For a fleeting moment after his impulsive act, the waiter already felt a pang of regret. Especially when he saw the coldness in Qin San Niang's eyes, it sent shivers down his spine.
Hearing the other person say that, he quickly went along with it, though his tone was still somewhat stiff.
"I was in a hurry just now, but the ladies all said they didn't think much of my pastries, so I spoke without thinking! Back in the day, although our Siji pastries weren't as famous as those in the capital, they were still quite well-known in He County," the young shop assistant said proudly.
Although another Chen's Pastry Shop opened on the street across the street and has taken away all the business, he believes that one day, his business will become booming again! The shopkeeper has already gone out to look for new pastry recipes, and he believes that the revitalization of Siji Pastry Shop is just around the corner!
"Oh? I didn't know you were once so successful! But doing business is like rowing against the current!"
"Your pastries really need improvement. Not only are there few varieties, but the designs aren't novel enough either. It's normal that you have few customers! Young man, why don't you think about how to find the reasons within your own business to revitalize the shop?" Qin San Niang pointed out the problems of the shop without any politeness.
She's thinking of selling her son; it's a way to make money!
Thanks to her mother's good fortune, the family has a constant supply of all kinds of pastries, both from the south and the north! Having grown up surrounded by them, Qin Jiangqiu knows how to make many kinds of pastries! It's no problem for her to rattle off dozens of pastry recipes!
"You...you..." He never expected this woman to be so shameless. The young waiter's anger, which he had just suppressed, surged up again.
Before he could even speak, a male voice rang out.
"Xiao Wu, stop being so insolent!"
"Boss, what brings you back?" The waiter's face instantly brightened as soon as he saw the man at the door, who was none other than his boss. He walked up to him with great enthusiasm.
Qin San Niang and the others also saw the middle-aged man at the door, the shopkeeper the young waiter had mentioned.
The owner of Si Ji Pastry Shop was surnamed Si, about thirty years old. He wore a sky-blue long gown underneath a black-gray cotton cloak with a large gray fox fur collar and a matching fox fur hat. He gave off an impression of warmth and wealth!
Manager Si just went to his family home in the south. Firstly, to pay his respects at the end of the year, report on relevant matters, and visit his mother. Secondly, as the waiter suggested, he went to search for new pastry recipes!
The family didn't say anything, and as for the pastry recipe? That was even more of a pipe dream. The family was too busy taking care of themselves to care about a dispensable pastry shop in a small county town!
After a moment of self-deprecation, Manager Si could only ask his trusted confidants in Lin'an to continue the search, while he himself returned to He County as soon as possible. The journey had been arduous, with people sleeping outdoors, and he was truly exhausted. His shop's business was declining day by day, which made him even more anxious. This anxiety actually accelerated his pace. The New Year was just around the corner, and in previous years it was the busiest time for the shop, but unexpectedly, it was still deserted.
Sili Ren, who was initially somewhat disheartened, was momentarily dazed the moment she stepped into her shop. Who was talking so loudly inside?!
The lack of variety and novelty was indeed the main reason for the poor business of his shop. This person had hit the nail on the head! He didn't care about his fatigue and rushed inside. He saw that the shop assistant Xiao Wu was about to scold him, so he hurriedly stopped him.
What should I do if I offend someone important?
Qin San Niang took a sip of tea. Wow, the flavor was really strong! This was her first time drinking tea. Was all tea in this era fermented like this? And with such a strong flavor?! Or was it because they thought she was a country bumpkin, deliberately using inferior tea to fool her?
That's unlikely. The shopkeeper was extremely respectful, treating her like a savior! He's quick-witted. He certainly wouldn't try to pass off inferior goods as superior ones!
Qin San Niang had no choice but to pretend to be indifferent and drink it down. Heaven knows, she only liked green tea.
"Sister-in-law, I have taken your words to heart. Our shop is now half dead. Please, do not hesitate to give me your advice. I will be very grateful!" Manager Si said hopefully.
I was incredibly excited when I overheard Qin San Niang's lecture outside the door. But now, thinking about it carefully, this woman looks to be only in her early thirties, and her attire doesn't suggest she's from a wealthy family. Could she be a con artist?! Then I thought again, after traveling all over the country for so many years, why would I be afraid of a few con artists?!
Even if it's a scam, he's willing to give it a try. Besides, he's been in the business world for over a decade, and he's not someone that just any con artist can fool.
Qin San Niang had no idea what he was thinking. If she had known, she probably would have turned back home immediately! Although she was short of money, she was also unhappy to be treated as a swindler.
After finishing her tea, Qin San Niang put down her teacup and asked, puzzled, "Since Manager Si knows the shortcomings of his shop, why doesn't he change them?"
Change it?! Do you need to tell me that? If I had any ideas, I would have changed it already!
"Oh, sister-in-law, you're joking. Our shop has been open for ten years, and business used to be very good, but people just couldn't resist the fact that they were tired of the new things to eat!"
But the recipes for these pastries are pretty much the same from south to north. Besides, those recipes from wealthy families are kept secret and passed down through generations; they're not easily shared. To be honest, I've been searching for a long time, but I haven't found a suitable recipe.”
What he didn't say was that in recent years there have been some swindlers who claim to sell their children to him, but most of them are just con artists! The culinary disasters made according to those recipes would probably be disgusting even to a dog, or they might be a pile of expensive ingredients. The ingredients might be good, but the finished product is... well, let's just say it's not good!
"Oh? So, what your shop needs are pastry recipes? Coincidentally, I come from the North and I have a few pretty good pastry recipes that you definitely don't have in the South. Are you interested, shopkeeper?"
Qin San Niang wanted to say that she had dozens of pastry recipes, including those she knew herself and those from books. These recipes spanned thousands of years and included night market snacks and imperial pastries from various dynasties in both the north and south. In short, she could cover everything from highbrow to lowbrow!
"These pastries are naturally desserts made from cakes. Southern desserts tend to be small and delicate, with a light, sweet flavor. Northern desserts tend to be higher in calories, such as pastries and biscuits, but they can also be made very delicious!"
If pastries have a monotonous flavor, the shopkeeper could consider adding nuts or dried fruits to enhance the taste and color, such as chestnut cake, water chestnut cake, yam cake, multigrain cake, red bean and glutinous rice cake, almond cake, etc. In addition to pastries, the shopkeeper could also focus on biscuits. These biscuits have rich fillings and can be either savory or sweet, satisfying the tastes of various groups. For those who like sweet and savory flavors, five-nut shortbread can be made; for those who prefer sweet flavors, fresh rose biscuits can be made; and there are also peach shortbread, egg yolk shortbread, and so on—there are just too many to list!
Our shop only has a handful of pastries; it really doesn't live up to the name of a pastry shop!
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