Su Dahu and his sister were completely unaware of Wei Jianjia and her servant's scheme.
Li Hongyan was feeling weak, so she went back to her room for a short rest after lunch.
Qin Yucheng and Qin Yingxian led Su Hua and her companion on a walk by the small lake to digest their food.
After lunch, Su Hua felt that her morning run was completely wasted, and not only was it wasted, but she was also afraid that she would gain several more pounds.
She wasn't usually a glutton, but since transmigrating to the world of Yu the Great, this was the first time she had ever eaten seafood. She drank four bowls of scallop and pigeon soup alone, and also ate most of the sea cucumber stew.
Su Dahu was no better off. He was a little reserved at first, but he couldn't resist Qin Yucheng's constant urging of the servants to serve him food. In one meal, he ate five bowls of rice, and his belt even loosened a few times.
Qin Yucheng glanced at Su Hua with a smile, assuming that she was just interested in eating seafood for the first time, and said gently, "It's just bad timing today. We only have some dried scallops and sea cucumbers left at home. The Li family has cargo ships that travel between Qingshui County and the seaside, and they deliver seafood every ten days. When the cargo ship comes next time, there will be fresh seafood. I will prepare some of each for Hua'er and my elder brother."
“Yes, Sister Su, Brother Su, you must try the taste of those sea fish, crabs and shrimp next time you come.” Qin Yingxian nodded repeatedly. “Whether it’s boiled, steamed or stir-fried with chili, every one of them is very delicious and tastes completely different from river fish.”
After saying that, he raised his thumb and forefinger and compared them, "Maybe it's only slightly less delicious than the spicy hot pot and flavorful snails that Sister Su makes."
Su Hua couldn't help but chuckle and said, "A skewer of spicy hot pot only costs a few copper coins. These seafood skewers are transported from the seaside. A small dish of them could probably buy a whole pot of spicy hot pot and several bowls of snails. How could they taste any worse than spicy hot pot?"
She had always loved seafood since her previous life; otherwise, she wouldn't have chosen to work in coastal cities after graduating from university.
However, Qingshui County is located in a remote area, and it is separated from the sea by two whole prefectures. In those days when there were no airplanes or high-speed trains, the cost of just one round trip for freight was ridiculously high, and the selling price was probably even more astronomical.
Qin Yingxian turned to the side and shook his head. "Although a plate of seafood in Tianxiang Restaurant costs several taels of silver, it doesn't taste as good as Sister Su's spicy hot pot. Ever since I ate it once, I've been craving it every day."
The Su siblings refused to accept money from their elder brother, so he would have the servants in the house line up at the stall early every day.
They buy hundreds of skewers at a time.
If it weren't for her mother keeping an eye on her, she would love to eat spicy hot pot every single day.
“Ying Xian is right.” Qin Yucheng nodded in agreement. “Seafood is expensive to produce, and with the added cost of operating a restaurant, the price is higher. The same thing can have different values depending on where it is placed.”
Su Hua raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.
But then he turned around and beckoned to Qin Yingxian, "Yingxian, the female teacher who teaches the zither will be here soon. Go back to your room and get ready. Don't keep her waiting, okay?"
Qin Yingxian glanced at the sky, her red lips slightly pouting. It was still far from the time her teacher would arrive, but her brother always made this gesture because he had something important to discuss, so she had no choice but to obediently agree.
Before leaving, he reminded Su Hua and Su Dahu to come to the Qin family again next time.
After Qin Yingxian walked away, Qin Yucheng waved for the servants beside him to leave.
After leading the two to sit down on a bench by the lake, he went straight to the point: "Hua'er, elder brother, I wonder if you would be interested in cooperating with our Tianxiang Restaurant using your mala tang recipe?"
Su Dahu was not too surprised when he heard the voice, but he did not say anything.
Zuixianju has put on quite a show for Malatang, so it's normal for Tianxianglou to have ideas about Malatang too. But the Malatang recipe belongs to Hua'er, so whether or not to cooperate is up to Hua'er.
Seeing the seriousness on the other person's face, Su Hua's lips curled up slightly. "I wonder how Yu Cheng intends to cooperate?"
Qin Yucheng smiled and said, "How about we invest in the Mala Tang recipe and share the profits from the Mala Tang at Tianxianglou?"
Hua'er also knows that our Tianxiang Restaurant is located throughout Dayu. Given the popularity of Malatang, if we could offer Malatang at Tianxiang Restaurant, it would be equivalent to selling it throughout Dayu, and the profits would be many times greater than what you would earn by setting up a stall every day.
Earlier, Wei Jianjia had told him in the carriage to spend money to buy the Mala Tang recipe from the Su family. He had seriously considered it afterward. After all, Mala Tang was like a golden goose that lays golden eggs, and it would be a lie to say that he wasn't tempted.
However, after the incident at Zuixianju today, knowing that the recipe was a secret recipe of Hua'er's sect and the attitude of the Su family, he completely gave up the idea of buying the son.
Su Hua's eyes flickered slightly, a hint of surprise in her heart.
I originally thought he might offer a good price to the buyer, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be a collaboration.
The Li family is incredibly wealthy, their riches rivaling those of a nation. Even a single hair on their head is thicker than their legs. Logically, cooperating with the Li family's Tianxiang Restaurant would yield countless times more money than what they earn from their daily work. However, precisely because the Li family is so large and deeply entrenched, she has absolutely no idea how much influence Qin Yucheng holds within the family.
But she knew that once the mala tang (spicy hot pot) was handed over, the Su family would lose all autonomy.
This doesn't align with her original intention of selling mala tang (a type of spicy hot pot).
Thoughts can shift in the blink of an eye.
She smiled and said in a light voice, "I'm willing to cooperate, but not with Tianxianglou, but with you, Yucheng."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yucheng was stunned for a moment. He had thought about this method of investing for a long time, and he thought she would not refuse.
After pondering for a moment, he shook his head. "I don't quite understand what Hua'er means."
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