Chapter 50: My mistress

After the eatery opened, life indeed became much more convenient.

By May and June, the plum rain season had arrived, and rain was a frequent companion.

With the shop established, there was no longer any need to worry about the weather.

Cao Wen had tidied up both storage rooms to serve as bedrooms—the larger one housed the three boys, and the smaller one was for the two girls.

This way, there was always someone watching over the shop, and they no longer had to run back and forth to the village.

All the ingredients could be handled in the kitchen, eliminating the need to prepare and bring them from the village to the market in advance.

For example, pig offal and other items were delivered directly to the shop by the butchers from the meat market after slaughtering the pigs.

The eatery still opened around the time of the si hour, just like when they operated the stall, but in the afternoon it stayed open much longer than before.

Previously, they had to pack up before dark, but now the eatery could stay open until the designated hour.

After closing, there was no wasted time traveling back.

The girls and boys on duty would wipe down tables and chairs, clean thoroughly, then rest.

The next day, they prepared ingredients before the eatery opened.

Cao Wen and Xu Duoyan still commuted daily, but it was nowhere near as hectic as when they first started the business.

Now, they no longer needed to personally buy ingredients or prepare dishes in advance; they just needed to arrive at opening time.

Xu Duoyan handled the front desk and cash, while Cao Wen busied himself in the kitchen during meal rushes.

Actually, Cao Yang was already capable of managing the kitchen alone, but during busy times, he couldn’t keep up with the orders.

Cao Wen didn’t want to stay buried in the kitchen forever, so he recruited two more apprentices.

Overall, the two of them gradually took on the demeanor of shopkeepers, gaining much more freedom with their time.

However, the good days of being the sole stall did not last long.

Other taverns and eateries in town began to offer stir-fry dishes one after another.

Not only that, but former stall owners on Sifang Street started to raise their stakes, and many ordinary households also began making cast iron woks.

It was no wonder people made cast iron woks—they were durable and long-lasting.

With all these changes, the Cao Family’s business took a significant hit.

But Cao Wen and Xu Duoyan remained calm.

They knew this was inevitable, and there was no secret recipe or technique—they just expected it to spread eventually.

Still, since their shop had the first-mover advantage, the townsfolk regarded them as a Laoshaohao.

Many people continued to favor their dishes.

On occasion, wealthy households holding banquets would pay a premium to have Cao Wen come prepare a few stir-fry dishes.

His presence at the banquet elevated the host’s status.

Whenever Cao Wen had free time, he was happy to attend.

After all, it was just one meal, and affluent families didn’t hesitate to spend lavishly on food, often paying him thirty taels of silver or more.

Sometimes, Cao Wen even received red envelopes with fifty taels.

This counted as extra income.

Moreover, ever since more merchants arrived at the Merchant Guild, Fengyuan Town’s transient population increased day by day.

Because of poor communication and limited information flow, news mostly traveled via merchant caravans moving from place to place.

With stir-fry dishes now common in town, word of their quality spread among traveling merchants, attracting visitors from other regions.

“Yah~ yah~”

Cao Wen tugged the reins tightly, holding fast to the donkey.

“This town really is getting busier and busier. If we leave even a little late, the roads get so clogged it’s hard to move.”

Xu Duoyan sat back with her legs crossed in the back, tidying up the fans Lv Lingbi had made to sell.

“Then tomorrow we should get to the shop early, so we don’t get stuck in the street under the blazing sun.”

The town was small, but with more merchants passing through and all the carts and horses on the road, could the main street avoid traffic jams?

Luckily, things were already being adjusted, and it should improve soon.

“Those wealthy families in town are the most well-informed—they started clearing land and building houses early. Now the roofs are almost finished. I heard customers at the eatery saying some have already started reserving these new homes.”

“The prices for houses keep going up; they’re the ones making the money.”

Cao Wen chuckled, “So you regret not reserving a house first?”

“What’s there to regret? We didn’t buy property, but we got the eatery. With house prices rising in town, the eatery prices follow suit.”

While they were discussing property prices, a commotion suddenly broke out.

Someone rolled onto the street, nearly crashing under the donkey’s hooves.

If Cao Wen hadn’t been quick to pull the reins, the consequences would have been dire.

“Sir! Are you alright?”

Cao Wen immediately jumped down from the cart and helped the man to his feet.

Recently, traffic in town had become chaotic, with several accidents involving carts and pedestrians, some of which were still in court.

The man brushed dust off his clothes, glaring angrily at a tavern by the roadside.

“Why can’t you just speak properly? What right do you have pushing someone into the kitchen like that? Stealing a craftsman’s skill!”

Following his gaze, Cao Wen saw several tavern workers standing outside.

“They’re shameless outsiders,” the man continued, “You treat guests badly, sneaking into the kitchen like thieves!”

The two sides began shouting at each other.

Seeing this, Xu Duoyan worried the market street would become even more congested if it continued.

She and Cao Wen both tried to calm the situation, persuading the man to get into the cart so they could leave.

After questioning him, they learned the man was from the County Town.

He had previously run an eatery there and, hearing merchants praise Fengyuan Town’s stir-fry dishes, had come to pay a visit.

He had already been once before to taste the food, but after returning home, he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

So he set off again, intending to learn the craft.

People in town were secretive about stir-fry techniques.

Though the dishes weren’t new locally, outsiders still considered them a prized delicacy.

Naturally, this made them wary of outsiders wanting to learn.

“I asked around several times with no answer, so I tried to ask the chef in the back kitchen, but they pushed me out without a word. It was really rude,” the man said, slapping his thigh in frustration.

Xu Duoyan had encountered many people these days trying to learn the craft.

Looking at the man before her, an idea suddenly struck.

“Brother, you truly want to learn the skill?”

The man quickly replied, “Young sir, you don’t think I’m here to steal the technique, do you?”

“That’s not what I mean. It’s just that you don’t even know where to look if you want to learn.”

“What do you mean?”

“Fengyuan Town’s stir-fry dishes come from the Cao Family Stir-fry, the real Laoshaohao. If you want to learn, you should just go there.”

Cao Wen, still driving the donkey cart, glanced at Xu Duoyan, not knowing what she was up to.

Seeing her exchange a look with him, he said nothing and continued driving as the two talked.

The man raised an eyebrow.

“The Laoshaohao would really teach apprentices?”

“How could they not? Master Cao has taken several apprentices already. Now the Cao Family eatery’s head chefs are his disciples. The master only occasionally appears.”

“Really!”

The man brightened up, feeling like he had found a glimmer of hope.

“Do you know Master Cao personally?”

“I do. Most locals who eat stir-fry know him. He used to run a stall on Sifang Street.”

“Could you introduce me? Regardless of the outcome, I will repay you handsomely!”

The man was about to stand and bow to Xu Duoyan.

She quickly grabbed him, “Hey, hey, brother, don’t be so polite. Watch out, don’t fall off the cart.”

“An introduction is easy.”

The man was overjoyed.

“Are you close to Master Cao?”

Xu Duoyan said seriously, “Close? Very close. He’s my ‘partner.’ If I ask, he will definitely agree.”

“?”

The man was momentarily silenced, feeling as if he had been mocked.

But then he looked at Xu Duoyan again and noticed no joking expression—just the bearing of a refined gentleman, handsome and poised.

He thought to himself: Wealthy women in the city sometimes keep two beautiful actors for entertainment, and a master with a young male partner isn’t unheard of…

He forced a laugh.

“You are truly frank, young sir. I admire you.”

Then he praised her, “Master Cao, a woman, has discovered such exquisite dishes. Truly wonderful.”

Xu Duoyan smiled softly.

“He’s a man.”

Cao Wen, driving the donkey, almost laughed but held back, watching the man’s behavior closely, worried Xu Duoyan might get insulted.

“Young sir, I sincerely want to learn! I am not here for your amusement!”

The cart stopped.

Xu Duoyan slowly stood up.

“All I said was true.”

She lifted her chin.

“That’s Master Cao. If you don’t believe me, you can ask.”

The man turned his head to see a tall, young man helping another down from the cart.

“Brother, if you want to learn, why don’t you go in?”

After a moment’s hesitation, the man looked up at the sign outside the eatery, the crowded hall inside, and the two tall, youthful men.

He swallowed nervously, carefully got down from the cart, and followed them inside.

Fengyuan Town’s small market was unexpectedly filled with hidden talents—truly a place of extraordinary people.

Xu Duoyan thought so.

When they first started selling stir-fry dishes, they hadn’t actively shared their cooking techniques.

But over time, the townsfolk learned on their own.

Now, even though the town’s chefs were reluctant to teach outsiders, it wouldn’t be long before the skills spread.

Rather than keeping things secret and having them spread poorly, it was better to teach openly.

When outsiders ate stir-fry dishes, they would surely praise Fengyuan Town, which would only benefit the town’s future.

Of course, this was just looking at the bigger picture.

After all, they weren’t officials who genuinely cared about local prosperity.

They simply didn’t want to miss out on a profitable opportunity.

If people wanted to learn, they would teach—just not for free.

They would charge tuition.

Soon, a conspicuous notice appeared on the Announcement Board, recruiting apprentices without restrictions on region or gender, giving wandering outsiders a place to learn.

In no time, inquiries flooded the Cao Family eatery like a tide.

After some discussion, they set the tuition at twenty taels of silver per apprentice.

This did not guarantee the dish would taste exactly like the master’s, but all the necessary techniques would be taught.

The saying went: The master leads you to the door, but cultivation depends on the individual.

Gradually, many came to learn, and by July and August, more than twenty apprentices had been taught, most from other places.

Cao Wen earned over four hundred taels in tuition fees, and after deducting teaching costs, netted over three hundred taels.

By this calculation, he actually made more from teaching than from the eatery.

Moreover, those who successfully learned and returned home to start businesses never forgot their teacher, sending local specialties back to Cao Wen as gifts.

Seeing such profits, others in town began to imitate, starting to recruit apprentices as well.

However, with fewer students and more masters teaching, by August, Cao Wen had taught his last two apprentices and decided to stop taking new students, securing a tidy profit.