Now that summer has arrived, it is normal to see a decrease in the number of customers in restaurants and bars.

The reason why Xu Ji still has so many customers at the beginning of summer is that she always likes to prepare new food on weekdays. 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. Preparing new food can keep diners thinking about it.

Last summer, she made all kinds of shrimp and snail meat in juice.

This year I made stir-fried red fruits and brown sugar milk mochi.

In summer, no one can resist eating some sweet and sour brown candies and having a bowl of cold dessert after a meal.

Edible ice is too expensive, so Xu Qinyu couldn't bear to buy it. She bought inedible ice, which is much cheaper. The finished dessert is placed in a large wooden basin to be chilled and 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 opened restaurants and hotels, Xu Qinyu never considered the restaurants and hotels in Yuanbao Town as competitors. When she saw this Madam Dong came to discuss cooperation, Xu Qinyu just smiled and said, "I wonder what kind of business Madam Dong wants to discuss with me?"

Mrs. Dong saw 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 said frankly: "My husband and I are very impressed by Miss Xu's cooking skills. In fact, I have tasted Mr. Xu's cooking skills. I came here today to discuss with Mr. Xu whether I can use money to buy your recipes for these dishes and desserts. Mr. Xu, don't worry, if you are willing to sell the recipes to us, we will not continue to open 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 1,200 taels of silver for the recipe of each dish. We can buy all the recipes for Xu's breakfast and dinner."

There are more than twenty signature dishes of Xu's Restaurant, not to mention other dishes, desserts, and snacks for breakfast and dinner. Xu's current menu of breakfast, dinner, drinks, and desserts exceeds fifty. If you want to buy them all, you will need fifty thousand taels of silver.

The reason why the Dong family is so wealthy and powerful 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's Cookbook has a history of one hundred years. All the members of the Dong family are cooks. I heard that some of their ancestors were chefs, so there is a Dong's Cookbook.

She is the only daughter of the Dong family, so Dong's father picked the most talented cook 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 was the chef of Donglai Ju, and the couple lived 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 be well-funded.

Dong has no talent as a cook. It’s not that her father has not taught her cooking, but the food she cooks is just so-so. It’s fine for her to make some home-cooked meals for her family, but it’s definitely impossible for her to open a restaurant or a wine shop.

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 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 Xu Ji's owner 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 her a ton of money in any wealthy state. It's just a matter of time.

Moreover, she never thought that the recipes of these dishes belonged to her from the beginning, and she 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 cooking 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 history, countless delicious foods have been passed down.

Even though the dynasty she lives in now is not the same as her later generation, culinary skills are still in their infancy.

Salt, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ginger and green onions are basically used in cooking.

Unlike later generations, there are hundreds 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 culinary skills could become her apprentice 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 hotels to promote the cuisine.

But for some reason, when she was recruiting chefs before, no one was willing to be an apprentice in her restaurant.

Actually, I am an apprentice, but I am also helping in the kitchen. I need to cook on weekdays and I will be 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.

Her cooking skills were already well known, but still no one came.

After thinking it over, Xu Qinyu told Mrs. Dong, "Madam Dong, I'm not going to hide it from you. I don't plan to sell these recipes."

Dong thought it was true, but she was not too disappointed. In fact, Yue Weimin asked her to come and test the restaurant, saying that after Xu Ji opened, the number of customers had indeed decreased. More than half a year ago, Weimin urged her to come and talk to Miss Xu, wanting to buy Xu Ji's recipe. But she felt it was not right. She also saw that the business in the restaurant was getting quieter and quieter in the past few days, but Xu Ji's business was not affected at all, so she came here on impulse.

Moreover, she only dared to ask whether the recipe was for sale, and promised Xu Qinyu not to 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 it will not be a problem for them to open a big restaurant. Xu's now makes a lot of profit every month, so they are not short of money, but of manpower. Otherwise, Mr. Xu should have been able to open a bigger restaurant long ago.

It’s easy for things to go wrong when brothers go into business together, let alone when they are competitors in restaurants and bars.

Before Mrs. Dong could say anything, Miss Xu said, "Although I won't sell the recipe, I can teach it. The chef or assistant chef of Mrs. Dong's restaurant can come here to learn from me for two or three years. It's just right for them to come to my restaurant to help for two or three years. I will pay them and they 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 she willing to teach her cooking skills to others 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 father was a wealthy man, 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 was not reluctant. 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 there would be a chef who could come and learn cooking skills from her and help with the 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 and has two sons and one daughter.

Because Yue Weimin was married into the family, her eldest son took her surname and was called Dongqian. He is already 23 years old this year and has become her biological son.

The second son was named Yue Xi.

Originally, Yue Weimin promised Dong's father that he 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 boy or girl, 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, and he took Yue's surname.

Dong also has a youngest daughter who is only fifteen years old this year and also has the same surname as her.

When Dong returned home, Yue Weiming had already washed up and was drinking tea and looking at the accounts in the study.

Although he is now the head chef of Donglai Ju, he already has many apprentices. In addition, he also has an assistant chef in the restaurant. Therefore, he does not spend much time cooking 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. Even if she had been learning cooking since she was young, she only learned how to wash, fold and cut vegetables at the beginning. The master really started teaching her cooking when she was at least ten years old. She was not allowed to be the chef, but 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. After two or three years, she started cooking. However, the dishes she made were only for the waiters under her. By the time she could really cook for the guests, she should have been seventeen or eighteen years old.

Even if Mr. Xu had a natural talent for cooking and started cooking two or three years earlier than the average person, that means that Mr. Xu was probably only cooking for three or four years.

What cooking skills can a chef who has only been cooking for three or four years have? It's nothing more than that she has many recipes at hand. It must be 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 only 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 formula from Xu Ji, also wanting to test Xu Ji.

One thousand taels of silver for each dish, such a high price. Xu Ji has more than fifty dishes, so he must have sold them for at least fifty thousand taels of silver.

Even if Xu's Restaurant had good business, it could only take in a few hundred taels of silver at most each month, and 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.

Perhaps it is those condiments that make people always think about Xu Ji’s food. Condiments that can make people addicted 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 restaurant be willing to sell her the recipes for those dishes?"

"Ms. Xu is not willing." Dong went over and sat down, telling the truth.

Yue Weimin snorted softly, "I knew she wouldn't sell recipes. Sure enough, she refused more than 50,000 taels of silver. I'm afraid the recipes of her dishes are not simple at all."

Dong was stunned for a moment, "Why did you say that, old man?"

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, who were both chefs and 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 was expensive, and he took it for several years. He became neither human nor ghost, became abnormally thin, and lost all his family business.

Dong's father was also young at that time, only about ten years old, but he already understood the situation and watched 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 or anything addictive, and the same applies to 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. You can lie there and do nothing, just like a god.

But after taking it for a few years, it was visibly that his body became thinner and thinner year by year, and finally his body was completely broken down and his brain was so fuzzy that he could not recognize himself.

At this time, if he is not given Xiaoyao Powder to continue taking, he will become crazy and mad, not recognizing his relatives, and will bite anyone he sees, demanding Xiaoyao Powder.

So when Yue Weimin mentioned something addictive, she thought of Xiaoyao Powder.

That thing is that after taking it a few times, you will want to continue taking it. If you don't take it, your body will feel like it's being bitten by ants, and it will be painful and gnawing at your heart and bones.

But the food at Xu Ji is completely different. Although I miss it, it’s because it tastes good, and I won’t feel uncomfortable if I don’t eat it.

"Master, you must have misunderstood."

Dong didn't believe it. In fact, she often ate Xu's food and asked the maid to pack it for her. She didn't feel anything abnormal. She used to be in poor health and was a little thin. Since she started eating Xu's food, she gained a few pounds and her complexion became rosy. She didn't feel any discomfort even if she didn't eat on weekdays.

Yue Weimin frowned and said, "How else could she, a 17-year-old woman who has been cooking for only three or four years at most, make the food taste so good?"

"Maybe it's just that the girl is gifted."

Dong couldn't help but speak for the owner of Xu's restaurant. She still liked the owner of Xu's restaurant very much. He was able to support a family at the age of just over ten. If she had Miss Xu's cooking skills, she might 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 less intense.

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 must be 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 that she won't sell the recipe, but you can go to Xu's to be her assistant chef 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, but still didn't believe it.

"Which chef or assistant chef who can cook would be willing to be an apprentice to a teenage girl? Moreover, if you go, who knows if she can really teach you? If she just wants to keep you in the restaurant to do odd jobs, you will definitely have to sign a contract, and you can't leave even if you want to. Isn't this obviously cheating you?"

If Xu Qinyu were here, she would probably suddenly realize why no chefs were willing to come to Xu's to learn cooking from her even after she had posted the notice for a year and a half.

In her heart, Dong still felt that Miss Xu was not that kind of person.

Miss Xu would definitely not have the intention 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 has already 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 will give birth in two or three months.

Seeing his mother, Dong Qian stood up and said, "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 Ji, thinking that it was a problem with the seasoning.

After hearing this, Dong Qian said, "This young boss of Xu's is indeed a kind and righteous man. Mom, I actually want to give it a try."

In fact, Dongqian felt that there was nothing wrong with the food at Xu's Restaurant, and he ate there often. The reason his father was so convinced was just 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 not convinced.

"Brother Qian, what did you say?" Dong was stunned. "Do you want to work as a cook at Xu's?"

The eldest son Dongqian and the second son Yuexi both work as assistant chefs at Donglaiju. They have been learning cooking from their grandfather since they were young. Both of them are quite talented. Now they are both assistant chefs and have several specialties.

But Mrs. Dong could see that her husband still favored his second son more. Even when he was teaching both sons cooking, he taught his second son more.

Although the eldest son didn't say it, he could still feel it in his heart.

Dong Qian nodded, "Yes, mother, let me go to Xu's to help cook. I want to learn something from Miss Xu."

He likes to be 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, the husband would definitely be furious and might even refuse to continue teaching the eldest son.

Dong Qian said: "Mom, I have thought it through. In fact, I wanted to go earlier, but I knew Dad would be angry."

He has considered it for so long and now has a clear idea of ​​the pros and cons.

Moreover, he could see that his father cared more about his younger brother and seemed to be on guard against him, but he couldn't tell his mother directly about this for fear of making her sad. He couldn't say for sure what Donglai Residence 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, I'll go with you to ask Miss Xu tomorrow. We should also talk to your brother about this matter to see what he thinks and whether he is willing to learn cooking from Miss Xu for a few years."

Dong treated her two sons equally.

After leaving the eldest son's yard, Dong went to the second son Yue Xi's yard and told him what happened today. She also told Yue Xi, "Your brother plans to go to Xu's to be an apprentice chef. 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 won't go. I am the heir of the Dong family's recipes. What's the point of following an outsider to 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 either."

Dong sighed in her heart, 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 restaurant 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 Xu's food, they never went to the dining hall to eat. Instead, they asked the servants to buy the food and send it back to the Dong family.

Now sitting here, I find that Xu's sweeping is very clean, there is not a greasy feeling on the table, and the three waitresses are obviously very diligent.

They were all willing to hire these women who were not living well as waitresses. Everyone could see what kind of person Miss Xu was. However, her husband thought that Miss Xu must have bad intentions in trying to make her a cook.

Is this the husband she has lived with for more than 20 years?

Dong was lost in thought for a while, and then she saw a carriage parked outside.

The curtain opened and Miss Xu jumped down from 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 "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 that he was sent here to be an assistant chef and learn from her, her eyes lit up. She had been waiting for more than a year, and finally got an assistant chef. The assistant chef had been cooking for several years and knew several signature dishes, so he learned very quickly. After she taught him for a few months, the assistant chef could cook. She would 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 cook all of them by herself, it will take her forever.

Even when she is teaching a chef to teach an apprentice, she will select the cuisine that is 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, stating that she would teach him cooking to the best of her ability, but at the same time, the man had to have good character. If he had a bad character, or did something bad in the restaurant, and learned the recipe from her and sold it to other people, she would be reported to the government.