Seeing Han Yiyi's bright eyes, as if he could guess her thoughts, Yun Xiao replied.
"When we passed through your village on our way here, we found that there were only a few dozen households in your village, so you probably don't have much land. My Yun family owns more than twenty restaurants, so even if you planted all the land in your village, you could still make a living..."
“This is truly true…”
Seeing the excitement in Han Yi's eyes, Yun Xiao couldn't help but smile and said.
“It is indeed true…”
Then, when Manager Tong saw his young master's lips curl into a smile, and then looked at Han Yiyi across from him, who had become so beautiful without him noticing, he felt that his previous idea of marrying the "God of Wealth" seemed to be, possibly, probably going to fall through.
Upon hearing Yun Xiao's affirmative reply, Han Yiyi quickly said, "Alright, in that case, I'll give you a discount. Fresh long chilies will cost you 30 wen per jin, while dried ones will be more expensive, since it takes six to eight jin to make one jin of dried ones. So, I'll say 180 wen per jin. As for small red chilies, fresh ones will cost you 40 wen per jin, while dried ones will cost you 220 wen per jin. How about that..."
Actually, this price is quite expensive, considering that rice is only ten coins per pound. But things are valued for their scarcity, so this price is reasonable. Yun Xiao nodded in agreement, but then said something.
“The price is fine, but I can only sign a one-season contract with Lady Han…”
Han Yiyi understood Yun Xiao's meaning. After one season, the chili seeds would be distributed, and chili peppers would be planted everywhere. Naturally, people would no longer spend such a high price to buy them. So Han Yiyi readily agreed.
It must be said that there was a reason why Manager Liu was able to reach the position of head manager of this restaurant. While Han Yiyi was still discussing prices with Yun Xiao, he had already drafted an agreement, which was ready to be signed once the two parties had agreed on the price.
Han Yiyi looked at the agreement and the 100 taels deposit in her hand, her eyes crinkling with laughter. Thinking of the barbecue seasoning recipe she had already written, she casually mentioned it.
"Do you still need the recipe for that barbecue seasoning?"
Upon hearing Han Yiyi's words, Yun Xiao and Manager Liu exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with delight. Originally, Yun Xiao had come to discuss the matter of buying barbecue seasoning recipes with Han Yiyi, and now that Han Yiyi had brought it up herself, they were naturally pleased. However, before they could even speak, they heard Manager Tong ask a question.
"Is Han Meizi willing to sell the recipe? But are there any conditions...?"
"Indeed, Manager Tong understands me best."
Yun Xiao: ...
Manager Liu: ...
As soon as Han Yiyi spoke, the two of them couldn't help but glance at Manager Tong, thinking to themselves, "We didn't think you were mute just because you didn't speak."
Manager Tong thought to himself, "Sure enough, I knew it wouldn't be so easy to get the recipe from him."
"It's not a request, it's just that I don't have much of the ingredients in the recipe left. I initially thought that my stock would be enough for Yunlai Restaurant to use for a year or two, which would be enough time for me to find the ingredient. I just didn't expect the restaurant to use such a large quantity. If I can't find it in time, it might delay the restaurant's business. You've been in business for many years, so you naturally have a wider network than me and it would be easier for you to find it. Therefore, I thought that if you want to sell it, I'll be lazy and not go looking for it. As for the recipe, I can sell it to you at a lower price..."
Upon hearing Han Yiyi's words, Manager Liu hurriedly asked further questions.
"I wonder what the ingredients are..."
When Manager Liu pressed for an answer, Han Yiyi turned and went to the kitchen, placing the cumin she had bought from the old woman on the coffee table.
“It’s this Zi…”
Before Han Yiyi could even utter the word, she was interrupted by Steward Liu.
"Wild fennel..."
It was only then that Han Yiyi realized that cumin was actually called wild fennel here. She remembered that fennel was a different plant, but that didn't matter at the moment, as long as they recognized each other, so she spoke up.
"Yes, that's it. If you can find this, you can make barbecue seasoning..."
Manager Liu cautiously took some more, smelled them, and then nodded to Yun Xiao. He then couldn't help but take a closer look at Han Yiyi.
This stuff is indeed hard to find because it comes from the Northwest. I've heard that people there do use it to cook. But for the Yun family, getting this stuff isn't difficult.
Manager Liu was a little curious as to how Han Yi, a mere peasant woman, knew about this stuff and even used it to make a barbecue seasoning recipe. However, he didn't voice his question, as it was her private matter...
Seeing that Steward Liu nodded, Yun Xiao then asked.
"In that case, how much does Madam Han plan to sell the recipe for...?"
Han Yi thought for a moment and then spoke.
"Five hundred taels it is..."
In fact, five hundred taels is not high considering the profits that barbecue brings to Yunlai Restaurant. As for why Han Yiyi offered this price, it's because she now feels that the recipe for this barbecue seasoning is a bit too hot to handle, so she wants to sell it quickly.
Upon hearing that it was five hundred taels, the three readily agreed. As if afraid that Han Yiyi might change her mind, Yun Xiao gave Manager Liu a wink, signaling him to quickly take out the silver notes.
Han Yiyi took the silver note and handed the previously written prescription to Yun Xiao.
When Yun Xiao took the prescription and saw the words on it, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Then he gave Han Yiyi a strange look. There was no way around it; the handwriting was really terrible, but at least it was legible.
Yun Xiao initially thought Han Yiyi was just an ordinary peasant woman, but after observing her today, he realized she was not a simple peasant girl. However, looking at her handwriting, he found it to be worse than that of a five-year-old child, which made him somewhat unable to understand the person in front of him.
When Han Yi saw the look in her eyes, she felt a little awkward. She thought to herself, "I've already written it very carefully, okay? It's already good that it's not written in simplified characters and is missing some parts."
Now that everything that needed to be done had been done, the group prepared to get up and leave. Han Yiyi then politely spoke up.
"It's getting late. If you gentlemen don't mind, why don't you have a simple meal at my place before you go..."
Thank you
"Hello, Han Meizi. Our young master has some things to take care of back home, so he won't stay any longer..."
When Yun Xiao heard Han Yiyi's words, he was about to agree when Manager Tong cut him off. He couldn't help but glare at him again, thinking that Manager Tong's mouth could be donated to someone in need.
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