Chapter 102 Chapter 102 - Two in One -
Qin Suyun said, "Our restaurant's dishes are light. I wonder if your sauce is spicy, Madam?"
Guo Jixiang got straight to the point, and Qin Suyun was also straightforward. Hearing her direct question, Guo Jixiang said, "We have several kinds of sauces, both spicy and mild. Shopkeeper Qin, you can try them and see which one you need."
Qin Suyun agreed.
Guo Jixiang and Chai Jiao glanced at each other and then at Lin Chuntao. Qin Suyun smiled and said, "If I need Chuntao's flavor of sauce, I'll get it from her."
Lin Chuntao smiled when she heard that.
Chai Jiao thought that it was normal for several businesses to purchase goods from each other, but at the same time, the shop owners of the businesses whose goods were purchased would definitely be unhappy if they knew that their customers were purchasing goods from the other party, especially if it was the same thing.
Furthermore, considering the relationship between Qin Suyun and Lin Chuntao, Lin Chuntao would be unhappy if Qin Suyun had the idea of going to the Chai family to get the sauce, right?
But Lin Chuntao reacted so calmly.
For a moment, they all thought that Lin Chuntao was too scheming, which was why she remained expressionless and her emotions were undetectable.
They had breakfast together. Qin Suyun was a little busy and Lin Chuntao also had to go find Chai Xingyu, so she didn't stay long. She told Qin Suyun that she would come to see her another day and left.
Qin Suyun smiled and said, "Remember to tell me in advance when you are moving."
Lin Chuntao nodded.
"I know."
After exiting the restaurant, the Chai family's carriage stopped outside. Guo Jixiang called out to Lin Chuntao, "Mrs. Lin, come along. We'll take you to Ayu's shop."
Lin Chuntao waved her hand, "Madam and the Second Miss, please go ahead. I can go by myself."
Chai Jiao frowned slightly. "Mrs. Lin is already doing business with A-Yu. We'll be family from now on. Why be so formal?"
Lin Chuntao: Who is your family?
The carriage's pedals had already been put in place, and Chai Jiao had already stepped on them, with Guo Jixiang still supporting her. Lin Chuntao shrugged slightly upon hearing this, then smiled and said, "Since the Second Miss has sincerely invited you, I won't be polite."
Chai Jiao was stunned for a moment. Guo Jixiang couldn't help but chuckled and turned back to Chai Jiao and said, "Get in the car."
Chai Jiao got into the carriage. Guo Jixiang asked Lin Chuntao to get in. Lin Chuntao said, "Madam, please get in first."
Guo Jixiang did not insist and got into the carriage first, followed by Lin Chuntao.
The carriage was quite spacious. Guo Jixiang and Chai Jiao sat on one side, and Lin Chuntao sat opposite.
As soon as they sat down, Guo Jixiang asked Lin Chuntao, "Mrs. Lin, when will you start selling your sauce? Have you set a time?"
"There's no set time yet, but it should be soon."
Lin Chuntao smiled and asked, "Did Master Chai ask Madam to help him choose an auspicious day for the shop to open?"
Guo Jixiang said, "I've seen that there are two or three good dates in the latter half of this month, but Ayu hasn't decided on any yet."
Lin Chuntao nodded slightly and said nothing more.
The carriage stopped in front of Chai Xingyu's shop.
Just as Chai Xingyu was about to go out, he saw his own carriage. He narrowed his eyes. Who was looking for him?
He tilted his head and looked for a while, then saw Lin Chuntao getting off her family's carriage. His heart skipped a beat and he quickly walked over.
Guo Jixiang heard footsteps and lifted the curtain. Chai Xingyu saw Guo Jixiang and Chai Jiao inside.
"Mom, Second Sister, why are you here?"
Guo Jixiang looked at him and said, "We met Madam Lin when we went to have breakfast. We had breakfast together, and she wanted to come look for you, so we sent her over."
Lin Chuntao got off the carriage and turned around to say to Guo Jixiang, "Thank you, Madam."
Guo Jixiang nodded slightly, looked at Chai Xingyu, and then looked at Lin Chuntao, "Then you guys chat, we'll go back first."
After saying this, the coachman drove the carriage away.
Lin Chuntao followed Chai Xingyu into the shop. The shop had been renovated, and the counters and shelves were ready. Lin Chuntao also went to see the warehouse.
"Have you found any new sauce these days?" Lin Chuntao looked at Chai Xingyu and asked. Chai Xingyu frowned slightly, and Lin Chuntao rolled her eyes. "No?"
“I found some, but the taste wasn’t amazing.”
Lin Chuntao smiled when she heard that. As for sauce, every flavor has its own unique purpose. As for whether it tastes good or not, it depends on what it is eaten with. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Do you have any in the shop?"
Chai Xingyu said, "Yes." He then asked Sanbao to get some with a plate. There were pure bean sauce, shallot sauce, chopped pepper, etc. These were common in Yizhou. Lin Chuntao was not surprised at all. What surprised her was the sweet bean sauce and tomato sauce.
Chai Xingyu explained, "These two are both sweet. The shopkeeper who sent them praised them as the best in the world. I thought they were really not available, so I kept them. But now I'm a little worried. What are people going to mix with these two? I'm sure no one will buy them."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I will buy it."
Hearing this, Chai Xingyu looked up at her in surprise, "Sister, do you know what to make with this?"
"Yeah, I see." After Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Chai Xingyu breathed a sigh of relief. He was just about to ask Lin Chuntao for help when she asked, "Ayu, are we going to hold an event on the opening day?"
Chai Xingyu nodded, and Lin Chuntao said, "Since we're selling sauce, let's hold a tasting event that day. I don't think unlimited tasting is reliable, so let's use a lottery model. When the time comes, we'll beat gongs and drums to attract people to the venue, then hand out number plates to everyone, and find someone to host the lottery. Those who win can come in and try the sauce."
As Chai Xingyu listened to Lin Chuntao's words, his eyes gradually became fanatical.
Lin Chuntao said, "The shopkeepers of various sauces should all know how to eat their own sauces, right? Ask them to come up with one or two ways to eat them, and then bring them up for everyone to try and promote the sauces."
Chai Xingyu had some ideas about how to eat it, but he felt that the two sweet ones the shopkeeper said were not that delicious, so he said it out loud. Lin Chuntao smiled and asked, "The tomato one is simpler, and the one with sweet noodle sauce, is there anyone in Yizhou who sells roast duck?"
Chai Xingyu shook his head slightly, and Lin Chuntao hissed coldly, "Are you free these days? If you are, go get someone to roast a duck. Then slice the duck into thin slices, dip it in this sweet sauce, and then cut some cucumber and scallions into thin dough sheets. Wrap the duck, cucumber, and scallions in the dough sheets and eat it. It will really help alleviate the greasiness of the duck."
Chai Xingyu doesn't like eating duck meat. He thinks braised duck meat and stewed duck meat are not tasty.
Listening to how Lin Chuntao described eating it, he actually still felt a little guilty. This thing was already fishy, wouldn't it be even more disgusting if dipped in sweet sauce?
But since Lin Chuntao said so, he did it.
"Apart from this, is there any other way to eat it?" Chai Xingyu asked. Lin Chuntao thought of Qin Suyun. She pursed her lips and smiled. An idea flashed through her mind. She looked up at Chai Xingyu and said, "Yes, but I'm not good at it. However, I have a friend who might be able to make it. Wait for me to ask her."
Chai Xingyu nodded, and Lin Chuntao said, "It will be ready in four or five days. Have you set a date for the opening?"
"We've picked several dates. September 22nd, 26th, and 28th are all good. If we set September 22nd, will it be in time?"
Lin Chuntao said, "I can get the sauce for twenty. The main thing is, have you arranged the staff to sell the sauce? The price tags, the tools, and everything else."
Chai Xingyu replied, "The staff I have currently are just a few servants around me. I've hired an accountant, and the price tags and jars are all ready."
Lin Chuntao nodded slightly and said, "If we hold an event, there will be a lot of people. If we want to avoid any trouble, we can inform the government officials and invite them to come."
Chai Xingyu agreed, and the two discussed the details. After there were no problems, Lin Chuntao withdrew.
But she didn't go home directly. She went back to look for Qin Suyun again.
Qin Suyun and the others had just finished their work and were about to take a break to prepare lunch when they saw Lin Chuntao coming back. As soon as they saw each other, Lin Chuntao asked straight to the point, "Are you busy? I have something to tell you."
Qin Suyun smiled and said, "Come in and talk inside."
Lin Chuntao entered the house and saw two people sitting behind the door, an older woman and a tall and slender scholar.
Seeing Lin Chuntao's look, Qin Suyun and Lin Chuntao introduced: "This is my husband, and this is my mother-in-law."
Lin Chuntao nodded slightly and said to the woman, "Hello, Madam." Lin Chuntao just nodded slightly to the scholar.
The two looked at Lin Chuntao with rather indifferent eyes, especially the woman, who looked rather cold than directed at anyone else. Qin Suyun said to them, "Mother, husband, this is Lin Chuntao, a good friend I met in Yizhou."
The two of them nodded slightly after hearing what she said.
Then she led Lin Chuntao upstairs and into the house. Qin Suyun pulled open the bamboo curtain from the inside. The curtain looked like modern Venetian blinds, but it was made of bamboo strips. This could prevent eavesdropping or peeping.
Lin Chuntao watched her movements and smiled, "It was inconvenient just now. We only met briefly last time and didn't have time to talk about anything else."
Qin Suyun sighed and said to Lin Chuntao, "I've been wanting to talk to you for a long time. I see you've been very busy lately."
Lin Chuntao also sighed: "It's really the pressure of life. I'm busy every day making money and saving money to build a house."
Qin Suyun laughed helplessly, "Is this the reason you came here?"
Lin Chuntao nodded and asked, "When did you come?"
Qin Suyun: "This year's first month."
Lin Chuntao: "I am May."
As they talked, they pulled out chairs and sat down, still observing the outside at all times. Qin Suyun asked Lin Chuntao: "Have you finished reading this novel?"
Lin Chuntao was bewildered. "What?"
Qin Suyun's eyes widened, and she lowered her voice and said to Lin Chuntao, "You don't know that we are wearing a novel, do you?"
"Huh?" Now it was Lin Chuntao's turn to be shocked. She shook her head. "I don't know. What kind of book is this?"
Qin Suyun said, "It's a romantic novel about farming. The heroine is the daughter of a local chieftain, and the hero is the son of a marquis. They went from being at odds with each other due to language barriers and different perspectives to falling in love. Together, they made outstanding contributions to ensuring the safety and well-being of the people who migrated south and the locals."
After Qin Suyun finished speaking, Lin Chuntao said, "My name shouldn't appear in the book, right? If I were an important character, you would have told me last time I mentioned it."
Qin Suyun smiled and nodded when she heard that.
Lin Chuntao asked her, "What about the character you are wearing?"
Qin Suyun sighed, "My character is a bit of a cannon fodder. She and the hero were verbally engaged by their parents, but she fell in love with the hero's younger brother over time, forcing the hero to leave home and marry him."
Lin Chuntao was stunned when she heard this. "Isn't my life in danger?"
Qin Suyun said, "I don't think so. This character committed suicide later on, when the hero and the chieftain's daughter were in love, and then he committed all kinds of mischief. I definitely wouldn't do that. If necessary, I can guard the door for them both and lock them up. That way, there won't be any problems."
Lin Chuntao nodded and breathed a sigh of relief.
"If it's this way, it's better. Your life is more important."
Lin Chuntao originally thought she had traveled to a strange and imaginary dynasty, but unexpectedly it was in a book. If she hadn't met Qin Suyun, she might never have known about it.
Qin Suyun wore it while reading after get off work. She wasn't reading, she just accidentally fell and wore it. Really...
Since she has already put on the clothes, she will just leave it at that for now. She is lucky. At least she and Qin Suyun are from the same hometown, and Qin Suyun is about the same age as her before she put on the clothes. However, Qin Suyun's family is from the north, while Lin Chuntao's is from the south.
Lin Chuntao thought about her purpose and asked hurriedly, "Can you cook a lot of dishes?"
Qin Suyun nodded and said modestly, "Not bad."
Lin Chuntao said, "I made a sauce. The young master of the Chai family opened a shop, and I'm selling my sauce there. It opens on September 22nd, and we're going to have a tasting event, using the sauce to make dishes. I just went to see him and found that he made a sweet noodle sauce and a tomato sauce. I don't know what dishes he's going to make. Are you interested in coming?"
Qin Suyun's eyes lit up, "I'll go there on behalf of our restaurant?"
Lin Chuntao nodded. "Yes, then you can say it's a new dish in your restaurant. Let people know what dishes can be made with the sauce, and if they like it, they can buy it back to eat. Then, if someone eats your dish and likes the taste, they will come to your restaurant."
"Kill two birds with one stone!" Qin Suyun said.
Lin Chuntao: "Yeah."
Qin Suyun asked, "What about you? Do you mainly sell sauce?"
"Yes, I mainly sell sauces. I'm too busy with other things for the time being."
Qin Suyun nodded slightly. "The sauce you made is delicious and homely. I'm sure many people will buy it."
Lin Chuntao thought of the recipes in the system, and she said to Qin Suyun, "If you have any sauce you want, you can tell me. I'll see if I can make it for you."
Qin Suyun raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at her: "You haven't told me what you did before you came here? Are you a big shot?"
Lin Chuntao hissed coldly, "Unemployed vagrant."
Qin Suyun said: "Okay, it's better than being a social animal."
The two smiled at each other.
She and Qin Suyun only gave a general idea, but they both tacitly agreed not to talk about what they had done before. Lin Chuntao guessed that she might have heard of Qin Suyun's name, and if she talked about it, she would be exposed.
Qin Suyun also suspected at this time that she had heard of Lin Chuntao and said she wanted to expose her.
Forget it, let's keep a little bit of freshness. From now on, Lin Chuntao will be her half-sister in this world.
The two chatted for a while, discussing what dishes to prepare. Lin Chuntao said, "Think about it first. I have to go back home today. I might come to deliver the sauce on the 19th or 20th. We can meet again then."
Qin Suyun said, "Okay, and also asked you to give me your home address so I can come find you when I have time."
"Our village is called Shuangzi Village. If you are free to come here someday, go find Chun Xing and come with her."
After the matter was completely settled, Lin Chuntao hurried back.
Lin Chunxing was still very busy at the market. Lin Chuntao took a walk and bought two large bundles of bitter herbs.
There were still people working at home, so Lin Chuntao didn't wait for Lin Chunxing and Pei Ying. She carried the two bundles of bitter vegetables home directly.
At this time at home, Lin Chunhe had just steamed the rice and was preparing to cook.
Because Lin Chuntao cooks every day and everyone likes her cooking so much, my aunt and the others are worried that no one will like the dishes they cook. What should they do then?
Unexpectedly, Lin Chuntao came back.
My aunt looked at the two bundles of bitter herbs she was carrying and said with a smile, "Are you going to make sauerkraut? I see there's still some in the jar."
Lin Chuntao said, "To make dried pickled vegetables."
My aunt-in-law and the others thought that this seemed to be the same as sauerkraut, so they didn't ask any more questions.
She took the two bundles of vegetables from Lin Chuntao.
When Lin Chuntao came back, she took over the cooking. Since her aunt and the others had nothing to do, she asked, "Do you want to wash these vegetables? I'll drain them for you first."
Lin Chuntao nodded and thanked her aunt.
After they finished their lunch at noon, Lin Chunxing and Pei Yingcai came back with two sets of pig offal.
The rice was a little cold, so Lin Chuntao heated it up for them. Lin Chunxing also bought some noodles in her backpack to make noodle soup with a new flavor in the evening.
It’s actually a version with pickled vegetables, so it has a bit of sour taste.
Pei Ying had washed the pig intestines and lungs several times in the morning. Lin Chuntao rinsed them twice more, checked to make sure there was no dirt left, and then started to stew them.
The drained vegetables were dried in the sun for half a day and then wilted. After they wilted, they could be cut and kneaded. It wasn't too much. While the large intestine was being braised, Lin Chuntao packed the pickled vegetables into jars.
Since building the house, Lin Chuntao has been so busy that she doesn't even have time to take a nap.
As for Chai Xingyu, after discussing with Lin Chuntao, he immediately invited the opera troupe, and then went to find the other shop owners who made the sauce to confirm the delivery time, and asked them to think about what dishes their sauces would be most suitable for.
He went home for lunch after finishing his work, but he was late. Chai Jiao asked, "What did Madam Lin want to see you about? Are you guys getting ready to open?"
"Yes, it's settled. It's the 22nd."
Guo Jixiang and Chai Songchuan exchanged a glance, and then Chai Songchuan coughed and asked, "What are you going to do on the opening day?"
"Have you invited the opera troupe?"
Chai Xingyu: “Yes.”
"I'm afraid there will be too many people. I'll go and greet the officials tomorrow or the day after tomorrow and invite them to try the food."
Chai Songchuan frowned, "What are you trying to taste? You want the official to eat the sauce?"
Chai Xingyu chuckled, "Our sauce is put in the dish, so of course it's a tasting dish."
"Who cooks your dishes? Do you want to hire a chef?" Guo Jixiang asked.
Chai Xingyu said, "Whoever's sauce is used in the dish should make it."
After he finished speaking, Chai Songchuan, Guo Jixiang, and Chai Jiao all fell silent. After a long while, Chai Jiao tentatively asked, "Did you come up with this idea yourself?"
Chai Xingyu smiled and said, "Sister Chuntao is thinking about this. What did you eat for lunch? I'm starving."
Hearing him shouting that he was hungry, Guo Jixiang hurriedly asked someone to go to the kitchen.
After entering the house and sitting down, Guo Jixiang poured him a glass of water. Maybe it was because he went out frequently or what, but Guo Jixiang felt that the scar on his face didn't seem so scary anymore, and Chai Xingyu's expressions became much more natural.
Chai Jiao muttered behind him, "I have to say, Lin Chuntao is quite smart."
Chai Xingyu just smiled and didn't say anything. His second sister has always looked down on farm girls like Lin Chuntao, and she wouldn't understand Lin Chuntao's strengths even if he told her.
In the future, when his shops are all over Yizhou, and the sauce made by Lin Chuntao is as famous as the Chai family's sauce factory is now, they will understand without him saying anything.
Time passed quickly. On the 19th, Lin Chuntao looked at the sauce and decided that it didn't need to be dried anymore. She told Chai Xingyu about it, and Chai Xingyu said, "Then let's bring the sauce here tomorrow."
Chai Xingyu bought several mule carts for himself, which were very convenient for transporting things on country roads.
Early in the morning of the 20th, Chai Xingyu came with his men in a horse-drawn carriage. Six jars of sauce were taken away by three mule carts. Lin Chuntao followed them to the county town. The scale at home was smaller, and Chai Xingyu had a large beam scale. After weighing it, he found that the six jars of sauce weighed 1,189 kilograms, excluding the weight of the jars.
Chai Xingyu put the sauce into the warehouse, recorded the account, wrote the order and signed it. The advance payment Chai Xingyu gave last time was fifty taels, so there was no need to settle the bill for this sauce. Everyone just recorded the amount and signed it and it was done.
Chai Xingyu brought the people working in the shop to meet Lin Chuntao. Lin Chuntao was most familiar with Sanbao, and the others were her first meeting.
They are all people that Chai Xingyu trusts very much, but Lin Chuntao is not sure whether they can sell things or serve customers well.
Lin Chuntao thought of Zhang Qingqing. It would be painful for her to take out the thirty taels of silver now.
But Zhang Qingqing's indenture was in the hands of her employer, so she couldn't go out to work.
Lin Chuntao was a little worried.
When they met, Chai Xingyu let them go about their business.
Although it was Chai Xingyu's shop, the poor sales also affected her. After thinking about it, she said to Chai Xingyu, "Ayu, I think the shop still needs two people who are very skilled in selling things and can greet customers well."
Chai Xingyu said, "To be honest with you, Sister Chuntao, I'm afraid that if I hire people now, they'll stuff them into our shop, so I have to hire people I trust first. Do you have any good people over there?"
"There is one, but I'm not sure if he can come."
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