San Niang and Zhou Wan never imagined that money could be made in such a way.
The two looked at the overflowing money box. Third Sister was overjoyed, turning it over and stroking the silver. "I'm so happy! I've never earned so much in my life."
“Hey, don’t exaggerate,” Xu Yuehuai corrected. “You’ve only been with me for a short time, and you’re already talking about a lifetime? You’ll earn so much more in the future, what’s this?”
Third Sister nodded.
She was filled with emotion, "I was already preparing to leave the capital at that time, but you gave me the hope to stay."
"But now we're leaving, and I'm not going to give you any secret recipes. Let's just pack up and run away."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Wan and San Niang were both terrified.
"Are we doing this as a one-off deal? Are you just going to run away like this?"
"yes!"
It's obvious that Xu Yuehuai was joking.
The two men could tell what was going on from her expression.
Three days later, the reception was held as scheduled.
Many chefs from the capital came, along with some who came to sell secret recipes, making the venue packed inside and out. Even Li Feng from across the street came; in order to obtain the secret recipe, Li Feng even sold a seat in the first row.
Xu Yuehuai's steps were simple, mainly because she was worried that the large number of people would cause trouble, and that a stampede would be a greater loss than a gain.
After taking the stage, Xu Yuehuai cupped her hands to her mouth and said to everyone, "I invented this hairy tofu, and it has become a popular snack in the capital. You always have to eat it when you come to the capital, and it is a must-order when you come to my shop. Now I will tell you all about it."
The audience erupted in applause.
Xu Yuehuai pointed to a wooden box.
"The secret recipe is inside, guaranteeing you'll make the exact same hairy tofu. Now it's up for auction, the highest bidder will take it. This is the craftsman's research, so each bid needs to be increased by 100 coins. The starting price is 30 taels of silver. Let's begin."
Thirty taels?
San Niang and Zhou Wan looked at each other in bewilderment.
Zhou Wan was surprised, "My mother really knows how to ask for an exorbitant amount, but then again, the money we've made from this secret recipe far exceeds thirty taels."
"Actually, there's no secret recipe at all. It's just fermented tofu. Just pay attention to the temperature and humidity of the air." This so-called secret was exposed by Third Sister in one sentence.
The two thought the secret recipe would sell for no more than fifty taels, but little did they know that after a dozen rounds, it would be three hundred taels. Initially, the price increased by one hundred wen, but now it was increasing by one tael of silver.
All of this was within Xu Yuehuai's expectations.
Outside the crowd, Qi Guze was in a carriage.
Tie Xiong stared at everything in disbelief. "Good heavens, a recipe costs so much? Even Buddha Jumps Over the Wall in Guangdong isn't this expensive."
"Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is certainly delicious, but it's not a common dish. What people really enjoy are these simple side dishes."
The auction organized by Xu Yuehuai did indeed pique Qi Guze's curiosity.
He saw Xu Yuehuai's impeccable genius once again.
When the price reached four hundred taels, Li Feng, sitting in the fifth seat of the first row, nervously wiped away his sweat. The servant next to him kept reminding him, "Manager, I'm afraid we should make a move now. If we don't, we won't have such a good opportunity again. It's a bit expensive, but this secret recipe can make us a lot of money in the future."
"Never mind," Li Feng hesitated for a long time, "Xu Yuehuai has ulterior motives, could there be something fishy going on?"
Xu Yuehuai was clearly also worried about these things, so he simply told everyone, "This is my secret recipe. If you feel that your version is different from mine, I will come to your door to teach you and guarantee a perfect replica."
What is there to worry about?
Li Feng gritted his teeth.
"Fine, fine, I'll buy his today."
But by the time Li Feng realized what was happening and was ready to make a move, the secret recipe had already been bid up to five hundred taels of silver. Li Feng himself couldn't step forward, and he was worried that Xu Yuehuai wouldn't sell it to him, his rival.
The servant stood up and said, "I'll add one tael of silver."
"Okay, 501."
All eyes turned to Li Feng.
Xu Yuehuai naturally understood that the servant had been assigned by his master.
Xu Yuehuai went on stage, holding a hammer.
"501st time."
“Five hundred and one times,” she said, her clever eyes darting around as she blinked at the others. “Does anyone have a higher score? If not, the secret recipe is his.”
Everyone was completely silent.
"Good heavens!" Tie Xiong exclaimed in surprise, "Five hundred taels of silver! Five hundred taels of silver could buy a mansion in the capital! I never would have thought that someone would actually be willing to buy that?"
In fact, Xu Yuehuai had already calculated before the auction that Li Feng was the one who would truly be willing to squander his money to buy the secret recipe.
"The 501st time!"
Xu Yuehuai brought down the gavel.
The servant handed over the silver, saying, "Please count it, young lady."
"What do you want to order? Do you think I don't know Da Shunzi from next door? Look at you, I'm doing business here. Now that you're here, given my relationship with your shopkeeper, I'll just give him this secret recipe for free."
Da Shunzi's expression immediately changed.
"This is not a place for jokes."
“Who’s joking?” Xu Yuehuai took the money box. “Since it’s a fair trade, I’ll accept this money. You can do it tomorrow. If your work is still different from mine, you’re welcome to come and learn.”
Xu Yuehuai sold the secret recipe to Li Feng.
Li Feng stood up shakily, glaring angrily at the servants, "Let's go back."
Upon arriving at the hotel, Li Feng and the kitchen staff immediately opened the container to take a look. Li Feng was astonished. "It's just simple fermentation? This... this is no secret recipe at all."
The chef said, "Maybe the secret recipe is in these ingredients."
But no matter how you look at it, the seasoning is nothing more than "white sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, plus pepper and natural chili powder". Li Feng was furious. By the time he was ready to go to the venue again to seek justice from Xu Yuehuai, the street was already packed with people, so Li Feng didn't have a chance to get close at all.
Xu Yuehuai inside was indeed generous; she had Zhou Wan bring out the secret recipes for making blood tofu, stinky tofu, fermented black beans, and so on, which she had copied down in advance.
"To express my gratitude for your presence today, I am giving you these secret recipes, all free of charge."
From that day on, every household in the capital learned how to make stinky tofu and blood tofu, among other things.
Everyone rushed forward to grab it. Xu Yuehuai was worried that something might happen, so she handed the money box to Zhou Wan. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law walked out from the side. Xu Yuehuai saw Qi Guze from afar and hurriedly went closer.
"You're really amazing."
Qi Guze was generous with his praise.
Xu Yuehua smiled sweetly, "You've been amazed by me so many times, haven't you?"
Qi Guze remained silent.
The two looked at each other. "I said before that Chang'an was big and not easy to live in, but now it seems I have to take it back. You can live anywhere."
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