Chapter Thirty-Seven: Discussion

Chapter 37: A Business Discussion

Lin Qiuran mused that for a serious business discussion, they should have gone to a quiet teahouse or restaurant, somewhere they could talk while eating. Was Xu Yuanhang really using this opportunity to discuss business over a meal she had prepared?

Lin Qiuran felt a pang of discomfort. If Xu Yuanhang were negotiating with someone else, he certainly wouldn't have arranged it this way. But then again, when one is struggling financially, what room is there for pride? She was being paid to cook, after all, and she had made the food herself—it would be foolish not to eat it. She nodded, and Steward Xu led her further into the residence.

She had cooked at the Xu residence several times, but this was Lin Qiuran's first time venturing beyond the kitchen. In the past, even when Xu Yuanhang was pleased with her cooking, any tips were always delivered by Steward Xu.

The deeper they went into the estate, the more refined the surroundings became. Even in autumn, seasonal flowers and trees adorned the paths. Maids and servants passed by, their heads bowed. Some carried boxes or trays, and upon seeing Steward Xu, one inquired, "Steward, should this be delivered to the Second Young Master's courtyard now?"

Steward Xu replied, "Go ahead."

Xu Yuanhang was the second son of the Xu family. Though born of a concubine, he was capable and highly regarded by the family patriarch. The servants treated him with utmost respect. The household staff was already dividing into two factions, and Steward Xu had worked tirelessly over the years to become one of Xu Yuanhang's most trusted retainers.

Even though Xu Yuanhang seldom returned home, he always received the best of everything upon his return. His courtyard was impeccably maintained, not a speck of dust in sight. Inside, beaded curtains and jade screens decorated the rooms, attended by beautiful maids.

The meal was already laid out, with tea and snacks on the table. Xu Yuanhang was waiting, seated casually yet poised. Though the chair had a backrest, he did not lean lazily against it. His left hand rested on the armrest, while his right hand toyed with a string of prayer beads, the white jade ring on his finger gleaming with a soft luster. He exuded an air of refined nobility.

His eyes always held a hint of amusement, making him seem approachable and easy to get along with. Yet Lin Qiuran felt that his eyes held not genuine amusement, but concealed cunning.

When Xu Yuanhang saw Lin Qiuran arrive, he gestured slightly with his left hand and said, "Please take a seat, Madam Lin."

Lin Qiuran sat opposite him. Xu Yuanhang poured her a cup of tea and asked, "Is it alright for you to drink tea?"

Lin Qiuran understood he was asking if she could drink tea given her pregnancy. She nodded. In the past, people often spoke of food compatibilities, but after working as a cook for so long, she knew that except for ingredients with strong medicinal properties, most things were fine in small amounts.

Xu Yuanhang pushed the teacup toward her. "It occurred to me that I had something to discuss with you, Madam Lin. I didn't want to let this fine meal go to waste, so I thought we could talk over dinner. I hope you don't mind."

Lin Qiuran replied, "It's no trouble. Earning a living and doing business are only natural. Since you have matters to discuss, in this context, I am simply Madam Lin, your business associate, not the cook."

Xu Yuanhang smiled. "Very well, let's talk as we eat."

Xu Yuanhang was hungry and started with the braised pork. It wasn't that he was exaggerating—after being away for over a month, he had genuinely missed Lin Qiuran's cooking. Especially the braised pork, which he had only tasted once during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and even then, he'd only eaten one piece. Yet he had remembered it ever since.

However, he hadn’t specifically requested the dish. A couple of days prior, braised pork had been served at his table, but it wasn’t as good as Lin Qiuran’s. Xu Yuanhang had taken a bite each time but never touched it again. Steward Xu had noted even such a small detail.

When someone wants to please you, they attend to every detail.

The braised pork was glistening and red, its sauce mirror-smooth. There were sixteen pieces on the plate, accompanied by an exquisitely carved radish flower.

In the past, Xu Yuanhang might have criticized the plating for lacking refinement, but today he felt the arrangement made the portion seem too small.

He took a bite and couldn’t help but remark, "Madam Lin, your skills have improved further. Today's dish is even better than the last."

Lin Qiuran was pleased to hear praise for her cooking. She felt she had outperformed herself today, and the braised pork was undoubtedly better than what she usually sold. She smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment, Second Young Master. As a cook, my daily goal is simply to make the dishes tastier."

Xu Yuanhang nodded in agreement as he took a second piece. "It's like business—every day, we think about how to make more money and keep customers happy. Different paths to the same goal."

Lin Qiuran smiled but didn't respond. She tried the fish with pickled vegetables, which was even more delicious. The broth was rich and flavorful, the pickled vegetables tangy and robust, and the golden color was appetizing. Since they were discussing business, Xu Yuanhang should get to the point.

Xu Yuanhang glanced at Lin Qiuran and said, "Have you been to the streets these past couple of days, Madam Lin? FiveSpice House has released a new pastry called Osmanthus and Fermented Rice Mung Bean Cake."

Lin Qiuran’s expression remained unchanged. She was naturally aware of the mung bean cake. A couple of days ago, Sun Shi and Xiao Dashi had mentioned that Shen Yu was no longer coming, and the Xiao family’s stall had been moved forward. She knew Shen Yu had gone to work for the Jiang family but hadn’t inquired which shop it was.

She hadn’t expected it to be FiveSpice House.

There were several reputable pastry shops in the county, but their prices were high, so she rarely bought from them.

Lin Qiuran said, "In business, it's important to innovate. If you always offer the same thing, customers will eventually grow tired of it."

Xu Yuanhang watched her feign ignorance calmly. "It's not just the pastry—there's also a story that comes with it. Would you like to hear it, Madam Lin?"

Lin Qiuran remained silent. Xu Yuanhang took another bite of food, his eyes darkening slightly, though he continued to smile. "FiveSpice House is selling this mung bean cake and telling customers that before the Jiang family matriarch passed away, she dreamed of ascending to the Queen Mother’s Jasper Pool, where she tasted this pastry with the immortals and received the recipe from them. After waking, she told her descendants the recipe. They made it, she tasted a piece, said it was exactly the same, and then ascended to immortality."

Xu Yuanhang chuckled, his tone growing colder as he spoke. "The Jiang descendants couldn't bear to let such a delicious pastry go unnoticed, so they gave the recipe to the chefs at FiveSpice House, allowing everyone to taste this heavenly delicacy. This not only fulfills the Jiang family’s filial piety but also brings FiveSpice House a good reputation. A win-win situation."

Lin Qiuran blinked. "Do people actually believe that?"

Xu Yuanhang replied, "If no one believed it, why would I be telling you this?"

Was he concerned about the Jiang family’s display of filial piety? Moreover, when they had initially sought pastry chefs to recreate it, no one had succeeded. Now that FiveSpice House had it, people naturally wanted to try it.

Lin Qiuran ate a dry pot shrimp. Fresh vegetables were uncommon now, so she ate more of them. She asked, "How much does the pastry sell for?"

With such a gimmick, it couldn't be cheap.

Xu Yuanhang ate as he spoke. "Indeed, it's not cheap—one tael of silver per catty. Previously, FiveSpice House’s mung bean cake sold for half a tael per catty, while other shops and stalls sold it for even less. But many people still want to try this 'Ascension Cake' and see what it tastes like."

Lin Qiuran couldn't help but laugh. "Ascension Cake"? Did people really think eating it would make them immortal?

Xu Yuanhang looked at her. "I initially thought it was all hype and that the taste would be mediocre. But after trying it, I found it quite delicious. Word spread quickly, and business boomed. In just two or three days, several FiveSpice House branches in the county and neighboring towns started selling this pastry, and even their other pastries began selling well."

Lin Qiuran hadn't expected advertising to exist so early. Honestly, with such a story, if she hadn't tasted the pastry herself, she would have been curious about its flavor. But since she had tried it when she made it, it didn't matter to her.

If she were in business, she would never have thought of something like this. No wonder Shen Yu was willing to work for the Jiang family—with sales so good, she was likely receiving a share of the profits.

And this was only in the county. If other places had pastry shops, who knew how much money they could make? A talented bird chooses a good tree to nest in. Starting from scratch, she could never compete with the Jiang family’s business.

Yu’an was located in the south, where people were skilled at making pastries—bean cakes, rice cakes—and there were many pastry shops.

She had initially thought that hiring another person just for one type of pastry was excessive. But she hadn’t expected them to capitalize on the old lady’s death. How should she put it? It was quite “filial” of them.

Was Xu Yuanhang telling her this because it was affecting the business of the Xu family’s pastry shop, Wufangzhai? Lin Qiuran was curious about what businesses Xu Yuanhang was involved in.

Spices, pastries, general goods… the Xu family likely had many shops. This was what she had observed, but there was probably much more. Supplying foreign traders, spices were just the tip of the iceberg.

Lin Qiuran asked, "Why are you telling me this, Second Young Master?"

Xu Yuanhang smiled. "When your parents were taken away that day, I thought that even if the Jiang family acted boldly, they wouldn’t do anything to your parents and would release them soon. I apologize for what happened that day. Today, I’ll use tea instead of wine to toast you, Madam Lin, as a gesture of apology."

Xu Yuanhang’s attitude seemed sincere. He was flexible, not shying away from first mentioning the Jiang family’s affairs to hint at his own needs before apologizing. Nor did he avoid acknowledging that he had invited Lin Qiuran to cook this meal and was now using it to apologize with tea. It looked earnest, but there was no genuine sincerity behind it.

Lin Qiuran understood that Xu Yuanhang did not hold her in high regard. An apology was just a few words to him. With the Jiang family, he would go to great lengths to achieve his goals, and it was the same with her.

If Lin Qiuran ever failed to meet his expectations in the future, he would not hesitate to act against her. His apology now was merely because he suspected the pastry had something to do with her. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have cared about her or her family’s fate.

Lin Qiuran said, "What happened that day… wasn’t your fault, and it had nothing to do with you. There’s no need for an apology."

It truly wasn’t his fault. Lin Qiuran understood the difference between obligation and affection.

"Steward Xu said you wanted to discuss business, so you didn’t invite me here just to tell a story, did you? I’m not very clever, so please speak plainly, Second Young Master."

Xu Yuanhang said, "That day, along with your parents, a woman who sold bean cakes was also taken. After that, she went to work at the Jiang family’s FiveSpice House. And it was after that that FiveSpice House started selling this bean cake."

Lin Qiuran and the others had returned that evening, and Lady Yang had passed away that same night.

Xu Yuanhang had initially intended to stir trouble by suggesting that the bean cake recipe was something both women had worked on together. Now that Shen Yu had gone to FiveSpice House, the recipe would have nothing to do with Lin Qiuran, which would surely upset her.

But since Lin Qiuran had asked him to be direct, he said, "Now that FiveSpice House’s business is thriving, Wufangzhai’s sales have suffered. I wonder if you have any ideas, Madam Lin."

If he were to ask who exactly came up with this idea, Lin Qiuran would certainly not admit to it, so it would be better to directly ask if there were any other solutions.

The steward of Wufangzhai was frowning—FiveSpice House had truly scored a real win.

Lin Qiuran said, "Since we already know what they’re selling, it shouldn’t be too difficult for pastry chefs from other shops to learn how to make it."

Although Lin Qiuran had also considered selling the pastry recipe to others, she later realized that if Shen Yu could easily learn it, others certainly could too. Since it was a combination of the two, it wouldn’t be hard for Xu Yuanhang to make it if he wanted.

Xu Yuanhang said, "Learning is simple, but if we sell it, we’d always be playing catch-up."

Indeed, the recipe wasn’t particularly difficult, but the Jiang family had already seized the initiative by making it first. Moreover, FiveSpice House had crafted a tall tale, one that’s also very filial, around this bean cake. Even if other pastry shops sold it, everyone would know it wasn’t FiveSpice House’s mung bean cake. Regardless of whether other versions tasted better or worse, or were cheaper, their business would be much slower.

If they were to make it, it might even look like they were copying them. If Wufangzhai had previously had better business than FiveSpice House, it would be even less advisable to imitate them now.

They could replicate the pastry, but not the story.

Lin Qiuran had once thought that if the Xu family really had a pastry shop, they might approach her—she just hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. She also hadn’t expected Xu Yuanhang, who was often away, to be concerned with the family’s pastry business. Could it be that Xu Yuancheng had been managing it before and Xu Yuanhang wanted to take it over now?

Sibling rivalry—it doesn't matter if the prize is big or small, each brother wants to claim it for himself.

Lin Qiuran took another piece of red-braised pork. There were only a few left in the dish. She said, "Then I really don’t know, Second Young Master. I’m just an ordinary person. The Jiang family has vast wealth and influence—I wouldn't dare risk offending them."

Lin Qiuran didn’t want to put in too much effort. It wasn’t her business, after all. If they wanted her help, how much would they pay her? What benefit would she gain?

Xu Yuanhang paused, then said, "I was indeed thoughtless in my handling of matters that day. Let me offer this cup of wine to apologize to you, Madam Lin."

This time, Xu Yuanhang poured a cup of wine and even stood up.

Lin Qiuran smiled and said, "Please sit, Second Young Master. As I said earlier, that day had nothing to do with you. Truth be told, it was the Jiang family who were being unreasonable—if they had something to say, they should have just said it. Why force people to resort to violence?"

Xu Yuanhang thought Lin Qiuran held a grudge. If it really didn’t matter, she wouldn’t have brought up the Jiang family again. "Next time something happens, you can go directly to Steward Xu. Even if I’m not around, Steward Xu will help you."

Lin Qiuran said, "Thank you, Second Young Master. But I truly don’t understand business matters. I only know a little about cooking. To keep customers, you need to innovate—offer food that's both delicious and novel, and customers will naturally keep coming."

Xu Yuanhang understood business. Storytelling wasn’t exclusive to the Jiang family either.

Xu Yuanhang asked, "Innovation—do you have any ideas, Madam Lin?"

Lin Qiuran had previously tasted osmanthus bean cake, rose bean cake, and even Xian Dou Gao (Immortal Bean Cakes) with various fillings. They could all be made, but she didn’t promise anything outright. "Not at the moment, but I can think about it."

Xu Yuanhang knew it was impossible to settle the matter over a single meal. Ideas took time, and there was no need to rush. "If Madam Lin comes up with a solution, I will make sure you are handsomely rewarded."

Lin Qiuran nodded. "There’s an order to learning, and skills have their specialties. I know how to cook, but don’t set your hopes too high, Second Young Master."

Xu Yuanhang nodded. Though he had apologized twice during this meal, if it were any other time, he would have found a way to get her back. But Lin Qiuran was not only a woman but also pregnant, and now he needed her help. Retaliating would make him seem petty. Besides, he found Lin Qiuran rather interesting.

As he ate, Xu Yuanhang pondered. Lin Qiuran was skilled and clever—he wondered what kind of solution she would devise.

She still hadn’t admitted that the fermented rice bean cake was her creation. She was cautious, and even when he apologized, she showed no sign of smugness, as if it weren’t intentional.

But it clearly was intentional.

Xu Yuanhang took another piece of red-braised pork. Lin Qiuran had been holding a grudge all along, yet she still came to cook. She was composed and patient.

The meal was mostly finished. Lin Qiuran had eaten until she was satisfied and set down her chopsticks.

She was consciously controlling her food intake now, not wanting the baby to grow too large and make delivery difficult. Xu Yuanhang had also finished eating. "Thank you for honoring us with your presence today, Madam Lin. I’ll have Steward Xu see you home shortly."

Lin Qiuran nodded. She didn’t ask about anything else. On her way out of the estate, Steward Xu handed her a purse. Lin Qiuran hefted it in her hand—it contained more than two taels of silver.

Steward Xu said, "Second Young Master said the dishes you prepared were delicious. The extra is a reward. Madam Lin, this isn’t like a servant's tip—it’s just that Second Young Master enjoyed the meal and felt this money was what you deserved."

In the past, the pay was one tael, and the reward was two taels, but Steward Xu would usually pocket half. There was no reason for him to only give two taels this time. Of course, this time, Steward Xu didn’t take any cut.

He knew how to read Xu Yuanhang’s expressions. Now that Xu Yuanhang valued Lin Qiuran highly, if he were caught embezzling, he would face serious consequences.

Lin Qiuran nodded. Now, as Madam Lin the cook, she didn’t feel the least bit humiliated by Xu Yuanhang’s reward—instead, she thought the more, the better.

When they reached the stables, a coachman was waiting with a larger and more luxurious carriage. Lin Qiuran glanced at Steward Xu, who said, "The other carriage is being used. Madam Lin, please take Second Young Master’s carriage back."