Chapter 135: Big Business

With minimal rent, Chen Shi quickly gained high visibility and managed to sell his braised skewers in every corner of Dingzhou Prefecture. Even as many other shops followed suit, none could compare to the success of Chen San’s braised skewers.

Sharing the surname Chen and with a flavor resembling that of the Nine-Flavor Braised Skewers, Yang Mingyuan instinctively felt that this establishment might have some connection to Chen Feng.

The next day, he sought out Chen San’s braised skewers shop. Seeing the resemblance between Chen Shi and Chen Ming, he became more certain of his speculation. After a conversation, he confirmed that Chen Shi was indeed related to Chen Feng. He turned out to be her uncle, and the method of selling and preparing the skewers was also something Chen Feng had taught Chen Shi.

Yang Mingyuan spent the night thinking, realizing that perhaps Chen Feng might have even better ideas. If he could involve her in the restaurant business, it would surely thrive. The thought of her beautiful figure stirred something within him.

Hastily, he returned to Sanqing County and sought out the Chen family. He offered Chen Feng a share in the restaurant business if she had good ideas.

Upon hearing that Chen Shi’s business was thriving and the family had already hired ten assistants, and realizing that her ideas had contributed to the increased success and visibility, Chen Feng was delighted.

Renting different locations for the sale of braised skewers was an idea she had come up with, drawing from her past experience with chain store operations and analyzing the characteristics of this era, as well as Chen Shi’s economic strength.

While she was tempted by Yang Mingyuan’s offer, she also maintained a sense of self-awareness. Although she had some culinary skills from her past life, she wasn’t confident beyond a few recipes and desserts. She was hesitant to offer her ideas to Mr. Yang, especially when it came to acquiring shares in his restaurant.

Yang Mingyuan was surely seeking ideas that went beyond mere recipes, something related to a unique culinary culture or marketing approach.

Chen Shi’s playful antics were one thing, but what Yang Mingyuan sought was a “big market,” and Chen Feng lacked confidence in that regard.

A gust of cold wind made Chen Feng shiver as she stood in the courtyard. Suddenly, the words “hot pot” flashed through her mind.

In weather like this, sitting around and enjoying a steaming hotpot with friends would be so delightful.

In this era, there was something akin to a hotpot, a precursor to it, called “tangguo.” A few days ago, Tangyuan made one, simply boiling meat and vegetables in a pot and eating them with dipping sauces. It was far less refined and exquisite than the hotpot from my past life and was yet to establish its own style.

Even in my past life, hotpot was renowned and cherished everywhere, with very few people not liking it. The crucial point was that Chen Feng had learned how to prepare the broth, and she had done well with both the red and white broths.

Chen Feng had put a lot of effort into learning how to make hotpot, and she had to thank that unfaithful man, Liu Xudong, because he loved hotpot. One of his close friends was the owner of a famous hotpot chain, and she learned from the chefs there. On quiet weekends, she would occasionally make a hotpot, hoping to keep Liu Xudong at home…

At that time, she truly lacked self-respect and dignity in love.

Chen Feng blinked and took a deep breath, pushing her melancholy thoughts aside.

With a radiant smile at Yang Mingyuan, she said, “It’s cold today, and I’m actually thinking of making a dish called hotpot. I don’t know if it’ll turn out delicious, but it’s just a dish, so I wouldn’t presume to ask for Mr. Yang’s share. With so many distinguished guests at home today, I’ll make it and extend my hospitality to them.”

Seeing her beautiful smile, Yang Mingyuan’s heart raced, and a hint of blush appeared on his face. He quickly composed himself and said, “I’ll eagerly await this treat.”

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Feng smiled again. “Oh, I forgot. If Mr. Yang arrives late, he won’t be able to enter the city. Making this dish is a bit troublesome. Let’s do it another day.”

Yang Mingyuan was eager to have hotpot. “No problem. If I arrive late, I’ll stay at an inn outside the city for the night.”

Chen Feng then went to the kitchen to see what dishes Steward Luo and Yang Mingyuan had brought. Both of them felt awkward bringing so many people for the meal, and as a restaurant owner, Yang Mingyuan had brought a lot of food and wine. They had already eaten some at lunch, and there were still two large wooden basins filled to the brim.

As she rummaged through, she found pork ribs, pig’s trotters, ham, pork belly, two lamb legs, a lamb chop, a chicken, a duck, over a pound of large prawns, as well as lotus root and mushrooms.

With the ingredients from her own garden, Chen Feng could manage to prepare a hotpot.

Being a food enthusiast, she had a wide variety of seasonings at home. Although she didn’t have some of the seasonings from her past life, she had found some substitutes. However, she had to be mindful not to make the red broth too spicy, as northerners couldn’t handle much spice. Fortunately, she had a small precious jar of pepper, which she had bought from a Hui merchant in Dingzhou. Pepper was essential for the white broth, without it, the flavor wouldn’t be as rich. However, the use of pepper wasn’t common among the people of the Dachun Dynasty.

With no separate stove, she had to prepare the hotpot in the kitchen. Using two burners—one for the white broth and the other for the red broth—she decided to focus more on the white broth, considering that most northerners preferred it, and also because there were many children present that day.

She asked Chef Kang to help by first boiling a chicken bone to make the broth, then thinly slicing the pork belly and lamb—thinner was better. Chef Kang, being an accomplished chef, skillfully sliced the meat paper-thin.

Mrs. Wang harvested fresh vegetables from the garden such as spinach, radishes, Chinese cabbage, and chives, and also obtained some cilantro from Gao Lizheng’s garden.

Once the ingredients were cooked, a delightful aroma filled the air. The men who had been drinking even commented on how fragrant it was and expressed a desire to continue drinking in the evening.

Steward Luo stepped out from the west wing, smiling, “What’s this? Ms. Feng, concocting another rare delicacy for us?”

Chen Feng chuckled, “It’s something new. I’m not sure if it will turn out tasty.”

However, the tranquility was disrupted as Chu Hanyan woke up and began crying, unable to be soothed by Dabao. Mama Song had to take her to the old courtyard, where she sat with a few children in the west wing, leaving the door open.

Whenever Chu Hanyan saw Chen Feng, she would tug at Dabao’s clothes, but she would calm down when she saw her. Yang Qian was chattering away and flapping her handkerchief, and Chu Hanyan seemed to be listening, unaffected by Yang Qian’s chatter.

Dabao was pleased to be relied upon by his little sister for the first time. He sat next to her, allowing her to pull at his clothes, while Yang Chao engaged in a conversation with him.

As Chen Feng busily attended to her tasks alongside Mrs. Wang and others, she listened to the laughter of the children in the west wing, feeling as warm inside as the steam rising from the pot.

This was the feeling of happiness and contentment that she had always longed for in both her current and past lives.