Chapter 76 The 76th Inn: The inn is being expanded, and guests are flocking in...

Xie Yan smiled gently and said to Shen Rong, "Isn't this also a kind of harmony?"

"Gathering the students here means we don't have to worry about them getting out of control. Not only is Lady Yun a great cook, but she's also quite skilled in martial arts. All of us here combined wouldn't be a match for her."

Shen Rong had indeed heard Wang Yu mention this before. He nodded and said, "Fine, you have a point. I can't argue with you. Since that's the case, then it's settled. We'll meet once a month from now on, so they'll have a place to exchange ideas and not get involved in official matters."

Xie Yan put down his teacup, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What, something happened in Beijiang County too?"

Shen Rong shook his head and said, "It's still about the matter of the magistrate of Long'an County. Many students were indignant after hearing about it and expressed many inappropriate remarks. The teacher told us not to speak recklessly, so I could only try to get them out to relax. Your suggestion to hold an event is perfect, so that these people can have a place to vent."

Xie Yan: "Your husband is too nervous. It's not a big deal. Perhaps things will be clear in a while."

Shen Rong: "What news did you hear?"

Xie Yan: "It's hard to say yet, but I guess it should be soon. Just wait and see."

Shen Rong was unaware that something big was about to happen in Long'an County, and Yun Yin was even less aware. She brought out the freshly made squirrel fish, and they had already changed the subject.

Today's event concluded successfully. The students from the county school and Xia Yan and her friends were very satisfied and agreed to come back to participate in the event next month. Yunyin will also prepare new dishes for that event.

As the group left, they saw various fruits displayed along the official road. Those who had previously wanted to buy candied hawthorns each took a bag of fruit home with them, and Xia Yan also bought quite a lot.

Yunyin arranged for Zhang Lin to deliver the packed food to Wang Yu and also to take the fruit back with them.

After Yunyin and all the students left, she and Zheng Guilan tidied up the courtyard and surrounding area. Zheng Guilan moved the table back to the main hall and asked Yunyin, "Yunniangzi, will the event still be held in the main hall when they come next month?"

She noticed that the lobby had shrunk as a platform was erected, leaving little room for other diners to sit if they continued to hold events there. While some travelers enjoyed the lively atmosphere, others did not.

After thinking for a moment, Yunyin said, "Let me think about it some more."

Just then, Song Shi came in from outside the courtyard and, seeing the high platform, called out, "Miss Yun, do you plan to keep this platform? If so, I'm going to start drawing on it."

Yunyin looked at Song Shi, who was carrying a stack of papers, and asked curiously, "Have you already decided what to draw?"

Song Shi handed the sketch in his hand to Yun Yin and said, "Take a look. I plan to use the four seasons as the base and draw various delicacies and gatherings. What do you think?"

The painting contains more than four pictures, depicting various scenes of the four seasons. In spring, he painted ten miles of peach blossoms, with a group of people sitting under the flowering trees, playing and laughing, drinking peach blossom wine, and eating peach blossom pastries. There are also various spring specialties, such as green rice dumplings and various wild vegetables.

Yunyin had looked through them roughly. Whether it was the peach blossom painting in spring, the lotus leaf painting in summer, the harvest painting in autumn, or the snow scene and plum blossom painting in winter, they were all painted very vividly, and every kind of food in them was clearly visible.

She nodded and said, "I think they're all good. You can take a look at the painting. As for the high platform you mentioned, I do intend to keep it."

"I've heard that the restaurants and eateries in the city have songs and dances. Perhaps one day I can find someone who is good at singing and have them play and sing here."

Song Shi agreed, saying, "The people of Dazhao love singing and dancing. You might want to give it a try. I heard that Manxiangju used to have singing and dancing performances, but for some reason, they canceled them later."

Yunyin hadn't expected that Manxiangju used to have song and dance performances. She said, "Let's plan it this way for now. I plan to build another private room in the future. After you finish drawing the plans for this place, I'd like to trouble you to draw pictures for me in the private room as well."

Song Shi didn't expect Yun Yin to act so quickly. He hadn't even started his project yet, and she was already planning to build a new place. He clicked his tongue twice and said, "Miss Yun, you're expanding too fast. It hasn't been long, and you're already expanding the guesthouse."

Yunyin shrugged and said, "There's no other way. If we don't expand, we won't be able to accommodate all the students from Beijiang County and Long'an County here."

"Have you heard that they plan to hold events here every month from now on? If I don't build a private room, other guests won't have a place to sit."

Song Shi stared wide-eyed and said, "I was only gone for a short while, and they made a decision?" He was shocked for a long time before exhaling and saying helplessly, "Okay, I'm just here to make up the numbers. I can't even participate in their poetry gathering. If they want to play pitch-pot sometime, I can give it a try."

“Pitch-pot, that’s not bad either,” Yunyin said with a smile. “Xia Xiaoniang and the others have also decided to come with the students next month. You can hold a pitch-pot event then. As far as I know, many of these students are still unmarried. Perhaps they can find a good match.”

Song Shi waved his hand and said, "Maybe that's what they're thinking. Otherwise, who would hold a poetry gathering every month for no reason? Xie Yan and Shen Rong are different from me. They're going to take the imperial examination next year." Song Shi stroked his chin and said, "Xie Yan already has my sister. Why is he still joining in? No, I have to ask him about it."

As they were talking, Song Shi ran out of the courtyard, mounted his horse, and rode away, leaving behind only the words, "Miss Yun, I'll come back when I'm on my day off."

Yunyin watched Song Shi run away and smiled helplessly, "Has he forgotten that Song Xuan comes every time? Xie Yan might also be able to develop feelings for Song Xuan."

The people of Da Zhao are open-minded, and women are allowed to go out as long as they are accompanied, whether it is to travel for study or to do business. Song Xuan can only go out in her spare time because her marriage is already arranged and she still has much to learn.

Yunyin had seen many times that men and women from the county or town would go out together, and from their shy expressions, it was clear that they were not engaged.

Cheng Yong wasn't interested in their sentimental talk. He asked curiously, "Miss Yun, are you really going to build a private room? Didn't you say before that you wanted to build a courtyard and then build a private room so you could raise the money?"

Yunyin thought about the fifteen strings of cash she had received today and smiled, saying, "I only planned to build one courtyard before. If I were to build a private room, it definitely wouldn't be enough. But I made a lot of money today. As long as they come to my place to eat often in the future, I will soon have the money to build a private room."

Today she collected a total of fifteen strings of cash. Even after deducting costs and taxes, she still had ten strings left. This amount, combined with what she had saved before, was about enough. With the daily revenue she had recently generated, it shouldn't be too far off to build two courtyards. After all, she didn't need to build an ice cellar or a cellar anymore, nor did she need to build a well, which would save her a lot of money.

She rubbed her hands together expectantly and said, "I'll go ask Qian Si tomorrow how much the expansion will cost. It should be cheaper than before."

Seeing that Yunyin had made all the arrangements, Cheng Yong could only sigh with regret. He had originally planned to use the money left by Fu Wang to help Yunyin if she was short of funds. He had left a sum of money before leaving, hoping to be of help to Yunyin if she needed it.

Cheng Yong thought to himself: Brother Fu, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that Lady Yun is too capable, and I don't need you at all.

Fu Wang, who had just arrived in Chang'an, suddenly sneezed. He touched his nose and thought of Yun Yin, who was still in Long'an County, wondering if she had thought of him.

Having decided to expand the courtyard, Yunyin went to town with Zhang Lin early the next morning. She first went to see Luo Man, handed her the candied hawthorns she had brought, and said, "Sister Aman, how have you been lately? How's business at the shop?"

Luo Man took the novel candied hawthorn and invited her to sit down, saying, "It's fine, not much has changed, but you've changed a lot, little sister."

Today, Yunyin wore a silk ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), the silk hem of which made her look even more beautiful. Yunyin smiled shyly and said, "This is a gift that Zheng Guilan gave me when I became her apprentice. I couldn't refuse it, and it would be a waste not to wear it, so I wore it today since I came to town."

Luo Man nodded and said, "You should dress up more, sister. This dress suits you very well. Zheng Guilan's skills are quite good."

Yunyin nodded and said, "Yes, she makes all the clothes we have there now. It was absolutely the right thing to do to keep her and Zhang Lin in the first place." Thinking of Luotian, who had already left with Fu Wang, she asked, "By the way, did Luotian come back and tell his family that he went to the Western Regions?"

Luo Man: "I told him, and he even gave me back the money you gave me before. How could I accept his money? I gave it all to his mother. I also want to thank you for making his mother stop worrying about him. Now she's thinking about finding him a wife."

Yunyin patted her chest and said, "It's good that his mother doesn't blame me. I was worried that she would object to sending him so far away."

"What are you saying, little sister? Aunt Luo is so grateful to you, how could she blame you?" Luo Man disagreed. "If it weren't for you before, he would have gone astray. Now that he's back on the right track, his mother is going to make a longevity tablet for you. You have no idea how grateful she is to you."

Seeing this, Yunyin felt relieved and said, "It's good that Aunt Luo has no objections. Then, Sister Aman, you go ahead with your work. I'll go find Qian Si."

When Luo Man heard her mention expanding the yard, she didn't disturb her and nodded, saying, "Qian Si hasn't had any work lately, so just go to his house and look for him. He should be home right now."

After leaving Luo's restaurant, Yunyin and Zhang Lin walked to Qian Si's house. Zhang Lin knocked on the door, and after a while, a woman's voice said, "Coming, coming."

The woman opened the door and saw Yunyin and Zhang Lin. She stared at Yunyin for a while, then seemed to remember who she was. Her previously stern face instantly broke into a smile. "This must be Lady Yun. What brings you to my old man? Is it another house to be built?"

Yunyin entered the courtyard with her and nodded, saying, "I'll ask Qian Gong to discuss expanding the courtyard."

She smiled and said, "Please sit down, I'll go call someone."

Qian Si was called out by his wife. When he saw Yun Yin, he asked in surprise, "Yun Niangzi, what brings you here? Is there something wrong with the house we had before?"

The woman serving tea glared at Qian Si and said, "What do you mean there's a problem with the house? In all these years, when have any of the houses you've built been criticized for having problems? Lady Yun came here to ask you to build a house for her."

Qian Si was surprised that Yun Niangzi wanted to build a house again after only a little over a month. He laughed and said, "Oh, I see. I wonder what kind of house you want to build this time, Madam?"

Yunyin told Qian Si her idea, and Qian Si said after listening: "If it is just building two courtyards, and there are not many rooms in the courtyards, it really won't cost that much money. According to what you said, if each courtyard has one room, then twenty guan per courtyard would be about right."

This time, there's no need to build cellars or ice cellars, nor to dig wells. There are also fewer rooms than before, so the price is indeed much cheaper. After thinking for a moment, Yunyin said, "I'm also planning to build a storeroom in one of the courtyards. I wonder what the price would be..."

Qian Si: "If we build thatched huts like before, the price won't be too high."

Yunyin thought about the warehouse they had built before and realized there was no problem with it. She smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble you. The warehouse can be built as a thatched hut, and the main house can still be built as a tiled house."

Just as Yunyin was about to sign the contract with him, she noticed Qian Si hesitated and asked, "What's wrong?"

Qian Si was about to speak when his wife interrupted him, "It's alright, he didn't bring paper and pen, I'll ask him to get them, Lady Yun, please wait a moment."

Qian Si Niangzi pulled him away, leaving Yunyin alone in the courtyard. Qian Si quickly brought out paper and pen and said to his wife, "Go and make some food. Yun Niangzi has come so early, she probably hasn't eaten yet."

Qian Si Niangzi was somewhat unwilling, but after glancing at the old man, she still snorted and went to the kitchen.

Yunyin raised her eyebrows. "Qian Gong, you don't need to be so polite. I ate before I came, so how could I eat your food for free?"

Qian Si sighed and said, "Miss Yun, I won't lie to you. I really haven't had any work lately, but it's not for any other reason than that I offended the county magistrate. No one else dares to come to me. I'm telling you the truth so that you won't be implicated in the future."

Yunyin asked in surprise, "How could you have offended the county magistrate?"

She only learned later that Du Liaojiang was an elite among craftsmen, and that the management of craftsmen in Da Zhao was not so strict. He was able to get in touch with all levels of society with his own skills, and his earnings and social status were incomparable to those of ordinary craftsmen.

Moreover, even government offices cannot force craftsmen to construct various projects; they must provide certain compensation, which constitutes an employment relationship. She truly did not understand how such a person could offend the county magistrate.

Qian Si sighed, "It's not much to say, but I simply didn't want to build the magistrate's house." His short stature seemed to contain immense energy, his eyes calm, showing no sign of hesitation despite offending the magistrate. He asked Yun Yin, "Does Lady Yun still intend to have me build her house?"

Yunyin looked into those calm eyes, narrowed her eyes, and said, "What does it matter? I'm just hiring you to do work. Even the county magistrate can't say anything about it, right?"

She quickly discussed and signed the contract with Qian Si. When Qian Si's wife came out with her things, she saw them and said with a smile, "Yun Niangzi, I made steamed buns. Would you like to try some?"

Yunyin waved her hand in refusal, as she had other things to do, and soon left Qian Si's house.

After leaving the town, Yunyin and Zhang Lin went to Linjiang Village, which was the best time to plant winter wheat. However, she found that the villagers had not yet started planting winter wheat.

She approached a man working in the field and asked, "Excuse me, sir, isn't everyone planting winter wheat this year?"

The man recognized Yunyin but she wasn't from the village. After thinking for a while, he finally remembered and said, "Oh, it's Lady Yun! What brings you here today?" Thinking of Yunyin's question, he sighed and said, "The old folks in the village say that this year's winter is likely to be harsh, and planting winter wheat might cause it to catch the cold, so we don't plan to plant it."

Upon hearing this, Yunyin stopped in her tracks and repeatedly asked the person, "Are you sure? Who told you this?"

The man pointed towards the back mountain. “He’s an old man from our village. He’s very good at predicting the weather. We always ask him about the weather before planting anything. This year he said the winter is too cold to plant winter wheat.”

"Then what if I had some people plant winter wheat before? Won't we end up with no harvest at all?" Yunyin murmured to herself as she stood by the field.

Upon hearing this, the people standing in the field exclaimed in surprise, "When did you plant this? We just heard about it too!"

Yunyin: "Just recently, I asked the strong young men in your village for help, but I didn't plant much. I don't know how cold this winter will be, and whether my wheat in the field will survive."

"You planted it too early. It would have been better if you had planted it a little later. The village head would have notified you. However, many people did not take it seriously, so the people of Pingjiang Village ignored it and quite a few people still planted winter wheat."

He advised Yunyin, "Since you've already planted them, why not cover them with soil before the cold winter arrives? This will effectively prevent the cold winds from invading. If you have the money, Yunniangzi, you can buy some straw and use it to keep the wheat seedlings warm. This will be more effective than covering them with soil directly."

Upon hearing the man's suggestion, Yunyin nodded and said, "It seems that's the only way. I'll ask around and see where I can buy straw."

He grinned and said, "There are plenty of people in the village with straw, but many people use it to weave straw mats or build houses. If Lady Yun pays for it, there should be quite a few people willing to sell it to you."

Yunyin: "Okay, I understand. I'll go talk to Sun Lizheng then."

Zhang Lin had been listening silently, but then spoke up: "Madam Yun, since it's such a cold winter this year, do we have enough firewood? How about I close the food stall for a few days and go to the mountains to gather firewood?"

Yunyin shook her head and said, "I already had someone buy a batch of firewood and charcoal. When Ma Hao comes back, I'll have him buy another batch. Since we already know that this winter will be very cold, we should save more money. With money, we can buy all of these things."

Zhang Lin: "I understand. I'll set up the food stall for lunch then. There's no work to do in the fields now, so I'm afraid I won't be able to grow any vegetables this year."

Yunyin was also worried about this. There were already few vegetables available in winter, and only a few kinds could be grown. In the cold winter, she was afraid that even bok choy could not be grown.

She gritted her teeth and said, "We'll harvest some more vegetables later to make pickled vegetables and dried vegetables. As for raising chickens and ducks, that can only happen next spring."

Yunyin took Zhang Lin to Sun Lizheng's house. He was talking to his family about the cold winter. When he saw her coming, he quickly said, "Miss Yun, you've come at the right time. I was just about to send someone to inform you that this winter is likely to be a harsh one. You should prepare food for the winter as soon as possible."

Yunyin: "I heard about this from the villagers. I wonder if there are any vegetables left in the village. I plan to buy more. Oh, and straw too, I need that as well."

When Sun Lizheng heard that she had planted winter wheat, he frowned and said, "It's good that you didn't plant too much. When the ground starts to freeze, you can cover it with straw and maybe you can save it. If you plant too much, we won't have enough straw to sell to you. Everyone relies on this for warmth in winter."

Yunyin thought that her cotton was about to be harvested, so she said, "I asked someone to buy some cotton seeds from the Western Regions. They will be ready to harvest in about ten days. If the villagers want to trade, they can exchange them for vegetables and straw."

Yunyin plans to exchange the rest of the cotton she planted, except for what she and her family will use, for the villagers. Only after they've used it will they realize how good it is, and then more and more people will plant cotton next year. If she wants to use cotton in the future, she can buy it from the villagers.

Moreover, exchanging cotton with the villagers would help her build good relationships with them. Although she had settled in Linjiang Village, they didn't interact much. Offering help in this time of need would surely earn their gratitude. Sun Lizheng was also an upright person, so she would likely be able to get timely news about him in the future.

Sometimes, villagers have better access to information than people in the county town. During the Song Dynasty, their information was only relevant to the upper class, while the lower class still needed to obtain information from the village.

Yunyin runs a shop alone on the official road, so information is of utmost importance. If Fu Wang hadn't brought her news of the bandits, she would have suffered heavy losses.

Upon hearing that Yunyin was growing cotton, Sun Lizheng asked curiously, "Can it be used for warmth like kapok? But kapok is very expensive, and most of us can't afford it. We still use straw and hemp more often."

Yunyin nodded and said, "It is indeed similar to kapok, but the yield is higher and the price is definitely cheaper. I can exchange the cotton I grow with you for straw and other things. If you want to grow it yourselves in the future, you can also come to me to exchange for seeds."

Sun Lizheng nodded repeatedly and said, "I will inform the villagers, and they will come to you to exchange cotton after you harvest it." He then remembered something and asked, "You planted a lot of cotton, do you need to find someone in the village to help you harvest it?"

Thinking of the endless cotton fields, Yunyin nodded and said, "We definitely need the villagers' help. Once the cotton is ripe, I'll have Zhang Lin come and find some people."

After discussing the cotton-to-straw exchange, Yunyin brought up the chickens and ducks. She told the village head, "I need quite a few chickens and ducks. If the villagers are willing to raise more, I can sign contracts with them. However, this winter is too cold for raising too many. They can raise them next spring. My promise always stands."

Sun Lizheng smiled and said, "Then I thank you on behalf of the villagers. Since you came to our village, the villagers' lives have become much better. Thank you for always thinking of the villagers."

Yunyin waved her hand and said, "The villagers have helped me a lot. They work very hard every time. We help each other."

After finishing their business, Yunyin bought a batch of live chickens and ducks from the villagers. The two of them carried two baskets of chickens and ducks to the carriage. Once on the carriage, Yunyin said to Zhang Lin, "Go to the village across the street tomorrow and buy some chickens and ducks. We've bought almost everything we could from Linjiang Village. They want to keep the rest for laying eggs and are reluctant to sell them."

Zhang Lin: "Okay, I'll go after I finish making breakfast tomorrow."

Yunyin brought the chickens and ducks back to the inn. When Zheng Guilan saw that she was carrying so many chickens and ducks, she quickly put down her broom and went to help, saying, "Why are there so many chickens and ducks? Are you going to raise them?"

Yunyin shook her head and said, "Manxiangju needs ten chickens and ducks every day. I only have enough for two days. Plus what we need in our shop, it's still far from enough. Zhang Lin will go to other villages to buy more tomorrow." She looked at Zheng Guilan and said, "It will be hard on you, though, as these chickens and ducks are not easy to manage."

Zheng Guilan shook her head and said, "What are you saying, my wife? I do much more work at home, but it's just killing chickens and ducks, a piece of cake." After she finished speaking, she went to the kitchen to fetch hot water, preparing to start cooking right away.

Yunyin carried the chicken coop and duck coop outside and said to her, "Let's not kill the chickens and ducks in the yard, it will smell bad. Let's go outside."

Feng Hai also brought out a bucket of hot water from the kitchen and said, "Let's handle it together, it'll be faster that way."

Yunyin worked with them to process the chickens and ducks. After all the chickens and ducks were processed, she looked at the chicken and duck feathers on the ground, raised her eyebrows and said, "These feathers can be collected and used to stuff clothes and quilts in the future."

Looking at the chicken feathers scattered on the ground, Zheng Guilan said, "Can these feathers still be used to make clothes? They smell so strong, they would be terrible to use as stuffing."

Yunyin: "So it needs to be cleaned before it can be used. It's a bit troublesome, but we'll be killing a lot of chickens and ducks in the future. It would be a waste not to collect them. I'll teach you how to process them."

She taught Zheng Guilan how to process these chicken and duck feathers. The first step was to separate the stiff feathers from the down feathers. The down feathers were softer and could be kept for further washing. As for the stiff feathers, they were too stiff and not very useful, except for making shuttlecocks.

Yunyin selected a few beautiful tail feathers to make shuttlecocks, discarding the remaining stiff feathers. The cleaned down feathers still had a lot of grease and dust on them, requiring thorough disinfection before use.

She took the chickens and ducks to air dry, then went to the kitchen to fetch a bucket of warm water, poured it into two wooden basins, sprinkled in wood ash, and threw the separated chicken and duck feathers into the basins to soak, allowing the down feathers to blend with the wood ash and remove the dirt from the down feathers. This would take quite a while. While waiting, Yunyin went to marinate the chickens and ducks.

Once all the chickens and ducks were air-dried and the down feathers in the basin were almost soaked, Yunyin asked Zheng Guilan to build two simple earthen stoves to steam the chicken and duck feathers separately to completely kill the bacteria. Finally, the feathers were dried, which Yunyin left to Zheng Guilan to do, while she continued to make salt-baked chicken and roast duck.

The next morning, the waiter from Manxiangju arrived in a carriage. Yunyin handed him two wooden buckets from the kitchen, saying, "These two buckets contain roast duck, already marinated, ready to be roasted." She then turned and took out two baskets from the kitchen, containing salt-baked chicken wrapped in dried lotus leaves, along with roast duck sauce. She told the waiter, "The salt-baked chicken can be eaten cold, or steamed if you want it hot. Your manager should know that. As for the lotus leaf pancakes and scallions, your manager will make them fresh. Take the roast duck sauce with you."

The waiter from Manxiangju loaded everything onto the carriage and said to Yunyin, "Thank you, madam. I will come at the same time tomorrow."

He drove the horse-drawn carriage back to the county town. At this time, the vegetable sellers were just entering the town. He safely returned to Manxiangju with his goods. The shopkeeper had already lit the oven. Seeing the two large barrels of marinated roast ducks, he quickly put the ducks into the oven.

The oven at Manxiangju was much bigger than the one at Yunyin's house. They often roasted chickens, so the oven was very large, capable of holding ten at a time. He put all the ducks in and waited for them to be cooked.

Today, diners who came to Manxiangju could smell the enticing aroma wafting from inside even before they reached the door. It was a different kind of aroma than the usual roast chicken smell.

One of the regular customers asked, "Young man, what did you make today? It smells so good!"

The waiter served tea to the customers and pointed to the sign behind him, saying, "We have new dishes today: roast duck and salt-baked chicken. If you're interested, you can order one to try."

The customer smelled the aroma in the air and couldn't help but say, "Give me a roast duck, and a salt-baked chicken too."

"Okay, just a moment."

Soon the dishes ordered by the customer were served. Manxiangju's roast duck is not sold as a whole duck, but sliced ​​and served. The portion of one plate is just right for an adult. The customer looked at the rolled pancakes and scallions on the side, and after the waiter's introduction, rolled one up and ate it.

The sauce was savory and fragrant, the roast duck skin was crispy and the meat was tender, and the flavor was just right with the scallions. He ate several in a row, and he couldn't even answer the questions asked by the people next to him.

Seeing that he didn't answer when asked if the food was good and was wolfing it down, he swallowed and asked the waiter, "Give me one too."

The aroma of roast duck filled Manxiangju for a while, and many customers who had tried the salt-baked chicken, which could be eaten cold, chose to take one home.

With Manxiangju offering new roast duck and salt-baked chicken every day, duck became a popular dish in the county. Many people who had never tried it before tried it after hearing about it from others, and found that it was indeed delicious and fell in love with the duck.

Some people heard that the duck came from outside the city and that a whole duck could be bought, so many people made an appointment to go to Yunyin's shop to find out.

Yunyin was very busy at this time. Because of Manxiangju's roast duck and salt-baked chicken, many people came to her house to eat. Most of them wanted to buy roast duck, and some even came to eat here every day after discovering that the dishes here were also good.

Yunyin and Feng Hai were both too busy to even greet Luo Man when she came to see her. After finally catching her breath, she wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and asked Luo Man, "Sister Luo Man, is there something you need from me?"

Luo Man looked at the many people sitting in the lobby and said, "Your business is getting better and better, congratulations."

Yunyin took the water Luo Man handed her, took a sip, and said, "Thank you, Sister Aman. Thanks to Manxiangju, my business is getting better and better."

Luo Man raised an eyebrow and said, "I heard that since they started making roast duck, their business has been even better than before. Other shops have tried to learn how to make it, but they can't replicate the taste. They can't compare to the popularity of Manxiangju."

"I came here today to order some roast ducks and salt-baked chicken from you to enrich the menu. We always eat mutton, but sometimes customers want to change things up. Several regular customers have asked me if we have roast ducks, so I can only come to you for help."

Yunyin put down her teacup and said, "The weather is getting colder now, so it's fine for me to make a batch in advance and keep it. But as you know, my oven is small, so I can't roast it for you. Also, the roasted duck should be eaten quickly, otherwise the skin won't be crispy."

Luo Man: "Of course I know. My shop in the county has an oven, which I usually use to roast lamb. It's no problem to use it to roast duck too. If you give me five salt-baked chickens and five roast ducks, I'll arrange for someone to come and pick them up every day."

Yunyin noted down the number of Luo Man and said to her, "Let's wait a couple of days. I'll find someone to collect the chickens and ducks in the next couple of days. It will take some time to air-dry them. You can arrange for someone to come and pick them up the day after tomorrow."

After Luo Man finished telling her about the roast duck, she took out the account book and handed it to Yun Yin, saying, "The weather has been getting colder lately, and the cold noodles and bowl cakes aren't selling as well as before. This is last month's account, take a look."

Looking at the recorded quantities, Yunyin realized that a 30% profit margin only amounted to half a penny a month. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Sister Aman, how about you give me a sum of money as a buyout of the formula? Then you won't have to send me any more money in the future."

She used to be short of money, which is why she partnered with Luo Man. She would get 30% of the profits from the cold noodles and bowl cakes she sold. But now that she's not short of money, there's no need for her to take a share of Luo Man's profits anymore, and keeping accounts is a hassle anyway.

Upon hearing this, Luo Man hesitated for a moment before agreeing, "Okay, then I'll buy these two recipes from you. How much will they cost?"

"Give me three strings of cash. These two dishes aren't difficult to make, so three strings of cash is about right." She had only charged Wan Leqiao two strings of cash before, so charging three strings for two dishes would be a way to show their friendship. Actually, Yunyin didn't need the three strings of cash, but Luo Man definitely wouldn't agree. After considering it for a moment, she still gave the price.

Luo Man frowned when she heard the price and said, "Sister, you're too kind. These two dishes alone can earn a lot of money in the summer. Three strings of cash is too little. I think ten strings of cash would be more appropriate."

When Yunyin heard that it would cost ten strings of cash, she immediately refused. After a long argument, the two finally settled on five strings of cash.

After confirming the details, Yunyin asked Zhang Lin to bring back more chickens and ducks. Just then, Ma Hao drove his carriage back and ran into the two of them. He said, "Manager, I'm back."

After seeing Zhang Lin off, Yunyin stepped forward to help take the package. She weighed it and found it was very heavy. "Is this all money?" She heard the sound of copper coins, but she wasn't sure if he had brought anything else.

After Ma Hao put the carriage down and tied up the horses, he said to Yun Yin, "Hmm, this is the payment for this shipment. Lady Yun, please check it."

Yunyin opened the bundle, which contained sixteen strings of copper coins. She took out six strings and handed them to Ma Hao, saying, "This money is for your hard work. Thank you for helping to transport the goods."

Ma Hao, holding six strings of copper coins, said, "Miss Yun, didn't you give me too much?"

Cheng Yong came out of the house and frowned as he looked at the copper string in Ma Hao's hand. He said, "You really gave too much. Didn't we agree to only calculate the price difference? Even if the one sold in Mianzhou is ten coins more expensive than the one sold to others, it's still only four strings of cash."

Yunyin took a step back and refused Ma Hao's offer to return the money, saying, "The extra two strings of cash are for your travel expenses. Don't refuse. It's what I should do. Even if Fu Wang were here, I would still give it to you."

Ma Hao glanced at Cheng Yong, then at Yun Yin, and accepted the gift with Cheng Yong's nod. He said gratefully, "Thank you very much, my lady. I'll take my brothers to rest first. You can arrange other things for me, Yun Madam."

He handed the few strings of cash to Cheng Yong and then took his brothers to find Feng Hai for a meal.

Yunyin glanced at Cheng Yong, then took the money and went back to her room.

Ma Hao returned, and Yunyin's place became busy again. Qian Si also gathered workers to expand her house, and her inn became extremely lively.

During his day off, Song Shi packed his things and said to Yun Yin, "I'm all ready. Let's start drawing today."

Yunyin had already surrounded the platform several days ago, waiting for Song Shi to arrive. She nodded and said, "Then I'll trouble you, Young Master Song."

When a guest saw Song drawing, he asked curiously, "What is Lady Yun doing?"

Yunyin lowered the straw curtain to cover Song Shi's figure and said to the person who had just asked the question, "I'll have someone paint some murals for me to cover up and avoid affecting your meal."

What is Lady Yun painting for?

“I’d like to find someone who can play an instrument to perform some tunes here in the future, so I plan to decorate it first.”

The guest exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that just like the grand restaurants in the city? I wonder which famous performers you plan to invite, madam?"

Yunyin shook her head and said, "I don't know the intricacies involved either. Let's take a look first, and we'll decide when we find something suitable." Actually, it doesn't necessarily require someone who can play a tune; a storyteller would also work. As long as they can attract customers, these are all marketing tactics.

The guest nodded and said, "Then Miss Yun must find someone who can play music. I have never heard anyone play music before. I have only seen people dance during festivals when the county holds events. They are really beautiful dances."

She said she had also seen the dance performance he mentioned, and it was indeed quite good. She added, "I also think it's very beautiful, but it's a pity that it can only be seen during festivals. Perhaps we can only see it more often in big cities."

Seeing that the guest's food was served, Yunyin ended her conversation with him and went back to the kitchen to marinate the chicken and duck.

With Ma Hao's return, Yunyin's manpower instantly increased. They also helped to collect a lot of chickens and ducks. I heard that this year is a cold winter, so they went to the mountains to cut a lot of firewood for storage.

Looking at the densely packed wood in the woodshed and the charcoal bought from the county town, Yunyin felt much more at ease about coping with the cold winter.

In addition to storing firewood, Yunyin also tied straw mats and straw sheds to the cowshed to prevent the cows from freezing in the winter. Fortunately, the cow will not give birth until next spring, which is a blessing in disguise.

Yunyin's purchase of hay prompted Ma Hao to buy several more cartloads, ensuring that the horses wouldn't lack fodder during the winter when it would be inconvenient to go out. Everyone at the inn was busy preparing for the coming winter.

While they were busy, a furtive person walked toward Yunyin's inn. As he walked, he noticed the strange looks from the people around him, so he quickly stood up straight and walked toward Yunlai's inn like the others.

Yunyin placed the preserved straw mushroom spores in the cellar. When she came out from downstairs, she saw this person coming in from outside the courtyard. He looked around with a shifty eye. She raised an eyebrow and stepped forward to ask, "A guest here for dinner?"

Startled by the voice, he plopped down on the ground, looked at Yunyin above him, and said impatiently, "Who are you? Why are you suddenly appearing to scare people?"

"Um, the guest might not have noticed, I didn't just suddenly appear," Yunyin changed the subject. "What would the guest like to eat?"

The man dusted himself off and got up from the ground. He glanced at Yunyin and said in a fierce tone, "I heard your family's roast duck is very famous. Give me a serving."

Ma Hao happened to come in from outside and heard the man's fierce tone. He quickly stood next to Yun Yin and said to him, "I'm sorry, the number of roast ducks available each day is limited, and they are all sold out now."

Seeing that Ma Hao was tall and burly with a fierce expression, the man dared not be presumptuous anymore and shrank back, saying, "Then give me one of your signature dishes, I've heard your fish is good?"

Ma Hao said to Yun Yin, "Miss Yun, I'll take care of this person. You can go and attend to your business."

Yunyin glanced at the man again and said to Ma Hao, "Be careful."

Ma Haoshen nodded and went to meet the man.

Yunyin returned to the kitchen and said to Feng Hai, who was cooking, "You can cook the order that customer placed later."

Feng Hai peeked at the man through the crack in the window and frowned, asking, "Is there something wrong with that person?"

"It's not clear yet. Let's wait and see what he's here for."

Ma Hao told the two of them the menu that the man had ordered. Yun Yin listened to him order squirrel fish and fish head soup, pondered for a moment, and said, "I understand. You go to the main hall and keep an eye on things. I'm worried that Brother Cheng won't be able to handle it by himself."

Yunyin asked Feng Hai, "Can you use the squirrel fish slicing knife?"

Feng Hai: "Of course, I've seen you do it many times, so this is no problem for you. You can rest assured and leave it to me, Lady Yun."

Yunyin stood aside watching him operate. Every step he took was exactly the same as hers. She nodded in satisfaction and said, "Not bad. Next is to blow it up."

The oil in the wok sizzled and crackled as the chopped fish was added. It quickly set, and the fried fish was placed on a plate. Feng Hai then left the remaining oil to stir-fry the seasonings. Yun Yin, seeing that everything was fine, entrusted the task to him, while she stood by the window to observe the other man's progress.