The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

“Yes, because the patterns formed after salting the duck eggs resemble pine flowers, hence the name,”

“It’s a good name, looks quite unique too, yet the taste …”

After Zhang Yongchang ripped open one of the century eggs, he took a bite.

“Hmm… Rich in aroma, taste is light and fragrant, and has a nice aftertaste. If this century egg is mixed with soy sauce, vinegar, and minced garlic, it would definitely taste superb.”

After all, he’s a chef, just by tasting the ingredients he knows how to make them delicious.

Zhuang Qingning laughed, “It can be served cold, stir-fried, stewed, in soup, or even put into plain porridge to cook century eggs and lean meat congee. All ways are incredibly delicious. However, it all depends on how you, Uncle Zhang, choose to develop this new dish for Ruyi Pavilion.”

“Are you saying that we can sell this product in Ruyi Pavilion later?” Zhang Yongchang looked at Zhuang Qingning.

Because of a misunderstanding about the soy sauce braised bones incident, Feng Yongkang was quite confused. Zhang Yongchang was very dissatisfied with this, so for the handling of Ruyi Pavilion this time, he needed to be even more cautious.

“Of course! It’s not just for Ruyi Pavilion, I also plan to sell them in the county town and even the city!”

Zhuang Qingning giggled, “That’s why I sought Uncle Zhang today, to help promote the new products from my workshop and open up new markets. I want to take advantage of Uncle Zhang’s and Ruyi Pavilion’s reputation to sell these century eggs.”

But she probably has more plans than that.

Since he arrived at Ruyi Pavilion, he was mostly indulged by Chai Zhengzhen. But what he could bring to Ruyi Pavilion was almost the same old stuff. Although Chai Zhengzhen treasured them, the other workers were somewhat unsatisfied. If he could present astonishing new dishes at this time, he would surely win over others, and even Chai Zhengzhen would feel more confident. This Zhuang girl is truly considerate.

Everyone said that he took extra care of Zhuang Qingning and even fell out with Feng Yongkang, a shop manager they had for many years, for Zhuang Qingning’s sake. But truly, hasn’t Zhuang Qingning been taking care of him since they met?

“Since this can help you, I’ll do my best to think it over.” Zhang Yongchang said, “I will also discuss it with the shop manager later. After he tries the dish, it will be ready to serve.”

Even if he was just helping Zhuang Qingning sell these century eggs, their unique taste and lingering flavor convinced Zhang Yongchang that this could definitely make money in the future. If it can help Ruyi Pavilion make money, he can’t let Zhuang Qingning owe him this favor.

“You just watch, Uncle Zhang, I brought quite a lot of century eggs, enough for you to experiment with dishes. These century eggs mature faster than salted duck eggs, they can be produced in three or four days. The quantity by then will definitely be able to keep up. We can’t say how much we can produce, but we are sure to have enough.”

Zhuang Qingning said, “Once Uncle Zhang’s dish is out, and when we unseal our next barrel, I’m planning to ask Brother Dong to deliver it to the restaurants in the county town. By then, I hope to open up the market in the county town with Uncle Zhang’s new dish. We will see how the sales are then.” “What could go wrong? It’s definitely going to sell well.” Lian Rong served tea and chimed in, “Everything Miss Zhuang makes sells well. My lips that have tasted her dishes are very lucky, it will definitely work. Miss Zhuang, don’t worry, business will be booming, bringing in a flood of wealth.”

“I will trust your good words then.” Zhuang Qingning grinned.

After some more conversations, Zhuang Qingning went back to the tofu shop to get things in order.

Zhang Yongchang then went to find Chai Zhengzhen to discuss the century egg and the new dish.

Upon hearing the news, Chai Zhengzhen’s face lit up with excitement, his eyes sparkled.

What did he say? It was a brilliant decision to maintain a good relationship with Manager Zhuang and invite Chef Zhang!

With Chef Zhang here, Zhuang Qingning, who has great skills, a nimble mind, and mastery of many crafts, is bound to confer considerable benefits on Ruyi Pavilion. Even the benefits of just unintentional contact with them are enough to make Ruyi Pavilion thrive.

This isn’t just bringing in a chef, it’s like inviting the God of Wealth himself.

Chai Zhengzhen increasingly felt that his initial decision to wait for Chef Zhang was the right one, while his heart sighed over the matter between Zhang Yongchang and Feng Yongkang.

Really don’t know what to say about this Feng Yongkang. He ignored such a big God of Wealth, instead trying to squeeze him out, chasing away the wealth. You have to be crazy to do such a thing, it’s like having your head crushed by a door ten times, even one time less won’t do!

“Brother, I think this is a wonderful idea, just go ahead and arrange it. Whatever ingredients you need, where to buy them, how much silver it costs, just name a number. If you’re too busy, I’ll ask Ding Jin to come over and help.” Chai Zhengzhen readily agreed, and even chuckled, “I’m waiting to taste the new dish you’re making.”

“Shop manager, don’t worry. In at most two days, I’ll get you this new dish for you to taste.” Zhang Yongchang laughed.

“Okay.” Chai Zhengzhen nodded, “By that time, please invite Manager Zhuang as well. We’ve always been planning to invite Manager Zhuang to Ruyi Pavilion, but she’s usually too busy to spare any time. This time, we can take this opportunity to return the favor.”

Seeing that Chai Zhengzhen was considering Zhuang Qingning’s benefits, the smile on Zhang Yongchang’s face became brighter, “As the manager sees fit, I need to hurry back over and get my work done before lunch time.”

“You go first, brother.”

Chai Zhengzhen watched Zhang Yongchang enter the kitchen, then he leisurely paced around the backyard with his hands behind his back.

He was in high spirits.

As they say, fortune favors the brave. Ruyi Pavilion had been in the town for many years, barely managing to get by. But now, it looks like prosperous times are finally coming.

And all of this was due to Zhuang Qingning, due to Zhang Yongchang.

They must treat the God of Wealth nicely!

Chai Zhengzhen made a resolution in his heart.

In the early morning, the tofu shop was the busiest.

The tofu had to be pressed, fresh tofu skin had to be made, sprouted beans had to be cleaned and packed into baskets, most importantly, the braised tofu had to be prepared.

The pressed tofu was more compact, firm, and was slowly cooked in a pot with spices. Once it was done, it would be taken out to cool before being sold.

In the tofu shop, everyone was busy with their own tasks, everything was orderly.

After everything that needed to be delivered was all sent out, Zhuang Mingliang started the wind-down process to hand over to the next shift that would work during the day.

Zhuang Mingliang picked up a wooden ladle and scooped the braise one spoonful at a time into a wooden bucket next to him.

“Aren’t we usually keeping this braise in that big wooden barrel over there? Why are we scooping it into a bucket today?” Mrs. Zhao’s sister-in-law asked curiously.