Chapter 9
"You think the previous method of making money is too expensive, but I have a low-cost method. It requires potatoes, lard, and spices..." Gu Xinxin excitedly said, "As for lard, you only need to buy it once and it can be used many times. But the spices are not cheap. They require peppercorns, star anise, fennel leaves, salt, chili peppers, and sugar..."
There is no chicken essence, there is really no way. She doesn't know the formula of chicken essence. Even if she knows, she probably can't make it now. Her stepmother will definitely not give her a chicken to ruin.
"Let's make this potato into a snack." Gu Xinxin said, "It tastes great, and I'm sure someone will like it."
Second Aunt hesitated for a moment and said, "How about you make some for us to try first?"
We already have these things at home, so we don't need to buy them separately. We can make a little less. Even if it doesn't taste good and we can't make money, we can just treat it as a change of taste for the children and a sweet treat for them.
Gu Xinxin nodded and went to the kitchen to prepare the seasoning. Second Auntie followed her instructions, washing and cutting the potatoes, and preparing to make wolf tooth potatoes and French fries. There were two flavors: the wolf tooth potatoes were salty, and the French fries were sweet.
However, these fries don't have ketchup right now. Without ketchup, the fries lack soul and the taste wouldn't be very good. There's another option, though: sweet potato fries. These are also sweet, but require sweet potato starch, which I don't have right now.
So things that look simple are difficult to make, but things that look not so simple are easy to make.
The two of them worked in the kitchen for a long time. The wolf tooth potatoes were the most delicious when they came out of the pot. They were soft and glutinous yet a little crispy and full of flavor.
Second Aunt couldn't help herself and ate half a bowl in one go.
Meeting Gu Xinxin's gaze, he quickly said, "This taste is a bit too overbearing. I can't help myself once I start eating it."
Gu Xinxin smiled and said, "Second Auntie, do you think anyone would like to eat this?"
Second Aunt nodded vigorously. If something is delicious, who wouldn't like it? She said to Gu Xinxin, "Please help me calculate the cost of making this pot. How much does it cost to make it? How can I sell it without losing money?"
This is also the reason why few farmers do business, because it is difficult to calculate the cost and selling price.
Sometimes you work hard for a long time, spending money on installing things and paying for labor, but when you finally calculate your income, you still lose money.
How many people in the farming community are literate? Even if there are some, they are irrelevant. How could they be willing to help you calculate?
Gu Xinxin was serious now. She took a quick look and asked the price of everything she had just used: "How much is this one or two taels? How much is left in the box?"
Sichuan peppercorns and star anise are expensive, costing about half an ounce of silver for one ounce of the spice. These were bought by my second aunt during the Lunar New Year. I never used them, so I kept them until today.
"I'll serve one portion in a bowl like this, and sell it for twelve copper coins." She was used to doing this sort of thing, and quickly settled on a price. "You can pair it with another drink, like sour plum soup. Sour plum soup is cheap, and one portion of the ingredients will make a large pot. I'll sell it for three copper coins a bowl."
Gu Xinxin smiled and asked, "Second Aunt, think carefully about whether you want to do this business. If you are willing, I will tell you the recipe of this seasoning in detail later."
There was no need to teach her how to make the remaining fried potatoes; these experienced chefs were better at it than she was.
It was almost noon when Gu Xinxin returned home carrying half a basin of wolf tooth potatoes.
Gu Chen was not at home, and Gu Wenshu and Gu Qiuhe were not at home either.
She put the basin in her room first and locked it, then went to the kitchen to prepare lunch. When she arrived in the kitchen, she found that the cabinet was locked again. Gu Xinxin twitched her mouth and simply went back to the room to lie down.
She almost fell asleep when she heard footsteps outside.
I got up and went outside, and saw that it was Gu Daniu who came back with Gu Xiangrong.
She quickly greeted the father and son: "My stepmother locked the cabinet, so I couldn't make lunch. But luckily, Second Aunt gave me a small bowl of delicious food. Come and have a try."
Gu Daniu was about to get angry. Anyone who worked hard outside for half a day, was tired and hungry, and came back without even a meal would definitely be angry.
But when the potatoes were served, an overbearing aroma immediately washed over him. He frowned, then reached out and pinched one, then urged Gu Xiangrong to go to the kitchen to get bowls and chopsticks. While eating, he asked, "This thing uses a lot of ingredients. Why did your second aunt give you such a small pot?"
"This is my idea. It was made based on my idea." Gu Xinxin chuckled and said, "My second aunt gave me a pot of it to thank me."
Then he shouted to the main room: "I almost forgot, grandma, are you home? It's time for dinner."
Mrs. Gu had been waiting for a long time. As soon as she finished speaking, she hurried out, took the bowl and chopsticks that Gu Xiangrong handed over, took a bite, and nodded: "It tastes really good, but it's a bit wasteful. I'm afraid it's fried in lard, right?"
Gu Xinxin ignored her.
Four people couldn’t be full from this small bowl, but Gu Xinxin was no longer hungry.
Just as she was about to return to her room, Gu Chen returned with Gu Qiuhe and Gu Wenshu, a smile on her face. "Xinxin, have you made lunch yet? I just took Qiuhe and the others to get some locust leaves. Let's wash them and make some locust leaf noodles."
Gu Wenshu smelled the food first and ran over to see that it was gone. He immediately got angry and said, "You guys ate delicious food without telling me!"
Then he grabbed Gu Chen's clothes and said, "Mom, my eldest sister secretly used the things at home to make delicious food again! Beat her to death!"
Gu Xinxin went to the kitchen and got a fire poker, hitting him with it. "You have no respect for your elder sister. Is this how you treat your sister? If you treat me like this today, will you beat grandma and dad to death tomorrow?"
Gu Wenshu was caught off guard and started crying loudly after being hit. Gu Chenshi was so distressed that she pulled Gu Xinxin's arm and said, "You are so brave! Who told you to hit him?"
Gu Xinxin hid behind Gu Daniu: "Dad, just tell him whether he should be beaten or not. You said that a good son is born under the stick. In the past, Xiang Rong would be beaten if he ate one more bite of food. Now he says that no one will care if he beats his sister to death?"
Gu Daniu was hungry and very angry. "Stand there, Gu Chenshi, go open the cabinet and cook. Since Xinxin will be the one cooking at home from now on, your cabinet will be locked again, otherwise Xinxin will smash it for you again. And the documents, be polite to your eldest sister."
After a pause, he asked, "Did you just teach your second aunt how to cook these potatoes?"
Gu Xinxin raised her eyebrows and smiled: "Yes, Second Aunt is very kind to me. When I didn't have enough to eat before, Second Aunt secretly fed me. She treats me much better than the people in our family. As for me, I am the most grateful and repay her kindness."
Unexpectedly, Gu Daniu is quite sensitive. Has he realized the value of wolf tooth potatoes?
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