You are unlucky and I am tough

After entering the city, they first sent Yang to the market to set up a stall, and then went to the restaurant to deliver goods. The first restaurant they went to was Taibai Tower.

The waiter at the back door of the restaurant was very familiar with Cheng Zhengyi. He chatted with him while unloading the goods. After handing over the goods and paying, Cheng Zhengyi registered what braised meats he needed for the next day, and then told the waiter that he brought two people to discuss business and wanted to see the shopkeeper.

The clerk went to pass on the message very happily, and soon the shopkeeper Meng from Taibai Tower came out.

He still remembered Wei Qinglang, and when he saw him, he asked, "Aren't you Brother Wei who sells game?"

Wei Qinglang smiled, "Long time no see, Shopkeeper Meng."

Shopkeeper Meng stroked his beard and asked, "I wonder what business Brother Wei has in store for me?"

"This is my wife, Cheng." Wei Qinglang introduced Cheng Shuang to Shopkeeper Meng, and Cheng Shuang nodded at him.

Wei Qinglang continued, "The two of us brought some food here today. Do you know if Shopkeeper Meng is interested?"

Shopkeeper Meng had a calm expression. The ingredients in their Taibailou were all of the best quality. He showed no interest, but still said politely, "Since you brought it here, I'll take a look."

The cloth covering the donkey cart was lifted, revealing two bamboo baskets and a small porcelain jar.

Shopkeeper Meng stretched his neck to take a look, and was surprised to see that they were things he had never seen before.

He became interested. "Are these all ingredients? You grew them all. What are they?"

Cheng Shuang smiled and said, "Since Manager Meng is interested, why don't we go in and talk? We need to borrow the kitchen."

Cheng Zhengyi, who was standing by, also spoke up at this time, "Shopkeeper Meng, to tell you the truth, the braised meat I deliver every day is made with Madam Wei's recipe. We are collaborators."

Shopkeeper Meng looked at Cheng Shuang in surprise, "Madam Wei is the chef?"

Cheng Shuang shook her head. "No, I just like studying food. My cooking skills are still far from being that of a chef."

Shopkeeper Meng called a few men out to move things, and moved all the items on the donkey cart to a small kitchen in the backyard. He also asked some handymen to go out and couldn't wait to ask again what these ingredients were and how to use them.

Cheng Shuang said, "Don't worry, Shopkeeper Meng, we'll take them one by one. You can take a look at this first."

As he said this, he opened the jar of sauerkraut.

Shopkeeper Meng leaned over and sniffed it. "It smells sour and strange. What is this?"

"This is sauerkraut, pickled with fresh mustard greens."

"Pickled, sauerkraut?" Shopkeeper Meng had only heard of pickled vegetables, but that was something only ordinary people would eat. He wondered, "What's the difference between it and pickled vegetables?"

Cheng Shuang said, "I'll make it for you and you'll know the difference. I wonder if the shopkeeper has pig intestines in his shop."

Shopkeeper Meng shook his head. "No one likes to eat that stuff if it's not cleaned properly. Your braised large intestines are very clean, and many customers love them. I wonder how you prepare them?"

"Then please ask the shopkeeper to send someone out to buy two sets of pig intestines. As for how to clean them."

Cheng Shuang smiled and said, "If you want to know, there is another price."

Shopkeeper Meng was stunned for a moment, then he understood and smiled, "Okay, I'll send someone to buy it right away."

If they knew how to clean the pig intestines, their chefs could come up with other dishes at a fraction of the cost.

Shopping takes time, so Wei Qinglang took out a watermelon from the bamboo basket and put it on the table.

He said, "It's a watermelon, a fruit."

"Fruit?" Shopkeeper Meng looked around the watermelon curiously.

Wei Qinglang and Cheng Zhengyi went into the kitchen, one looked for a knife while the other brought out a bucket of water. They washed the watermelon, cut it in half, and handed a small piece to Manager Meng.

Shopkeeper Meng took a cautious bite, then his eyes widened and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

This is so delicious, sweet but not greasy, crisp and refreshing. After taking a bite, I feel like most of the heat has gone away.

Shopkeeper Meng didn't have time to say anything. He ate the watermelon in big mouthfuls, disregarding his image. After finishing it, he wiped his mouth and said, "It's really good. We at Taibailou want this watermelon. Brother Wei, please name a price."

Wei Qinglang looked at Cheng Shuang, who pointed to the number two with her fingers. "Twenty cents per pound, not including transportation. You'll have to send someone to pick them and bring them back."

Shopkeeper Meng was shocked by the price; it was too low.

Cheng Shuang continued, "We have only planted five acres of land this year, and the total yield is about 40,000 kilograms. We should keep some, and the rest should be enough for your restaurant.

I set this price because I don't want it to be something only the rich can afford. Of course, I don't care how much your restaurant sells it for. But I'm the only one with watermelon seeds, so I'll plant a lot more in the future, and the price will go down."

Shopkeeper Meng nodded. Whether the couple wanted to make a small profit but quick turnover or really wanted to benefit the people, the price surprised him.

He quickly said, "I'll take all you have."

Next, it was time to introduce another basket of ingredients. Cheng Shuang had just finished introducing what they were called when the guy who bought the pig intestines came back.

Putting down the basket of ingredients for the time being, the three of them went into the kitchen to make sauerkraut and stir-fried large intestines. Everything in the kitchen was washed and ready.

Shopkeeper Meng brewed a pot of tea and drank it in the yard. In less than two quarters of an hour, a fragrant aroma came from the kitchen. The smell whetted his appetite and he couldn't help but look into the kitchen, but unfortunately the doors and windows were closed.

Not long after, the kitchen door opened and Wei Qinglang walked to the door. "Okay, Manager Meng, would you like to invite the chef from your building to come over and taste the food with us?"

"Yes, yes, yes." Shopkeeper Meng quickly called the waiter in and asked him to go to the kitchen to invite the chef over.

When he heard it was a food tasting, the chef in the building put down his work and came over. He stepped into the yard and sniffed the air. It was a fragrance he had never smelled before. He couldn't help but quicken his pace, curious about what ingredients were used.

Seeing the chef come in, Cheng Shuang introduced the two dishes on the table, "Stir-fried large intestine with pickled cabbage, one spicy and one non-spicy, please try them."

Shopkeeper Meng and the chef each took the chopsticks, tasted the one in front of them, and then tasted the other.

Cheng Shuang had been observing the chef, and when she saw the surprise in the chef's eyes, she knew it was a sure thing.

"Cough cough cough...water..." Shopkeeper Meng choked on the portion with chili pepper added. He quickly rushed to the water tank, scooped a bucket of water and drank a few gulps.

His whole face was red from the spiciness, and he waved his hands repeatedly, "It's too spicy, the spiciness is a bit overbearing, I can't eat it."

The chef, however, ate with great relish, praising the food after several mouthfuls. "This pickled cabbage is really good, and the pig intestines are fragrant and crispy with no odor. Did they use shredded ginger to remove the odor? And the spiciness is incredible. I don't smell any peppercorns or dogwood. What did you put in there?"

Cheng Shuang smiled and said, "The spicy taste is because of the chili peppers."

She put four chili peppers in this dish, which is definitely flavorful.

The chef was puzzled, "What is chili pepper? I've never heard of it before."

Cheng Shuang didn't answer the chef's question, but asked, "Chef, what do you think of this dish?"

"It's very good. It will definitely be very popular if it's sold. The large intestine is cleaned, crispy and has no odor. The sauerkraut tastes amazing. I've never tasted anything like it before."

The chef spoke the truth and looked at Shopkeeper Meng. "Shopkeeper, would you like to buy some ingredients from this young lady? Buy some more pickled cabbage so I can research other dishes."

Shopkeeper Meng stroked his beard and looked at Cheng Shuang. "Madam Wei, how are you going to sell these pickled vegetables?"

Although they had only spent a short time together, he could see that Cheng Shuang had the final say on the price.

"Twenty-five cents a pound. Pickled cabbage can be stored for about a year. We have 2,000 pounds at home, and some villagers in the village also have some at home."

Shopkeeper Meng thought the price was a bit high, but after thinking it over, he nodded. "Okay, twenty-five cents a pound. Let's start with five hundred pounds."

Cheng Shuang smiled and said, "Our pickled cabbage is pickled in a large vat. The vat is also given to you. Just like the watermelons, you need to transport it back by yourselves."

Shopkeeper Meng said, "That's easy. We have a team of horses ready to transport you. Just give me the address and I'll send someone over."

Seeing that the sauerkraut was really sold, Cheng Zhengyi was very happy. He said goodbye to Wei Qinglang and went to deliver the goods to the other two families.

He also had a small jar of sauerkraut in his car, and he would talk to the other two shop owners later. Cheng Shuang had already told him when the three of them were cooking just now that there were many ways to cook sauerkraut, such as stir-fried beef with sauerkraut, stewed pork with sauerkraut, casserole of sauerkraut chicken, sauerkraut fish head soup, etc.

Cheng Shuang also told him the recipe. He was a good cook, so he could learn from her and make a dish and then sell the sauerkraut. He believed that it would be successful.

After Cheng Zhengyi left, the business here was still being discussed. Shopkeeper Meng asked with a smile, "Madam Wei, how do you process pig intestines? Name a price."