TNIBFT -Chapter 92 The First Profitable “Fleece”

“We’ll get out right away!”

“Leaving now!”

Yuan Heipang dragged the terrified Xiao Wang away, lowering their heads as they retreated.

Moments later.

Only Xiao Xun’er and Ye Tian remained in the hall. The atmosphere was tense, like drawn swords and cocked crossbows. Xiao Xun’er carried the natural aura of someone in power, staring coldly at Ye Tian with an imposing presence.

An ordinary person from Sifang City would never dare oppose her. But Ye Tian merely frowned and said, “Sifang City has only just managed to attract some outside merchants in the past two years. Life has only started to improve. If the Young Miss uses force to seize things, it might damage your reputation.”

Xiao Xun’er narrowed her eyes, about to flare up.

This Ye Tian was clearly no good—he had gone against her again and again, and now he even dared to use the merchants to pressure her? But this was a critical time. The City Lord’s health was failing, and her two brothers were more useless than the other. She had a strong chance of inheriting the position.

At a crucial moment like this, she couldn’t afford to slip.

Ye Tian continued, “Actually, I have a method. It can let you make money, let you own your own hot pot restaurant, and most importantly—you can eat it whenever you want.”

“Isn’t that convenient?”

“What method?”

Xiao Xun’er asked instinctively.

Seeing the sly grin on Ye Tian’s face, she felt a bit uncomfortable and avoided his gaze.

“Franchising. Have you heard of it?” Ye Tian said.

Xiao Xun’er frowned. “What does that have to do with a hot pot restaurant?”

“Of course it does!” Ye Tian hurried out from behind the counter, grabbed her sleeve, and said eagerly, “Come, come, Young Miss—let me explain it properly.”

Looking at the hand holding her sleeve, Xiao Xun’er frowned slightly. If this scoundrel couldn’t give a proper explanation, she’d definitely chop that hand off later.

The two sat down. Ye Tian attentively poured her a cup of tea like an obedient lackey.

Looking at the steaming tea before her, Xiao Xun’er suddenly couldn’t understand what Ye Tian was planning. She wanted to buy his already profitable shop, yet he could still smile like this?

Was something wrong with his brain?

“Young Miss, what do you think of my shop?”

“Can it make money?”

Ye Tian asked seriously. Xiao Xun’er was momentarily stunned, but under his sincere gaze, she answered honestly, “Of course it can.”

“Then do you want to own a shop like this?”

“No—not just one. Ten, a hundred, even more.”

Before Xiao Xun’er could respond—

Ye Tian stood up abruptly, staring at her with excitement. “Young Miss, at such a young age you already possess extraordinary talent, able to spot business opportunities at a glance! Not only are you beautiful and noble, but you also have remarkable vision. How could there be such an extraordinary woman like you in this world?”

Xiao Xun’er’s cheeks flushed red.

Such direct praise—this was the first time she had heard it in her eighteen years.

She raised a hand to brush the loose hair by her temple, pretending to be annoyed. “Don’t think flattery will make me spare you. I’m determined to take this hot pot restaurant!”

In a feudal society, power meant everything.

“What’s a single hot pot restaurant?” Ye Tian said with a pained expression, shaking his head at her. “For someone like you, Young Miss, if you’re willing—not just one shop—you could open hot pot restaurants all across the entire Great Liang.”

The entire Great Liang?

Xiao Xun’er’s eyes widened. Even she had never dared to think that far.

Ye Tian continued to entice her: “When the time comes, everyone in the entire Great Liang will be able to enjoy hotpot—all thanks to you, Miss. One shop can bring in a net profit of fifty taels a day. Ten shops would be five hundred taels. A hundred shops? That’s five thousand taels a day…”

Five thousand taels?

Even Xiao Xun’er, who usually didn’t care much about money, was stunned.

What Sifang City lacked most was money!

With five thousand taels, the city’s defending soldiers could be equipped with new weapons. They wouldn’t collapse in panic every time the Great Zhou army approached like they did now.

Seeing the burning excitement in Xiao Xun’er’s eyes, Ye Tian sneered inwardly. Sure enough, there was no woman in this world who couldn’t be tempted—it was just a matter of whether the offer was big enough.

He continued, “From now on, I’ll work for you, Miss. If there are any issues with the hotpot business, I’ll take full responsibility. Following you will naturally inspire more trust than anyone else. When hotpot shops spread across the entire Great Liang and your fame echoes far and wide, don’t forget to give me a share. After all, I still have three children to feed.”

During this period, many people had come wanting to take over the hotpot shop.

Ye Tian had neither power nor influence. Even if he owned a profitable shop, he couldn’t keep it. Forget the sons of nobles—even the landlord had already said the rent would triple this month.

A sudden change of terms, simply because Ye Tian was a lowly commoner.

At the mercy of others.

“What does this have to do with franchising?” Xiao Xun’er finally asked.

Unhurried, Ye Tian sat back down and explained, “Think about it, Miss. Opening a shop—from choosing a location, to renovation, to staffing, down to every utensil and every employee—it all needs management. I’m like your steward, helping you replicate one shop after another. With such a complicated process, isn’t it reasonable to charge a fee?”

“Hmm.”

Xiao Xun’er nodded. The way Ye Tian put it, it would indeed save her a lot of trouble. Charging a fee sounded fair enough.

But something still felt off. Could it be that Ye Tian was simply admiring her and willingly running around for her sake?

Looking at his sly smile, Xiao Xun’er found it hard to believe. “Franchising means opening another shop, but what I want is just this one…”

Before she could finish, Ye Tian sincerely poured her more tea. “What’s so good about this one? This is my first shop—I have no experience at all. If you open a new one through franchising, I guarantee it’ll be a thousand times better than this.”

Xiao Xun’er stared at him. In Sifang City, no one had ever dared to deceive her. She doubted Ye Tian had the courage either.

After some thought, she decided that opening a hundred shops made more sense. Like hens laying eggs—there would never be a shortage of either. Keeping Ye Tian around was the smarter choice.

“I’ll trust you this once. But if even a single word of what you said is false, I’ll have you whipped to death!”

She stood up, unwilling to continue the conversation, afraid her temptation might show and damage her reputation as the noble young lady.

Seeing her rise, Ye Tian quickly stood as well. “Don’t worry. I’ll prepare the contract right away. Everything will be done according to it. If even one word is false, you can whip me to death on the spot. And about the franchise fee… shouldn’t you pay it first, Miss?”

“Franchise fee?”

Xiao Xun’er turned her head slightly. Ye Tian looked at her with a flattering grin.

“How much?”

“Not much.”

“Two hundred taels.”

“What?!” Xiao Xun’er’s eyes widened. “This shop only cost about a hundred taels to acquire, and you’re asking for two hundred?!”

Originally, she had planned to buy the shop for one hundred taels. Now she’d be paying two hundred and getting nothing but a contract—no one would agree to that.

“Don’t get worked up, don’t get worked up!”

“This is a long-term investment. Just think of the other ninety-nine hotpot shops you’ll open. The beginning is always the hardest—this is already my cost price…”