Chapter 24.1

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Fan Changyu followed Chef Li to Yixiang Tower. As soon as she stepped inside, she was greeted by an imposing landscape screen, the floor laid with exquisitely carved blue bricks, and the doors and windows adorned with intricate patterns of flowers, plants, animals, and birds.

Since it wasn’t mealtime, the restaurant was quiet. At a glance, the main hall on the ground floor alone held more than a dozen large round tables draped in luxurious silk tablecloths. The chairs weren’t plain either; each had matching embroidered cushions and backrests, exuding an air of grandeur.

No wonder the townsfolk called Yixiang Tower the number-one establishment in town.

Chef Li led Fan Changyu upstairs to a private room and said, “The boss is inside. Just go on in, girl.”

Fan Changyu hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open, only to find herself locking eyes with a young woman in the room who was enthusiastically gnawing on a braised pork knuckle with her sleeves rolled up.

In front of the woman was a table laden with an array of delicacies.

Fan Changyu glanced back at the doorway and then asked uncertainly, “Are you the owner of Yixiang Tower?”

The woman quickly set down the pork knuckle, hastily pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped the grease from her face. Clearing her throat lightly, she said, “You must be Changyu. Please, have a seat.”

At those words, Fan Changyu realized this was indeed the owner of Yixiang Tower. It wasn’t what she had imagined, but the woman seemed quite friendly.

After sitting down, Fan Changyu asked, “Do you know me?”

The woman smiled and said, “I’ve heard Chef Li mention you. Your braised dishes are said to be exceptional.”

Perhaps she had also heard about Fan Changyu confronting Wang’s shop, as she sized her up with a smile. “Before meeting you, I didn’t expect you to be such a charming and beautiful young lady.”

Fan Changyu wasn’t sure how to respond and returned the comment with a polite smile.

Still smiling, the woman continued, “My surname is Yu, given name Qianqian. I’m a few years older than you, so I’ll take the liberty of calling you Sister Changyu. As you may know, Yixiang Tower has stopped sourcing braised meat from Wang’s shop. I also had someone buy some from your shop to try, and it’s indeed better than Wang’s. If you’re interested, I’d like to work with you on this braised meat business.”

In the past, such an offer would have been a dream come true for Fan Changyu. But considering her family’s current circumstances, she thought it over for a moment and declined politely. “Thank you, Manager Yu, for the opportunity, but I’m afraid I can’t take on this business.”

Yu Qianqian exclaimed, “Oh?” and asked, “Why not?”

Fan Changyu explained honestly, “After the New Year, I plan to leave Lin’an Town.”

Yu Qianqian sighed at the missed opportunity and asked, “Have you decided where you’re going?”

Fan Changyu hadn’t figured that out yet, so she simply said, “I’m still discussing it with my husband.”

Yu Qianqian tapped her slender, jade-like fingers lightly on the table, her expression tinged with regret. “Without your braised dishes, this town will lose yet another delicacy.”

There was a playful undertone in her words.

Although it was Fan Changyu’s first time meeting this female manager, she found her to be very approachable. Thinking about how she would be leaving her hometown with her sister and not knowing when or if she might return, she said, “If Manager Yu likes the braised meat, I can teach you the recipe. You can have your staff prepare it.”

Although Yu Qianqian was now the manager of a restaurant, she had previously worked as a cook herself and understood the value of a recipe. She quickly declined. Looking at Fan Changyu with a mixture of helplessness and amusement, she said, “You’re such an honest girl. If you go to a new place, you need to be more cautious. Don’t let a few words trick you into giving everything away.”

Fan Changyu could sense the goodwill in the manager’s words and replied with a smile, “I wouldn’t. I’m willing to give the recipe to you because you seem kind.”

Yu Qianqian couldn’t help but laugh at her remark. After some thought, she said, “How about this? During the days leading up to the New Year, the restaurant’s business is at its busiest. Every table is booked solid, and the demand for braised meat is particularly high. Those regular patrons are incredibly picky and have been complaining that the braised meat here doesn’t taste as good as it used to. Wang’s shop has been underhanded in their dealings—they’ve betrayed me before and are now using Yixiang Tower’s reputation to collaborate with other restaurants. There’s no way I’m swallowing my pride to go back to them.

“What if you supply the braised meat we need for the restaurant until the New Year? Afterward, I’ll figure out how to fill the gap.”

Fan Changyu thought for a moment. Moving to a new place would require buying a house and land, and there would be no shortage of expenses. Selling the pigpens, farmland, and the shop in town might not be enough to cover everything. Earning a bit more silver now would be ideal, so she nodded in agreement.

Yu Qianqian was visibly pleased. “You’ve really helped me out of a tight spot here. Yixiang Tower’s previous contract with Wang’s shop was a yearlong deal, where we bought braised meat at a fixed rate of fifty wen per pound, regardless of the season. But since meat prices are high during the New Year, I’ll pay you sixty wen per pound. Yixiang Tower sells at least ten braised pig heads a day during this season. If it’s inconvenient for you to cook at home, you can use the restaurant’s back kitchen, and I’ll pay you daily wages on top of that.”

Since her home had been sealed by the authorities, cooking there wasn’t an option. Fan Changyu nodded. “I’ll braise the meat in the restaurant’s kitchen.”

It was already late afternoon by then. Fan Changyu went to the meat market and, with a servant from Yixiang Tower, purchased ten fresh pig heads.

Her family had run their butcher shop near the meat market, so most of the butchers on that street recognized her. Seeing her buy so many pig heads, someone couldn’t help but ask, “Is Changyu’s shop selling braised meat again tomorrow?”

The servant from Yixiang Tower, a quick-witted young man, immediately replied, “Miss Fan’s braised meat will now only be sold at Yixiang Tower.”

Yixiang Tower was a major name in town. After word spread that their partnership with Wang’s shop had ended, Wang’s reputation in town had significantly declined.

Many acquaintances congratulated Fan Changyu.

With her butcher shop closed, the other butchers on the street were finally seeing better business. When Fan Changyu came to buy pig heads from them, they even gave her a special discount.

The market price for a fresh pig head was twenty wen per pound, with each head weighing about six to seven pounds. But for Fan Changyu, they charged only eighteen wen per pound.

Using Yixiang Tower’s kitchen, braising ingredients, and large custom pots, she could cook four to five pig heads in a single pot. With two pots, all the pig heads could be cooked at once. The cost of the braising spices for an entire pot was just thirty wen.

After doing some quick calculations, Fan Changyu realized that once she finished braising these two pots of pig heads, she could net a profit of about two taels and five qian of silver—even with conservative estimates.

For a moment, she was stunned.

Back when she was running her own shop, she’d wake up before dawn and work tirelessly all day. Selling meat required endless haggling with customers, particularly the thrifty housewives buying vegetables. After deducting costs, she’d only earn about two taels of silver on a good day.

Now, she only needed to spend one or two hours selecting pig heads at the market and braising them at Yixiang Tower to earn the same amount. It was far easier than what she had been doing before.