Chapter Twelve [Beauty Value +5]
Li Yan said modestly, "I'm clumsy and don't know anything about business. If I've said anything wrong, I hope Manager Xu won't take offense."
After laying this groundwork, he began to speak seriously: "The braised pork I make tastes different from the braised pork in restaurants. Customers are used to the braised pork in restaurants, and when they try my version, they find the taste novel, which is why they like it. But if you can have as much as you want and eat it anytime you come, the novelty will probably wear off quickly."
"I observed the flow of customers at the entrance just now, and there are more customers today than at the same time yesterday. I suppose they are here for the braised pork. I think that if this dish is always in high demand and a little scarce, it will actually attract customers' attention for a longer period of time."
"If you always feel like you're missing a bite, you won't be able to fully enjoy the meal, and the aftertaste will be endless, making it last longer."
“This would actually benefit your restaurant as well.” Li Yan paused slightly at this point.
Manager Xu, who had been listening intently with a furrowed brow, immediately looked over upon seeing this. He was waiting for her to continue, but seeing her stop speaking, Manager Xu couldn't help but press, "What's the explanation for this?"
Li Yan then looked up and stared intently at Manager Xu, saying seriously, "If this dish becomes famous, even reaching the county town, then diners from the county will come to try it. With new customers, the restaurant's business will naturally improve." So, the profits won't just be from this braised pork dish.
When customers come, they can't possibly order just this one dish, right?
Even if you only order one more dish, you'll still make a profit from that dish.
Manager Xu felt enlightened, and his gaze towards Li Yan was filled with even more admiration.
"Mrs. Li, you are truly a genius!" As expected of Mr. Li, the owner of the carpenter's shop, she certainly has a knack for business.
In the past few days, Manager Xu has also found out Li Yan's identity and learned that she is the second daughter of the wealthy Li family in town.
No wonder, no wonder she was unremarkable in appearance and a village woman, yet she could read and do arithmetic.
He had also heard about the Li family's affairs.
He had heard that the second daughter of the Li family was a jinx, destined for misfortune. But after spending a few days with her, Manager Xu felt that those rumors were somewhat untrue.
If we investigate the Li family's situation more closely, we can more or less figure out some things.
The Li family's wife was not the first wife, but the second Miss Li in front of them was the daughter of the first wife.
Manager Xu saw through it but didn't say anything. He didn't care about the internal strife in the Li family. As long as this Miss Li could bring him real benefits, she would be his lucky star.
The final plan that Li Yan and Manager Xu came up with was to make ten more servings every three days.
That means making an extra 100 servings a month.
One hundred copies means... an extra three hundred and eighty coins.
After deducting the twenty coins for borrowing the pot from the Zhang family, there are still three hundred and sixty coins left.
Adding the original 1,700 coins, that makes 2,000 coins.
Just by selling braised pork, after deducting various costs such as renting a car, one can actually earn about two taels of silver each month.
After delivering the meat today, Li Yan didn't go straight home. Instead, she set up a stall near Yuanbaolou to sell drinks.
But she didn't know how long she would have to sell the food, and she had two children waiting for food at home, so she told Aunt Xue to go home first.
Setting up a stall in front of Yuanbaolou was something I had arranged with Manager Xu. Given Manager Xu's current relationship with Li Yan, as long as it didn't affect the restaurant's business, Manager Xu would agree to it without hesitation.
This mulberry juice is sweet and sour, refreshing and helps cut through the greasiness, and it's cheap too. Li Yan sells it by the bowl, and a bowl costs only one coin.
Because they're not expensive, they sell well.
Without much effort, the entire earthenware jar of mulberry juice was sold out. She sold about twenty bowls, earning a total of about twenty coins.
With little capital, those two or three pieces of maltose only cost three to five coins.
By this calculation, I made a net profit of twenty coins.
After selling her drinks, Li Yan didn't leave but continued to sit under the large banyan tree opposite the restaurant to cool off. She waited until He Shi finished her work, then drove her home.
This was Li Yan's first time driving an oxcart. Although she was nervous, she managed to drive it quite well.
Li Yan thought that after taking the train a few more times and gaining experience, she would be able to travel by herself in the future.
Being able to catch the train myself will be convenient for many things in the future.
For the next few days, Li Yan continued doing the same thing over and over again. Braised pork was a dish she had made countless times in her previous life; it was one of her specialties, and her culinary skills had already reached a high level of sophistication when she was filming the videos.
She has perfected this dish to the extreme, and at least for now, it's unlikely that she can improve it any further.
But mulberry juice... is a different story.
Although she had tried making it before, the conditions in later generations were much more advanced than they are now. Therefore, the taste of what she made now is still lacking.
In the past few days, she has been constantly researching how to improve the taste.
Thinking that perilla leaves were also a good way to cool off in the summer, Li Yan picked perilla leaves along with mulberries when she went up the mountain to pick them.
After picking the perilla leaves, wash them thoroughly and then boil them in a small stove. Let them cool before adding them to the filtered mulberry juice. Also, I replaced the creamy maltose with rock sugar, which has a lighter, more refreshing taste.
After numerous experiments, the ratio of perilla water, mulberries, and rock sugar was adjusted to the optimal level. When consumed again, the mulberry juice tasted even more refreshing.
Actually, Li Yan was already satisfied with the research at this stage. But later, she found licorice while in the mountains and added it to the pot on a whim. After trying it, she found that the juice tasted better with licorice. Remembering the medicinal effects of licorice, Li Yan then mixed it with perilla leaves and boiled it together.
After several days of continuous research and improvement, Li Yan finally developed a beverage with a very good taste through step-by-step improvements and practice.
Actually, the book "My Lucky Koi Wife" is a semi-fictional Northern Song Dynasty, and the standard of living of the people in the Northern Song Dynasty was relatively high compared to previous dynasties.
The book does mention drinks, but not in a small place like Qingshan Town. However, in larger places, such as the provincial capital Jiangning Prefecture, or even the county seat Huating County, drinks are sold.
Drinks in this era were called "yinzi," such as tea yinzi, fragrant yinzi, etc., and they were quite common.
Tea drinks are made from tea, while fragrant drinks are similar to beverages in later times. The mulberry syrup that Li Yan developed did not contain tea leaves, so it belongs to the category of fragrant drinks.
So, after sorting them out, when Li Yan set up a stall in front of Yuanbaolou to sell them, she put up a sign next to the stall that read "Mulberry Drink".
Simple and straightforward. You can tell at a glance that this is a mulberry-based drink.
On hot summer days, after a greasy meal of meat at a restaurant, customers could buy a bowl of refreshing, sweet and sour drink for just one coin to cool down and cut through the grease. Therefore, Li Yan's mulberry juice business was quite good every day.
Once this mulberry drink recipe was thoroughly developed, it could be made daily simply by following the steps, saving a lot of trouble.
Li Yan wasn't greedy; she only made about twenty servings of this drink each day, at most thirty, at one coin per serving.
She knew that this drink wasn't like braised pork, which could be sold year-round. This mulberry drink could only be sold for a month or two. Once the hot summer was over and the cool autumn arrived, no one would buy it to cool off anymore.
Braised pork is a long-term profitable product, while mulberry drinks are only profitable in the short term.
However, we are not pessimistic. Now that the formula has been developed, we can still sell it next year, or even every year thereafter.
And after the sweltering summer is over, we can research other things to sell.
.
Mulberry drink is made from mulberries that are readily available on the mountain and unwanted by others. After tasting Li Yan's mulberry drink, many people felt that they could also make it and started to learn how to make it.
I went up the mountain to pick mulberries and took them home. I then painstakingly made them into a drink, hoping to sell it for money.
But no matter who makes it, it's nowhere near as delicious as the one Li Yan meticulously developed.
The key is that Li Yan provides generous portions and doesn't charge exorbitant prices.
Gradually, the mulberry drink, which cost only one coin for a large bowl, became famous in Qingshan Town.
These past few days, Li Shangping has not been in Qingshan Town; he has taken his wife and children to visit relatives in Huating County.
The eldest daughter had just gotten married when her husband passed the imperial examination at the county level and became a scholar. The in-laws were overjoyed and warmly invited them to stay in Huating County for a while.
Li Shangping had initially been reluctant to agree, but recently, his second daughter suddenly changed her attitude and came to his door demanding money, uttering hurtful words. Li Shangping was furious. Therefore, when his in-laws invited him, his family of three, to stay in the county town again, Li Shangping finally agreed.
Just go there to clear your head.
The trip was pleasant, and I had a wonderful time with my in-laws. My mood was truly refreshed.
When he returned, he learned some news about his second daughter from his neighbors.
"Mr. Li, your wife Yan is amazing! Her braised pork is so delicious, she's even partnered with Yuanbaolou now. She also makes a drink called mulberry drink. I bought some and tried it, it's so sweet and sour, so delicious!" Li's neighbor had clearly tasted the braised pork and mulberry drink more than once, praising Li Yan's culinary skills highly.
Li Shangping looked completely bewildered: "Who?"
"Your Yan's mother?" The neighbor was even more bewildered by his reaction.
It took Li Shangping quite a while to realize who Yan Niang was. Oh, so it was Er Ya Tou.
Her mother passed away early and hadn't lived with her for several years. In addition, she was plain-looking and had a bad temper, so everyone forgot that she actually had a nice name, Yan Niang.
After realizing it was her, he was even more surprised.
"She's collaborating with Yuanbaolou?"
Everyone in Qingshan Town knows that Yuanbaolou has long monopolized the restaurant business in the entire town. In fact, it's not just Qingshan Town; it's similar in several nearby towns.
Furthermore, the owner of Yuanbaolou is not from Qingshan Town; he comes from the city. And Yuanbaolou is not only located in Qingshan Town; its main store is in Huating County.
I visited my son-in-law's family these past few days, and they were very hospitable, hosting a large banquet at Yuanbaolou Restaurant.
But now I hear that Er Yatou has partnered with Yuanbaolou?
How could that be?
"Don't you believe me? She's still selling mulberry drinks at her stall in front of Yuanbaolou. Go and see for yourself."
So, Li Shangping didn't even step into his house; he just turned around and left.
Seeing this, Yue immediately took her son and followed closely behind.
Li Yan was selling drinks at her stall when she glanced around and suddenly noticed a middle-aged couple hurrying towards her from a short distance away.
[Ding~ Congratulations, host, your beauty score has increased by 5]
A note from the author:
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Our heroine is even prettier now~~~ [Rabbit head with upright ears]
20 red envelopes dropped!
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