Chapter 12 Business Matters
"Brother Cong?" Baochai's eyes were bright, with a hint of inquiry in them.
Recently, she had heard so much about Jia Cong from other people that her ears were almost callused. She had also wondered who this Jia Cong was, but now that she had met him, she felt that he was worthy of the name.
Jia Cong's appearance is not as handsome as Baoyu, but he has a bit of fortitude and indifference! His eyes are deep and clear, his body is straight, and his movements are like those of a green pine.
"I hope Sister Bao will not blame Jia Cong for coming here in an impolite manner!" Jia Cong bowed again and repeated the reason just now.
"Brother Cong is so polite. I have heard of your name from my second sister these days. It's a good opportunity to meet you!"
"Aunt Xue and Brother Xue are not here?"
"Mother went to talk to my aunt and may not be back for a while. As for my brother, I don't know where he went to drink!"
Upon hearing this, Jia Cong hesitated for a moment before following Baochai into the hall!
After entering the house and drinking a cup of tea, Jia Cong said, "I came to see Brother Xue today because I have something to ask of you!"
"Oh?" Baochai was a little curious, "I wonder what Brother Cong wants to say?"
Jia Cong smiled bitterly, "It's a little hard to talk about. It's a little bit of trifling stuff related to pornography, but I'm afraid it will pollute Sister Bao's eyes and ears!"
Baochai smiled and said, "Brother Cong is wrong. If so, wouldn't my Xue family be disgraceful? The Xue family has been a royal merchant for generations, and we deal with gold and silver."
"But Brother Cong has been studying hard lately and needs some money? That's easy to do. I can give some to Brother Cong without mom and brother making the decision! Everyone has times when they need less money, so there's no need for Brother Cong to be polite."
"Thank you, Sister Bao, for your kindness. It is true that I am short of silver, but Jia Cong is not a man who takes things for nothing! This time, I came here because I have a business and want to help Brother Xue, so that I can earn some silver."
"Business?" Baochai frowned and looked at Jia Cong vaguely, "I don't know what kind of business it is, Brother Cong, can you tell me about it?"
"Of course!"
"I've been reading some ancient books and miscellaneous talks recently, and I found a recipe for making ice cubes in the book! It's hot in summer now, so it's the perfect time, so I want to exchange it for some money. However, Sister Bao also knows that I don't know how to run a business, and I don't have the manpower, so I shamelessly want to ask Brother Xue for help."
"A recipe for making ice cubes?" Baochai raised her eyebrows slightly. Although she was a woman, she was in charge of most of the household accounts and management. If there really was such a recipe, it would be worth a fortune.
“I don’t know how much it will cost.”
"Almost nothing!"
Baochai was shocked. If this was true, it was simply unbelievable. Even some precious things could not bring such a huge profit.
"Brother Cong, are you planning to do this business with my Xue family?"
Jia Cong did not hesitate and said bluntly, "I will provide the prescription, and the Xue family will be responsible for the workshop, manpower, and sales. We will each get 50% of the profits! Of course, I can hand over the prescription to the Xue family at that time, but if the prescription leaks out of your hands, you will have to compensate for the losses."
"My Xue family provided manpower, effort, and money, but Brother Cong only provided a prescription and we split the profits in half. Isn't that a bit unfair?"
"Sister Bao, why don't you think about it in a different way? A workshop only costs a hundred or so taels of silver, and the materials needed are even fewer. A few dozen trusted servants and a shop only cost a thousand taels of silver in total. At most, you can add a part of it for management. With the reputation of the Xue and Jia families, it shouldn't be difficult to do this. What's more, these expenses are naturally not considered profits!"
"In this way, in just three or four months, it can bring the Xue family at least tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of profits. Is this business impossible?"
Xue Baochai smiled bitterly in her heart. She had heard from others before that Jia Cong was a sharp-tongued person, and today she saw that it was indeed true!
However, she did not despise him, but admired him more! She was the daughter of a businessman, and the competition in the business world was full of swords and sabers. How could she survive without some tricks?
"In fact, I have also thought about finding a few trusted people to do this business myself! Sister Bao should be able to imagine the difficulties without me having to explain. However, if I, Jia Cong, really insist on doing it, it may not be impossible! The reason why I went to the Xue family is, firstly, to take some time off, and secondly, it is also a win-win situation for both sides."
Baochai's mind changed. She had been listening to the rumors about Jia Cong these days, but now after seeing his words and demeanor, she no longer doubted what Jia Cong said.
Immediately, she bit her teeth and said, "If the recipe is really as Brother Cong said, then I will accept the matter on behalf of the Xue family!"
"In that case, thank you very much, Sister Bao! Then when will it be convenient for me to discuss this with Aunt and Brother Xue?"
"No need for that. I have a routine contract at home, so we can sign it first. However, if the recipe is not as good as what Brother Cong said, this contract will naturally be invalid!"
"That's just what it should be!"
After a while, Baochai brought a document. The two of them made some minor modifications and then signed and sealed it. All the matters were listed in it!
"Brother Cong, can you let me see the recipe now?"
"Would it be convenient for Sister Bao to ask someone to find some saltpeter?"
Although she felt strange , Baochai nodded and asked a trusted servant to go out and look for it. Not long after, two little maids came in carrying a basket of saltpeter.
"Find two wooden basins, one large and one small, and fill them with water!"
After everything was ready, he asked Baochai to send the others out first, and asked Ying'er and Xiaoque'er to guard the door. Then Jia Cong put some saltpeter into the big basin, and soon a cold air was steaming. Then he put the small basin into the big basin, and put a lot of saltpeter into it. The water in the small basin turned into ice at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"ah!"
Even with Baochai's personality, she couldn't help but exclaim when she saw this kind of "miracle"!
"Miss!" Ying'er pushed the door open and Baochai waved her hand hastily, "It's all right, go out and keep guard, no one is allowed to come in."
Baochai naturally knew the importance of this recipe. The most valuable thing was that this recipe was extremely simple. Apart from saltpeter and water, no other things were needed.
She took a deep breath and reached out to touch the crystal clear ice in the wooden basin, her face full of disbelief.
"The reason why we use two basins is to lower the temperature here first to facilitate the formation of ice. If the workshop is located in a cold and dark place, this will not be necessary." Jia Cong explained.
Seeing Baochai's shocked expression, Jia Cong was not surprised. Such a scene could not be called a miracle in ancient times!
"I don't know, is Sister Bao satisfied with this recipe?"
Taking a deep breath, Baochai stood up and said, "I never thought that Cong-ge'er would have such a miraculous ability! This recipe is indeed as Cong-ge'er said. Speaking of which, it is the Xue family that has taken advantage this time!"
