Chapter 82: Chapter 49: A Nice Profit

Juhua replied, “Exactly! For example, you could stuff a chicken inside a pig’s stomach and simmer it slowly. The flavor is fragrant, and it’s very nourishing to eat. But a poor family like ours could never afford a dish like that. We’d have to sell it for a fortune just to break even. I’ve only tried making it once after I thought of it—when my dad hurt his leg after a fall. I simmered one to help him recover. This sets it apart from the common pot dishes sold at the docks, doesn’t it? My family can keep selling our usual dishes, and you can sell yours.”

“Excellent!” Manager Mao exclaimed, slapping his thigh in approval.

Chen Yu nodded repeatedly as he listened, then asked Juhua, “So, Miss Juhua, does this mean you’re willing to sell these recipes to me? How many of these dishes have you come up with in total?”

Juhua glanced up at her family’s house, then turned back to him. “Of course I’m willing to sell them to you. We can’t afford to eat dishes like this ourselves. And even if I cooked them, nobody in a place like Erli Village would buy them. Selling them to you for some money to put toward a new house would be great. I have about five or six dishes in total!”

Everyone laughed at her words.

Watching her, Li Changfeng couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity. ’Everything she talks about is either getting a wife for her brother or building a new house, just like she’s the head of the family. My mother was right. Juhua is a rare and wonderful girl. It’s just a shame her face is ruined. How pitiful.’

Zheng Changhe felt deeply ashamed; he wasn’t even as articulate as his own daughter. Seeing her speak so logically, he didn’t dare interrupt—he was afraid he’d say the wrong thing and embarrass her. All he could do was stand there, chuckling foolishly.

Chen Yu smiled at Juhua and said, “Well then, Miss Juhua, please name your price. We certainly can’t expect you to give us this for nothing!”

Juhua pretended to hesitate for a moment before saying, “Why don’t you make an offer? I have no idea what a suitable price would be. I don’t know anything about this sort of thing!” She genuinely didn’t know the going rate in this market. She was afraid that if she named a price too low, she would lose out, but if she named one too high, she might offend them. Figuring these two men wouldn’t quibble over the price with her, she passed the initiative to them.

Chen Yu smiled. “You trust me?”

Juhua glanced at him and said softly, “You’re classmates with Brother Changfeng and Brother Changyu, and you’re a scholar. Scholars are the most reasonable of men. I trust you won’t take advantage of a poor family like ours.”

Her words made everyone laugh again. They knew she was playing the pity card, but no one felt put off by it!

Li Changyu boomed with laughter. “Juhua, just for calling me ’Brother Changyu,’ I can’t let anyone take advantage of you. Chen Yu, you hear that? Your family isn’t short on cash, so you’d better offer a fair price. Don’t be a crooked merchant. Besides, if these dishes become a hit, they could make you a fortune.”

Chen Yu shook his head and chuckled. “Listen to yourself. Of course I wouldn’t take advantage of Miss Juhua. How about this: if Miss Juhua trusts me, I’ll give you a percentage of the restaurant’s profits. The more I make, the more you’ll get. How does that sound?”

Juhua was stunned. ’He’s surprisingly generous,’ she thought. ’But I don’t want to get tangled up with rich people like him. Money like that never comes without strings attached.’

Juhua blinked a few times and said to him, “That wouldn’t be right. I can’t take advantage of your family. I may be able to provide you with a few recipes, but running a restaurant must be a lot of hard work. Even if you make a lot of money, that will be because of your family’s skill, not just because of the food. My mom worries herself sick every day just selling pig offal.”

Seeing that she wasn’t blinded by greed, Chen Yu praised her inwardly. But when he thought of the scarred face beneath her kerchief, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity.

This time, Zheng Changhe managed to chime in. “That’s right. Every job is hard work. Money isn’t that easy to earn, is it? We can’t take too much of your money.”

Seeing how honest both father and daughter were, Manager Mao felt a great deal of goodwill toward them. He smiled at Juhua. “Miss Juhua, since you and your father are so sincere, let’s set a fair price—how about twenty taels of silver per dish?”

He was actually offering a high price; twenty taels of silver was no small sum in a little place like this.

Before Juhua could say a word, Chen Yu waved his hand. “Twenty taels is too little. Let’s make it thirty taels!”

Manager Mao looked at his young master, his mouth hanging open, but no words came out. ’This restaurant only earns a few hundred taels of silver a year,’ he thought. ’And he’s about to spend so much in one go. What on earth is the young master thinking?’

As if reading his mind, Chen Yu laughed and said, “Uncle Mao, you’re not wrong. In a small place like our Xiatang Market, the restaurant doesn’t earn much in a year. But that has nothing to do with Miss Juhua’s recipes—it’s not that her food isn’t delicious. I’ve tasted the pig offal she makes, so I’m sure dishes like ’Pig Stomach Stewed with Chicken’ will be even better. My father is preparing to open a new restaurant in Qinghui County. Once we make a name for ourselves there, we’ll earn much more. Miss Juhua, let’s settle on thirty taels of silver per dish. Does that work for you?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep