…dongdongdong…dongdongdong…
The door to the restaurant's back kitchen opened, and the same waiter was there.
But this time, the young man seemed a little excited when he saw Tian An and the others! Before they could say anything, he hurriedly asked, "Are you here to sell prey or bamboo shoots?"
After saying that, he looked at the big ox in his hand and then glanced in the direction of the ox cart.
Tian An said, "Brother, we are here to sell spring bamboo shoots. Does your restaurant still want some?"
When the waiter heard that the man was selling bamboo shoots, he happily opened the door and said, "Yes, of course. Bring them in and weigh them!"
Tian An added, "Brother, we brought a lot of bamboo shoots today. How many do you want? Do you want the same as yesterday? Also, we brought a new dish and would like your chef to try it again."
"New dish?" The waiter thought of yesterday's bamboo shoots and was looking forward to the new dish Tian An mentioned. However, he couldn't make the decision, so he said, "Wait a minute, I'll call the chef."
After a while, the chef came out. The difference was that yesterday, the chef looked impatient when he saw the two of them. But today, it was different. He looked like he was seeing his ancestors.
"Little brother, little lady, how many bamboo shoots did you bring today?"
Tian An hurried forward and said, "There are about 800 to 900 kilograms of bamboo shoots. We also have a new dish that we'd like to ask the chef to try."
The chef looked shocked and said, "How many people are there in your family? You can produce eight or nine hundred kilograms of bamboo shoots a day."
Tian An smiled happily and said, "I have a big family!" He then asked, "Master Chef, would you like to try our new dish?"
"You have a new dish! Let me try it!" The chef was looking forward to it.
Da Niu went back to the ox cart and took out the half-divided plate of salad, carried it in front of the chef and handed him the chopsticks.
The chef didn't mind, staring at the cold dish with his eyes. He took the chopsticks and quickly put a bamboo shoot into his mouth. Before he swallowed it, he picked up a fern sprout, and then a tofu slice.
Then, while picking up the food, the plate of salad was gone. Still feeling unsatisfied, he looked at Da Niu and said, "No more?"
Daniu took back his chopsticks and plate: "No more."
The chef hurriedly asked, "Do you have any more of this salad?"
Tian An thought he wanted to eat more, so he said, "There's another pot. We brought it for a friend."
The chef said, "Why don't you sell it to us first? You can give it to your friend another day."
Tian An said: "We brought some prepared fern moss, so the chef can make it himself!
The chef knew he could make it, and he guessed they must have brought some food, but the problem was he couldn't get the flavor right! Not to mention anything else, he couldn't even recreate the flavor of the chili peppers.
But he was too embarrassed to say it, so he could only say tactfully, "Our restaurant is good at hot dishes, but we are a little lacking in cold dishes. Why don't you teach us how to mix cold dishes, and we will take all your dishes."
Tian An realized that the chef didn't know how to make cold dishes! Seeing that she was small, he tried to trick her into giving him the secret recipe.
Tian An rolled his eyes and said, "Master Chef, this salad is our family's exclusive secret recipe and cannot be shared with others! If you want salad, we can deliver it to you every day!"
The chef was a little disappointed, but it was understandable because good recipes are usually not told easily.
"How much do your cold dishes cost per pound?"
Tian An and Daniu discussed it for a while before saying, "Ten coins per pound."
The chef frowned and said, "Ten cents is too expensive."
Tian An smiled and said, "It's not expensive. The cold dish may look simple, but the spices are quite valuable. We've prepared it, and you only need to plate it and serve it. It's quick and hassle-free."
The chef thought the same thing: "Ten cents is ten cents, alright! But you can't even sell one pot today!"
Tian An thought for a moment and said, "Then why don't you sell it today? Give it away first. Give each table of guests a small plate to try, and then start selling it tomorrow!"
The chef clapped his hands when he heard this: "That's right! If we promote it today, business will definitely be even better tomorrow. Why didn't I think of that? Young lady, you have a really quick mind!"
Tian An added, "Besides being served cold, bracken moss can also be stir-fried with meat. Would you like some, Chef?"
"How much is a pound of bracken moss?"
Tian An: "We're all acquaintances, so I'll give you four cents per pound!"
The chef said without hesitation: "Okay, I'll take as many as you want, but we have to make it clear that you can't sell the salad to other people."
Tian An: "No problem, then how many cold dishes should we send tomorrow?"
The chef calculated and said, "Let's try a 60-pound one first."
I weighed 863 catties of bamboo shoots, 230 catties of bracken moss, and 10 catties of salad. A total of 5,335 wen—another fruitful day!
After selling the bamboo shoots and bracken, Tian An didn't dare stay in town any longer. He hurried to the grocery store to buy oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and other seasonings.
After thinking about it, I bought a few large ceramic jars to store cold dishes.
After loading the things, the two men drove the ox cart back.
Tian An was extremely tired during the past two days. He fell asleep on the bench of the swaying ox cart after sitting on it for a while.
…
"Girl, girl, get up and eat." Mangzhong shook Tian An.
Tian An turned over in bed and then sat up like a carp digging a well.
Looking at Mangzhong beside him, he was a little confused: "I am not on the ox cart."
Mangzhong handed the handkerchief to Tian An and said, "You fell asleep on the ox cart, and it was the young master who carried you down. Seeing that you were very tired, I couldn't bear to disturb you.
Tian An wiped his face and handed it to her. He heard the commotion in the yard again: "Are there always so many people in the yard?"
Mangzhong thought of something and his eyes turned: "Yes! Especially when the young master was holding you, there were the most people."
After what happened in the morning, Mangzhong felt closer to Tian An and couldn't help but tease her.
No matter how thick-skinned Tian An usually was, he felt a fever at this moment and quickly pulled the quilt to cover his face, and did not let it go for a long time.
Then he thought of something and looked at Mangzhong: "Were you making fun of me just now?"
Mangzhong, who was chuckling, said seriously, "No."
Tian An squinted his eyes and looked at her: "Oh! Even my family would laugh at me during Grain in Ear Festival! This is terrible, this is terrible! I'll teach you a lesson."
"Hahahaha, hahahaha, girl, I was wrong, please forgive me!"
Mangzhong was tickled by Tian An and kept begging for mercy.
After the two of them played around for a while, Tian An finally remembered his business.
"Oh! I haven't refined the chili oil yet! I have to get up early tomorrow to make cold dishes! The earthenware jar hasn't been washed yet! I have to get up quickly." After saying that, he put on his shoes and was about to run out.
Mangzhong held her back and said, "Master, everything has been arranged. We've also hired a number of people to help with the bamboo shoots and fern moss. I was watching you make chili oil yesterday! It's already done. The jars have been washed, too. Don't worry!"
Tian An reached out and hugged Mangzhong with a happy look on his face: "It's great to have you guys."
Mangzhong was stunned for a moment, then reached out and stroked Tian An's back a few times.
In reality, Tian An was younger than any of them. Yet, her small body was responsible for the food, clothing, shelter, and transportation of so many people. She was so strong that no one even remembered her age.
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