"Brother, Xiao Qi, what do you two think?" Lian Manman then asked Wu Lang and Xiao Qi.
"I think we can sell it," Wu Lang said.
"Eighty taels of silver, I can’t even lift that much," Xiao Qi also nodded, his eyes already gleaming with silver ingots.
"Alright, then let’s sell it," Lian Manman said, nodding her head after seeing that everyone agreed to sell.
"Then let’s go back now," Lian Shouxin said, fearing that Woo Zhonglian might have second thoughts.
"Father, wait a mont, there’s still sothing we need to discuss first..." Lian Manman hurriedly said.
The Lian family mbers spent the ti it takes to sip a cup of tea before returning to the private room. Woo Zhonglian sat there, and upon seeing the expressions on their faces, knew the deal was done.
"Elder Woo, we’ve discussed it, and we’re going to sell the recipe," Lian Manman said straightforwardly.
"Good, good," Woo Zhonglian said twice in succession, inviting Lian Shouxin and the others to sit down. He then ordered the waiter to bring fresh hot tea and replaced it with two hot delicacies. "The recipe..."
"Is Elder Woo’s silver ready?" Lian Manman asked with a smile.
Woo Zhonglian laughed heartily before instructing Shopkeeper Wu to retrieve the silver. Shortly, Shopkeeper Wu entered with a large tray, on which were neatly placed four sealed packs of silver.
"Miss, we have an agreent; once you sell this recipe to , you cannot give it to anyone else," Woo Zhonglian said.
"We understand, you can rest assured, Elder Woo," Lian Shouxin said.
"That’s good," Woo Zhonglian had Shopkeeper Wu place the silver in front of Lian Manman and the others.
"Elder Woo, since we have sold this recipe to you, we won’t share it with anyone else. However, if we make so for ourselves at ho, that should be alright, right?" Lian Manman asked with a smile.
"That’s not a problem," Woo Zhonglian said with a smile, "But from now on, this recipe bears the Woo na, not the Lian’s. The sa item takes on a different value in different people’s hands. For example, this recipe wouldn’t have been worth eighty taels of silver if the seller were not Lian Manman, but an unsophisticated peasant girl. Once the recipe is in my hands, as long as Lian Manman doesn’t share it with other big businesses for mass production, I practically will not have any competition worth worrying about."
"That’s good to hear. Please bring paper and pen, Elder Woo, and I will give you the recipe right now," Lian Manman said.
Shopkeeper Wu personally brought over the writing materials, setting them neatly on another table. Lian Manman walked over, picked up the brush, then hesitated.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t use a brush to write. In her previous life, she had learned to write large characters, but she lacked patience, and her handwriting was not good. Moreover, she might guess the general aning of so traditional characters, but she found it too difficult to actually write them.
Here, she was illiterate, or, to put it politely, semi-literate. This realization struck Lian Manman hard.
Having no choice, Lian Manman turned to the three mbers of her family for help.
Lian Shouxin rubbed his hands together. He had studied for a couple of years, recognized a few characters, but never really had the opportunity to learn writing seriously. As for Wu Lang and Xiao Qi, they had only learned to recite the Three Character Classic and a few simple poems like "Sympathy for the Peasants" with Old Master Lian, but they never had the chance to learn reading and writing from a tutor. That said, even this level of literacy was quite acceptable in rural households. After all, education required significant expenses. Not to ntion mastering the Four Books and Five Classics, just learning to write would an purchasing copybooks, brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, which would be substantial costs for rural households. Furthermore, without guidance from a learned teacher, self-study would hardly lead to any progress.
Seeing the awkward expression on Lian Shouxin’s face, Wu Lang looking dejected, and Xiao Qi blinking at her with big eyes, Manman’s heart couldn’t help but feel sorrowful.
Observing their reactions, Woo Zhonglian understood that none of the Lian family mbers could write and stood up, walking over to them.
"Miss, you dictate and I will write," Woo Zhonglian offered.
"That will do," Lian Manman said, as she had no other choice.
Shopkeeper Wu, along with the other waiters in the room, quickly stepped out, and Lian Manman quietly relayed the recipe for garlic-flavored peanuts to Woo Zhonglian, who took notes on paper.
After taking a glance at the recorded recipe, Woo Zhonglian nodded in approval, admiring the ingenious combination of ingredients, and silently praised Lian Manman’s ticulous nature. Two of the spices were both food and dicine, which Lian Manman had never been known to buy from the spice shops. It was no wonder, he thought, that despite their diligent investigation, they could not replicate the Lian Family’s garlic-flavored peanuts.
Even though parting with eighty taels of silver was a bit painful, purchasing this recipe was worth it.
Woo Zhonglian folded the paper with the recorded recipe and tucked it into his sleeve.
"Elder Woo, the recipe is settled like this. Allow to go over the production process in detail with you," Lian Manman said.
"Certainly," Woo Zhonglian nodded, ready to ask so additional questions even if Lian Manman did not explain further.
Everyone took their seats at the table once again.
"To get the peanuts to absorb the flavor faster, you can slightly snip each peanut... soaking them in warm water makes them absorb flavors easier...," Lian Manman did not hold back any secrets, sharing so tricks of making garlic-flavored peanuts with Woo Zhonglian, "...if the weather is good, sun-drying is best. If not, you have to dry them with heat. For instance, of the peanuts we brought today, fifty catties were dried using a heated brick bed. Elder Woo, as you are in the business of roasted goods, drying should not pose a challenge for you."
Woo Zhonglian listened attentively, nodding along, realizing that everything Lian Manman was offering was very helpful. He could tell that she was offering her full knowledge without deceit or concealnt.
After Lian Manman finished explaining, Woo Zhonglian asked a couple of further questions, which she answered earnestly. Pleased with the conversation, Woo Zhonglian called for Shopkeeper Wu to prepare a feast to entertain Lian Manman and her companions.
"No hurry with that," Lian Manman said. "Elder Woo, there is another matter for which I would like to seek your assistance." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to vote for it with recomndation tickets and monthly votes on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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