Knowing she was going to town today, Jiang Yuwei got up early and took out the fish and chili sauce she had stored in her space yesterday. She also filled a bucket with spiritual spring water, put the fish in the bamboo bucket, and filled a basket with the chili sauce she had made.
After everything at home was tidied up, Jiang Yuwei went to find Uncle Ning and took an oxcart to town.
Upon arriving in town, Jiang Yuwei immediately inquired and went to the most famous restaurant in Ping'an Town, Zuixianlou. As soon as she stepped into Zuixianlou carrying a bucket of fish, a waiter stopped her:
"You, you, where did you come from? Get out of here! You reek of fish, don't disturb our honored guests!"
Jiang Yuwei frowned, looking at the arrogant waiter in front of her. Remembering that she was there to sell her wares, she suppressed her anger and smiled slightly at him:
"Waiter, please let me know that I'm here to sell some goods."
The waiter sized up the woman before him and sneered.
"You? You think you're worthy? Don't you even know what kind of place our Drunken Immortal Pavilion is? Do you think your peasant food is worthy of being sold in our restaurant?"
Seeing that the waiter was really snobbish, and looking at her patched clothes, Jiang Yuwei regretted not buying herself decent clothes first when she earned money. Now she was being turned away at the door by this waiter. If she couldn't even see the shopkeeper, she definitely wouldn't be able to sell the recipe.
As Jiang Yuwei was thinking, she saw a middle-aged man with a large belly and a mustache come down from upstairs and shout impatiently:
"What's all the noise about? Don't disturb the distinguished guests upstairs."
Upon seeing the newcomer, the waiter quickly bowed and stood beside the man with a fawning expression, saying:
"Manager Lin, look, it's this woman who smells like fish all over. She insists on selling some kind of prescription, and we can't get rid of her."
After hearing the waiter's words, Manager Lin glanced at Jiang Yuwei and frowned, saying:
"Nonsense! You're letting just anyone into the store! Get them out right now!"
Before Jiang Yuwei could even speak, she was rudely pushed out by two waiters. Jiang Yuwei glared angrily at the Drunken Immortal Restaurant. Even the manager looked down on people like that, so naturally the restaurant wouldn't last long.
Since that's the case, she disdained doing business with them. Just as Jiang Yuwei turned to leave, she noticed that the Lianxiang Restaurant across the street was not doing well. After thinking for a moment, she strode in.
As soon as Jiang Yuwei entered the room, she asked the person standing on the counter:
"Is the shopkeeper here?"
The man was looking at the account book with a worried expression when he saw a woman approaching and said:
"I am the manager of Lianxiang Restaurant. Are you here for a meal, sir?"
Jiang Yuwei looked at the man in front of her; he had a kind face and was approachable. She wondered why the restaurant wasn't doing well, so she smiled and said:
"Shopkeeper, I've come today to ask you to cook a dish for me to try."
Manager Xu looked at the woman in front of him with some curiosity, and then smiled and said:
"Madam, you are joking. This is a restaurant, a place to entertain guests. Why should I trouble you to cook for me?"
Jiang Yuwei simply smiled at him and said:
"Perhaps this dish will change the fate of Lianxianglou."
Manager Xu looked at the woman in surprise. For some reason, when he met her firm gaze, he seemed to develop an inexplicable trust in her. Right now, the silver in Lianxianglou was only enough for him to barely keep going for another month, and that was it.
Manager Xu thought about how he had even dismissed several of the staff today, leaving Lianxiang Restaurant in its current state. He really couldn't explain it to the owner. If what this woman said was true, he might as well let her try. Anyway, Lianxiang Restaurant was going to be finished soon.
Thinking this through, Butler Xu smiled at Jiang Yuwei with a relieved expression:
"Since we have nothing else to do today, and since Madam has said so, please follow me to the kitchen."
Seeing that she had finally persuaded the shopkeeper, Jiang Yuwei picked up the bamboo bucket and followed him to the kitchen in the backyard.
Upon arriving at the kitchen, Manager Xu, being very polite, dismissed everyone and left the kitchen to Jiang Yuwei alone.
Jiang Yuwei didn't waste any time and immediately rolled up her sleeves to start cleaning the fish. After cleaning the fish, she took out the chili sauce she had prepared earlier and used some seasonings from the kitchen. There were many more seasonings here than at home, so the fish could be cooked even better.
Jiang Yuwei plated the fish, sprinkled it with seasonings, and then spread a thick layer of chili sauce on top before steaming it in a pot.
Fifteen minutes later, the fish was steamed. As soon as Jiang Yuwei lifted the lid, the aroma of the fish wafted into the courtyard, causing everyone waiting there to involuntarily swallow.
When Jiang Yuwei brought out the fish, everyone stared intently at it. Jiang Yuwei smiled and handed the chopsticks to Manager Xu, indicating that he should try it first.
Manager Xu couldn't wait any longer. Without any hesitation, he took the chopsticks, picked up a piece of fish, and stuffed it into his mouth. He was amazed as soon as the fish entered his mouth. Even though he had been a manager for so many years, he had never eaten such delicious fish. The smooth and bouncy texture, the freshness of the fish, and the double stimulation of the chili sauce made Manager Xu unable to stop eating.
Seeing this, everyone couldn't resist going to the kitchen to get chopsticks and taking a bite.
"Delicious, delicious."
Is this really fish?
"I have never eaten such delicious fish."
"This, this, it's just impossible to stop."
Everyone took turns eating, and soon the plate of fish was completely devoured. Only then did Manager Xu remember Jiang Yuwei, who was still standing to the side, and hurriedly invited her to a private room upstairs for a chat.
After the two were seated, Manager Xu excitedly poured tea for Jiang Yuwei with both hands, and said eagerly to her:
"You are truly a benefactor to our Lianxiang Restaurant. If we could make this dish, we would have no worries about business."
Jiang Yuwei took the teacup and smiled slightly at Manager Xu:
"Manager Xu, you flatter me. I'm not a distinguished guest. I'm just here to do business with Lianxiang Restaurant. Would you like the recipe for cooking fish, Manager Xu?"
Manager Xu nodded repeatedly and said:
"I really want this recipe, but I don't know how much you'd like to offer?"
Jiang Yuwei picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and said:
"I can buy the recipe for this fish for ten taels of silver. However, if you want the fish to taste good, you will also need my chili sauce. This pickled chili sauce is a recipe passed down from my ancestors. No one else can make it taste like this. If you want to make this fish in the future, Manager Xu, it would be better to buy the chili sauce directly from me."
After hesitating for a moment, Manager Xu made up his mind and said:
“I’ve bought the recipe, but I don’t dare buy too much chili sauce. I need to test the market first. If this recipe can really revitalize our restaurant, then I will only buy chili sauce from you from now on.”
Jiang Yuwei nodded and said:
"In that case, let's sign a document; it'll be better for both of us."
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