Chapter 38: Invitation

Chu Yue didn’t dare to go to a grand restaurant like the Hua Yu Lou. The dishes there were exorbitantly expensive, costing a couple of taels of silver for a meal.  While the dishes at Ruyiju weren’t cheap either, she could still afford it, spending a hundred or so copper coins for two or three dishes.

Xu Heng felt a little embarrassed. “How could I let you spend money on me?”

Lu Xinghe knew that the little girl was trying to build connections for him.  He patted Xu Heng on the shoulder and walked towards the bookstore. “Brother Xu, wait a moment.  I’ll go buy the books first.”

Lu Xinghe picked out five books with writing and ten blank books without writing.  In total, it cost thirteen taels of silver.

Chu Yue put the thirty-seven taels of loose silver in her money pouch and then went out of Wang Cheng Bookstore  with Lu Xinghe, taking Xu Heng to Ruyiju.

Because she was a woman, Chu Yue wasn’t comfortable sitting with a man at the same table.  She ordered three dishes, paid, and then went to a noodle stall just across the street from Ruyiju.

After eating and drinking her fill, considering that Lu Xinghe and Xu Heng wouldn’t be finished so soon, she went around to the back kitchen of Ruyiju.  After explaining her intentions to the old woman who was washing vegetables, she met with Zhao, the head of the kitchen.

Zhao Dong looked at the little girl in front of him, not quite believing that such a young child could provide him with a good recipe.  “You’re the one who wants to sell me a recipe?”

Chu Yue quickly nodded. “Yes.  Do you need one, Master Zhao?”

Zhao Dong picked his teeth.

“Tell me first.  What recipe is it?”

“It’s a recipe for pig offal.”  As if afraid that Zhao Dong would refuse, Chu Yue quickly added, “Master Zhao, could you please hear me out?”

Zhao Dong patiently said, “Go on.”

“Large-scale restaurants like the Hua Yu Lou, there are only two in Nanping Town. But smaller restaurants like Ruyiju, there are three or five in Nanping Town.”

Zhao Dong listened to Chu Yue’s words and nodded.  He was actually interested in what she had to say next.

“Continue.”

Chu Yue said, “Ordinary farmers wouldn’t come to restaurants to eat because they can’t afford it.  The people who usually come to restaurants are those who have some spare money.  These people, they often just want to try something new.  Since they’re looking for something new, they’ll go to the restaurant that has the most unique dishes.  Master Zhao, do you think I’m right?”

Zhao Dong nodded.

“That’s true.  Little girl, if you have other recipes, I might be willing to give them a try.  But pig offal….” He shook his head. “Even ordinary farmers don’t eat that.  It’s probably not going to work.”

Chu Yue knew that selling a recipe for pig offal wouldn’t be easy, but she still wanted to try her best.

“Master Zhao, could you let me try?  If you try the dish I make and still don’t want the recipe, I’ll leave right away.”

Zhao Dong thought for a moment.  It was just a matter of wasting some oil and salt.  So, he agreed.

“It just so happens that the pig offal from the pig we slaughtered today hasn’t been thrown away.  Since you want to try, go ahead and try it.”

Following the direction of Zhao Dong’s finger, Chu Yue saw the pig offal hanging on the wall, thankfully already cleaned.

She quickly took down the pig offal, cut it into three portions, first rubbed it with wood ash to remove the odor, then blanched it and cut it into sections before stir-frying it.  Because the restaurant had more seasonings than her home, the pig intestines tasted even more fragrant.

Zhao Dong followed the aroma to Chu Yue’s side and looked at the pig intestines in the pot, now coated in sauce and shining with a golden hue.  He swallowed his saliva.

“Your cooking skills are quite good, Miss.”

Chu Yue wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled. “I’ve been cooking a lot at home, so I’ve practiced.  But it’s definitely not as good as Master Zhao’s.”

She finished speaking and then took a plate lined with green leaves from the side, scooped some pig intestines onto it, and handed it to Zhao Dong.

“Please try it, Master Zhao.”

Although he felt a little disgusted at the thought of the dish in front of him being pig intestines, Zhao Dong still picked up a piece with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth to taste.

As he chewed, his eyes lit up.

The pig intestines, treated by this little girl, not only had no gamy or stinky smell, but they tasted surprisingly delicious, even with a unique flavor.

Zhao Dong nodded as he ate.

“Not bad!”

Chu Yue smiled and pointed to the pot. “There’s still some in the pot.  Master Zhao could divide it into small portions and offer it to old customers as a complimentary dish.”

Zhao Dong listened to Chu Yue’s words and quickly made arrangements.

Chu Yue wasn’t in a hurry.  She stayed in the back kitchen with Zhao Dong, waiting for feedback from customers in the front.

After about a quarter of an hour, they saw the young servant who was responsible for greeting customers rushing into the back kitchen.

“Master Zhao, the customers in the front are all asking for the Stir-fried Intestines.  Is there enough in the back kitchen?”

Zhao Dong wasn’t surprised by this result.  After all, the pig intestines did taste good.

He looked at the large string of pig intestines still hanging on the wall in the courtyard.  He was about to say that there was enough, but then he heard Chu Yue say, “Master Zhao, too much of a good thing can be bad.”

Zhao Dong understood immediately.  He quickly told the servant, “Go tell the customers that this Stir-fried Intestines is a new dish at our shop.  We’re just offering it for everyone to try today.  We didn’t prepare that many ingredients.  Tomorrow, we’ll offer ten portions, first come, first served.”

The servant received his orders and hurried away.  Zhao Dong then turned to Chu Yue.

“Miss, I’m willing to pay three taels of silver for this recipe.  But if you sell the recipe to me, you can’t sell it to anyone else.  Do you think that’s acceptable?”

Three taels of silver for a recipe was a good deal.  Chu Yue quickly nodded. “Okay.  I’ll sell it exclusively to Master Zhao.  But if other restaurants copy it, Master Zhao can’t blame me.”

Zhao Dong quickly laughed. “Of course.  But by the time others copy it, we might already have a different recipe.”

Chu Yue took the three taels of silver from Zhao Dong and left the back yard of Ruyiju.  As soon as she came out, she saw Lu Xinghe waiting for her at the door.

He was holding a packed meat dish in his hand, and the aroma of food could faintly be smelled.

Chu Yue’s eyes curved into crescent moons.

“Husband, how did you know I was here?”

Lu Xinghe took her hand. “It’s not that difficult.  I saw the complimentary Stir-fried Intestines from the back kitchen and guessed.  Brother Xu is a regular customer there, so we got a small portion too.”

Chu Yue laughed. “So, those customers who are all asking for the dish, you have a hand in that too?”

Lu Xinghe rubbed her head. “You’re so smart.”

Chu Yue noticed that ever since she had gotten closer to Lu Xinghe, he seemed to like touching her head a lot.  Was he treating her like a child?

Looking at her still small body, she had to accept the fact that she was still a child.

“Husband, why did you pack a dish from Ruyiju?”

Lu Xinghe glanced at the oiled paper package in his hand.

“I ordered this specifically to take back home to eat.  The dishes at Ruyiju are pretty good, so I thought I’d bring a portion back for you all to try.”  He then looked at Chu Yue. “Did you eat lunch?”

Chu Yue nodded. “Of course.  I wouldn’t do anything to make myself feel uncomfortable.”

“That’s good.”  Lu Xinghe pulled Chu Yue around a corner. “Let’s go directly to the nearby brickyard outside town and take a look.  Once we ask about the price, if it’s suitable, we’ll buy the bricks first.  If the price isn’t right, we’ll go back early and ask around at the brickyards in the neighboring villages.”