Border Cook

Xia Mingyue bowed again, "Meet Madam He."

"Madam Xia, you are being too formal." Old Madam He quickly raised her hand.

"Madam Xia, please sit down." Biyun came over with a teacup, "Madam Xia, please have some tea."

Seeing that the guest in the private room was indeed familiar with Xia Mingyue, Shopkeeper Ge felt relieved, stopped bothering him and left.

"Thank you." Xia Mingyue took the tea, put it on the table, and said to Madam He humbly with a smile, "Thank you, Madam, for not looking down on my crude cooking skills."

"That's not right. If your skills are not good, who in Jinqiu County is better than you?"

Madam He smiled and said, "You can be humble, but you also need to acknowledge the facts. Otherwise, if your humble words are taken seriously by others, they will probably look down on you. People who want to entrust you with important tasks will also think that you are too conservative and lack the courage to take risks, and they will back off."

"What Madam He said is very true." Xia Mingyue smiled slightly, "It's just that the world is like this, and we have different statuses, so we have to follow the local customs. After Madam He's advice, I will definitely keep this in mind and make more corrections in the future."

Her tone was gentle, her attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, and she explained her reasons in her words. This made Madam He even more satisfied with Xia Mingyue, and the smile on her face became more intense.

"This world and identity are indeed the most restrictive things for people, but it doesn't matter. The world is set by people, and identity is given by people. What you want to do ultimately depends on your own ability."

Madam He smiled and said, "Although I can't say that I have seen through everything in this world, I can be considered a person who doesn't care about these things. It's just that I'm old now and have more free time, so I want to find something to do to kill time."

"I saw that Madam Xia founded Xia Ji, and now she has opened a restaurant with others. The business is very prosperous, so I want to ask Madam Xia if she is interested in doing some other business with me, an old woman?"

Partners come to you?
Xia Mingyue was delighted, but she didn't reveal too much on her face. She just smiled and asked, "I wonder what kind of business Madam He wants to do?"

"The war in Changzhou City has just ended, and there is a lot of work to be done. Many people are afraid that Changzhou City is close to the border and the war will break out again. Many people dare not do too much business there. I think there are many opportunities in such a place, so I want to go there with Madam Xia to do some food business."

Madam He said, "I will pay to move Xia Ji's development model to Changzhou City, and let Madam Xia run and manage it, so that Xia Ji can take root and develop in Changzhou City. In addition to paying Madam Xia a salary every month, Madam Xia will take 20% of the profits, and I will take 80%. Madam Xia can develop Xia Ji and make it bigger, and it will also allow an old woman like me to earn some money for myself."

Personal money?
I'm afraid this is not the purpose.

As soon as she entered the private room, Xia Mingyue took a quick look at the old lady He in front of her.

The clothes she was wearing looked very simple in style, and even her gray hair had no hair accessories on it. She looked like an old lady with a decent temperament and a slightly wealthy family.

But if you look closely, you can see that the brocade on Madam He's body is light, soft, and has an excellent luster. It is embroidered with dark patterns in the same color silk thread. It is exquisitely made, but not high-profile and luxurious. The few hairpins on her head are all exquisitely made, with filigree and cloisonné techniques. The pearls inlaid are not big but round and full, without any flaws, which shows that they are not bad.

An old lady like Mrs. He certainly has no shortage of pocket money.

Considering Madam He's overall demeanor and the breadth of mind and insight reflected in her words just now, the so-called earning personal money was just an excuse. In fact, it was probably because she heard that her Xia Ji indirectly helped many poor people out of difficulties, and Buyun Tower also employed many people who were in urgent need of a living.

Xia Mingyue smiled when she heard this, "It's fine for Madam He to make some money for herself, but in business, there are always losses and gains, and it's not necessarily possible to make money."

"As an old woman, I naturally understand this principle. Madam Xia, please rest assured that I have some savings on hand and can afford it. Madam Xia, you just need to plan it for me and do your best."

"I understand what Madam He meant." Xia Mingyue smiled and nodded, "Then let's do as Madam He said. We have reached a preliminary cooperation intention and can plan the next steps."

"It's just that Xia Ji's model is easy to copy, and it's not difficult to rebuild a central kitchen in Changzhou City. But it's not easy to rebuild one in Buyunlou."

"Of course. It's not that Madam He doesn't have the financial resources to do this, but the most important thing in a restaurant is the taste of the food. I can't do two things at the same time. I can't work in Buyunlou here and cook in Changzhou City. It's not easy to train new chefs. If the taste is too different, it will easily ruin the reputation of Buyunlou."

"I've been looking for someone to make something these days. Once it's done, I can make a new dish. I'll let Madam He taste it. If she thinks it's okay, we can try to make it the main dish of the new restaurant. The new restaurant may have a wider audience than Buyunlou and do better business."

"Alright." Madam He nodded. "Then let's do as Madam Xia said. We'll start with Xia's Restaurant and then build a new restaurant."

"I will send someone to Changzhou City in the next few days to learn more about the current situation in Changzhou City. After we get settled, I will ask Madam Xia to go there and prepare for Xia's business."

"Okay." Xia Mingyue responded with a smile.

After discussing with Mrs. He for a while about the overall operating status of Xia Ji in Jinqiu County and some areas that need improvement, Xia Mingyue also proposed some simple plans and ideas for the future development of Xia Ji in Changzhou Prefecture.

Seeing that Xia Mingyue had clear thinking, many ideas, and unique insights, Mrs. He nodded frequently, occasionally talking about her own ideas and misunderstandings, and discussing them with Xia Mingyue.

This discussion took a full two hours, and only when the sun was setting did Mrs. He get up and prepare to leave Buyun Tower.

"When you go back, make a good plan and then discuss it with the steward." Madam He said, "If you have time recently, make some more pastries and desserts. I am getting older and I like sweets more and more."

As she spoke, Madam He lowered her voice and leaned close to Xia Mingyue's ear, "Actually, the doctor said that I am getting older and I need to eat less sweets, otherwise it will be bad for my health. But I always feel that people live and work hard all their lives just to enjoy themselves and do whatever they want in the remaining time. If I have to restrain my behavior and suppress my thoughts in order to live longer, then what's the point of living to such an old age?" (End of this chapter)