired of eating it every day?"

Honestly, even though he liked it, when Liu Yao used to sell the braised offal daily, he would always leave a bowl for him. After a while, he got tired of it and didn't want to eat it anymore. 

Recently, because his aunt was selling it, Wu Hong frequently brought some to his house, and he had once again had enough of it.

He was more than satisfied.

The middle-aged men stared at him, "Who's eating it every day? Not everyone is like your family, having meat at every meal and drinking meat soup every day."

Wei Dong shrugged his shoulders. "It's no use talking to me. My husband doesn't like making it, but he can make other things."

"What other things? Is it meat?"

"Is it expensive?"

Wei Dong thought about the chickens, ducks, geese, and rabbits at home and rubbed his chin. "It shouldn't be expensive. I'll ask him. If he wants to do it, I'll have Wu Hong shout it out when he's selling."

Wei Dong went home and told Tang Xu about it. 

Tang Xu thought for a moment and said, "Let's make spicy shredded meat, or even spicy strips."

Wei Dong raised an eyebrow slightly. Spicy strips? He had never eaten those!

Tang Xu smacked his lips, feeling a bit nostalgic and craving them himself.

Spicy strips, a favorite snack for people of all ages, could become a sensation across the continent!

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