Chapter 21: The First Pot of Gold!

Six dark eyes stared intently at Su Wan.

Burning and eager.

Su Wan: “……”

She placed a basin of mushrooms on the chopping board and generously said, “Okay!”

Her words were like music from heaven!

Jiang Baiwei felt that he had misjudged her, thinking with a villain’s heart. Su Wan wasn’t there to swindle them; her cooking was genuinely good, and she was beautiful and kind-hearted!

He turned his embarrassment into appetite, stuffed a large chopstick full of food into his mouth, and began to chew. Suddenly, he stopped chewing.

The shopkeeper and the waiter had just picked up their chopsticks and stared at him in unison, asking with their eyes what was wrong.

Jiang Baiwei felt his soul explode with the fragrance.

Su Wan picked half-open chicken mushrooms^[1]It’s actually Chicken of the wood mushrooms, but I felt it was too long, so I changed it into Chicken mushrooms. Everyone, what do you think? Should I change it back or no? I need your opinion, … Continue reading, which is the best stage for harvest. It contains the sweetness of chicken mushrooms, and when you chew it, the fragrant fragrance fills your mouth, whetting your appetite.

Jiang Baiwei lowered his eyelids to cover his shining eyes and said calmly, “Hmm, it’s average.”

He swiftly grabbed a large bowl, scooped up a big portion, and was ready to leave in a flash.

Su Wan stretched out her hand and grabbed his waistband, “Where are you running off to?”

Jiang Baiwei stopped in his tracks, clamped his legs tightly together. With a youthful face blushing, he stuttered, “Y-you, let go.”

His pants were about to fall off!

Su Wan looked at the loosened waistband in her hand, feeling extremely embarrassed inside. She casually let go, took the bowl from his hand, and placed it next to the dish basin.

Jiang Baiwei felt like his heart was being cut with a knife, and pouting in grievance.

The shopkeeper and the waiter took a bite of the mushroom, and their taste buds were instantly conquered by the deliciousness. Thinking of Jiang Baiwei’s lie about eating alone, they looked at him with murderous eyes.

Jiang Baiwei swallowed hard, and his heart felt bitterer than if he had drunk a concoction of bitter herbs.

At that moment, a customer arrived at the kitchen door, asking, “What dish are you making? It smells amazing, and it’s making us hungry just passing by the door.”

Their eyes fixed on the oily chicken mushrooms on the chopping board, they couldn’t help but swallow and pointed to the basin, “Is it this? Are you open for business today?”

“We’re open!” The shopkeeper, excitedly, instructed the waiter to attend to the customers. Rubbing his hands together eagerly, he asked, “Young lady, are you selling this dish?”

“Selling,” Su Wan took out a small rice bowl, scooped up a bowl of oily chicken mushrooms, and pushed the basin towards the shopkeeper, “These are to cover my meal.”

“How could that be? I’ll settle the bill with you later!” The shopkeeper suppressed his joy and asked with a smile, “Young lady, your cooking is so good, have you worked in other restaurants?”

Seeing the shopkeeper take the bait, Su Wan’s lips curled into a smile, “I don’t have time to work in other restaurants. How about this, I’ll sell you this recipe. Chicken mushrooms are rare, available less than a month a year. I’ll give you recipes for other mushroom dishes, especially good with rice.”

Before the shopkeeper could respond, the waiter slipped in, grinning from ear to ear, and said excitedly, “Shopkeeper Xu, five or six tables of customers have arrived, all ordering a plate of fried chicken mushrooms!”

The shopkeeper glanced at the basin, which had at most five or six bowls.

Ever since the restaurant across the street opened, their restaurant had been quiet, and it had been a long time since they had so many customers at once.

Without hesitation, he said to Su Wan, “Deal, I’ll buy your recipe! Name your price!”

“Fifteen taels of silver!” Su Wan asked for five taels more, expecting the shopkeeper to bargain.

The shopkeeper agreed without hesitation, “Deal!”

Recipes were as precious as medicinal prescriptions.

If Su Wan’s recipe could revive the restaurant, fifteen taels of silver was nothing.

“Young lady, please come with me.” Shopkeeper Xu wanted to make Su Wan’s acquaintance and was very respectful. He invited her behind the counter, took out pen, ink, and paper, “Please write down the recipe.”

Su Wan wrote down the recipe in detail, dried the ink, and handed it to Shopkeeper Xu.

Shopkeeper Xu looked at the recipe for fried chicken mushrooms and other mushroom dishes, satisfied, and handed her fifteen taels of silver.

“Young lady, if you have any other specialty dishes, you can come to me, and we can negotiate the price.”

Shopkeeper Xu was already planning to lure Su Wan into working as a chef in his restaurant the next time she came.

“No problem!” Su Wan pocketed the silver, her face beaming with a bright smile, visibly pleased.

Today was a great harvest!

Su Wan smiled and waved at the shopkeeper, “I’m leaving first, goodbye!”

She walked out of the restaurant with a bamboo basket on her back. She suddenly paused for a moment then stared at the restaurant across the street. She felt that the figure descending from the carriage seemed familiar, somewhat like Gu Huaizhi??

Tl’s Note:

第一桶金(dìyītǒngjīn) = The First Pot of Gold is an entrepreneurial concept, referring to the first sum of money earned in the process of starting a business.

Below is the picture of Chicken of the wood mushrooms