The steward, fearing Lan Yan would refuse, repeatedly emphasized, "Miss Lan, a very picky customer has come today. Normally, we have the head chef, but now only a helper is not enough. If you help, I'll pay you extra."
If his kitchen wasn't managed well, the shopkeeper wouldn't let him stay.
Lan Yan smiled, "Steward, we've done business so many times. Of course, I'll help you. Where is the kitchen?" She had come to sell recipes, and this was a perfect opportunity.
The steward immediately relaxed, wiped the sweat from his brow, and walked inside with a slight bow. "Miss Lan, please."
Lan Yan nodded and followed him to a kitchen. Seeing the bustling activity inside, she said, "Please find someone to help me prepare the vegetables to save time."
Since it was a discerning diner, they must have eaten many dishes. She would have to make something more complex.
The steward called a young helper, "Help properly."
Lan Yan, holding her basket, picked a few vegetables and said, "Go and cut these for me." She handed them to the helper, then picked up a large piece of meat and a chicken, cutting them into pieces. The chicken was stewed with mushrooms, and the meat was made into meatballs.
She heated oil, put in the meat, added spices, and finally stir-fried and cooked it, creating the first dish: "Braised Lion's Head."
The steward watched from the side, unable to resist swallowing. "This Miss Lan has some skill." He had expected Lan Yan to have secret marinades and recipes, and perhaps some new dishes.
He hadn't expected her cooking skills to be so strong. The diner would surely be satisfied.
Just then, a waiter from the front hall came to urge them, "Steward, isn't the food ready? The customer is getting angry."
"Ready, ready," the steward quickly handed the dish to the waiter. Both of them stared at the vibrant red meatballs, unwilling to look away.
Lan Yan, glancing sideways, handed the small bowl she had filled to the steward, "Steward, this is what's left from earlier. Have a taste." She needed someone to try her cooking.
The steward wanted to refuse, but it smelled too good. He couldn't resist eating one and exclaimed, "Delicious!" He also shared it with the other helpers, and they all praised it highly.
Lan Yan smiled faintly and continued to stir-fry a few more dishes, making Mapo Tofu and stir-fried seasonal vegetables.
As soon as the dishes were out of the wok, the waiter impatiently arrived and took them to the diner.
The diner had half-white hair and a white beard on his chin. He looked fierce, with sharp eyes. He looked at the dishes on the table, and the aroma made his appetite soar.
He picked up his chopsticks, took a meatball, and abruptly put down his chopsticks, slapping the table. "This flavor is potent." He then tasted the other dishes and, after drinking the chicken soup, let out a satisfied burp. "Call your cook out."
The waiter, seeing the diner in good spirits, went to the kitchen to relay the message.
The steward naturally asked for Lan Yan's opinion.
"That would be fine," Lan Yan said with a smile and followed the waiter to the front hall. She saw the picky diner, a man of grandparent age.
The diner looked at Lan Yan, slightly surprised. "Are you the head chef today?"
Lan Yan stood before the table, looking at the empty plates, and said with a smile, "Yes."
"Not bad," the diner suddenly smiled. "I, this old man, have eaten many delicacies. Your cooking, young girl, is quite good. You're so young, call me Old Hu."
Lan Yan was taken aback. Old Hu looked fierce, but he was quite kind? "Old Hu, my name is Lan Yan."
"Hmm," Old Hu nodded with satisfaction, looking at the dishes on the table. "Girl, make another portion so I can pack it to take home for my family to try."
He took a piece of silver from his pocket. "This is for you."
Lan Yan said, "These dishes don't cost this much. Besides, I only cooked; the rest was provided by the restaurant." Her purpose in cooking these dishes was to sell the recipes.
Old Hu placed the silver on the table. "Take this. The payment for the restaurant is separate." He took out another piece of silver and gave it to the waiter.
"Thank you, Old Hu," Lan Yan accepted and turned to discuss with the steward. "Steward, are you interested in the recipes for these dishes?"
The steward's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Miss Lan, are you going to sell all of these to our restaurant?"
Lan Yan smiled, "Steward, my idea is this. I'm not selling them to you all at once. Instead, for every portion you sell, I will take a percentage."
"This way, we can cooperate long-term. I provide the recipes, you sell the dishes, and we earn money together."
The steward hesitated, simultaneously thinking that if Lan Yan's recipes went to another restaurant, they would lose out. So he said, "I'll go and discuss it with the shopkeeper."
He left for a while and returned with the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper agreed; they couldn't miss such a good opportunity.
Thus, Lan Yan signed an agreement with the shopkeeper. From then on, they would get a twenty percent profit for selling her dishes. She left the recipes for the day's dishes and took the money to the market to buy ingredients, as there were still many people at home to feed.
She walked along the small road back to the village with her basket. As the sky grew darker, howling sounds occasionally came, startling her and making her quicken her pace.
The trees on both sides swayed in the wind, and the fierce gusts blew towards her, making her instinctively clutch her clothes closer. "The wind is too strong at night. When will I get there?"
At this moment, she desperately missed her previous mode of transport; it was much better than walking on her own two legs.
"System, this is where you should be useful. Can you give me a golden finger? I'm freezing to death."
The system's voice sounded, "Host, I have no ability to interfere with the world. You can only rely on yourself."
Lan Yan: "Don't say anymore. If you were reliable, the sun would rise from the west. I was just bored and asking, you don't need to say any more nonsense."
System: "..." It shouldn't have bothered with this host; it should have just gone offline.
"Oh my god, I can barely see the road," Lan Yan shivered and looked at the road ahead, only able to see a blurry shadow. She squinted, thinking of nighttime legends. "I'm not going to run into something I shouldn't see, am I!"
Her heart grew tense, and she heard inexplicable footsteps, making the hairs on her body stand on end. "Oh dear, run quickly."
Hearing this, the system also felt helpless. "Host, don't scare yourself. I've scanned, and this place..."
"Your voice is even more terrifying." Lan Yan heard only fragmented sounds and bolted, her ankle suddenly hurting, but she paid it no mind.
She crashed into something ahead, as if blocked by a wall. She raised her head and vaguely saw a man with a cold expression before her, realizing she had run into someone's chest.
"Jun Yelan, is that you?"