Chapter 78 Jinjiang first release Chapter 78 Wearing a sack is also a way...
The inn we stayed in this time had a kang (kang) on the first floor, and beds on the second and upper floors. While the price was quite high, the service was better than any other inn we've stayed at before. Not only were the bedding clean, but there were also hot water bottles available for use at night.
However, Fang Shu still hugged Yu Qinglong tightly and covered him tightly with the quilt, fearing that he would catch a cold.
Yu Qinglong felt warm from being covered, and kicked the quilt: "Husband, please stop covering me, I'm hot."
Fang Shu pulled the quilt down and gently nuzzled Yu Qinglong's nose: "Are we going back early tomorrow morning?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Let's spend another day shopping. I also want to go to Wangjiang Cloth Shop. I was so busy talking yesterday that I didn't have a good look around. I want to ask the shopkeeper if he has any good silk scraps or defective materials."
"What's the use of that? I can't sew clothes."
"We can't sew clothes, but we can make some small warm items. And there are so many more colors of cloth here than in our town. When we go back, buy two pieces for each of our parents. That way, they can make new clothes whenever they have time. Otherwise, we'll be so busy during the holidays that we won't have any free time. Besides, everything is expensive during the New Year."
"But there are still more than two months before the Chinese New Year."
"Two months has already passed. We've been married for more than two months now, and business tends to get better towards the end of the year. I need to think about how to come up with some new ways to make money."
"Thank you for your hard work, Long Ge'er."
"It's not hard." Yu Qinglong pecked Fang Shu and said, "Go to sleep."
Even if he had any ideas outside, the soundproofing wouldn't work. Yu Qinglong turned around, facing Fang Shu, and closed his eyes.
Fang Shu blew out the lights, hugged the man tightly, and thought that he would get a small pillow for his husband when he got home.
His son, Long Ge, doesn't like the pillows he uses outside; they're always too high and uncomfortable, so he has to sleep with his arm as a pillow. But that's not very comfortable either; it causes neck pain. I'll get him a new pillow; he'll bring it with him next time he goes out.
The next day, Fang Shu woke up first and went downstairs to ask the waiter to prepare some breakfast, thinking that Qinglong would be able to eat hot food when he woke up.
As a result, guests arrived when they were about to eat.
Guo Qingshan and the others replied to Qinglong's letter, saying they were waiting for him but he still hadn't arrived. Meanwhile, the guests at the bookshop were increasingly flocking to Dexin Bookshop. How could he not be anxious? As soon as he heard that Yu Qinglong had arrived and hadn't left, he quickly brought over a roast goose and two pounds of dim sum.
"Hey everyone, it seems like I've come at a bad time." Guo Qingshan said this, but he had no intention of leaving and just put the gift down.
"Boss Guo, have you eaten yet?" Yu Qinglong asked, "If you don't mind, please join us for a simple meal."
"Look at what Brother Xiao said, how could I dislike it? I just don't know if it's convenient."
He really hadn't eaten! Afraid of being late, he opened his eyes and washed his face in the morning and rushed over with the things he had prepared the night before.
"It's not inconvenient. Please sit down." Yu Qinglong asked the waiter to add another set of bowls and chopsticks. "Boss Guo, you got up early."
"It has to be early. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to catch up all this time. Regarding the last time I talked about that, has your friend replied?"
During this period, he had desperately sought out many people who could write storybooks. Among them were students and scholars, but although they wrote a lot of eloquent works with quotations from classics, they were not as good as "Picking the Moon" to read. Isn't this frustrating? Therefore, it was very important for the future layman to help them name their bookstore and write storybooks.
Yu Qinglong said, "Why don't I go see you today? This new book isn't available right now. But Mr. Weilai asked me to ask, Boss Guo, do you have any other businesses besides your bookstore? Or do any of your trusted relatives or friends run other businesses?"
Guo Qingshan was a little confused: "Yes, I do, but why are you asking this?"
Yu Qinglong said, "This future layman is not only good at writing storybooks, he also has many other novel ideas. He feels that you are so sincere, but he can't let you share in the storybook business. He feels a little guilty, so he asked me to find out if you have any other business. If so, he might be able to give you some wonderful ideas to make more money."
"Is that even possible? Well, I have a younger uncle who runs a restaurant, and my eldest uncle is a matchmaker. They're all real relatives. I also have an aunt who sells rouge and powder. And my two best friends, one sells seafood and the other sells tea."
"...Boss Guo's relatives and friends are really well-rounded in this business."
"Hey, it's just a way to make a living. It looks lively, but you can't really make much money. I wonder if future Buddhists will have any good ideas related to these businesses."
"I'll have to go back and ask him about the rest. But as for food, he did teach me something that you definitely won't find in other people's restaurants."
"really?"
"Seriously. But if we give this recipe to Boss Guo, how are we going to split the profits? It's not like a storybook that you pay at regular intervals."
"Isn't that easy? If this food is really popular and many people like it, we can charge by the number of servings, or just set the price and give this future gentleman a share. Of course, you'll also get some benefits."
"May I ask how big your uncle's restaurant is?"
"It's twice as big as this inn. It can host banquets and all kinds of feasts. It's one of the best in our county."
"That's good."
Yu Qinglong calculated the time and found that they still had time to go to the cloth shop in the afternoon, so after breakfast he took Fang Shu and Wu Sheng to Fu Yue Restaurant.
This restaurant looks very impressive from the outside, and no wonder Guo Qingshan is always generous with his money to them. He only serves the best snacks and refreshments, which shows that this family is indeed well-off.
It's not time for dinner yet, and most of the people in the building are busy working.
A large restaurant differed from an inn in that it offered both dining and lodging. Yu Qinglong took a quick look. Upon entering the building, the dining area was on the left, the processing area on the right. The back, presumably, was the lodging area, both of which were quite luxuriously appointed.
"Young Master, what are you doing?" The restaurant manager looked at Guo Qingshan, then at Yu Qinglong and the others, and asked Guo Qingshan, "Are you inviting friends to dinner?"
"No. I'm looking for my uncle. Is he here?"
"Yes, in the kitchen."
"Kitchen? I'll go find him."
When Guo Qingshan and Yu Qinglong arrived, they saw his uncle squatting on the ground, looking depressed, holding a dirty black object in his hand: "How come this thing has sprouted before I even use it?!"
The chef was also worried: "I already put it in a cool place, but it still sprouted. Boss, is this going to be inedible?"
Guo Hengan said, "I don't know if it's still edible. But it definitely can't be used again. If it makes a customer sick, that would be a big deal."
After saying that, he stood up and clapped his hands: "Cut some first and feed it to the chickens to see if they eat it. If they eat it, see if they are okay. If not, throw it away. If not, keep it for later."
"Wait!" Yu Qinglong took a few steps forward and said, "Can you sell me a few of these?"
"Who are you?"
"Uncle, these are my new friends. Let's find a quiet place to talk." Guo Qingshan turned to Yu Qinglong and asked, "Brother Xiaoyu, do you really want that sprouting thing?"
"Yes, I have some use for them. If it's convenient for you, Mr. Guo, please sell me a few."
Those are potatoes, potatoes!!!
If they sprout now, they can’t be eaten. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to save them for planting next year?!
Guo Qingshan said: "Sell whatever you want and I'll give it to you as a gift."
Since his uncle said to throw away the chicken if he didn't eat it, why not just give him some as a favor?!
Guo Qingshan asked his staff to pick out four or five of the things and pack them up. Seeing this, Yu Qinglong said, "Please, brother, don't damage those little buds."
The waiter agreed, and Guo Hengan took the man to a private room.
After we sat down, tea and snacks were quickly served.
Guo Hengan suppressed his irritation and asked in a gentle voice, "What do you want to say?"
Lately, he and his nephew's business had been taken away from them, and he couldn't find a solution, which made him furious. He'd just bought that potato at a high price, hoping to create some new dishes to compete with his rivals, but before he could even come up with a decent dish, it sprouted!
Guo Qingshan said, "Uncle, my friend's surname is Yu, the brother Xiao Yu I mentioned to you before. He said there's a dish that no other restaurant in our county can make, so I asked him to teach us. If we have a specialty dish that no other restaurant can make, wouldn't that naturally attract more customers?"
"What you're saying is, how can it be that easy? Besides, no matter what dish you make, even if others can't make it in a few days, they will naturally figure it out over time. Do you think it's so easy to make a dish that others can't learn?"
"Hey, uncle, don't be so skeptical. If it were that easy for someone to steal it, I wouldn't have invited him here."
"Brother Xiaoyu, is what my nephew said true?"
"It's absolutely true," Yu Qinglong said. "My recipe is for a dessert that's suitable for everyone, young and old, and the ingredients are extremely simple. It's just that the preparation requires a special technique, and that's what makes it so special."
"If it's a secret recipe, why did you tell us?" Maybe it was a trap set by his rival.
"Everyone makes money, it's that simple."
"What are the conditions?"
"If Mr. Guo decides to sell this dish in the restaurant, he'll have to give me a commission. The amount will depend on Mr. Guo's final price and sales volume."
"What if I learn how to make it but don't think it tastes very good? What do I do?"
"The possibility of this happening is extremely small. But if it does happen, it's fine. At most, there will be no chance of cooperation in the future. I'm actually here because of Boss Guo's sincerity."
Someone whose business was taken away from them didn't bother to embarrass the key person, but instead just wanted to ask them to help him. Even if they were bad, they couldn't be that bad. To put it bluntly, if they really had someone to stop them and beat them up, it would at least delay the submission of the manuscript.
Guo Hengan thought for a moment and said, "Okay, in that case, tell me what ingredients are needed for the dish you mentioned so I can ask someone to prepare it."
"It's very simple. Ten eggs, a tablespoon of fine sugar, a pot of lard, a small bowl of red bean paste, and a small spoonful of white flour."
"That's all?"
"Yes, that's all."
This is a must-have item in almost every restaurant, and there is no need to look for it.
Guo Hengan took Yu Qinglong directly to the small kitchen.
This small kitchen prepares some of the specialties of their restaurant. The chefs here are also different from those in the big kitchen. It can be said that they are all veterans of the restaurant.
Even so, after Yu Qinglong summoned Shangfang Shu and Wu Shengjin, Guo Hengan still ordered all irrelevant people to leave. Furthermore, at Yu Qinglong's request, no one remained nearby.
After that, as soon as the door was closed, Yu Qinglong repeated the steps of making the snow-coated bean paste.
This time, it wasn't just him and Fang Shu who were beating the eggs; Wu Sheng was also there. Wu Sheng swung his hammer almost every day, and his strength was far superior to Fang Shu's. He beat the egg whites faster and harder than them, and after about a quarter of an hour, the egg whites were already beaten white, but they were still unusable.
Guo Hengan, however, found it quite miraculous. Looking at the small basin of fine white foam, he couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "How can egg white be transformed into this?!"
Yu Qinglong said, "Yes. Heat the oil in half a cup of tea. Just heat it halfway."
Guo Hengan quickly did as he was told.
Later, when the oil was heated and the egg whites were puffed enough to stand chopsticks on, Yu Qinglong scooped a spoonful with a soup spoon and heated it in the oil. He then added the rounded red bean paste filling and filled the other half. He fried all the egg whites in this way and sprinkled a little sugar on top.
It smells delicious just by itself, not to mention how cute it looks with its white and chubby appearance!
Yu Qinglong gestured to the uncle and nephew of the Guo family to try it.
The two of them each picked up a piece with chopsticks and took a bite. It was so soft and sweet, just like eating candy and cotton!
"how?"
"It's delicious!" Guo Qingshan said, "Brother Xiaoyu, you really won't disappoint!"
"It's truly something I've never seen before," Guo Hengan said. "How on earth did you come up with this idea?"
Who would think of whipping an egg white until their arms break?! What kind of person is this?!
Yu Qinglong said, "There's always someone who comes up with something new and surprising. I guess that's part of the fun of life. What do you think of this dish, Mr. Guo? Perhaps we could sell it at Fuyue Restaurant?"
Guo Hengan said, "Yes. As for the price, for this plate of fourteen, I'd charge at least one or two taels of silver! It takes a lot of time to make."
Yu Qinglong said, "Indeed. But that's also its value. As long as your people don't leak the recipe, it's unlikely that anyone else will be able to make an exact copy. At least not in the short term. Besides, red bean paste can be used as the filling, or cheese or jujube paste can be used instead."
Guo Hengan nodded: "That's right, the key lies in the outer skin."
He covered the food with a clean cloth and then asked everyone to return to the previous room. "Does this dish have a name?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Yes, snow-covered bean paste."
Guo Hengan said, "That's exactly right. Brother Xiaoyu, what do you think? From now on, for every plate sold in my shop, I'll give you a commission of 150 coins."
Yu Qinglong said, "One hundred and eighty wen, maybe. It will decrease by thirty wen each year. After six years, I will stop taking a commission."
Guo Hengan thought about it and decided that this was fine. He could still have hope if the price kept decreasing. The two parties then signed a written agreement.
Guo Hengan also asked someone to prepare the best banquet at Fu Yue Restaurant and invited Yu Qinglong and others to have lunch together at noon.
During this time, he also asked, "Brother Xiaoyu, do you have any other skills?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Not yet, but when I do, I'll naturally think of Boss Guo."
Guo Hengan said, "I just heard from Zhu Yue that you come here every month to stay for a few days. If you come again in the future, please come directly to my place. Apart from other things, I can always provide food and accommodation."
Yu Qinglong said, "Then I'll obey your command. There's another thing. We just beat the egg whites, and we had no choice but to use chopsticks. There are actually better things, but we have to make them now. Boss Guo, do you have a pen and paper? I'd like to borrow them."
Guo Heng'an immediately sent for paper and pen, and Yu Qinglong sketched an egg pump. It had a large, hot air balloon-shaped head, made up of sixteen thin, curved rods and a handle. Since modern stainless steel rods weren't readily available here, Yu Qinglong used bamboo skin instead. This would surely make it much easier to use.
"I'll go get some from the chef in a minute," Guo Hengan said. "Also, is there anything else I should pay attention to when making the snow-covered bean paste?"
"The bowl you use to beat the egg whites must be dry, free of oil. Try to avoid water as much as possible. Remember to separate the egg yolks. Another point is to pay attention to the oil temperature when frying. After frying one egg, add a spoonful of cold oil to cool it down. Otherwise, the colors won't be uniform, which won't look good. But once you get used to it, frying eight or ten is a snap, so you still need to practice."
"Write it all down," Guo Hengan told Guo Qingshan, "remember it carefully."
"Boss Guo, could you please have someone tell me how to make all the dishes you have here? Except for those unique secret recipes that can't be passed on to others. That way, when I get back, I can ask my friends if there are any other dishes you don't have here."
"Of course."
Guo Hengan himself can explain these things clearly because he started his business by running a restaurant.
Their restaurant clearly had ninety dishes that they could prepare, and he described them all to Yu Qinglong, categorizing them. He briefly touched upon the simple stir-fries and cold dishes, then went into detail about the less common ones.
Yu Qinglong made a mental note and decided to think about it again when he got home. He couldn't possibly work in the food industry, but making some money this way was fantastic. Most importantly, it expanded his network. And the biggest gain from coming here wasn't selling the snow-coated bean paste recipe or meeting new people, but getting potatoes!
Just for this reason, let alone paying him, he would still give Guo Hengan some good suggestions even without paying him.
However, to be on the safe side, Guo Hengan wanted to ask Yu Qinglong to make another batch of snow-covered bean paste. Knowing that Yu Qinglong was still in a hurry to go to the cloth shop, he said, "Don't worry, brother Xiaoyu. I have some connections with the owner of Wangjiang Cloth Shop. I'll ask my staff to tell him that they're closing later, so we can go shopping later."
Things had come to this point, and if he continued to say no, it would be a bit hurtful, so Yu Qinglong took people to make snow-covered bean paste again.
This time, Guo Hengan called another person to watch from the side. After this person wrote down the key points and confirmed that he had learned them, Guo Hengan let Yu Qinglong go back.
Guo Hengan called for his own carriage and personally took the person to Wangjiang Cloth Shop.
When Mr. Jiang, the shopkeeper of Wangjiang Cloth Shop, heard from the waiter of Fuyue Restaurant that their boss would bring a distinguished guest over later, he was curious about who it was, but he didn't expect it to be the person who caused him to lose his business yesterday.
Not long after this person arrived, the young woman who was selecting cloth and the young master of the Kang family left. If they had stayed, they would definitely have bought some cloth. He was still a little annoyed with this person; he hadn't expected him to come with Guo Hengan.
Shopkeeper Jiang said, "Boss Guo is a rare guest. These people are..."
Guo Hengan said: "A new friend."
Yu Qinglong said with a smile, "I delayed the shopkeeper's business yesterday, so I'll come back today to take a look."
Shopkeeper Jiang said with a smile, "You're very polite, little brother. What kind of cloth would you like to use? How about I recommend some for you?"
He hadn't paid much attention to him before, but now he realized that the man was dressed in ordinary clothes, just the most common cotton-padded robe. But his demeanor was not ordinary at all.
Yu Qinglong said, "I want two rolls of silk and four rolls of thicker, stronger, and dirt-resistant cotton. I'd also like to see some better silk and satin, as well as small scraps of silk and satin for small items."
When Shopkeeper Jiang heard that it was a large sum, and since Guo Hengan had brought the men, he patiently introduced them, "Any of these cotton fabrics will do. They're stable in dyeing, and the material is solid. As for the better silks and satins, do any of the brothers here like any of them?"
Yu Qinglong discovered that each piece of cloth had a price listed below it. Cotton cloth cost 240 wen per piece, more expensive than in town, but the quality was indeed better. Silk, on the other hand, was divided into three grades, each costing 400, 500, and 600 wen. Silk fabrics cost around two taels of silver per piece. And satin, even the cheapest piece, cost five taels of silver.
Shopkeeper Jiang said, "Just pick your pick, little brother. Since you're the honored guest brought by Boss Guo, I'll give you a 10% discount."
Yu Qinglong selected two rolls of medium-quality silk, four rolls of cotton cloth, and two rolls of silk. He had considered buying forged cloth, but decided it was too expensive and decided against it. The final tally came to nearly seven taels of silver, so Shopkeeper Jiang offered only six.
Six taels is a large sum of money in the countryside, but Yu Qinglong can afford it now.
But just as Yu Qinglong was about to pay, Guo Hengan stopped him. Guo Hengan paid the money and asked Manager Jiang to select two more rolls of fine silk for Yu Qinglong.
Yu Qinglong: "How can this be so embarrassing?"
Guo Hengan said, "Brother Xiaoyu is a noble man. This is my sincere token of my appreciation. I would also like to ask you to take good care of Fuyue Restaurant in the future."
Yu Qinglong said, "Okay, then I won't be polite to Boss Guo. I'll have to trouble Shopkeeper Jiang to deliver these cloths to Fuyue Restaurant. It's not convenient to store them there, so I'll pick them up from Boss Guo tomorrow."
Shopkeeper Jiang repeatedly said it was no problem.
Soon Yu Qinglong said goodbye to Guo and Jiang, and took Fang Shu and Wu Sheng back to the inn where they had stayed before.
After they left, Shopkeeper Jiang asked Guo Hengan, "Boss Guo, who was that young man just now? Why were you so polite to him?"
Guo Hengan said, "God of Wealth, don't tell me I didn't warn you about good things. Next time this little brother comes, you can treat him well. It won't be a loss."
Shopkeeper Jiang said, "Are they that amazing? I've never heard of such people. And what they're wearing isn't unusual."
Guo Hengan said with a smile, "Some people are so dignified that even if they were wearing a sack, it wouldn't be enough to hide their dignity. Please give me the cloth tonight. Goodbye."
Shopkeeper Jiang pondered this and decided to listen to Guo Hengan. He listened to his advice and ate his fill. He remembered that Yu Qinglong had mentioned wanting some silk for small items, but perhaps he'd forgotten about it. So he asked the waiter to pick out some small pieces of silk and Sichuan brocade. Some were leftovers from tailoring, good quality and not too small. Some were cut from flawed pieces, but the smallest was still about the size of a handkerchief. He packed them into a package along with the whole pieces and had the waiter deliver them to Fuyue Restaurant.
On the way, Wu Sheng asked Yu Qinglong, "Brother Xiao Yu, how come you know so much?"
Yu Qinglong said, "I just read a variety of books."
Wu Sheng asked again: "Then why did you buy so much cloth?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Make clothes for the family. Later, Changjie, you can pick one and take it back to your aunt."
Later, Guo Hengan asked Manager Jiang to add two pieces of silk, and Yu Qinglong specifically requested the color suitable for women to wear.
Wu Sheng said, "That won't do. I owe you a lot for coming here. I rode in the car you hired, got my bracelet back, and got some silver. If I ask for the cloth again, my mother will beat me to death when I get back."
Yu Qinglong laughed when he heard this: "Why bother? Just pick one and tell Auntie that I gave it to her. I'm just borrowing your help for this matter."
Fang Shu said, "That's right, Changjie, you don't have to be polite to us. We are all family."
Wu Sheng thought about it and said, "Okay, then I'll get one when I get back to town."
The next day, the three of them hired a car and rushed to Fuyue Restaurant early. Unexpectedly, in addition to the cloth, Guo Hengan had also prepared a lot of food. There was a jar of secret salted duck eggs, two jars of pickled vegetables, two strips of bacon, some dried seafood, and two jars of wine.
All these were loaded into the car by the waiter. Yu Qinglong thought that they had already prepared everything, so he didn't hesitate.
This time we hired a three-wheeled vehicle that went even faster than before, and we arrived at Qixia Town before dark.
You have to know that the days are short and the nights are long now, and being able to get back before dark is already much faster than a month ago.
Yu Qinglong asked the driver to go into the city first and take Wu Sheng back to the blacksmith shop, leaving a piece of silk for Wu Sheng's mother. The two elders of the Wu family wanted to invite them to have dinner before leaving, but since they were away for a long time, Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu were worried that their families would miss them, so they went home immediately.
Unexpectedly, when the carriage arrived at the city gate, they were stopped by officials.
The officer holding the knife said, "Leave the carriage and its contents behind, and the two of you follow me!"
Yu Qinglong said, "Sir, my husband is a scholar. If you want to detain someone, you must have some evidence."
The officer said, "Our commander wants to see you. What else do we need?! Go!"
Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu looked at the things in the car. Yu Qinglong wanted to say something, but Fang Shu shook his head to signal him not to say anything.
Yu Qinglong said, "Then how about I take something from the car?"
The officer asked, "What do you want?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Get something that can save your life."
The official didn't stop them. Yu Qinglong quickly brought over the small cloth bag containing a few potatoes, and then went to the yamen with Fang Shu.
Thinking of the letter Ji Shiyu left before he left, telling them not to provoke the new garrison commander, the couple couldn't help but feel a headache.
This truckload of stuff costs a lot of money!
-----------------------
Author's words: Fang Shu: Long Ge'er, are we going to be robbed? [Breaking down crying]
Qinglong: It’s okay, I can earn money later, life is what matters.
Fang Shu: If anything happens to you later, I will protect you [Let me take care of you]
Qinglong: How are you going to protect me? [Smirk]
Fang Shu: If they dare to bully you, I will tell them you are pregnant and beat me up if they want to [dog head]
Qinglong: You win [laughing and crying]
Fang Shu: Please continue to help keep the baby safe [Please]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
