Chapter 70

On the 22nd day of the first lunar month, Zhang Weixin and the members of the trade group who participated in the cooperation negotiations came to "Tianfu Tower" to sign a formal contract with Mr. Chen Guangfu, in order to officially start their collaboration.

Chen Guangfu warmly welcomed the穿越者s and solemnly signed his name on the contract. Subsequently, both parties went to the county government office to establish a written agreement, ensuring that their cooperation had legal protection. After leaving the county government office, both parties returned to "Qingyuan." According to the contract, the穿越者s paid Chen Guangfu 5,000 taels of silver, thereby acquiring 55% of the shares in "Tianfu Tower," making them the major shareholders. Of course, according to the agreement, Chen Guangfu would still be the owner of "Tianfu Tower" and had the right of first refusal on the shares held by the穿越者s.

After delivering the 5,000 taels of silver to Chen Guangfu's home, Fan Wucheng and Song Feiyang, appointed by the committee, officially moved into "Tianfu Tower" to exercise the team's management rights. Wu Peng, along with two former servants of the Qi family, was responsible for their security, mainly ensuring their safety on the way to and from work. Additionally, Wang Xiaojun, as the head of the finance group, and Hong Yan, as a financial officer, had the right to audit the accounts at any time. Neither Chen Guangfu nor Fan and Song had any objections to the team's financial oversight.

Of course, Hong Yan would not work at the restaurant, and Wang Xiaojun would not go to the restaurant to manage the cash. The daily management of the funds for the restaurant and the few shops was handled by a dedicated accountant sent from "Qingyuan." These accountants included those originally retained by the Qi family and those recruited from outside after thorough reviews. Before officially starting their jobs, they were trained by Hong Yan, learning some modern financial knowledge and using modern accounting methods to manage the accounts, which not only improved efficiency but also made it easier for Hong Yan to audit the accounts.

From that day on, the team members completely returned to their work, fully dedicating themselves to their respective tasks.

The trade group devoted all their efforts to the management of "Tianfu Tower" and the grain and silk shops. On one hand, they studied diligently and humbly sought advice to quickly familiarize themselves with the business practices and rules of this era. On the other hand, they applied some marketing concepts and methods from their previous lives that they believed were suitable for this era, hoping to achieve good results.

The most effort was put into "Tianfu Tower," as a cooperative business, to demonstrate the capabilities of the穿越者s, making the collaborator feel that working with them was the right choice. Among them, the one who contributed the most was not a member of the trade group, but Sun Yangyang from the material management group. This was not because the members of the trade group were not dedicated, but because Sun Yangyang, who was originally a professional engine repairman in the repair camp, had a natural advantage. Before joining the military, he had been a chef in a fairly large restaurant run by his parents, holding a professional certification and possessing excellent culinary skills.

Now that the穿越者team had invested in "Tianfu Tower," it provided him with a platform to showcase his talents. Recommended by You Yuan, he was temporarily transferred to the trade group to provide professional advice for the operation of "Tianfu Tower." After detailed investigations and evaluations, he taught the chefs at "Tianfu Tower" some dishes that he was familiar with but did not exist in this era. He also improved the traditional hot pot, which was very suitable for winter, based on the style of the charcoal-fired copper hot pot he was familiar with, making it more convenient to use. The only regret was that there were no chili peppers in this era; otherwise, the spicy hot pot would have become popular throughout Youzhou Prefecture.

Although the technology group could not yet fully launch their research and development work, the plan to use the craftsmen in the county to manufacture the components needed for flintlock guns had already been implemented. The relevant blueprints had been handed over to different craftsmen, and they were now waiting for the delivery of the components to proceed with the next phase of experiments. At the same time, at their request, the trade group had contacted the suppliers of the two pharmacies in the county, hoping to purchase large quantities of sulfur and saltpeter in the future.

The security group members continued to fulfill their duties, overcoming the shortage of personnel to provide high-quality services to all team members.

The members left in Feilong Fort were not afraid of hard work, leading by example in the training of the soldiers, which was proceeding vigorously, and they were confident of its successful completion.

Other team members were also diligent in their respective positions, not daring to slack off. Even Wang Xiaojun, who had previously focused on team stability and was not very concerned with financial matters, often discussed financial issues with Hong Yan to gain a comprehensive understanding of the team's financial situation.

In mid-February, Fan Wucheng, Song Feiyang, and the head chef Sun Yangyang, who were responsible for the management of "Tianfu Tower," knocked on Wang Xiaojun's door. After entering and sitting down, Fan Wucheng said, "Old Wang, I have something I want to discuss with you."

Wang Xiaojun, seeing his serious expression, said, "Just go ahead and say it."

Fan Wucheng said, "It's like this. Through our work at 'Tianfu Tower,' I, Xiao Song, and Xiao Sun feel that although the restaurant is doing well, it mainly relies on its accumulated popularity and high-end image, without any special signature dishes or unique skills. Although Xiao Sun is helping now, the limitations of the available ingredients and seasonings prevent him from fully utilizing his abilities. Since there are no strong competitors at present, the minor shortcomings in the dishes do not affect the restaurant's business. However, if a competitor of similar caliber appears, they could potentially defeat 'Tianfu Tower' through their superior dishes.

Therefore, Xiao Song, Xiao Sun, and I have discussed and decided to improve in two ways. First, we plan to have Xiao Sun put in more effort to compile as many recipes as he knows, selecting some suitable for this era to enrich the menu of 'Tianfu Tower.' Second, I once heard of a type of seafood called 'sea cucumber,' which is said to have excellent health benefits when used in dishes. Additionally, when dried and processed, it becomes a good seasoning, similar to monosodium glutamate (MSG) from our previous lives, which was an essential ingredient for Xiao Sun when he was a chef. Moreover, 'sea cucumber' is a natural product that does not affect health.

According to what I read online, this type of seafood is only found in the Bohai Bay. So I plan to go on a business trip to the coast to see if I can purchase some to assist Xiao Sun's work. If this product can live up to its reputation, it will be a unique feature for the restaurant, adding a special element."

Wang Xiaojun nodded after listening and said, "I've also heard of 'sea cucumber,' which is said to be a food suitable for men. I learned this from reading穿越novels on起点. However, I remember the author mentioned that this seafood is a specialty of Yantai and Dalian, and not found in other places. We are in the area of Beijing from our previous lives, and with the current transportation conditions, it would be quite troublesome to go to Yantai or Dalian. Moreover, Yantai is now part of the Later Zhou, making it even more difficult for us, as so-called Liao people, to go there."

Fan Wucheng, who was clearly aware of this information, nodded and said, "That's correct. The information we know is the same. However, I once heard that 'sea cucumber' is a specialty of the Bohai Bay, and its origin is not limited to Yantai and Dalian. It should be easier to go to the area of Tianjin from Beijing. Tianjin is also on the coast of the Bohai Bay and may have this type of seafood."

Wang Xiaojun found Fan Wucheng's argument reasonable and called Zhang Weixin to inquire about the situation in Tianjin during this era. Zhang Weixin indicated that Tianjin was not a prosperous area at this time and was under the jurisdiction of Youzhou Prefecture. With the current identity of the team members, going there should not be a problem. However, a journey of over 100 kilometers would take more than one or two days with the current transportation.

Regarding the travel issue, Fan Wucheng and others believed it was not an insurmountable difficulty and were confident they could overcome the adverse natural conditions.

Seeing their confidence, Wang Xiaojun dispelled his concerns and said to Fan, Song, and Sun, "Since you are so confident, I have no objections. Write a plan and submit it to the committee for review, and I will support it."

Fan Wucheng and others were very pleased and immediately left to prepare the plan. By the afternoon, they submitted the plan to the committee. After a discussion at an expanded committee meeting, their plan was approved, with some adjustments made to the personnel for the business trip. Considering the management needs of "Tianfu Tower," the original plan for Fan, Song, and Sun to go together was rejected, and only Fan Wucheng was allowed to go. Additionally, Yang Xin from the security group and Qingchen, temporarily recalled from Feilong Fort, led three physically strong servants and apprentices from "Qingyuan" and the shops to provide security, also serving as drivers.

Moreover, Zhong Tao from the technology group carried a radio to maintain contact with "Qingyuan." Since Zhong Tao was also a disciple of Fuyaozi, his combat ability was much higher than that of the three servants, thus increasing the safety of the business trip group.

On the 15th of February, a business procurement team of seven people, driving three horse-drawn carriages, left "Qingyuan" amidst the well-wishes of everyone, heading out of Liangxiang's east gate and slowly moving southeast along the uneven road.

If in their previous lives, the穿越者s could travel from Beijing to Tianjin by car or intercity train in one to three hours. However, in the year 954, the same distance of over 200 miles took Fan Wucheng and the other seven people nearly three days of continuous travel. They finally arrived at a small fishing village in Wuching County, Youzhou Prefecture, on the 18th of February at noon.

After sitting in the carriage for a long time, the tired group of people got off, stretching their legs and arms, and looked at the small fishing village not far ahead, which seemed to have only about twenty households. They had no confidence in obtaining what they needed.

After stretching for a while, Qingchen led Fan Wucheng and Yang Xin into the village to scout, while Zhong Tao and the three servants stayed behind to guard the carriages.

Qingchen and the other three slowly approached the small fishing village. When they were about ten yards away from the outermost thatched cottage, a man walked out. He was of medium height, strong and muscular, with a square face and dark skin, wearing a somewhat tattered robe. From his appearance, he was likely a fisherman. Seeing strangers approaching the village, he appeared nervous, gripping a stick in his hand and turning back to the cottage to say something, probably warning his family to be on alert.

Seeing this, Qingchen signaled Fan Wucheng and Yang Xin to stop, and he approached the fisherman alone. Qingchen's Taoist attire seemed to slightly reassure the fisherman, who, although still cautious, did not make any dangerous moves. After a few words, the fisherman's face finally relaxed. He told his family inside not to worry and offered to take Qingchen to meet the village leader. Qingchen thanked him and signaled Fan and Yang to follow.

The three followed the fisherman to a relatively better and larger thatched cottage in the center of the village. The fisherman pointed to the cottage and said, "This is Uncle Sun's residence. He is the village leader. Let me go in and inform him. Please wait a moment."

Qingchen quickly thanked him, "Thank you."

The fisherman then entered the cottage and came out after a while, extending his hand to invite Qingchen and the others, "Uncle Sun invites you in."

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