Chapter 23 Cooperation
As I recall, Li Youshan often came to the town to sell game. I heard him say that Zuixianju used to have good business, but was later suppressed by Ruifulou, causing business to get worse and worse.
The two walked into the restaurant. There was only one table of guests in the restaurant. The waiter hurriedly came forward and said, "Please come in, both of you."
Li Wanyue nodded and looked towards the restaurant counter. The owner sighed with a worried look on his face.
There are only twenty dishes on the menu in front of the counter.
She walked over and said, "Meet the shopkeeper."
Shopkeeper Wu raised his head and smiled: "Sir, please take a seat and ask the waiter to order the dishes."
Li Wanyue smiled and said, "I want to ask the shopkeeper, do we have any dishes related to spring bamboo shoots in our restaurant?"
The smile on Shopkeeper Wu's face faded. Was this girl making fun of him? Judging from her clothes, she was just an ordinary peasant girl. How could she not know that bamboo shoots were not edible?
He didn't get angry, and replied politely: "The bamboo shoots are astringent and numb, and are really inedible. Of course, our restaurant doesn't have this dish."
Li Wanyue also noticed the change in his expression, but she could understand it.
"Boss, I know how to process spring bamboo shoots to remove the astringent taste. I have some processed ones here. Would you like to try them?"
The shopkeeper looked skeptical, but since it was related to business, he naturally wanted to give it a try. If he continued like this, the shop would be closed soon, and he felt guilty towards his young master.
"Okay, what's your name, young lady?"
"Your surname is Li."
"Miss Li, have you finished frying the bamboo shoots?"
"No, freshly cooked ones taste better. If possible, I'd like to borrow the kitchen. If they don't taste good, I'll pay the owner for the ingredients."
"That's not necessary. It's just some ingredients. Feel free to use them, young lady. I'll take you to the kitchen."
In the kitchen, several chefs were racking their brains to think of new dishes. When they saw Manager Wu, they all stood up.
Shopkeeper Wu waved his hand and looked at Li Wanyue: "Do you need them to step aside?"
Li Wanyue had a good impression of the shopkeeper, but spring bamboo shoots are delicious no matter how they are stir-fried, so there is no problem with the recipe.
"Need not."
"Okay, if the girl needs help, just ask them to help."
"Thank you, shopkeeper."
Li Wanyue just asked for help in cutting some meat slices while she started by making braised spring bamboo shoots. The store had more seasonings and it would be quicker to make.
In a short while, the two dishes, braised spring bamboo shoots and fried winter bamboo shoots with meat, were ready.
It’s a pity that the store doesn’t have Chinese sausage, otherwise I could make a dish of Chinese sausage and bamboo shoots.
Shopkeeper Wu first picked up a piece of stir-fried pork with winter bamboo shoots with chopsticks. It tasted crisp and refreshing, without any astringency. His eyes lit up.
"Not bad, not bad."
I also tried the braised spring bamboo shoots in oil, which were fresh, fragrant and delicious.
Others also tried it and praised it highly.
"How come this doesn't have any astringent or numb taste?"
"Of course we have to deal with it."
Shopkeeper Wu led Li Wanyue to the backyard and asked directly, "Miss, how are you going to sell these bamboo shoots?"
"It will take some time for the newly grown vegetables to be available, and there are few seasonal vegetables. Although bamboo shoots are not meat, they taste very good. I have been to other stores, and none of them have this dish. This is also my first time selling spring bamboo shoots, so I don't know the market. Please give me a suitable price according to the situation."
Shopkeeper Wu smiled. This girl looked young, but she had a big mind.
However, based on his business experience, he is very optimistic about the prospects of this spring bamboo shoot dish. As long as people have eaten it, it will definitely be loved by them.
If the response is mediocre after the attempt, he will pay for it out of his own pocket. He can afford it.
He wanted to win over this little girl so that when she needed something new to eat in the future, she would think of Zuixianju first.
“Miss Li, I want to give you a higher price for this bamboo shoot, but look at my store, there are almost no customers coming. Even if I introduce new dishes, I don’t know if I can attract customers.
In this way, the supply price of summer vegetables is three to five cents per pound, and I will give you six cents per pound. Do you think it is feasible? I just hope that the girl will only sell to our store in Qingshi Town. "
This price was higher than Li Wanyue had expected. She had thought that four or five cents a pound would be good. After all, they were everywhere on the mountain and there was no cost. She just had to process them. Summer vegetables were only three to five cents a pound, and spring bamboo shoots were heavy, so five cents a pound was considered good. She didn't expect that they would be paid eight cents a pound.
As for selling to only one store, she could understand.
Li Wanyue nodded with satisfaction: "Okay, thank you very much, shopkeeper."
"Wait a moment, young lady. I'll go and draw up a deed. Where do you live? These are what need to be written on the deed."
"Daohua Village, my father is Li Youshan, and my name is Li Wanyue."
"good."
After a while, the shopkeeper brought the deed.
"Miss, take a look. If there is no problem, you can sign and put your fingerprints on it." As if he had thought of something, he said apologetically, "If you can't read, I can read it to you."
"I can read." Li Wanyue took it and looked at it. They agreed to guarantee the quality of the spring bamboo shoots, the price of bamboo shoots would be six cents per catty, and Qingshi Town would only supply Zuixianju, and compensation would be paid for breach of contract.
Shopkeeper Wu was surprised. He didn't expect that this girl could read. You know, in those days, boys in the family might not have the money to send them to school.
No problem. Li Wanyue signed her name and pressed her fingerprint.
They each put the deed away.
Shopkeeper Wu said, "Since we don't know the sales situation, please send 30 kilograms to our store for three days. If the quantity is adjusted, I will let the clerk inform you."
"Okay." Li Wanyue nodded: "But shopkeeper, I have a suggestion, I wonder if you want to hear it."
Shopkeeper Wu became interested: "Please go ahead."
“If the shopkeeper wants to attract customers, he can ask someone to write the restaurant’s name, address, and signature dishes on small pieces of paper, and distribute them in crowded places, such as docks and town gates. Write a flyer and say that with this flyer, one can get a small portion of the newly introduced special dish. First come, first served. Most people like to take advantage, and when they see that they can get free dishes, they will probably want to try it. People tend to follow the crowd, so even if others don’t receive the flyer, they will follow when they see that the restaurant is crowded.
The shopkeeper can make some braised spring bamboo shoots without adding meat, and put some in small bamboo tubes for people to take away, or he can let them come into the store to try the food. If they like it, they will order more than one dish.
If this wave of popularity passes, we can think of other ways, such as scholars.
Although the family conditions of the scholars in the town are not good, they will often make friends through literature or invite classmates to dinner. You can think of some special topics or couplets and post them near the academy or at the door of the restaurant. If they don’t know the answers and are curious, they will probably come to the restaurant.
There are many merchants passing through our town. The dishes in your restaurant are guaranteed to taste good. I believe that business will gradually improve. This is just my idea for your reference."
The shopkeeper's eyes brightened as he listened. This girl is really good.
“What kind of questions can attract readers?”
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