After getting He Yanxiu’s approval, Su Yujin sent someone to inform Chen Shi that she was willing to do the cold pot skewers business.

When Chen Shi got the news, she was overjoyed and quickly told Kang Shi about it.

The two had originally thought of looking for Su Yujin the day before to discuss a business partnership, but when they learned that He Yanxiu was resting that day and accompanying Su Yujin in the backyard, they gave up the idea.

In addition, in the past two days, Chen Shi and Kang Shi heard about the incidents in the mine and the mint. Su Yujin and He Yanxiu went into the mountains together, and they waited until Su Yujin came back last night before looking for her today.

When the three met, there was not much greeting, and they went straight to the point and discussed doing business together.

After a detailed discussion, the two sides reached a preliminary cooperation.

In spring, autumn, and winter, they could sell freshly cooked hot skewers, charged by the skewer, and the pot base was going to be charged separately. In summer, due to the hot weather, it was inconvenient to light a charcoal fire, so they would make cold pot skewers, which could still be charged by the skewer, and they would also add some cold dishes and other side dishes to enrich the dining experience.

These were the suggestions put forward by Su Yujin, and Kang Shi also expressed many of her own ideas regarding the operation and management of the shop.

The number of bamboo skewers to be supplied, the combination of meat and vegetables, the location and layout of the store, the specific attire and layout of the store, the division of labor among the shop assistants, some preferential activities during the opening… etc. were all explained to Su Yujin in great detail.

What she said was quite logical and she had her own opinions.

Hearing this, Su Yujin couldn’t help but nod repeatedly.

Chen Shi had said before that Kang Shi was obsessed with business and was very good at merchant skills. Now it seemed to be true. Kang Shi was indeed a strong woman who could take on important responsibilities.

Having such a partner come to her to do business was no different from God putting money in her pocket.

Su Yujin’s heart was filled with joy.

The three of them talked about business from morning till noon.

It was getting late, so Su Yujin invited the two of them to have lunch together.

In addition to asking Ai Cao, Qing Kui, and others to cook some vegetable skewers and meat skewers for cold pot skewers, Su Yujin also personally cooked rice and fish ball soup for them.

The rice in the bowl was added with Cantonese sausage and Sichuan bacon made by Su Yujin earlier, plus vegetables, eggs, and various seasonings, and slowly stewed in a casserole. The rice tasted tasty and full of bacon flavor. The rice grains sticking to the bottom of the casserole had been simmered over low heat into a layer of golden rice crust, which tasted fragrant, crispy, and delicious.

The fish ball soup used fresh fish balls, which were chewy and springy, and the soup was delicious, which was really praiseworthy.

Chen Shi and Kang Shi had already been full of praise for Su Yujin’s cooking skills, and now after eating these, they were even more full of praise.

Kang Shi felt more and more that she was extremely lucky to find a partner like Su Yujin.

By the afternoon, the two sides had again agreed on some details of the cooperation and signed the document.

After the matter was finalized, Kang Shi did not stay for long. She just hurried to buy the shop she liked and began to make many preparations before the shop opened.

Chen Shi stayed for a while longer, drank some tea with Su Yujin, and gave Su Yujin some rouge and powder.

“I made these by myself in my spare time. They may not be as good as those sold outside, but they are made of genuine materials and sufficient in quantity. I have tried them for many days and they are very smooth and rosy when applied. They are very easy to use.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Su Yujin accepted them all without hesitation.

“Why are you being polite to me? I take the beauty pills you gave me every day. These days, I feel my skin is much whiter and smoother, and even the spots on my face are much less. It’s really a good thing. I don’t know what to give in return, so I can only give you these little things.”

Chen Shi smiled, “The weather is getting hotter day by day. There is a Linglong Pavilion in this city, which specializes in making ready-made clothes and selling jewelry. This shop is a branch opened here from the capital, so it is usually quite temperamental. It is generally unwilling to accept business from non-familiar customers. Ordinary people cannot buy anything from here.”

“I am a regular customer of Linglong Pavilion. I have also arranged for the embroiderer there to come to my house in a few days to measure clothes. I think the new materials and clothing patterns that have arrived this year are all good. I will make a few spring and summer clothes for Miss Su so that she can change clothes easily.”

Su Yujin came with He Yanxiu. When she came, Chen Shi saw that she did not bring many boxes, so she knew that she must not have brought many changes of clothes, and would need to buy some new ones in the city of Hedong Prefecture.

Since it is something that needs to be used, it would be better for her to give it to Su Yujin, and she should choose good things to give.

“Then I’d rather obey your command.” Su Yujin responded with a smile.

Seeing that Su Yujin was not overly polite or fake, Chen Shi felt that she was a straightforward person and felt closer to her.

Chen Shi, who had originally planned to leave after saying a few words, was somewhat reluctant to leave. She chatted with Su Yujin until the evening, and when she saw that she looked very tired, she said goodbye.

After Su Yujin sent Chen Shi away, she asked Ai Cao to prepare the meal.

Today, the small kitchen made ròumò dòufǔ, mìzhì chénpíjī, hóngmèn xiārén, and mù shu pork. The dessert was hóng táng nuòmǐ ǒu, the staple food was qiáomàihuāmó, and the soup was zhēnzhūyuánzi soup.

The taste was acceptable and Su Yujin was quite satisfied with the meal.

After finishing her meal, Su Yujin drank the medicine to treat the cold and went to bed early because she was tired today.

Ai Cao and Qing Kui also cleaned up the place and took turns on duty.

Currently, only He Yanxiu and Su Yujin live in the backyard of the government office. Now that He Yanxiu was not here and Su Yujin had already gone to bed, it was natural for the others to go to bed early as well.

The backyard fell silent early on, making the night even quieter.

The moon in mid-month was almost full. It rose slowly in the evening, reached its highest point, and then gradually fell.

At exactly 1:00 p.m., a fire lit up in the backyard.

The rustling sound of footsteps came from outside the yard, waking up many servants in the yard.

Qingkui was awakened in this way. After hearing the noise, she got up, opened the window, and looked out. She saw He Yanzheng, who looked tired, walking in a hurry in the cold, walking into the yard.

Then, Qingkui heard a gentle knock on the door.

Qingkui hurriedly got up and put on her coat. After tidying up briefly, she went to open the door and saw Xing’an standing at the door and He Yanxiu not far away.

“Second Master.” Qingkui bowed quickly.

“Is your Miss feeling better from her cold?” He Yanxiu asked.

“Since returning that day, the doctor Xing’an invited came to check her pulse and said that there was nothing serious. He prescribed a medicine to be taken for two days. Miss has started taking the medicine this morning. After taking it for a day, she seems to be getting better.”

Qingkui didn’t see Su Yujin sneezing today, and she looked in good spirits.

“That’s good.” He Yanxiu breathed a sigh of relief.

“Shall I ask Miss to come and see the Second Master?”

(End of this chapter)

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The rice description give comes closest to this recipe so I used it.