Although Manager Tong knew the value of the braising spice recipe, he was not entirely focused on buying and selling. He hoped to buy the recipe at the lowest possible price, thinking that his employer would then treat him differently.
But seeing Han Yiyi's attitude now, he couldn't help but frown slightly and ask.
"In that case, let Sister Han name the price. But as you know, we're just a small town, and our population isn't as large as that of the prefectural city. Besides, our Yunlai Restaurant is considered the largest restaurant in this town..."
In fact, what Manager Tong meant by saying this was to remind Han Yiyi not to ask for an exorbitant price. Moreover, they were already the most powerful in Ping'an Town. If the price was too high, Yunlai Restaurant would not be able to afford it, and then no one in the entire Ping'an Town would be able to afford it.
Upon hearing Manager Tong's words, Han Yi smiled and said, "Since Manager Tong asked me to name a price, then I won't be polite. Actually, I originally planned to rent a small shop in this town to sell braised food. After all, it's a skill, and it would be enough to support my family. But now that Manager Tong really wants to buy, I'll sell to Manager Tong and then find another way to make a living. However, I won't sell it for less than eighty taels..."
The more Manager Tong listened to Han Yiyi's words, the less she seemed like a peasant woman. When Han Yiyi announced the price, Manager Tong was so shocked that he stood up. The reason was that his employer had given him a base price of eighty taels.
Thus, Manager Tong's gaze towards Han Yiyi changed. Their boss had come back to inspect the shop a few days ago and saw the potential of this braised food. Knowing that it was developed by a peasant woman, he ordered him to buy it. He originally thought of having the kitchen staff research it, and if he could develop it himself, it would be a great achievement in front of his boss.
After studying it for several days without success, and worried that his employer would be anxious, he hurriedly thought of buying it from Han Yiyi for thirty taels of silver, hoping to save his employer some money and make his employer look at him differently. But Han Yiyi quoted a low price as soon as she opened her mouth.
Shopkeeper Tong suddenly realized that he had lost his composure in front of a peasant woman. He quickly raised his hand to his mouth to cover it up, coughed lightly, and slowly sat down. He picked up the tea on the table, took a sip, and then continued to speak.
"Mr. Han, this is a bit too much to ask for..."
Hearing Manager Tong's words, Han Yiyi was not annoyed. She simply stood up slowly and then spoke.
"Since Manager Tong is not satisfied with this price, then I will not sell it..." he said, turning to leave.
Manager Tong had been the manager of Yunlai Restaurant for so many years, and he had never met someone as direct as Han Yiyi. He didn't even give him a chance to bargain, so he was a little annoyed. However, seeing Han Yiyi leave without looking back, Manager Tong started to panic.
If he messed things up, he would definitely be scolded by his employer, so he quickly called Han Yiyi back to his seat.
Upon hearing Manager Tong's shout, Han Yiyi stopped in her tracks, then let out a soft breath, mentally making a peace sign at herself, thinking to herself, "Thank goodness I managed to keep my composure."
In the end, Han Yiyi sold the braising recipe to Yunlai Restaurant for eighty taels of silver, and promised not to disclose the recipe to other merchants or restaurants, and that she herself would not sell it again.
Shopkeeper Tong immediately paid Han Yiyi eighty taels of silver, and Han Yiyi also memorized the recipe and had the shopkeeper write it down himself.
As for why Han Yiyi didn't write it herself, it's because the original owner of the body was illiterate, and Han Yiyi herself couldn't write traditional Chinese characters, let alone use a calligraphy brush.
Although Han Yiyi always just throws in a packet of spice mix she redeemed from the system whenever she makes braised food, she later recalled her past memories and used the star anise and cinnamon she bought at the clinic to recreate the flavor of the spice mix. Otherwise, she really wouldn't have dared to buy it from her son.
Once Manager Tong received the recipe, he hurriedly ordered people to prepare it. Seeing that it was getting late, he invited Han Yiyi to have dinner at the restaurant. Han Yiyi knew that he wanted to see if the recipe she gave was correct, so she didn't stand on ceremony and invited Da Niu to the second floor to have dinner together.
Da Niu was already anxiously waiting on the first floor. He was worried that the things on the table would cost him money, so he didn't dare to touch them. When he heard Han Yiyi call him to go upstairs, he quickly got up and went upstairs. Whether it was because he was too nervous or something else, he seemed to stumble a bit when he went up the stairs.
Da Niu looked at the exquisitely arranged dishes and white rice in front of him and unconsciously swallowed his saliva, but he hesitated to pick up his chopsticks.
Manager Tong was quite kind; he served them a braised fish, a minced meat and tofu dish, a bright green stir-fried vegetable dish, and a large bowl of rice on the side.
Seeing that Da Niu was hesitant to eat, Han Yiyi simply picked up a piece of fish and placed it in his bowl.
"Eat quickly, this is the innkeeper's treat. After you finish eating, hurry back, Uncle Wei is waiting for us, don't keep him waiting..."
Hearing Han Yiyi say this, Da Niu began to eat heartily.
Han Yiyi also picked up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth. As soon as the fish entered her mouth, she raised her eyebrows. Surprisingly, it tasted pretty good.
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the two of them finished all the dishes and rice on the table, most of which were eaten by Da Niu.
Seeing that only a few empty plates and bowls remained on the table, Da Niu's face turned slightly red, but fortunately, he was dark-skinned, so it wasn't noticeable.
Just as the two finished their meal, Manager Tong walked in with a smile, seemingly confirming that the braising spice recipe was genuine.
When Manager Tong entered the room and saw the empty bowl on the table, he subconsciously spoke up.
“It’s lunchtime now, how about I ask the kitchen to make a few more dishes for Sister Han to take home to her family…”
"Alright, thank you, Manager Tong..."
Shopkeeper Tong was just being polite, but he didn't expect Han Yiyi to be so blunt. After a moment of surprise, he burst into laughter and said...
"Sister Han is so straightforward. Alright, then please wait a little longer, Sister Han..."
Han Yiyi naturally knew that Manager Tong was just being polite, but in her opinion, she might as well take advantage of the situation. Besides, she thought the food at the restaurant tasted pretty good, so she wanted the two children to try it too. However, she didn't want to pay for it herself, so she could only ask Manager Tong to do it...
Watching the person leave with the food box, Manager Tong couldn't help but raise his hand and rub his temples in exasperation.
He secretly thought to himself that he should never do business with this person again. However, what Manager Tong didn't know was that in the near future, the two would have business dealings again, and next time he would be the one to ask for help.
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