One sheep is shorn, and a flock of sheep is also shorn.
Since Professor Flitwick has left, shorning a different professor for wool isn't out of the question.
Everything is for the great skill upgrade.
Chen Yu prepared to go talk to Professor McGonagall about the Transfiguration Charm.
Chen Yu actually quite liked the Transfiguration Charm.
Besides the Transfiguration Charm being the only spell Chen Yu currently had to defend against Avada Kedavra, the magical effects of the Transfiguration Charm itself also piqued Chen Yu's curiosity.
Especially turning inanimate objects into living, moving ones.
If the Transfiguration Charm reached that level, and his figurines at home could move, wouldn't that be awesome?
When Chen Yu arrived at Professor McGonagall's office door, he knocked for a long time but the door didn't open.
It seemed Professor McGonagall was not in her office at the moment.
Chen Yu had no choice but to give up the idea of asking Professor McGonagall for guidance and turned to leave.
After returning to the dormitory, he saw that Harry wasn't in the room; he must have gone to the Quidditch Pitch for training.
“Chen Yu, it’s a real shame you didn’t come back with us just now,” Ron said to Chen Yu with a look of regret, “Harry’s Nimbus 2000 is simply amazing, it’s like a work of art! The lines, the tail, it’s truly beautiful.”
After speaking, he continued to boast to Chen Yu, “Harry told me that after training is finished, if there’s time, we’ll find a secluded spot and he’ll let me try riding it too! That’s a Nimbus 2000, it’s so cool!”
Ron’s eyes were full of light, imagining his dashing appearance after riding the Nimbus 2000.
“Chen Yu, do you want to come along too?”
Ron extended an invitation to Chen Yu.
Chen Yu shook his head and refused, “No, I still have to go to the Library to return books later. Do you want to come with me?”
Hearing that Chen Yu was going to the Library again, Ron lost interest and waved his hand, signaling Chen Yu to go by himself.
Chen Yu tucked the several books he had finished reading under his arm and turned to ask Ron, “How much does a Nimbus 2000 like Harry’s cost?”
The unenthusiastic Ron lay bored on his bed, answering without turning his head, “A Nimbus 2000 costs 599 Galleons…”
Before he finished, Ron perked up again and asked Chen Yu suspiciously, “Why are you asking that?”
“Playing with other people’s flying brooms isn’t very interesting. I want to see if I can buy one to play with.”
Chen Yu was secretly a little tempted by a flying broom that allowed him to fly just by riding it.
A Nimbus 2000 is equivalent to a top-of-the-line sports car; what boy wouldn't want a luxury flying broom?
“Buy a Nimbus 2000? Chen Yu, you’re not like Harry, actually a hidden rich person, are you?”
Ron already knew that Harry’s parents had left him a mountain of gold at Gringotts, enough to last Harry a lifetime.
And the Serpent Spell magical item that Chen Yu could produce didn't seem like something an ordinary orphan would have, so he began to suspect that Chen Yu, like Harry, was also a hidden rich person.
Chen Yu retorted irritably, “A hidden rich person? I wish, but don’t dream. I mean I want to try to earn some money at Hogwarts.”
“Make money?” Ron’s eyes lit up. “How do you make money? Can I join?”
Ron was also desperate for money, otherwise he would have long since replaced his ill-fitting old wand.
Just as Ollivander had said, “The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter.”
Even with an ill-fitting wand, Ron could keep up with the professors’ teaching pace, which in some ways made Ron a small genius.
“How did the hot pot I took you guys to eat last time taste?”
“Hot pot? I can only say it tasted excellent!” Ron licked his lips, seemingly relishing the delicious memory. “It just had a bit of a side effect; my butt was unusually sore the next day. Are you planning to open a hot pot restaurant at Hogwarts? I don’t know if the professors would allow it.”
“George and Fred have always wanted to open a joke shop at Hogwarts, planning to sell some prank items, but Professor McGonagall has never approved it.”
Professor McGonagall wasn't foolish; why would she allow the Weasley Brothers to open a prank shop in the school?
Filch’s anger was already through the roof from constantly cleaning up dungbombs. If he found out that the Weasley Brothers, the culprits behind everything, were opening a prank shop in the school, he’d go mad.
“No, no, no, I’m not planning to sell hot pot, that’s too much trouble,” Chen Yu shook his head and said, “I’m going to sell another kind of mysterious Oriental delicacy, skewers! This is simple, easy to learn, easy to get started, and also confidential.”
“Skewers? What are those?”
Ron was already very interested in Chen Yu’s topic.
Chen Yu patiently explained, “It’s meat threaded onto wooden sticks and roasted over a fire.”
“Isn’t that just roasted meat? What’s so special about it?”
“Its secret is in the seasonings. Different proportions of seasonings result in different flavors.”
Chen Yu had long noticed that Hogwarts’ menu, while seemingly diverse, actually had a relatively uniform taste. Most roasted meats were basically brushed with honey and then sprinkled with salt, black pepper, and the like, resulting in a predominantly sweet flavor.
Unlike Oriental roasted meats, which are reddish in color, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, fragrant, savory, and slightly spicy—everything you could want.
“And I don’t plan to open a shop in Hogwarts; instead, I’m going to make a pushcart and sell skewers around the school.”
Ron was a bit doubtful: “Are you sure this can really make money?”
“We can try it in the common room first. That big fireplace always has a fire burning, it would be a shame not to use it for roasting meat. We can test the waters in the Gryffindor common room first, and if it works out, then consider the pushcart. If no one buys, we can just eat it ourselves, so at least we won’t lose much in the early stages.”
Ron thought for a moment and agreed with Chen Yu, then excitedly clapped his hands and jumped off the bed: “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get started!”
Chen Yu looked at the impatient Ron and rolled his eyes: “What’s the rush? The raw ingredients still need to marinate for several hours. Although the House-elves in the kitchen said they could provide us with some free raw ingredients, that won’t last long. After all, doing so is taking advantage of the school, and the school board will certainly order us to stop if they find out. So we must give the House-elves some money, as if we’re buying the raw ingredients from them.”
“I’ve already had the House-elves help marinate some lamb, and we can try it out in the common room tonight to see how sales go.”
“Also, Ron. What do you plan to contribute? Is it capital, technology, or labor?”
Upon hearing Chen Yu’s words, Ron first ruled out capital investment. He only had a little money on him, not enough to buy a few more Jumping Frogs.
As for technology investment, that was even more out of the question.
Ron awkwardly said, “I don’t have money, so it looks like I can only contribute labor.”
Chen Yu nodded and said to Ron, “That works too. When we’re ready to test the waters, you can help out. We’ll split the net profits seventy-thirty; three-tenths for you should be fine, right?”
Ron didn’t know how much profit that three-tenths would bring him.
But out of trust in Chen Yu, he still nodded in agreement.
A little money is better than constantly asking his family to provide for him.
“Since that’s settled, I’ll go return books at the Library, and when I get back, we’ll get straight to it.”
