The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 150

 

| TBBOTOF | 150

‘Tang Family's Small Shop’, with a redwood sign, is clearly visible from a distance. This name was chosen by Tang Erhu. Originally, Tang Xu had thought of simply naming it the "Braised Food Shop."

There were no braised foods sold in town, so people could come to buy them.

The sign was hung up by Tang Xu. He had asked Tang Yang and Wei Xi to prepare some promotional flyers in advance, with plenty of text and illustrations on the paper.

The illustration was a simple sketch map with a few strokes showing the appearance of the food, and Tang Li and Liu Yao went out early in the morning to distribute them on the street.

When they encountered people who could read, they would also point to the places on the flyers and explain what they were selling and the opening day.

When asked what braised food was, Liu Yao would give a more detailed explanation.

The two children were busy distributing flyers all morning, their throats dry from talking, but they were quite excited.

Lunch was made by Wang Cuicui. Tang Xu and Wei Dong tidied up the backyard, while Tang Erhu helped take care of the three children.

“How many more days until the shop opens?” Tang Erhu asked, pushing a small rocking cradle and watching the two babies inside. He was asking Tang Xu.

Tang Xu, who was throwing spice packets into the large pot in the backyard, responded with a sound, “First, we need to make the soup base, let the aroma spread out and mix. We also need to find a place to buy chicken, ducks, and geese. It’s best if someone delivers them, though we can go to the market daily if needed.”

This time, Tang Xu is making three flavors of marinated food: sweet and spicy, spicy, and five-spice.

There are only chicken, duck, goose, and pig offal, along with marinated dishes.

How to say it, it's a combination of an ancient duck goods store and a marinated meat shop.

The soup base is made by simmering large bone sticks. Tang Xu directly asked Wei Dong to contact the meat shop to buy large bone sticks and pig offal every day. He needed to negotiate the price and ensure a stable supply.

In addition, chickens, ducks, and geese could be raised in the yard. They need to slaughter one of each daily, which Tang Erhu can handle.

Tang Xu was sorting out the details in his mind while throwing ingredients into the large pot.

“Auntie, Liu Yao and Ah Li are busier than before. Can you help out a bit? I’m thinking that you can use this kitchen for daily meals, alternating between steamed buns or mixed grain rice, and some meat with sauce for a simple meal. I'll make more at night when I rest.” Tang Xu said.

“Don’t worry about it; I can manage,” Wang Cuicui waved her hand and smiled. She asked, “What about the four tables? Can I use them to sell some small wontons in the morning?”

“Sell breakfast?” Tang Xu scratched his chin. With the weather warming up, it’s fine to sell breakfast as many people are out and about early in the morning. However, he was concerned that starting a breakfast business might tire them out, so he shook his head, “Auntie, if we’re busy making money from this, save some energy; otherwise, you’ll end up running around.”

Wang Cuicui considered it and agreed that if the business was good, selling breakfast could be an option.

In the evening, Tang Xu and Wei Dong went to Fuyun Restaurant carrying a bamboo basket.

The basket contained a sweet and spicy whole duck, a spicy whole goose, and a large bowl of five-spice marinated pig offal, freshly scooped from the marinated meat soup pot.

Tang Xu and Wei Dong were there to discuss business with Boss Wu and the new chef in the kitchen.

Fuyun Restaurant had expanded last year, adding an extra floor for accommodation, changing from its original two floors to the current three.

When Tang Xu entered carrying the basket, there were only a few people in the lobby enjoying tea and chatting. 

At the sound of the door, they turned to look and were instantly captivated by Tang Xu’s appearance. Behind the beauty, there was a tall and burly man with a fierce expression, his eyes sharp as knives, making anyone think twice before approaching.

Some recognized Wei Dong.

“So this is how beautiful Wei Dong’s husband is; no wonder he always takes him out. If it were me, I’d definitely keep him at home.”

“Indeed! The smile he gave me just now made my bones go weak!”

“That wasn’t for you; he was smiling at Boss Wu. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

The murmured voices didn’t reach Tang Xu’s ears. Noticing the few people sneaking glances at him, he touched his face and thought he might start wearing a mask next time. Beautiful people often attract attention, which invites unnecessary opinions.

If Wei Dong knew his thoughts, he would probably agree wholeheartedly. After all, his husband was so attractive that men would always stare at him.

Boss Wu led them to the kitchen, took the basket from Tang Xu, and a wave of unique meat aromas surged into his nose. After a moment, he had already swallowed several times.

“What did you make? It smells incredible,” Boss Wu said as he lifted the lid of the basket, unable to resist. A strong fragrance immediately filled the air.

He gulped and quickened his pace.

Tang Xu and Wei Dong followed behind him. When they came in, they had some of the marinated dishes, with the main staple being the flatbreads made by Wang Cuicui. The flatbreads stuffed with meat were incredibly delicious. 

Tang Xu suggested to Wang Cuicui that she could make more of these flatbreads, as they might sell well. However, flatbreads need to be paired with a liquid dish, otherwise, they become increasingly dry.

While walking and thinking, he entered the kitchen door. He was familiar with this place and noticed that some items had been rearranged.

The chef was not present; he was sitting in the distance, eating peanuts and drinking a bit of wine, nodding towards Tang Xu as a greeting.

Tang Xu didn’t pay much attention and smiled back. Then he turned to Boss Wu, who had already opened the lid and was eagerly tearing off pieces of the marinated duck to eat, savoring every bite and even licking his fingers clean.

After finishing a piece of meat, he moved on to the marinated goose, pulling off a leg and taking a big bite, chewing contentedly.

Tang Xu sat down and rested his chin on his hand, waiting for Boss Wu to swallow the meat. He asked, “How does it taste?”

Boss Wu gave him a thumbs-up while eating, and after swallowing, he wiped the sauce from his mouth and asked with glowing eyes, “Brother Xu, we’ve known each other for so long, as old friends. Will you be selling this spice mix?”

Tang Xu smiled and replied, “Yes, I am. I can sell you a few batches of marinated items every day.” 

This spice mix was similar to the ones used for skewers in the past. When he decided to sell marinated food in the village, he had planned to keep this recipe as a family treasure. It included over twenty types of spices and herbs that he had been able to find, and some additional ingredients.

To put it simply, after grinding this spice mix into powder, an experienced herbalist could probably identify the ingredients and determine the proportions used.

When Old Wen first tasted the marinated offal, he immediately named off a string of medicinal ingredients, leaving Tang Xu stunned.

He has to say, that old man is truly impressive.

Boss Wu, after hearing this, thought for a moment and nodded, “Alright, what’s the price? Your shop is quite far from us; if it’s too expensive, I won’t be able to sell it.”

“My shop and the restaurant have similar target audiences,” Tang Xu said, sitting on a nearby chair with a smile. “The manager should have visited my shop by now. It has four tables, it’s cramped and close together. Ordinary people might not mind, and some may even find it lively to gather around. But for wealthy people, they might think it’s too messy. To be blunt, they might even find the variety of flavors overwhelming!”

Boss Wu understood the implication and agreed, “That’s true, it does leave me some room to make a profit.”

“I specifically set up a large stove at my place. One pot can marinate four geese, or four ducks and chickens each. There are three flavors, and I didn’t make the five-spice marinated chicken today, but it’s also delicious. It can be eaten cold or hot. If sold separately at the restaurant, each plate can still earn a decent profit.” Tang Xu lightly tapped his chin with his fingers, calculating in his mind, and said, “I’ll sell you the whole chicken or duck for eighty each, and the goose for a hundred. I’ll be making more money from you.”

Boss Wu’s eyes widened; this price was incredibly low.

“If I sell it separately, the price hasn’t been set yet, but it’ll be similar,” Tang Xu was upfront with Boss Wu, saying he hadn’t finalized the price yet.

Boss Wu quickly said, “In that case, I’ll have my people come by daily to pick up at least one. The marinated offal should be popular with the restaurant’s guests.”

Tang Xu nodded, “Alright. If it sells well, let me know in advance, and I’ll prepare more for the next day. We’ll keep track of everything and settle accounts at the end of the month.”

Boss Wu smiled and agreed.

After Tang Xu and Wei Dong left, Boss Wu saw that half of the marinated duck and goose on the table were gone. He clicked his tongue and turned to the chef sitting nearby, drinking, saying, “Did I tell you that you can eat it?”

“How would you know if I eat it?” the chef replied.

“You can make it if you eat it, but you still have to buy the ingredients for the skewers from others,” Boss Wu huffed, taking the large bowl from the table. He wasn’t done eating yet.

On their way back, Tang Xu asked Wei Dong if he thought the price he set was too low. Wei Dong shook his head, “Aren’t you always saying that thin profit margins lead to higher sales?”

“There’s no such thing as thin profit here. Just calculate the cost yourself,” Tang Xu said with a smile, resting his arm over Wei Dong’s. “The cost of buying chickens, ducks, and geese from the village or transporting them from home isn’t much. Adding the cost of the spice mix and firewood, the total cost doesn’t even reach twenty copper coins.”

Wei Dong nodded, “So, how do you plan to sell them?”

“I’ll discuss it with Dad and Aunt when we get back.”

As they continued walking back, they could faintly smell the aroma of the meat lingering in the air, and a few people were peeking into the shop.

Seeing them approach, Tang Xu cheerfully announced, “We’ll be opening in two days! There will be special offers for the grand opening, and every purchase over thirty copper coins will receive a small gift!”

After saying this, they quickly went inside, closed the shop door, and bolted it securely.

“Brother! You’re finally back! Our door almost got damaged!” Tang Li ran over in a panic. “So many people asked if we’re open yet. Dad told them to go back.”

Tang Xu nodded and followed her to the backyard. “Let the remaining marinated meats cool down and cut them into small pieces. Later, you can give some to the people outside to taste. Make sure to give them plenty, just a small piece each.”

Tang Li asked, “Why?”

“You need to tease their appetites a bit. If they were attracted by the aroma, and want to buy something to eat, they’ll likely have some silver coins on them. If we can hook them now, we should be able to sell at least three or five pieces on opening day.”

Three or five pieces was his conservative estimate; given Boss Wu’s reaction earlier, selling three would definitely be no problem.

Tang Xu’s lips curved into a confident smile. He was sure of it!

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