Transmigrated into the fat wife of the future prime minister

Chapter 66 The Explosive Popularity of Red Chili Oil

Mrs. He comforted her, saying, "It's alright, we'll all go together. There's strength in numbers, and with so many of us, it'll be quick."

Xu Qingmeng gave a faint, bitter smile; she couldn't openly admit that she was pregnant.

Shen Jin asked, "Madam Gu, there's no rush. The next batch won't arrive until the end of the month. These can be made in ten days or half a month."

Xu Qingmeng wanted to take her time, but He Shi wouldn't allow it, since everything had to be completed before it could be turned into money.

And so, Xu Qingmeng and the He family worked on it whenever they had free time, and finally finished it all within five days.

Shen Jinwen had people buy the most common wide-mouthed bottles on the market. Each bottle, when full, weighed about four ounces. After making so many chilies, a total of about 2,600 bottles were filled and put in Shen's General Store to sell, each bottle costing 200 coins.

Mr. He was astonished by the price and even suggested that Xu Qingmeng should not eat it for free at the store.

Xu Qingmeng said with a smile, "They'll eat it and never forget the taste, which is why they'll want to buy it again. Besides, this can become a specialty of our Gu Family Restaurant!"

The He family was not mentioned again.

Shen Jin didn't feel that he was selling at a high price at all. With Gu Family Restaurant providing free advertising, he had no worries about selling. Of course, he and Xu Qingmeng had made it very clear in the contract that they could only sell in his shop, and Gu Family Restaurant could not sell them separately.

Xu Qingmeng also agreed, so the two parties reached an agreement.

After learning the price, some people who had never tried it before secretly wondered if Shen Jinwen had gone mad with money. Wouldn't it be better to use those two hundred coins to buy meat or oil? Why bother buying that chili oil, which is more than ten times more expensive?

Of course, some people have eaten chili oil at Gu's Restaurant. Just thinking about how much this jar costs, two hundred coins, makes them think how generous Gu's Restaurant is, willing to let them eat such an expensive thing for free. This makes them even more determined to eat only at Gu's Restaurant.

Xu Qingmeng didn't think about all that. After such a busy period, all she wanted to do now was bring Xinting out so she could have some free time. This busy life wasn't what she wanted; she didn't like this kind of high-intensity work. She was only doing it because of the circumstances.

In mid-April, Ms. He began to appear distracted.

Xu Qingmeng saw this and knew that she was thinking about Gu Yunyi.

When Gu Yunyi left, Madam He didn't show any particular emotion, but she must have been worried. After all, a mother worries about her son even when he travels far away; this is an age-old truth.

Even though He Shi was worried, Xu Qingmeng, though seemingly unchanged every day, was also anxious.

Although according to the book's plot, Gu Yunyi was destined for greatness, the past ten years were only briefly mentioned, leaving us with no idea what he had experienced. Especially now, there's also County Magistrate Liu, whose reasons for being targeted are unclear.

At this moment, in the prefectural city, it was the time for the exams to begin. Countless students gathered together, waiting outside the examination hall before dawn.

Gu Yunyi was carrying a large bamboo box filled with food prepared by Xu Qingmeng. He had also bought some steamed buns and prepared an empty bowl for instant noodles. He was ready to enter the venue.

He was near the front of the line, and not far behind him, Lin Yichen watched Gu Yunyi's back with a dark look in his eyes.

Zheng Feng followed his gaze and chuckled, "Young Master Liu has also come to the prefectural city this time. I heard he's been hanging out with this Gu Yunyi these past few days. I haven't been able to get Young Master Liu to come out." Lin Yichen turned his head away and said, "Why are you telling me this? I'm not familiar with him."

Lin Yichen had also arrived in the prefectural city ahead of time, so how could he not know what Zheng Feng had said? He secretly felt sorry for Xu Qingmeng.

Zheng Feng suddenly spoke up: "I heard from Wang Ke that our young master Lin fell in love at first sight with the girl who saved him? Tell us, whose girl is she?"

Lin Yichen's expression changed slightly. "That's not true."

Zheng Feng felt a surge of smugness as he looked at the slight change in his expression.

In Quan County, the price of red chili oil is relatively high. Shen Jinwen didn't expect everyone to buy it. He thought that this batch would sell for at least a month.

To everyone's surprise, in less than a week, all 2,600 bottles of chili oil were sold out, and those who arrived late even complained about why Shen Jinwen had prepared so little.

Shen Jinwen maintained a calm demeanor when facing that person, smiling faintly and saying that he would prepare the next batch as soon as possible. After closing the door that night, he hurriedly brought the account books and money to the Gu family, beaming with joy.

"I never expected this chili oil to sell so well. At first, people would ask about it, but they would all back down when they heard the price. Who knew it would sell so well? The shop assistants are working like crazy. People from East Street come to buy it, and they buy six or seven bottles at a time, or even more than ten bottles. The shop's stock was completely sold out by noon today. Madam Gu is really amazing!"

Xu Qingmeng simply smiled and said, "It's because Young Master Shen has a good business sense."

“No, no, Madam Gu, you’re offering this for free at the restaurant. People will love it once they try it, and word will spread. Consider it free advertising,” Shen Jinwen said.

Xu Qingmeng understood that this had an unintentional publicity effect, but Shen Jinwen had also been busy behind the scenes. After all, the East Street was home to many wealthy families, and he had specially invited the heads of these families to a banquet.

As the saying goes, "He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding," so the stewards couldn't refuse and each took a bottle back. After cooking the dishes, the fresh, fragrant, spicy, and numbing flavor instantly caught the attention of the masters, which led to the popularity of the chili oil in the following days.

Shen Jinwen took out the account book and showed it to Xu Qingmeng.

"There were a total of 2,640 bottles. Twenty bottles were given away, and the rest were all sold. In the end, we got a total of 524 taels of silver."

Xu Qingmeng looked very carefully, and Shen Jinwen's accounts were very clear. Of course, Xu Qingmeng herself was also aware of what went out of her hands.

After deducting costs, Xu Qingmeng received 137.6 taels of silver.

Madam He was so surprised that her jaw almost dropped. She had thought that the restaurant was already making a lot of money, since the hundred-plus taels she gave Gu Yunyi were all earned during this period.

Who would have thought that this chili oil would earn more than a hundred taels of silver in a single transaction?

It's important to know that these productions were completed in just five days—no, to be precise, only two and a half days, since they only had time to work on them in the afternoons.

After Xu Qingmeng received what she deserved and saw Shen Jinwen off, Madam He couldn't help but sigh, "Even in three years of drought, a cook won't starve. There's definitely some truth to that."

(End of this chapter)