Looking back, he saw that the shopkeeper was no longer by his side. He had picked up a pair of chopsticks and joined Master Fan, their heads close together, circling the plate of squirrel-shaped mandarin fish.
The waiter and apprentices, lower in status, could only watch the shopkeeper enjoy the food with his beard quivering, and seeing the satisfied expression on Master Fan’s face, the sound of the waiter swallowing saliva became louder.
Jiang Chan was indifferent to this. Seeing the pork belly and old tofu on the side, she quickly made braised pork, home-style tofu, and finally a braised shrimp.
The shopkeeper and Master Fan couldn’t get enough of it, indulging in one dish after another until they reluctantly put down their chopsticks after satisfying their appetites.
Cooking was not difficult for Jiang Chan, and she could tell that the shopkeeper was satisfied. The probability of her working here seemed quite high.
The shopkeeper’s current thought was that their Mingyue Tower was really going to rise. Where did this treasure come from? How did it fall into his hands like this by chance?
Such a treasure must stay in their Mingyue Tower. Forget about the Chunfeng Tower or Shuyu Pavilion. Now, it seemed better to take care of stray dogs. The shopkeeper’s thoughts had already diverged to taking good care of stray dogs in the future.
“Master Jiang, your skills are truly remarkable!” The shopkeeper raised his thumb. He no longer called her Xiao Jiang. People with skills were respected wherever they went.
“Alright, Master Jiang, let’s discuss things outside,” the shopkeeper said. He was determined to have Jiang Chan work at their Mingyue Tower.
Seeing Jiang Chan and the shopkeeper leave, the waiter and two apprentices eagerly rushed forward. The waiter didn’t bother to attend to the guests in the front. Eating with oil dripping from his mouth, the two apprentices next to him didn’t look much better.
Jiang Chan was unaware of all this while following the friendly old shopkeeper to the front hall. She had a good impression of the amiable shopkeeper, despite his shrewdness in business.
Business was business. After haggling with the shopkeeper for a while, Jiang Chan finally agreed to sell the braised shrimp, squirrel mandarin fish, and braised pork to Mingyue Tower. As for the home-style tofu, consider it a complimentary gift.
Jiang Chan was straightforward, and the shopkeeper didn’t haggle much. In the end, the three dishes were sold for a total of fifteen taels of silver. It was definitely enough for Jiang Miao’s expenses for the imperial examination, but Jiang Chan had no intention of just giving it to Jiang Mu and Wang Shu.
How to give them the money was a problem that Jiang Chan needed to think about. If Wang Shi knew about her ability, Jiang Chan was sure that Wang Shi wouldn’t be willing to stop until the last drop of blood was squeezed from her.
Jiang Chan tapped her fingers on the counter, contemplating how to handle it. Her situation was indeed challenging, but fortunately, with money in hand, the biggest crisis was finally resolved.
During the time she was thinking, the shopkeeper had already taken out the fifteen taels of silver and handed it to her. Without saying anything else, Jiang Chan immediately entered the kitchen and handed the detailed steps for the four dishes to Master Fan.
After watching for a while and seeing Jiang Chan teach earnestly without any tricks, the shopkeeper nodded in satisfaction and returned to the front hall. With these four dishes, they were sure to attract a lot of customers to Mingyue Tower.
Master Fan was also an experienced chef. After Jiang Chan taught him twice, he tried it himself, and the taste was not much different from what Jiang Chan made.
The shopkeeper immediately wrote down today’s menu on the wooden board outside the restaurant. In addition to the original signature dishes, Jiang Chan’s four dishes were prominently listed.
There has never been a shortage of wealthy people in the world, especially in a town of this size. The four new dishes introduced by Mingyue Tower were all unheard of, and curiosity was something everyone had.
Not long after, the restaurant was almost full, and it was time for Master Fan to showcase his skills. The restaurant was very lively, and the waiter was almost overwhelmed. In the end, the shopkeeper took on the role of greeting the guests.
“This squirrel mandarin fish, with its perfect color, fragrance, and taste, especially when the hot oil is poured over it, it’s like there’s really a squirrel calling,” a scholar in his twenties shook his head, “Wonderful, absolutely wonderful!”
Such praise was not limited to just him. The others were too engrossed in eating to speak, and just lowered their heads and enjoyed the food. After tasting the four dishes from Mingyue Tower, everyone felt that what they had eaten before wasn’t called food; it was just pig feed.
Listening to the compliments from the diners, the shopkeeper’s beard stood proudly high. He thought that today’s deal was done exceptionally well. In just one lunch, they had almost recovered the cost.
It was a pity that Jiang Chan couldn’t work for him as she had suggested. After all, she was still in the Jiang family. If she worked here, the wages she earned would be plundered by Wang Shi.
It was better to do a one-time deal like now. The shopkeeper sighed regretfully. When he saw a middle-aged man in his forties outside, he hurriedly greeted him with a smiling face.
“Jiang Juren, your visit today is really timely. We have just launched four new and interesting dishes. Would you like to try them?” The shopkeeper said enthusiastically.
Jiang Chan had just finished instructing Master Fan and was resting by the kitchen door. Hearing the shopkeeper’s warm words, she curiously glanced over and saw a middle-aged man with a serious face.
But this person seemed familiar to Jiang Chan. After carefully searching her memory, she remembered that this was the original host’s uncle, Jiang Sen.
Thinking about it, Jiang Sen was indeed a ruthless person. Jiang’s father had three sons in his lifetime, and Jiang Sen was the eldest. Jiang Sen, a master, married Lin Shi, and their relationship was very close.
However, Lin Shi was born with a weak body, and having children was difficult for her. Even now, after Jiang Sen successfully passed the imperial exam, they didn’t have child. Old Mrs. Jiang was biased, wanting to marry her niece to Jiang Sen as a concubine, but Jiang Sen firmly refused.
Usually, Jiang Sen stayed in the town and rarely went back home. The original host didn’t know much about him. Jiang Chan observed Jiang Sen for a while, and suddenly, a smile appeared on her lips.
She thought she knew what to do next.
Jiang Sen sat down at a table by the window, his face stern as he scanned the lobby. Unlike the bustling atmosphere of the past, the lobby was unusually quiet today, with only the sound of people eating.
Looking again, he saw that there were all were dishes he had never seen before. At this moment, a waiter carried a plate of braised pork to a customer in front of Jiang Sen. The aroma tempted him, and his throat couldn’t help but move.
Jiang Sen had sharp eyes. He watched as the braised pork was cut into finger-width pieces, with a vibrant red color, trembling as if the sauce was about to fall. It looked so appetizing.
Discover more from Lilly Translations
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Why does she care about the Jiang family?
She could literally just leave and they would have no way to find her
We have a hard time finding people now, with all the worlds technology, back then you didnt have any ID or anything
Aside from whether it’s realistic that she could escape undetected, she can’t just leave the area – the second part of her task means staying close by enough to get revenge on the future husband who would have murdered her.