Over the next few days, Jiang Yue's family worked behind closed doors, preparing the hot pot broth.
After countless failures and the consumption of some precious seasonings, the first batch of authentic-tasting base sauce was finally achieved!
Fresh, fragrant, spicy, and numbing – even simple green vegetables can offer an unforgettable flavor!
Jiang Yue almost cried, not from the spiciness, but from missing this flavor!
No unhappiness can't be fixed with a hot pot meal. If one meal isn't enough, then two or three...
"Mom, is this pot done?"
Qingshan couldn't resist imitating his mother, dipping potatoes in the custom-made small pot. When it seemed about right, he picked one up and took a bite. How to put it...pretty good!
"Okay, it's done. Write down the recipe proportions. From now on, we'll use this recipe for the base ingredients."
Jiang Yue nodded, her chopsticks constantly picking up food and simmering it in the iron pot, then placing it into her daughter's and daughter-in-law's bowls, urging them on:
"Yaoyao, it's snowing heavily. Eat it while it's hot, be careful of the spiciness."
"Mmm~"
"Thank you, Mother~"
The two women, aunt and sister-in-law, smiled at each other and then began to eat cautiously.
Although it was just a vegetarian dish, it suited their taste perfectly, and the spiciness initially caused a slight numbing sensation, but the more they chewed, the more fragrant it became...
"Mom, it's so delicious! It would be even better if there was meat in the hot pot!"
Qingsong's mouth was full of food, and his lips were so spicy that they were swollen, but he was completely unaware of it.
"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you~"
Seeing this, Jiang Yue tried to persuade her to stop. After the family had almost finished eating, she let out a satisfied burp.
"Mom, how much would you like to sell this soup base for?"
After Qingshan cleaned up the dishes and washed them with his third brother, he wiped his hands and came back, instinctively wanting to ask his mother for her opinion.
"It's not how your mother wants to sell it, it's what you two brothers think. Why don't you tell your mother what you think?"
Jiang Yue's face showed kindness; her focus was on developing medicinal plants, selling, and processing medicinal materials.
She was not up to the task of running a business.
Besides, her sons are all grown up and have their own ideas, so why should she make herself unhappy?
"Mom, here's what I'm thinking: I'll take Little Tiger and Little Horse to continue running the stall, modify the cart a bit, and then sell mini hot pots. In this freezing weather, a bowl of hot pot with vegetables would be absolutely wonderful!"
Seeing that his elder brother was hesitant and had not yet made up his mind, Qingsong raised his hand to speak first.
After hearing this, Jiang Yue asked in return:
"That's a good idea, but it's freezing cold. Is it safe for you three young men to push the cart to town? And what if you get there and it's difficult to start a fire because of the snow?"
Upon hearing this, Qingsong frowned and fell into deep thought. He hadn't thought of this. Oh right, the first six months he sold cold noodles because it was hot. If it were freezing cold, he wouldn't be able to push the cart, and he would even have trouble walking!
“Mother, this is what I’m thinking. Why don’t we find a shop in town? Every day when we’re at home, we can prepare the broth and then deliver it to the shop in town by oxcart. With a shop, we’ll have shelter from the wind and rain, customers won’t have to wait in the cold, and we’ll have a place to show off our skills…”
After pondering for a long time, Qingshan suddenly had an epiphany.
Yes, he finally figured it out. At first, he thought about the same thing as his second brother, and continued the same approach. His second brother set up a stall, and he delivered goods to the restaurant.
But just now a bold decision suddenly came to mind. The wind and sun are blowing, the cold wind is howling, and it is our own people who suffer. Why can't we let them open a shop and attract customers?
Why partner with a restaurant?
They could open a food stall!
Even if it's a little small, it's still theirs!
"Brother, how did you come up with this idea? I'm really impressed!"
After thinking about it carefully, Qingsong realized how stupid he was!
Yeah, why not just rent a shop and have your family do it?
He was confident that this hot pot base would be a great success, whether used for stir-frying vegetables or boiling meat!
"Second brother, we both have some silver on hand. Let's join forces to rent a shop. When brothers are of one mind, their strength can break gold!"
Qingshan stretched out his hand, clenched it into a fist, and touched his fist to his second brother's. Everything was understood without words.
"Eldest brother, second brother, what can I do for you?"
Seeing this, Qingyun felt both envious and eager.
Yes, he was eager to do his part for his family.
Qingshan extended his fist and offered it to his third brother, smiling broadly as he said:
"Haha, once we find a shop, I'll have to trouble you, Third Brother, to write down the shop's name, the prices of the ingredients, and all that~"
"Okay, these little things are fine with my little brother. He'll take care of them without hesitation."
Qingyun clenched her little fist and gently bumped it against her older brother's fist, joy spreading through her chest.
"Third brother, what about your second brother?"
With a grin, Qingsong stretched out his fist, wanting to bump fists with his third brother as well.
Jiang Yue watched this scene of deep brotherly affection and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Overall, the transformation plan went smoothly, and all three sons transformed into their new selves, especially the villainous minister from the original story, whose mind was no longer twisted and dark.
And she also felt a sense of belonging to this family and to Wujia Village.
That's great! She's decided, we're having hot pot again tonight!
To avoid competing with the crowds, the Qingshan and Qingsong brothers wandered around the town for a long time before finally renting a small shop of 30 square meters.
The four of them, Little Tiger, Little Horse, Big Stone, and Little Stone, were extremely excited. After renting the shop, they began to tidy it up by hand.
The tidied-up shop was long and empty, with a well and a cramped kitchen at the back.
Jiang Yue was taken over and shown around, where she offered some suggestions.
The tables and chairs in the shop were custom-made to fit the right size, and the height was also important, seventy centimeters. Since the exact height was uncertain, Jiang Yue had to measure it and leave a mark on the wall to make it easier for the carpenter to work on it.
The aisle in the middle is wide enough for two people to pass each other, and there is also space for the counter. The gaps should be large enough to prevent people from getting burned when they can't turn around.
Since the kitchen is small, we made it L-shaped. We don't expect to show off our culinary skills here; we just want it to be simple and convenient for a few young men to have a hot meal during their breaks.
A well is a treasure; having water makes things incredibly convenient.
The rent for the entire shop is three taels of silver per month, with a minimum lease term of one year.
Qingshan Qingsong rented the place for a year and agreed that whether it was terminating or renewing the lease, one month's notice was required; otherwise, the breaching party would have to pay six months' rent in compensation.
The person renting out the shop had no objections, only asking that the shop be well cared for, with every brick and tile being properly maintained.
Since the rent alone cost thirty-six taels, the two brothers' initial investment of twenty taels each was already more than half gone. The remaining money had to cover expenses such as purchasing tables, chairs, and custom-made pots and pans. Therefore, they were very frugal, doing many things themselves, and returning home exhausted every day…
"Clap clap clap~"
"Bang bang bang~"
Finally, at the end of the month, amidst the clamor of gongs and drums, Brothers Hot Pot Restaurant officially opened!
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