Chapter 12 Cooperation: The First Partner

Today, the location was changed, and the goods sold out more slowly than before. It was past noon before the three Lin siblings had sold out their goods.

The sun hung high in the sky, and its scorching rays shone down on the ground, making the roads on the docks scorching hot.

Lin Yao, Lin Cheng, and Lin Song had been busy all morning and were now drenched in sweat and exhausted. Little Lin Song was also listless. Lin Cheng took out the perilla and hawthorn water he had saved for his younger brother and sister, saying, "Here, Yao, Song'er, quench your thirst."

Lin Song took the bamboo tube and gulped down several mouthfuls. Lin Yao also took a big gulp. Lin Cheng, watching from the side, quickly said, "Drink slowly, drink slowly."

After drinking water, the two gradually recovered. Lin Yao noticed her older brother constantly wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Brother, why aren't you drinking?"

Lin Cheng smiled, wiped his face with the coarse towel draped over his shoulder, and said, "How can we waste it like that? I'll just bear with it. This can sell for two coins."

Lin Yao knew that Lin Cheng was used to being frugal, and she was touched but also a little worried. "Brother, you should earn money, but you also need to take care of your health. We rely on good health to keep doing this small business. If you ruin your health, it will cost a lot of money to see a doctor and get medicine."

Lin Song nodded vigorously beside him, "That's right, that's right."

"Okay! I'll drink it from now on, brother." Lin Cheng replied with a smile, feeling a warm glow in his heart as he looked at his sensible younger siblings.

"Brother, we can pick up the iron plate we ordered today. Let's hurry up and pack our things and go to town to get it." Lin Yao was very much looking forward to it.

The three siblings quickened their pace, tidying up the remaining clutter on the stall and organizing the ingredients into their baskets.

Lin Cheng picked up his carrying pole, with tools for making pancakes on one side and leftover braising liquid on the other. Lin Yao and Lin Song carried baskets on their backs, filled with odds and ends.

Along the way, sunlight filtered through the dappled leaves and dappled onto them.

Lin Song was young and recovered his energy quickly. He skipped and hopped ahead, turning back every now and then to urge, "Brother, Second Sister, hurry up!"

Knowing that the children were playful and wanted to get to town quickly, Lin Cheng and Lin Yao resigned themselves to their fate and quickened their pace.

Before long, the three of them arrived at the bustling town. Lin Cheng took his younger brother and sister to the blacksmith shop to pick up the custom-made iron plate.

Lin Yao's eyes lit up when she saw the iron plate. Professional matters should indeed be left to professionals. She simply described it and then printed out her dream plate.

Lin Yao looked at the griddle; it was flat and smooth, with the four sides slightly raised above the surface, which made it easy to prevent the batter from flowing out when spreading the pancakes and also made it easy to flip them. She was extremely satisfied.

Lin Cheng carefully inspected all parts of the iron plate. After confirming that there were no problems, he paid the money and, together with the blacksmith, placed the iron plate on the carrying pole and tied it tightly with a thick rope.

After getting the iron plate, the three Lin siblings went to buy the ingredients they would need for their stall the next day. By the time they finished everything, it was already getting dark.

“Brother, let’s eat in town today,” Lin Yao said.

"Okay, what would Ayao like to eat?" Lin Cheng asked.

"Let's go to Ziwei Restaurant today. I've heard that the food there is really delicious," Lin Yao replied.

Ziwei Restaurant is a well-known restaurant in Qingquan Town, specializing in stir-fried dishes.

Stir-frying became popular in the Song Dynasty. Although the dynasty she lived in was unlike any other in history, the way people dressed, ate, lived, and traveled was similar to that of the Song Dynasty. Lin Yao was planning to open a restaurant in the town in the future, so she wanted to get a feel for the level of stir-frying in this dynasty.

The three siblings entered the Ziwei Restaurant together.

Lin Yao looked around and saw that the restaurant was mostly filled with ordinary people. Although the waiter saw that the three of them were dressed in rough clothes, he did not look down on them and asked warmly, "Gentlemen, what would you like to eat? Our restaurant has our signature braised pork, steamed sea bass, and various seasonal stir-fries, all of which taste very good."

Lin Yao ordered a braised pork, a stir-fried vegetable dish, and an egg drop soup.

Lin Cheng felt a little sorry for the money and whispered to Lin Yao, "Yao, isn't it expensive to order so many dishes?"

Lin Yao comforted him, "Brother, it's a rare opportunity for us to come here, so let's have a good meal. Besides, I also want to try their cooking. I'm planning to open a restaurant in town someday, so I need to know the level of my competitors beforehand."

Lin Cheng was somewhat surprised by his younger sister's ambition. He was already very content with his current life and never dared to dream of opening a shop in town. But looking into Lin Yao's bright eyes, he felt that maybe it really was possible.

After a while, all the dishes were served. The braised pork belly was a tempting reddish-brown color, glistening with oil, and its rich aroma was irresistible. The stir-fried vegetables were tender and vibrant green, their refreshing color instantly appealing. The egg drop soup had golden egg flowers floating lightly in the broth, garnished with a few bright green scallions, giving off a subtle and fresh fragrance.

Lin Song couldn't wait any longer. He picked up his chopsticks and immediately grabbed a piece of braised pork. He put it in his mouth and squinted his eyes, looking up at the delicious food. He said, "This braised pork is so delicious! It's sweet and fragrant, and the meat is so tender."

Lin Song was young, and he thought all meat tasted delicious.

Lin Yao also picked up a piece of braised pork, took a small bite, and slowly chewed, savoring the flavor. This braised pork was indeed quite good. First of all, it looked very appealing, and the caramelization of the sugar was precise. The only drawback was that the stewing time was not quite right, and the leaner pieces of meat were slightly dry.

Lin Yao then tried the remaining two dishes. The stir-fried vegetables were refreshing and delicious, and the cooking time was just right. The vegetables were bright green and tender, but the seasoning was a bit simple. If some minced garlic were added to enhance the flavor, it might add a bit more flavor.

As for the egg drop soup, the egg drop soup had even and delicate egg flowers and a delicious broth. If it were modern times, adding some dried shrimp would definitely make it taste even better.

Lin Yao couldn't help but marvel at the wisdom of the ancients. If a restaurant catering to ordinary people in the town could reach such a standard, they would need a unique and differentiated positioning to succeed in opening a shop in the town.

As Lin Yao ate, she was also having a brainstorming session. Lin Cheng noticed that his little sister was a bit lost in thought and thought she was upset because the food at Ziwei Restaurant tasted good. He quickly put down his chopsticks and comforted her, "A Yao, your older brother prefers your cooking."

Lin Yao came to her senses and said, "Brother, I'm fine. This restaurant has been open for so many years, it must have its own unique features. If we want to open a restaurant in town in the future, we need to think about it carefully."

When paying, Lin Cheng felt a pang of heartache. This meal cost fifty-eight coins, and most of the extra money he earned from selling drinks today was gone in an instant.

After returning home, the three siblings continued preparing the ingredients they would need for their stall the next day.

Lin Yao took out the perilla, hawthorn, and chrysanthemums she had picked yesterday. While making a drink, she said, "Brother, today those older brothers came to buy pig offal. I saw them eating it with steamed buns. I was thinking, we can also put braised pig offal in buns and sell it. We'll definitely make more money that way."

Lin Cheng's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Ayao, that's a great idea! Our braised pork offal has a fantastic flavor; it'll definitely taste delicious sandwiched in a steamed bun. Plus, it's convenient to eat that way, especially for people on the go."

“However, Grandpa Wang, who spoke up for us today, sells steamed buns and bread. We can’t take away his business and upset a good person. I’d like to order some bread from Grandpa Wang so that he can have an extra source of income,” Lin Yao said.

Lin Cheng nodded repeatedly after hearing this, "You've really thought this through. We can't do something like crossing the river and then burning the bridge."

The next day, the three siblings arrived at their stall half an hour early.

Aunt Li greeted Lin Yao, "Young lady Lin, you've come early today. Sun Dafu hasn't arrived yet."

"That's good. Thank you so much for yesterday, Auntie." Lin Yao thanked her again.

"Miss Lin, you're too kind. Your pancake stall is right next to mine, and my business is even better. Yesterday, when you weren't here, I earned several dozen coins less than usual," Aunt Li said with a smile.

After exchanging brief pleasantries with Aunt Li, Lin Yao went to Grandpa Wang's steamed bun stall. There were several large steamers on the stall, filled with steamed buns, flatbreads, and various kinds of meat and vegetarian buns. "Grandpa, I'd like a flatbread."

"Hey, here you go." Wang Shan took a steaming hot bun from the steamer and handed it to Lin Yao.

Lin Yao took the steamed bun, took a small bite, and the familiar wheat aroma spread in her mouth. The bun was soft and fluffy. After swallowing the bun, she said, "Sir, we would like to discuss a business deal with you."

Wang Shan rubbed his hands together. "Business? I'm just selling some steamed buns and bread."

Lin Yao shared her thoughts, and Wang Shan couldn't believe that such a good thing had fallen into his lap. He was momentarily excited and asked, "Young Lady Ye, is this really true?"

"Really? But we need a lot of these steamed buns, and we'll need them for a long time. Could you give us a discount, sir?" Lin Yao asked.

“Sure, sure, I sell these steamed buns for two coins each to other people, but I'll only sell them to you for one coin each,” Wang Shan said hurriedly.

"Thank you, sir. We'll order fifty steamed buns tomorrow. This is the deposit. We'll give you the other half tomorrow." With that, Lin Yao counted out some copper coins from her purse and gave them to Grandpa Wang.

Wang Shan took the copper coin, his expression excited. He had only just set up his stall today and had already earned twenty-five coins.

He saw that although this young lady Ye was young and had only been setting up her stall for a short time, her business was booming. If she kept ordering his steamed buns, wouldn't she be able to earn more and more money from her fellow vendors? Thinking this, Wang Shan looked at Lin Yao with even more kindness.

When Lin Yao returned to the stall, Lin Cheng was making pancakes.

Lin Cheng has been cooking at home since he was a child. He has been watching Lin Yao make pancakes for the past few days and has already learned how. So now the two siblings take turns making pancakes.

Lin Yao took over the rest of the work, handed the chopped pork offal to the customer, and then ladled perilla and hawthorn tea for the next customer. Just then, a familiar voice rang in her ears.

"What is this?" Xu Zhiheng was wearing a brand new long gown today, and even had a pomegranate flower in his hair, which he considered to be very handsome.

Lin Yao looked up and chuckled, "This gentleman is dressed quite flamboyantly today."

A note from the author:

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