Chapter 44: Chapter 44: The First Bucket of Gold (2)_1 Chapter 44: Chapter 44: The First Bucket of Gold (2)_1 “Miss Lin, just name your price, and my Fuman Building will buy those two dishes!”
Seeing his straightforwardness, Lin Yuan didn’t play coy and stretched out one hand, “A flat rate, fifty taels.”
If it weren’t for his many years of managing the Fuman Building, Shopkeeper Liu really would have jumped up from his stool.
Just for two simple dishes, she wanted fifty taels from him!
However, being a businessman at heart, Shopkeeper Liu calmed himself down, and after only a moment’s thought, he understood the crux of the matter.
The Fuman Building had grown big and successful on the back of a single dish, the “Four Joys Fortune Bag”.
It was quite possible that another restaurant in town could, with these two frog dishes, compete with them on an equal level today!
Moreover, this young girl, though not looking much, was quite clever.
And no matter how much he insinuated, she wouldn’t reveal how she came to know how to make these dishes.
Maybe there was a culinary mastermind behind her.
Getting on good terms with this girl, wouldn’t he worry about future collaborations?
“Alright, fifty taels it is!”
Although Lin Yuan couldn’t guess Shopkeeper Liu’s intentions with absolute certainty, her guess wasn’t far off.
Seeing how readily he agreed, she even regretted asking for too little.
Shopkeeper Liu then stood up, went to the entrance, and whispered something to Liuzi.
In no time, Liuzi walked in with a bag of silver and the necessary writing materials.
“Miss Lin, as businessmen, we naturally need to talk business.
I’d like to ask you to write an agreement, after all, we’re paying a hefty price for these dishes.
If you were to step out and offer them to another restaurant…” Shopkeeper Liu said diplomatically, but Lin Yuan heard him loud and clear.
It wasn’t a matter of trust but was a guarantee.
So, she quickly agreed.
“Shopkeeper Liu is indeed thoughtful.
But, coming from a rural family, I only know a few characters, so I must trouble you to write the agreement for me.” This was indeed the truth, although she knew the characters were similar to what she had learned in modern times, she couldn’t use a brush, and to scribe something unsightly would be embarrassing.
Shopkeeper Liu laughed heartily, taking her refusal to reveal too much personal information as her trying to hide her possible extensive training from certain calligraphy teachers.
He picked up the brush, wrote the agreement in duplicate, and stamped the Fuman Building’s seal on it.
Lin Yuan then wrote her name and pressed her thumbprint on it.
Shopkeeper Liu found Lin Yuan’s crooked signature on the agreement somewhat amusing.
Was this girl really unable to write, or was she pretending?
What terrible handwriting.
Once the agreement was set, it was time to collect the silver.
Lin Yuan noticed the bag was full of silver ingots and, with a frown of concern, she asked Shopkeeper Liu to exchange them for smaller pieces of silver, as she dared not spend such large ingots.
With the deal concluded, Lin Yuan shouldered her bamboo basket once more, ready to leave, when she suddenly remembered something, “Oh right, Shopkeeper Liu, there’s still a pot of soup I left simmering in the kitchen; it should be ready by now.”
Shopkeeper Liu had already been informed by Master Wang and responded with a smile.
Once Lin Yuan had left, Shopkeeper Liu went to the adjacent room, where the old foodie Lao Fan was inspecting the empty plates with great interest: “How was it?”
Shopkeeper Liu chuckled, “Why do you ask, when you already know, just like that girl does?”
Lao Fan laughed heartily, took the agreement, and raised his eyebrows as he glanced over it, “Cunning girl, always playing her cards close to her chest.”
Shopkeeper Liu then pulled out another note from his pocket and handed it to Lao Fan, who threw it aside after a glance, grunting, “That rascal, running away from his father again!” Suddenly remembering something, Lao Fan shouted anxiously, “Didn’t that girl say there’s still a pot of soup?
Quickly bring it here!