Jiang Nuan was furious when she heard Huang Xiaosan doing chores, but her expression softened when she heard the last sentence.

If Huang Xiaosan wastes several years here without learning anything and even signs a long-term contract, she will really become irritable.

Fortunately, no matter what, his father-in-law was still considerate of him.

Jiang Nuan sighed; she realized she had been too extreme.

This long contract, which seems terrible to me, may not seem the same to others.

“Xiao San, go tell your father-in-law that I have a way to save Wuweilou.”

"Mom, do you have a way?" Huang Xiaosan stared at Jiang Nuan in astonishment, stammering, "What way?"

“Ten signature dishes,” Jiang Nuan said with certainty, “with these ten dishes, Wuweilou will surely be able to come back to life.”

She had already tasted the dishes at Juquanlou Restaurant. Although they tasted good, they were not as good as those in restaurants in later generations.

Although the gamey smell of mutton is mild, it is still impossible to ignore.

The goose meat tasted good, but it was incredibly tough and got stuck in my teeth.

As for chicken, people who find it greasy can't stomach it...

"Mother," Huang Xiaosan asked, puzzled, "why didn't you say so earlier?"

His father-in-law had just left and was probably just back in the front yard.

Jiang Nuan didn't want to accuse her of deliberately making things difficult for others. She glanced at them casually, took a sip of tea, and said calmly, "Why worry about so much? Go and call someone!"

"Mother," Jin asked in surprise, "Do you really have a way?"

Although she had been released from her indenture, she had still lived in a wealthy family and knew a little bit about things.

This Wuweilou restaurant is their family's only support. Once Wuweilou falls, their family's status in the mansion will be gone forever, and they will be blamed by the master for their poor performance.

“Okay,” Jiang Nuan nodded lightly, “Now that this matter is settled, you two will come back to Huangjiakou with me.”

"Mother," Huang Xiaosan hesitated, "what about the indenture?"

"What?" Jiang Nuan laughed. "You don't think you're going to give these recipes away for free, do you?"

As she spoke, Jiang Nuan's face turned cold. "I tricked you into signing the long-term contract. I can let it go for the sake of your wife, but you can't expect to get something for nothing."

“Mother,” Jin said, her heart pounding with fear, “it’s all my fault, please don’t divorce me.”

Jiang Nuan: ...

She helped him up and sighed, "Don't blame yourself. This isn't your fault. The mistress is too young and inexperienced. Your father also has his difficulties. As a member of the family, he puts the family's interests first, so there's nothing wrong with that."

"Learn from your mistakes, and remember these lessons!"

Even if Jin was wrong, she was an old woman and couldn't be too harsh on a minor. After all, she was her daughter-in-law, and there was still a long life ahead of her; she could teach her slowly.

Perhaps because she had been too lonely before, Jiang Nuan always treated the Huang family with the utmost kindness after transmigrating.

"Mom, I'll go call Father-in-law." After saying that, Huang Xiaosan ran off to find him.

In his excitement, he never considered whether Jiang Nuan might be lying to him.

Wuweilou, counter.

“Xiao San,” Manager Jin looked up and asked, puzzled, “why are you here again?”

“Father-in-law,” Huang Xiaosan whispered to Manager Jin, “My mother sent me to call you back. She has ten dishes that can save Wuweilou.”

"Really?" Manager Jin's voice suddenly rose, and he stood up impatiently. "Let's go, let's hurry up, don't keep your mother waiting."

Manager Jin wasn't without suspicion, but he didn't want to let go of even the slightest chance.

Moreover, Jiang Nuan gave him the impression of being very shrewd and calculating, which always made people believe her without him even realizing it.

"My dear in-law, I've come to bother you again." Upon seeing Jiang Nuan once more, Manager Jin's smile became even more sincere.

"Let's get straight to the point," Jiang Nuan said directly. "I have ten recipes here that are superior to those of Wuweilou. They will surely save Wuweilou from its predicament. They were family heirlooms, and I can bring them out now."

Changing the subject, Jiang Nuan continued, "Five hundred taels of silver or a long-term contract with a mistress, you choose one!"

Jiang Nuan was actually quite aggrieved when she said this.

These ten dishes are practically free.

In modern times, it may be commonplace, but in this era, it can definitely be called a closely guarded secret and a family treasure.

“My dear in-laws,” Manager Jin said with some difficulty, “I cannot make that decision.”

“No rush,” Jiang Nuan stood up. “Ten dishes make a perfect feast. I’ll make some for you to try first, and then we’ll decide what to do.”

"Mother," Xie Shi said, her jaw still agape as she listened to their conversation, "aren't you asking for too much?"

Five hundred taels of silver, my goodness! If you piled them up, you could crush a person to death!

“No,” Jiang Nuan pinched Xie’s rosy cheeks, “This is already out of consideration for the friendship between our two families. I’m making preparations and coming to help.”

Although Wuweilou's business is not good, it has a very complete selection of ingredients and seasonings.

Jiang Nuan was about to cook, and before long, the courtyard delivered all the things she wanted.

With her two daughters-in-law helping out and Jiang Nuan in charge of cooking, it took them an hour to prepare this feast.

Two snacks: Tiger-skin peanuts and strange-flavored flat peanuts.

Two desserts: red bean paste rolls and jade bean cakes.

Four stir-fried dishes: deep-fried quail, eight-treasure rabbit meat, spicy tendon, and roasted pheasant.

Two appetizers: sweet and sour lotus root and spiced pigeon.

It's a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate—truly captivating!

When Manager Jin took his seat, he was immediately struck by the beauty of the food; it was more beautiful than any painting he had ever seen before.

Once you put it in your mouth, you'll feel like you've tasted the finest food in the world.

The matter was of great importance, so in addition to Manager Jin, several managers from Wuweilou came together.

The group, including Huang Xiaosan, ate all the food.

After finishing his meal, Manager Jin took a sip of tea and squinted his eyes in satisfaction. "Little San, how do these dishes compare to those at Juquanlou?"

These words left Huang Xiaosan feeling quite embarrassed.

He didn't expect that Manager Jin knew about his visit to Juquanlou.

He scratched his head and said sincerely, "It tastes much better than Juquanlou."

Huang Xiaosan was very surprised. He had always heard that his mother was a very good cook, but he never thought she was this good.

To put it bluntly, if the chefs at Wuweilou had this skill, Wuweilou wouldn't have ended up in this state today.

“Xiao San,” Manager Jin said with a strange look, “your mother is so capable, why did she send you to the restaurant as an apprentice?”

Putting everything else aside, just this skill alone, if passed on to Huang Xiaosan, would at least ensure the Huang family a comfortable life, if not a meteoric rise to wealth.

“Father-in-law,” Huang Xiaosan said, bowing his head low, “Well, back then, my mother didn’t want me to come here as an apprentice, so I came here secretly on my own.”

Huang Xiaosan was very opinionated from a young age. Back then, the Huang family lived a very difficult life, often going hungry. If it weren't for his maternal grandfather's family helping them from time to time, it's hard to say whether they would have starved to death.

Hearing that a restaurant in the county town was recruiting apprentices, he begged Village Chief Huang to take him to the county town.

He only revealed this matter after things had settled down.

At that time, Jiang threw a tantrum.