Daily Profits in Gold

Clear Creek Village, western end.

Wang Er's home.

Li Beichen looked at Sister-in-law Wang's heavily rounded belly.

"Brother Wang, your wife must be due any day now."

"That's right. It should be sometime in the next few days."

"I plan to move to Ram City soon. Why don't you come with us? When your wife gives birth, the midwives and doctors in the city will be more skilled."

Wang Er was quite tempted by Li Beichen's suggestion.

Although he only received a four-tenths share of the profits, the stewed offal business still brought him more than thirty taels of silver a month.

Besides, unlike Li Beichen, Wang Er didn't have the major expenses that came with martial arts training.

His family had saved up far more silver, enough to easily buy a two-courtyard residence in Market Ward, Ram City.

"And, Brother Wang, it's time we expanded the stewed offal business."

"But..."

Wang Er looked troubled. Though Li Beichen's status as a martial artist had once cowed a number of people, at the time Li Beichen had worn cotton clothes, not fine silk.

People also knew that the owner behind Li's Stewed Offal was a martial arts school disciple, not a true graded martial artist.

Even though they were keeping the business small for now, plenty of people had their eyes on it.

A number of them had already come around, openly or in secret, to sound him out.

Wang Er had never told Li Beichen.

If he were alone, he would have fought them with his pig-slaughtering knife. But as his wife's belly grew larger, his courage seemed to shrink.

If they expanded further, they would surely be unable to hold back other people's greed.

Wang Er truly had no confidence that he could protect his wife and child from those people's wolfish schemes.

Seeing Wang Er's expression, Li Beichen understood. He smiled and said,

"By the way, Brother Wang, take a look at this."

Li Beichen held out the Meat Guild Attendant's waist token.

"There was something I forgot to tell you. I've entered the ranks and become a Ninth Grade martial artist. I've also signed a contract with Ram City's Meat Guild and become an Attendant of the guild."

"Don't worry about running the stewed offal business, Brother Wang. We can supply restaurants and taverns throughout the city."

"What?!"

Wang Er took the waist token with trembling hands.

He was a butcher who ran a meat shop and made his living under the Meat Guild.

He naturally knew what this waist token meant.

It belonged to a great man he'd once hardly even had the chance to see.

And now, he couldn't believe that his Brother Beichen had become someone like that too.

The image of Li Beichen arriving in the bitter wind, destitute and adrift, seemed like a distant wisp of smoke in Wang Er's mind.

But in truth, it had only happened last year.

In an instant, Li Beichen's face seemed a little more mysterious and twice as imposing in Wang Er's eyes.

Only seven parts of the old familiarity remained.

"Brother Beichen, with your token, I have nothing left to worry about. Tomorrow, I'll invite the restaurant owners I contacted before, and we can discuss things together."

Li Beichen had already formed a rough plan for the business. He considered Wang Er's suggestion for a moment.

"Let's not rush. Tomorrow, I'll first go see Guild Master Zhou of the Meat Guild and ask him to attend as well. When we send out invitations, we can use the guild's connections to invite all the major restaurants in the city."

"Brother Wang, find some more pork and beef and stew them too. Then we can let the restaurant and tavern owners have a taste."

"Also, since we'll be using the Meat Guild's connections, we'll give the guild a tenth of the profits."

"Five parts for me, four for you, and one for the guild."

"No, no!"

Wang Er shook his head again and again.

"Brother Beichen, I can't hold on to that much money!"

"Too much money will only attract envious eyes and endanger my family."

"That four-tenths share is too hot to handle. I'm just a butcher. I can't bear that burden."

Li Beichen gazed at Wang Er's dark, earnest face. After a long pause, he said,

"Then we'll keep it at six parts for me, three for you, and one for the guild. But those shares will be of the net profits. The costs of ingredients, labor, and everything else will come out of the common business account. You can hire a few trustworthy hands to help, Brother Wang!"

Three-tenths of the net profits would still be a handsome income once the business expanded.

It would be enough to keep Wang Er's family wealthy for the rest of their lives.

The next day, Li Beichen brought stewed offal, pork belly, and beef shank to visit Zhou Zhongru, the President of the Meat Guild.

Zhou Zhongru had entered the ranks as a martial artist thirty years earlier, but decades of comfortable living had long since caused his martial arts to fall into disuse.

Today, however, Li Beichen had come only to discuss business with him.

"President Zhou, I've brought some delicacies for you to try."

As he spoke, Li Beichen set the stewed dishes, packed in a bamboo food box, on the table and gestured for Zhou Zhongru to open it.

Before the box was even opened, Zhou Zhongru caught the fragrant aroma of the braising spices and raised an eyebrow.

"Could this be stewed offal?"

"Oh? President Zhou has heard of it?"

"I've only heard about it. I haven't had the chance to try it. Today, I'm fortunate to have you to thank for that, Attendant Li."

Zhou Zhongru spoke with practiced tact. He had only heard that the dish was made from pig offal. As the head of a guild, he naturally wouldn't eat the cheap cuts favored by commoners.

But since Li Beichen had brought it to him specially, he was willing to try it, even if it was offal.

However, when Zhou Zhongru opened the food box, he saw that most of its contents were choice cuts of beef and pork. The offal made up only a small portion, mostly pork intestines.

"Please, President Zhou. Have a taste."

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

The braised meat touched his tongue, and its rich aroma filled his mouth.

The delicious stewed meat lit up Zhou Zhongru's eyes. He couldn't stop praising it.

Li Beichen had also brought a jug of fine wine. He filled a cup for himself and one for Zhou Zhongru.

"How can you have meat without wine? This goes wonderfully with a drink!"

As the two ate and drank, Li Beichen smoothly brought up his proposal.

"To be frank, the stewed offal business belongs to me, Li Beichen. I want to expand it, and since I'm also an Attendant of the Meat Guild, I'd like to work with the guild and President Zhou."

"The Meat Guild won't need to provide people or labor. I only ask to borrow President Zhou's influence to invite the owners of Ram City's restaurants and taverns..."

Finally, Li Beichen drove home the point.

"Once the deal is done, the stewed offal business can give President Zhou a tenth of its net profits."

Zhou Zhongru had already been very interested in the business. When he heard the final offer, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

"Certainly, certainly!"

A few days later, stewed meat began appearing in restaurants and taverns throughout Ram City, and even in the brothels of Rouge House.

Most of it was braised beef and pork belly.

As for offal, in the eyes of many people with somewhat higher standing, it was still food for commoners.

Naturally, good cuts of meat didn't come cheap. But most people could afford to order just one plate and give them a try.

The braised meat soon made a name for itself. Diners flocked to it, singing its praises.

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

The wealthy families of Ram City also began coming to him one after another to buy stewed meat.

Those orders kept Li Beichen's profits steadily climbing.