Chapter 7: Shopping

Jia Yi, with a beaming smile, used the pretext of finding guests to free himself from Lin Ruyu's clutches. However, today's main task was to assess the market response to the fried food. As for the few guests scattered in the hall, they were completely disregarded by Jia Yi. With something good at hand, who would care whether this was a small restaurant or not

Remove a piece of fat from the half slab of pork bought yesterday, throw it into the pot to render the fat, and place the resulting meat scraps into a ceramic bowl, sprinkling salt on top for later use. Today is a significant day for the debut of fried foods, so one must be extremely careful.

In just a short while, seven or eight out of the guests at the Laifuke Inn had left. The remaining guests, unless they had already received their oil-splashed noodles, might have left as well. This was evident from their gestures of pounding their chests and stamping their feet, which clearly indicated their regret for having entered so early.

Upon exiting the butcher's shop, Jia Yi was utterly speechless at the architecture of Duqu County. Not only were there rows of single-story houses, but they also varied greatly in height and shape. He felt that with his exceedingly limited knowledge of architecture, he could easily construct a three-story building here. Of course, he would first need to inquire about the height of the palace in Chang'an City; otherwise, he might inadvertently exceed the limit when renovating in the future, which would be a grave mistake.

At the moment the door was lowered, the excited smiles on Lin Meiyu and Lin Ruyu's faces suddenly froze. The bustling scene from a few days ago had gradually accustomed them to the atmosphere, but now, with only a sparse few people standing outside the door, it was difficult for them to immediately adapt to such a stark contrast.

Do you have paper and pen?

With a blink of the eye, the night has passed. Stepping out of the woodshed and looking at the unchanged courtyard, Jia Yi knows that today will be another busy day

Oh, you are referring to the meat residue. I apologize, but we sell the meat residue together with the oil-splashed noodles and do not sell them separately

Seeing that the situation was not good, Jia immediately turned and ran, saying to the two women behind him as he ran, "Take good care of the shop, I will be back shortly"

This time, Jia Yi took a bit longer to draw the diagram. After all, even the simplest distiller is somewhat complex for a person from the Tang Dynasty. However, in order to maintain confidentiality, Jia Yi only illustrated a part of the distiller here. As for the other components, he planned to have them crafted separately at different iron workshops.

It was only when the crowd saw Jia Yishi walking out with a smile and bent over that each person's heart sank with a thud, secretly thinking to themselves that it was all over

"Well, I see that you want to earn more money"

Ah, esteemed guest, you have come to enjoy the noodle slices, haven't you? I will prepare them for you right away

Brother Wencheng, why are you still here waiting to eat the oil-splashed noodles? The Sifang Restaurant has launched new dishes, which are said to be sold in combination with these oil-splashed noodles. Hurry and come with me, or they might be gone if we go late

Boss Wang of Laifuke Inn, looking at the hall filled with guests, smiled so broadly that his eyes turned into slits. Given the level of popularity, it is not impossible to earn two strings of cash in a day. Only that fool Jia Yi, holding onto the hen that lays golden eggs, left the eggs behind and sold the hen, deserving to be poor for a lifetime

As he gazed at the crescent moon appearing on the horizon, Jia Yi could not help but reminisce about his past life. Although pollution was ubiquitous and noise was incessant during that time, there were still mobile phones and computers. One could play games whenever desired and make phone calls at will, which was certainly far superior to the current era where communication relies primarily on shouting and travel is mostly done on foot

Please deliver it to the back door of the Sifang Restaurant three days later, and I will receive the goods there

In three days, I will deliver it to your residence.

Upon arriving at the back door of the Sifang Restaurant, the vegetable vendor and the butcher had already delivered the vegetables and meat, arranging for them to be placed in the kitchen. Once the two had left, Jia Yi promptly closed the main door.

Hiss ... ...

Why are you twisting me

Lin Ruyu firmly believed that Jia Yi would be able to win back the customers, but it was very likely that today he would not earn as much as in the previous days. Feeling dejected, she happened to see Jia Yi standing right in front of her and without hesitation reached out to twist his lower back sharply.

What the hell, how can there still be such a rule? Then bring me another bowl of oil-splashed noodles.

Sigh, since we cannot return, let us create a prosperous future here.

I barely had a few bites of the oil-splashed noodles, yet I picked the meat scraps clean: "Boss, give me some more... some of that stuff."

It is likely that this blacksmith shop frequently has people coming to forge items. Since verbal descriptions can easily lead to cognitive discrepancies, they have also prepared writing materials to facilitate customers in drawing diagrams, allowing for a more intuitive understanding.

Jia Yi picked up his pen and pondered for a moment, then drew a frying pan on paper according to the three-dimensional drawing standards of the side view, top view, and front view.

I sincerely apologize to everyone, the meat filling has been used up today, please come early tomorrow

On the fragrant noodles lay three or four golden pieces. Uncertain of what they were, the guest picked one up with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. Instantly, a rich meaty aroma filled his palate, and the crispy texture made him realize that such food existed in this world

Just then, there was a blacksmith shop on the street, and Jia Yi casually wandered in

"Do you understand this diagram?" Jia Yi pointed at the drawing on the paper with his brush and asked Da Niu.

Having paid a deposit of 400 wen, Jia turned around and walked back

Just as Boss Wang had not been happy for long, he was startled into a daze by a voice that came in from outside the door

Jia Yi's method of drawing truly impressed the expert, as the illustration was exceptionally intuitive and clear, requiring no further contemplation; one could simply produce what the client desired based on the diagram.

It hurts; this skill is something women are born with, whether in the present or in the future. Although Lin Ruyu's fingers have already left her lower back, the waves of pain still radiate from that area. Without even looking, one can tell that it is most likely bruised.

I fork you

There is, there is, there is; objectively, follow me.

This shout can be said to have stirred up a great commotion at the Laifuke Inn. Some guests who were originally waiting for their oil-splashed noodles, upon hearing this, got up without a second thought and left, and it is clear they were heading to the Sifang Restaurant

How beautiful the thought is; at most, I will hire an assistant for you to make things easier for you

As noon approached, Lin Ruyu and Lin Meiyu arrived together. After yesterday's explanation and tasting by Jia Yi, they felt that today they should once again witness the scene of the Sifang Restaurant filled with guests, and they were both a bit eager.

The diners have gone wild, repeating the same phrase every day. Today, after much effort, something new has finally emerged, yet you still say the same thing. It is no wonder the diners are angry

The commercial streets of the Tang Dynasty resembled the small markets in later villages, not only situated on streets filled with potholes but also selling mostly common goods, such as chickens, ducks, fish, pigs, dogs, and sheep. Fortunately, it was not the cold season, so there were vendors selling vegetables on the streets, although the variety was quite meager, with only seven or eight types available, and radishes occupying more than half of the entire stall.

The Sifang Restaurant, after an initial period of desolation, soon became extraordinarily lively. A long queue had formed outside, with everyone waiting for a taste of the so-called meat scraps. They only knew it was crispy and delicious, yet they had no idea what it truly felt like. One by one, they stood outside, drooling and eagerly anticipating the moment when the diners inside would finish their meals and leave.

Indeed, when faced with a more complex diagram, the expert found it somewhat difficult to comprehend. Jia Yi meticulously explained it to him while also discussing how to create it. They spent nearly half an hour on this matter, and by the time she had clarified everything for him, the sky outside had gradually darkened.

"Is this it? You should look further back; this is just the beginning." Regarding Lin Ruyu's shortsightedness, Jia Yi has gained a new understanding. However, he cannot simply be taken advantage of; he must extract some benefits: "If more people show up later, you should tell me how you plan to compensate me."

You ... ...

Then I will draw another one for you

How can a restaurant operate without alcohol? The distillation technology that has come from later generations has not only penetrated into the hearts of every individual, but at the very least, those who have graduated from middle school know how to make distillation apparatuses

Esteemed guest, what tools would you like to order? Our Daniu Ironworks is one of the top ironworks in Duqu County. As long as you can name it and describe it, we can forge it for you

I asked you to twist it back

Approximately how long will it take to complete

Look at this boastful talk, it has no bounds or limits. If Jia Yi were to let him forge a hundred-tempered steel knife, it would surely drive the blacksmith to despair.

Whenever he thinks of the past, Jia Yi feels a tingling in his hands. Without a phone in hand, he always feels unsettled, as if he has lost something essential, which is quite uncomfortable.

It is that tender and crispy thing that resembles meat; give me more of it

He tossed a couple of taels of silver to the vendor and received back nine hundred wen, purchasing nearly all the vegetables from the stall, while bowing and saying he would deliver them to the specified location. He then entered the butcher's shop and spent five hundred wen to buy half a slab of pork, with the owner also cheerfully agreeing to deliver it by evening.

This is still not a good deed done by you

What is that?" Jia Yi thought it was amusing, but since the customer is always right, he held back his laughter and inquired attentively.

The guest at a glance is clearly an educated person; this painting is straightforward and clear, and I can certainly understand it well. In the Tang Dynasty, there were few scholars, and everyone had a very kind attitude towards them, especially someone like Jia Yi, who possessed genuine talent and knowledge, earning even greater respect. This can be inferred from the slightly bent waist of the great ox.

A faint aroma of wine suddenly wafted over from the front, and the subtle scent of alcohol made Jia Yi suddenly realize that perhaps the finest wine of the Tang Dynasty came from the Western Regions, specifically the Sanle Jiang. According to his analysis, it should be due to the higher elevation of the Western Regions, where the water does not boil properly, allowing the alcohol to evaporate. This, with the assistance of heaven, resulted in a simple purification of the wine.

Indeed, Jia Yi performed a very skilled bow, repeating the words that had been said many times before.

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