Just as Jiang Hua locked the door, Honghua and Lu Dayong came over.
"Miss Jiang, where should we put this jar?" Lu Dayong asked, holding the pickled vegetable jar in his hands.
"Let's put it in the kitchen," Jiang Hua said.
"Alright, Honghua, Miss Jiang, I'll be going now," Lu Dayong said as he came out of the kitchen.
"Brother Lu, are you going to town?"
"Yes, we're going to the dock to start work."
"Let's go together then, we're going to town anyway," Jiang Hua said, inviting him to get on the oxcart.
“How can that be, Miss Jiang? The oxcart costs two coins per person,” Lu Dayong quickly waved his hand and refused.
“Sister Jiang, you can take the oxcart, we can walk there,” Honghua said from the side.
“Come on up, I’ve already chartered the oxcart, you don’t need to pay the fare,” Jiang Hua said, insisting that they get on.
"Alright, thank you very much, Miss Jiang." Lu Dayong carefully climbed onto the oxcart.
"Thank you, Sister Jiang." Honghua also tiptoed to sit next to Lu Dayong, glancing at Jiang Hua and Jiang Jingyi from time to time.
"Sister Jiang, what are we going to do today?" Honghua hesitated for a moment before asking.
"Just come along, and do whatever I ask you to do when the time comes," Jiang Hua replied.
Seeing that Lu Dayong was in a hurry, Jiang Hua asked Uncle Fu to take him to the dock first and then take her to Mingyue Tower.
"Take the baskets down with you," Jiang Hua said as she carried two buckets of river crabs off the oxcart.
Jiang Jingyi picked up the basket.
"Let me do it," Honghua said, trying to take the basket from his hands.
"No need, it's a bit heavy, I'll do it myself," Jiang Jingyi refused.
Honghua had no choice but to get off the oxcart and follow behind them.
"Miss Jiang is here." Sun Nian spotted Jiang Hua and the others at a glance and quickly came to greet them.
"I brought some good things for your restaurant," Jiang Hua said, placing the wooden bucket on the ground.
"This, isn't this a big bug that gets stuck in the river and hurts people? Miss Jiang, it's all shell, how can we eat it?" Sun Nian exclaimed after looking at the contents of the bucket.
"What's wrong?" Manager Bai asked curiously as he walked over.
“This is called river crab, and my stepmother made it so delicious,” Jiang Jingyi retorted, still savoring the spicy river crab from last night.
"I've brought you a dish, see if you want it," Jiang Hua said.
No amount of talk is as convincing as actions, so Jiang Hua told Manager Bai and went into the kitchen.
After cleaning the river crabs, I made another spicy river crab dish using the same method as last night.
Jiang Hua didn't hide the cleaning and cooking methods from the chefs at Mingyue Tower. Anyway, she wouldn't show them, since she would have to teach them again later.
I left a plate for the cooks in the kitchen, told them how to eat it, and then took the rest of the spicy river crabs out.
Sun Nian and the shop's employees were already overwhelmed by the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen.
However, since Manager Bai didn't give any orders, they didn't dare to move and could only watch helplessly.
Jiang Hua explained the cooking method to Manager Bai, who then took out his chopsticks and picked up a piece to taste.
"You guys should try it too."
After receiving Manager Bai's nod, Sun Nian and several other employees eagerly grabbed a piece and started eating.
"I never expected this shelled insect to taste so good!" Sun Nian exclaimed in surprise.
"It would be even better if we had another two ounces of wine."
Manager Bai shared the same idea; this dish is perfect for pairing with drinks.
"Miss Jiang, how much will this dish cost? Will it still be sold the same way as before?" Manager Bai asked.
"No, I'll only make money from this seasoning. The river crabs are all caught from the river and aren't worth much," Jiang Hua said.
"However, Manager Bai, if you want to buy river crabs, I hope you can give me priority consideration."
"Yes, that's fine," Manager Bai agreed, then asked:
"Miss Jiang, how much is the seasoning you have for making spicy crab?"
“I brought it. I’ll sell you the things in the basket for ten taels of silver. They’ll last you a while.” Jiang Hua handed the basket to Sun Nian.
"Alright." Manager Bai nodded. "Miss Jiang, could you please send over 100 jin tomorrow?"
"If it sells well, I'll add more."
He had tried this spicy river crab dish before, and it was indeed delicious. If it were sold in a restaurant, it would most likely sell.
"How about we buy it for one coin per pound, Miss Jiang?" Manager Bai asked.
Because nobody eats them, they've grown quite large; some even weigh an ounce.
“Okay, have Sun Nian go to Shili Village tomorrow and collect it at the village entrance,” Jiang Hua replied.
Shili Village?
Honghua, who had been following behind in silence, was taken aback. Why did Sister Jiang want them to go to Shili Village to collect river crabs? There weren't any in their village.
"Okay, Miss Jiang." Manager Bai nodded and set a time.
"Sun Nian, have the kitchen prepare these river crabs that Miss Jiang sent over at noon. Also, give a plate of them to each table of guests who spent two taels of silver at noon," Manager Bai instructed Sun Nian.
"Remember to tell the customers that this is only valid for today, and once it's all gone, it's gone."
That's why they know how to run a business: first, promote the dish to attract more customers.
“Yes, shopkeeper.” Sun Nian nodded.
"Miss Jiang, I'll bring those two wooden buckets to you tomorrow morning."
"good."
I'll be walking around the streets for a while, and it's inconvenient to carry two buckets.
"By the way, Miss Jiang, the shop has been renovated as you described. Here are the keys. You can go and take a look when you have some free time."
Manager Bai took out a bunch of keys and said, "There are two keys strung together, and the spare key is also here."
"Okay, thank you very much, shopkeeper. How much did the renovation cost?" Jiang Hua asked.
"Miss Jiang, our boss said that we can just deduct it from the share of the profits." Manager Bai relayed Shen Qingchuan's meaning.
"In that case, let's do as your employer says." Jiang Hua couldn't insist any further.
He exchanged a few pleasantries with Manager Bai and then left.
Upon arriving at the newly renovated shop, Jiang Hua unlocked the brass lock. The interior was completely transformed compared to when she last visited.
"Stepmother, is this the shop you bought?" Jiang Jingyi followed her inside and looked around.
"It's time to get started and prepare for the opening," Jiang Hua said, nodding.
Opening for business?
What to sell?
Jiang Jingyi was filled with doubt. How come he didn't know anything?
"Stepmother, what should we sell?"
"Luosifen" (river snail rice noodles).
"What kind of rice noodle is snail rice noodles? Is it delicious? Is it made from the snails we caught in the river last time?" Jiang Jingyi asked like a curious child.
"Almost there, I'll make it and let you try it out."
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