Making a Fortune Daily

At the west end of Clear Creek Village.

At Wang Er's home.

Li Beichen looked at Sister-in-law Wang, whose belly was heavily distended.

"Brother Wang, the sister-in-law is nearing her time, isn't she?"

"Indeed, it should be within these next few days."

"I plan to move into Ram City soon. Why don't you all come along? The midwives and doctors in the city are far more skilled for when the sister-in-law goes into labor."

Hearing this from Li Beichen, Wang Er felt quite moved.

Although he only received a forty percent share, the stewed offal business brought him over thirty taels of silver a month.

Moreover, Wang Er did not have the massive expenses of martial arts training that Li Beichen did.

With the savings his family had accumulated, buying a two-courtyard house in the Market Ward of Ram City would be more than enough.

"Furthermore, Brother Wang, it is time for us to expand our stewed offal business further."

"But..."

Wang Er's face showed his hesitation. Although Li Beichen's status as a martial artist had deterred some people before, Li Beichen had been wearing cotton clothes rather than fine silk at the time.

Others knew that the boss behind Li's Stewed Offal was merely a martial arts student, not a true ranked martial artist.

Even though they had been restraining the scale of their business, there were still many who coveted it.

Quite a few people had already come to probe him, both openly and covertly.

Wang Er had never mentioned this to Li Beichen.

If he were alone, he would have just fought it out with his Pig-Slaughtering Knife, but as his wife's belly grew larger, his courage seemed to shrink.

If they were to expand further, they would inevitably be unable to withstand the greed of others.

Wang Er truly lacked the confidence to protect his wife and child against the jackal-like tactics of those people.

Seeing Wang Er's expression, Li Beichen realized the situation and smiled.

"Oh, right, Brother Wang, take a look at this."

Li Beichen handed over the waist medallion of a Meat Guild consultant.

"I forgot to tell you one thing: I have already entered the ranks, becoming a Ninth-Rank martial artist. I have also signed a contract with the Meat Guild of Ram City and become a consultant."

"Brother Wang, you can manage this stewed offal business with peace of mind. We can cooperate and supply the restaurants and eateries in the city."

"What?!"

Wang Er tremblingly took the medallion.

He was a butcher by trade, running a meat shop and making a living under the Meat Guild.

Naturally, he knew what this medallion signified.

These were the big shots he had barely been able to catch a glimpse of in the past.

Now, he never expected that his brother Beichen would actually become such a person.

The image of Li Beichen arriving in the cold wind seemed like smoke from long ago, blurring in Wang Er's mind.

But in reality, that had only been last year.

In an instant, Li Beichen's face took on an extra layer of mystery and two layers of majesty in Wang Er's eyes.

Only seven parts of familiarity remained.

"Brother Beichen, with this medallion of yours, I have nothing to worry about. Tomorrow, I will invite the restaurant managers I've been in contact with to come and discuss this."

Li Beichen already had a draft in his mind regarding the business, and he pondered for a moment before responding to Wang Er's suggestion.

"Don't be in such a hurry. Tomorrow, I will first go find Guild Master Zhou of the Meat Guild and have him attend as well. When we send out the invitations, we can leverage the Meat Guild's connections to send one to every major restaurant in the city."

"Brother Wang, find some more pork and beef and stew them up. We will have the managers of these restaurants and eateries taste them when the time comes."

"Also, since we are using the Meat Guild's connections, we will allocate one percent of the profits to them."

"Five for me, four for you, and one for the Meat Guild."

"No, no!"

Wang Er shook his head repeatedly.

"Brother Beichen, I cannot take that much money!"

"Too much money will only invite prying eyes and bring harm to my family."

"This forty percent share is too hot to handle; as a butcher, I cannot bear that burden."

Li Beichen gazed at Wang Er's dark, earnest face, and after a long silence, he spoke slowly.

"Then let it be six for me, three for you, and one for the Meat Guild. However, this share will be based on net profit. Subsequent costs for raw materials, labor, and so on will be paid from the public account. Brother Wang, you can hire a few trusted assistants to help!"

Thirty percent of the net profit would still be a generous income once the business expanded.

It was enough to keep Wang Er and his family wealthy for a lifetime.

The next day, Li Beichen carried the braised offal, pork belly, and beef shank to visit Zhou Zhongru, the president of the Meat Guild.

Thirty years ago, Zhou Zhongru had been a martial artist who entered the ranks, but after decades of comfortable living, he had long since neglected his martial arts.

However, Li Beichen was only here today to discuss business.

"President Zhou, I have brought some delicacies today, specifically for you to sample."

As he spoke, Li Beichen placed the bamboo food box containing the braised meat onto the desk, gesturing for Zhou Zhongru to open it.

Before the box was even opened, Zhou Zhongru's brows arched as he caught the scent of the braising spices.

"Is this braised meat?"

"Oh?! President Zhou has heard of this dish?"

"I have only heard of it, never tasted it. Today, I am fortunate thanks to Consultant Li."

Zhou Zhongru's words were impeccable; he had only heard that this dish was made from pig offal. As the president of the guild, he naturally would never eat such low-grade meat consumed by commoners.

However, since Li Beichen had brought it personally, he would give it a try, even if it were offal.

But when Zhou Zhongru lifted the lid of the food box, he discovered that the majority of the contents were actually high-quality beef and pork, with only a small portion of pork intestines.

"President Zhou, please, have a taste."

At Li Beichen's invitation, Zhou Zhongru picked up a piece of beef shank.

As the braised meat entered his mouth, a rich aroma instantly flooded his lips and teeth.

The delicious flavor of the braised meat made Zhou Zhongru's eyes light up, and he could not stop praising it.

Li Beichen had also brought a jug of fine wine, pouring a cup for both himself and Zhou Zhongru.

"How can one have meat without wine? This dish is an excellent accompaniment!"

As the two ate and drank, Li Beichen took the opportunity to propose his idea for cooperation.

"To be honest, this braised meat business belongs to me, Li Beichen. I want to promote it, and since I am a consultant for the Meat Guild, I wish to cooperate with the guild and with you, President Zhou."

"The Meat Guild doesn't need to provide manpower or effort; I only need to borrow your influence, President Zhou, to invite the proprietors of the various restaurants and eateries in Ram City..."

Finally, Li Beichen added the finishing touch.

"Once the matter is settled, you shall receive ten percent of the net profits from the braised meat business, President Zhou."

Zhou Zhongru had already been quite interested in the braised meat business, and upon hearing the final sentence, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

"Easy to say, easy to say!"

A few days later, braised meat dishes appeared in all the major restaurants and eateries in Ram City, and even in the brothels of the Rouge House.

Among them, the majority were braised beef and pork belly.

As for the offal, many people of slightly higher status still viewed it as food only fit for commoners.

Naturally, the price of the high-quality meat was not cheap, but if one only ordered a plate to taste, it was still affordable for most people.

Soon, the braised meat made a name for itself, becoming deeply popular among the passing diners, who showered it with praise.

Li Beichen's income also jumped from fifty taels a month to five hundred taels, a tenfold increase.

Furthermore, the wealthy families of Ram City began to approach him one after another, placing orders for the braised meat.

These orders caused Li Beichen's earnings to continue rising steadily.