In the study of Nanlong Prefecture Magistrate's Residence...
"Sir, there's news from over there. The assassination mission failed. Furthermore, they're demanding a fivefold increase in payment, claiming that the target is protected by an extremely skilled expert, raising the mission's difficulty level."
"It seems this target is quite resilient. Even the top-ranked assassin organization, Wuji Sect, managed to fail."
"Tell them that the payment can be doubled, but they will only receive it after successfully completing the mission."
"Yes, sir."
...
Compared to the perilous journey of Gong Xiaohua and her companions, the capital city has been exceptionally lively during this period.
The long-awaited wrestling tournament is nearing its finals.
Since the preliminary round of the wrestling tournament, Gong Dafu and Gou Dan's stall business has been thriving. Sometimes, when the demand is high, customers even have to make reservations several days in advance.
This has sparked envy among many, who have attempted to imitate their business. However, the end products they produce not only look nothing alike but also fail to satisfy in terms of taste.
There are only a few customers, so they keep their prices extremely low. Occasionally, even those who are poor and always seeking bargains will come by, which allows these imitating stalls to survive as well.
Gong Dafu has been contemplating whether to rent a shop and expand his business. As it is now, he can earn some money just by guarding this stall, enough to support his family's food and drink.
However, constantly being separated from his parents, wife, and children, he cannot be with them to take care of them at all times, and that worries him.
If he were to do business in his hometown, not to mention the fact that the common people only get to eat meat a few times a year, even those who have some money only get to eat meat two or three times a month, let alone the more expensive braised meat.
In the capital city, it's different. People with money can buy even the most expensive things every day.
Furthermore, having witnessed the prosperity of the capital city, how could he go back to a place facing the barren earth?
He wants to settle down in this prosperous capital city, bring his parents and wife and children here to enjoy a good life.
He also wants to help his uncles and aunts in his hometown become prosperous, so that they can save some money after a year, instead of having to sell their children during times of disaster.
So Gong Dafu shared his idea with Dad Gong and the rest of the Gong Family. His idea immediately gained the approval of the entire family.
The taste of braised dishes is excellent and unique in the capital city, and there are many types of dishes that can be braised. They can definitely expand their business.
He also told Gou Dan and the others about his plan to rent a stall and invited them to set up their pancake stall outside his shop once it opens.
After some consideration, Gou Dan expressed his willingness to do so. They are still young, and without an adult around, some people take advantage of them at their stall and walk away without paying.
Although he can ask Gong Xiaohua for help, she is busy with her own duties every day, and he doesn't want to bother her all the time.
When they grow up a little more, they also want to follow Gong Dafu's example and gradually expand their business.
They want to open many more shops in the future, not limited to food. Gou Dan also wants to establish a presence in different fields.
With the help of Dad Gong's connections and oversight, Gong Dafu managed to rent a stall at the largest trading market in the capital city. The rent was affordable, and it even provided accommodation.
Gong Dafu also decided to invite four people from his hometown to help out, so he asked Dad Gong to send a letter to his uncle and aunt back home.
The ideal candidates for these four positions would be three individuals chosen from their own family and one selected from Gong Dafu's aunt's family. They needed to be honest and capable of hard work.
Thanks to Dad Gong's guarantee, they were able to negotiate a change in the rental terms from annual payment to quarterly payment. This greatly relieved the financial pressure on Gong Dafu.
In order to capitalize on the peak customer flow during the finals of the wrestling tournament and to save money, Gong Xiaohua came up with a simple yet unique decoration style for the stall. It resembled the fast-food style seen in modern times.
The stall was divided into two sections, with the right side designed as a display counter showcasing various braised dishes. There were about twenty different types of braised dishes available, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian.
The left side was designed as a booth to provide customers with a convenient space to enjoy cold dishes on the spot.
If customers wanted a main course, they could also buy some pancakes from Gou Dan's pancake stall outside the shop and enjoy them with the cold dishes. It was truly a delicious combination.
And indeed, Gong Dafu's braised food stall received unanimous praise as soon as it opened.
This was particularly true for the out-of-town traders who, while on the go, either ate the dry rations they carried or bought some cooked food at one of the stalls. However, without exception, the food was dry and unappetizing.
If they wanted something good to eat, they had to go to the bustling area where there were specialized restaurants and eateries.
But apart from being expensive, those options didn't offer much in terms of quantity. It was better to save the money and buy more pork to improve the meals for their children and wives back home.
Now, at the trading market entrance, a new Gong's Braised Food Restaurant had opened. Customers could either take away their food or have it served in the shop, fresh and cold.
Not only was the taste exceptional, but the prices were also quite reasonable. If customers wanted to eat until they were full without spending too much, they could buy a few pancakes at the shop's entrance and enjoy them with the braised dishes.
As the wrestling tournament approached and more people arrived in the capital, many out-of-town visitors were drawn by the reputation of Gong's braised food and the wild vegetable pancakes sold outside the stall.
Demand for the braised dishes suddenly soared, and every day there were long queues. To ensure that everyone had a chance to buy the braised food, there were temporary purchase limits per person.
Furthermore, some wealthy families who particularly enjoyed the braised dishes and wild vegetable pancakes would send several servants early in the morning to queue up.
Since the opening of the shop, which had been in business for almost half a month, the total revenue had reached 50 taels of silver. After deducting the rent, labor costs, and materials expenses for the past half month, the net profit was nearly 30 taels of silver. And this was just half a month's worth of earnings. By the end of the month, it would be close to 60 taels of pure income, which was several times more than Gong Dafu used to make when he had a stall.
Even if the business only remained at half its current level after the tournament, the monthly net income would still be more than ten times what he used to make. Moreover, given everyone's love for braised food, the future prospects of the business were unlikely to decline significantly compared to the present.
Meanwhile, the cousins and younger relatives sent by Gong Dafu's hometown were also quite impressive. Although they were a bit inexperienced at first, after a few days of training, they quickly got the hang of things.
Gong Dafu, being supportive of his own family, didn't skimp on the wages he gave to his younger siblings. Each of them received a monthly salary of one or two silver coins, which was even higher than the fixed salary Gong Xiaohua earned working at the Ministry of Justice, excluding any additional income, of course.
However, Gong Dafu was well aware that everything he possessed was given to him by Xiaohua, as well as his uncle and aunt. He made up his mind to give one-third of the shop's income to his uncle's family every six months.
Moreover, Xiaohua was getting married in three months, and he knew that his uncle and aunt had been fretting over preparing the dowry for her.
He decided that, before Xiaohua's wedding, he would allocate the shop's monthly income, deducting the costs and materials for the following month, entirely to help his uncle prepare Xiaohua's dowry.
