Transmigrated into an Ancient ABO Fantasy World: A Culinary Comeback - Chapter 20

Wang Xiaojin decided not to use a branch-store model for her burger business this time. To keep things simple, she opted for a “franchise” system: the franchise fee was set at 100 taels. Ten franchisees meant 1,000 taels, and a hundred meant 10,000. As her advertisements spread far and wide, the crowds of diners grew, and so did the number of savvy merchants eager to buy in.

Even traders from the Xin and Yulong Kingdoms, recognizing a golden opportunity, traveled long distances to join. This brought massive profits to Chen Xi’s shop as well, because the core ingredients like orange peel oil could only be purchased from her. There was no other source in the world.

Soon, Chen Xi’s small workshop could no longer keep up with the overwhelming demand. One day, she sent a messenger to Wang Xiaojin’s rented storefront to invite her over to discuss expansion.

Wang Xiaojin accepted and met her in the backyard of the essential oil shop. This was her first time seeing exactly how Chen Xi extracted the oils with such precision. She was stunned to find that, although the equipment was made of wood, its design and logic were nearly identical to modern laboratory instruments.

She couldn’t help but ask in amazement, “Miss Chen, how did you come up with this technology? If the proportions or temperatures were off by even a fraction, these formulas wouldn’t work.”

Chen Xi offered a faint, elegant smile. “There is no particular reason; it is simply a natural instinct. I can sense how to handle the materials to bring those crystal-clear oil droplets to their most beautiful and fragrant state.”

Oh… is she a Water Elementalist? Wang Xiaojin wondered. Does this spiritual constitution provide a “buff” to scientific production? That is fascinating. She asked Chen Xi if she knew how special her body was, but Chen Xi only looked confused and shook her head.

Thinking that another ally meant another source of strength, Wang Xiaojin decided to introduce Chen Xi to the secrets of the Shadow Guards. Perhaps as her cultivation improved, the quality of her essential oils would become even better than before.

Beyond research and development, the three of them collaborated to purchase a plot of land on the outskirts of Zicheng, the capital of the Jiang Kingdom. They opened a factory and began hiring workers to scale up the essential oil industry. Wang Xiaojin implemented modern management techniques: she hired professional chefs, built a cafeteria, and appointed Wang Qi as the cafeteria manager. She even established a “9-to-5” workday and a two-day weekend.

These innovations shocked the Jiang Kingdom. People flocked to the factory looking for work. After all, the factory’s business now spanned three nations, with over a thousand pounds of oil sent out via courier stations every day, requiring a massive workforce.

This panicked the owners of other local industries, such as silk, spice, and tea factories. A “war for talent” broke out, and other workshop owners were forced to copy her methods just to keep their own workers from leaving.

However, success brought its own dangers. As the saying goes, “all crows under heaven are black.” Certain members of the Jiang Kingdom’s royal family began to eye the profitable business with greed. Fortunately, a firm law stood in their way: the Jiang Kingdom’s Monopoly Law. It stipulated that any invention or patent serving the public interest could be granted a period of exclusive monopoly rights.

When Wang Xiaojin first heard this, she was amazed. Isn’t this just ancient intellectual property protection? With this legal shield, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Wang Qi was also incredibly happy, practically glowing with pride. In one trip abroad, she had transformed from a subordinate into a high-ranking manager. She happily dumped the management of the burger shop onto Wang Xiaojin and spent all her time at the factory.

Of course, Wang Xiaojin knew her real motive. The girl was constantly hovering around Chen Xi with obvious intentions.

Wang Xiaojin reminded her to stay focused on her duties. “The cafeteria food must not be expensive. While we can let external vendors set their own prices for their stalls, the food we provide for our own workers must be a low-cost benefit. Breakfast should be one scoop of fried noodles, two eggs, a bowl of porridge, and a meat patty for only 3 wen. Lunch will be two scoops of rice with a choice of stir-fried dishes for 5 wen, and dinner will be the same.”

Why include external vendor stalls? Because her workers now earned an average monthly salary of 6 taels (6,000 wen). They had significant purchasing power and didn’t want to eat the same thing every day. Occasionally, they wanted to gather for a nicer meal or have more diverse options, and the independent stalls provided that freedom of choice.

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