It's foolish not to make money. Xu Qinyu smiled so hard that her teeth were not visible. "Of course I will make it, but both dishes are a little expensive, 300 coins each. If the guests are willing, they need to pay a deposit. I will go to the market to buy fish and kill and cook them right away. The taste will be even more delicious."
Most of the guests staying in the hotel are not short of money, especially those in the top and bottom hotels. It is a little more difficult for those who sleep in dormitories.
Besides, we don’t know when Pei Weixuan will wake up, so we may have to stay in Raozhou City for a few more days. It would be good to earn more money.
Shopkeeper Zhou stood by and watched with a smile. He was a kind person and didn't think there was anything wrong with lending the kitchen to the young lady to cook for others. With more people, business would also be better.
The fat chef Zhou went over and whispered a few words in the old man's ear. Shopkeeper Zhou was stunned and looked at Xu Qinyu with respect and gratitude.
When people heard that this dish cost three hundred coins, they were jealous. "A fish is only a few coins, at most two coins per pound, and tofu is only one coin per piece. You charge three hundred coins for a dish. Isn't it too expensive?"
Liang Yi couldn't help but snort when he heard this. "All the signature dishes at Zuixianlou cost one or two taels of silver. These two dishes made by my young lady are not inferior to any of Zuixianlou's signature dishes, they are even better. You will definitely not lose out if you eat them. If you think they are too expensive, you don't have to buy them. No one is forcing you to eat them."
If he didn't ask for it, wouldn't everyone around him think he was being taken advantage of? He was given one or two taels of silver for two dishes.
That's because he thinks it's worth it!
After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but say to Xu Qinyu, "My dear, I will come to eat again tomorrow."
Xu Qinyu smiled slightly, "My lord, I'm going to make some meat wontons for breakfast tomorrow. There's clear soup and hot and sour soup. The soup is delicious, the meat filling is delicate, and every bite is meaty. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
Wontons are generally divided into two types, the southern type, which has a thin skin and less filling, and is eaten for its flavor. The northern type has a thick soup with more fillings, and the soup base is made from bone broth. It can be a clear soup or have oil, chili peppers, and vinegar added to create a hot and sour soup base, each with its own flavor.
There are also large wontons with thick skin and rich fillings.
She planned to buy some pork bones to make soup base, which she could make tomorrow and also provide nourishment for the Pei family.
In her time, many merchants found it troublesome and did not use pork bones to make soup base. Instead, they used some processed thick soup base and simply added hot water to make the soup base. She never did things perfunctorily when making food.
Although Liang Yi still wanted to continue eating fish, the wontons made by the young lady also aroused his appetite, so he decided to come over early tomorrow morning to eat the fresh meat wontons that the young lady mentioned.
After Liang Yi left, Shopkeeper Zhou came over to thank Xu Qinyu, expressing his gratitude for her willingness to teach Chef Zhou. Not only that, Shopkeeper Zhou also waived the Pei family's room fee. He also refused to collect the thirty cents Xu Qinyu used from the kitchen every day, and asked his son and the waiter to accompany Xu Qinyu to buy fish and ingredients.
Xu Qinyu was naturally willing to have someone help her. She planned to buy all the ingredients for the fresh meat wontons she would make tomorrow.
Pork bones are cheap because the meat on them has been removed, leaving only the bones, and they cost two cents each.
The price of white flour and japonica rice is about the same, both costing eleven cents per pound.
Pork belly costs thirty-five coins.
There weren't many other seasonings left in the inn, so she bought some ginger, shallots, and dogwood. She had also wanted to buy some pepper to make the flavor even better, but she found out that one ounce of pepper cost more than four ounces of silver, almost as much as the price of gold!
Forget it, she couldn't afford it, and she couldn't help but sigh that these spices that were not locally grown were really expensive in ancient times.
She prices her wontons at twenty cents a bowl. If she really adds some pepper, there will be no profit at all. Twenty cents is actually very expensive.
If you set up a stall outside, meat wontons only cost six or seven cents a bowl.
Wontons with vegetarian fillings cost two or three cents a bowl.
Although I can't afford pepper, I can still afford Sichuan pepper, which is grown locally.
Sichuan pepper is a medicinal herb, but no one uses it in cooking.
The food cooked in this era was spicy but not numbing, and Sichuan peppercorns were only used as spices and medicinal ingredients.
Seeing the Sichuan peppercorns, Xu Qinyu was quite happy and asked about the price. The price of Sichuan peppercorns was a bit expensive, but compared with the peppercorns, it was nothing. Freshly picked Sichuan peppercorns cost more than three hundred coins per catty, and dried Sichuan peppercorns cost about one or two taels of silver per catty. Xu Qinyu bought a catty of fresh Sichuan peppercorns and also asked for a lot of Sichuan peppercorn leaves.
This is because the climate in the southwest is humid, which is suitable for the growth of Sichuan peppercorns. Sichuan peppercorns from other places will be more expensive.
Chef Zhou couldn't help but ask, "Young lady, why are you buying peppercorns? They're a medicinal spice, and they can also be used as a preservative."
Xu Qinyu smiled and said, "Chef Zhou will know in a while." Originally, she was thinking about what to do with the fish fillets left over from the fish head and fish offal, but now that she had Sichuan peppercorns, she naturally decided to make sauerkraut fish, as Sichuan peppercorns are the soul seasoning of sauerkraut fish.
Pickled vegetables are also sold in the market, and the prices of pickled vegetables are very low.
After buying everything, they returned to the inn. Xu Qinyu had already received the deposits from the guests. Knowing the number of people, she also knew how much to make. Naturally, she would not make it one portion at a time. This time she cooked it in a big pot, and the taste was just as good.
Customers who can afford to pay three hundred coins for a dish are not short of money. Those customers who previously complained that it was too expensive are naturally reluctant to spend that money.
Xu Qinyu knew clearly that what was being sold was the taste, and it could only be sold in Raozhou City. Once she returned to Yuanbao Town with the Pei family, unless she opened a restaurant, she would definitely not be able to sell it at this price by setting up a stall. She would just make a quick buck in the next few days.
She sliced the extra fish meat into thin slices and made sauerkraut fish, which was sour, appetizing, spicy and fragrant.
Chef Zhou was stunned when he tasted the pickled fish. It was not only spicy but also numb. It felt very fresh and satisfying. It was very appetizing and delicious. After taking one bite, he wanted to take a second bite.
Chef Zhou and the waiter worked hard for the whole morning, and Xu Qinyu specially left a pot of pickled fish for them to eat.
The customers originally ordered fish head stewed with tofu and braised fish offal, but with the addition of this pickled fish, some people were tempted by the taste and bought small portions to try, and they couldn't stop eating it once they started.
"How did the young lady cook the fish? It has such a strong fishy smell, but she made it taste so good."
"Yes, especially this pickled fish. I can't describe the taste when I put it in my mouth, but it's very refreshing. Eating it in this weather makes me feel warm and comfortable after eating it."
"I prefer fish head stewed with tofu, it's so fresh."
The diners were eating and chatting in the living room. Many more diners were attracted by the aroma, but only the pickled fish was left.
In the end, even the pickled fish was sold out, and there was still a large portion of pickled fish ingredients left. Xu Qinyu did not continue selling it. She guessed that Captain Liang who had come in the morning would definitely want to come over for dinner in the evening, so she specially saved it for him.
Xu Qinyu didn't have to clean up the kitchen, so Chef Zhou followed her for a whole day. She taught him a lot of cooking tips and even gave these dishes to Chef Zhou. Chef Zhou was very grateful and naturally returned the favor. He asked Xu Qinyu to go back to her room to have a good rest first, and asked someone to bring her a basin of hot water for her to wash.
Without having to clean the kitchen, Xu Qinyu returned to her room with a box of copper coins she had earned.
It's already noon, around twelve o'clock.
When Pei Jianing saw her coming back, she called out "Fourth Sister-in-law". She had just gone to look for Fourth Sister-in-law, but saw her busy in the kitchen, so she didn't go to disturb her.
Mrs. Wen had also woken up and knew that her daughter-in-law was cooking in the kitchen of the inn. When she saw her daughter-in-law coming back with a wooden box, she didn't pay much attention. She just thought that her daughter-in-law knew how to cook and should be helping in the kitchen. The owner paid her several dozen coins a day.
Wen's mind is entirely on her son.
Pei Weixuan hasn't woken up yet.
Seeing that her cheap husband had not woken up yet, Xu Qinyu was a little worried. She put the box on her bedside and went over to take a look.
Pei Weixuan lay on the bed with his eyes closed. The blush on his face had faded, but he was still motionless. Even his lying posture and the position of his hands and feet were exactly the same as last night.
Xu Qinyu could not feel the rise and fall of his chest at all. She was worried and could not help but reach out to touch his forehead. The temperature on his forehead had subsided a lot and was no longer so hot, but he still did not wake up. She became more and more uneasy and carefully probed towards his breath.
The slender but slightly swollen and cracked fingers reached under the man's high nose bridge.
No air in, no air out.
Xu Qinyu's heart skipped a beat, as if she really couldn't feel her cheap husband's breathing in and out!
My cheap husband must be dead.
She couldn't help feeling a little sad. Her adopted husband had carried her on his back for several days along the way. Although he didn't talk much, he was still a very nice person. She called him "Fourth Brother" all the way. And she couldn't blame him for her original body's exile. He could be considered a victim.
Just as I was thinking about it in a mess, the next second, my wrist was suddenly grabbed by someone.
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