Su Xiaoqi, having made up her mind, wasted no time in replying to the Grand Princess’s mansion, confirming her attendance.
Soon after, Shen Yun returned with He Qiulei.
He Qiulei had a room in the outer courtyard of the Grand Princess’s mansion, but to avoid suspicion, he generally did not come to Mao’er Hutong when Shen Yun was away.
In the early days, he had pulled many strings for his elder brother. Now that his elder brother had achieved the promotions he deserved, He Qiulei no longer needed to hide his tracks or be discreet.
He could now openly enter and exit his elder brother’s residence.
Therefore, he often stayed there.
His visit today was specifically to see the two of them after the imperial examinations had concluded.
After replying to the invitation, Su Xiaoqi reviewed the account books for a while before heading to the kitchen to experiment with new dishes.
Shen Yun had lost weight during his time in the examination compound, so she had specially prepared a nourishing soup for him.
When He Qiulei arrived, Sister Mu from the kitchen had just brought out a pot of tripe soup.
“Hahaha, it’s better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. It seems fate wants to keep me here today,” He Qiulei said, already very familiar with Su Xiaoqi and Shen Yun, making jokes quite casually.
He started teasing as soon as he saw the food.
Su Xiaoqi chuckled, “As if we wouldn’t invite you to eat.”
Things were different now. In the past, they would cook just enough for the family to avoid waste.
Now that they had several servants at home, they had to prepare more food and stock up on ingredients.
After all, they couldn’t let the servants work for nothing.
Especially for today’s tripe soup, she had specifically instructed the person responsible for purchasing ingredients to get extra.
He Qiulei had just happened to arrive at the perfect moment.
Since he was present, the smart servants, without needing any prompting from their masters, immediately went to the kitchen and added bowls and chopsticks.
As they were all familiar with each other, there were no formalities or separate seating arrangements for men and women, so they all sat down to eat together.
He Qiulei’s visit today was not without purpose. He had come specifically to catch up with Shen Yun, maintain their good relationship, and inquire about his performance in the examinations.
Secondly, he wanted to discuss the business of instant noodles and slides with Su Xiaoqi.
He mysteriously took out an account book and placed it in front of Su Xiaoqi, then winked his eyes and asked with a smile, “Guess how many instant noodles we’ve sold in total?”
Su Xiaoqi recalled that when they were sending Shen Yun off to the examination, most of the scholars were carrying instant noodles.
After all, many scholars who rushed to the examinations were not wealthy.
If they were sold too expensively, she worried they wouldn’t be able to afford them.
Su Xiaoqi counted on her fingers. If most of them bought, that would be eight to nine thousand people. If each person bought six packs, and they made a profit of twenty wen per pack…
Of course, these were only the scholars who bought them before entering the examination compound.
Su Xiaoqi had waited outside and clearly heard many of them, upon exiting, immediately seek out shops to buy instant noodles to take home.
This did not even include the ordinary people who were not scholars but had also bought instant noodles in the past half month.
Su Xiaoqi shook her head, indicating that mental arithmetic was no longer sufficient to calculate the amount.
She suspected she would need an abacus and a pen to figure it out.
However, she still gave He Qiulei an approximate figure: “Around a thousand taels?”
He Qiulei blinked at her, his face full of surprise as he pointed at the ledger and said, “Sister-in-law, this has been opened. When did you look at it?”
He had been guarding here the entire time, so why did he not know anything about it.
Su Xiaoqi smiled lightly and casually said, “Just guessing.”
“Just guessing.” He Qiulei felt as if he had been hit.
Because Su Xiaoqi’s guess was already eight or nine tenths accurate.
Su Xiaoqi smiled. She had calculated it based on the scholars’ purchasing power and used probability.
It wasn’t exactly guessing, but probability hadn’t appeared in this world yet.
So, she didn’t intend to elaborate. She smiled and asked, “The business was good before the imperial examinations, all thanks to your excellent promotion. But how is the business now?”
He Qiulei was still immersed in shock. Hearing Su Xiaoqi’s question, he subconsciously replied, “Good, very good.
Now, instant noodles have become a must-have dish at banquets hosted by famous and noble families in the capital, and also a necessary choice for provisions when people travel.”
He Qiulei spoke with shining eyes, full of vigor and spirit.
Su Xiaoqi chuckled, “That’s good. But since noble families are also buying, should we rebrand them with new packaging?”
It was still new and popular, so they hadn’t had time to worry about such things.
However, after some time, they would surely find the price of instant noodles too cheap, not befitting their noble status.
Su Xiaoqi asked He Qiulei to cater to their preferences and produce a batch of luxurious packaging.
Three per pack, or like in modern times, five per pack.
This way, it would be separate from the single packaging of the ordinary version and could meet the different needs of various classes.
“Brilliant, brilliant!” He Qiulei praised, “Why didn’t I think of that? What a great idea. This way, in another half a month, it will probably double again.”
He had thought of this himself at first, as his own family had come from such a background.
Even people from merchant families like theirs cared about such things, let alone the noble and influential families in the capital who valued status and position above all else.
Now that they were just starting to experience something new, they might not have considered it at first.
Even if someone did, they would still endure their discomfort and buy a lot with the mentality of hoarding scarce goods.
But later, it might decline.
However, there was no need to worry now. With Su Xiaoqi’s idea, he could have his managers immediately start producing the high-end packaging.
The instant noodles would remain the same, but if they were packaged in beautiful brocade boxes, they could be sold for ten times the price.
Listening to He Qiulei offer his ideas, Su Xiaoqi twitched the corner of her mouth.
What a true profiteer, this was.
Su Xiaoqi’s direct gaze made He Qiulei slightly uncomfortable. He turned his eyes to Shen Yun and asked with a flattering smile, “Brother Shen, your paintings are so good, can you draw some patterns for me…”
Before he finished speaking, Su Xiaoqi decisively refused, “No, my husband still needs to participate in the imperial examination, and he doesn’t have time.”
After saying that, Su Xiaoqi met Shen Yun’s gaze.
“Oh no,” Su Xiaoqi realized and quickly covered her mouth.
“Oh dear, in my excitement, I let the truth slip out.”
If this was the case, would they suspect her? After all, her words had confidently stated that Shen Yun would definitely pass the imperial examinations, become a Jinshi, and then participate in the imperial examination.
However, to Su Xiaoqi’s surprise, Shen Yun only gave her a meaningful glance and said nothing.
And He Qiulei said nothing at all.
In fact, it wasn’t just Su Xiaoqi who thought so; he also thought so deep down.
How could someone as talented as Shen Yun fail a mere imperial examination?
Although there were many variables involved, He Qiulei stubbornly believed that Shen Yun could do it and would definitely succeed.
Therefore, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with what Su Xiaoqi had said.
After feeling guilty for a while, Su Xiaoqi was relieved when she realized that neither of them suspected her words. It seemed that great minds thought alike, and they also thought the same way.
Perhaps it was also because Shen Yun’s displayed strength was too formidable, having already conquered them.
“That’s right, that’s right. I was being inconsiderate. Oh, in that case, I’ll go find my elder brother and see if he can draw them.” He Qiulei scratched his head in exasperation.
Su Xiaoqi could tell that he didn’t want to find someone from outside to do it.
After all, some workshops had many professional painters responsible for such matters. With a bit of money, there would be no need to trouble Shen Yun.
But He Qiulei clearly didn’t want anyone else to get involved, and for some unknown reason.
“I, actually, oh dear, you might not know, but our He family appears prosperous and well-developed, but the inner workings, oh dear, only we ourselves know.”
He Qiulei patted the back of his head, looking dejected.