General, Madam Called You To Farm

Chapter 112 – Asking for her help (2)

Shopkeeper Sun took out a piece of recipe paper from his wide sleeve, he dusted it in front of Su Xiaoxiao, and said, “You sold me fake recipes! Even if you go to the Yamen1 to make fuss, it’s you guys who are unreasonable!” 

1Yamen : government office in feudal China.

Su Xiaodao said, “I personally said it myself, and you write it yourself.
Unless you made a mistake when you wrote it, otherwise it’s absolutely impossible for the recipes to have a problem.” 

Shopkeeper Sun said, “But the snacks that I made according to your recipes do not taste the same as the ones you sell!” 

Su Xiaoxiao looked puzzled and said, “Is that so?” 

Shopkeeper Sun waved his hand to call someone from behind, and a waiter came running over with a plate of egg yolk pastries. 

“You taste it yourself!” 

Shopkeeper Sun said. 

Su Xiaoxiao broke open the egg yolk pastry and said, “No need to taste it.
It’s really different from what I made.” 

Shopkeeper Sun said coldly: “You admit it!” 

Su Xiaoxiao said: “But I also made it strictly according to these recipes.
It’s not a mistake from the  recipe, it’s because you bought the wrong ingredients.
You can’t blame me for that!” 

Shopkeeper Sun gritted his teeth secretly, this girl was really not easy to scare ah…… 

If it were ordinary people, they would have panicked when they were questioned like that.
But this girl was so unbelievably calm. 

Was she really a teenage village girl?

Su Xiaoxiao said seriously: “Shopkeeper Sun, everyone here is to do business.
If you ask for advice nicely, I can do you a favor and tell you.
But if you want to blackmail me and frame me, I advise you to give up! I sold the recipes to you is not because I’m afraid of you.
I set up the stall at your Jinji’s entrance, it’s true that I took some of your customers.
Everyone will cross paths in this town regularly, so as long as you don’t go too far, I will take this as an intention for creating a good relationship between us.
But If you dare to bully us again, and let’s see what I can do!” 

In business negotiations, one had to have a thick skin, and the second was to have a strong presence. 

It didn’t matter whether you really have it or not, it was enough for people to believe that you have it. 

This was the experience that Shopkeeper Sun had developed only after decades of work.
But unexpectedly, it was easily learned by a little girl.

Whether it should be said or not, Shopkeeper Sun was really impressed by Su Xiaoxiao at the moment. 

Of course, it was with gnashing of his teeth2. 

2gnashing one’s teeth (idiom) : displaying  extreme anger / fuming with rage between gritted teeth.
Expressing hatred; describing extreme hatred; it also describes trying to suppress a certain emotion or feeling. 

Shopkeeper Sun put on a fake smile and said, “Okay, as long as you are willing to tell me where you bought your ingredients, I will believe you.” 

Su Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows and said, “Is this your attitude of asking for help?” 

Su Ergou: Why did it sound like what my brother-in-law said?

Shopkeeper Sun: “……” 

Shopkeeper Sun smiled exaggeratedly and said, “May I ask Miss Su, where did you buy your salted egg yolks?” 

Don’t tell him that it was from the capital city.
If this girl really had a source of goods from the capital city, why would she be worried that he would cut off her flour supply in this town?! 

Su Xiao Xiao said breezily, “Oh, you are asking about that ah, I made it myself.” 

Shopkeeper Sun was startled so much and said, “You… You… You made it yourself?” 

Su Xiaoxiao spread out her hands and said, “That’s right, you guys can’t do it? It’s not that hard, ah.” 

Shopkeeper Sun almost spat out a mouthful of his old blood.

What did you mean with ‘it not that hard ah’, if the town’s cooks heard you say this, they all would want to come running here and beat you to death, okay! 

Su Xiaoxiao said generously, “Just for the sake of our cooperation, if you want the recipe of my salted eggs, I can sell it to you at a low price.” 

What their Jinji sold were snacks, not the ingredients.
Who the hell wanted the recipe of salted eggs! 

According to this, did they have to grind their own flour, fry their own sesame oil, grow their own star anise, and also dry their own peppercorns?

Later, they would also buy the recipes of refined white sugar and the official salt3, and did all the work simultaneously. 

3Official salt : the salt that was officially authorized for sale by the government in Ancient China. 

Well, then that would be so tiresome.

In short, Jinji would not make the ingredients by themselves.

Shopkeeper Sun reluctantly said, “I don’t want the recipe, but if you have more salted eggs on hand, you can sell them to me.” 

Su Xiaoxiao sighed, “Sigh, although the method of making the salted eggs is not hard, it’s very troublesome.
I only made a few of them, and I didn’t have enough for myself, so how can I have more to sell them to you?” 

Shopkeeper Sun gritted his teeth and said, “The price is negotiable!”