Chapter 68 - Two-in-One Promotion

Chai Xingyu quickly waved his hand, "No need, no need, it's not far, we'll walk back."

Although she refused, Lin Chuntao still borrowed Aunt Guizhi's mule cart and asked Pei Ying to take them back.

It was getting late, and Chai Xingyu and the others called Pei Ying back before they even reached the city gate, so they walked back.

After parting ways with Pei Ying, Sanbao exclaimed, "Young Master, Madam Lin's cooking is truly superb! Those vegetables had such a strong fishy smell, but after she cooked them, they tasted so delicious!"

Chai Xingyu nodded, "My older sister is quite formidable!"

After sighing, he turned to Sanbao and said, "How dare you say that? How many bowls of rice did you eat tonight?"

Sanbao smiled awkwardly: "Three bowls..." Then he added: "Young master, you also ate three bowls."

Chai Xingyu punched him lightly, and Sanbao sighed, "It's really not my fault for being greedy. Every dish at noon was so good with rice, and the braised pig's head at night was the same. Those guys who were drinking didn't get to eat it, otherwise they would have bought a pound every day to go with their drinks. It was so delicious!"

Chai Xingyu agreed with Sanbao's words; it was indeed true.

"Young Master, shall we go again tomorrow?"

Chai Xingyu frowned: "My sister doesn't charge us, but it's not good for the two of us to eat there every day, is it?"

Sanbao said, "Madam Lin doesn't accept money, but you can buy things! You can buy grain, meat, and vegetables to take with you!"

Chai Xingyu said, "Oh, that makes sense. Giving money creates distance, but bringing gifts is polite. So it's decided then. Shall we buy some things tomorrow, get a mule cart, and go?"

Sanbao beamed with joy upon hearing this, while Chai Xingyu, savoring the dishes of the day, shook his head with some worry.

"What's troubling you, young master? Are you discussing the sauce with Madam Lin?"

"Yes, I must think of a way that satisfies both sides."

Hearing Chai Xingyu's words, Sanbao fell silent. In business, how can there be a win-win situation? If Madam Lin asks for more, the Chai family will have to pay more money. If the Chai family pays less, Madam Lin will definitely feel cheated and be unwilling to sell.

By the time the two arrived home, it was already dusk.

Guo Jixiang and Chai Songchuan learned that he had gone to Lin Chuntao's house, and they waited all afternoon before the two of them finally returned, looking like wandering ghosts.

"Stop right there! So you finally decided to come back!"

Chai Songchuan shouted angrily, and Sanbao immediately perked up. Chai Xingyu turned around and saw the two of them, looking listless.

Guo Jixiang asked, "Sanbao, did you walk back?"

Sanbao replied, "No, Madam Lin borrowed a mule cart and had Brother Pei take us back."

Guo Jixiang frowned. "So what's going on with you two?"

“We sent Brother Pei back when we got to the city gate, and I walked back with the young master.”

Guo Jixiang was somewhat speechless, and asked again, "Have you had dinner yet?"

Sanbao chuckled: "We've already eaten. We ate at Madam Lin's house before coming here. Young Master and I each ate three bowls, and we were a little embarrassed by how much we ate."

Upon hearing this, Chai Xingyu gave Sanbao an elbow, but unfortunately, Sanbao let out a burp amidst the disbelieving gazes of Guo Jixiang and Chai Songchuan.

Guo Jixiang said, "Three bowls... When has your young master ever eaten three bowls of rice?"

Sanbao spoke quickly and bluntly: "Madam, it's true. Not only is Lin Niangzi's rice noodle soup delicious, but her cooking is also excellent. At noon, the young master and I each ate three bowls. We were a little embarrassed and thought we would eat less at night, but unexpectedly, she made delicious braised pig's head meat again, and we couldn't resist at all."

Sanbao's words were too exaggerated; Guo Jixiang didn't believe them at all.

But then he saw Chai Xingyu burp several times in a row, and slowly he frowned.

"Don't go back to your hospital yet, come here, I have something to tell you."

Chai Xingyu went over, and Sanbao returned to the courtyard first.

Under the pavilion, a maid brought over some washed bayberries. A gentle breeze blew by, and Guo Jixiang slowly asked, "What do you think of Lin Chunxing?"

Chai Xingyu's gaze shifted slightly. "What do you mean, 'how about'?"

Guo Jixiang said, "If you are satisfied, your father and I will go to your home to propose marriage for you. I think she doesn't talk much, but she is efficient and adaptable. She is a promising child."

Chai Xingyu took a deep breath and closed his eyes heavily. After a long while, he said, "She's a promising child. What does your son have? Why do you think I broke off the engagement? I'm not good enough for a high-class family, but I'm good enough for a peasant girl?"

Chai Xingyu was very emotional, and Guo Jixiang fell silent.

"I just felt that you weren't interested in the soy sauce factory, so I found you a capable wife, that's all."

Chai Xingyu said coldly, "So, now that I've taken over the soy sauce factory, I don't need to rush to get married, right?"

He spoke as if in a fit of pique, which was by no means Guo Jixiang's true intention. Chai Songchuan looked at him angrily and said, "What are you yelling at your mother for? That's right! Now that you've taken over the soy sauce shop, you don't need to rush to get married."

Guo Jixiang tugged at Chai Songchuan, then turned to look at Chai Xingyu: "If you have no interest now, then wait a little longer. But regarding the soy sauce factory, you are our only son."

Chai Xingyu said, "It's just taking over the soy sauce factory, right? I'll do it."

The three parted on bad terms. Early the next morning, Chai Xingyu went to buy a mule and a mule cart, as well as some rice and oil.

Guo Jixiang was stunned when she heard the servant's report.

What is he trying to do?

The servants couldn't answer the question, so Guo Jixiang went to find Chai Xingyu. Chai Xingyu said, "We're going to Chun Tao's house for dinner. Sanbao and I ate too much, and she won't accept payment. I'm sorry, but I'll buy something and take her there."

Seeing his serious expression, Guo Jixiang said, "Go get two more bolts of cloth from the storeroom."

Chai Xingyu said, "No, I'm going to eat." What would he do with the cloth without a reason? It would have been more appropriate to take it yesterday, but he hadn't thought things through yesterday and only bought some things. He'd wait for a better reason to take it next time.

Lin Chuntao and her group came to set up their stall as usual, and went straight home after selling out.

When Chai Xingyu and the others arrived, Lin Chuntao and the others had already left, so the master and servant chased after them on their mules.

Guo Jixiang followed Chai Xingyu with her entourage and saw the two of them excitedly discussing what to eat, guessing what delicious food Lin Chuntao would prepare.

She hadn't seen Chai Xingyu so vibrant in a long time; it was as if he had just casually put on that straw hat, and he was still the playful and gluttonous boy from a few months ago.

Although Guo Jixiang disliked his playfulness and constant arguing with them, she was, after all, his mother, and his happiness made her happy too.

Remembering what Sanbao had said, Guo Jixiang became a little curious. Was Lin Chuntao's cooking really that delicious?

If Chai Xingyu likes it that much, she can give some money to Lin Chuntao so that the cooks in her household can learn from Lin Chuntao. It wouldn't be good to let Chai Xingyu go to Lin Chuntao's house to freeload every day.

Chai Xingyu and his servant drove the small mule cart to the market. Lin Chuntao and the others had already left, so the two of them drove the small mule cart out of the city to catch up with Lin Chuntao and the others. They drove for almost half an hour before they saw Lin Chuntao and the others.

"Lady Lin! Wait for us!"

When Sanbao's voice rang out, Lin Chuntao turned around and saw Chai Xingyu and Sanbao sitting on a mule cart, slowly chasing after them.

Pei Ying said, "This Young Master Chai, could it be that he really considers you his older sister?"

Lin Chuntao sensed a hint of sourness in Pei Ying's voice. She looked up and saw that Pei Ying's expression was calm, showing no sign of having any thoughts about it.

"You want him as your younger brother?"

Pei Ying listened to her tone and slowly smiled.

After they approached, Lin Chuntao went over and asked, "I thought you weren't coming today, so I didn't wait for you. In the future, just send someone to tell us that we'll wait for you to come back together."

Before Chai Xingyu could speak, Sanbao said, "Wife, the young master went to buy things and came back late."

Lin Chuntao then noticed the contents of their mule cart: grain, meat, dried bamboo shoots, dried beans, and the like.

"So much stuff, are you two taking it to my house?"

As soon as Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Chai Xingyu nodded hurriedly. Looking at these things, Lin Chuntao was both amused and exasperated: "I didn't take your money yesterday, and you still bought things? Don't be so distant between siblings. Don't do this again next time."

Chai Xingyu smiled and agreed.

For several days in a row, Chai Xingyu brought Sanbao to his home for meals. After the meals, he would take the two of them into the mountains to work. After spending a few days together, although they weren't exactly siblings, everyone's relationship had become much more harmonious.

Under the scorching sun, Lin Chunxing asked Lin Chuntao, "Sister, didn't that uncle who sells mutton rice noodles ask us to sell sauce instead? Have you considered it?"

Before Lin Chuntao could answer, Chai Xingyu and Sanbao, who were standing nearby, perked up their ears and stopped what they were doing. Remembering what the old man had said, Chai Xingyu gritted his teeth and asked Lin Chuntao directly, "Sister, are you selling sauce?"

Lin Chuntao looked at him and smiled, "We definitely have to sell the sauce, but we haven't figured out how yet. You see, Chunxing and I want to sell soup noodles, your brother-in-law wants to slaughter a pig, and our third and fourth sisters are too young to do this."

Chai Xingyu pursed his lips. He hadn't expected to get to this topic so soon, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond to Lin Chuntao.

Seeing his expression, Lin Chuntao sighed deeply.

“I took a look around the county town a few days ago, and it seems that all kinds of shops sell their own products, and the categories are limited. If there were a shop that could bring together all kinds of things, such as fruits and vegetables, grains and oils, dried goods, etc., customers could go in and buy whatever they wanted.”

These last words plunged everyone present into a state of reverie. Through the black veil on his straw hat, Chai Xingyu looked at Lin Chuntao with fervent eyes. He had always wanted to gather all the delicacies in the world, but others thought he was being delusional. He never expected that one day he would hear these words from another person's mouth, and every single word was exactly what he wanted.

"Sister, where can you find this?" Lin Duo'er asked. Lin Chuntao replied, "I don't know either. Maybe Xuancheng has it? But I've never been there, so I don't know."

She had barely finished speaking when she looked at Chai Xingyu beside her: "Has your younger brother ever been to Xuancheng?"

Chai Xingyu nodded: "I've been there, but I didn't see the kind of shop you mentioned. There were some shops selling jewelry and clothes together, though."

Lin Chuntao said, "They're pretty much the same, that's about it."

"If there were a shop like the one I described, I would just supply the goods to that shop directly. They would specialize in selling, and we would specialize in manufacturing. It would save us both trouble, and we could make money together. Wouldn't that be great!"

As soon as Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Chunxing smiled and said, "It would be wonderful if that were really the case."

Chai Xingyu looked at Lin Chuntao. He was a little nervous, but he also felt that this was a good opportunity. Since they had already talked to this point, he naturally had to continue the conversation.

"I originally wanted to gather all the world's delicacies, but everyone laughed at me for having a wild idea. I never expected that my sister and I would have the same idea."

As Chai Xingyu finished speaking, Lin Chuntao looked at him and raised her eyebrows slightly. Chai Xingyu looked back at Lin Chuntao and said, "Our Chai family has been making sauces for a century, but our elders still adhere to the old rules. My parents hope that I will take over the sauce business in the future. If possible, I hope that our shop will have more varieties of sauces and more flavors."

Hearing his words, Lin Chuntao's eyes lit up as if they had a light. Chai Xingyu seemed to have found a like-minded person. He was very excited, but he had to pretend to be calm, afraid that he would be too loud and make Lin Chuntao think that he could not do this.

"Does Ayu want his shop to stock sauces from hundreds of different vendors?" Lin Chuntao asked, but before he could answer, she continued, "Then the people will be in for a treat!"

"Would you be willing to be the first one, sister?"

Chai Xingyu asked directly, and Lin Chuntao exclaimed in surprise, "Ayu, are you serious?"

"Of course! If you're willing, I'll try to come up with a solution. You can also tell me your thoughts in more detail."

Chai Xingyu spoke very seriously, and Lin Chuntao smiled and called to Lin Chunxing and the others, "Let's go home, we'll talk when we get back."

And so, the group put down their work and returned from the fields. Lin Chunxing went to wash the potatoes to cook for lunch, while Lin Chuntao and Chai Xingyu sat in the courtyard chatting.

Pei Ying listened from the side and found Lin Chuntao's words very interesting. In fact, they were all her thoughts, but she guided Chai Xingyu to speak first, and then spoke from Chai Xingyu's perspective, as if every word she said was to help Chai Xingyu devise a plan.

After lunch, Chai Xingyu was so engrossed in what he said that he couldn't sit still any longer. He hurriedly took Sanbao back home, and before leaving, he told Lin Chuntao to wait for his good news.

He refused Lin Chuntao's offer to escort him to the village entrance, and quickly drove his mule cart back home.

After Chai Xingyu left, the courtyard instantly fell silent. Lin Chunhe and Lin Duo'er, unaware of what had happened, were overjoyed, thinking that their sauce was going to be sold for money.

But through their anger, Lin Chuntao and Lin Chunxing, the two sisters, smiled at each other.

On the way back, Chai Xingyu was filled with excitement. Sanbao asked from the side, "Young Master, are you going to tell Master and Madam about this?"

Chai Xingyu turned and looked at him, then said in a deep voice, "You must keep this a secret and not tell anyone. Tell them only after the matter is settled."

Sanbao nodded, but he felt it was a bit difficult. Then he heard Chai Xingyu say, "We'll go into the city later and find paper and pen to write a letter to Second Sister."

Even a non-urgent letter would take quite a while to travel from Xuanhe County to Hegui Prefecture.

When Chai Jiao heard the letter from home, she thought something had happened to the Chai family. But when she saw her younger brother's scrawled handwriting, she realized it was a letter from Chai Xingyu himself. Chai Xingyu had written down his recent disagreements with his parents and his thoughts, asking Chai Jiao if they were feasible. He even wrote a few bold words at the end, which made Chai Jiao smile knowingly.

She knew that Chai Xingyu would be in charge of the family's soy sauce shop in the future, and she hoped that the soy sauce shop would get better and better. However, the soy sauce shop had not produced any new flavors that everyone liked in recent years. Chai Xingyu wanted to find another way. Although it was bold, it was a way out. It was better than sticking to the old ways.

She wanted to reply, but then she remembered that the Mid-Autumn Festival was coming soon, and her husband would be attending a business event after the festival, so she could also go home. Therefore, she simply put the letter away, thinking that she would give Chai Xingyu a surprise when she got home.

There was no news from Chai Xingyu, but Lin Chuntao wasn't in a hurry. The Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, and their little rice noodle shop needed to hold a small event.

"Sister, what is a promotional activity?" Lin Chunxing asked, looking puzzled.

Lin Chuntao explained it in simple terms, and Lin Chunxing shook her head slightly. In all the time she had been selling soup noodles, she had never seen the promotional activities her sister had mentioned.

"So what should we do?"

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Let's just give away eggs. I won't make things complicated. You can get an egg if you spend more than ten coins at our shop. I'm thinking about whether to make braised eggs or just give away raw eggs."

Lin Chunxing frowned slightly. Raw eggs cost one coin each, and braised eggs require spices to cook, making them even more expensive. Wouldn't she lose money if she gave them away for free?

But everything has always been Lin Chuntao's idea, so if she said that, then she probably won't lose money.

Thinking this through, she said to Lin Chuntao, "I think if customers like braised eggs, we can sell them as well in the future."

Lin Chuntao looked at her and said, "Selling them on the side is fine, but the price of eggs won't be very high. Three coins for braised eggs would probably be too high. If all else fails, three coins for one and five coins for two will be acceptable."

Lin Chunxing said, "If someone wants to eat braised eggs, we won't sell them separately; they'll have to eat a bowl of noodles instead."

Lin Chuntao laughed upon hearing this. It wasn't unheard of for someone to make a whole plate of dumplings over a dish of vinegar, so it was settled then. She would test the waters with an egg.

On August 12th, Lin Chunxing hung up a sign in front of her shop, announcing that to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, anyone who ate rice noodles at Lin's Rice Noodle Shop on the 14th, 15th, and 16th would receive a free braised egg!

Every household has eggs, so what's so special about these braised eggs?

When Lin Chunxing put up the sign, Lin Chuntao hadn't arrived yet. Ah Si and the others in the pork shop asked Lin Chunxing curiously, "Second Madam, what do the braised eggs taste like?"

Lin Chunxing smiled and said, "It's spicy and fragrant, but I'm not really good at describing it. I didn't bring any with me today. I'll bring some for you to try later, Brother Si."

Ah Si smiled and nodded, then hurriedly led Liu Zi to deliver the meat.

Everyone knows what an egg tastes like, but no one knows what a braised egg tastes like. An egg costs one penny, and the spices used to make the braising sauce are expensive, so no one is extravagant enough to buy spices to braise eggs.

When Lin Chuntao arrived at the market, there was a large crowd gathered in front of the stalls. Lin Chuntao thought something had happened, so she hurried over and found that everyone was looking at the sign.

An older woman looked at Lin Chunxing and asked, "Young shopkeeper, we don't recognize the characters on your sign. Can't you find a gong and drum to hawk your wares?"

Lin Chunxing thought that playing drums and gongs also costs money, so she smiled and explained to the old lady, "Auntie, to thank our new and old customers and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, on the 14th, 15th and 16th of August, if you eat a bowl of noodles here, you will get a free braised egg! We'll give you a free egg for three days in a row!"

Finally, Lin Chunxing said to the onlookers, "Sisters, aunts, and grandmas, you can go back and tell your neighbors and friends that after these three days, we will have to spend money to buy our braised eggs."

Many people asked questions, and it would take a long time to explain. Lin Chunxing's mouth was dry from talking.

Lin Chuntao went and rented a gong and stood in front of the stall, shouting, "To thank our new and old customers and to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th of August, anyone who eats rice noodles at our Lin's Rice Noodle Shop on the 14th, 15th and 16th will receive a free braised egg! It's made with our secret recipe and has a unique flavor that you won't find anywhere else! First come, first served, everyone!"

People in the market turned around at the sound of the vendor's shout. Lin Chuntao repeated, "On the 14th, 15th and 16th, anyone who eats rice noodles at our Lin's Rice Noodle Shop will receive a free braised egg. First come, first served!"

Now those who hadn't heard it before could hear it clearly: Lin's Rice Noodle Shop is giving away eggs.

After two days of hawking, Lin Chuntao bought more than two hundred eggs and asked Pei Ying to make thirty more pairs of number tags, fearing that there wouldn't be enough tags if there were too many people queuing up.

Although it was a small event, Lin Chuntao felt that there would definitely be more people than usual.

If there are many people, you need to prepare in advance, otherwise there will be trouble and damage to your reputation. You should try it.

Lin Chuntao borrowed the stove in Helan's backyard to boil water in advance, and also bought a small clay stove, planning to cook with all four stoves at the same time.

I had already ordered the rice noodles from the noodle shop owner in advance, and bought all the meat and vegetables to bring back, ready to make a big splash tomorrow.

Lin Chunxing was excited for a long time, but when she turned around, she found that the braised eggs that Lin Chuntao had promised to make had not been made yet!

"Sis, when are we going to make the braised eggs?"

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I'll make it in a bit. There's no rush. I'll make it later and put it in a jar to soak. I can take it with me tomorrow."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Lin Duo'er and Lin Chunhe and said, "Chunhe, come with us to help out for a while these next few days."

Lin Chunhe nodded, and Lin Duo'er quickly said, "Sister, I want to go too."

Lin Chuntao smiled at her. A few days ago she was too sleepy to go, but now that everyone else is busy, she wants to join in the fun.

Forget it, it's better to just lock the door than let her watch the house.

"Then let's go together."

There were quite a few things to bring tomorrow, so after lunch, Lin Chuntao and the others didn't go to the fields to work. Instead, they busied themselves picking and washing vegetables, washing eggs, chopping meat, and cooking bone broth.

They just needed to prepare a lot of other things, but what they were most curious about was what the braised eggs tasted like.

Wash the eggs and put them in a pot of water to boil. After boiling, take them out and then Lin Chuntao stir-frys the braising spices: scallions, ginger, garlic, fennel, star anise, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, and cinnamon. After stir-frying until fragrant, she adds chili peppers and stir-fries them until they turn golden brown. She then adds the sauce and continues to stir-fry. Finally, she adds water, peels all the boiled eggs, and puts them into the soup to cook.

Lin Chuntao added an appropriate amount of salt, covered it with a straw lid, and started cooking.

As the water boiled, the aroma wafted from under the straw lid. The younger sisters sniffed and licked their lips. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Let's boil it a little longer. It needs to soak for a while after boiling to absorb the flavor. It tastes even better when it's well-seasoned."

Hearing Lin Chuntao's words, Lin Chunxing suddenly asked, "Sister, will we have enough to sell tomorrow?"

Lin Chuntao was very confident, but in reality, it was her first time doing it, and she had no idea what to expect.

"Two hundred and sixty should be enough to sell."

Lin Chunxing felt it might not be enough, but Lin Chuntao still adhered to the principle of "if it's not enough, we can deal with it tomorrow" and "it's better to have less than more," so that was all.

Not long after, Lin Chuntao lifted the lid to take a look, and the white egg had begun to change color.

The aroma grew stronger, making the sisters' mouths water.

Since moving out, they've been eating quite well, with eggs and meat readily available. Even so, looking at the braised eggs in the pot now, they still feel very tempted.

After simmering for about 45 minutes, Lin Chuntao removed the firewood, scooped the eggs into the jar, added some of the broth, covered it with gauze, and then put it inside the house.

"I'll eat it later; it's not flavorful enough yet."

As evening approached, preparations for tomorrow were almost complete. The minced meat was chopped, the vegetables were washed and drained, and Pei Ying had finished making the bamboo plaques. They cooked a few simple dishes and prepared to have dinner.

Lin Chuntao scooped ten eggs out of the jar. The eggs had changed color from being soaked in the jar, turning a light brown. Now that the eggs were cool and no longer hot, only a faint aroma lingered on the table. Seeing her sisters' expressions, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Have some and try them. How do they taste?"