Chen Xihua suddenly remembered a small scene. In the original book, there was a braised meat shop owner named Du from Hunan Province who wanted to open a braised meat shop in Beijing.
When he arrived in Beijing, he chose to locate Du's Braised Meat Shop right next to Zhou's Private Kitchen.
One time, the female lead tried the Du family's braised meat and found it to be quite delicious. She then discussed with the male lead the possibility of having his family's restaurant business become a franchise.
But Mr. Du refused, saying he could open braised meat shops all over the country on his own.
Mr. Du is also very clever. He has already turned the recipe into a spice packet, and some of them have been ground into powder. He has also added some optional ingredients.
Each batch seems different, but the final braised meat tastes the same.
Mr. Du's idea is good, but braised meat has a characteristic that is affected by regional differences. A flavor that sells well in Hunan Province may not be suitable for other places.
Moreover, braised meat is a ready-to-eat food, and it is often sold by husband-and-wife teams. There are also local braised meat shops in various places.
He wanted to open stores all over the country, but that was very difficult, so Mr. Du eventually returned to Hunan Province. There, he opened twenty or thirty small chain stores and made a lot of money.
At that time, the female lead, Zhou Qingqing, spoke very skillfully, and unintentionally, she tricked Boss Du's son into revealing information.
Mr. Du accidentally revealed that his father had met a couple named Tang in Huishan City, Hunan Province, and bought the recipe from them.
Because the couple's son was in a car accident and urgently needed a large sum of money, Boss Du seized the opportunity and bought the formula for only 80,000 yuan. Boss Du even deliberately waited a day or two to lower the price from 100,000 yuan to 80,000 yuan.
They even signed a buyout agreement at the time, and the Tang couple could no longer run the braised meat business unless they were making it for their own consumption.
Chen Xihua also had an idea; she wanted to steal the job from Boss Du.
The book also mentions that Boss Du coldly watched the Tang family struggle to raise enough money in two days, and the agreed-upon price of 100,000 yuan was eventually reduced.
But the Tang family had no other choice but to reluctantly sell the formula.
"Sir, do you know where the Tang family lives? I'd like to go and see if I can help." Chen Xihua acted like a pampered young lady overflowing with sympathy, almost ready to hand over her money immediately.
"I know, young lady, are you going to donate money? Students these days are quite kind-hearted." The old man who had just spoken said with a hint of helplessness, thinking that donating a hundred or two hundred yuan was a huge sum of money, but it wouldn't make much of a difference.
Nobody's money comes from thin air. Yesterday, each of their neighbors donated ten or twenty yuan.
Seeing that the young girl was very helpful, the old man still gave Chen Xihua directions:
"Go into this alley, about two hundred meters in, then turn left. The first house is the Tang family's."
"Okay, thank you, sir."
Chen Xihua walked along the alleyway entrance. There were many alleyways inside, but she stopped after measuring about two hundred meters.
At this moment, a small intersection appeared in the alley. She turned left and saw an old two-story house with its door locked.
It must be the Tang family.
It was already four or five in the afternoon, and someone from this family should be back soon, so she waited at the door for half an hour.
"Who are you? Who are you looking for? Are you here to buy braised meat? We don't make it anymore."
A girl of about ten years old walked up behind her, with two small braids in her hair. She looked at Chen Xihua warily, and her face was very sad and upset.
The little girl was Tang Xin, the eldest daughter of the Tang family. Her younger brother, Tang Le, was hit by a car and was seriously injured.
She hadn't been watching her younger brother closely enough; he was hit by a speeding car while playing at the intersection. Because it was evening and the car was going fast, she didn't see the license plate of the black van clearly.
Although her parents and grandmother didn't blame her, Tang Xin still felt guilty. She was in the third grade and knew a lot.
If the family sells the recipe, they won't be able to make money anymore. Besides, my younger brother will need to spend a lot of money.
Tang Xin had just returned from the hospital with her grandmother, who was walking slowly and was still behind.
She wanted to run home to cook, as her parents were still at the hospital taking care of her younger brother.
"Little sister, I need to speak with your Tang family about something. Where are your parents?" Chen Xihua observed the little girl's expression and guessed that she was feeling very upset.
"My grandma's at the intersection," Tang Xin said, pointing to the alley ahead with her right hand.
Chen Xihua turned her head and, sure enough, saw an elderly woman in her fifties walking into the alley.
Her hair wasn't gray at all, and Grandma Tang looked very young and walked briskly, though she seemed a little tired.
"Is this Aunt Tang? I need to talk to you about something. My name is Chen Xihua, you can call me Xiao Wu." Chen Xihua greeted Aunt Tang politely as she approached. She felt embarrassed to call her Aunt Tang, as it would make her sound old.
"I run a clothing store here, and I heard that your braised meat is delicious."
Chen Xihua also knew that now was not the time for pleasantries; she should get to the point quickly, explain her purpose, and the other party probably wasn't in the mood to listen to her rambling.
But after thinking about it carefully, I realized I should introduce myself first, otherwise it would be very abrupt for a stranger to show up at my door.
"Young lady, you should leave. We don't make braised meat anymore." Grandma Tang's face was very unpleasant, and her tone was also unfriendly.
She didn't want to sell the recipe; it was a craft passed down through generations of the Tang family. Before her husband passed away, he told her to always keep the Tang family's braised meat recipe safe.
But now that his grandson's injuries are too severe, and his son and daughter-in-law have agreed, he wants to think about it for another night.
My grandson is in the hospital, where doctors are administering medication. Because he has problems with his heart, lungs, and chest, the treatment will be gradual, and he will need several major surgeries and rehabilitation later on.
There's no rush to do it tonight.
And even 100,000 yuan isn't enough. She hates that despicable perpetrator and curses him…
Her grandson is only five years old, and he has to suffer such great harm. Why doesn't God take that heartless bastard away?
Or she could take the blame for her grandson; she was even willing to risk her life.
Click! Tang Xin unlocked the door and went inside. "Grandma, I'm going to cook."
"Xiaoxin, Grandma will do it." Grandma Tang's heart ached at the thought of her grandson's injury. She ignored Chen Xihua and walked in somewhat dazedly. She was usually a very warm and cheerful person, but she was not in the mood to entertain strangers at this moment.
Chen Xihua didn't want to discuss this matter at the entrance, and there were other people passing by on the way, so she followed the grandmother and grandson into the Tang family's courtyard.
She stopped in the middle of the courtyard and didn't go any further. She raised her voice slightly and said...
"Aunt Tang, I was just over on the pedestrian street when I overheard an old man talking about your family's situation, and I felt deeply saddened. I also heard that your family wants to sell your braised meat recipe, and I'd like to collaborate with you."
I know you're facing difficulties right now, and I didn't want to bother you at this time, much less take advantage of your misfortune. But if you really intend to sell the formula, could you please consider my proposal?
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