CH 81.2

Aug 31 2023

The commotion and fanfare from Yu Qingze’s side naturally couldn’t be concealed from the villagers, and people occasionally came to observe and inquire.

This time, Yu Qingze had no intention of keeping it a secret. They made the first two batches of sweet potato flour themselves, but as the demand grew, they wouldn’t be able to keep up with the production. At that time, they planned to teach the villagers how to make sweet potato flour and let them produce it. They would negotiate the terms and conditions, and Yu Qingze’s team would handle the purchasing.

Sweet potato flour, cured meat, and sausages were seasonal foods in this world. Sweet potato flour could only be made after the autumn harvest of sweet potatoes, while cured meat and sausages couldn’t be made during excessively high temperatures. They could only be prepared when the temperature was below 10 degrees Celsius. Otherwise, without refrigeration or air conditioning, the meat would spoil during the initial stages of marination.

Yu Qingze had once thought about setting up a small workshop, but he didn’t have enough time. Additionally, seasonal products like these wouldn’t make a small workshop financially viable. Building a dedicated small workshop would require a significant amount of money, and by the time the workshop was ready, the temperature would likely rise again, rendering it unusable in a short period.

Therefore, Yu Qingze had already discussed with Grandpa Chang early on. Once they made enough profit from the initial stage, they would share the sweet potato flour production method with the villagers and help them generate additional income. As for the cured meat and sausages, they wouldn’t be able to handle the production on their own. Instead, they would prepare and sell the seasoning ingredients to the villagers, who could then smoke and process the meat. Afterwards, Yu Qingze’s team would purchase the finished products.

After the second batch of sweet potato flour was ready, the cured meat was also smoked to perfection.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

For dinner that evening, Yu Qingze prepared the cured meat and sausages, and they tasted them. Chang Hao and Grandpa Chang praised the flavor endlessly, and Chang Hao even ate three bowls of rice before stopping.

With the taste confirmed to be suitable and the smoking done well, the next day, Yu Qingze went to the town again. He had Brother Le deliver two pieces of cured meat, two strings of sausages, and the recipes to the Cai and Zhao families. Then he went to buy the necessary spices, meat, and pig intestines before returning to the village.

Upon his return, he found the village chief and asked him to convene a meeting with the villagers.

That evening, when the villagers heard that Yu Qingze had asked the village chief to gather everyone and discuss something, they arrived early at the ancestral hall.

When most of the people had gathered, Yu Qingze stepped forward and said, “Fellow villagers, thank you all for coming. I asked the village chief to gather everyone for this meeting. These past few days, we have been making noodles using sweet potatoes, and I believe everyone has seen it. These noodles are already being sold in my snack shop, and the response has been good. However, we can’t keep up with the demand ourselves, so I wanted to ask if anyone here wants to learn how to make them. If you can make them according to my requirements, I will buy them all, and you won’t have to worry about selling them. If anyone is interested, I can teach you.”

Upon hearing that Yu Qingze wanted to teach them how to make noodles, many villagers started discussing it. It was well-known in the village that everything Yu Qingze sold was popular, so whatever he taught would surely make money.

“I want to learn, Aze!” someone immediately raised their hand and shouted.

“I want to learn too.”

“I want to learn!”

“…”

Yu Qingze pressed his hands down to silence everyone and continued, “Good, anyone who wants to learn can be taught. However, I need to establish some rules with everyone before we start. If you agree, we can begin tomorrow.”

“What are the rules? Aze, just tell us. Even if it’s not just three rules, even eight or ten, I’m still in!”

“That’s right, hurry up and tell us.”

Yu Qingze said, “What I will teach you is something unique that isn’t available elsewhere. It’s guaranteed to make money. Therefore, my requirement is that whatever food methods I teach you, they must absolutely not be spread outside the village. This includes your extended family or in-laws who married into other families. In other words, it cannot leave the village! Can everyone agree to this?”

Upon hearing this requirement, there was further discussion among the crowd. Some agreed, while others felt it was a bit inappropriate. They couldn’t even mention it to their extended family and in-laws, and it would be difficult to handle if they were asked about it. It would be a matter of losing face.

Yu Qingze then said, “Fellow villagers, the reason I’m teaching you is to help everyone increase their income. However, if the methods are spread outside the village, think about it. Your in-laws and their in-laws also have their own extended families, and those extended families have their own extended families. Before long, the method will spread throughout the entire county, even beyond. Then, there will be noodles everywhere, and how will you make money? If you want to earn money, you have to keep your money-making methods to yourselves. Think about it, does this make sense?”

Upon hearing this, the villagers pondered and realized that it was indeed true. This thing was like a rumor, and if it wasn’t kept under wraps, it would quickly spread nationwide.

The question of whether it was a matter of losing face or a matter of money was weighing on everyone’s minds.

So, the villagers nodded one after another, agreeing to the condition.

Yu Qingze paused for a moment and continued, “Second, the food you make must be sold to me first. As long as the quality of the food meets my requirements, I will buy it. I will offer a fair price, so you can rest assured and not worry about whether it will sell or not. Just focus on how to make it well.”

“What if it doesn’t meet your requirements?” a villager asked.

Everyone looked at Yu Qingze, waiting for his answer.

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Of course, if it doesn’t meet my requirements, you can sell it in the market. If I don’t need as much at that time, I will notify you in advance so that you don’t make too much. Then you can decide whether to continue making it. And of course, you can handle any excess on your own, even selling it in town. This depends on whether you can do it or not.”

This requirement was much easier to fulfill compared to the first one, and everyone had no objections. However, some people started to calculate their own thoughts in their minds.

But soon, their calculations were mercilessly shattered by Yu Qingze.

“Fellow villagers, what I’m going to teach you is not limited to just one or two food items. There will be more in the future. If anyone violates the rules I have set, including your children, they will no longer have the opportunity to learn new cooking methods and make money. I hope everyone carefully considers this.”

Whether it was for long-term considerations or for a small immediate gain, there was no need to think too much about it. Smart people would definitely choose the long-term.

Seeing that everyone had no objections to this point, Yu Qingze continued, “If you can meet my requirements, you can come to my place to register after the meeting, with a maximum of two people per household. In addition, tomorrow I will teach you another new food item that is relatively simpler. Once you master that, we will move on to teaching the method of making sweet potato noodles.”

Upon hearing this, everyone’s enthusiasm was high. Yu Qingze had already said that they just needed to make it well and sell it to him. How could they miss this money-making opportunity? Besides, it was the middle of winter, and there wasn’t much work to do in the fields. It was a good chance to earn some money for the upcoming Lunar New Year.

As a result, the villagers gathered around Yu Qingze to register, and almost every household signed up. Even the village chief’s family, Doctor Yu’s family, Scholar Yu’s family, and the hunter’s family in the village also registered.

After returning home that night, Yu Qingze and Grandpa Chang ground and prepared the spices for curing the bacon and sausages. Chang Hao also helped and stayed up late before going to sleep.

They prepared three types of spices: five-spice flavor, spicy flavor, and numbing-spicy flavor.

The next morning, at the designated time, the courtyard of Chang Le’s house was densely packed with eighty to ninety people. Representatives from every household in the village came to learn the methods.