Chapter 63: Roast Goose. (Second update)...
Xie Ping was stunned: "What!?"
He lowered his crossed legs and sat up straight, his expression shifting from gloomy to bright. Xie Ping pondered for a moment before stretching himself out again. "Hmph, what are you afraid of?! The way I see it, they probably know we've signed a contract with the duck shop and are trying to get us to buy those livestock, thinking that this will squeeze my finances—"
Xie Ping couldn't help but feel a pang of pain as he spoke of this. He had spent a lot of time and effort convincing the duck shops to get this done. In the end, he placed a three-month order and paid a large deposit in advance.
This is also the gap between him and Linzhiji.
Xie Ping was full of confidence. After all, he had heard from Madam Hua that in order to buy the shop, Manager Lin and his family had invested all the money they had brought with them. Even though the business had been good in the past ten days, they only had a few dozen strings of silver left.
With this little money, there was no way they could place an order for more goods from the duck shop.
Just exhaust them and they will be exhausted to death!
Xie Pingzhi was very pleased with himself. He told the servant to keep watching and went back to the backyard to check on the progress of Chef Cao and the others. "We're officially opening today. How's the roast duck?"
Chef Cao replied indifferently, "It's OK."
Xie Ping glanced at the glistening roast duck, feeling quite satisfied. "Now everything is ready, all we need is a favorable wind. Taking advantage of Linzhiji's mishap, we must win back all the customers!"
Everyone responded, but after Xie Ping left, Chef Cao's apprentice came forward and said, "Master, is it really okay if I don't remind you?"
"Any questions? Ask. We're just following the recipe." Chef Cao glanced at his apprentice, then said, with a forced smile, "This is Chef Tang's recipe."
"Besides, didn't the shopkeeper say he had figured out a way to make sure Linzhiji couldn't make roast duck?"
"Since Linzhiji can't make it, who else can compare the taste of the two roast ducks?"
The apprentice shut his mouth awkwardly, not daring to say anything more. He obediently followed Chef Cao's instructions. However, behind the scenes, he couldn't help but complain to his fellow apprentices, "Forget about dealing with the outsiders. Why do I feel like our shop is going to have an internal conflict first?"
"...That's right." The other people also had worried expressions on their faces. In fact, they had also heard the waiters' conversation and felt that what the others said was right. If they were going to cook mutton, they should focus on cooking mutton. Why did they have to compete with Linzhiji for duck meat?
Xie Ping was completely oblivious to the fact that while the shop appeared calm on the surface, there was actually a turbulent undercurrent. He was directing several servants to put up the sign, set up the tables and chairs, and finally, erect the wooden frame and hang the prices.
"Wait a minute." Xie Ping stopped the waiter, "Change the price from 78 wen per catty to 68 wen."
"Sixty-eight cents? Boss, isn't this price too low?" The accountant was shocked and hurriedly advised.
"Humph, aren't they trying to resist by making roast goose?" Xie Ping sneered, "I'll lower the price by ten cents, but at most they'll stop making it. I wonder if they dare to lower the price."
"this--"
“Do as I say!”
"Yes--" Just as the people in Xie Da Mutton Restaurant were busy coming in and out, Lin Sen also brought the big goose back to the shop.
He was still responsible for slaughtering geese. After getting the hang of it, he found that except for the fact that geese were larger than ducks, there was no difference between slaughtering geese and ducks.
After the slaughter, Lin Zhi wiped her hands and carefully explained to Lin Sen: "Dad, I'd like you to go to Guo Silang Teahouse again and explain the current situation. Remember to explain that the duck shop suddenly stopped supplying ducks without prior notice, resulting in the temporary interruption of our daily supply of ducks."
"For this purpose, we have temporarily changed the roast duck to roast goose and roast chicken. We can now provide braised goose heads, goose necks and goose feet, as well as braised chicken offal."
"If they're okay with it, we can send the goods over for them to try this afternoon, and we're willing to offer a 10% discount on the previous price."
Lin Sen slapped his forehead and said, "Look at my memory. I almost forgot!" If he waited until the afternoon when he was about to deliver the goods to remember it, it would be too late to say anything then.
Lin Sen felt annoyed and secretly warned himself, then took careful note of his daughter's instructions.
After he killed the geese and chickens, he washed his hands, changed into clean clothes, rented a donkey and set off for Guo Silang Teahouse.
Song Jiaoniang helped to process the pile of big geese. Apart from the fact that they were a little bigger in size, the rest of the process was similar.
“Even the marinade doesn’t need to be changed?”
"Yes." Lin Zhi skillfully applied the sauce, sewed the goose's butt, blew air into it, and fixed it with hot water. The series of operations were smooth and flowing. "At first, I didn't choose goose, simply because it's more expensive than duck."
In addition, it is not certain whether they will sell well. There is only one kiln. Roast ducks can be roasted three at a time and sold whole. However, roast geese can only be roasted two in one kiln. In addition, the portion is large, so the price of half a goose will be more than twice as expensive.
"Who knew business would be so good later? All my worries were for nothing." Lin Zhi smiled and brushed the dried goose with crispy water. "Before, I thought the roast duck was already a big hit, so I didn't bother to change it. This time, I took this opportunity to switch to roast goose. It's not bad."
With two kilns, she can roast four geese at a time. One big goose can produce seven to ten kilograms of meat, which is more cost-effective than roast duck.
If there was a problem, Lin Zhi thought for a moment and said, "The price of roast goose is higher. Roast duck sells for 80 wen per catty, so roast goose should be 120 wen per catty."
"One hundred and twenty coins per jin!?" Song Jiaoniang couldn't help but get nervous again: "Isn't this price a bit too high?"
"Goose is more expensive, and its size makes it more difficult to handle." Lin Zhi felt that the price was not expensive. "Besides, today is the first day to switch to roast goose, so customers who have made reservations will pay the roast duck price, and the price will be adjusted later."
"Well, I'm just worried that guy might take the goose again—"
"Then let's change it to roast chicken." Lin Zhi raised the corner of her mouth and chuckled. "If all else fails, we can switch to roast pigeon or roast quail. Both of them taste pretty good."
After hearing this, Song Jiaoniang finally fell silent. She thought that what Zhi Jie'er said before was right. Unless the other party could monopolize the entire poultry market, there would be no way to stop her family.
But they can monopolize the entire poultry market, so why bother with this? Shouldn't they let their own family sell more so that they can make more money?
Without any worries, Song Jiaonian felt relieved and looked forward to the other side's reaction with great interest.
Why did they say opposite? After all, the noise they made moving out tables and chairs and changing the signboards was so loud that even Madam Yu couldn't help but come in and talk.
"Madam Song, did you see that?"
"The roast duck at Xie Da Mutton Restaurant is only 68 coins per pound!"
Song Jiaoniang went to the door and took a look. She was shocked and speechless. "We have no connection with Xie Da Mutton Restaurant. We even went to their house for dinner once. How can it be as if our family has a deep hatred for them?"
"God knows." Lin Zhi shrugged his shoulders, sent the dried goose into the kiln, and sealed it carefully.
She is not worried about Xie Da Mutton Restaurant now, but is more worried about the roasting problem. After all, the goose is much larger than the duck. If she wants to keep the skin crispy while the inside is cooked through, she needs to lower the temperature and extend the roasting time.
However, the color and crispness of the skin may deteriorate, so Linzhi needs to rely on his past experience to carefully adjust the amount of charcoal fire and the temperature of the kiln to make the most perfect roast goose.
Just as Linzhi was busy in the house, the time for roll call was approaching and more and more people were walking on the street in front of the Dali Temple.
As soon as many diners approached, they were attracted by the scene at the entrance of Xie Da Mutton Restaurant and gathered around in surprise: "...Roast duck?"
"Wait a minute, this is Xie Da Mutton Restaurant, right?"
"Why did they start selling roast duck?"
The passing officials, yamen runners, and even ordinary people were all confused, but the fact that Xie Da Lamb Restaurant only sold it for 68 coins per pound immediately attracted many people to come forward to take a look.
"Linzhiji costs eighty wen per jin!"
"Only 68 wen per catty... I'll buy half a catty to try!" Just as Xie Ping thought, the price of 68 wen per catty immediately aroused the enthusiasm of diners. Many diners who had never bought from Linzhiji before, or who thought it was too expensive and only bought it once or twice to try it out, came forward one after another, and soon four or five roast ducks were sold.
Xie Ping was beaming with joy, and couldn't help but look towards Linzhiji. He saw Lin Sen, who had just returned, pushing open the door of the store and walking in calmly without even glancing at him.
????? ?????
Xie Ping was so angry that his nose almost got crooked. He thought to himself that they could sit still now, but let’s see if they could sit still when they still couldn’t get the duck tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow!
Lin Sen didn't realize that his indifference was fueling Shopkeeper Xie's rage. He was busy wiping the table and mopping the floor, taking out the account books and registers and putting them in order. Finally, he went to the kitchen to get some steamed buns to fill his stomach. As he ate, he looked out into the yard and asked, "Is Sister Zhi still guarding here?"
"They say they're using geese today, so the timing will be a little different. I have to keep watch nearby."
"Hmm..." Lin Sen recalled how Lin Zhi had struggled all day to finish the roast duck, and a wave of worry washed over him. He whispered, "Will it be too late today? Why not tell the guests... Ouch!"
Song Jiaoniang raised her arm and bumped into Lin Sen's side. She frowned and said in a low voice, "Sister Zhi will definitely be able to do it."
"I just want to reduce Sister Zhi's pressure." Lin Sen covered his side, grinning while remembering to lower his voice.
"Sister Zhi looks calm, but she's actually the most unyielding person." Song Jiaoniang covered her mouth and muttered, "Don't think that she made all the arrangements in the morning, but she actually holds a grudge against Xie Da Mutton Restaurant and wants to make them look bad."
"Then Xie Da Mutton Restaurant is really sick."
"That's right! Like a mad dog, competing is competition, but resorting to such despicable tactics."
Just as the two were muttering to each other and secretly cursing Xie Da Lamb Restaurant to vent their anger, suddenly a fragrance different from the usual rushed into the couple's nostrils.
The voices of Lin Sen and his wife stopped abruptly, and they looked forward at the same time. They saw Lin Zhi opening the kiln, hooking and pulling the long pole, and pulled out the two roast geese hanging inside.
Needless to say, the strange fragrance that the two smelled was gushing out from it.
Seeing this, Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang both swallowed unconsciously, staring at the roast goose with greed, which was red with a hint of gold, and as shiny as if coated with a layer of beeswax. After a long while, they squeezed out an exclamation: "Wow..."
A thought flashed through Song Jiaoniang's mind. No wonder her daughter hadn't changed at all since she heard the news: That's it! Is it really necessary?
She wiped the saliva that was about to drip down, elbowed Lin Sen aside, and made way for him. "Sister Zhi, be careful! It's such a heavy thing."
"It's okay," Lin Zhi said with a smile, feeling quite good. Although she was sure she knew the kiln well, she hadn't expected to succeed on her first try. The roast goose she made was evenly colored and beautiful, so beautiful that it even made her eyes light up. She just didn't know what was going on inside.
Linzhi entered the kitchen with great anticipation, hung a roast goose in the air, and placed the other on the chopping board.
Then, she took the kitchen knife and neatly cut the roast goose in half. Instantly, the fragrance of goose meat, the aroma of spices and the juice surged out like waves.
Linzhi turned her hand, collected the excess soup into the plate, and then divided the goose meat into small pieces.
Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang took a few steps forward, their eyes fixed on the cut goose meat.
Linzhi cut out a plate and pushed it in front of the couple, smiling: "We are lucky, it is cooked through on the first batch."
"Dad, Mom, please try it."
"Okay, okay." Lin Sen and his wife had been waiting for a long time. They were delighted to hear this and hurriedly picked up the chopsticks, picked up a piece of roast goose each and put it into their mouth.
As soon as they took a bite, the couple was greeted by a crisp snapping sound. The thin layer of fat connecting the crispy skin instantly melted on their tongues, spreading the amazing richness of the roast goose to every corner of their mouth.
Roast duck and roast goose, these two fraternal brothers, are similar yet distinct. The former boasts crispy skin, firm meat, and a sweet juicy texture, while the latter boasts a rich, savory, and mellow flavor interwoven with the aroma of fat and meat.
The couple ate one piece and couldn't help but pick up the next one. Lin Zhi looked at their reactions, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and she also picked up the chopsticks and tasted it, savoring it carefully to make sure it was perfect.
Just as Song Jiaoniang said, she is not a kind-hearted person and she holds grudges.
Linzhi swallowed the goose meat, with a determination flashing in her eyes: since Xie Da Mutton Restaurant wants to step on her to get to the top, then she will accompany him to the end and see who becomes the ladder to the sky.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
