"Alright, I'll place the order now—let's sign the contract immediately!" The Evans Manor mushrooms were in such high demand that the stewards worried they'd miss out if they didn't buy quickly, so they all insisted on signing right then and there.
Lily Evans smiled and named her prices: "We have two kinds of mushrooms. Fresh mushrooms are available in spring, summer, and autumn for ten taels per jin; in winter, the price is thirty taels per jin. Dried mushrooms are thirty taels per jin in spring, summer, and autumn, and sixty taels per jin in winter."
The stewards knew that mushroom prices were different in winter compared to other seasons, which made sense since there were fewer vegetables then and rare goods were always more valuable. But what exactly were dried mushrooms, and why were they so much pricier than fresh ones?
"Dried mushrooms? Here, let me show you." Lily Evans asked Belle to bring over a bag of sun-dried mushrooms for everyone to see. She explained, "Dried mushrooms have had their moisture removed, so they weigh much less than fresh mushrooms. It sounds like they're more expensive, but if you do the math, the price is actually the same. Dried mushrooms have many advantages: they're easy to store and last a long time without spoiling. Many of your restaurants have branches all over the country, and dried mushrooms can be shipped nationwide without going bad."
"Wonderful, these dried mushrooms are fantastic! Who knew mushrooms could be dried? I've learned something new today!" The stewards all praised Lily Evans for her cleverness and resourcefulness.
"My restaurant needs five hundred jin every month!"
"My restaurant needs one thousand jin every month!"
"Mrs. Lily, reserve eight hundred jin for my restaurant every month!"
The stewards rushed to place their orders. Lily Evans, Leonard Li, and Belle worked all afternoon, finally signing every contract. The stewards agreed to send their carriages to the Evans Manor mushroom cellar at a fixed time each month to collect their goods.
Leonard Li rubbed his sore wrist, glanced at Lily Evans, and laughed, "Well, with these contracts signed, we'll net at least fifty thousand taels per quarter after expenses. I'll take ten thousand, you get forty thousand. This mushroom cellar of yours is a real treasure trove!"
Lily Evans grinned mysteriously and winked. "Tsk, my home has another goldmine you haven't seen yet!"
Leonard Li’s eyes lit up. Another goldmine? Was it as profitable as the mushroom cellar!?
"What kind of goldmine?" Leonard Li asked, curiosity piqued.
Lily Evans chuckled and glanced at the group of stewards who had just signed contracts. She said to Leonard Li, "Mr. Leonard, you worked hard to bring these head stewards from the big restaurants to buy mushrooms from my home. I can't let such a great opportunity pass—there's another big deal waiting for them to sign!"
Leonard Li’s interest soared as he watched Lily Evans stride toward the stewards, full of confidence. "Esteemed head stewards of the restaurants, with winter approaching, I bet your menus are shrinking, aren’t they?"
The stewards all nodded. "Exactly! In winter, there aren’t many vegetables. Ordinary folks just stock up on radishes and cabbage. Our restaurants do have cellars and we store leafy greens early, but they don’t keep well. We always end up cutting back on dishes."
Lily Evans smiled. "Gentlemen, if every other restaurant has to cut back on dishes in winter, but yours keeps the full menu and even serves fresh vegetables and fruits—tell me, how do you think your business will do?"
One steward slapped the table. "Business would boom, of course! If the other restaurants have nothing, and ours has everything, customers will flock to us!"
"That’s easy to say—everyone knows the logic. But the sad truth is, there just aren’t any vegetables in winter. Even the cleverest cook can’t work without ingredients, and not even a deity could help!" another steward sighed, frowning. Winter was coming, sales were dropping, and the stewards’ own income was shrinking too.
Seeing the timing was perfect, Lily Evans smiled slightly. "If your restaurants could offer a full range of fresh vegetables and fruits in winter, how much would that be worth to you?"
None of the stewards believed it was possible to have fresh vegetables in winter—they thought Lily Evans was joking. "Mrs. Lily, what you’re describing is priceless!"
Lily Evans’s eyes sparkled—priceless, perfect! That meant she could name any price she wanted!