Poison Doctor Roaming the Martial World

“Hot pot is mainly about the soup base, which is easy for others to replicate if you put your heart into it. But this dim sum is different. I believe that I am the only one in Dongli who has the recipe. Opening a hot pot restaurant alone will only be popular for a few years at most. After a few years, it will be all over the world and there will be no novelty. But if you sell dim sum in a hot pot restaurant at the same time, others will not be able to learn it.” Yang Jianwu wanted to cooperate with Jingnan on all the food businesses in Dongli. It would be time-consuming and laborious to find people to manage it himself. It would be better to use the existing labor force.

Jing Nan was somewhat tempted. There were many pastry shops in the capital, but none of them could make the kind that Yang Jianwu brought. Even if they could imitate the crispy part of the pastry, they simply couldn't make the white cream.

Knowing that Jing Nan was hesitant, Yang Jianwu opened the second layer of the food box. Inside were colorful little round cakes, each one small and exquisite, with a smooth, unblemished surface that shimmered faintly in the light. A pretty lace trim appeared around the bottom edge of each cake.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Jing Nan asked, "What...is this? Is it also a snack?"

Yang Jianwu responded casually, "Yes, it's a kind of pastry. You can only make almond cookies there, but I can add a touch of sophistication. Plus, this pastry has a story behind it. How can a pastry that's both beautiful and has a story not sell well? Besides, I have many pastries that are stunning from the moment they're made."

Jingnan gently picked up a macaron, afraid of crushing it with the slightest pressure. Taking a careful bite, she first tasted the thin but crisp outer shell, followed by the soft and fluffy inner layer. Unlike the texture of cream, the almond cookie's chewiness supported the filling, adding a satisfying chewiness to the soft and creamy filling.

Jing Nan exclaimed, "Miss Yang, do you really have many more of these pastries?"

Yang Jianwu nodded, "Yes, there are many. Whether you want to cooperate or not, you can think about it. I'm not in a hurry."

Mo Ye also picked up a piece. The vibrant colors were indeed eye-catching. How did this girl come up with this idea? He took a small bite, and the layers were distinct, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Even someone like him who didn't eat sweets could like it, let alone the young ladies who stayed in the inner courtyard.

Jing Nan was eventually swayed by the pastries. After deducting all costs and the remaining profit, he tried to negotiate one last time. "Miss Yang, you don't know this, but although I am a merchant, the income does not go into my own pocket. I actually serve His Highness Prince Ning. Almost all the profits from the shop are used for the army. Prince Ning doesn't have much military power, but he still needs to support his own army."

Yang Jianwu raised a question: "Shouldn't the army belong to the imperial court? Why do we need to support it ourselves?"

Jing Nan glanced at Mo Ye with a resentful look, "It's all because someone is useless and doesn't win the Emperor's favor. It's good enough that the court can pay the soldiers on time. When they can't pay, Prince Ning makes up the difference himself. He would rather suffer himself than delay paying the soldiers. In winter, when supplies are scarce and money is even more tight, our Prince Ning never spends money extravagantly and always puts the army first."

Mo Ye glared at Jing Nan. "You can bargain all you want, but why are you bringing this up with me? Are you praising me or insulting me? Don't I have any dignity in front of Xiao Wu'er?"

Seeing that Yang Jianwu was somewhat soft-hearted, Jing Nan ignored Mo Ye's murderous glare and continued to play the victim, "You don't know, the year before last, there was a heavy snow in Dongli, and the roads in the south were even more blocked. Many villages were impassable, and many people starved to death. The Emperor was extremely anxious, and every day there were mountains of memorials about the damage caused by the heavy snow. He couldn't even take care of the army under Prince Ning's command. His Highness sent all the grain stored in his mansion to the army and sold many valuable ornaments in his mansion to buy grain from the surrounding areas." Although Jing Nan's words were exaggerated, they were also true.

Yang Jianwu knew that maintaining an army was very expensive. The annual expenses for her men were in the seven figures. Although the imperial court dared not cut the military pay of her father's army, it did not give much. She had to subsidize it from the side. She needed to entice people with benefits, and sometimes she had to give some welfare to the soldiers on the frontier, which made the expenses even greater. If she had a general who did not know how to make money, the soldiers' lives would be even more difficult. "How about this, we split it 30/70. I'll take 30%, you take 70%, and the extra 20% can be used to supplement the soldiers' meals."

Mo Ye suddenly looked at Yang Jianwu. What did she mean by this? Was it because of him? His heart soared. He was deeply moved; the soldiers' lives now had another layer of security. He raised his teacup, "Little Wu'er, I offer you this cup of tea in place of wine, on behalf of the soldiers, to thank you."

Yang Jianwu raised his teacup in response, “Loyalty known throughout the land, youth unregretted in writing history, bravely fighting the enemy in times of war, defending the homeland in times of peace, soldiers, you are truly admirable!”

Yang Jianwu's words made both of them feel ashamed. Mo Ye felt that his pride was worthless. Xiao Wu'er genuinely cared for and respected those soldiers. How could he think that she was only doing it because of the name of Prince Ning? Xiao Wu'er had great love in her heart.

Jingnan subsidized the military supplies through business, only thinking about how much the army's expenses were. He never seriously considered that those people were also flesh and blood. They also had parents, relatives, and friends. They were also young men in their prime who risked their lives without ever complaining. How can we not respect such people!

In the past, we actually thought that we should cut back on supplies when money was scarce. How many soldiers suffered from sores in winter because they were not warm enough, and how many soldiers were wounded and maimed on the battlefield? Who would think about them? From now on, we must never let the military supplies be short.

Yang Jianwu hadn't expected her casual remark to touch them so deeply. Um…they seemed quite moved? It made her feel a little embarrassed…

“Then it’s settled. I won’t be staying in the capital for long. I’ll have someone send the recipe and instructions to Prince Ning’s residence in the next couple of days. We need to order a few special pots for the hot pot. I’d appreciate it if Prince Ning could have someone bring out paper and pen so I can draw them out and prepare in advance.”

"Alright, Hongfeng, go get some paper and pen," Mo Ye called out towards the door.

"Miss Yang, can these pastries be made with just recipes?" Jing Nan worried that with only written instructions, it would be difficult for pastry chefs to make them so exquisite.

Yang Jianwu shook her head. "Definitely not. I will send a girl to teach you. You should also gather a group of people to learn. It would be best to gather people from several branches at once, so that we don't have to repeat the teaching and several stores can open at the same time, creating a bigger buzz."

Jing Nan nodded in agreement, "Miss Yang is absolutely right. I will arrange the manpower. It will be arranged in the next two days. Then we will have to trouble Miss Yang's maid to come to the Prince Ning's residence to teach."

"No problem." Yang Jianwu was also happy to make money, and in a good mood, she spoke much more gently.

Hongyun quickly brought out paper and pen, and Yang Jianwu carefully sketched on the paper, showing three distinctive types of pots: a copper pot, a double-sided pot, and a nine-compartment pot.

"Why is this different from the one I saw yesterday?" Mo Ye thought of the pot from yesterday; it should have been an ordinary pot.