Chapter 61 Mushroom Sauce: The Perfect Rice Topping!
Yuelai Restaurant.
Lin Changshou took out a ceramic jar and placed it on the table. "Manager Li, this contains the Lin Family Restaurant's unique seasoning."
Manager Li sized up the two simply dressed men before him, his eyes filled with disdain: "You think you can just say whatever you want? Why should I believe you?"
Lin Changshou was unfazed by Manager Li's contemptuous attitude and said, "I am the uncle of the manager of the Lin Family Restaurant. If you don't believe me, you can go to Lin Family Village to inquire."
Manager Li narrowed his eyes. "How much do you want to sell it for?"
Lin Youfu, who was standing to the side, was getting impatient. Seeing that there was hope of making a deal, he was about to announce the price that he had discussed with his father at home.
Lin Changshou spoke first: "This secret recipe is worth three hundred taels of silver."
Upon hearing the price, Manager Li laughed in anger: "Three hundred taels? Do you think this is a recipe from the imperial chefs? You've probably never seen three hundred taels in your life! No matter how amazing your recipe is, it's not worth three hundred taels!"
Lin Youfu was startled when he heard the price his father quoted; it was much higher than the price they had discussed at home. Moreover, judging from Manager Li's expression, he clearly couldn't accept the price, and he was extremely anxious, fearing that his father would ruin the deal.
Lin Changshou said unhurriedly, "Shopkeeper, please let me finish. The complete recipe is indeed worth three hundred taels. But this is, after all, a family secret recipe, and selling the recipe is something only an unworthy descendant would do. I won't sell the recipe, I'll only sell the finished product. This jar will only cost you thirty taels, how about it?"
Upon hearing this, Manager Li's expression of disdain lessened somewhat.
Seeing that Manager Li seemed to be persuaded, Lin Changshou pressed his advantage: "Ever since the Lin Family Restaurant opened, most of the restaurants around here have been doing worse and worse, haven't they? If you don't want this secret recipe, plenty of others will." With that, he got up and prepared to leave with Lin Youfu.
Manager Li hadn't expected him to be so assertive, so he immediately changed his tune: "Wait a minute, let's talk this over. This is a big matter, and I, a mere manager, can't make the decision on my own. Please allow me to inform the master. The old man and the young master, please wait here for a moment."
Before leaving, Manager Li had the waiter serve the two of them tea and pastries. As soon as Lin Youfu sat down, he couldn't help but mutter to Lin Changshou, "Dad, why is the price different from what we agreed on at home? I was almost scared to death when I heard it just now."
Lin Changshou tapped his head with exasperation: "Is your brain just for decoration? Think about it, since ancient times, what business doesn't involve bargaining? If we had said thirty taels from the beginning, the shopkeeper would definitely have tried to lower the price. They would have thought that thirty taels was a great deal!"
Lin Youfu suddenly realized, "How come I didn't think of that? Father, you're so smart!"
Looking at his son, Lin Changshou suddenly felt a wave of weariness. Although he hated the "jinxes" in the Lin family, he had to admit that the Lin family members were more promising than his own two sons.
The two were eating pastries on the table when a chubby man came down from upstairs.
As soon as the man sat down, he took out a prepared contract and said bluntly, "I understand your demands. Thirty taels is no problem, but you must sign a contract with us to supply only our restaurant. If you breach the contract, you will have to compensate us ten times the price."
Lin Changshou's brow twitched. Signing the contract would be a written proof that he had stolen the Lin family's secret recipe, so he hesitated.
Seeing that his father was not responding to the owner of Yuelailou for a long time, Lin Youfu nudged him with his elbow in frustration.
Lin Changshou looked at his good-for-nothing son. Both of his sons were teenagers, yet they had accomplished nothing, and no one wanted to marry their daughters into their family. Ultimately, it was all because they were poor. He steeled himself, signed his name on the contract, and pressed his fingerprint on it.
~
Lin's Restaurant is exceptionally lively today.
Lin Yao set up a pot at the entrance of the restaurant and started frying mushrooms.
As the lard in the iron wok gradually melted, Lin Yao placed the mushrooms coated in batter into the wok, and fine swirls of oil immediately rose up. She gently stirred them with a slotted spoon, and the white batter quickly solidified, turning golden brown.
As the oil temperature rises, the aroma of the fried mushrooms becomes increasingly intense and overpowering, as if it has grown hands, hooking passersby.
Lin Yao put the fried mushrooms into the bamboo tubes that had previously held drinks. A tube cost ten coins. Passing customers could buy them and eat them as they walked, one bite at a time, which was very satisfying.
Lin Yao had anticipated that fried mushrooms would be popular, so she picked a lot of wild mushrooms in advance, but she didn't expect them to be in short supply so quickly.
Just after noon, a whole basket of ground mushrooms was used up.
When Jin Yu went out to buy groceries, she passed by Lin's restaurant and was immediately attracted by the enticing aroma.
He was now a loyal customer of Lin's Restaurant and would never allow himself to try any new dishes. He immediately bought a plate of fried mushrooms and ate them while he went to buy the things Xu Zhiheng needed.
After buying his things, he took a detour and bought two more portions, secretly slipping the money into Lin Xiaoniangzi's bamboo basket. His husband had said that he had to pay for his own cravings. Holding two full portions of fried mushrooms, Jin Yu happily went home.
"My lord! Look what I brought back for you!" Jin Yu pushed the two bamboo tubes in front of Xu Zhiheng. "These are fried mushrooms. Lin Xiaoniangzi set up a pot at the door and fried them fresh. They smell amazing!"
Xu Zhiheng was looking at a map of Jianglin City when Jin Yu kept chattering beside him, making so much noise that he couldn't stand it anymore. So he simply put away the map, grabbed a plate of fried mushrooms, and started eating.
The taste was truly amazing.
He glanced at the sky outside the window and guessed that it was already lunchtime. "Let's go eat at Lin's Restaurant today."
Jin Yu, who had been happily munching on fried mushrooms, immediately stood up from her chair upon hearing Xu Zhiheng's words: "Great! Great! I'd like to buy another serving of fried mushrooms, and..."
Xu Zhiheng rubbed his temples and walked away without looking back.
Jin Yu quickly stuffed the last fried mushroom into her mouth and called out, "Hey! My lord, wait for me!"
~
Lin Yao washed her face, and the oiliness on her face lessened a little. The fumes from frying mushrooms had covered her face; she hadn't noticed it while she was busy selling fried mushrooms, but now that she had some free time, she felt a stuffy discomfort on her face. If only she had some face wash.
After wiping her face, she called Liu Xu aside and said, "Brother Xu, we don't have enough ground mushrooms in the shop. You should leave work half an hour early today and tell Grandpa Village Head when you get back to the village that we're buying ground mushrooms. We'll buy any that everyone else in the village picks, except my uncle's family. It's five coins per pound, the more the better. You and Brother Dazhuang will check and weigh them together at the end." After saying that, Lin Yao caught sight of Xu Zhiheng bringing Jin Yu into the shop and quickly went to greet them.
Liu Xu agreed to each of them.
Ah Zhu carried a plate of grilled fish to the counter and saw Liu Xu standing by the counter without saying a word, seemingly lost in thought. He asked, "Brother Xu, what are you looking at?"
"It's nothing, let's get back to work." Liu Xu composed himself and continued to entertain the guests.
Lin Yao led Xu Zhiheng and Jin Yu to an empty seat and asked Afu to bring two bowls of white rice and two large white steamed buns.
She took out a small jar of sauce from behind the counter and said, "Try this. This is my newly made mushroom sauce. You can mix it with rice, add it to noodles, dip it in steamed buns or bread, or even roll it in a pancake."
As soon as Lin Yao lifted the lid of the earthenware jar, a rich aroma mixed with the scents of dogwood, mushrooms, and meat wafted out.
Xu Zhiheng took a small piece of steamed bun and lightly dipped it in the sauce. The first taste was a rich, savory aroma, followed by layers of spicy flavor. Finely chopped mushroom pieces and minced pork were crushed between his teeth, the meaty fragrance and the umami of the mushrooms blending together. The more he chewed, the more he could appreciate the rich layers of the sauce. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his gaze fell on the earthenware pot: "Miss Lin's sauce is fragrant, spicy, and rich; the mushrooms and minced pork complement each other perfectly."
Jin Yu hurriedly scooped out a large spoonful with a wooden ladle. The bright red sauce, coated with plump shiitake mushroom pieces and finely chopped pork, glistened enticingly. He mixed it into the rice, turning the grains a vibrant color. With one bite, the spicy and fragrant flavors danced on his tongue. The unique taste of the shiitake mushrooms, the savory aroma of the pork, and the spiciness intertwined. His eyes widened, and he exhaled as he scooped out another large spoonful: "This sauce is so fragrant and spicy, the shiitake mushrooms are chewy, and the minced pork adds so much flavor!"
Seeing that they had a good impression of it, Lin Yao continued, "Young Master Xu, would you sell this sauce?"
Xu Zhiheng tapped his fingertips on the table: "Yes, I can sell it. How much can you supply? How long can this sauce be stored?"
Lin Yao calculated: "If we rely solely on myself and the shop assistants, we can supply one hundred bottles every three days, which can be stored for two months if sealed properly."
“The time is too short.” Xu Zhiheng frowned slightly. “Long-distance transportation has many variables, and most of it will probably be damaged by the time it reaches the destination.”
Lin Yao's heart sank, thinking it was hopeless. Just as she was about to speak, Xu Zhiheng changed the subject: "It's not that there's no way. I have caravans and manpower, and the transportation can be several times faster. But if we cooperate, the profit sharing this time will be changed to 20/80." His eyes were piercing. "Fast horse transportation costs a lot of money, and I will bear this part of the cost. So the profit sharing ratio will be more favorable than yours."
Lin Yao beamed with joy. In ancient times, the price of a good horse could be equivalent to several years' expenses for an ordinary family, not to mention that the people escorting goods in a caravan must also be highly skilled. Naturally, she had no objection: "What Young Master Xu says is absolutely right!"
After the business deal was completed, Lin Yao returned to the kitchen with satisfaction.
Jin Yu took a steamed bun, piled a large spoonful of mushroom sauce on it, took a big bite, and looked very pleased. Watching Lin Yao leave happily, he felt that Lin Yao had been ripped off and was still counting money for them. "My lord, how can you be so stingy? Lin Yao doesn't earn money easily, anyway we also need… Oh! My lord, why did you kick me!"
Xu Zhiheng put another steamed bun into Jin Yu's bowl. "Eat your steamed bun. So much food can't shut you up. I have my own plans."
As Lin Youfu carried the mutton and wine he had just bought back to the village, he passed by Lin's Eatery. Looking at the bustling eatery, he spat viciously. Just as he was about to leave, he saw Liu Xu standing at the door, greeting and seeing off customers. The two locked eyes, and Lin Youfu waved the five-pound mutton in his hand, giving a meaningful smile.
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Author's Note: Jin Yu: How was this made? (chewing) It's so delicious! (chewing) I want to buy five cans! No, no! Ten cans! (chewing) [starry eyes]
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