Chapter 184 - 184 Actually, You Gave Me Courage
184 Actually, You Gave Me Courage
“It’s our honor to work with Young Master Qin,” Ji Zhao said with a smile. “Since we’ve already reached a preliminary agreement, let’s discuss the next step after I refine a batch of peanut oil.”
“Then I’ll wait and see.” Qin Minghong smiled. “After all, it’s a blessing to be able to taste Miss Ah Tao’s cooking!”
“Young Master Qin, you flatter me.” Ji Zhao smiled humbly.
The moment she walked out of the restaurant, Ji Zhao felt that her footsteps had become much more relaxed.
“Shen Yao, shall we go to the market now?” Ji Zhao held his arm intimately and said happily, “I can’t wait to extract a bucket of peanut oil now!”
“Sure!” Shen Yao never rejected her suggestions.
For the next three days, Ji Zhao locked herself in the village chief’s oil extraction workshop.
It was not easy to extract peanut oil. Fortunately, the village chief, Shen Menghu, had extracted oil before, so Ji Zhao had learned a lot from him.
After all, the difference between theory and practice was quite big. After experiencing a total of nineteen failures, Ji Zhao finally succeeded in extracting the fragrant peanut oil on the fifth day and twentieth experiment!
“Ah Tao, you’re amazing!” Shen Yao praised from the bottom of his heart.
Over the past few days, he had seen a special trait in Ji Zhao.
That was perseverance.
As long as one was persistent, an iron pestle would be ground into a needle.
What about him?
Shouldn’t it be time for him to go into action? To pick up his books and start over?
If he continued to remain silent, no one would be able to avenge the injustice he had suffered back then.
Instead of praying for the heavens to open their eyes and deal with those evil people, it was better to rely on himself and seek justice for himself as soon as possible, right?
“Shen Yao, come and help me!” Ji Zhao called out a few times, but Shen Yao was still stunned on the spot.
Ji Zhao walked up to him worriedly and waved her hand in front of him. “Shen Yao, are you alright?”
“Huh? I’m fine.” Shen Yao returned to his senses and smiled gently. “Ah Tao, congratulations on successfully extracting peanut oil!”
“This is nothing.” Ji Zhao waved her hand indifferently. “Wait until I make delicious food with peanut oil. Only then will it be considered a success!”
It was best to let the freshly extracted peanut oil settle for a while before using it.
As noon approached, another fragrance wafted out of the kitchen in the Shen family’s courtyard. It made all the children in the village cry!
“Chicken fingers, Colonel’s chicken nuggets, salt and pepper popcorn chicken, and french fries!” Ji Zhao smiled and brought the fried food to the table. “Mother, Shen Yao, try it. How does it taste?”
“Delicious!” Zhao Lanhua praised generously. “Ah Tao, although I’ve never heard of these dishes, these dishes are really delicious!”
“These are all delicacies I fried with peanut oil,” Ji Zhao explained with a smile. Then, she subconsciously looked at Shen Yao and raised her eyebrows smugly. “Shen Yao, you can say that we succeeded now.”
After Qin Minghong tasted the delicacy made with peanut oil, he was full of praise.
Second Manager You and Eldest Brother Shen had invested some shares in this oil extraction workshop.
“Ah Tao, I don’t think there’s for so many people to invest, right?” Qin Minghong was a little dissatisfied with Ji Zhao’s final proposal. “It only costs three hundred taels at most to open an oil extraction workshop. I think we can split it fifty-fifty.”
“Young Master Qin, I want to bring Second Brother You and my eldest brother to earn a sum of money together,” Ji Zhao said honestly. “Besides, my position in the oil extraction workshop is a shareholding system. Since it’s a shareholding system, why can’t I bring everyone to earn money together?”
“Besides, the Qin family is already the richest family in Dingyuan County. I believe Young Master Qin won’t be so petty, right?” Ji Zhao deliberately smiled and provoked.
“Alright.” In the end, Qin Minghong compromised. “Who asked Ah Tao’s fried food to smell so good?”
Qin Minghong and Ji Zhao each took 30% of the shares, while Second Manager You and Eldest Brother Shen each took 20%.
When the four of them signed the contract and pressed their thumbprints, Second Manager You was still in a daze. “I really never dreamed that one day, I would be able to open a shop with the owner.”
“Isn’t that so?” Eldest Brother Shen was also in a daze, as if everything in front of him was so unreal.
“There are a total of four copies of this contract,” Ji Zhao said with a smile. “Young Master Qin, Second Brother You, and Big Brother, you all have to keep the contract well. After the oil extraction workshop makes a profit for a quarter, we will use the contract to split the dividends.”
“Okay!”
After a month and a half of renovation, Ji Zhao’s fry shop was finally tidied up.
The 18th day of the 11th month was an auspicious day.
Accompanied by the lively sound of firecrackers, the curtains of the Ah Tao’s Fried Snack Shop officially opened.
“It’s a grand opening banquet. If you buy one catty of fried chicken tenders, you get half a catty for free!”
Long before the opening, Ji Zhao had already opened this fried shop for three days as a test. During this period, the county magistrate had personally come and praised it for being delicious!
Therefore, Ah Tao’s Fried Snack Shop already had a good reputation.
On the first official day of business, the 80 catties of fried chicken that Ah Tao had prepared were sold out. There were even many people who did not manage to buy it.
Night fell silently. After checking all the accounts, Ji Zhao leaned back in her chair to rest.
Shen Yao went behind her and gently massaged her shoulders.
“Thank you!” After being massaged, Ji Zhao felt that her entire body had relaxed a lot. “But you’re quite tired today as well. Sit down and rest together?”
The couple sat facing each other, each holding a cup of hot pear juice.
“I heard from Father that the Earth Temple will be completed in half a month,” Ji Zhao said with a smile. “At that time, let’s rest for a few days and return to the village to help?”
“Whatever you say.”
“Shen Yao…”
“Yes?”
“I’m very happy.” Ji Zhao looked into his eyes and smiled gently. “I saw.”
“What?”
“You picked up your books again.” Ji Zhao raised her eyebrows and smiled sweetly. “You’ve already made your decision. I’m really happy.”
“Ah Tao,” Shen Yao held her hand gently and said gently, “Actually, you gave me courage.”
“I can feel a fearless courage from you. In the past half a year, you’ve achieved many goals, such as repairing the earth temple, opening an oil extraction workshop, and running such a shop. You’ve worked so hard, so what reason do I have to continue being pessimistic?”