OFTLHFRO C94

Chapter 94 Profit Sharing

At first, they thought Luo Mingchen was joking.

Later, they realized he was speaking the truth.

After finishing a massive table of dishes, there were still octopus balls, flower pastries, crispy spicy small yellow croakers, shrimp dumplings, and soup dumplings…

“Uncle Luo, you… hic!”

Liu Shangyu was so full he could barely speak. “Isn’t this way too much?”

“It’s a celebration! Liuyun passed the juren exam, which means the books and paintings we bought have appreciated in value. Plus, Xiao Hui passed the tongsheng exam—double happiness! Shouldn’t we eat more? I even prepared coconut chicken soup. Later, each of you will have a bowl.”

Ah, this…

Everyone, already stuffed to the throat: “……”

Originally, Wen Liuyun had been amused when Luo Mingchen mentioned the appreciation of the books and paintings, but after hearing the last sentence, he could no longer laugh.

Xiao Lin was also stuffed, groaning, “Mingchen, we really can’t eat any more.”

They hadn’t even touched the wine, let alone the soup.

“Then… should we pack some to take home?”

Luo Mingchen, in his excitement, had cooked far too much.

So, after everyone finished, they each took a food box with them.

Master Mo’s portion was the largest, packed with apple vinegar, vegetables, fruits, and pastries, and a few students even helped him carry it back to the academy.

If there was any drawback to Wen Liuyun passing the exam, it was that he now had to find a new assistant.

However, Wen Liuyun still had to teach Huo Yuhui and Huo Xiang to play the zither. Meanwhile, Luo Mingchen had not yet found a new assistant, so Wen Liuyun continued to work in the shop and stayed there as well.

In the afternoon, Luo Mingchen sat by the counter, worrying about where to find another assistant, when a somewhat familiar voice called out:

“Uncle Luo!”

Following the voice, Luo Mingchen saw Gao Jiabao, Huo Yuhui, and a few others standing a little way behind.

“Did you get into trouble?”

Gao Jiabao paused, smiling and shaking his head:

“No, we didn’t get into trouble. Our teacher let us off this afternoon, and we wanted to go out shopping and have some fun.”

Luo Mingchen realized, and from his pocket… actually from the space he carried, he took out a bag of coins and handed Huo Yuhui a string of copper coins. “Here, if it’s not enough, come back for more.”

Kids going out to play shouldn’t need to spend too much, right?

Huo Yuhui shook his head:

“Little Daddy, I still have money.”

“Take it anyway.”

Luo Mingchen handed him the long string of copper coins. “In case you encounter any bad guys on the way, you can use these coins to hit them.”

Hearing this, the boys couldn’t help but laugh.

However, they didn’t know that Luo Mingchen wasn’t joking.

One thousand copper coins, when thrown at someone’s head, could actually leave a large dent.

Seeing that Luo Mingchen wasn’t messing around, Huo Yuhui hesitated, then said:

“Little Daddy, should we take Yueyue with us?”

“You guys go have fun; taking Yueyue along would be inconvenient. By the way, will you be back for dinner tonight?”

Luo Mingchen’s question shocked the boys.

They had expected it would be difficult to go out, yet he didn’t even ask where they were going.

Before they left, Luo Mingchen remembered one thing:

“Forgot to tell you, don’t go to gambling dens or places like Taohua Town. If I find out you went to those chaotic places, I will break your legs.”

Although Luo Mingchen’s tone was calm, they could tell this was no joke.

Even Huo Yuhui felt a bit scared.

The boys shrank their necks and obediently agreed.

“Uncle Luo, don’t worry. We just want to go to the theater to watch a play. A new troupe came today; they’re supposed to breathe fire and have other fun acts… Uncle Luo, why not come with Uncle Huo and us?”

For Gao Jiabao, that was just a few extra ticket costs.

Luo Mingchen laughed:

“You guys just go by yourselves. Be safe.”

Seeing that he truly would not go, the boys set off together.

It was normal for kids to be playful; they couldn’t be studying every moment.

If they read constantly, they wouldn’t be geniuses—they’d be bookworms.

Luo Mingchen thought letting Huo Yuhui and Huo Xiang go out with friends was fine. They had their own circle. As long as they didn’t do illegal things or go to gambling dens, having fun was better, preventing Huo Yuhui from being overly repressed and acting less like a child.

After the children left, Luo Mingchen was still troubled about where to find an assistant.

Used to having help, the idea of working alone again in a few days made him want to close the shop.

Students were on holiday, the weather was cold, and if it snowed, no one would come from elsewhere just for a cup of milk tea.

Even if someone did, there wouldn’t be many.

The more Luo Mingchen thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. Seeing Huo Yan return, he asked:

“What did Young Master Ming say?”

Huo Yan glanced at him and handed over a stack of silver notes.

“Huh?”

Though puzzled, Luo Mingchen took the silver notes after seeing them.

“This is the profit sharing from the Third Prince, plus money for purchasing raw materials.”

Luo Mingchen was stunned:

“He didn’t take anything from us and just opened the shop directly?”

Huo Yan hesitated for a moment, then said:

“He opened a spicy hotpot shop.”

“So he wants to buy the ingredients for milk tea?”

Luo Mingchen could only think so, since he had written about these two things in the letter.

“Mm.”

Seeing that Young Master Ming was pleased, Huo Yan realized he must have made a good profit.

If one were to describe the Third Prince’s greatest advantage, it was that he listened to advice.

In the letter, Huo Yan had suggested opening a shop on the official road or at the dock, with modest prices, focusing on small profits but high volume. The Third Prince opened four shops in busy areas, including the two locations Huo Yan recommended.

In just half a month, he had earned a lot. Especially at the two trade points for foreigners—by river and by land—even though daily earnings were not as high as before, he was still making money.

Luo Mingchen looked at the silver in his hand and sighed:

“The rich get richer; this is undeniably true.”

With money comes resources, allowing for trial and error. One can aim for big profits, and even if a loss occurs, it won’t hurt the foundation. Thus, one can try their hand anywhere.

Counting the silver notes, Luo Mingchen asked:

“Do we give these to Young Master Ming?”

“If prepared, contact a shop in Yue Lan County; there will be people to transport them.”

Hearing this, Luo Mingchen nodded, relieved.

“Shall we go back now?”

Wen Liuyun was still in the shop, and with customers coming, he could manage alone.

“Alright.”

The two returned home with Huo Xinyue. Luo Mingchen thought that while the other spicy hotpot ingredients could be similar to others’, the chili, Sichuan pepper, and fennel could come from him. That way, competitors wouldn’t get much business.

Having distinctive features makes a shop memorable. If everything is the same, price wars would be troublesome.

For the milk tea, Luo Mingchen supplied the tea.

The ingredients and procedures were written on paper, and Huo Yan copied them down.

Luo Mingchen sat aside, watching Huo Yan write diligently. Those long eyelashes made him itchy-handed.

If Huo Xinyue weren’t around, Luo Mingchen would have reached out to touch him a couple of times.

As mealtime approached, the two boys hadn’t returned. Thinking they were still out, Luo Mingchen decided to start eating.

Just as he served himself a bowl of rice, there was a knock at the door. Opening it, he saw Huo Yuhui, covered in blood, carrying the battered Ming Yuanjing on his back, followed by Huo Xiang and Liu Shangyu. Gao Jiabao and Chen Yunhao were nowhere to be seen.