Chapter 43: Mulberry Paper Pipes [VIP]
Shen Qingshan entered the city again after many months. He was surprised to see that everyone in the city was holding a half-broken bamboo tube in their hands, sucking and chewing it while walking.
No wonder everyone says the city is good. It’s only been a short while since he last came here, and the city people have come up with new tricks.
Shen Qingshan wanted to buy one for his daughter to try, but after looking around, he didn't see any stall selling it.
Chen Yao led her father to the vicinity of Zhiweilou. From a distance, they saw a long queue in front of the restaurant. Among them were many people dressed as servants, and almost everyone was carrying a food box.
"Wow - Ayao, the restaurant business run by this manager is so prosperous." He knew that his daughter was cooperating with a big restaurant, but he had never seen anyone's restaurant business so good.
The father and daughter turned into the back alley. The kitchen helper opened the door and saw the newcomer. He looked up and asked who he was looking for. When Shen Yao showed up, he immediately turned around and shouted into the kitchen, "Chef Ma, Madam Shen is here."
Chef Ma was busy at the stove. His arms had become thicker from stirring the wok these days, and his wallet had become fatter as well.
This is all thanks to Madam Shen.
The shopkeeper originally intended to use the cassava flour to make hot drinks after purchasing it, but he shamelessly asked the shopkeeper for half a pound of it, and then he scratched his head and tried every possible way to make delicious food.
God rewards those who work hard, and he actually came up with several dishes: crystal cake, cassava meat soup, steamed pork with rice flour, cassava meatballs, and crystal dumplings.
If he had only two hands to handle everything, he would never have followed the shopkeeper's instructions and started to train an apprentice seriously.
"Watch the fire carefully, I'll be back soon." Chef Ma grabbed his apprentice and brought him over. He put the ladle in his hand and walked out.
Chen Yao watched Chef Ma approach and gestured to her father to pass the basket of edamame over. "These are fresh edamame, freshly picked from the fields. Blanch the beans, remove them, and season them before eating. You can also stir-fry them with other dishes. You can give it a try."
Chef Ma took out a handkerchief and wiped the greasy sweat from his forehead. He took the basket and looked at the man next to Chen Yao: "Who is this?"
"My dad!"
After Shen Qingshan had safely escorted his daughter to her destination, he was about to leave, so he told Shen Yao that he had to go to a familiar restaurant to ask if they would still accept wild animals in the future.
Chef Ma listened carefully and understood everything. He was not willing to let the man go. He enthusiastically pushed the father and daughter to the private room upstairs to wait.
Without waiting for the father and daughter to reply, Chef Ma hurriedly sent someone to call Manager Tong back.
He took the fresh food and went back to the kitchen to continue cooking.
But after a cup of tea, the door of the private room was pushed open again. Following the chef's instructions, the waiter first brought two cups of Bobo milk tea to the father and daughter, and then left.
As soon as the bamboo tube was placed on the table, Shen Qingshan looked at his daughter and asked, "Ayao, is this sold in the restaurant?"
"Well, Dad, try it quickly. The bobo in here is made from the cassava flour made by grandmas." Chen Yao picked up a cup and handed it to her father, saying in a low voice.
Shen Qingshan was extremely surprised. How could his daughter know the secret recipe of Manager Ren's food?
Then he lowered his head to look at the bamboo tube in his hand, pursed his dry lips, and when he heard his daughter urging him, he bit the bamboo tube and took a sip.
Sweet, warm, and chewy!
After just one sip, Shen Qingshan didn't want to taste it anymore. He wanted to take it back for his wife to try as well: "Ayao, this one must be worth a lot of money, right? We can't drink it for free. Dad will come to pay the bill later."
Chen Yao sat on the bench by the window, chewing some Bobo, drinking and swinging her feet in a comfortable manner, "Dad brought money?"
"Yes, your mother gave it to me." Shen Qingshan patted the purse hidden in his arms.
As the father and daughter were talking, they heard a noisy voice outside the door. Manager Ren brought Managers Tong and Li upstairs.
As soon as the three of them entered the house, before Chen Yao could put down the milk tea in her hand, she was invited by the shopkeepers to sit at the table.
“Madam Shen, you are finally here. While you are here, it is a good opportunity for you to be a witness for the three of us.”
The two shopkeepers, Tong and Li, took out the contract and placed it on the table, complaining to Chen Yao, "Shopkeeper Ren, that old fox, demanded a hundred taels of silver from us as a franchise fee, and he said he wouldn't provide us with food until next year. Look at that, look at that."
The two shopkeepers slapped the deeds together.
There's no way. I threw the silver in but didn't hear any sound. How can I not be anxious?
The shopkeeper twirled his beard and let one person complain.
If it weren't for the fact that his restaurant had attracted most of the diners in the city these days, and that everyone came for the hot drinks, how could Tong and Li, two of the bosses who didn't act rashly, be so willing to pay first?
Besides, he has already given them the opportunity. It is their own business whether to join or not. Why should they look for Madam Shen?
Seeing that there was already a red handprint on the deed, Chen Yao guessed that the two shopkeepers, Tong and Li, had not pressed it yet and wanted to find a breakthrough from her.
"My father and I walked all the way into the city and saw that everyone in the city was holding a cup of hot drink. It can be seen that this hot drink is really popular. A shopkeeper will not suffer any loss by doing this business next year. It is a good opportunity to check the market conditions." Chen Yao did not explain it clearly, but the two shopkeepers understood.
If the market is good, they will follow suit. If the market is bad, they can get the money back. It sounds like they won't suffer any loss.
But he couldn't help being jealous. After winter came, as soon as Zhiweilou's hot drinks were launched, he bought most of them.
Knowing that Chen Yao would not help them, they thought, cassava flour at thirty cents per pound is too expensive, they must lower the price.
Shopkeeper Ren took a sip of the black tea on the table and said, "To be honest, I didn't set the price of these ingredients. I will be the one purchasing them next year.
He was speechless. This was unexpected. "Who is selling this ingredient? I'll go talk to him in person."
Shopkeeper Ren thought of the group of elderly people in Wanhe Township and his face suddenly turned cold. "You're going? By coercion or bribery? If you don't want to do this business, I won't force you!"
"I didn't say I don't want to cooperate. You should at least give us some reassurance. You can't let us invest a hundred taels of silver and not even see a splash?" Shopkeeper Tong's old face turned red when he was scolded, but he didn't want to really tear his face apart in front of others.
There are many innkeepers outside who are asking their fellow innkeeper about this business in a roundabout way.
They were happy that Manager Ren had approached them in advance and recruited them to join the partnership.
The first thing Lao Ren said was that they must not ruin the reputation and brand of Hot Drinks, and he also said that he was impressed by the character of both families and the strength of the restaurant.
Both Tong and Li felt that Lao Ren had a big vision, no wonder his business was so prosperous, but there was one bad thing: he was too obsessed with profit, and Lao Ren was even greedy for money.
"After signing the contract, one month before you open next year, you can send your waiters to learn how to make hot drinks from me. I guarantee you'll learn it." How about that? Shopkeeper Ren agreed.
The two shopkeepers, Tong and Li, immediately pressed their fingerprints with a smile on their faces, and did not forget to pay the money for the Ruyi dishes that they had ordered from Chen Yao next month.
Chen Yao took it with a smile and made an agreement with someone to deliver fresh vegetables at the beginning of the twelfth lunar month.
The deal was done, and a table of dishes cooked by Chef Ma was placed on the table. Today was the Winter Solstice, and it was fate that everyone could get together. They enjoyed the meal very much.
After seeing off the two shopkeepers, Tong and Li, the shopkeeper Ren asked the waiter to remove the leftovers on the table, replaced it with a pot of good tea, and poured a cup for each of the father and daughter.
"Manager Ren, have you encountered any difficulties?" Chen Yao saw that his brows were furrowed, and guessed that there was something wrong with the hot drink.
Chen Yao actually guessed it right.
The problem is with the hot drink, but it’s not the recipe, it’s the bamboo straw.
These days, they have no problem purchasing ingredients such as milk, tea bags, brown sugar, honey, etc. The only problem is that it is difficult to make a suitable bamboo straw that can suck out the water!
After pondering for a moment, Chen Yao asked to see the account book of hot drinks for the past half month.
Manager Ren went downstairs to get it without saying a word, and happened to get her dividend for the past half month and the food money for next month.
Chen Yao glanced at the small amount of silver and a few strings of copper coins on the table and continued to flip through the account book.
Only about a hundred bowls of cassava sweet soup were sold in half a month, but about fifty cups of Bobo milk tea were sold a day, and the number of cups sold every day continued to increase.
Moreover, the accounts for these hot drinks are very clear and concise. Except for the cassava soup which is five cents a bowl, the price of a cup of milk tea is ten cents or more, and the profit is also very considerable.
If she took a 10% bonus, she could indeed get one or two taels of silver.
After receiving the money, Chen Yao offered relief to Shopkeeper Ren: "If customers bring their own cups and utensils for hot drinks, can Shopkeeper Ren give them a discount?"
Shopkeeper Ren sighed, "I've tried this method before, but anyone who drinks my hot drinks doesn't need a penny or two. The bamboo tube is fine, but I can't recycle this tube. Wouldn't that be annoying?"
He carefully observed the customers who came to eat in the restaurant. Some of them had a habit of biting the bamboo tubes when drinking milk tea, leaving obvious teeth marks on the bamboo tubes, or even breaking them. If they were recycled and given to the next customer,
Shopkeeper Ren clicked his tongue twice, indicating that it was not possible.
"Manager Ren, could you please get me a piece of mulberry paper?" Chen Yao asked after a moment's hesitation.
When Manager Ren came back with a piece of mulberry paper, he watched Chen Yao cut the mulberry paper into squares, twisting and rolling it with two fingers.
The square piece of mulberry paper suddenly turned into a paper tube in her hand.
Chen Yao pinched the paper tube and put it in the bamboo tube and sucked it, and Bobo was easily sucked out by her, and the paper tube did not get wet or melted.
Shopkeeper Ren's eyes lit up as he watched, and he couldn't help but stand up and stretch out his hand towards her: "Can you let me see it?"
Chen Yao handed the paper tube over, and as soon as she loosened her hand, the paper tube returned to its original shape.
"This?" Shopkeeper Ren frowned. He thought it could be replaced, but the tube was loose. What should he do? Could he ask the customer to pinch it himself?
That's not fun!
"Manager Ren can ask the kitchen to make some paste to stick it together, and then the paper tube will be tightened!"
"Mrs. Shen, please sit down for a while. I'll be there soon." Shopkeeper Ren wanted to see for himself whether this method would work, so he quickly went downstairs to the kitchen.
By this time, the diners in the restaurant had almost finished their meals. Chef Ma finally had a chance to sit down and rest. Before he had even finished his cup of tea, he was suddenly asked by the restaurant owner to make a bowl of porridge.
Seeing that the shopkeeper didn't mind the hot paste just out of the pot, and directly dipped his finger into it and smeared it on the mulberry paper, Chef Ma quietly put back the chopsticks he had pulled out.
Manager Ren did not roll the paper tube in front of everyone in the kitchen. He hurried back to the private room and tested it himself in front of Chen Yao and her father. He found that it was indeed as easy to use as a bamboo tube and never loosened.
"Madam Chen, how can I thank you? You have solved a big problem for me!" Shopkeeper Ren's thousands of words turned into a heavy festival gift.
Knowing that Chen Yao would definitely go to Wanhe Township to pay the elderly people their wages today, Manager Ren first asked his servant to call an ox cart.
On the ox cart was a piece of pink cotton cloth, some cakes and half a bucket of hot drinks.
Originally, this cloth was bought by Manager Ren to take home for his daughter, but now it is given to Chen Yao, and the father and daughter must accept it. If they don’t accept it, it means they look down on him. In addition, Manager Ren also gave the old people a sack of brown rice, weighing fifty kilograms.
It’s not much, but it’s a token of his appreciation.
The father and daughter stood up to decline, saying the gift was too heavy.
Seeing this, Chef Ma hurried forward to mediate: "Manager Ren, you don't know that Madam Shen's father is a hunter. Wild game is hard to come by in winter. It would be great if Madam Shen's father could sell the game to our restaurant!"
"Brother Shen, a tiger father has a dog daughter. No wonder Madam Shen is so smart. It turns out that she has inherited your true teachings. In the future, our two families must visit each other often!"
Shen Qingshan was shaken by the shopkeeper Ren's hand so warmly that it would be too ruthless to refuse, so he accepted the generous gift, thinking of returning the favor when he hunted wild animals in the future.
After the father and daughter left, Chef Ma heard the shopkeeper humming a little tune in a good mood, so he hurried forward to ask if Madam Shen had given a new heat-inducing recipe, but was met with a cold stare from the shopkeeper.
"Can't you figure it out on your own? I even gave you a raise a few days ago."
Chef Ma was disappointed and returned to the kitchen dejectedly, intending to see how to make the edamame more delicious.
On this side, Chen Yao went to the market with her father to buy things when she had money: three pounds of fat meat, five ribs, two pounds of lean meat, two large bones, an old hen, and ten eggs.
"Ayao, why did you buy so much?" Shen Qingshan felt that the basket was a bit heavy, but his daughter didn't seem to want to stop.
"Dad, Mom said that today is the festival and we need to nourish everyone. I thought that since we have an ox cart, it would be a good opportunity to bring some food to grandma and my uncles. Even if it's not much, it would be nice to have some food for them to try."
"You'll have to buy more." Shen Qingshan handed his purse to his daughter and suddenly asked, "Ayao, how did you know that mulberry paper can replace bamboo tubes?"
Chen Yao tightened her grip on the purse, pulled her father aside and stood in a quiet place, whispering, "Dad, actually, everything I've learned these days is from Yang Jizong and his sister. Wenying said that the Hongnong Yang family was persecuted and exiled to serve here."
The pair of newly enshrined tablets on the table in the main room were indeed engraved with the name of Hongnong Yang. Shen Qingshan did not continue to ask, but his brows furrowed even deeper.
If it was true as Ah Yao said, would it endanger his family in the future? Would someone harm his daughter?
Chen Yao didn't expect that her father would go with her to the eastern suburbs to see Yang Jizong to verify the lie she had just told in the afternoon.
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