Chapter Twenty-Five: Joining Forces

As soon as Da Guang spoke, Lu Cheng was instantly displeased.

“You little brat, I taught you everything you know! How could your cooking be better than mine? Don’t push me too far—if you do, I’ll really go, and when your snack bar goes under, don’t come crying to me.”

Lu Cheng pointed at Da Guang, his face red with anger.

“Go if you want. The canteen barely pays anything a month anyway. I’m done talking—I’m going to bed.”

Da Guang ignored him and went back to his own room, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Lu Cheng had intended to think things over, but he hadn’t expected his own son to look down on him so much.

He decided to find Feng Weizhi tomorrow and settle the matter once and for all.

Meanwhile, Chen Huajiang was carrying the sleeping Huanhuan on his back and leading Lin Jiayin home.

Lin Jiayin had stayed with him the whole time, which moved Chen Huajiang deeply.

“If you’re unhappy living here, we can move to another neighborhood.”

Chen Huajiang was mainly worried about the gossiping women in their building. They were simply jealous of Lin Jiayin’s beauty, and their idle chatter was to be expected. But for Lin Jiayin, it was deeply uncomfortable to hear.

“It’s all right. Haven’t I gotten by all these years? Let’s talk about moving once we’re better off.”

Lin Jiayin was always so understanding.

This only made Chen Huajiang feel more guilty. No matter what, he was determined to give Lin Jiayin and her daughter a happy life.

That night, Chen Huajiang tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

His barbecue had become wildly popular, nearly as much as braised pork. But how could he expand further? With just a few rooms, it was impossible to grow much. How could he expand the business without investing money?

Suddenly, he sat up in bed.

Lin Jiayin, startled, asked with concern, “What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”

Chen Huajiang was excited. He’d just thought of a way to make a profit without any investment: franchising.

At this time, franchising was an unfamiliar concept. But if he charged every franchisee a thousand yuan—and required them to buy his marinade—he could make money.

The secret of barbecue was in the seasoning. He could grind all the spices and pack them in bags so that no one could easily steal the recipe. Only an old master chef with decades of experience might be able to tell what was in it, and such people were rare.

“I’m going to franchise. We’re going to make a fortune!” Chen Huajiang was a little giddy.

“What’s franchising?” Lin Jiayin didn’t quite understand.

“Let me ask you something: Are our lamb skewers popular?”

“Of course! So many people eat them—how could they not be?”

Chen Huajiang’s question seemed pointless to her.

“We’re popular, sure, but only in this small area. The city is huge. What if people in Beicheng heard about us?”

“Even if they did, they couldn’t come—it’s too far. And even if they could, your place is too small. Forget it, just go to sleep,” Lin Jiayin urged.

But after having this idea, Chen Huajiang couldn’t sleep.

“What if there was a place in Beicheng? Not one we opened, but someone else, and we charged them for it.”

He was being vague, and Lin Jiayin was even more confused.

“I’m not listening to your nonsense. I’m going to sleep.”

Lin Jiayin ignored him and drifted off.

Chen Huajiang quietly got up, took out pen and paper, and began writing his plan.

If he set the franchise fee at a thousand yuan, that shouldn’t be a problem. His barbecue made thirty to fifty yuan profit a day, so the fee would be earned back within a month.

But maybe it would be better to set it at seven hundred—more people might be interested. And if someone bargained, he could lower it to five hundred.

With ten franchisees, he could make five thousand yuan.

“That’s it. But I’ll need to advertise.”

Murmuring to himself, Chen Huajiang finally lay down to sleep.

The next morning, he sat distractedly at his table.

Da Guang approached him and said seriously, “The owner of the Delicious Fresh Restaurant went to see my dad. He wants my dad to make braised pork for him.”

Chen Huajiang was surprised, suddenly recalling the three visitors from a few days ago. That must have been the owner of Delicious Fresh. He’d thought it odd at the time, but hadn’t dwelt on it.

“Did your dad accept? How much is he offering?”

“My dad’s considering it. The other guy said a hundred yuan, but I don’t know if it’s true.”

As Da Guang spoke, he busied himself with his work.

“Da Guang, do you think I’m paying you too little?”

“No, Brother Jiang. If I thought so, I’d have gone with my dad to Delicious Fresh. I just believe in you.”

He was being sincere, and it touched Chen Huajiang.

“Since you believe in me, let me tell you the truth: we’re about to make it big. Just wait—within two months, you’ll see.”

Da Guang looked at him skeptically. Aside from the snack bar, they had nothing else. Getting rich from this seemed unlikely.

Chen Huajiang knew Da Guang wouldn’t understand if he explained.

At noon, Er Mao showed up early. He usually only came at night—what brought him here so soon?

“Nothing to do today, Er Mao? Or are you here to help?”

“Brother, come here, I want to talk to you.”

Chen Huajiang wasn’t much older, but Er Mao always called him “brother.”

Er Mao pulled him to the farthest table and whispered, “I have a buddy who wants to try your barbecue—don’t worry, not around here. Could you do me a favor and teach him?”

Chen Huajiang was stunned. Just last night, he’d come up with the franchise idea, and now someone was asking. Fate was on his side.

“Here’s the thing. I can teach him, but there’s one problem. What if my secret gets out? So, I have a new rule: people can franchise my barbecue, use the same name, and I’ll teach them how to grill, but they have to buy the seasoning from me.”

Er Mao was young and understood immediately.

“That’s fine—I’m just worried he’ll teach someone else.”

“Don’t worry, hear me out. The franchise fee is seven hundred yuan—this helps prevent people from spreading our secret.”