If there were anything that was popular in Ning An town recently, the answer would be food and clothing. It was common for people to ask whether they had eaten in terms of greeting.
Now they would ask, “Have you eaten there today?”
The answer would vary. Some would say. “Yes. My family went to line up early in the morning and finally got a spot.” Others might say, “I was late today and didn’t manage to get in. Damn it. I’ll definitely go early tomorrow and line up.”
Or, someone would ask, “did you buy it today?”
Some would answer, “No. There were only two sets on sale. I spent all night waiting. When I went over, there was already a crowd. My young miss was so mad since I failed to get her the dress.”
“Sigh, my master is still the same. He made me stand guard there every day.”
The people answering were mainly the servants and maids of the large families.
…
The first floor of Yuelai Inn was full of guests, and the sound of customer’s orders could be heard from time to time.
“Waiter, give me a beggar’s chicken!”
“Waiter, I’ll have a braised pig’s trotter!”
“Waiter, one serving of crystal dumplings!”
“I’m sorry, Sir. The last serving of crystal dumplings has been ordered by that customer. Do you want to change your order or come back tomorrow?”
“I’m sorry, Sir. Today’s twenty servings of beggar’s chicken have all been sold out. Why don’t you go to the counter to get a number and come back tomorrow?”
“Red braised pork trotters have all been sold out!” The waiter shouted loudly. Then, he took a plate and hung it on the counter, telling the customers that there was no more of this dish today.
“Manager, why can’t your restaurant make a few more?” Some customers were dissatisfied that they didn’t get to eat the dishes they wanted. “Every table is limited to ordering one dish. And the number of total dishes is limited. Will you even make any money?”
While stroking his beard, shopkeeper Liu looked a bit embarrassed. However, he couldn’t hold back his smile and said, “Sir, it’s not that we don’t want to sell more, but the chef has limited energy and can only make so many dishes.” As he said that, he felt helpless.
The customer was curious. “Could it be that all these dishes were made by the same master?”
“That’s right!” Shopkeeper Liu replied.
“Oh, no wonder.” The customers nodded in understanding.
However, what made them even more puzzled was, “can’t he train more disciples to help out?”
Shopkeeper Liu explained, “It’s not that easy. This involves secret recipes passed down through generations.”
The guest nodded again. “We understand.”
All the old masters had secret ancestral recipes that wouldn’t be revealed to outsiders. Therefore, it was understood that they wouldn’t take in new disciples.
Therefore, they had to come back tomorrow.
Well, the whole thing was just bullshit. Liu Qi followed Lin Yuelan’s advice and sold everything in limited quantities. She said that this would keep the dishes fresh and the customers coming back for more.
Lin Yuelan and Jiang Zhennan stood at the entrance of Yuelai Inn with a few jars of wine in their hands.
Jiang Zhennan looked at the people coming and going in the hall, and he was very surprised.
He knew that Lin Yuelan had a partnership with Yuelai Inn, but he didn’t expect that Yuelai Inn’s business would be so good.
It was Jiang Zhennan’s first time in town. Of course, he didn’t know the reason for the booming business here.
Shopkeeper Liu was standing in front of the counter to settle a bill for a customer. When he looked up, he saw Lin Yuelan standing in front of the door. He immediately settled the bill for the customer, then came out to welcome her with a smile.”Miss Lin, you’re here.” As he spoke, he made a gesture and said, “please come in.” He then continued, “Miss Lin, you haven’t been here for a long time.”
Indeed, during this period of time, Lin Yuelan would send little twelve to deliver the recipe to Liu Qi whenever it was time.
She had given them three recipes. And it had been a long time since she came to the inn in person.
Lin Yuelan nodded and said, “I’ve been busy recently.”
