Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 210 - 109: To Sell or Not To Sell_2

Chapter 210: Chapter 109: To Sell or Not To Sell_2
Although making garlic peanuts was a bit more troublesome, each catty could earn Eight Wen Money. To the villagers, firewood didn’t cost anything, and among the seasonings, garlic, which was produced by their own family, was used in the largest quantity, while the others were used sparingly, making the cost very low. It was just about using more manpower. The Lian Manman family had discussed it and felt that this was a money-making venture they could sustain for the long term.
Big Boss Woo and Shopkeeper Wu quickly exchanged a glance.
Lian Manman immediately realized that these two had other plans.
"I wonder how you manage to dry the peanuts in this weather?" Shopkeeper Wu asked casually.
"This..." Lian Shouxin was about to answer.
Manman quickly coughed, and Shouxin turned to see her signaling him, so he lowered his head pretending to sip his tea, swallowing the rest of his words.
"Ha-ha, is that a secret?" Shopkeeper Wu laughed, addressing Manman.
"There’s nothing that can’t be said, but even if we don’t tell you, Shopkeeper Wu, you would find out tomorrow," Manman laughed in response.
A look of embarrassment appeared on Shopkeeper Wu’s face.
"In our town, we were the first to make and sell these garlic peanuts; those that followed all learned from us. Aside from the recipe for the garlic peanuts, we haven’t concealed anything from anyone. The method for drying peanuts on rainy days is quite simple to learn and replicate," Manman continued.
Shopkeeper Wu’s expression became a bit more pleasant.
"We country folks don’t have too many schemes. Elder Woo, you should just speak your mind," Manman said, glancing at Woo Zhonglian.
Woo Zhonglian laughed heartily.
"The young lady is straightforward, so I’ll be direct too. Your garlic peanuts are not bad, and my snack shop plans to do business with them. Since you were the first to start making them, I can’t bear to take away your livelihood. Why not sell me the recipe just once? You could use the money to buy a few acres of land and wouldn’t have to work so hard afterwards," he proposed.
Manman secretly chuckled, thinking that Woo Zhonglian had probably intended to acquire her recipe from the beginning. His demand to produce two hundred catties of garlic peanuts in two days was not only a test of production capacity and quality to see if it was possible to make them in large quantities. If Manman had failed to deliver on time, would Woo Zhonglian’s punishment have been to demand the recipe?
Now that Manman had delivered the garlic peanuts on time, Woo Zhonglian had confirmed that they could be mass-produced without being limited by the weather. Yet, he wanted to buy the recipe without offering much. Talk of not wanting to steal their livelihood—if his own shop could produce tastier garlic peanuts, would he still care about theirs?
Big Boss Woo seemed jovial but was shrewd in his calculations. If Manman had been an ordinary village girl, she might have been swayed by his charm and sold the recipe for a handful of Silver.
"Elder Woo, there isn’t just one stall in the market selling these garlic peanuts; every family claims theirs is the original. Why do you want to buy ours?" Manman inquired.
Since they had begun selling their garlic peanuts a few times, other families had started to copy and sell them in the market, including those from Thirty Mile Camp. However, none matched the taste of Manman’s peanuts, and the flavor varied each time. Without patent protection and with everyone running a small business, Manman couldn’t stop others from selling.
"Naturally, because ours are the tastiest and the flavor is always consistent, right?" Manman answered her own question.
Manman was spot on, and Big Boss Woo had no choice but to nod.
That was the truth, but Woo Zhonglian, wanting to acquire Manman’s recipe, thought about driving the price down and naturally wouldn’t admit it upfront. Now that Manman had spoken out, he had no option but to agree.
"Those families have only learned from ours, and the production methods are similar, but they lack our recipe... The other day, when I made arrangements with Elder Woo, I went to purchase seasonings. Perhaps someone with a keen mind bought them too, but I dare say they still won’t be able to match our flavor," Manman said, glancing at Shopkeeper Wu with a smile.
Manman’s family typically made just twenty to thirty catties of garlic peanuts to sell. To make two hundred catties, they would need to buy additional seasonings. Manman did not hide the garlic peanut-making process, but she was always careful about the seasonings, ensuring no one knew exactly which ones they used or the proportions.
If one wanted to produce garlic peanuts in large quantities, a consistent recipe was necessary; otherwise, each batch would taste different and could not establish a brand.
"The young lady is very smart," Woo Zhonglian remarked with a laugh.
"Our family is counting on this to make money, so of course, we have to be extra cautious. With more and more people liking garlic peanuts, even if we only make one thousand catties a year to sell, we could earn Eight taels of Silver a year. In twenty years, that’s one hundred and sixty taels, and in forty years, three hundred and twenty taels. If our Lian’s garlic peanuts are passed down through the generations, our descendants will never have to worry about food and clothing," Manman said deliberately.
Woo Zhonglian was somewhat surprised upon hearing this. Despite her young age, Manman’s insights were exceptional. In a few sentences, she had highlighted several key points, making it clear she understood the value of her recipe. It seemed that his hope of getting a bargain was unattainable.
"The young lady’s plan isn’t bad, but over these decades, how can you be sure no one else will be able to make garlic peanuts tastier than yours?" Big Boss Woo laughed heartily. "Why not sell it to me now, get the cash, and immediately enjoy many benefits? Young lady, how much do you want for your recipe?" he asked.
Manman hesitated, should she sell her recipe to Woo Zhonglian? (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you’re welcome to vote for it with your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)