A woman, suppressing her apprehension towards Li Yue Shu, frowned and spoke, "Shen Lao San's wife, we were also deceived by your mother-in-law regarding the previous matter. This… suddenly lowering the price so much, isn't it not good?"
Li Yue Shu smiled faintly and looked at her, "Auntie, if you think the wages are too low, you don't have to participate. I won't force you. Perhaps Auntie can find a job in town with higher wages."
There were certainly jobs in town with higher wages, but the hiring requirements were also higher, and they couldn't get in even if they wracked their brains.
The few women fell silent instantly.
Li Yue Shu didn't press them for an immediate decision, "You Aunties can take your time to consider. My words apply to everyone in the village. If you've made up your minds, you can find Aunt Liu or Madam Zhou to register."
"I have a few things to discuss with Aunt Liu, so I won't see you Aunties out."
With the hint to leave, the women could only depart, but their minds were still mulling over Li Yue Shu's words.
Seeing that no one else was around, Aunt Liu asked, "Yue Shu, are you really planning to open a pharmaceutical factory?"
Li Yue Shu nodded, "Yes, and I'll need to trouble Aunt Liu and Madam Zhou to help again. Madam Zhou has already agreed, won't Aunt Liu help me?"
"Of course, I'm willing to help you, it's just…" Aunt Liu looked troubled, "It's just that I don't know anything. Don't let me mess things up."
Li Yue Shu took her hand and soothed her, "You won't. Shen Tan and Shen Chi will be in charge. Aunt Liu, you just need to help them."
She had trained these two children for so long, and they had not disappointed her at all. They would surely be able to run the pharmaceutical factory beautifully.
Aunt Liu was somewhat moved but still hesitant.
Seeing this, Li Yue Shu continued, "There's no rush for this matter. I've invested all my money in the restaurant. Even if I want to open a pharmaceutical factory, it will have to wait until Amin's Tong Sheng trial is over at the earliest."
Aunt Liu was startled, "You're out of money? If you want to open a pharmaceutical factory, you'll definitely need land. We have a few plots of land. My husband and I are old and haven't planted much, so you can just use them!"
Li Yue Shu was stunned for a moment, feeling a mix of amusement and touching emotion.
She knew Aunt Liu meant well and didn't refuse directly, "Aunt Liu, there's no rush now. We'll talk after Amin finishes his exam."
She might genuinely need to use these plots of land, but not for free. She would have to discuss the details with Aunt Liu.
However, Li Yue Shu didn't bring it up at that moment.
The matter of the pharmaceutical factory was temporarily settled, and Aunt Liu also agreed to help alongside Madam Zhou.
…
In the blink of an eye, it was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
On the day the restaurant opened, thanks to the pre-heating by Qingfeng Pavilion, the promotion by the carpentry shop, and the county magistrate's call, influential people all came.
Besides these, more important was the gimmick Li Yue Shu had set from the start.
After the restaurant was renovated, she had Shen Can spread the word: ten customers who spent money on the opening day would be given this month's Liuxian dishes for free, along with a membership card for Liuxian Restaurant. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Each membership card had a pre-deposited amount of one hundred taels. In the future, anyone who used a membership card to dine at Liuxian Restaurant would have forty percent of their meal cost deducted using the pre-deposited funds.
In other words, Liuxian Restaurant was giving away a thousand taels for free.
People in this world, having not been subjected to modern-day diverse marketing strategies, thought that only a fool would miss out on such a bargain.
However, a few sharp-minded individuals sensed the underlying strategy.
"This Madam Shen is quite a businesswoman," a man in merchant attire remarked, watching the bustling scene, his eyes wide with astonishment.
A bystander next to him looked confused, "Giving away a thousand taels for free, she's bound to lose money. How is she a businesswoman?"
Unless it was this lively every day, which was impossible.
The man turned to him, his face wearing a look of knowing wisdom, and explained, "When did she give away a thousand taels? By exchanging a piece of paper called a membership card for ten repeat customers, this is a profitable deal."
"Even with the membership card, they can only pay forty percent of the meal cost, and the remaining sixty percent still has to be paid by the customer. In other words, she can reliably earn fifteen hundred taels with just a piece of paper. Do you think she's losing money?"
Upon hearing these words, many around them felt enlightened, as if a fog had lifted.
But regardless of what was said, being chosen meant getting a free membership card, and future expenses would be cheaper than others.
Therefore, even knowing that this was Li Yue Shu's business tactic, it did not deter everyone from flocking to the restaurant.
…
Li Yue Shu had arranged everything in advance, yet she was still incredibly busy.
The allure of one hundred taels was even greater to the people of Tongmu County than she had imagined.
Although most of these people came for the affordable dishes on the first floor, there were also some with a bit of wealth who went to the second floor.
These were mostly the gentry and local tycoons introduced by the county magistrate during his New Year's gathering.
Li Yue Shu was confident in her cooking. After all, for a restaurant to retain customers, taste was the most important factor. She believed that more than half of these people would become her repeat customers.
As Li Yue Shu was ushering out a table of guests, she heard a loud shout from outside, "The County Magistrate is here!"
She quickly walked out of the restaurant and saw a magnificent sedan chair parked not far from the entrance.
The County Magistrate and his wife, dressed in casual clothes, alighted from the sedan. The common people of Tongmu County recognized the couple, which was why someone had shouted.
Upon seeing Li Yue Shu, the County Magistrate immediately cupped his hands and welcomed her, "Madam Shen, congratulations, congratulations!"
"I heard that the dishes at Liuxian Restaurant can also be used as medicinal cuisine. I have always believed in Madam Shen's medical skills, so I have come today out of admiration."
He deliberately raised his voice for the latter part of his statement.
Li Yue Shu was not foolish and naturally understood that he was supporting her and promoting her establishment.
She smiled faintly and invited them into a private room on the second floor.
She had anticipated the County Magistrate's visit today and had specifically reserved a private room.
The County Magistrate also noticed this and his regard for Madam Shen grew even higher.
As they chatted in the private room, Madam County Magistrate, seeing how busy the restaurant was, quickly pulled her husband aside and said, "Madam Shen, actually, we have two more things to discuss today."
Hearing this, the County Magistrate remembered the important matters. He quickly took out a token from his怀, "This was sent by someone from Hongning City. When Madam Shen arrives, all you need to do is present this token, and the people at the City Lord's mansion will know it's you."
Li Yue Shu took the token from his hand and looked at it. Using her sleeve as a cover, she tossed the token into her spatial dimension, "Thank you, Your Lordship, thank you, Madam."
The County Magistrate waved his hand casually and did not elaborate on this matter, "The other matter is that we are here to bid farewell today."
Li Yue Shu was stunned and looked at them in surprise, "Where are you and Madam going?"
Madam County Magistrate smiled gently, "We will be departing for the prefectural office this afternoon. We were supposed to leave three days ago, but we waited until today because of the restaurant's opening on the fifteenth."
The County Magistrate also smiled, "Speaking of which, this is all thanks to Madam Shen."