Chapter 374 - A Pie in the Sky (2/2)
“Eh… Perhaps they’re used to cooking exquisite and elegant food, so they still have a slight sense of disdain and resistance towards coarse dishes like braised pig head meat and offals. Mentality determines craftsmanship. So that might be why they can’t meet Fifth Lord’s standards, right?” Yu Xiaocao was very clear about the real reason, but she had to work hard to think of an excuse for the imperial chefs.
After thinking about it, Zhu Huaiyong completely agreed with her. He was so angry that he wanted to harshly reproach those arrogant and self-important imperial chefs.
Yu Xiaocao giggled and said, “Fifth Lord, have you never suspected that I might have given you a fake recipe, or held something back?”
Zhu Huaiyong glanced at her and firmly stated, “You won’t! Your guts are even smaller than an ant, so you don’t have the courage to play tricks with me. Besides, you personally taught those guys in the palace. Under your guidance, they were clearly able to make delicious tasting braised pig head meat. As soon as you left, there was something wrong with the taste. Those old fellows must be loafing on the job!! This won’t do. Lass, you must cooperate with me and open up a braised food shop! Otherwise, this lord would have to run all the way to the prefectural city or Dongshan Village in order to authentic braised pig head meat!! I’m getting old and can’t endure such trouble…”
‘Tsk! He is even using the ‘tactic of mourning soldiers’! Emperor Emeritus, this isn’t the battlefield, so your tactics won’t work here!’
“Since Fifth Lord already said that, I can’t tactlessly ignore your kindness, right? Then it’s settled. Selecting the location, renovation, hiring, management, and procurement… I won’t interfere with any of those matters. I’m only responsible for training the cooks! But, I’m not a greedy person, so let’s split 50-50!” Yu Xiaocao thought that the emperor emeritus’ proposal was good, but she didn’t feel at ease. If she pulled the emperor emeritus onto the same boat, then no one would dare cause trouble for them.
“Sure! As expected, this lord didn’t misjudge you. You’re such a kind and righteous girl! I’ll go back tomorrow to make the arrangement and strive to open the shop in December…”
Emperor Emeritus, weren’t you being too impatient? It was already the tenth day of December. When you got back to the capital, you would have to choose the location, renovate the shop, and so on. Wouldn’t that need at least two to three months to be completed?
Yu Xiaocao never expected that this wasn’t an idea that the emperor emeritus suddenly came up with. Instead, he had long settled on a storefront, which was used to be the location of a long-established pastry shop. He forcibly exchanged the storefront with them by giving them a store that was located at an even better area and worth a higher price. He also compensated them with a lot of money for delaying their work.
By the time Yu Xiaocao was taken to the capital on the twentieth of December, the storefront was already ready for operations after being slightly fixed up. In addition to the oven, the back kitchen also had six stoves and various kitchenware were available. The staff was already in place, and they were just waiting for her, the ‘main chef’, to come over!
For this visit to the capital, Yu Xiaocao also brought along Yangliu, a maidservant who was obsessed with cooking, and her older twin sister, Yu Xiaolian. Yu Xiaolian had already mastered the skill of braising food, and the braised food she made tasted even more authentic than Yu Xiaocao’s. It would be a waste not to use these free helpers.
Yu Xiaocao wandered around in the kitchen, and then went to look at the well in the backyard. She asked the little divine stone to turn the well water into mystic-stone water, and she also did the same for the water in the vats. She arranged Yu Xiaolian to teach the chefs, who were sent by the emperor emeritus, how to make braised food. Xiaolian had strict control over the ratio of the seasonings, as well as the heat for cooking.
Xiaocao, on the other hand, personally taught Yangliu how to make dishes like roasted chicken, roasted duck, salted duck, smoked duck, and more. Then she taught the recipes to the other chefs. Anyway, the emperor emeritus assured her that these chefs were trustworthy, and they would never leak the recipes. In order to not compete with Zhenxiu Restaurant, she specially requested to limit the sales of dishes that were the same or similar as the dishes sold at Zhenxiu Restaurant.
After being busy for two days, the shop that the emperor emeritus personally set up was finally ready for business. Originally, he had prepared open the shop in a low-key manner by just setting off a string of firecrackers and uncovering the plaque. Unbeknownst to him, many people had started watching him since he exchanged storefronts with the pasty shop. The news that the emperor emeritus had nothing to do and decided to open a store swiftly spread throughout the upper-level circle in the capital. All their preparation before the opening of the braised food shop were being watched by countless eyes in the dark.
On the day of the opening, an endless stream of high-ranking officials, aristocrats, and retired old officials had come. With a stern expression on his face, Head Steward Dequan greeted all the guests for the emperor emeritus. Fortunately, these people, with the exception of the old officials who had made great contributions when following the emperor emeritus, all tactfully left after leaving a gift.
From morning to noon, there was no stop in the people coming to congratulate them. Head Steward Dequan and the eunuchs who worked under him had to receive so many presents that their arms were tired. Even the one in the palace had joined in the fun and wrote a phrase of congratulation. He had Su Ran send it over, saying that hanging it up in the shop would give his imperial grandfather more face. Other people would definitely feel greatly honored to receive something personally written by the emperor, however, the emperor emeritus felt that his grandson was being too stingy. He had so many valuable goods, yet he only gifted him with some scribblings!
The matters outside weren’t things that a little farmer girl like Yu Xiaocao needed to be concerned about. She just dutifully stayed in the back kitchen to teach cooking. She strived to ensure that these chefs could undertake the task without her help so that she could leave earlier and go back to celebrate the New Years with her family!
Fortunately, these chefs weren’t stupid. They had a solid foundation and learned quickly. After the third day of opening, most of the chefs could do the work on their own. After the Yu sisters supervised the kitchen for a few more days, they felt that they could completely let go of their hands for the chefs to cook themselves. Even the emperor emeritus, who had a picky tongue, felt that the chefs could graduate from their apprenticeship, and finally agreed to let the sisters leave.
When they left, the sisters strolled around the capital under the protection of two imperial bodyguards. They bought many goods that couldn’t be bought in the prefectural city and Tanggu Town, and prepared gifts for everyone in the family. They finally returned to Dongshan Village on December 28th. The family was pleasantly surprised to see the sisters because they thought that they wouldn’t be able to return for the New Years!