She glanced at the man opposite her, whose temples were slightly gray.

He sneered inwardly.

Having a bad conscience?

You feel guilty, having done so much? You took so many recipes from Baiweilou?

Is this asking me for chips?

He got up and took out a ten-tael silver note from the drawer.

He smiled gently and said, "Sir, this is your payment. In the future, if your restaurant has any new dishes, please give us your help."

The man frowned slightly.

But he didn't reach out.

Not enough?

Greed knows no bounds!

Shopkeeper Tao frowned and took out a fifty-tael silver note and placed it on the table.

The man eventually accepted the silver note and said in a hoarse voice, "I will give you the things as soon as possible."

The man turned and walked into the night. Soon his figure was completely hidden in the darkness, and it was impossible to distinguish where his back ended and the night began.

Shopkeeper Tao, with an indifferent expression, stood up and stretched his aching neck, his hands behind his back.

"Looks like we need to find another line; this guy's no good."

Day 5.

The staff from Baiweilou and Taoranju went together to buy a large quantity of pork.

The news quickly spread throughout the pig farm.

There is a peer alliance in the pig farm.

Zhou the butcher was specifically notified.

"Old Zhou, the price of pork has gone up recently. For some reason, the two major restaurants in town are now buying pork at the same time. We plan to raise the price of pork to twenty-five coins."

"Um?"

Butcher Zhou was taken aback.

"What happened? Pork prices haven't gone up for a long time, except during the Chinese New Year."

The man chuckled and said, "You don't know yet, but recently Baiweilou has launched a new dish called braised pork, pig's feet rice, and pig's blood. It requires a very high quantity of pork."

Zhou the butcher was so frustrated that he vomited blood.

All of his pigs have been sold.

Although I was upset, I pretended to be calm.

"Yes, this is a good thing for us pig farmers."

The man chuckled and nodded.

"Hmm, not bad, but Lao Zhou, why do you look so pale? Are you sick?"

Taoranju.

The waiter stood at the door and started shouting.

Taoranju has launched new dishes: braised pork belly, braised pork knuckle, and spicy pig's blood.

"Originally 100 coins, now 20% off, plus two large white steamed buns and a serving of pig's blood."

The onlookers chuckled softly.

"What's going on? A few days ago, Baiweilou launched a new dish, and today it's Taoranju. The names are so similar!"

"Let's go take a look."

In a short time.

The diners who had eaten at Baiweilou yesterday and planned to go there again went to Taoranju across the street.

Manager Jiang was somewhat angry. "Go and find out why the dishes they're serving have such similar names to ours?"

The waiter returned in a hurry shortly afterward.

He said anxiously, "Manager, how could they possibly have the skill to make new dishes? Their braised pork is the same color as ours, but I don't know if it will taste the same."

Manager Jiang pondered for a moment, then thought, "Damn it, has my house been robbed?"

You forced me to do this.

He originally intended to leave a way out.

It's common for competitors to copy each other's new dishes.

Today you copy mine, tomorrow I'll copy yours.

But Manager Jiang only copied some of the lesser-known dishes from the other party; he never bothered to inquire about Taoranju's gourd chicken.

I heard that this gourd chicken is a family recipe passed down from Tao's ancestors, but he has no intention of stealing their ancestral recipe.

But now Manager Tao is acting like a scoundrel.

There's no need to treat him with respect.

He turned and went to the backyard, lowering his voice to his companion, "Activate Plan Two."

The restaurant at Taoranju was bustling with activity.

"It's really good. This is my first time eating this dish at Taoranju. I've never had the braised pork across the street before, but your braised pork knuckle is quite delicious. It's my first time eating this kind of amber-colored meat."

Shopkeeper Tao grinned.

"I'm glad you like it. Please continue to support our family in the future. Thank you all."

The day passed quickly.

Manager Tao's accountant is calculating today's income.

He looked excited after finishing the calculation.

"Shopkeeper, our revenue is more than two hundred taels higher than yesterday! Wow, this braised pork really lives up to its reputation..."

Upon hearing this...

For no apparent reason, Shopkeeper Tao remembered the Chen family who ran the stall.

Why didn't they give the recipe to us in the first place?

I'm not taking it for free; I'm being paid for it.

Now, although the process of obtaining the formula was rather complicated, I've finally got it.

We can still obtain the prescription with relatively small losses.

Moreover, the man kept passing on recipes for other dishes from Baiweilou.

Rounding it off, it's like getting the recipe for braised pork for free.

With a smirk playing on his lips, he hummed and hawed.

"I looked out from the city tower to admire the scenery... but then I saw cavalry approaching from all directions..."

"Buy more pork tomorrow, everyone probably likes this meat."

The man was somewhat puzzled.

"Shopkeeper, I forgot to tell you today, the price of pork in our town has risen to twenty-five coins per catty. Should we continue to buy in large quantities, or should we buy some pigs first to feed them, so we don't have to buy them every day?"

Shopkeeper Tao was somewhat puzzled.

"These butchers are really ruthless. They have nowhere to raise pigs. Pigs seem easy to raise, but they are actually very prone to disease. If they get swine fever and a few die, I don't know how many vegetables they have to sell to make up for it. If they buy meat every day, it's reasonable for vegetable prices to go up as well, right?"

He didn't take it to heart.

Although pork prices have increased, there is still room for profit if the prices of vegetables are set high.

As long as the restaurant makes money, that's all that matters. Ultimately, the high prices are paid by the diners, not me.

Lying back in his chair, swaying back and forth, he hummed, "Banners flutter and shadows dance in the air, it turns out to be Sima's troops..."

However, they did not notice that a waiter who had been surrounding the restaurant, thin as a monkey, left through the back door, took a roundabout route, and went to the back courtyard of Baiweilou.