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The shopkeeper’s mind was in turmoil, but after a moment’s thought, he came to a decision. He often met with Shen Zi’an and knew he wasn’t one to speak without reason. If his wife’s cooking wasn’t good or special in any way, he would surely say so. Since he hadn’t mentioned anything negative, it must be true. Moreover, with everyone at the table, even the two children, speaking highly of the food, he was inclined to believe them. He thought that if he could have Su Zhi cook something on the spot, he could confirm it for himself.
“Young lady, I’d like to see and taste those dumplings and other dishes you mentioned. If they truly are as delicious as everyone says, today’s meal will be on the house. What do you say?”
After the innkeeper finished speaking, he looked at Su Zhi and then at Shen Zi’an, thinking that if one of them agreed, the deal would be sealed. Of course, in his mind, he knew it wasn’t easy for country folk to dine at an inn. Now, hearing that they could have a meal for free just by cooking one, how could they not be willing?
Su Zhi found it amusing. She thought the shopkeeper was shrewd, thinking he could learn her skills with just one meal. While the dumplings were delicious and the other dishes were decent, learning them just by tasting wouldn’t make him an expert. If she didn’t plan to make money with these recipes, cooking them at home would lead to others learning them over time, diminishing their value. Any random person at the inn could learn them easily.
But Su Zhi was now thinking about making money when the opportunity presented itself. Using recipes that could easily be learned by others to earn some money seemed like a good idea to her, so she naturally wouldn’t go along with the shopkeeper ‘s plan.
Shen Zi’an interjected, “Wife, you’ve been startled today. You came here to dine, not to cook. We can pay for this meal with no problem. Shopkeeper , please carry on!”
The shopkeeper realized things weren’t going as he had expected. Upon closer inspection of Shen Zi’an, he noticed a change in him. Although he still wore simple clothing, his demeanor was completely different. Knowing that he recently fought a tiger and then heard rumors of him building a large house, it was clear he was in a different position now, seemingly unconcerned about the cost of this meal.
The shopkeeper immediately responded, “Please reconsider. I’m genuinely curious about those dumplings. Brother Zi’an, we’ve known each other for a long time. Won’t you give me this face?”
On the side, Li Shi chuckled, “Shopkeeper Zhang, my sister-in-law’s cooking is truly delicious. Your establishment lacks variety compared to hers. Not to mention, just one of her dishes could outshine the entire spread here. Simply waiving the meal cost is too little. If her cooking isn’t to your liking, then she would have wasted her efforts. And if you learn her skills, wouldn’t you end up earning in the end?”
Shopkeeper Zhang’s experienced face almost turned red. He had indeed considered that if Su Zhi’s cooking didn’t meet his standards, he couldn’t simply waive the meal cost. After all, this inn wasn’t his own business, and without delivering quality, he had no reason to waive the fee.
“Brother Li, you’ve misunderstood me. Why would I do such a thing?” Shopkeeper Zhang replied.
Su Zhi admired Li Shi’s astuteness in business matters and thought he would be a great partner for future business endeavors.
“Shopkeeper, let’s discuss this in a quieter place after we finish our meal, alright?” Li Shi suggested.
“Sure, let’s do that,” the shopkeeper agreed before returning to the counter.
Li Qing’s wife and the others, who had been silent earlier, were now happily engaged in conversation with Su Zhi. Su Zhi couldn’t let the shopkeeper learn her secrets for free. She nodded with a smile. Then, the whole table resumed eating happily.
With eight dishes on the table, everyone ate to their heart’s content.
As the meal was finished early, it was time to return to the village as usual.
Liu Siniang politely bid farewell first, worried that she would be scolded if she didn’t return home on time. Li Qing’s wife and Shugen’s wife also excused themselves, as they needed to prepare dinner for their husbands. Plus, they felt it wouldn’t be appropriate to intrude on Su Zhi and the shopkeeper ‘s discussion about the dumplings and dishes.
Brother Li, however, stayed behind to help with watching the ox cart outside.
The shopkeeper invited Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an to the back hall. Su Zhi then presented her proposal.
“Shopkeeper Zhang, as a manager of this tavern, you should understand that these recipes are a craft and can be profitable. If you want to learn how to make my dumplings, it shouldn’t come for free,” Su Zhi asserted.
Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Zhang realized that this young woman intended to sell her recipes. He had underestimated her by assuming he could learn her skills with just a free meal.
“How much silver do you expect for one recipe, Miss?” Zhang asked.
“I won’t ask for much. Five taels of silver for the dumpling recipe would suffice. It’s a fair price considering the turnover of your tavern. As for the dishes, I can teach you two recipes, but the price for each dish will be higher—twenty taels of silver. What do you think? If you find it reasonable, then we have a deal; otherwise, we’ll leave now. Honestly, if we were to sell these recipes elsewhere, we could fetch the same price,” Su Zhi proposed.
Su Zhi didn’t ask for much. She had already shared the dumpling recipe with several families in Riverside Village, so it wasn’t a secret. Plus, given the shopkeeper had overheard the two children mentioning they had eaten dumplings before, he could easily find out how to make them. Su Zhi seized the opportunity to earn some silver while the shopkeeper still thought making dumplings wasn’t as straightforward as some dishes.
As for the dishes, Su Zhi had selected two better-quality recipes that could become signature dishes for the tavern. Naturally, she set a higher price for them.
Twenty taels of silver might not be much for wealthy individuals, but for rural folks who relied on farming, it could mean a year’s worth of harvest.
Upon hearing Su Zhi’s proposal and observing her calm demeanor, Zhang the shopkeeper thought that perhaps these dishes were indeed extraordinary. He didn’t want to miss out on them and risk other taverns learning the recipes. After a moment of consideration, he said, “Please, let’s see you cook first. If the dishes are truly something we’ve never encountered, we’ll gladly pay up. You need not worry about me reneging on the deal. If the food is good, we’d like to continue purchasing other recipes from you. Besides, Brother Zi’an here can kill a tiger; we wouldn’t dare not to settle our debts.”
Su Zhi smiled and replied, “Where’s the kitchen? Lead the way, please!”
With the agreement settled, Su Zhi, Shen Zi’an, and the shopkeeper proceeded to the kitchen.
There were two chefs in the kitchen. Upon hearing that someone could cook dishes they were unfamiliar with, they became interested. Chefs always enjoyed experiencing new cuisines. However, upon seeing Su Zhi, a young woman, they were somewhat skeptical.
Since it was mealtime, they called one chef over to watch while the other discussed coming to observe the other dish later.
Su Zhi decided to start with a dish of Dongpo pork.
She instructed someone to prepare the cooking ingredients. At that moment, she remembered the absence of star anise. It was essential for cooking, but somehow overlooked. Nonetheless, she thought planting star anise next season would be profitable, so she brushed aside the regret with a smile.
Dongpo pork was actually quite easy to make, but people at this time clearly didn’t know how. Considering its origin with Su Dongpo, it made sense. Before him, no one had made this dish, so it wasn’t surprising that people of this era didn’t know how to prepare it. Su Zhi directed the head chef while pondering these thoughts. Although the head chef was somewhat reluctant, he understood that he was learning cooking from Su Zhi and followed her instructions.
They tossed a piece of well-proportioned pork belly into cold water, brought it to a boil, blanched it briefly, then took it out and cut it into square pieces. They lined the bottom of the clay pot with scallions and ginger, placed the pork belly skin-side down, wishing they had some spring onions and star anise, but alas, they had to make do without. They added soy sauce, yellow wine, white sugar, and water. Then they boiled it, simmering over low heat for nearly half an hour, flipping the meat over, adding some more wine, and stewing for another fifteen minutes.
At this point, it was ready to eat, but they decided to steam it for another fifteen minutes.
Steamed Dongpo pork would have a crystalline texture, with a fragrant aroma and a non-greasy taste.
While making Dongpo pork, Su Zhi also made dumplings herself, just a dozen or so, not too tiring. She directed the other chef, who had just been switched over, to prepare the fish. She instructed them to make boiled fish slices.
Not only the chef, even the shopkeeper , after seeing so many chili peppers, felt dizzy, wondering who could eat so many chili peppers!
However, when the boiled fish was ready, everyone was captivated by its fragrant and spicy aroma.
Once both dishes were ready, only then the two chefs had a chance to eat. They served themselves a bowl of rice and gathered around the two dishes and the dumplings, waiting for the shopkeeper to taste them first.
After taking a bite of Dongpo pork, Zhang, the shopkeeper ‘s eyes lit up, and with each bite of the boiled fish, he felt his pores opening up. He quickly grabbed a dumpling, feeling more comfortable afterward.
Zhang felt that the dishes were delicious, and the dumplings were also delightful. He didn’t want to share them with anyone else.
The kitchen staff had been eagerly waiting for their meal. As soon as they saw the shopkeeper leave, they immediately surrounded the two dishes and began to devour them. In no time, all the dishes and dumplings were gone.
“Madam, your culinary skills are truly admirable,” Zhang, the shopkeeper , said without hesitation as he handed over forty-five taels of silver. “Please, share the recipe for these dishes, and I’ll make sure to present them to my employer.”
Su Zhi instructed Shen Zi’an to accept the silver, then asked the shopkeeper to write down the recipes.
After taking the recipe, Zhang chuckled, “With skills like yours, I’m sure you have other specialties. If you do, please consider selling them to our tavern in the future. We can negotiate the price.”
Su Zhi replied, “I do have some other dishes in my repertoire, but they’re more suitable for different seasons. There’s one dish that requires chestnuts, and luckily, I have some at home. I’ll bring them next time, and we can discuss it then.”
The shopkeeper readily agreed.
Seeing Zhang personally escort Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi out, Li Shi knew that the deal had been sealed.
The three of them boarded the ox cart and headed back to the village. Meanwhile, the shopkeeper hurriedly instructed his staff before rushing off to see his employer.