Qin San Niang, along with Da Wa and Xiao Er, followed Manager Si into the backyard, only to discover that the backyard was a hidden paradise!
The first thing you see is a screen wall. Beyond the screen wall is a small garden. Even in winter, some plants still stand tall and green. A red plum tree in the corner is blooming with sparse flowers!
There is a bluestone path in the middle of the garden, and at the end of the path is a row of houses, which looks like there are three or four rooms, enough for a family to live in!
This courtyard is quite nice; Qin San Niang also wants to buy one!
In the hall, Xiao Wu served tea.
There were also two boys, the leader looking wary and slightly more composed, while the younger one was more lively, with exceptionally bright eyes. These two boys bore a slight resemblance to Qin San Niang, so they must be her sons! It was surprising that this woman, who looked so young, had children this big!
Indeed, appearances can be deceiving!
Hopefully, she won't disappoint the shopkeeper! These past few days, Chen's Dim Sum Shop across the street has lowered the price of its lard pastries by one cent, aiming to deliver a final blow to them.
"Madam Qin, what new kinds of pastries did you bring this time? I've been looking forward to them for so long." Manager Si had already seen the food box in Da Wa's hand, and guessed that it must contain pastries.
Qin San Niang said with a smile, "I made some pastries at home and brought them to Manager Si to try. I don't know if they will meet your expectations." She turned around, took the food box from Da Wa, placed it on the table, opened the lid, and put the three plates of pastries in front of Manager Si.
Manager Si was taken aback. The first thing that caught his eye was the yam and jujube paste cake cut into squares, which Qin San Niang called White Jade Cake.
Nowadays, yams are just a low-class ingredient. Only families in mountain villages who can't afford to eat will transplant them from the mountains and plant them on the edge of their fields. Many people don't recognize them. The reason for this name was He Xiucai's idea. Qin Sanniang also thought it was good. It sounds nice and doesn't make people know the raw material. It's a win-win situation!
"Would Manager Si like to try some white jade cake?"
"Good, good." Without needing Qin San Niang to say anything more, he couldn't wait to pick up a piece and put it in his mouth to savor it.
This white jade cake truly resembles white jade. It's soft and smooth in the mouth, with the sweet aroma of jujube paste and the fragrance of osmanthus. It's really delicious! I just wonder what it's made of?
"This is Sachima, Manager Si, you can have another piece. This one is a bit sweeter, but the more you eat, the more fragrant it becomes. The children love it the most." Qin San Niang was very confident about Sachima. Throughout history and across the world, adults and children alike have loved it; it's practically a global phenomenon!
"This is 'Donkey Rolling,' named for its resemblance to a donkey rolling in the loess soil. It's soft, chewy, and has a bean flavor. The filling is red bean paste, but you can also use mung bean paste." Donkey Rolling is a famous snack; after all, who doesn't love something so chewy and delicious?
Manager Si quickly finished the meal, and his face became even more wrinkled with joy.
He took the damp cloth handed to him by the waiter, Ah Jin, wiped his hands, and smiled broadly at Qin San Niang.
"Madam Qin, your pastries are the result of a lot of skill, I am truly impressed! They are also very beautiful. This white jade cake is shaped like white jade, and if I am not mistaken, it is drizzled with osmanthus honey!"
The more you chew the Sachima, the more fragrant it becomes, and the most amazing one is Donkey Rolling (驴打滚). Just the name alone is enough to capture people's hearts! Even elderly people with bad teeth can eat it!
"I'm planning to do this business with you. How would you like to discuss the cooperation? Don't worry, I certainly won't let you suffer any losses!" Manager Si assured him with a smile.
Relying on its large size and influence, Chen Ji always wanted to dominate the Jiangzhou market and create a monopoly!
Many small pastry shops have been suppressed and merged by them through various means. If it weren't for the fact that he had been running the shop in He County for more than ten years and that his family had some influence, the shop would probably have been lost long ago!
However, the owner of Chen's shop knew perfectly well that the main branch of the Si family would not care about this small shop, especially since it was run by an insignificant illegitimate son. As long as they didn't go too far, they wouldn't offend anyone!
Seeing that Madam Qin remained silent, Manager Si continued to speak in a leisurely manner, "Madam Qin may not know, but I am the illegitimate son of the Si family in Lin'an City."
My mother was a concubine. Fifteen years ago, she came to Jiangzhou alone to make her way in the world. She started from this small pastry shop. Later, she also did business selling tea and fabric, and made some money.
In a few years, I plan to bring my aunt out of the mansion and have her live with me in Jiangzhou to enjoy her old age. She suffered a lot in her early years, and spent her whole life subservient to my mother in order to ensure my current peace and stability.
At this point, a hint of starlight seemed to appear in the lines at the corners of Manager Si's eyes.
Seeing that Qin San Niang and the others were looking at him, he said somewhat embarrassedly, "I've said too much. In short, this shop is dispensable to the Si family, but to me, it is proof that I have existed in this life. I really can't bear to part with it!"
"I implore Madam Qin to give me this opportunity. In short, I won't let you suffer any loss." Manager Si bowed again.
He had already witnessed Qin San Niang's abilities. If Chen Ji across the street were to snatch these pastries, his shop would surely perish this winter! Therefore, Manager Si would spare no expense to acquire this recipe!
"Shopkeeper, there's no need to be nervous. Now that I've found you, I'm here sincerely to do business with you. Besides, I'm the kind of person who never bothers two clients at once! So, in your opinion, how should our cooperation begin?"
Qin San Niang wanted to sell her son, so she was quick and efficient! Besides, she needed money to buy a mountain, build a house, and buy land! Moreover, it was the dead of winter, and she didn't plan to stay home and busy herself making pastries, especially since the house wasn't even hers.
"To be honest, I like all three kinds of pastries. If Madam Qin is willing, I plan to buy the recipe!" Manager Si had sharp eyes and naturally saw through Madam Qin's thoughts.
Coincidentally, he didn't want any unnecessary trouble. Buying the recipe and keeping it for himself saved him a lot of other problems! Leaving his future in someone else's hands was tantamount to courting death!
Of course, if Qin San Niang was unwilling to sell her son, there was nothing he could do but cooperate through supply.
"Alright, I wonder what price Manager Si is planning to offer?" Qin San Niang took a sip of tea and asked casually.
To his surprise, the other party was so agreeable! All the persuasive words that Manager Si had prepared were swallowed back down, finding no outlet for them! This was the first time he'd ever seen someone so readily selling a prescription! He felt too embarrassed to haggle any further!
"What do you think, Madam Qin, about buying three recipes for five hundred taels of silver?" Actually, five hundred taels for three recipes is a normal price. However, Manager Si was unsure whether this price was appropriate for these three rather delicate pastry recipes. His ideal price was six hundred taels; any more and he feared cash flow problems.
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