Now that summer has arrived, it is normal for the number of customers in restaurants and eateries to decrease.
The reason why Xu Ji still has so many customers at the beginning of summer is that she always likes to prepare new food. Even if she is a great cook, no matter how delicious the food in the restaurant is, diners will get tired of it if they eat it every day. By preparing some new food, diners can keep thinking about it.
Last summer, she made all kinds of shrimp and snail dishes in sauce.
This year I made stir-fried red fruits and brown sugar and milk mochi.
In the summer, no one can resist eating some sweet and sour appetizing red candies and then having a bowl of cool dessert after a meal.
Edible ice is too expensive, so Xu Qinyu couldn't bear to buy this kind of ice. She bought inedible ice, which is much cheaper. The finished dessert is placed in a large wooden basin of ice and chilled. It can be served when it is time to eat. It is soft, glutinous and cold, and even she can't help but eat a bowl of it every day.
Although both of them owned restaurants and hotels, Xu Qinyu had never considered the restaurants and hotels in Yuanbao Town to be competitors. Seeing that Madam Dong had come to discuss cooperation, Xu Qinyu simply smiled and said, "I wonder what kind of business Madam Dong wants to discuss with me?"
Mrs. Dong knew that Xu Qinyu was young, but she never dared to look down on her, otherwise she would not have made this trip in person.
Madam Dong also spoke frankly, "My husband and I are deeply impressed by Miss Xu's cooking skills. In fact, I have tasted Master Xu's cooking. I came here today to discuss whether I can use money to buy the recipes for your dishes and desserts. Master Xu, rest assured, if you are willing to sell us the recipes, we will not continue to operate Donglaiju in Yuanbao Town. We will move Donglaiju to Raozhou City."
Seeing Xu Qinyu's thoughtful look, Dong said, "Don't worry, Mr. Xu, we are willing to pay one thousand taels of silver for the recipe for each dish. We can buy all the recipes for Xu's breakfast and evening meals."
Xu Ji Restaurant has more than 20 signature dishes, not to mention other dishes, desserts, and snacks for breakfast and dinner. Xu Ji's current menu of breakfast, dinner, drinks, and desserts exceeds 50. If you want to buy them all, you need 50,000 taels of silver.
The reason why the Dong family is so wealthy is that they have accumulated a lot of wealth over the years.
Donglaiju is also a century-old brand and has its own signature dishes.
The Dong family recipe book has a history of a hundred years. The Dong family are all chefs. I heard that some of their ancestors worked as royal chefs, so there is a Dong family recipe book.
The Dong family only has one daughter here, so Dong's father picked the one with the most culinary talent from among his apprentices, named Yue Weimin, and asked him if he was willing to marry into the Dong family. Yue Weimin said yes, so after marrying Dong, Dong's father gave all his signature dishes to Yue Weimin, including Donglai Ju.
In recent years, the Dong family has been the owner of Donglaiju.
But Yue Weimin is the chef of Donglai Ju, and the couple lives in harmony.
Under the management of these two people, Donglaiju's business is booming.
Since it is a century-old brand, the Dong family must not be short of money.
Dong has no talent as a cook. Her father has taught her cooking, but the food she cooks tastes just average. It's okay for her to make some home-cooked meals for her family, but she definitely can't open a restaurant or an hotel.
But because of this, Dong was also very nervous. She was born into a family of chefs and knew that the recipes of each family or chef were unique. Generally, no one would be willing to sell their recipes unless they were too poor. Even if someone secretly learned other people's dishes, they could be reported to the government and sentenced to punishment.
So Dong was very worried that the owner of Xu Ji was unwilling to sell the recipe.
She also felt that her request was a bit excessive.
Xu Qinyu couldn't help but raise her eyebrows.
One thousand taels of silver for a dish may seem like a lot, but it is not.
These dishes of hers will make a lot of money in any wealthy state, it's just a matter of time.
Moreover, she never felt that the recipes of these dishes belonged to her from the beginning, and never thought about selling the recipes.
Most of these dishes are very common in later generations, and some are from her own private recipes. However, even some of her own private dishes are based on various eating methods that have been passed down for thousands of years in later generations.
In fact, the only difference between private dishes is the taste. The ingredients and cooking methods are slightly changed, and the seasonings are different.
Over the thousands of years of historical heritage, countless delicacies have been passed down.
Even though the dynasty she lives in now is not the same as her later generation, cooking skills are still in their infancy.
The basic ingredients used in cooking are salt, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ginger and onions.
Unlike later generations, there are hundreds of kinds of seasonings for cooking, and even fruits can be used as seasonings.
So she felt from the beginning that as long as the person had good character, he could be her apprentice. Some chefs with cooking skills could become masters after learning from her for two or three years. She would not deliberately hold people in her hands, but would let them leave to open their own restaurants and promote the cuisine.
But for some reason, when she was recruiting kitchen helpers, no one was willing to be an apprentice in her restaurant.
In fact, although I am an apprentice, I am also a kitchen helper. I need to cook on weekdays and I will get paid.
The notice at the door of her restaurant has been hanging for a year and a half, but no one has paid attention to it.
Even though her cooking skills were already well known, no one came.
After thinking it over, Xu Qinyu told Mrs. Dong, "Madam Dong, to be honest, I don't plan to sell these formulas."
Dong thought it was just as she thought, but she wasn't too disappointed. Yue Weimin had actually asked her to come and test the waters, saying that the restaurant had indeed seen a significant decrease in customers since Xu's restaurant opened. More than half a year ago, Weimin had urged her to come and talk to Miss Xu about buying Xu's recipes. But she felt it wasn't right. She'd noticed that business at the restaurant had been slowing down in recent days, while Xu's hadn't been affected at all, so she'd rushed over.
Moreover, she only dared to ask if she could sell the recipe and promised Xu Qinyu that she would not open a restaurant in the same place again.
I don’t even dare to talk about opening a restaurant together, because it is not a wise choice.
Mr. Xu has the recipes and the skills, and he has several apprentices under him, but they are too young. In a few years, they will be able to take charge of the cooking, and opening a big restaurant will not be a problem. Xu's family now makes a lot of profit every month, so they are not short of money, but of manpower. Otherwise, Xu Dongshi should have been able to open a bigger restaurant long ago.
It's easy for problems to arise when brothers go into business together, let alone when they are competitors with restaurants and food halls.
Before Mrs. Dong could say anything, she heard Miss Xu say, "Although I won't sell the recipe, I can teach it. The chef or the kitchen helper of Mrs. Dong's restaurant can come over and learn from me for two or three years. It's a good opportunity to help out in my restaurant for two or three years. I will still pay you and you can also learn cooking skills. What do you think, Mrs. Dong?"
When these words came out, Dong was stunned.
Miss Xu is unwilling to sell the recipe, but is willing to teach her cooking skills for no reason?
Is it enough to just follow her and learn for two or three years?
Dong was at a loss for a moment.
Although her husband married into her family, he was the one who basically managed Donglaiju over the years. He was also the chef of Donglaiju, so she couldn't help much. It was Yue Weimin who was in charge.
Dong said, "I need to go back and discuss this with my family. How about discussing it with Xu Dongjia in a few days?"
"nature."
Xu Qinyu didn't force it. Cheng Ge'er and the others were still young, and they would need to learn for at least another two or three years before they could officially become head chefs. So she still hoped that some chefs could come and learn cooking from her and help with cooking, so that she would have a lot more free time.
Dong returned home quickly.
Her family lives in a five-story house on East Street.
She has been married to Yue Weimin for 25 years. She is 42 years old this year and has two sons and one daughter.
Because Yue Weimin married into the wife's family, his eldest son took her surname and was called Dongqian. He is 23 years old this year and has already married and had children.
The second son is named Yue Xi.
Originally, Yue Weimin promised Dong's father that she would marry into the Dong family, and no matter how many children she gave birth to, they should all take the Dong surname. But when she was pregnant with her second son, her husband said that he was the only one left in the Yue family, and pleaded with her, hoping that the second child, regardless of gender, could take his surname, so that the Yue family would have a bloodline. Dong softened her heart and agreed.
The second child was also a son, so he took Yue's surname.
Dong also has a youngest daughter who is only fifteen years old this year and also has the surname Dong.
When Dong returned home, Yue Weiming had already washed up and was drinking tea and checking accounts in the study.
Although he is now the head chef of Donglai Ju, he already has many apprentices, and the restaurant also has kitchen helpers. He does not cook much every day, so he has a lot of free time.
He had tasted the food at Xu's Restaurant, and it was indeed delicious. However, he felt that the owner of Xu's Restaurant was so young, only seventeen, so even if she had been learning cooking since she was young, she only washed, folded, and cut vegetables at the beginning. The master did not really start teaching her until she was ten years old, and she was not allowed to be the chef. She just watched from the side. She had to wait another year to really start cooking, which was from the age of eleven. At first, she only practiced some simple dishes, and it took two or three years before she started cooking. However, the dishes she made were only for the waiters under her. She should have been seventeen or eighteen years old before she could really cook for the guests.
Even if Mr. Xu has a talent for cooking and started cooking two or three years earlier than the average person, that means that Mr. Xu Ji’s actual time as a chef is probably only three or four years.
What cooking skills can a chef who has only been cooking for three or four years have? She just has a lot of recipes in her hands. Maybe there is some special seasoning that makes her dishes taste so delicious and addictive.
Yes, he also felt that Xu Ji’s food was a bit addictive. After eating it for a few days, he would still be thinking about it.
I'm afraid it's because of those seasonings.
So he asked Dong to buy the recipe from Xu Ji, also wanting to test Xu Ji.
One thousand taels of silver for a dish, such a sky-high price. Xu Ji has more than fifty dishes, which can be sold for at least fifty thousand taels of silver.
Even if Xu's Restaurant was doing well, it could only bring in a few hundred taels of silver a month. It would take her eight or nine years to earn 50,000 taels of silver.
If you really want to make money, selling recipes is the easiest way.
He guessed that Xu Ji's owner would definitely not sell her the recipe because it involved those seasonings.
I'm afraid it's those condiments that make people always think about Xu Ji's food. Condiments that are addictive must not be seen in public.
When Dong saw her husband, she stepped forward and said, "Master."
Yue Weimin looked up and asked, "Madam, would the owner of Xu's be willing to sell her the recipes for those dishes?"
"Ms. Xu doesn't want to." Dong sat down and told the truth.
Yue Weimin snorted softly, "I knew she wouldn't sell the recipe. Sure enough, she even refused over 50,000 taels of silver. I'm afraid the recipes for her dishes aren't simple at all."
Dong was stunned for a moment, "Why did the master say that?"
Yue Weimin told Dong about his guess, saying that he suspected that Xu Ji’s dishes were filled with some special seasonings, which was why the food tasted so good, and he was afraid that the seasonings might be addictive.
After hearing this, Dong was shocked.
Anything that can make people addicted is definitely not good.
Just like Xiaoyao Powder.
Xiaoyao Powder is rarely seen now. It was popular for a period of time about fifty or sixty years ago.
Dong was only in her forties, so naturally she had not seen the time when Xiaoyao Powder was popular. It was Dong's father who had experienced it and told his daughter about it.
Dong's father also told his daughter that anything that can make people addicted is not a good thing. He also said that the Dong family had an old rival. They were both chefs and they often competed with each other in the restaurant they opened. But because the old rival of the Dong family took Xiaoyao Powder, he became addicted after just a few times. Xiaoyao Powder is expensive, and after taking it for several years, he became half-human, extremely thin, and lost all his family property.
Dong's father was also young at that time, only about ten years old. He was already sensible and could see the demise of the other family with his own eyes.
The old man of the Dong family told Dong's father that he should not touch Xiaoyao Powder and anything addictive should not be touched. The same applies to making food. One should have a conscience and not add addictive things to it just to attract customers.
Xiaoyao Powder is a powder that can be taken orally. Within a few moments after taking it, you will feel very happy and can lie there without doing anything, just like a god.
But after taking it for a few years, it was visibly that the body became thinner and thinner year by year. Finally, the body was completely broken down and the mind was confused and could not recognize people.
At this time, if the person is not allowed to continue taking Xiaoyao Powder, he will become crazy and mad, not recognizing his relatives, and will bite anyone he sees to demand Xiaoyao Powder.
So when Yue Weimin mentioned something addictive, she thought of Xiaoyao Powder.
After taking that thing a few times, you'll want to keep taking it. If you don't take it, your body will feel like it's being bitten by ants, and it's so uncomfortable that it's piercing your heart and bones.
But Xu Ji’s food is completely different. Although I miss it, it’s because it tastes good. There’s nothing wrong with me if I don’t eat it.
"Master, you must have misunderstood."
Dong didn't believe it. In fact, she often ate Xu Ji's food and asked her maid to go to Xu Ji to pack it up. She didn't feel anything abnormal with her body. She was not in good health before and was a little thin. Since she started eating Xu Ji's food regularly, she gained a few pounds of weight and her complexion became rosy. She didn't feel any discomfort even if she didn't eat it on weekdays.
Yue Weimin frowned and said, "How else could she, a seventeen-year-old woman who has only been cooking for three or four years at most, make the food taste like this?"
"Maybe it's just that the girl is talented."
Dong couldn't help but speak for the owner of Xu's business. She still liked the owner of Xu's business very much. He had supported a family when he was only in his teens. If she had the cooking skills of Miss Xu, she might also be able to support Donglaiju instead of handing it over to her husband.
In fact, over the years, her relationship with her husband has become a little distant.
Ever since her second son took her husband's surname, she could still sense her husband's favoritism towards him.
She doesn't know what will happen when the family splits up in the future.
Yue Weimin said, "There's something wrong with her not wanting to sell the formula. Who wouldn't be tempted by fifty or sixty thousand taels of silver?"
Dong said hurriedly, "Master, that's not the case. Miss Xu said she won't sell the recipe, but you can go to Xu's to help in the kitchen and learn cooking from her for two or three years. Then she will be willing to let you leave, and you can use the cooking skills you learned from her to make a living."
Yue Weimin frowned and still didn't believe it.
"Which chef or kitchen helper would be willing to apprentice to a girl in her teens? Besides, if you go, who knows if she'll actually teach you? If she just wants to keep you in the restaurant to do odd jobs, you'll definitely have to sign a contract, and you won't be able to leave even if you want to. Isn't that a rip-off?"
If Xu Qinyu were here, she would probably also suddenly understand why, even after she posted the notice for a year and a half, no kitchen helper was willing to come to Xu's to learn how to cook with her.
In her heart, Dong still felt that Miss Xu was not such a person.
Miss Xu would definitely not have such an intention as to cook food for those patients with diarrhea.
Seeing that her husband still felt that Miss Xu had used something addictive in the seasoning, Dong stopped talking.
After a while, he went to find his eldest son Dongqian.
The courtyard where Dongqian lived was not far from the main courtyard.
Dongqian is married and has children. His wife gave birth to a little girl who is almost five years old this year. She got pregnant again at the beginning of the year. Her belly is now big and she is due to give birth in two or three months.
Seeing his mother, Dong Qian stood up and asked, "Mom, why don't you rest at this late hour?"
Dong had something on her mind, so she told Dong Qian about it. Today, she went to see Miss Xu, and Miss Xu told her about what she had said. She also told her son about her son's father's suspicions about Xu's, thinking that it was a problem with the seasoning.
After hearing this, Dong Qian said, "This young boss of Xu's is indeed a man of integrity and righteousness. Mother, I actually want to give it a try."
In fact, Dong Qian felt that there was nothing wrong with the food at Xu Ji Restaurant, and he often ate there. The reason his father was so convinced was simply because a young woman who had been cooking for three or four years was a better cook than him and had snatched away his stable customer base in Yuanbao Town for so many years, so his father was just not convinced.
"Brother Qian, what did you say?" Dong was stunned. "Do you want to work as a kitchen helper at Xu's?"
The eldest son Dongqian and the second son Yuexi both work as kitchen helpers at Donglaiju. They have been learning cooking from their master since they were young. They are both quite talented. Now they are both kitchen helpers and chefs, and they have several signature dishes.
But Dong could see that her husband still favored his second son more. Even when teaching both sons cooking, he taught his second son more.
Even though the eldest son didn't say anything, he could still feel it in his heart.
Dong Qian nodded, "Yes, mother, let me go to Xu's to help in the kitchen. I want to learn something from Miss Xu."
He likes being a chef, not only because he wants to make money, but also because he wants to make more delicious food. He feels happy when he sees diners praising the food he cooks.
Dong asked, "Have you thought it through? If you really go to Xu's, your father..."
If the eldest son really went to Xu's, my husband would definitely be furious and might even refuse to continue teaching him.
Dong Qian said, "Mom, I've thought it through. In fact, I wanted to go earlier, but I knew Dad would be angry."
He has thought about it for so long and now he has figured it out clearly. There are gains and losses.
Moreover, he could see that his father cared more about his younger brother and seemed to be a little wary of him, but he couldn't say this directly to his mother for fear of making her sad. He couldn't say what Donglaiju would become in the future, but at the moment he just wanted to learn cooking from Miss Xu.
Dong said, "Okay, as long as you think it through. Tomorrow I'll go with you to ask Madam Xu about it. We'll also talk to your brother about this to see what he thinks and whether he's willing to learn cooking from Madam Xu for a few years."
Dong treated her two sons equally.
After leaving the eldest son's courtyard, Dong went to the courtyard of the second son, Yue Xi, and told him what happened today. She also told Yue Xi, "Your brother plans to go to Xu's to be an apprentice kitchen helper. He wants to learn some cooking skills from the owner of Xu's. Brother Xi, do you want to go with him?"
Upon hearing this, Yue Xi raised an eyebrow and said, "I'm not going. I'm the heir to the Dong family's recipes. Why would I follow an outsider and learn all sorts of dishes? Dad is right. Xu Ji doesn't even dare to sell the recipes. Who knows what he puts in his food? Mom, please persuade my eldest brother not to go."
Dong sighed inwardly, but didn't say anything. She just said, "Your eldest brother has made up his mind, and mother can't persuade him. Let's wait and see."
But the next day, Dong still accompanied her eldest son Dong Qian to Xu's Restaurant.
She chose to go there at noon.
Unexpectedly, the waitress told her, "Madam, our host has gone to Dagu Village and hasn't returned yet. How about you sit here and wait?"
Dong then remembered that the owner of Xu's seemed to have opened a winery in partnership with a Mrs. Lu from Raozhou City, and he had to be busy with winery work every day.
She said, "Okay, I'll wait."
The mother and son sat by the window and waited.
Although the mother and son often ate food from Xu's, they never came to the main hall to eat. Instead, they asked the servants to buy the food and send it back to the Dong family.
Now sitting here, I found that Xu's cleaning is very clean, there is no greasiness on the table. It can be seen that these three waitresses are very diligent.
They were all willing to use these women who had not had a good life as waiters. Everyone could see what kind of character Miss Xu had. However, her husband thought that Miss Xu must have bad intentions and wanted to help in the kitchen.
Is this the husband she has lived with for more than 20 years?
Dong was lost in thought for a while when she saw a carriage parked outside.
The curtain of the carriage was lifted and Miss Xu jumped out of the carriage.
As soon as Xu Qinyu entered the restaurant, she saw the Dong from yesterday and a young man in his twenties sitting by the window.
The young man's facial features are somewhat similar to Dong's, so he should be Dong's relative.
Dong stood up and called out "Miss Xu". Xu Qinyu went over and sat down. Dong also directly explained the purpose of her visit.
When Xu Qinyu heard that the young man was Dong's son and was sent here to be a kitchen helper to learn from her, her eyes lit up. She had been waiting for more than a year and finally got a kitchen helper. The kitchen helper had been cooking for several years and knew a few signature dishes. He learned very quickly. After she taught him for a few months, the kitchen helper could cook. She would then have a lot more free time on weekdays and could do other things instead of having to keep an eye on the restaurant every day.
Of course, she doesn't teach everyone, it still depends on the person's character.
To be honest, she knows how to cook tens of thousands of dishes. If she wants to make all of them by herself, she doesn't know how long it will take.
Even when teaching kitchen helpers or apprentices, she would select cuisines that are suitable for them instead of teaching them randomly.
She didn't know what the young man's character was like at the moment, so she would sign a contract, which would state that she would do her best to teach him cooking skills, but at the same time, the person had to have good character. If he had bad character, or did something bad in the restaurant, and learned the recipe from her and sold it to other people, he would be sent to the government office.
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