Chapter 102, The 102nd Inn Sells the Son
Yunyin knew that the group of scholars wanted to travel while the weather was good, so she didn't waste any time. She spent the whole morning frying and grinding all the ingredients into powder. She mixed all the powders in the correct proportions, sealed them in a jar, and put them away.
"These grain powders need to be sealed and stored properly. Once opened, they should be consumed as soon as possible, as they are prone to clumping if they get damp." Yunyin handed several jars of grain powder to the group of people and instructed them, "Just mix them with hot water when you want to eat them."
The group, smelling the aroma of grains in the air, quickly expressed their gratitude: "Thank you, Lady Yun. Your dishes today are truly a delicacy. It's a pity we didn't have time to stay, otherwise we would have eaten more."
"Yes, yes, I really wanted to try your spicy dishes, but you said the flavor was even more pungent than dogwood, and told us not to eat them. It's such a pity we didn't get to try them this time."
Yunyin smiled and said, "I'm doing this for your own good. You're going to the capital to take the imperial examination, so you should eat less of these spicy foods. Be careful on the way and try to eat light meals to avoid getting sick from the change in environment."
The students bowed repeatedly and said, "Thank you, madam. We will be more careful."
After seeing the group off, Yunyin finally had a moment to see Gao Pengxing. She apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, I was just too busy and didn't have time to see you. I'm really sorry."
Gao Pengxing waved his hand and said, "What are you saying, Lady Yun? Someone is here to see me." He pointed to the seat next to him and asked Yun Yin to sit down, "What brings you here today, Lady Yun?"
Yunyin served him tea again and told him about her plan to sell the child, saying, "I wonder what Manager Gao thinks?"
Gao Pengxing pondered for a long time before asking Lady Yun, "How much do you value, lady?"
Yunyin glanced at Fu Wang standing behind the counter, and seeing him nod, she stated her price: "One hundred taels."
Gao Pengxing paused in his hand as he touched the teacup, and exclaimed in surprise, "Gold?"
Yunyin quickly shook her head and said, "Of course it's silver."
She wasn't in a hurry, leisurely sipping her tea and waiting for Gao Pengxing's decision. Yunyin and Fu Wang had inquired and found that a recipe similar to roast duck in her possession could fetch several hundred taels in Chang'an, but in Long'an County, a hundred taels would be the limit.
However, Yunyin knew that Gao Pengxing came from Mianzhou and was naturally knowledgeable, so she assumed that the prescription was not expensive for him. Sure enough, Gao Pengxing did not think it was expensive. What he was pondering was whether to buy out the prescription.
"Is this price a buyout price, Lady Yun?"
Yunyin shook her head and said, "After I sell this recipe to you, I will only supply the Luo family's wife with the products, and I will not supply anyone else. Although it is not a buyout price, it is almost the same as a buyout."
After careful consideration for a while, Gao Pengxing nodded and said, "Alright, I can accept this request. Let's sign the contract then."
Yunyin was delighted to see that Gao Pengxing had purchased the prescription. She accepted the contract from Fu Wang, and the two signed their names.
She treated Gao Pengxing to lunch, and after seeing him off, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "With this money, I'm no longer worried about not having enough money for Lu Xuan when he comes back."
Fu Wang shook his head and said, "I told you before, I'll help you pay Lu Xuan back the money later, why do you have to sell your son?"
Yunyin shook her head and said, "Even close brothers need to keep clear accounts, let alone us." She looked at Yinshuang, who was resting, and whispered, "Besides, I did this to keep Yinshuang here, it has nothing to do with you."
Fu Wang said helplessly, "But we will get married in the future, so I should help you out, shouldn't I?"
Yunyin pursed her lips but still insisted, "Anyway, I got a good price, and I can still make this dish. It's not like I can't make it anymore."
Fu Wang sighed: "That's because you know so many dishes. Even if you only sell one dish, it won't affect you much. Gao Pengxing just wants to make a good relationship with you. Maybe he can get other recipes from you in the future."
“But it’s not a difficult matter. If you want to sell, then sell. I just wanted to remind you to be careful.” Fu Wang looked at the courtyard outside, which was already bustling with activity. “I’m worried that more and more people will come to you to buy your son in the future.”
Yunyin's eyes lit up instantly, "Someone will come to me to buy a son-in-law?"
Seeing that she was happy, Fu pulled her aside and said to her, "Everything is valued for its scarcity. If others see that it is so easy for them to buy the formula from you, they will definitely offer you a very low price in the future, and may even force you to sell it to them cheaply."
"It's because you know a lot of people now, have many friends, and know a lot. They still don't know your background. But you should be careful. People from other places besides Mianzhou will gradually know about your cooking. In the future, it might really attract such people."
Yunyin heard him mention that a powerful young man coveted a brewer's recipe, forcibly bought it, and then forbade the brewer from making wine so he could open his own brewery. In the end, the brewer was forced to move away.
Fu Wang: "Although the matter was eventually discovered by the inspector and the families of the powerful and wealthy did not fare well, the damage had already been done and the losses could not be undone."
Yunyin did know some of these things, but she had never experienced them firsthand. No matter how terrible the books described them, she would always have a sense of luck if she hadn't encountered them herself. In addition, she hadn't encountered any trouble in the year she had been in Dazhao, and had even met many kind people, so she didn't really take these things to heart.
Hearing Fu Wang also mention it, she became worried, "Then there won't be any problems with the prescription I sold to Gao Pengxing, will there?"
After thinking for a moment, Fu Wang shook his head and said, "There's no problem. I know Gao Pengxing. He's a decent person. The reason he returned to Long'an County from Mianzhou was because he was ostracized in Mianzhou."
“He is from Long’an County. His family sent him to Mianzhou to be an apprentice, hoping that he could help the family after he learned the skills. He is indeed very talented, and he learned a lot even as an apprentice.”
"Later, Gao Pengxing was taken in as an apprentice by the owner of Manxiangju because of his talent. However, the young owner of Manxiangju was jealous of his talent. Originally, he should have stayed in Mianzhou to help the owner, but in order not to sow discord between the father and son, he asked his master to let him leave and eventually returned to Long'an County to open a shop."
Yunyin was very curious about how Fu Wang knew all this. "How do you know so much? Even Sister Aman didn't know that Gao Pengxing was from Long'an County. She thought he was from Mianzhou."
Upon hearing this, Fu Wang smiled brightly: "I need to get to know him better before he starts dealing with you. His family spent a lot of money to get him to become an apprentice. Now that he has his own shop, he is also working hard to train his nephew. I heard that Manxiangju will be inherited by Gao Pengxing's nephew in the future."
Yunyin knew about this as well. Gao Liang was already involved in many things, and she heard that his cooking skills were quite good. "Where is Manager Gao's child?"
Fu Wang: "Some of them farm at home, and some do odd jobs at Manxiangju. They don't have any talent and can't be cooks. Only Gao Liang in their family has some talent, so he trained Gao Liang so that he could take over Manxiangju in the future."
"I see." After learning about Gao Pengxing's situation, Yunyin recalled what Fu Wang had said before, and she sighed, "Then I can't just sell the formula to others in the future."
"I traded things with Xia Yan before; that cow was the one she gave me. Does that mean I can't do that anymore?"
Fu Wang comforted her, saying, "Isn't Xia Yan your friend? Friendships are just about feelings, and besides, the Xia family wouldn't do something like forcing someone to buy your property." Seeing that Yun Yin was still a little worried, he could only say, "It's not that I don't allow you to sell your property, I just want to remind you that you have to choose the right person to sell your property. You can't just sell it to anyone who asks you to."
Yunyin nodded repeatedly and said, "I understand, I will pay attention to these things."
Because she had earned another hundred taels, Yunyin was still very happy, even though she could not sell her daughter's property at will in the future. She was about to go back to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients for dinner when a group of people rowed a boat from the riverbank to the shore. The person leading them was the one who had bought snacks from her shop on the Lantern Festival.
Yunyin stood by the field and looked around carefully. She then said to the leader, "Young Master Wei, you really brought people here with you."
Wei Ming was the one who bought a lot of things from her shop during the Lantern Festival. He even brought people to buy more that evening, but they couldn't buy anything because the pastries were sold out. He learned that Yunyin had opened a shop on the official road and said he would come in a couple of days.
Yunyin was surprised that he had brought people so quickly. She looked at the boat moored by the river and asked curiously, "Where did you come from? Why did you come by boat?"
Wei Ming patted his clothes, straightened his appearance, and then happily ran forward, blushing as he said, "Miss Yun, I said I wanted to come and see you, and of course I did. I even brought some friends with me; they all want to try your cooking."
He pointed to the other side of the river and said, "I'm from Pingxi Village. I didn't know about Yun Niangzi's shop before. I only found your stall when I went to see the lantern festival during the Lantern Festival and was thinking of buying some pastries to bring to my friends." He pursed his lips and smiled shyly, "I didn't expect that you, Madam, are so beautiful and make such good pastries. You are truly skillful. My friend ate the pastries I brought back and insisted on coming with me to buy some, but we didn't manage to buy any."
Yunyin and Weiming chatted idly as they walked toward the inn. Fu Wang saw the group early in the morning and recognized the leader as the boy who had run away with a red face on the Lantern Festival. He narrowed his eyes and approached Yunyin, casually saying, "Ayin, are you greeting guests? When do you have time? I'll have a matchmaker come over."
Upon hearing this, Wei Ming, who had been beaming with joy, lost most of his blush and exclaimed in disbelief, "Madam Yun is getting married?"
Yunyin pursed her lips and smiled shyly, "It's about arranging a marriage." Yunyin didn't want to talk about her own affairs, so she changed the subject, "Young Master Wei, would you like some snacks or dinner? If it's snacks, I'll make them now. Dinner will probably have to wait a while."
Wei Ming looked deeply hurt. Seeing Yun Yin looking over curiously, he suppressed the urge to cry and forced a smile, saying, "Let's have some snacks first, and then have dinner later. We came here specifically to eat Lady Yun's food."
The others nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, yes, we only found out later that Yun Niangzi's dishes are so popular. We heard that students from Long'an County and Beijiang County often come to eat here."
Hearing these words, Wei Ming put aside his own thoughts and said to Yun Yin, "Yes, if I hadn't eaten the pastries made by my wife in the county and made a special inquiry, I wouldn't have known that such a shop had opened on the banks of Pingjiang."
"It will be much more convenient for you to come here by boat for meals in the future, it's even closer than going to the county."
Yunyin smiled and said, "Then let me let you have a taste today. Would you like to eat my new casserole, or my signature dishes like fish and shrimp? Or perhaps my stir-fries, which many people also love."
When Wei Ming heard her describe what the dishes were like and how they tasted, he was so tempted that he was too busy to even feel sad. After discussing it with his friends, they decided to order a little bit of everything, since there were many of them and they weren't worried about not being able to finish it.
They also heard that Yunyin Restaurant also offers banquet dishes, but reservations are required in advance. Several people who were not short of money looked at each other and decided to book a banquet table.
Yunyin received another big order and went to the kitchen to make desserts in a relaxed mood. Fu Wang saw that she only treated Wei Ming as an ordinary customer, so he also relaxed and stopped paying attention to Wei Ming.
Wei Ming, however, looked sadly at Yun Yin's retreating figure. His friend patted him on the shoulder and said, "Alright, it can only be said that you and Lady Yun are destined to be apart. But since you found such a good shop, I'll pay for your share today, how about that?"
Wei Ming said listlessly, "Hmph, who cares about that little bit of money?" He sighed deeply, "Alas, I finally met someone I like, but who knew we'd be engaged? Why didn't I meet Lady Yun sooner?"
His friend looked around and, seeing the beautiful scenery, was about to say something more to him when he heard a melodious piano tune. He stopped and listened. After listening to the piece, he quickly pulled Wei Ming and ran towards the source of the music.
Seeing the woman tidying up her instrument on stage, he murmured, "Wei Ming, I know what it feels like to like someone now, and I feel like I've met the one destined for me."
Wei Ming looked at Duan Yi, then at Yin Shuang who was walking off the stage, and shook his head, saying, "Didn't I tell you that Lady Yin Shuang was playing music here? You even said that the people Lu Xuan had were just empty names."
Duan Yi withdrew his gaze and chuckled at Wei Ming, saying, "That was because I was too ignorant and had never heard of Yinshuang's zither skills. I just disliked Lu Xuan, which is why I spoke ill of him. I won't do it again."
The two sat in the hall listening to the discussions of the people around them. Knowing that Lady Yinshuang would be on stage for two hours every day, Duan Yi said to Wei Ming, "I want to come here every day to listen to Lady Yinshuang play the zither."
Wei Ming shook his head repeatedly and said, "It's fine to come during your days off, but if you come every day, be careful the master will beat you. Don't even think about sneaking away. I will tell the master. I don't want your behavior to implicate Lady Yun."
Yunyin was unaware that she had almost been implicated. While making desserts for the new guests in the kitchen, she said to Fu Wang, who had just entered, "This is the first time I've hosted people from Pingxi Village. Pingxi Village is close to Pingxi Town, and they usually go to the town. No one really wants to eat here."
Fu Wang: "As you grow more and more cotton, and more and more people know about you, the people who come to eat here will not only be passing merchants, but people from nearby villages will also come to make friends with you."
Fu Wang knew that many people wanted to exchange cotton seeds with her. There were plenty in Pingjiang Village and even in Tianli Village. "The magistrate did ask me to go to the Western Regions to buy seeds. How about I buy some more for you? You can exchange them with other nearby villages later."
"The small village near Ciyun Temple, called Xiaotao Village, they should also be short of cotton. And across the street, Letao Village, I heard Zheng Dong has already contacted you. You promised to exchange some seeds with him, and he introduced you to someone who knows how to grow fruit trees, right?"
Yunyin was surprised that Fu Wang knew this too. She nodded and said, "Is there anything you don't know? I just discussed it with Zheng Dong. He will give me some seeds and introduce Zheng Xi to me."
"Don't underestimate Zheng Xi just because she's a girl. She's incredibly talented at fruit tree cultivation. She's the one who planted many of the fruit trees in her family. It's a pity she can't get a share of the land. Otherwise, once the county magistrate develops fruit cultivation, she could support herself just by growing fruit."
Yunyin welcomed Zheng Xi's arrival and smiled, saying, "In that case, I'd appreciate it if you could bring me some more cotton seeds. After distributing them to everyone, I don't have many left."
"Let me know when you're leaving. I'll have Luo Tian go home and tell him that he should be getting married by the time he finishes this escort mission."
She glanced at Zheng Guilan, who was washing vegetables outside the kitchen, and whispered, "Zhang Lin and Zheng Guilan's wedding needs to be prepared. After we're done with this, I'll ask Qian Si to come and build the house."
Fu Wang also looked at Zhang Lin who came in from outside. Instead of going into the kitchen to help, he squatted down next to Zheng Guilan to help wash the vegetables. After thinking for a moment, he said, "They should pass by here in two days. They will bring Jiang Xiaoyu with them then."
Yunyin was overjoyed at the thought that the person who knew how to raise fish and shrimp would be arriving soon. Even though she had taken precautions and used straw to keep them warm, many shrimp, crabs, and eels still died, which broke her heart. The shrimp and crabs had been lively and energetic when the snow froze, but many died after the ice thawed. She couldn't understand why, and even after checking the explanations in books, she couldn't find a specific cause.
She wasn't that sad when many winter wheat crops froze to death. Now that someone skilled in this field has finally arrived, she looks forward to Cheng Yong and his group's arrival every day.
Yunyin composed herself and continued making the pastries, finishing them all in less than half an hour.
Wei Ming nodded as he ate the water chestnut cake, saying, "This pastry is just as delicious as the one I had last time. It's a pity I only got to eat a small piece that day. This time I can finally enjoy it properly."
Duan Yi was still immersed in Lady Yinshuang's zither playing, and even when the snacks were placed in front of him, he remained unmoved, unlike his initial anticipation.
When Yunyin brought out their dinner, Duan Yi was still in a daze. Yunyin couldn't help but ask Wei Ming, "What's wrong with Young Master Duan?"
Wei Ming glanced at Duan, sighed, and said, "Miss Yun, don't worry about him. He's just daydreaming. Let him be." After saying that, he ignored Duan Yi and joined the others in enjoying the food.
Thanks to Wei Ming and his group's promotion, and the pastries she sold during the Lantern Festival, many people who didn't know Yunyin's skills before also came to know. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yunyin rented a stall in the county and arranged for Zheng Guilan and Wu Zhuang to go to the city to sell pastries.
As she sold more and more pastries, more and more people learned about Yunyin's shop. Sure enough, the people who came to eat were not only traveling merchants on the road, but also many people in Beijiang County. Of course, the people in Beijiang County did not know about her because of the food she made.
Wang Yu chattered to Yun Yin, "Miss Yun, you don't know that your shop is now quite famous in Beijiang County. Many people want to come and hear Miss Yinshuang's zither playing."
Yunyin truly didn't know, nor did she know that the people of Beijiang County were now more obsessed with Yinshuang's zither playing than with her cooking. However, Yunyin was also happy. She had initially wanted to keep Yinshuang to attract customers, and now that so many people were coming, she was overjoyed.
As Wang Yu ate the clay pot stew, he sighed, "I was only away during the New Year, and Lady Yun has already made new dishes. I can't keep up with them all. I really want to move to the neighborhood so I can eat different dishes every day."
Yunyin looked at Wang Yu: "Now you're the only one in Beijiang County. You can come over during your time off. Staying a few more days is no problem. I have a place to stay here."
Wang Yu sighed, "I want to too, but I can't. Shen Rong and the others have gone to take the imperial examinations. My family thinks I'm not hardworking enough and says they'll lock me up in the school in the future, and I'll be lucky to get out one day a month."
"This is my last meal. For a long time to come, I will not be able to eat Yun Niangzi's food, nor will I be able to hear such beautiful music as Yinshuang Niangzi."
Yunyin sighed that everyone was busy with their own things, and she was no exception. Besides making snacks and cooking every day, she was just waiting for Cheng Yong and the others.
When Cheng Yong finally arrived with his entourage, Yun Yin hurriedly dropped what she was holding and ran to the front to greet them. Fu Wang couldn't catch up with her and could only follow behind to greet Cheng Yong and his group.
Cheng Yong parked the horse and goods by the roadside and had someone look after them. Just as he was about to go to the inn to find someone, he saw a gust of wind sweep in and saw Yun Yin. She looked at him with a happy expression and said with a smile, "Miss Yun, you're so welcoming to me."
Yunyin stopped in front of Cheng Yong, carefully examining his convoy, searching for the person she was looking for. Hearing Cheng Yong's words, she quickly said, "Of course, we welcome Brother Cheng. But where is Jiang Xiaoyu? Didn't she say she came with you?"
Cheng Yong glanced at Fu Wang, who had followed closely behind, and exclaimed, "Oh dear, so it's not to welcome me after all." He pointed to the person beside him and said, "Go and invite Madam Jiang over."
Seeing that Yunyin and Fuwang were looking at him with curiosity, Cheng Yong had to sigh and say, "She gets carsick and is really uncomfortable, so I can only let her rest in the truck."
"I never expected that Madam Jiang, who spends so much time on boats and never gets seasick, would get carsick. To take care of her, we slowed down our journey."
Yunyin thanked him repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Brother Cheng. I've prepared some good things for you. Take them with you to eat on the way."
Cheng Yong: "What good stuff? Is it even better than fried rice?" He smacked his lips and said, "The fried rice you gave me before was a big hit with my brothers. It's super convenient to eat on the road, all you need to do is boil some water. If you want it sweet, you can have it sweet, and if you want it salty, just sprinkle some salt on it and it tastes great."
"They also said they'd buy more fried rice from you to eat on the road, as it can be a meal or a snack."
Yunyin: "You'll see in a moment. I'll make you a bowl; it tastes even better than fried rice."
Seeing the woman being helped over, she quickly went to help. Noticing that the woman looked unwell, she said tactfully, "Madam Jiang, please rest first. I'll make you some food, and we can talk again once you've rested."
Jiang Xiaoyu knew that the woman in front of her would be her employer in the future. She bowed to Yunyin and then said to Fu Wang, "Thank you, Young Master Fu."
Fu Wang waved his hand and said, "No need to thank me, you should go and rest first. Your accommodations have been arranged." He then said to Wang Shitou, who had run over, "You should also go and get something to eat. I have something to discuss with you later."
Wang Shitou only had time to greet Yunyin before Zhang Lin led him to the main hall. Feng Hai had already started preparing food when he heard that people from the escort agency had come, and now the dishes were being cooked.
Yunyin told Fangtang and the others to take care of Jiang Xiaoyu, while she took Cheng Yong back to the lobby. She took a can of multigrain powder from the shelf on the counter, mixed it with boiling water, added some sugar, and handed it to the group, saying, "You must be tired from your journey. Have something to eat and rest for a bit."
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