Such thoughts were fleeting.
Some things, when too familiar, become habit.
Su Xiaotian quickly forgot about pondering the issue.
She had more important things to do now.
She still needed to find an excuse to bring ingredients later.
Although this way of earning a little at a time was slow and didn't yield much, it was better than nothing.
The imperial chef's descendant's culinary skills left the group thoroughly satisfied.
"It's been years since I've had such a fine feast!" Du Tonghe said with a contented smile.
Having grown up in luxury, even after his mother was murdered, he still held the title of the Du family's eldest young master and was not mistreated.
However, life had been very difficult in recent years, and he hadn't seen a feast like this since then.
After the meal, it was already past noon.
The group rested briefly, and only when the sun was no longer scorching did they venture out again.
Su Xiaotian, preoccupied with the important matter of making money, was not fully present.
She was contemplating how to deliver the ingredients without arousing suspicion.
In contrast, Su Xiaosi, who had rested all afternoon, was full of energy after eating and drinking his fill, bouncing around.
Moreover, it was his first time in the capital, and everything seemed fresh and fun to him.
With him leading the way,
It brought a more cheerful atmosphere to everyone.
Shen Zizhen even chartered a boat for everyone to enjoy a ride on the water.
Su Xiaotian's family was from the northwest. Although they lived by a river, they rarely took boats.
Now, being able to go boating made her extremely happy.
They played until past five in the afternoon, and then, still wanting more, prepared to head back.
Shen Zizhen had planned to treat the group to dinner again that evening, but Du Tonghe objected.
"While the private dining is delicious, it's ultimately a bit expensive. I think it would be better to buy some ingredients ourselves and cook at home."
Being people accustomed to saving, Du Tonghe's suggestion was immediately seconded by everyone.
Spending half a month's salary on a single meal might be acceptable once in a while, but doing it frequently would be too much even for a wealthy family.
After a simple discussion, the group decided to go to the Du family's residence first.
As they walked, they discussed the menu for the evening.
Su Xiaotian noticed that the current path was not far from Ding Family Private Kitchen, only about three to four minutes away. Her spirits immediately lifted.
She excused herself to go to the restroom, asking everyone to wait for her for a moment.
Su Xiaomei wanted to accompany her, but in the blink of an eye, Su Xiaotian had already run off.
"It's fine, Xiaotian is very smart, she won't get lost," Yu Ruiyuan said with great confidence.
Su Xiaomei then let Su Xiaotian go.
After turning the corner, Su Xiaotian made sure no one could see her and found a hidden spot.
She opened the system store and, as previously agreed, prepared to use her points to redeem ingredients.
The system store had all sorts of fish. Su Xiaotian had promised to provide two carp.
She checked the price of carp; fresh carp cost one point per jin.
She ordered two large fresh carp, each weighing three jin, spending six points.
After a moment's thought, Su Xiaotian decided to also order four jin of small crucian carp.
Crucian carp soup tasted very good. She decided that if the Ding family kitchen didn't want it, she would take it home to make soup that evening.
Afterward, Su Xiaotian spent another six points to redeem four jin of beef.
Then came the ribs. They were priced the same as the fish, one point per jin. Su Xiaotian ordered six jin of ribs.
Su Xiaotian calculated that she had spent a total of twenty-two points, which was negligible considering her current over forty thousand points.
Looking at the two baskets provided by the system at her feet, filled with meat and fish respectively, Su Xiaotian's eyes sparkled.
Indeed, they were all premium quality!
No, they couldn't be called premium; they could only be called the best of the best!
She had seen ingredients of such quality in high-end hotels in her previous life.
This was the first time she had seen them in this life.
Ingredients of such superior quality were definitely not available on the market.
Perhaps they were, but not for ordinary people to purchase.
Since they were premium quality, Su Xiaotian thought it reasonable to increase the price appropriately.
Thinking about the potential to make money through the system store in the future, Su Xiaotian felt a surge of being a tycoon.
Her bright eyes instantly lit up with spirit.
Su Xiaotian browsed the system again and also ordered ten jin of venison and six jin of yellow croaker.
These two were truly good items, rare in this era.
However, in the system store, the points required for redemption were not very high, only slightly more expensive than other meats.
Looking at the two full baskets, Su Xiaotian was content.
She calculated that she had spent less than fifty points in total.
After purchasing, she had accumulated dozens of jin.
Although she could have carried more weight, Su Xiaotian didn't want to attract too much attention. A young girl carrying two large baskets would already be quite unusual.
Su Xiaotian walked quickly, and even carrying the two large baskets did not hinder her speed.
She soon arrived at the entrance of the Ding family kitchen's courtyard.
The young man she had seen at the Ding family restaurant that day was standing at the entrance, looking anxious, as if waiting for someone.
When he saw Su Xiaotian's slender frame carrying two large baskets and moving with such speed, he was startled.
"Good heavens, this little girl, are these baskets even heavy for her?"
"Big brother, I'm here!" Su Xiaotian greeted him with a smile.
The young man then snapped back to reality.
He had been waiting at the entrance for quite some time and had even begun to doubt his own sanity for being tricked by a little girl.
Who would have thought she would arrive right then?
"I thought you weren't coming," the young man said, quickly walking over to help Su Xiaotian.
He reached out and took one of the large baskets from Su Xiaotian's hands, only to find it heavy and substantial.
This basket was even heavier than he had imagined.
"I still had to go find them. Do you think these are cabbages that can be bought easily?"
Su Xiaotian's eye-rolling action made the young man chuckle.
This little girl was not only capable but also quite amusing. Look at how she rolled her eyes; how could it be so pretty?
"Let me carry both baskets!" The young man reached out again, intending to take the other basket from Su Xiaotian.
"No need, I'm stronger than you!" Su Xiaotian casually glanced at the young man and said, as if by chance.
The young man was instantly speechless.
A critical hit!
Was he being looked down upon by a teenage girl?
As they each carried a basket through the door, the young man suddenly had a feeling that the little girl wasn't just saying it.
Her strength was indeed greater than his.
Looking at her effortless demeanor, it was as if the baskets she held had no weight.
"Little girl, what did you eat to grow so strong?"
Unconsciously, the young man asked.
"I grew up eating meat," Su Xiaotian replied unceremoniously.
The young man choked. Fine, he shouldn't have asked.
Why was this little girl so retortful?
It was too discouraging!
He grew up eating coarse grains and vegetables, while she grew up eating meat.
No wonder she was so strong!
He couldn't be envious!
Su Xiaotian had no idea that her casual remark would lead the young man to such thoughts.
For many years to come, the young man would blindly believe that meat could increase strength.
Upon reaching the kitchen, the young man put down the basket and eagerly opened the cloth covering it.
When he saw the basket full of fish that were still moving, he was so astonished he couldn't speak.
Not only were they fresh fish, but they were still alive!
After a long pause, he finally found his voice and shouted outside, "Master, Master..."
A slightly hoarse voice replied impatiently, "So careless, what kind of demeanor is that? Guanghui, your temperament still needs a lot of tempering! Starting tomorrow, you'll carve two more radishes each day."
"Master, we can talk about tempering my temperament later. Please come quickly and take a look. Good stuff, truly good stuff!"
A basket of fresh fish – how long had it been since he'd seen any?
There weren't many bodies of water around the capital, so fish were rare, especially fresh fish, which was exceedingly rare.
Although he had only recently started learning to cook, he could still recognize the quality of ingredients.
The basket of fish before him was, in his opinion, simply exquisite!
Not only did the two large carp look as fresh as if they had just been pulled from the water, but the scales indicated they were of superior quality.
And those small crucian carp, each one four and a half cun long, how did so many end up together?
What kind of fish were the remaining ones? He quickly racked his brain, but couldn't recall.
As the young man finished speaking, an old man, about sixty years old, entered.
Seeing his disciple's foolish demeanor, his expression soured again.
This rascal, after all, was his disciple, how could he be so uncultured?
"You rascal, you've been with me for some time, but you're so boisterous and uncultured!"
Although the old man was chiding him, his face showed no sign of displeasure; instead, one could hear the affection in his tone.
Su Xiaotian immediately took a liking to this plump chef.
"Master, please take a look at this basket of fish." The young man jumped up and pointed at the basket placed on the ground, shouting.
Chef Ding instinctively followed the direction his disciple was pointing.
With just a downward glance, he immediately looked up, his eyes fixed intently on his disciple.
"Am I hallucinating?"
Calm down, calm down, don't be uncultured!
"Master, no, absolutely not, it's all real, truly real!"
After squatting by the basket and examining it for a long time, Chef Ding finally reached out, picked up a crucian carp, and examined it closely.
Su Xiaotian saw that the crucian carp in Chef Ding's hand was pale gold all over, with a faint halo visible on its scales, making it very beautiful.
Su Xiaotian hadn't paid close attention in her haste earlier, but now that she looked carefully, it was indeed a top-grade wild crucian carp.
The old man examined it meticulously for a long time, muttering to himself.
"Body flat, back with a greenish hue, scales with a yellowish, metallic sheen, gills bright red, mouth pale green. Indeed, it is a top-grade wild crucian carp. This old man has lived for more than half his life and has finally seen such a specimen!"
Looking at Chef Ding's gaze at the crucian carp, Su Xiaotian felt it was like looking at a lover.
She suddenly found the old man's affectionate gaze at a fish quite amusing.
Fearing she would delay too long and the others would be impatient, Su Xiaotian asked about the price.
"Chef Ding, what price would you offer for crucian carp like this?"
Chef Ding finally gave up his silent communion with the crucian carp and emerged from the world of premium crucian carp.
"Not bad, not bad. Little girl, where did you get such crucian carp?"
His tone was filled with a strong sense of longing, as he desperately hoped to know the source of the goods. He couldn't fathom where such premium crucian carp came from!
The private kitchen had opened, but he was constantly troubled by ingredient issues. Every time he went to buy ingredients, he encountered problems, which annoyed him greatly.
"This, I'm afraid I cannot tell you." Su Xiaotian smiled faintly, her tone firm.
Where would she know where these crucian carp came from?
Could she say they came from the system?
Wouldn't people think she was crazy and have her arrested?
However, Chef Ding didn't think that way. He only assumed it was someone's secret they were unwilling to share.
Yes, if he had such a source of goods, he would definitely not tell anyone.
He immediately realized he had been presumptuous and quickly apologized to Su Xiaotian.
"Little girl, it was my fault. I shouldn't have asked."
"It's fine, Chef Ding. Please examine the ingredients first and give me a reasonable price, if possible?"
Chef Ding busied himself opening the cloth covering the other basket and examined it carefully.
"Little girl, all of these are good things. I'll take them all."
Chef Ding's expression clearly conveyed, "This is a chance to get rich, a chance to get rich!"
"Tell me the price. If it's reasonable, we'll settle it!"
Did this mean he wanted to buy everything?
Well, that was fine too!
Su Xiaotian had originally planned to keep some for herself to eat that evening.
But couldn't the old man be a bit faster?
He was so slow and hesitant. What if Uncle Shen and Grandpa Du got impatient waiting for her?
"I'll give you two and a half yuan per jin for the crucian carp, two yuan per jin for the carp, six yuan per jin for the yellow croaker, one yuan and eight mao per jin for the ribs, and five yuan per jin for the venison. What do you think?"
Chef Ding weighed it slightly and offered the highest price he could.
"Are you sure you want all of these?" Su Xiaotian asked, looking at the two large baskets, her voice filled with doubt.
With only four tables of guests per day, would they need so much meat?
"Yes, all of it. Guanghui, invite Old Man Li over tomorrow to observe. These meats will make Old Li so envious," Chef Ding laughed heartily, his laughter filled with pride and boastfulness.
Since his Ding Family Kitchen opened, several other private kitchens had opened one after another.
Just recently, that Old Man Li had snatched his ingredients several times, otherwise, he wouldn't have had such a difficult time.
Su Xiaotian ignored the old man, who was like a child, and just smiled faintly.
This price was much higher than she had expected, so she was not dissatisfied.
However, she couldn't show her happiness, otherwise, what if the old man regretted it?
"Alright, then let's agree on this price!" After a brief display of consideration, Su Xiaotian nodded.
Chef Ding immediately instructed his disciple to weigh the goods for Su Xiaotian and calculate the payment.
It was a joke; such good items, they had to be secured quickly lest the little girl change her mind.
Yu Guanghui, with his sharp mind, quickly calculated the total price of these items.
"Master, the total is one hundred and twenty-eight yuan and eight mao."
He thought to himself, "No wonder the little girl is so strong; her strength must have come from eating such good things since childhood."
He wondered if his master would let him have a taste of the dishes made with these good fish and meat.
He thought, why was there such a difference between people?
"Little girl, here you go, this is one hundred and twenty-eight yuan and eight mao. I originally wanted to round it up, but this number is auspicious."
Chef Ding took out one hundred and twenty-eight yuan and eight mao and placed it in Su Xiaotian's hand without hesitation.
Su Xiaotian thought to herself, "What a nice way to put it, but he's just reluctant to part with it."
Never mind, this price was not low.
This single income was higher than two months' salary for others. Contentment brings happiness!
After receiving the money and confirming the amount was correct, Su Xiaotian immediately prepared to leave.
"Okay, I'm leaving! Goodbye!"
Su Xiaotian didn't want to waste any more time, but just as she was about to leave, Chef Ding called out to her.
"Little girl, wait a moment."
Su Xiaotian paused but still turned back to look at Chef Ding.
"Little girl, I just want to ask, what's your name, and do you have more of these good things?"
Upon hearing this, Su Xiaotian understood; he intended to establish a long-term business relationship.
She estimated that she would be in the capital for about half a month and could conduct a few more transactions.
"I won't tell you my name. We're strangers passing by, so it's fine not to say. However, we can do business again. If you need them, I can deliver goods again tomorrow."
Hearing Su Xiaotian say this, Chef Ding's face instantly broke into a smile.
And, this was wonderful.
Heaven was cooperating!
"Bring them at the same time tomorrow. Little girl, if you have any other fresh meat, you can bring it too. I'll take it all."
Su Xiaotian was a little doubtful. In this weather, how much could they consume?
She hoped they wouldn't spoil.
Just as Su Xiaotian was pondering this, she heard Chef Ding happily arranging things for his disciple, Guanghui.
"Guanghui, starting tomorrow, we'll open four tables for lunch and four tables for dinner each day as a customer appreciation!" Chef Ding said to his disciple.
Before, they only opened four tables a day, not because he was aloof or putting on airs.
Old Ding had lived most of his life and wouldn't refuse money.
But without ingredients, he couldn't earn money even if there were customers.
Having more customers was useless; the important thing was to have ingredients.
"Go to the market early tomorrow and buy plenty of fresh vegetables," Chef Ding continued his instructions.
Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice. Chef Ding couldn't make good dishes without good ingredients either.
It was different now. With so many good things, he could let his creativity flow.
Guanghui acknowledged each instruction.
Su Xiaotian understood from this that with these ingredients, plus some vegetables, they could cater to eight tables.
At such prices, the Ding Family Kitchen would definitely increase their prices. The simple meal they had today cost over thirty yuan.
If they used her premium ingredients, a table might cost upwards of fifty yuan.
With this calculation, the Ding Family Kitchen's daily turnover would approach five hundred yuan!
Hmm, opening a restaurant was more profitable; she, selling raw materials, was at a disadvantage!
With no time to lament whether she had lost out significantly, Su Xiaotian quickly left the Ding Family Kitchen.
Old Man Ding looked at the large amount of meat as if he were dreaming.
Guanghui, following his master's instructions, went to show off to Old Man Li.
[Author's Note]
Fifth day of the Lunar New Year, five thousand characters. I don't know if I can complete six thousand characters tomorrow. Babies, don't forget to urge me for updates and vote! See you tomorrow!