Chapter 13 — Forty Billion And People Only Ask For A Kitchen

Moc Bep was invited to participate in a local food fair.

Thao used to want to have a stall but never had enough money to rent. I registered for a moderate space, designed the counter in the style of a home kitchen, placed the clay pot and vegetable basket next to the lunch boxes.

On the second day, a middle-aged woman stopped in front of the fish braised with turmeric. She took a bite, asked who the cook was and gave him his business card.

"I am Le Bich Ngoc, in charge of product development of the An Tam supermarket system. We want to try your packaged products."

Thao looked at me, still holding the cake tongs.

“What quantity?” I asked.

"First month 5,000 seats. If okay, increase to 20,000."

Thao took a deep breath. That order is larger than anything Moc Bep has ever done.

“We need to keep ownership of the recipe,” I said.

“Okay. But food safety standards are very high.”

“We accept.”

At night, Thao sat on the warehouse floor, smiling and worried.

“Do you know how much money we will lose if we fail?”

"Know."

“So why are you still calm?”

“Because our capital does not need to be borrowed.”

I bought more packaging machines, rented a standard kitchen and hired two people who used to work in the school cafeteria. I don't expand with debt, so every decision can slow down if the quality doesn't keep up.

Minh Khang saw me coming home late and asked:

“Is your new job keeping you that busy?”

“I was assigned another project.”

He nodded and placed the hot rice on the table.

“Any project is fine, but remember to eat.”

The test order sold out in one day. An Tam sent feedback: customers like the house's taste, the repurchase rate is high. They offered to sign a one-year contract.

I didn't tell my husband's family. I just told Minh Khang that work is progressing.

He didn't ask for salary. He just sent a message to the family group: "Nguyen has a good job, everyone, stop pushing."

For the first time, he used a short sentence to set a boundary for both of them.