She had calculated an account for the snack street as well as the people who joined with it. In three years the snack street as long as nothing goes awry would be able to earn at least three million taels in a month, with this sum alone, she would be able to recover all the damage that was done to her treasury during this time.
And in three years the fame of the snack street and the aquarium would spread all over the country. Even if someone tries to replicate the snack street after buying the seafood sold by independent butchers, it would be hard to shake the foundation of the snack street.
" If you have no problem with the contract then you can sign it today. As you were given three days to think before, I think we need to make a move lest we want to delay the matter of Snack Street. Something that I do not like. If someone does not want to sign the contract then they can leave, I promise that no one will be punished."
The crowd of onlookers looked at one another but no one moved. Though signing the contract seemed a bit dangerous they had no other choice, they already went to the educated scholars and had them read the contract, and there was indeed no problem with it.
The payment of three taels a month was quite a sweet temptation for them as they were in desperate need of money. The lands were acquired by the Lai family and not many butchers could raise pig and chicken as the feed was sold at a high price because all the merchants bought the vegetable leaves from the Lai family, though some grew pigweed at their house, with no money they could hardly sell pork.
People despite finding the taste of fish unflattering would rather buy fish than pork as it was cheap and butchers could not sell pork any cheaper than that as they needed to make up for their loss.
It was an endless cycle. No matter how much they tried to get away from the cycle, it remained still.
This was their first opportunity to get out of the vicious cycle and thus everyone wanted to take advantage of it. Thus the commoners soon signed the contracts and handed them to the guard who followed Su Wan and Lin Yan.
Once the matter of the contract was settled. Su Wan raised her hand and then turned to Lin Yan who nodded and then took out a box which was filled with paper chits inside.
" The paper chits hold the name of the recipe that would be handed to those who pick up the paper. Though this might seem unfair, I have no idea about your skills which is why I can only decide it like this. It does not matter whether you are proficient in one thing, after you pick up the chit you will have to learn the recipe no matter what."
She then turned to look at an old chef who was sitting on the front line and said, " Come."
" Fish balls."
" Seafood spring roll."
"Yakitori."
One by one the chefs continued to choose their dishes. Some got easy recipes while some got hard but Su Wan praised them all while soothing them that they will not get any trouble in the future.
" I got crepes," said a woman in her thirties.
" It's an excellent snack," this was the first time the chef heard Su Wan praise a dish as excellent which caused them to be curious. They all looked at the woman with slight envy but did not say anything as the method was completely fair.
" I got shioyaki," another chef spoke up as he pulled out a chit and looked at Su Wan who smiled and nodded before handing him a pair of butchers who dealt with fish.
Just as Su Wan thought that no one was left a small boy raised his head and then said, " County magistrate can I pull the chit as well?"
Su Wan glanced at the young man, while others looked at the child who was not even fifteen with a smile on their faces. Su Wan on the other hand carefully studied the child and asked, " Can you cook?"
" I am the only one who raises my siblings after my father ran away. I certainly can," replied the boy. He was not ashamed to admit that he was abandoned as long as he could get this job, it did not matter if he was to use sympathy.
" Very well," Su Wan nodded as she pulled the last chit out of the box and threw it at the boy who caught it. " Your dish is grilled squid boy. If you catch the hang of it you can turn your wheel of fortune if you can't then no one will be blamed other than you."