SFS Chapter 257 A visit from an old friend
Chapter 257 A visit from an old friend
The old patriarch was a little confused, but he could still hear some hidden meanings.
"Will the imperial court purchase the sweet potatoes from our Yejia Village?"
"That's for sure. We can start raising seedlings in our village in the spring, and then we can sow them together during the spring planting season. When the people in the imperial court learn how to do it, they will buy our remaining sweet potatoes to raise seedlings."
"So, old patriarch, when the time comes, each family should have an idea of how much they want to keep for themselves! The silver they give will not be small! We can guarantee this!"
As Lin Yue spoke, she glanced at Ye Yin, implying that this matter had to be reported, and it would be best to set a suitable price.
Ye Yin nodded at her, "What do you think of one pound and one ounce of silver?"
Without waiting for Lin Yue to answer, the old patriarch was startled and waved his hands repeatedly!
"This is outrageous! One pound and one ounce of silver is a ton of gold! Even the best refined rice and flour can't be sold for that much!"
"This is a grain variety, and it is currently unique."
Ye Yin wanted to give some profits to Yejia Village, but he didn't expect that the old patriarch firmly disagreed.
"This is a major undertaking that will benefit the people. We cannot profit from it, or our conscience will be uneasy! Each family will keep some of the grain for themselves, and the rest will be donated to the court free of charge."
The simplicity of ordinary people is sincere, so Ye Yin stopped trying to persuade them.
"Okay, I'll tell the Emperor about your intentions. I'll buy the sweet potato seeds at the market price of the best rice. As for teaching you the planting techniques, you can contribute free of charge. That's more than enough!"
The old patriarch wanted to say something, but Lin Yue stopped him.
"Old Patriarch, just listen to him!"
The old patriarch looked at Lin Yue in embarrassment, "Ah Yue! We don't feel at ease with this money! It was clearly your contribution, but we snatched it away. Just imagine how we feel..."
"Old Patriarch, I am a member of Yejia Village and also a member of the Great Qi Dynasty. I just discovered this thing by accident. You guys planted it, so naturally you deserve the credit. Moreover, this is the result of the joint efforts of everyone in Yejia Village, not just mine!"
"In the future, I will bring the children back to stay here often! With you around, will I ever lack food and drink?"
These words touched the old patriarch's heart, and he responded repeatedly, "Okay, okay! I know you're a hard-working child. I'm happy that you can treat Yejia Village as your home! Don't worry, the people of Yejia Village will be your in-laws from now on!"
After saying that, the old patriarch glanced at Ye Yin, meaning, "You can't bully Lin Yue, otherwise we in this village will make you look bad!" Ye Yin felt bitter! His princess had a strong background. Not only did she have the emperor and empress as her backers, but now there was also the Ye Family Village. He couldn't afford to offend her!
After leaving the old patriarch's house, four children happily ran back from a distance, followed by a group of friends.
"Mom, I've given away all the gifts I brought to everyone!"
The four men went to every house on behalf of Lin Yue, and they brought gifts for their friends. Now they are gathering their friends to play together!
"Mom! Let's go play in the mountains!"
"Why go to the mountains?"
“We want to go see where we used to live!”
Afraid that his mother would be worried, Erlang quickly assured her, "Mother, our Grandmaster is going with us!"
"Okay! But you have to take good care of your friends!"
Not far away, two old men were walking unsteadily in front with their backs to each other.
"I know! Mother!"
The four men who followed were all the kids Lin Yue was familiar with, including Daqing, Erqing and Simao, who were their friends since childhood. Lin Yue felt relieved!
Lin Yue was exhausted from the journey, so she took a break while Madam Ge and the others were packing their luggage.
When he woke up, Ye Yin was gone.
When he left the house, he saw a brazier in the living room. He was chatting with the old patriarch and others, following local customs!
At this moment, he shed his usual cold and ruthless appearance as a prince and appeared to be exceptionally friendly and easy-going.
At this time, Liu Cheng just came back from Qingzhou City and brought three or four cars full of food.
Lin Yue saw an acquaintance from afar, the former shopkeeper Meng of Sifanglou.
"Master!"
When Shopkeeper Meng saw Lin Yue, he immediately bowed deeply. The news of the change of ownership of Sifanglou had spread everywhere, and all the shopkeepers knew that their current owner was the Princess of Southwest! However, the person who managed the restaurant was still Liu Cheng, that was the only thing that had not changed.
"Shopkeeper Meng, it's been a long time since we last met. I hope you are doing well!"
"Master, you're so polite! We've been preparing for your return long time ago!"
Earlier, Liu Cheng sent him a message about Lin Yue's return to Yejia Village. It happened that the restaurant was going to close for a month and would reopen after the Spring Festival, so he asked them to go to Yejia Village to help prepare the banquet.
"Okay, thank you for your hard work!"
After a few pleasantries, Shopkeeper Meng went back to work busily!
"Now, the names of restaurants in various places have been changed to Wangyuelou. The decoration style needs to be redone. They will take a month off and reopen after the Spring Festival!"
Since Lin Yue took over the Wangyue Tower, she had some new ideas. She redefined the decoration of the restaurant and suggested that restaurants in various places take a month off before reopening.
In terms of operations, she and Liu Cheng also reorganized the business, retaining its strengths and overcoming its weaknesses. They eliminated all the unprofitable parts of Wangyue Tower and replaced them with some new methods that had never been seen before.
For example, the membership system was continued, and new drinks were added. Hot pot, grilled fish, roasted meat, etc. were available regardless of the season. Liu Cheng was asked to plan and try all the dishes that Lin Yue could think of. The most important thing was that she wanted to use Wangyue Tower to do things within her ability, such as charity.
One of the new rules of Wangyue Tower is that any perishable ingredients or leftovers that cannot be sold on the same day are not allowed to be thrown away and wasted. Instead, they must be given to the poor or beggars in the city to provide them with appropriate assistance.
Although this increases some management difficulty, she believes that with Liu Cheng's ability, he will be able to do it, and this move will also take Wangyue Tower to a higher level!
She also had another ambition. Now that she was the Princess of the Southwest, in addition to being able to do something for Ye Yin, she could also grasp the news from all over the place in a timely manner. In this regard, she could use the charity of Wangyue Tower to achieve her goal, which was also the best use of it. She handed this matter over to Ziyi.
She needs to use Wangyue Tower to establish an information network in various places.
Zi Yi and Liu Cheng complement each other and supervise each other.
Everyone in the village knew that Lin Yue was coming back to prepare a banquet, and when they saw that she had rested well, they all came to help spontaneously.
This buffet was to last for three days! Therefore, the old patriarch specially vacated the three gatehouses of the ancestral hall, and Manager Meng and the people from Sifanglou were busy here. A large shed was built on the open space in front of the ancestral hall. The shed was surrounded on all sides and could block wind and snow. A large charcoal basin was placed in the middle, making the shed warm.
Thirty square tables were placed here, and the villagers spontaneously took out their own tables, chairs, benches, pots, pans, and utensils to deal with the emergency.
Ye Yin looked at the bustling scene and couldn't help but sigh.
"It feels like I'm back in the southwest, and the people there are just as welcoming as they are."
Lin Yue smiled. Indeed, she had seen it too!