Zhang Hulan nodded, "Yes. Although the chef's skill plays a big role, the fish tendons also have a lot to do with it. There is one on each side, and the fishy smell will be much less after removing it. Shopkeeper Qian can let your chef give it a try."
Shopkeeper Qian nodded, "Okay, I'll ask the chef to try it later."
“How do the other dishes taste?”
"The other dishes are OK, but the mutton smells a bit too strong."
Shopkeeper Qian said, "Mutton has a strong smell to begin with, and there's no way to get rid of it."
Zhang Hulan said, "Now, Shopkeeper Qian, I'll go back and prepare some food. Come back tomorrow and I'll cook you some home-cooked dishes. You can try them and see how they taste. If you think they taste good, you can ask your chef to follow my instructions."
Shopkeeper Qian was stunned for a moment and asked in confusion: "Madam Zhang, do you want to help me?"
Zhang Hulan smiled and said, "I don't know if I can help."
"Why did Madam Zhang help me?"
Zhang Hulan said, "It would be a lie to say that I am doing this to help you. It is also for our cooperation. If your business is doing well, won't my braised meat be able to be sold?"
"Of course I can also look for other restaurants to cooperate with, but I prefer to cooperate with Shopkeeper Qian. Not for anything else, but because Shopkeeper Qian is a man who values friendship. Cooperating with Shopkeeper Qian gives me peace of mind."
"In fact, even if the restaurant business is not good, Shopkeeper Qian can still sell my braised meat. In Changning County, the shopkeeper not only sells it in the restaurant, he also specially opened a store to sell braised meat."
"Only a few people can eat in restaurants. Does that mean other people in the city can't eat braised meat? Shopkeeper Qian can also open a shop specializing in braised meat and sell it to ordinary people who rarely eat in restaurants."
"Shopkeeper Qian might think that my braised meat is expensive and ordinary people might not be willing to spend money on it. But it should be okay for them to buy it once every ten days, half a month or once a month, right?"
"There are tens of thousands of people and households in the entire county. As long as the food is delicious, people will definitely buy it."
"Besides, this is my unique business. You can only buy it from you in the whole county. As long as you spread your reputation, how can the business be bad?"
Zhang Hulan talked a lot, and Shopkeeper Qian kept listening with a smile. When Zhang Hulan finished, Shopkeeper Qian said with a smile, "Mrs. Zhang is really good at talking."
Zhang Hulan took a sip of water and said, "I'm not talking nonsense. If Shopkeeper Qian doesn't believe me, you can go to Manfulou in Changning County and ask Shopkeeper Hao. Since they started selling my braised meat, their business has improved a lot."
"How about this. I'll bring some here today as well, and leave it for Shopkeeper Qian to let the diners who come to the restaurant taste it. When I come here to cook tomorrow, Shopkeeper Qian can tell me whether you want to cooperate or not."
Shopkeeper Qian shook his head and smiled, "Mrs. Zhang has said so much, how can I refuse?"
Having said that, the deal has basically been done.
This time, Zhang Hulan brought a portion of pig's head. She said she didn't want to pay and gave it to the shopkeeper Qian for free to give to the diners. But the shopkeeper Qian paid the actual price, saying that he was taking advantage of Zhang Hulan.
After agreeing on a time to come tomorrow, Zhang Hulan and Zhang Hubing left Yiweixuan.
Zhang Hubing drove the donkey cart and asked, "Shall we go back now?"
"Go buy some pig heads and come back."
Zhang Hubing said, "Hasn't the negotiation been completed yet? What if they don't want the pig's head when you buy it back?"
Zhang Hulan said, "If you don't want it, then don't want it. At worst, we can set up a stall to sell it. We can't make a wasted trip tomorrow."
Zhang Hubing was puzzled. "Why do you have to cooperate with that shopkeeper Qian? You even have to cook for him. Wouldn't it be the same if you sold to other restaurants?"
Zhang Hulan asked, "What do you think of Manager Qian?"
Zhang Hubing replied: "I feel okay. You said you would give him the braised meat I brought today for free, but he still wanted to pay for it. He is a real person."
Zhang Hulan nodded, "That's right. It's less troublesome to cooperate with such people. As long as you are polite to him, he will definitely be polite to you. If you let someone like Qian Zhanggui take advantage of you, he will feel embarrassed.
It’s just that such people have many concerns, lack of drive, and are more timid and cautious. They only dare to take action when they see tangible benefits.”
Zhang Hubing nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "What if Shopkeeper Qian still refuses to cooperate tomorrow?"
Zhang Hulan smiled and said, "Forget it. I want to cooperate with him, but I don't need him. Hekou County doesn't only have Yaxianglou and Yiweixuan restaurants."
Zhang Hubing muttered, "How come you know so much now? Who did you learn how to do business from?"
Zhang Hulan coughed dryly and said, "I didn't learn from anyone. I learned it on my own."
Zhang Hulan sighed and said, "Alas, I was forced to do this. Life in the Chen family is not a good life, so I have been thinking about my future."
Zhang Hubing stole a glance at Zhang Hulan and muttered, "You deserve it. It's your fault for not listening to your parents..."
The two bought a few pig heads and offal, then went to a few pharmacies to buy some marinade ingredients and hurried home.
When I got home, Zhang Hujun had already returned and the family had already cleaned the pig's head and offal for the day.
Zhang Hujun handed the silver to Zhang Hulan, and then asked, "Sister, has the deal in Hekou County been concluded?"
Zhang Hulan replied, "About the same, we'll have to see the results tomorrow."
Zhang Hulan asked Zhang Xiaojun to use Pueraria root to filter out some starch, as she would use it tomorrow.
When Zhang Hubing returned home, he said he had something to go out for.
Zhang Hulan and the others didn't take it seriously. But when they came back in the evening, Zhang Hulan saw Zhang Hubing with a bruised face and nose, and it was obvious that he had been in a fight.
Xiang Chunhua asked anxiously: "Hu Bing, what's wrong with you?"
Wang also asked anxiously: "Second brother, what's wrong with you?"
Zhang Hulan also asked: "What's going on?"
Zhang Hubing seemed very excited. "It's alright. I'm going to find Chen Dalang and beat him up."
Zhang Hubing spat. He was hit twice on the face and his teeth broke his lip skin, which smelled bloody.
"I fought three of them alone, and I didn't suffer any loss."
"No? Why did you go to see him for no reason?" Zhang Hulan was speechless.
Zhang Hubing said: "I just want to beat him up."
Zhang Hulan thought about how she mentioned the Chen family when she came back, and she guessed that this guy wanted to vent his anger on her.
A smile flashed in Zhang Hulan's eyes. Although this guy was usually not very serious, always talking back and quarreling with her, and a little heartless, he still cared about her as his sister.
Zhang Hulan went up and gently poked the spot on Zhang Hubing's face where he was hit, and said, "Don't go looking for him anymore. Let's live our own lives."
Zhang Hubing nodded, "I know, I won't go there anymore."
"Today I beat up Chen Dalang severely. He will probably have to stay in bed for another two months. And Chen Erlang came forward to help, but I also beat him up."
Zhang Hulan poked Zhang Hubing again, "Look at how capable you are, but you still have a bruised face."
Zhang Hulan said to Xiang Chunhua: "Chunhua, go boil an egg and roll it on his face..."
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