Qin Xiaozhou had just looked around at the market in the county town and the shops on this relatively bustling street. There were steamed buns, mantou, porridge, wontons, and pancakes mixed together, mostly noodle dishes, all costing a few coins a serving. The dishes in the restaurants were also simple in their preparation, there were no braised dishes, and many dishes were not even prepared in any way. That's why she was so confident.

"I have no proof, would you be willing to let me try in the kitchen, sir?"

Chen Haiping suppressed his surprise. There was still half an hour until the lunch rush, when the kitchen would be busiest. He hesitated whether to take a gamble, but finally smiled even more warmly and said, "Please."

Qin Xiaozhou turned to Lu Yunfeng and said, "I need time. You go and buy the household necessities yourself. Buy more flour, as well as salt, soy sauce, and vinegar."

These past few days, she's been watching the little bit of salt in the jar while cooking, and she's been terrified every time she adds it, because people get sick if they don't eat salt.

After saying that, she took out the money she had left over from selling bamboo shoots and gave it all to Lu Yunfeng. Before he could react, she went into the kitchen. As expected of a big restaurant in the county, the kitchen was bigger than the Lu family's house. There were three big pots stewing beef, mutton and pork respectively, and the aroma was irresistible.

There is less beef and pork because cattle are used for plowing and farming and should not be slaughtered at will. There is less pork because many wealthy people think pork is dirty and smelly and do not like to eat it.

A stranger entered the kitchen—a woman who wanted to use the kitchen to challenge them. News of what happened in the dining room had already reached the kitchen, and the head chefs were all unhappy, their faces drawn. Sun Daxiong deliberately chopped the vegetables loudly. He was the head chef of the restaurant, and had been following his master since he was thirteen, for twenty years. Two years ago, after his master retired, he finally felt like he had made it. Now, a woman had come. What kind of behavior was this?

Women should stay at home, be good wives and mothers, and serve their in-laws. These grown men are hanging out in the kitchen, aren't they ashamed? I scoffed, "Swindlers! Showing their faces in public!"

In one sentence, Qin Xiaozhou's character and gender were both criticized.

Manager Chen knew Sun Daxiong was dissatisfied, and he was unwilling to lose face for an outsider like the head chef of the restaurant. He simply told Qin Xiaozhou, "Use whatever you need here. If I'm not satisfied with what you make, you'll have to pay me back."

Qin Xiaozhou had already looked through all the seasonings in the cabinet against the wall. After thanking Chen Haiping and the chefs, she picked out a piece of tenderloin from the pork on the side, cut it into strips about the thickness of her little finger, each strip being the same size. She added minced ginger, chopped green onions, and salt, mixed it well, and set it aside to marinate.

It's a pity there were no Sichuan peppercorns.

Several chefs, busy with their work, watched Qin Xiaozhou with sneers, determined to see a good show! Sun Daxiong's master's ancestors were imperial chefs in the previous dynasty's palace. What kind of recipes hadn't he seen? That's why this restaurant has been among the top in the county for many years.

It's ridiculous that Qin Xiaozhou, a woman who has never seen the world, actually wanted to sell her recipes to the shopkeeper!

Qin Xiaozhou didn't care what others thought, nor did she care that her cooking methods were being seen. She calmly took out a bowl from the cupboard, put in flour and eggs, stirred with chopsticks, added a little water, and adjusted it to a thick consistency. Then she added some oil, poured the batter into the marinated meat, stirred it evenly, and coated each piece of meat with batter. She heated oil in a pan and put the meat pieces in one by one to fry until golden brown and crispy.

The aroma wafted through the air, and the chefs exchanged glances before gathering around. Manager Chen also entered the kitchen. "It smells alright, but I wonder how it tastes?"

Qin Xiaozhou used a slotted spoon to scoop it out, plated it, and brought it over, saying, "Manager Chen, please try it."

Seeing that it was still early, she said, "If the shopkeeper is satisfied with this dish, I will make another one. After we taste it, we can see how much these recipes are worth."

Chen Haiping picked it up and ate it. It was crispy and fragrant, and the meat had no fishy smell at all. He could tell what kind of meat it was, but he still couldn't help but be surprised. He looked at Qin Xiaozhou with newfound respect and his smile became more genuine. "This is pork? Not bad. Keep making it."

Several chefs swallowed hard, "Boss, we need to try it too so we can learn better."

Chen Haiping ate two more pieces before modestly pushing the plate away. The large plate of meat was instantly submerged and disappeared under the hands of six or seven people. Sun Daxiong frowned and then relaxed, looking at Qin Xiaozhou's solemn expression.

Qin Xiaozhou made another twice-cooked pork dish, which was very fragrant. Several chefs knew that this was a recipe that was going to be sold to restaurants, so they all gathered around and openly learned it. Sun Daxiong's eyes lit up, "These ingredients can actually be put together."

The twice-cooked pork had just come out of the pot when Chen Haiping and the others, without even reaching for their chopsticks, quickly picked it up, blew on it to cool it down, and put it in their mouths. Their shoulders relaxed, their whole bodies stretched, and they quickly ate two more bites. The pork, with its perfect balance of lean and fat, was fatty but not greasy, and the chili peppers were just right to increase their appetite. It was so delicious that it made their tongues tingle. After putting down their chopsticks, when they spoke again, it was with genuine respect, "May I ask what your name is, Madam? This way, please."

"Just call me Qin Xiaozhou." Qin Xiaozhou washed the large pot clean and tidied up the things. A boy hurriedly went up to help him tidy up.

When Qin Xiaozhou and Chen Haiping arrived on the second floor, Chen Haiping couldn't wait any longer and asked, "Miss Qin, how much silver do you need for these recipes?"

Qin Xiaozhou remained calm and was not swayed by the shopkeeper's attitude. "Fifty taels."

Fifty taels is not a small amount. Farmers in the countryside only earn four or five taels a year. Those with little land and few people may only earn one or two taels. An acre of fertile land may only yield five or six taels, while an acre of wasteland may only yield two taels, and a remote location may yield one tael. So, fifty taels is quite a lot.

Chen Haiping looked at Qin Xiaozhou seriously. Only at this moment did he take the person seriously, and then shook his head, "Fifty taels is too much, not worth it."

Qin Xiaozhou remained calm and composed. "It's a good deal. A pound of pork belly is only fifteen coins. One pound of pork can make two to three dishes. According to the prices of other dishes in the restaurant, the manager's price for one dish would be at least seventy or eighty coins."

As expected of a well-known restaurant in the county, the price just shocked Qin Xiaozhou. Sure enough, no matter where you are, the gap between the rich and the poor is huge. Many rural people are unwilling to spend seventy or eighty coins to buy a piece of cloth or a piece of clothing, but some people spend so much money to eat a few bites of meat.

Chen Haiping smiled, admiration in his eyes. "Alright, fifty taels. But Miss Qin, you can't sell these two recipes to anyone else."

"Of course." Qin Xiaozhou was so happy she wanted to jump for joy, but she didn't show it on her face.

Qin Xiaozhou went downstairs and left the restaurant. Lu Yunfeng was waiting at the door with a basket on his back. She asked what he had bought and looked at the basket. Oil, salt and mixed flour were in the basket. "Why isn't there rice and wheat flour?"

Gufeng County is located in a water-rich area of ​​Anhui Province. People eat a mix of rice and flour. Although many places are experiencing drought and life is difficult, it has not yet reached the point where rice and flour are unavailable.

Lu Yunfeng's expression was not good. "Let's go back."

Qin Xiaozhou refused and turned into a nearby grain shop. It wasn't spring yet, and the winter wheat wouldn't be harvested for another three or four months. The rice was from last autumn. Wheat flour cost eight coins per pound, and rice cost seven coins per pound. She ordered thirty pounds of wheat flour, thirty pounds of rice, ten pounds of peanuts, five pounds of red dates, and two pounds of brown sugar.

Red dates cost 12 coins per pound, while brown sugar is more expensive, costing 35 coins per pound.

The shop assistants were stunned, which alarmed the shopkeeper. In the end, the shopkeeper paid 580 coins and gave them an extra pound of rice.

Lu Yunfeng frowned. How could Qin Xiaozhou be so extravagant? "So much money! We can't buy on credit here, we don't have any..."

Before she could even utter the words "I have no money," Qin Xiaozhou had already taken out some loose silver to pay. She asked Chen Haiping to exchange the fifty taels of silver for four ten-tael silver ingots and ten-tael loose silver, which would be more convenient.