Transmigrated into the fat wife of the future prime minister

Chapter 22: Raising the price from the ground up
He has a lot of customers every day and a more comprehensive understanding of them. Most of them are workers, and it's not uncommon for each person to buy ten or more buns. So this event will definitely encourage everyone to buy more.

With the promotional activities finalized, Xu Qingmeng began preparing for tomorrow morning.

The Gu family kitchen has always had a habit of stocking up on rice and flour. When Gu Hongxin was alive, almost half of the flour they had stocked up on was gone. Xu Qingmeng asked He Shi to go to the rice and flour shop to buy some more in the next couple of days. It would be best if, like the butcher, he could deliver a few bags every few days.

Now everyone in the neighborhood knows that Gu's Food Shop is very popular, and people are ordering a lot of rice and noodles, so the owner should be happy to oblige.

Xu Qing's dream was correct, but unfortunately, the other party raised the price on the spot.

Not long after, Mrs. He returned in a huff.

Xu Qingmeng was a little confused. "Mother, what's wrong? Don't the people at the rice and flour shop want to deliver it?"

"Heh, I'm willing to give it away, but unfortunately the price is going up. The price I paid before is now double," Mrs. He said angrily, clearly quite upset.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qingmeng frowned. Rice and flour were major consumer goods; if their prices rose, costs would increase significantly. After thinking for a moment, she asked…

"Is the owner of that rice and flour shop related to the steamed bun shop on the street?"

"No, that shouldn't be the case," Mrs. He denied. "I've never heard of it. The problem is, this is the only grain shop on our street. What are we going to do?"

After listening to the gist of the story, Xu Qingmeng figured out the reason. They probably thought that since the other party had made money, they wanted to take the opportunity to raise prices and make more profit.

Xu Qingmeng pondered for a moment, "Mother, don't rush, why don't we go and check other streets first?"

After listening, Mrs. He nodded, "That's the only way. I'll go ask around in other streets."

Fortunately, He managed to contact a rice and flour shop on North Street. The same fine rice and flour would be a bit more expensive, but only slightly more expensive than the original price. Considering the distance, and the shop's willingness to deliver, it was acceptable.

Tomorrow is the day to reopen, and there's even more to prepare. Once the braised food is sold out, we'll hurry up and get things ready. Madam He is helping Xu Qingmeng out, but she's still furious and can't help but mutter and curse.

The two chatted casually while working, when Shen Jinwen came over carrying Rongrong and some other things in his hands.

This young master Shen is a regular customer of theirs and comes every day to buy braised food. In the morning, if he gets up early, he will also take a lot of steamed buns home.

Rongrong is timid, but she is very attached to Yunsheng and Yunmo. She comes to their house to play almost every day, and spends most of her day taking care of the family.

"Go play with your older brother and sister for a while," Shen Jinwen put Rongrong down, stood at the kitchen door, opened the bag in his hand, and said to He Shi and Xu Qingmeng, "Aunt He, Madam Gu, thank you for helping to look after Rongrong. Here are some chili peppers, I brought some for you to try."

Xu Qingmeng's eyes lit up. Although there were some chili peppers to be found here, there were very few varieties. But in this young master Shen's bag, there were several kinds, including long chili peppers, Erjingtiao chili peppers, bullet chili peppers, seven-star chili peppers, and beauty chili peppers.

As a chef, Xu Qingmeng couldn't help but think of boiled pork slices, spicy fish, and of course hot pot when she saw these chili peppers. Just thinking about those flavors made her swallow hard.

"May I ask where you bought these chilies, Young Master Shen?"

Shen Jinwen met Xu Qingmeng's expectant gaze and said,

“These were all things I bought while traveling before. I liked to eat them, but I wasn’t good at cooking them, so I kept them. I brought them to you because I know you’re a good cook, and I thought you’d find them useful. Now I plan to settle down here and find a business to do, so I don’t plan to go back. If you’re interested, I can introduce you to a few merchants who are still traveling, but as for money…” Xu Qingmeng had almost given up after hearing the first part, but the second part gave her some hope, so she quickly thanked him.
"To receive such a kind word from Young Master Shen is already a great honor. I will not make things difficult for you. Thank you in advance."

Upon hearing that Young Master Shen intended to settle down and start a business, Madam He immediately inquired...
"Young Master Shen, what kind of business are you planning to do?"

"Auntie, I'm planning to open a general store, selling rice, flour, cooking oil, and dried goods."

Not only were Madam He and Xu Qingmeng surprised, but even Gu Yunyi, who had just stepped out of the room, couldn't help but stop in his tracks.

Anyone who can open a rice and flour shop must have a special relationship with the imperial court. For Young Master Shen to want to open a general store and have such connections must also be quite remarkable.

"Young Master Shen, is this true?"

He couldn't help but ask.

Shen Jinwen glanced at Madam He and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
"Auntie, what you said is true. Preparations are almost complete, and we'll be opening in a few days."

"Young Master Shen, our shop is doing very well, and we use a lot of refined white flour every day. I wonder if you... have any?"

Shen Jinwen smiled and said, "Auntie, don't worry, we can still supply these. Moreover, the rice and flour from our shop are more refined than those from other places, and the price is more reasonable. If you'd like, Auntie, we can send some over in a few days."

"Oh, that's wonderful! Alright, then I'll trouble you, Young Master Shen, to deliver it in five days."

Mrs. He was overjoyed, finally her previous anger gone.

Shen Jinwen was quite happy. He had come to thank the Gu family, since Rongrong spent most of her time there. Whenever Yun Sheng and Yun Mo ate, Rongrong would get a share. Who knew that she would also gain a big customer for his shop that hadn't even opened yet.

After a busy night, Xu Qingmeng and Madam He finally finished all the preparations.

Tomorrow we'll probably need to steam another batch of buns and grind beans. We'll probably need to get up an hour earlier tomorrow morning. After preparing all that, Madam He told Xu Qingmeng to go and rest early.

As for the remaining cleaning and closing tasks, Madam He got lazy and simply called out to Gu Yunyi, leaving it all to him.

The next morning, while it was still dark, the Gu family had already begun their busy preparations.

While Mrs. He was grinding beans in the courtyard, Xu Qingmeng was busy boiling water, rolling out dough, and pinching round bun wrappers. Her fingers flew, and the steamer was filled with plump, white buns.

After grinding the soybeans, He quickly boiled soy milk and poured out a bucket. Then Xu Qingmeng started making tofu pudding.

First, Ms. He poured boiling water into the open kitchen's water trough, placed a board on it, and lined a deep, open basket with a layer of white sand and a layer of oil paper. After the buns were steamed, she picked them up one by one and piled them up to the brim.

The baskets were specially made, and several were made. Each one had a piece of paper pasted on the front, on which Gu Yunyi had written down the fillings and prices of the buns. Six were arranged side by side on the open counter, four of which contained buns and the remaining two contained pies. There were also four low stoves next to them, with soy milk and tofu pudding being warmed over a small fire.

(End of this chapter)