Chapter 461: To Start as a Villain, Then Become a Gentleman!

her daughter had finally eaten enough of her little toes and was starting to eat fists, drooling. She wiped her with a handkerchief.Li Lao Tai moved the winnowing basket aside, afraid that her grandda...Li Laosan said, “The academy originally had a dining hall, but the food was too terrible, and the students didn't like it. Zhou Shanchang's idea is to give us all the tables, chairs, benches, pots, pans, and other utensils from the dining hall for one hundred taels.”

Of course, after this, rice, noodles, cooking oil and vegetables, meat, eggs will all be purchased by our family ourselves. We must ensure that students have good and sufficient meals, but the price of meals cannot be too high.

"After all, it's a place of education, not a commercial street for making money. Besides, many students don't come from wealthy families, Zhou Shanchang doesn't want to add burden to them."

Li Laotai nodded and after a moment said, "Zhou Shanchang is still looking after our family. With so many things, one hundred taels wouldn't be enough to buy them."

"The most important thing is that our family doesn't have to prepare beds, which saves a lot of money. Since all the students stay at the academy for lunch, it guarantees half of our daily business..."

"Yes, Mother," Li Lao San said. "I feel like I got a great deal, but I'm a little hesitant. Otherwise, I would have agreed right away."

Zhao Yuru was a woman, both gentle and timid. At this moment, she interjected, "Also, Mother, since our family has taken over the academy's dining hall, the business of all the other food stalls outside will definitely be affected. I'm afraid that when the time comes, some people will resent us and secretly sabotage us."

Let's not mention that we bought thirty acres of land and a courtyard. Let's just say that several children are studying at the academy. What if something happens to them No amount of money earned could make up for it.

Old Lady Li frowned. Her third daughter-in-law's worry was understandable. She couldn't think of a good solution for the moment, so she said, "You all stay at home tonight. When your elder brother and the others come back, we can discuss it together."

Jia Yin was nibbling on a snack, listening to the elders talking, and her mind began to race.

The dining hall of the academy...it's much like the university cafeteria in my past life.

However, universities can have thousands of students, while colleges only have a few hundred.

If you take it over, Uncle Three's thirty mu of land can be directly planted with vegetables, which will be enough to achieve self-production and self-sale.

Rice, noodles, grain and oil can also be purchased together to lower costs.

As for the style of meals, it still refers to the set meal mode of the original storefront, which is convenient for daily arrangements and saves manpower. Students also have the freedom to choose.

If manpower is insufficient, we can also recruit some from students who can work and study diligently.

As for how the rest of the colleagues are arranged, of course, they open a small window.

If students want to try something different, feel free to buy it. However, if the taste is not good and the students don't like it, Li's family bears no responsibility.

Moreover, they don't get to cook at the canteen for free. They have to pay rent for using the small window in the cafeteria. This is another source of income for the Li family...

The more she thought about it, the more she decided to grab a box of snacks and run to her second uncle's west house. She found her writing supplies and started writing while eating.

Li Laotai was afraid that her granddaughter would get stuck in a rut and stay shut up inside for days again, so she quietly leaned against the door and peeked in. She guessed that her granddaughter had come up with a good idea and felt relieved.

As expected, Jia Yin soon called Third Uncle in. The big and small chatted for a good half hour.

Finally, when Lao San Li came out, he held a few pieces of paper in his hands and was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth...

When evening came, Li Laoda, Li Laoer and Tao Hongying all came back.

One day, Li Laosan walked through the town. He went to Xianke Lai, so everyone knew they were home.

Everyone gathered around, watching as Jiayin held her special bowl and ate with a contented smile.

The little chubby one is the darling of the family, a real joy to be around. These past few days, without her around, everyone has been restless and couldn't sleep well.

But they tried many ways, whether it was giving silver or buying delicious and fun things, but it was useless. The old third couple returned, and the chubby little girl was back to normal.

Everyone was delighted.

These ribs, those meatballs, in the blink of an eye they filled Jia Yin's small bowl to the brim.

Li Laotai was afraid her granddaughter would eat too much, so she quickly changed the subject, "Jia Yi and Liu Yang have been gone for over a month, haven't they It's probably time for them to come back"

Since the beginning of the year, the two boys have brought back several ships full of seafood, and they can't be contained anymore.

After the fleet left, they returned to Quanzhou. They used the excuse of dealing with Zhang Jin and disappeared again.

Li Zhensheng calculated the days and said with a smile, “Mother, don't worry about it. In seven or eight days they should be back.”

Li Laosan had gotten a lot of good ideas from his little niece. He was so excited he couldn't contain himself, and said to Tao Hongying with a smile: "Sister-in-law, after dinner, could you help me and your sister-in-law think about the menu We're going to take over the canteen at the academy!"

Tao Hongying was surprised and delighted for her brother and sister-in-law. She quickly replied, "Great, Third Brother, let's have a good chat after dinner."

Li Lao'er was also happy for his younger brother, chuckling and saying, "Our youngest brother's business is booming! If he really takes over the academy canteen, wouldn't there be hundreds of people eating there every day That would be even busier than Xianke Lai!"

Li Zhensheng chuckled, "That's right! My restaurant operates with great care every day, fearing a damaged reputation and empty tables.

"Lao San's canteen was different. Whether the food was good or bad, all the students had to eat there, or else they would go hungry. This business deal was really great!"

But having said that, he also gave his younger brother a few more reminders, “However, Lao San still needs to be careful and cautious. The academy is full of students who study. It's better to have a less flavorful dish than to make it dirty and risk someone getting sick and hindering their studies.”

Besides, one should also be generous with profits. After all, being in the academy, it's not a good reputation to be known as greedy. In the future, when our children take the imperial examinations, these fellow students at the academy will become valuable connections.

Of course, you've worked hard and shouldn't lose money. So, from now on, I'll give you five hundred taels every year...

Before he could finish speaking, Lao San Li and Zhao Yuru quickly waved their hands to stop him.

Li Lao San hurriedly said, "No, big brother, we don't need your money. We bought thirty acres of land and grow our own vegetables, which already saved us a lot of money. Even if the canteen's profit is a little lower, it's enough."

Zhao Yuru also chimed in, "That's right, and with so many people at the academy, we can make a lot of sales even with low profit margins. It wouldn't be too bad."

Li Zhensheng nodded, saying nothing more, but he had his own plans in mind.

Since the younger brother doesn't need silver, he could send fish, shrimp, and dried seafood to the academy, adding some new dishes for the students and saving on costs...

As everyone chatted and ate, once they had their fill, they cleared the table. Then Li Laoer took a piece of paper and pen to help with the copying.

Li Zhensheng and Tao Hongying, along with Lao San and his wife, chatted animatedly, discussing things back and forth.

The menu was almost fully decided.

Regarding the suggestion of inviting food vendors outside the college to set up small stalls in the dining hall, Li Zhensheng offered some advice.

The rent price should be set about the same as outside, but it can be paid monthly.

This gave those who tried a chance, and afterwards, whether they succeeded or not, they had no reason to blame the Li family.

And these people, once they enter the canteen, will be under supervision.

If one refuses to use genuine materials, substitutes for good quality, or if a student has a problem after eating the food once, the Li family has the right to drive them out.

In general, one should first treat people as small and then as noble. Set clear rules beforehand so that you can remain unassailable in any situation! tending to the fruit trees on the mountains, preparing the riverbanks for planting, and some who want to plant jade gourds and golden fruits are running around asking for advice 。For a moment, the g...