Chapter 124: You Take Two, I Take Eight — A Happy Partnership
Wen Yao twitched at the corner of her mouth. This sister of hers was really impatient—eager beyond measure. How amusing.
“Take a look first. If there’s anything unsuitable, we can revise it,” Qiu Rongrong said, pushing the contract toward Wen Yao.
Wen Yao picked it up and skimmed through. It was fairly standard and matched what they had discussed the other day. The dishes she provided could only be supplied to Zuixian Tower. Additionally, if she came up with anything new—aside from recipes—it would also have to be offered to Zuixian Tower first.
The key part, however, was the profit distribution. That section was still blank.
“I’m showing my sincerity,” Qiu Rongrong said. “So if you have any requests, just say them.”
The overwhelming success of just one dish had shown her tremendous potential. Though Wen Yao was young, she had stirred in Qiu Rongrong a long-dormant desire to take a bold gamble.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed to cooperate after only brief consideration.
Since Qiu Rongrong was straightforward, Wen Yao didn’t beat around the bush. Setting the contract down, she said plainly, “Since you’re being frank, I won’t drag this out either. Each month, I’ll provide Zuixian Tower with two new dishes. We split the profits eighty-twenty. I take twenty, you take eighty. How about that?
“I don’t want any share of the restaurant’s other earnings—only from the dishes I provide.”
Qiu Rongrong fell silent for a moment. Originally, she had intended to simply pay Wen Yao a fixed amount per dish—it would have been simpler. She hadn’t expected Wen Yao to ask for profit sharing.
Eighty-twenty meant she still kept the larger share. If every dish Wen Yao provided was as popular as yesterday’s, Zuixian Tower would never lack business.
And it made sense—between a one-time buyout and a steady stream of income, anyone would choose the latter.
Still, as a businesswoman, she needed to understand what she would truly gain by agreeing.
“Eighty-twenty may seem like I’m taking more, but all manpower and material costs are on my side—you know that. Since you’ve made this request, I assume you’ve prepared something in return. Why not tell me?” Qiu Rongrong said with a smile.
Wen Yao had indeed thought it through. “Dishes are easy to imitate. Any experienced chef can recreate them after a few tries.”
Qiu Rongrong nodded. Of course she knew that—that was precisely why she had doubts.
Wen Yao smiled and shifted her tone. “But imitation only happens after you’ve already made it. Others can only copy you once you’ve put it out there. And they’ll only bother copying if your dish sells well.
“Besides, even if they imitate this month’s dish, next month Zuixian Tower will release something new again. That way, your restaurant will always stay ahead—whether in reputation or taste. Wouldn’t that be enough for you to earn a fortune?”
Qiu Rongrong arched a brow. “Can you guarantee that Zuixian Tower will have new dishes every month? No repeats—repeated dishes don’t count.”
Wen Yao smiled confidently. “Naturally.”
Qiu Rongrong still seemed to be considering.
“If you don’t trust me, we can try it for two months first,” Wen Yao added. That had been discussed at home beforehand. After all, demanding twenty percent profit upfront from the start was a bold gamble—especially from a ten-year-old girl.
She had to give others time to see what she was capable of.
Qiu Rongrong, who had been hesitating, made up her mind at those words.
“No need for a trial. It’s a deal. Qiao Yan, bring the brush and ink.”
As Qiao Yan went to fetch them, Qiu Rongrong looked at Wen Yao and said slowly, “I hope you won’t disappoint me.”
Wen Yao hadn’t expected her to agree so decisively. That surprised her.
Since she was being trusted, she naturally wouldn’t let her down.
“If you trust me, I won’t disappoint you.”
When the brush and ink were brought, they filled in the remaining details and signed the contract, pressing their fingerprints to seal it.
At the end of the contract, Wen Yao added a clause: if either party breached the agreement, not only must they return all prior earnings, they must also pay triple the amount as compensation.
In other words, if Qiu Rongrong broke the contract or ended the partnership early, Wen Yao could demand repayment of all profits from her dishes—plus triple damages. The same applied if Wen Yao breached it.
The difference was only in the scale of the money involved.
Before signing, Wen Yao thought of the rest of the Wen family. Wen Nong’s stall would likely continue operating, and she needed to consider her family’s future as well.
“Oh, Sister Qiu—if I use my own recipes within my family, that doesn’t count as a breach, right?” Wen Yao asked honestly. If her family wanted to run a small business or stall in the future, it wouldn’t make sense to forbid them from using her creations.
Qiu Rongrong covered her mouth with a handkerchief and laughed lightly. “As long as your family doesn’t open a restaurant to compete with mine.”
Wen Yao thought about the Wen family’s current circumstances. Open a restaurant? They probably couldn’t even afford to build one.
“Then… happy cooperation.” Wen Yao subconsciously extended her hand for a handshake, only to realize halfway that this wasn’t her original world. She quickly changed direction, pretending to straighten the contract before handing it over for Qiu Rongrong’s signature and seal.
Two copies were made—one for each of them.
Wen Yao tucked hers away. Qiu Rongrong handed hers to Qiao Yan. Seeing that it was still early, she invited Wen Yao to stroll around the estate.
“Since you’re already here, you might as well have a look. I haven’t been here in a long time. Since marrying into the Xie family, I’ve rarely been allowed out. The last time I ran into you and your brother was when I took Yi’er to the temple to burn incense—and that’s how things turned out.”
Because of that incident, the old Madam Xie and Xie Yushan had become even more restrictive about her being close to her son.
Wen Yao noticed Qiu Rongrong’s brows knit slightly before relaxing again. Now that they were partners, Wen Yao felt she could at least plant a seed of caution—so Qiu Rongrong wouldn’t be completely unguarded in the future.
“Forgive me for asking, Sister, but why not raise the young master by your side?” Wen Yao asked innocently, as if the question had simply arisen naturally from the conversation.
Qiu Rongrong looked out the window at the scenery and sighed. “It’s not that I don’t want to.”
Qiao Yan chimed in, “Miss Wen, how could our young mistress not wish to keep the young master by her side? It’s just that the master and the old madam won’t allow it. They…”
She hesitated, glancing at Qiu Rongrong. Seeing no objection, she continued, “They say our young mistress comes from a merchant family. They’re afraid she’ll teach the young master to be calculating and worldly, and that it would disgrace the Xie family.”
