Chapter 64: The Eldest Miss of the Jiang Family

Bai Yuniang, who was chopping vegetables over there, smiled and said, "This little girl is quite diligent and clever."

"She has been going out to sea to catch fish with her grandfather since she was a child. She is much bolder than some boys," said a man who was washing vegetables.

This man was called Ah Yong, and since he had some culinary skills, Lin Feng had allowed him into the kitchen to help out.

"Where is her father? Doesn't her father fish?" Tian Xi'er asked.

"Ten years ago, while her father was out fishing, his boat encountered a huge wave and was swallowed by the deep sea. Not long after, her mother also fell sick and died. Yanzi has been raised by her grandfather and her aunt. Her aunt... alas, she was violated and killed by those Japanese pirates."

Lin Feng felt his teeth itch with hatred. Those damned Japanese devils!

Tian Xi'er said with a gloomy expression, "How truly pitiful."

Ah Yong sighed, "Many villagers in our village have been left broken-handed and displaced because of the Japanese pirates..."

At this moment, a large ball of meat rolled in, panting heavily. "Cousin... cousin..."

Chen Feng was speechless. "Where on earth is your cousin here!?"

"It's... it's Cousin who has come to the restaurant. I... I must quickly slip out through the back door, or else she will scold me again for messing around outside instead of studying at the academy!"

With that, he bolted out through the back door like a puff of smoke.

Was this a mouse seeing a cat? The speed of this chubby fellow could probably break Usain Bolt's world record for the hundred-meter dash.

Then Zhang Yuan came into the kitchen again. "Brother, a man and a woman have arrived outside the restaurant. The man says he is Steward Wang of the Jiang family, and he has brought the eldest young miss to see you."

It really was Fan Tong's cousin who had come.

She must have come for the secret recipe of the five-spice peanuts.

Lin Feng said to Tian Xi'er, "Xi'er, I'll go take a look."

"Brother Lin, go ahead and attend to your business. I'll take care of things here," Tian Xi'er said with a gentle smile, revealing her sweet dimples.

Lin Feng left the kitchen and arrived at the entrance of the restaurant, where he saw Steward Wang and a young woman of marriageable age standing in front of Liuxi's stall.

The woman was dressed in a green grass-colored pleated skirt, draped in a thin emerald-water mist gauze. Her figure was as graceful as satin, her slender waist like a willow, her skin like congealed grease, and her aura like an orchid. She possessed an enchanting charm without appearing boneless, striking an exquisite balance of extraordinary beauty.

This must be Jiang Ruoning. He hadn't expected her to be so devastatingly alluring.

"Steward Wang!"

Seeing Lin Feng come out, Steward Wang smiled and said, "Little brother, this is our employer, Miss Jiang. She has come to talk with you."

"Hello, Miss Jiang. I am Lin Feng, the proprietor of this restaurant."

Jiang Ruoning nodded indifferently. "Let's go talk on a boat by the lake."

With that, she turned around and walked with Steward Wang toward a painted pleasure boat anchored by the West Lake.

This eldest miss of the Jiang family certainly had a haughty temperament.

Lin Feng followed them onto the painted boat. The festive lanterns on board bore the characters "Jiang Family," indicating that this was the private vessel of the Jiang clan.

The boatman lifted his punting pole, and the pleasure boat drifted toward the center of the West Lake.

Stepping into the interior of the cabin, Lin Feng found the furnishings quiet and elegant. The carved beams and painted pillars exuded an antique charm, while the spacious and bright cabin featured green gauze window lattices, revealing an air of wealth and refined taste all around.

"Please sit."

As soon as Jiang Ruoning finished speaking, she seated herself first at the tea table in the middle, and a maidservant on the boat immediately poured her a cup of fragrant tea.

Lin Feng walked over to the tea table on the left side and sat down cross-legged.

Jiang Ruoning began, "I'll get straight to the point. How about fifty liang of silver for the secret recipe of the five-spice peanuts?"

"Didn't Steward Wang tell you my price?"

The corners of Jiang Ruoning's lips curled up slightly. "Steward Wang did tell me, but I don't think it's worth it. First of all, these peanuts are nothing rare. Selling them for five hundred cash per catty far exceeds their true value. Right now, people are just eating them for novelty, but once they get used to it over time, it will just be so-so, and sooner or later the price will drop.

Secondly, upon closer consideration, making the flavor of five-spice peanuts is not difficult. I believe that within a month, many food shops will be able to replicate the exact same taste. Amidst heavy competition, the price of five-spice peanuts will inevitably fall. Therefore, I am not optimistic about the prospects of five-spice peanuts. Fifty liang of silver is already a very high price in my mind, and I am only willing to offer this amount because Steward Wang holds a good impression of you."

Lin Feng smiled and asked, "Miss Jiang, did you notice any other delicacies at my restaurant's food stall?"

"I did. One was the garlic-flavored peanuts, which I also tasted; it's simply adding one more ingredient, garlic, to the seasoning of the five-spice peanuts. Once you know how to make five-spice peanuts, the garlic-flavored ones become extremely simple. As for those rock sugar葫芦 (candied fruit skewers), they have some originality, but figuring them out shouldn't be too difficult either—it's just a matter of mastering the heat when boiling the sugar."

Jiang Ruoning certainly had some capability. He had initially thought she was just a high-and-mighty, overbearing corporate-president-style eldest young miss who knew how to do business, but it turned out she also understood culinary arts and possessed a practical touch of worldly wisdom.

Lin Feng said calmly, "Of course, others will emulate any good thing, but it takes them a certain amount of time to figure it out, and the taste might not even be as good as mine. In that case, they can only vie for buyers through lower prices. By that time, we can also choose to lower our prices slightly. If the prices are comparable and our taste still surpasses theirs, commoners will still choose my time-honored brand.

As you said, peanuts are not rare goods in Jiangcheng. Even if we lower the price to fifty cash per catty, we will still make a profit. Therefore, if Miss Jiang wishes to make money, it is best to act decisively. It will be too late once someone else has already produced five-spice peanuts."

Jiang Ruoning's beautiful eyes flickered. She knew that Lin Feng's words made sense. As a businesswoman, she naturally understood the importance of seizing the initiative.

Right now, while the five-spice peanuts had just entered Jiangcheng, they would inevitably generate a substantial profit in the beginning. If she truly bought the secret recipe for two hundred liang and relied on the Jiang family's shops spread across Jiangcheng to sell them, she could definitely recoup her investment within half a month—not to mention if she added the garlic-flavored peanuts and candied fruit skewers as well...

Moreover, Lin Feng's words gave her a new perspective on him. She had previously thought he was just a cook who knew how to make good food, but now it seemed he possessed a certain degree of business acumen.

Collaborating with this person might actually be a good choice.

She suddenly asked, "Which wine shop supplies the wine sold in your Wangjiang Pavilion?"

"Because we were in a hurry to open, we temporarily used the wine from a wine shop on the North Street of the West Lake."

"How many jars did you sell yesterday during the opening?"

"Seventy jars."

Yesterday, from noon until midnight, nearly a hundred tables of guests had come and drank nearly seventy jars of wine. The proprietor of that wine shop on North Street had been grinning from ear to ear.

In ancient times, there was no such thing as bringing your own alcohol; wine was provided entirely by restaurants and eateries, so wine-supplying shops relied heavily on major restaurants to make a profit.

Jiang Ruoning's expression stirred; she hadn't expected Wangjiang Pavilion to have so many guests.

"Did you know that our Jiang family also owns wine shops?"

"I know, and I was just thinking of discussing it with Steward Wang in the next couple of days."

"We can discuss it right now. Four hundred liang of silver for the exclusive secret recipes of your three delicacies: the five-spice peanuts, garlic-flavored peanuts, and candied fruit skewers. However, from now on, your Wangjiang Pavilion must exclusively sell the wine from our Jiang family's wine shops. Don't worry, the price is guaranteed to be lower than what we charge others. Furthermore, if you come up with any new specialty food recipes in the future, our Jiang family will have the right of first refusal to purchase them."

"Deal!"

Lin Feng was naturally willing. He had just been looking for a reliable and capable business partner in Jiangcheng, and this Jiang family perfectly matched his requirements.

"I wonder if Steward Wang has mentioned it to Miss Jiang: even if you buy my secret recipe, if a dispute arises later over which one is authentic, your Jiang family must clarify that we share the same secret recipe and that both are authentic."

"This is your secret recipe to begin with; I am merely purchasing it from you, so it's naturally shared. That's not a problem."

Lin Feng smiled and said, "It's certainly not a problem between our two houses, but what if a third or fourth house pops up one day?"

"How could that be? Unless you sell the secret recipe to someone else again," Jiang Ruoning said calmly.

"In the bill of sale, I will specify a guarantee that aside from the Jiang family, I will absolutely not sell it to anyone else," Lin Feng said. "Therefore, if a third or fourth party ever appears and a lawsuit ensues, this bill of sale of ours will be the key piece of evidence. Furthermore, we must register it with the official government office."

Coming from a modern background, he was all too aware of the importance of copyright.

Although ancient times lacked copyright laws, stealing a secret recipe without the consent of the original owner was still considered the crime of theft.

This single legal clause was sufficient—at least it would allow Lin Feng to secure the first-mover advantage in the future.

From ancient times to the present, in conducting any business, one had to thoroughly study and understand the prevailing policies and legal statutes.

Jiang Ruoning nodded. "Being rigorous is a good thing. Go ahead and write down the secret recipe and our bill of sale right now."

There were brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone inside the pleasure boat. Lin Feng immediately wrote down the ingredients and detailed steps for making the three delicacies, then signed his name and pressed his thumbprint.

Lin Feng said, "This secret recipe of mine must also be registered at the official yamen along with the bill of sale. The same will apply if I sell you other secret recipes in the future."

Jiang Ruoning was somewhat speechless; this person was far too cautious.

Once everything was finally signed and stamped with fingerprints, Jiang Ruoning said to Wang Ping, "Steward Wang, give Manager Lin four hundred liang in silver notes."

Wang Ping immediately pulled out four one-hundred-liang silver notes and handed them to Lin Feng.

Jiang Ruoning added, "After disembarking, take these to the yamen for official registration first."

"Understood, Eldest Miss."

"Let's head back."

Wang Ping had the boatman turn the boat around and sail back toward the lakeshore.

Upon reaching the shore and about to part ways, Jiang Ruoning suddenly said, "If my cousin comes again, tell him on my behalf that he must return to Ningcheng immediately and not stay with the Jiang family!" With an indifferent expression, she walked away.

It seemed that Fan Tong had been found out by Jiang Ruoning.

During the past two days of the grand opening, Fan Tong had actually contributed a little bit by inviting quite a few shady friends to cheer and shout for support, and he had also served as the host for two days.

Tomorrow, he would undoubtedly have to take the stage himself.

Returning to the restaurant and entering the back courtyard, Lin Feng caught sight of a pig-like head peering in through the back door. "Big Brother... has my cousin left?"

"She's gone. Get your butt over here."

Hearing that Jiang Ruoning had left, Fan Tong let out a long sigh of relief and trotted ingratiatingly over to Lin Feng.

"Your cousin made it clear: if you ever come to my restaurant again, you are to go straight back to Ningcheng and not stay at the Jiang family estate."

Fan Tong was dumbfounded. "That would be terrible! If I go back like that, my old man will beat me to death!"

"Since you want to stay in Jiangcheng, you'd better listen to your cousin. You've performed all right these past two days, but you've also eaten and drunk for free for two days, so your debt remains eighty liang."

"Big Brother, if I don't follow you around anymore, where on earth am I supposed to get this eighty liang?!" Fan Tong said with a bitter face.

"There's nothing I can do about that. I'll still be asking you for it a month from now."

Fan Tong's eyes rolled around craftily. "As long as Big Brother can help me with one thing, I can continue to serve faithfully by your side, place myself at your disposal, and make money for you in the future."

"What thing?"

"There's a banquet at the Jiang family in a couple of days, and composing poems and lyrics is bound to be a part of it. If I can stand out from the crowd, my cousin will naturally look at me with new eyes and definitely won't police my actions anymore."

Jiangnan truly had a pervasive culture of letters; they actually composed poems and lyrics at banquets. Lin Feng sneered and said, "Aren't you renowned as one of the Four Great Talents of Yiyun Academy? Can such a minor matter stump you?"

Fan Tong gave a dry laugh. "Those are all empty titles, passing like floating clouds. Actually, I do have some self-awareness... That's why I still need Big Brother's help."

"Why are you so sure I can help you? Do you take me for someone who can compose poetry and prose?"

"You can't, but Young Master Fengchen can! Isn't he your friend? Can't you ask him to help me out?"

Lin Feng was speechless. "What kind of person is Young Master Fengchen? Would he go attend a banquet at your Jiang family? Besides, can an outsider like him even get into your family banquet?"

"The Jiang family's family banquet will definitely invite a lot of people—they're all good friends of the Jiang clan. So as long as Young Master Fengchen goes in under the guise of being my friend, there's guaranteed to be no problem!"

Lin Feng waved his hand. "Forget it. A poetry god like Young Master Fengchen certainly won't attend such a small banquet, and besides, I can't even get hold of him. You can drop that idea."

"If he won't go, can't you go?! Didn't you say you remember many of the couplets and poems written by Young Master Fengchen in your head? Just pull out a couple of them at that time to bluff them."

"And pass them off as having been written by you?"

Fan Tong smiled. "Of course."

Looking at his wretched expression, Lin Feng resisted the urge to beat him to death. "You have absolutely no shame! Besides, why should I help you? Do you really consider yourself some bigshot? Can Wangjiang Pavilion not run without you?"

"Money! The crucial point is money! Whoever wins the title of poetry champion at every Jiang family banquet gets a heavy reward. If I win the poetry championship, I'll give all the prize money to you! And this money won't count toward my debt; I'll still owe you eighty liang."

"How much is the reward?"

"Last time the banquet was held, it was fifty liang of gold!"

Hearing this, Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat. Fifty liang of gold was indeed quite a substantial sum.

"In that case, why don't I just participate myself? Why go through all these twists and turns?" Lin Feng asked with a smile.

"Only members of the Jiang family clan can compete in poetry and prose. Outsiders just go to drink or act as judges, so it's useless for you to participate."

Even if he could participate, Lin Feng wouldn't. He had no desire to mingle in that circle of literati; it was best to quietly eat melon seeds, watch the excitement from the sidelines, and make a fortune in silence.

"Still, under what pretext am I supposed to enter the Jiang family banquet?"

"Can't you just go as my friend?"

"Your cousin doesn't want you coming to Wangjiang Pavilion, which shows she wants you to stay away from me. If you invite me, she definitely won't like it."

Fan Tong scratched his pig-like head. "Then what should we do?"

"I'll figure out a way," Chen Feng said. "Furthermore, even if I can manage to enter the Jiang family banquet, we must play it by ear at the time so we don't mess things up. If it really doesn't work out, we'll just drop it."