Chapter 68 Chapter 68 - Two-in-one promotion
Chai Xingyu quickly waved his hand, "No, no, it's not far, we can walk back."
Although she refused, Lin Chuntao still borrowed the small mule cart from Aunt Guizhi's house and asked Pei Ying to take them back.
It was getting late, and Chai Xingyu and his companions asked Pei Ying to come back before they even reached the city gate, so they walked back.
After separating from Pei Ying, San Bao sighed, "Master, Madam Lin's cooking skills are truly amazing! Those vegetables used to have such a strong fishy smell, but after she cooked them, they became so delicious!"
Chai Xingyu nodded, "My sister is quite impressive!"
After sighing, he turned around and looked at Sanbao and said, "How dare you say that? How many bowls of rice did you eat tonight?"
Sanbao smiled awkwardly: "Three bowls..." Then he said: "Master, you also ate three bowls."
Chai Xingyu hit him with a punch, and Sanbao sighed, "It's really not my fault for being greedy. Every one of those lunch dishes was delicious, including this pork head at night. Those guys who were drinking didn't get to eat it, otherwise they'd have to buy a pound of it every day to go with their drinks. It's so delicious!"
Chai Xingyu agreed with Sanbao's words, it was indeed true.
"Master, are we going again tomorrow?"
Chai Xingyu frowned: "Sister doesn't charge money, but it's not good for the two of us to eat there every day with our appetites, right?"
Sanbao said, "Mrs. Lin doesn't charge money, but you can buy things. You can buy food, meat, and vegetables and take them with you!"
Chai Xingyu said, "That makes sense. Giving money is a bit awkward, but bringing things is polite. It's settled then. Let's buy some things tomorrow and get a mule cart to drive over."
Sanbao smiled happily when he heard this. Chai Xingyu recalled today's dishes and shook his head worriedly.
"What are you worried about, Master? Talking to Madam Lin about this sauce?"
"Well, I must find a way to have the best of both worlds."
Listening to Chai Xingyu's words, Sanbao fell silent. How could there be the best of both worlds in business? If Madam Lin wanted more, the Chai family would have to pay more. If the Chai family paid more, Madam Shaolin would definitely feel at a loss and would not be willing to sell.
It was already dusk when the two of them got home.
Guo Jixiang and Chai Songchuan learned that he had gone to Lin Chuntao's house, so they waited for an entire afternoon until the two of them came back wandering like wandering souls.
"Stop! You still remember to come back?"
Chai Songchuan shouted angrily, and Sanbao immediately became alert. Chai Xingyu turned around and saw the two of them with a gloomy look on his face.
Guo Jixiang asked, "Sanbao, did you guys walk back?"
Sanbao replied, "No, Madam Lin borrowed a mule cart and asked Brother Pei to take us back."
Guo Jixiang frowned, "So what are you two doing?"
"We let Brother Pei go back when we got to the city gate. The young master and I walked back."
Guo Jixiang was speechless and asked again, "Have you had dinner yet?"
Sanbao chuckled and said, "I've already eaten. We ate at Madam Lin's house before coming here. The young master and I each had three bowls. We felt a little embarrassed about eating so much."
Upon hearing this, Chai Xingyu elbowed Sanbao, but unfortunately he burped in the disbelieving eyes of Guo Jixiang and Chai Songchuan.
Guo Jixiang said, "Three bowls... When has your young master ever eaten three bowls of rice?"
San Bao spoke quickly, "Madam, it's true. Madam Lin not only cooks delicious noodles, but also delicious food. At noon, the young master and I each ate three bowls. I felt a little embarrassed and ate less in the evening. Unexpectedly, she made delicious pig's head meat in the evening. We couldn't control ourselves at all."
Sanbao's words were too exaggerated, and Guo Jixiang didn't believe it at all.
But then he saw Chai Xingyu burping several times in a row, and slowly frowned.
"Don't go back to your courtyard yet. Come here, I have something to tell you."
Chai Xingyu went over and Sanbao returned to the courtyard first.
Under the pavilion, a maid brought up some washed bayberries. A gentle breeze blew by, and Guo Jixiang asked slowly, "What do you think of Lin Chunxing?"
Chai Xingyu's eyes changed slightly, "What do you mean?"
Guo Jixiang said, "If you're satisfied, your father and I will go to your house to propose marriage. I see that she doesn't talk much, but she's quick and flexible. She's a very malleable child."
Chai Xingyu took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After a long moment, he said, "She's a very capable child. What's your son like? Why do you think I broke off the engagement? I'm not worthy of a rich man, but I am worthy of a peasant girl."
Chai Xingyu was very excited and Guo Jixiang fell silent.
"I just think you are not interested in the sauce factory, so I will find you a capable wife, that's all."
Chai Xingyu said coldly, "So, now that I've taken over the soy sauce factory, I don't have to rush to get married, right?"
He seemed to be speaking in anger, which was definitely not Guo Jixiang's intention. Chai Songchuan looked at him and angrily scolded: "Why are you yelling at your mother? That's right! Now that you have taken over the soy sauce factory, there is no need to rush to get married."
Guo Jixiang tugged at Chai Songchuan and turned to look at Chai Xingyu: "If you are not interested now, then wait a little longer. But as for the sauce garden, you are our only son."
Chai Xingyu said, "Isn't it just taking over the soy sauce factory? I'll do it."
The three of them parted on bad terms. Early the next morning, Chai Xingyu went to buy a mule and a mule cart, and also bought some rice and oil.
Guo Jixiang was stunned when she heard the servant's report.
"What is he going to do?"
The servant couldn't answer this question, so Guo Jixiang went to find Chai Xingyu. Chai Xingyu said, "We're going to Sister Chuntao's house for dinner. Sanbao and I ate too much, and she didn't charge us. We're sorry, so we bought some food and took her there."
Seeing his serious expression, Guo Jixiang said, "Get two more pieces of cloth from the warehouse."
Chai Xingyu said, "No, I'm going to eat." Why would he take the cloth without a reason? It would have been more appropriate to take it yesterday, but he hadn't thought it through yesterday and only bought a few things, waiting to take it next time when he had a reason.
Lin Chuntao and her friends came to set up their stall as usual, and went straight home after selling their goods.
When Chai Xingyu and his companions arrived, Lin Chuntao and her companions had already left, so the master and servant drove the mule to chase after them.
Guo Jixiang and his men followed Chai Xingyu. They saw the two of them happily discussing what to eat and guessed what delicious food Lin Chuntao would cook.
She hadn't seen Chai Xingyu so lively for a long time. It seemed as if he was just wearing that bamboo hat casually. He was still the playful and gluttonous boy a few months ago.
Although Guo Jixiang didn't like him being playful and always going against them, she was his mother after all. If he was happy, she would be happy too.
Thinking of what Sanbao said, Guo Jixiang became curious. Is Lin Chuntao's cooking really that delicious?
If Chai Xingyu liked it so much, she could give some money to Lin Chuntao and let the cook in the house learn from Lin Chuntao. It would not be good to let Chai Xingyu really go to other people's house to eat and drink for free every day.
Chai Xingyu and his servant drove a mule cart to the market. Lin Chuntao and the others had already left, so they drove the mule cart out of the city, ready to chase after Lin Chuntao and the others. It took them almost two quarters of an hour before they saw Lin Chuntao and the others.
"Mrs. Lin! Wait for us!"
When Sanbao's voice sounded, Lin Chuntao turned around and saw Chai Xingyu and Sanbao sitting on a mule cart, slowly chasing after them.
Pei Ying said, "This Mr. Chai, could it be that he really treats you as his sister?"
Lin Chuntao detected a hint of sourness in her voice. She looked over and saw Pei Ying's face was calm, not like he had any thoughts at all.
"You want him as a brother?"
Pei Ying listened to her tone and slowly laughed.
After they approached, Lin Chuntao walked over and asked, "I thought you weren't coming today, so I didn't wait for you. Send someone to tell us later, and we'll wait for you to come back together."
Before Chai Xingyu could say anything, Sanbao said, "Madam, the young master is late because he went shopping."
Only then did Lin Chuntao see the things on their mule cart, which included grain, meat, and some dried bamboo shoots, dried beans, and the like.
"So many things, are you two bringing them to my house?"
Lin Chuntao finished speaking, and Chai Xingyu nodded hurriedly. Looking at these things, Lin Chuntao didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I didn't take your money yesterday, and you bought things? Don't be so distant between siblings. Don't do it next time."
Chai Xingyu agreed with a smile.
For several days in a row, Chai Xingyu brought Sanbao to his home for dinner, and after dinner he took them into the mountains to work. After spending a few days together, although they were not really siblings, the relationship between them became much more harmonious.
Under the scorching sun, Lin Chunxing asked Lin Chuntao, "Sister, didn't the uncle selling mutton noodles ask us to sell sauce? Would you consider it?"
Before Lin Chuntao could answer, Chai Xingyu and Sanbao beside her pricked up their ears and stopped what they were doing. Chai Xingyu thought of the old man's words, gritted his teeth and asked Lin Chuntao directly: "Sister, do you want to sell sauce?"
Lin Chuntao looked at him and smiled, "We definitely have to sell the sauce, but we haven't figured out how to sell it yet. Look, Chunxing and I need to buy some soup noodles, and your brother-in-law wants to slaughter a pig. My third and fourth sisters are too young to do this."
Chai Xingyu pursed his lips. He didn't expect that they would talk about this topic so soon. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond to Lin Chuntao's words.
Lin Chuntao sighed deeply when she saw him like that.
"I looked around the county town a few days ago, and it seemed like all the shops were selling their own products, and the categories were limited. If there was a shop that could sell a variety of things, such as fruits and vegetables, grains and oils, and dried goods, customers could just go in and look around and buy whatever they wanted."
This last sentence made everyone present fall into fantasy. Through the black veil on his hat, Chai Xingyu looked at Lin Chuntao with fanaticism. He always wanted to gather delicacies from all over the world, but others thought he was dreaming. He never expected that one day he would hear these words from another person's mouth, and every word was what he wanted.
"Sister, where can I find this?" Lin Duo'er asked. Lin Chuntao replied, "I don't know. Maybe there's one in Xuancheng? But I haven't been there, so I don't know."
As soon as she finished speaking, she looked at Chai Xingyu beside her and asked, "Brother, have you ever been to Xuancheng?"
Chai Xingyu nodded and said, "I've been there, but I didn't see the kind of shop my sister mentioned. There were some shops selling jewelry and clothes together."
Lin Chuntao said, "It's pretty much the same. That's pretty much what it means."
"If there's a shop like the one I mentioned, I'll ship directly to it. They'll specialize in selling, and we'll specialize in manufacturing. It'll save both sides the trouble, and we'll make money together. How great!"
After Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Chun Xing smiled and said, "It would be great if that were true."
Chai Xingyu looked at Lin Chuntao. He was a little nervous, but he also felt that this was a good opportunity. Since the conversation had already come to this point, of course he had to continue.
"I originally wanted to gather all the best food from around the world, and everyone laughed at me for having such a wild idea. Unexpectedly, my sister and I ended up having the same idea."
After Chai Xingyu finished speaking, Lin Chuntao looked at him and raised her eyebrows slightly. Chai Xingyu looked back at Lin Chuntao and said, "Our Chai family has been making sauces for a hundred years, but the elders still stick to the old rules. My parents hope that I will take over the sauce factory in the future. If possible, I hope that our shop will have more varieties of sauces with more flavors."
Hearing his words, Lin Chuntao's eyes lit up, as if there was light in them. Chai Xingyu seemed to have found someone with the same ideals as him. He was very excited, but he had to pretend to be calm, fearing that he would make too much noise and make Lin Chuntao think that he could not do this.
"Ayu, do you want to stock your shop with sauces from hundreds of other brands?" Lin Chuntao asked, but before he could answer, she continued, "Then the people will have a treat!"
"Sister, are you willing to be the first one?"
Chai Xingyu asked directly, and Lin Chuntao was surprised: "Ayu, are you serious?"
"Of course! If you're happy with it, I'll think of a solution. You can also tell me more about your idea."
Chai Xingyu spoke very seriously. Lin Chuntao smiled and called Lin Chunxing and the others: "Let's go home. Let's talk when we get home."
Just like that, several people put down their work and came back from the fields. Lin Chunxing went to wash potatoes and prepare to cook them for lunch, while Lin Chuntao and Chai Xingyu sat in the yard and chatted.
Pei Ying was listening next to him. He thought Lin Chuntao's words were very interesting. In fact, they were all her ideas, but she guided Chai Xingyu to speak first, and then spoke from Chai Xingyu's perspective, as if every word she said was to help Chai Xingyu with advice.
After lunch, Chai Xingyu was so excited by what he said that he could no longer sit still. He hurriedly took Sanbao back and asked Lin Chuntao to wait for his good news before leaving.
He didn't even bother with Lin Chuntao's offer to send him to the village entrance, and he drove the mule cart back quickly.
After Chai Xingyu left, the courtyard instantly became quiet. Lin Chunhe and Lin Duoer had no idea what was going on. They just thought that their sauce was going to be sold for money, so they jumped for joy.
But through the anger of Lin Chuntao and Lin Chunxing, the two sisters smiled at each other.
On the way back, Chai Xingyu was filled with excitement. Sanbao asked beside him, "Master, are you going to tell the master and the mistress about this?"
Chai Xingyu looked back at him and said in a deep voice, "You must keep this a secret and don't tell anyone. Wait until it's done before telling them."
Sanbao nodded, but he felt that this was a bit difficult. He just listened to Chai Xingyu saying: "When we enter the city, we will find paper and pen to write a letter to the second sister."
It takes quite a while for non-urgent letters to travel from Xuanhe County to Hegui Prefecture.
When Chai Jiao heard the letter from home, she thought something had happened. But when she saw her brother's poor handwriting, she realized it was Chai Xingyu himself writing to her. Chai Xingyu wrote down his recent disagreements with his parents and his ideas, asking Chai Jiao if they were feasible. He even wrote a few bold words at the end, which made Chai Jiao smile knowingly.
She knew that Chai Xingyu would be in charge of the family's soy sauce factory in the future, and she hoped that it would get better and better. However, the factory had not produced any new flavors that everyone liked over the years. Chai Xingyu wanted to find another way. Although it was bold, it was also a way out, which was better than sticking to the old ways.
She wanted to reply, but then she remembered that Mid-Autumn Festival was coming soon. After Mid-Autumn Festival, her husband had to go on business, and she could go back home. So she put the letter away, thinking of giving Chai Xingyu a surprise when she got home.
There was no news from Chai Xingyu, but Lin Chuntao was not in a hurry. Mid-Autumn Festival was coming soon, so shouldn't their small noodle shop hold a small event?
"Sister, what is a promotion?" Lin Chunxing asked with a puzzled look on her face.
Lin Chuntao explained it in a simple and easy-to-understand way. Lin Chunxing shook her head slightly. During all these days of selling soup noodles, she had never seen the promotion activities that her sister mentioned.
"So what are we going to do?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Let's just give away eggs. I won't bother with anything. In our shop, you can get an egg if you spend more than ten coins. I'm now deciding whether to make braised eggs or just give away raw eggs."
Lin Chunxing frowned slightly. A raw egg costs one cent each, and a braised egg needs to be cooked with spices, which is even more expensive. Wouldn't she be losing money if she gave it away for free?
But everything has always been Lin Chuntao's idea. Since she said so, there should be no loss.
Thinking of this, she said to Lin Chuntao, "I think we should try braised eggs. If the customers like them, we can sell braised eggs as well."
Lin Chuntao looked at her and said, "You can sell them as well, but the price of eggs can't be too high. The price of three cents for braised eggs is probably too high. If all else fails, just three cents for one, or five cents for two."
Lin Chunxing said: "If someone wants to eat braised eggs, we will not only sell them, but also have to eat a bowl of noodles."
Lin Chuntao laughed when she heard this. It wasn't uncommon to make dumplings for a dish of vinegar, so it was settled. She took an egg to test the waters.
On August 12, Lin Chunxing hung a plaque in front of the shop to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. On the 14th, 15th and 16th, anyone who eats noodles at Lin’s Soup Noodle Shop will receive a braised egg!
Every household has eggs, so what’s so special about these braised eggs?
When Lin Chunxing put up the sign, Lin Chuntao hadn't arrived yet. Ah Si and the others in the pork shop curiously asked Lin Chunxing, "Second Madam, what do the braised eggs taste like?"
Lin Chunxing smiled and said, "It's spicy and mellow. I'm not really good at describing it, and I didn't bring any today. I'll bring some when the time comes, Brother Si, so you can come and try it."
Ah Si smiled and nodded, then hurriedly took Liuzi to deliver the meat.
Everyone knows what eggs taste like, but few know what braised eggs taste like. An egg costs one penny, and the spices used in the braising process are expensive, so no one is so extravagant as to buy spiced braised eggs.
When Lin Chuntao arrived at the market, there were a lot of people gathered in front of the stall. Lin Chuntao thought something had happened, so she hurried over and found that everyone was looking at the sign.
An old lady looked at Lin Chunxing and asked, "Young shopkeeper, we don't know what's written on your sign. Can't we use gongs and drums to promote our business?"
Lin Chunxing thought about the gongs and drums, and she smiled at the old lady and explained, "Auntie, to thank our new and old customers and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, on August 14th, 15th, and 16th, eat a bowl of noodles here and get a free braised egg! For three days in a row!"
Finally, Lin Chunxing said to the onlookers, "Sisters, aunts, and grandmas, go back and tell your neighbors, relatives, and friends that after these three days, we'll have to pay for our braised eggs."
There were so many people asking questions that it took a long time to explain, and Lin Chunxing was so thirsty that her mouth was dry.
Lin Chuntao rented a gong and cymbals and stood in front of the stall, shouting, "To give back to our old and new customers and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th, anyone who eats noodles at our Lin's Soup Noodle Shop on the 14th, 15th, and 16th will receive a free braised egg. It's a unique recipe and a unique flavor you won't find anywhere else! Uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters, first come, first served!"
The people at the market turned to look over at the shouting, only to hear Lin Chuntao repeat, "On the 14th, 15th, and 16th, anyone who eats noodles at our Lin Ji Soup Noodle Shop will receive a free braised egg. First come, first served!"
Now those who didn’t hear it just now can hear it clearly: Lin’s Noodle Shop is giving away eggs.
After two days of shouting, Lin Chuntao bought more than 200 eggs. She also asked Pei Ying to make 30 more pairs of number plates, fearing that there would not be enough plates when there were too many people queuing.
Although it was a small event, Lin Chuntao felt that there would definitely be more people than usual.
If there are a lot of people, you have to prepare early, but don't let there be trouble due to too many people, and ruin your reputation. You have to give it a try.
Lin Chuntao borrowed the stove in Helan's backyard in advance to boil water, and bought a small clay stove, preparing to cook on all four stoves at the same time.
I also ordered noodles from the noodle shop owner in advance, bought all the meat and vegetables and brought them back, ready to have a big meal tomorrow.
Lin Chunxing was excited for a long time, and when she turned around, she found that the braised eggs that Lin Chuntao had said were made had not been made yet!
"Sister, when are we going to make the marinated eggs?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I'll make it later. There's no rush. I'll put it in a jar and soak it later. I can take it with me tomorrow."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Lin Duo'er and Lin Chunhe and said, "Chunhe, come with us and be busy for a few days."
Lin Chunhe nodded, and Lin Duoer said quickly, "Sister, I want to go too."
Lin Chuntao looked at her and smiled. A few days ago, she felt too lazy to go, but now that everyone was busy, she wanted to join in the fun.
Forget it, it would be safer to just lock the door than to let her watch the house.
"Then let's go together."
There were a lot of things to bring tomorrow, so Lin Chuntao and the others did not go to the fields to work after lunch. They were busy picking and washing vegetables, washing eggs, chopping meat and cooking bone soup.
The other things just require more preparation, but what they are more curious about is what the braised eggs taste like.
Wash the eggs, put them into the pot and boil them in plain water. After they are cooked, Lin Chuntao takes them out and starts to stir-fry the marinade ingredients, including onion, ginger, garlic, fennel, star anise, bay leaves, peppercorns, and cinnamon. After the aroma comes out, add the chili peppers and stir-fry until the peppers turn golden brown. Then add the sauce and continue to stir-fry. Finally, add water. Peel all the eggs that have just been boiled and put them into the soup to start cooking.
Lin Chuntao added an appropriate amount of salt, covered it with straw and started cooking.
As the water boiled, the fragrance emanated from the straw. The sisters sniffed and licked their lips. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Wait a little longer. This needs to be soaked after it's boiled so that it can absorb the flavor. It tastes better when it absorbs the flavor."
After hearing what Lin Chuntao said, Lin Chunxing suddenly asked, "Sister, will this be enough for us to sell tomorrow?"
Lin Chuntao was very confident, but it was actually her first time doing this, so she was a little nervous.
"Two hundred and sixty, that should be enough to sell."
Lin Chunxing felt that it might not be enough, but Lin Chuntao still adhered to the principle of leaving it for tomorrow if it was not enough, and it was better to have less than leftover, so that was all.
Not long after, Lin Chuntao opened the lid and took a look. The white egg had begun to change color.
The fragrance became stronger and stronger, and the sisters were drooling with greed.
Since they moved out, they can be said to have eaten well, with eggs and meat available frequently. Even so, looking at the braised eggs in the pot now, they are still very greedy.
After cooking for about three quarters of an hour, Lin Chuntao removed the firewood, scooped the eggs into the jar, scooped some of the soup into it, covered it with gauze, and put it into the house.
"Let's eat it later. It's not tasty enough now."
As evening approached, the preparations for tomorrow were almost finished. The meat filling was chopped, the vegetables were washed and drained, and Pei Ying's bamboo matching cards were also ready. They simply fried a few dishes and prepared for dinner.
Lin Chuntao fished out ten eggs from the jar. The eggs had been soaked and discolored, now a light brown. The heat had gone out of them, and only a faint fragrance lingered on the table. Seeing the looks in her sisters' eyes, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Take some and try them. How do you like it?"
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