Ye Zhinan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. Her slender body trembled with laughter, making the male stall - owner's hair stand on end.
"What are you laughing at?"
Ye Zhinan covered her stomach and tried hard to control herself. "How long do you think you can hold on?"
The male stall - owner was taken aback and instantly deflated like a punctured balloon, collapsing on one side.
"The quality of your products is no worse than ours. And you're a cook, not a businessman. I don't know who gave you such a bad idea, but I'm sure this will only ruin you. So while there's still a chance, join me!"
"Dear, just listen to this young man!"
The female stall - owner was thin - faced, and her cyan velvet gown looked a bit thin in the cold wind.
The male stall - owner hesitated, his eyes flickering, and his hands rubbing back and forth constantly.
"Forget it. I'll make the decision. Young man, it's settled. Come to our place after we've sold out this batch. How about that?"
Although the female stall - owner was small, she seemed to be the one in charge.
Ye Zhinan happily ran back. Lu Yanlai had been anxiously looking across the street. From her expression, Lu Yanlai had guessed something.
"Success?"
Ye Zhinan was packing up the stall while answering. "Let's go and visit their place."
Soon, the three of them were sitting in the stall - owners' home.
"My name is Zhang Qiaoqiao. Just call me Sister Qiao. My husband is Zhao A'si. He's the fourth in his family. We didn't mean to steal your business, but the harvest was bad last year. Since A'si can cook, we took someone's advice and decided to do some business."
Sister Qiao was an outspoken person. As soon as she sat down, she started talking non - stop.
Zhao A'si, however, sat silently on one side, seemingly lost in thought.
Ye Zhinan first politely introduced everyone, then squinted her almond - shaped eyes at Zhao A'si.
"If you don't mind, I'll call you Brother A'si. Your cooking skills are excellent. Why did you decide to sell marinated food?"
Marinated food wasn't a local specialty, and Sister Qiao had said "took someone's advice". Obviously, it wasn't a coincidence.
Zhao A'si didn't expect to be suddenly called out. He immediately sat up straight, rubbing his hands even faster.
"Where's that fierce look of yours, you big man?"
Huh? That's my line.
Ye Zhinan looked at Li Feilong and saw that he was fuming.
Because of the business competition and Zhao A'si's hesitation, it seemed that Li Feilong had been holding back his anger for a long time. Without waiting for anyone to persuade him, Li Feilong grabbed Zhao A'si by the collar and lifted him up.
Everyone:......
"Brother, don't be angry. My A'si stutters. He wants to talk but can't."
Seeing Zhao A'si's pained expression, Sister Qiao quickly reached out to pull Li Feilong.
She was afraid that not only would the business deal fall through, but someone might also get hurt.
Ye Zhinan took a closer look at Zhao A'si. He didn't seem to be lying, so she signaled Li Feilong to calm down.
Sister Qiao was talkative while Zhao A'si couldn't speak well. They were indeed a well - matched couple.
However...
Sister Qiao noticed the doubt in everyone's eyes. While comforting her husband, she explained, "As for why we sell marinated food, it's just because it sells well, and we want to earn more money. Originally, we planned to sell it secretly on another street, but there weren't many customers, so..."
"So let's work together! Set up our stalls side by side."
Ye Zhinan changed the subject. Everyone was so surprised that they didn't have time to react. They all stared at her with wide - open eyes.
After a while, Zhao A'si was the first to speak. He stammered, "Why...do you...want to...work...together?"
Ye Zhinan smiled and waited for him to finish. Her eyes suddenly lit up.
"To make money!"
"Okay, then let's make money together!"
Sister Qiao was quick - witted. Before Zhao A'si could even close his mouth, she had already made a decision.
"But how are we going to work together?"
Working together wasn't just empty talk. First, they had to discuss the cooperation method.
Ye Zhinan asked for paper and a pen and quickly drafted an "agreement".
"We'll provide the production method for free, but you need to buy the materials from us. Of course, you can study it on your own, but the taste you get by just tasting will lack a bit of the essence. So don't go the long way around. And the material cost is just your cost price."
Ye Zhinan paused and observed their reactions.
Seeing no objections, she continued.
"Your stall should match our style. If you have better suggestions, we can make changes."
Again, there were no objections from the two of them.
Sister Qiao hesitated for a moment and then said, "Aren't you afraid that we'll steal your business?"
"Afraid! So you need to share any innovations. If you still feel bad about it, you can pay some money every year."
Ye Zhinan was calculating in her mind.
Whether Sister Qiao and Zhao A'si understood or not, the two families reached an agreement.
On the way back, Li Feilong looked puzzled.
"Are we just giving away our recipe like this? Aren't you really afraid that their family will steal our business?"
This time, Lu Yanlai was also confused. She stared at Ye Zhinan with her big eyes.
"Aren't they helping us sell things?"
"As expected, sister - in - law is smart!"
Ye Zhinan gave her a thumbs - up. "It's great to have someone help us sell things without having to pay them."
"But they won't share the money they earn with us?"
Ye Zhinan sat up straight, looking like a teacher. She said clearly, "They pay for the materials. In the future, they'll buy all their materials from me, which ensures the source of the ducks. And the money they pay every year is like a franchise fee."
"Franchise fee?"
Lu Yanlai and Li Feilong said in unison, looking even more confused.
"It's like you rent out your stall, and they pay the rent every year. And I've observed that the demand on this street is very high. You alone can't meet it. And when marinated food is fully promoted in the town, we can find more people to join us."
The more Ye Zhinan talked, the more excited she became. Her mind was full of images of the marinated duck stalls turning into shops, and then the shops spreading all over the northern border.
Just thinking about it made her want to laugh in her dreams.
Sure enough, her dreams were full of ducks, from one duck to a whole yard of them.
Suddenly, a flock of ducks rushed towards her, quacking. Just as she couldn't dodge, she woke up from the dream.
"So it was just a dream!"
She looked out of the window. A crescent moon hung in the sky, and everything was quiet.
Just as she was about to turn over and go back to sleep, she heard three soft knocks.
This late?
Qin Yihuai's cold - looking profile appeared outside.
"Asleep?"
"Something up?"
Ye Zhinan casually threw on a velvet gown and walked out. In the moonlight, the sharp - featured man's face seemed to be covered with a layer of ice. A long shadow was cast behind his slender body, and he exuded a cold aura.
Cold aura? But it was already spring. Could it be a cold snap?
Qin Yihuai seemed to notice her doubt. He took something out from behind him.
"For you!"
"Shaved ice?"
Ye Zhinan's clear eyes flickered, as if saying, "Hurry into my mouth."
"Eat it while it's still cold!"
Qin Yihuai held the shaved ice in front of her and handed her a small wooden spoon.