The newly purchased shop was incredibly cheap, costing less than twenty taels of silver, a stark contrast to the previous grocery shop, which seemed like the difference between heaven and earth. However, just as there were benefits to something expensive, there were drawbacks to something cheap. The reason this shop was so affordable was due to its location.

For anyone unfamiliar with the local terrain, navigating through seven, eight, or even nine alleys to reach this place was nearly impossible. Madam Qi, who had nearly gotten lost in the maze of alleys, was now so worried that she couldn’t even eat, fearing that her daughter would lose everything in this venture.

As Lin Dan tidied up the tables and chairs, she comforted her, “Mother, don’t worry. There’s a reason I chose to open the shop here. Look around at the surrounding shops.”

“And what are they? Gambling dens, fighting pits, brothels— all the lowliest places, frequented by the lowest of people. I really can’t understand why you’d want to open a shop here. If the Yan family can’t tolerate us, we could leave the capital and at least live in peace. I don’t want you to fight for any inheritance or status. I just want you to be safe.” Madam Qi said as she reached out to grasp her daughter’s wrist.

Lin Dan gently patted her hand to soothe her and explained, “The residents of the Southern District are indeed outsiders and their backgrounds are complex, but this place is better than the northern part of the city in some ways. You may think the people here are lowly, but this area is full of hidden talents. It’s not a simple place. Doing business here could be much better than in the north. Look at those gambling dens, fighting pits, docks, and brothels— aren’t they bustling with people? That’s a natural source of foot traffic. For a restaurant, good business depends primarily on cooking skills, followed by foot traffic. With good cooking and plenty of customers, the business will naturally thrive. Once I get the shop up and running, you’ll see.”

“The foot traffic may be good, but have you considered whether your shop can actually benefit from it? Just getting through these winding alleys takes seventeen or eighteen turns. How will anyone find our place? Restaurants should be on the main street, not tucked away in a dead-end alley.” Madam Qiremained worried.

“Good wine needs no bush^[1]if something is truly of high quality or valuable, it doesn’t require excessive advertising or promotion. It isn’t a big problem.” Lin Dan said with a light smile, waving her hand dismissively.

The workers she had brought were quick and efficient. In half a day, they had cleaned up the shop and a small banner was hung at the door, indicating that they were ready for business.

The handsome man, who had been delayed by some matters in the morning, only arrived around noon. He first made arrangements with the local thugs and then sought out nearby constables, asking them to keep an eye on Lin Dan. Only after handling these matters did he head to the shop. Of course, he did all of those things behind Lin Dan’s back, fearing that she might feel burdened by it.

“Why are you here again? Don’t you have anything better to do?” Lin Dan asked in surprise when she saw him.

“You’ve never seemed to ask for my name?” The man responded with a question instead of answering.

Lin Dan paused for a moment, then smiled lightly. “Alright then, may I ask your name, good sir, and how old you are?”

“I am twenty-six this year. My surname is Tang, and I am the ninth in my family. You can call me Ninth Brother Tang, or just Ninth Brother.” The man said as he bowed respectfully to Madam Qi before picking up an axe to chop wood.

“Tang^[2]soup/hot springs/boiling water? That’s a good surname.” Lin Dan smiled even more brightly. As a cook, she had a natural affinity for anything related to soups and broths.

The man quickly realized what she was smiling about and a gentle light flashed in his deep eyes. Even when exchanging names, Lin Dan couldn’t help but relate it to her culinary profession.

The restaurant’s sign had already been ordered from a carpenter and would be delivered in the afternoon. Lin Dan didn’t plan to start business that day. She just had the workers bring in three large pots to start making broths— one for clear broth, one for milky broth, and one for master stock^[3]a stock that is repeatedly reused to poach or braise meats. Since the shop was so cheap, she still had plenty of silver left to spend, so she spared no expense in ingredients, stuffing whole chickens and ducks into the pots, along with pork knuckles and bones, to simmer together.

“I learned this broth-making technique from a master in the north. Though he wasn’t an imperial cook, his cooking skills were unparalleled. I studied under him for three years and only learned a fraction of his craft. The clear broth needs to simmer over low heat, while the milky broth requires a strong boil. Be mindful of that when adding wood to the fire.” Lin Dan spoke humbly, but her broth-making techniques were seasoned and skilled, her movements smooth and practiced as she blanched, boiled, skimmed, and simmered.

Ninth Brother Tang, staring at the large pots, asked with a hint of concern, “With such rich ingredients, can you make back your costs?”

Lin Dan chuckled, “Don’t be fooled by the generous use of ingredients. It might seem extravagant, but these broths will be enough for me to prepare over a hundred dishes and a hundred bowls of noodles without wasting a thing. My shop is hidden away, so I need to make a strong broth to keep the customers coming. As the saying goes, ‘good wine needs no bush’, and for me, it’s ‘rich broth needs no bush’. Once the broth is ready, people will follow the scent to find this place.”

Once the clear and milky broths were simmering, Lin Dan added the spice pouch^[4]a bunch of herbs encased in a cheesecloth bag to the master stock and brought it to a boil over high heat. After boiling for a quarter of an hour, she added pork knuckles, bones, pork belly, and pigskin. Once it was boiling again, she covered the pot and sealed the edges with a damp cloth to prevent steam from escaping.

“This marinade will be ready to use by tomorrow morning after simmering overnight. Everyone can take a break now. Just leave one person to watch the fire.” Lin Dan clapped her hands, signaling that the preparations were complete, and sent everyone off to rest. The trading caravan had other businesses to attend to, so after packing up their things, the workers left the capital.

Lin Dan was just about to prepare lunch for her mother and Ninth Brother Tang when suddenly, a man rushed in. It was a waiter from Qiaoyuan Restaurant, looking somewhat angry. “I’ve finally found you, you swindler! Say, what kind of goods did you sell to our restaurant? How dare you pass off inferior goods as top quality?!”

“Little Brother, don’t be upset. Whatever the problem is, we can discuss it at Qiaoyuan Restaurant.” Lin Dan responded calmly, not the least bit annoyed, as she graciously poured the waiter a cup of hot tea.

The waiter had come to apprehend people, but when he reached out to grab the other party, he quickly grew timid under a cold glance from Ninth Brother Tang. He had no choice but to politely invite Lin Dan back. The fair and handsome cook had been waiting in the shop. Although he was clearly the aggrieved party, he was shy and spoke with a soft tone of reproach, “The ingredients you sold me might have issues. They don’t taste like top-quality ingredients. Try it— this dish was made with the dried fish maw you sold me, and this one was made with fish maw bought from the Yan Family’s Restaurant. Both are the same type of seafood, so why is the taste of mine so different from theirs?”

Lin Dan tasted the dishes from both tables and couldn’t help but smile. She had been worried about how to counter the Yan family, and now this cook had handed her the knife. So be it. Though she couldn’t directly challenge the Yan family, someone else would fight on her behalf.

With this thought in mind, she waved her hand and said, “Let’s go to the kitchen and let me see how you cook. My dried goods are all painstakingly selected from hundreds and thousands of products. Each one is top-tier and won’t have any issues. Since the ingredients aren’t the problem, the issue must be in your cooking technique. We should start by identifying the root cause.”

The cook agreed without a second thought and immediately headed toward the kitchen, his every move exceedingly obedient. The old shopkeeper glared at Lin Dan, seemingly wanting to scold her for her lack of manners, but he was too intimidated by the imposing Ninth Brother Tang to speak. The group made their way to the kitchen and began cooking.

Lin Dan observed the cook for a long time before shaking her head and saying, “Your basic skills are solid, but you lack some experience. When cooking with dried goods, seventy percent of the work lies in rehydrating them, and thirty percent in seasoning. Your rehydration technique isn’t quite there, so naturally, your dishes won’t turn out well.”

“Take this sea cucumber, for example. Simply soaking it in water isn’t enough. If you just cut it into sections and stir-fry it, it might be passable. But if you’re cooking with a whole sea cucumber, some parts of the flesh will be soft while others remain tough, resulting in uneven texture and poor flavor absorption. Let me teach you a secret technique. Before soaking the sea cucumber in water, it’s best to roast it on a heated iron plate, then char the outer skin over low heat. Finally, scrape off the blackened skin with a small knife before boiling it. Why go through all that? Freshly bought dried sea cucumbers still contain some moisture, and only by thoroughly removing that moisture can you achieve an even texture. Boil it three times and cool it three times. Only then is it fully rehydrated. When you press it with your hand, it should leave a mark, and the texture should be incredibly tender and smooth.”

As she explained, Lin Dan demonstrated the process, her skillful hands moving deftly, mesmerizing everyone watching. Only then did the cook realize that this Shopkeeper Lin wasn’t just a seller of dried goods but also a highly experienced cook. The mastery she displayed in rehydrating the sea cucumber was something that could only be achieved after three to five years of dedicated study. Not only had she mastered it, but she was also generous enough to share her knowledge with others, a testament to her outstanding character.

Eager to learn more, the cook quickly took over the task of rehydrating the sea cucumber.

Lin Dan wiped her hands with a cloth and continued to prepare the fish maw, explaining as she heated the oil, “You didn’t rehydrate this fish maw correctly either. It needs to be rehydrated in oil to achieve a smooth, tender, and glutinous texture. First, soak it in oil heated to about fifty percent twice. After cooling, fry it over low heat on the stove, then remove it and soak it in clean water to fully absorb the moisture. Next, soak it in lime water, constantly patting it to remove the oil. Finally, rinse away the lime water’s astringency with fresh water and it’s ready for cooking. Fish maw rehydrated in oil will have a wonderfully soft and smooth texture and will retain its freshness no matter how you cook it. Not to mention high-quality fish maw, even the lowest-quality one can be turned into a delicacy.”

When it came to cooking, Lin Dan was unstoppable. Her hands never slowed down as she swiftly heated a pot of oil and immersed the fish maw in it. A cook’s true skill is evident as soon as they step up in front of the stove. The cook watched Lin Dan, his eyes growing brighter and brighter, as if he had discovered a hidden treasure.

As they waited for the oil to cool, Lin Dan pointed out, “Look at this rock tripe, it’s not rehydrated properly either. Blanching it in boiling water isn’t enough. You also need to soak it in coarse salt to soften it and rub off the fuzz on the underside……”

“Yes, yes, yes, you’re absolutely right! Shopkeeper Lin, I was wrong. I misunderstood you earlier. Please, be generous and forgive me this time. My cooking skills are lacking. I beg you to teach me! Recently, the Yan Family’s Restaurant launched a new dish called Squirrel Fish. Its presentation and taste are exceptional, and they’ve lured away the few remaining customers from my restaurant. If I don’t improve, my family’s reputation as descendants of imperial cooks will be ruined in my hands!” The other party clasped his hands together and repeatedly bowed to Lin Dan. In all honesty, just from watching her rehydration skills, Lin Dan was no less skilled than his father or grandfather and was more than qualified to be his master.