CH 16

“Don’t let my wife go.”

Cheng Yun’s request was simple. He only provided the recipes for the dishes and gave them a concept, leaving the specific preparation to the chefs at Yueqiong Tower. For every recipe he sold, Liu Wen would pay him a corresponding fee.

Originally, he had considered a profit-sharing approach, but he was confident that the dishes he provided would sell well. However, this would take too long to make money, and they were in dire need of funds. Waiting for the chefs at Yueqiong Tower to develop new dishes and then promoting them would take one or two months altogether.

Moreover, he had only tasted many dishes, and had not personally made them. Thus, he could only sell his ideas, and Liu Wen believed that these ideas were worth a certain amount of money that he could pay upfront. This way, Cheng Yun would not have to worry about whether the dishes would sell well or not, and his psychological pressure would not be as great.

After so much buildup, Liu Wen had thought that Cheng Yun was going to ask for a large sum of money. He had even prepared to pay upfront and then split the profits later. However, he didn’t expect Cheng Yun’s idea to be exactly what he had anticipated. Liu Wen immediately agreed to the proposal.

Liu Wen had estimated the value in his mind. He had tasted several dishes at Cheng Yun’s home, and today he had seen Cheng Yun’s skills firsthand. With a little calculation, they quickly settled on a standard.

“For every hot dish you make, I’ll pay you twenty yuan, and for every cold dish, ten yuan. Let’s start with this standard for now, and then we’ll see whether we need to add or subtract based on market feedback later.”

Liu Wen’s plan was ringing in his head like a bell. Cheng Yun’s soy sauce chicken, ginger onion chicken, and new sweet and sour fish, as well as the duck neck they had eaten yesterday, were all dishes he had never seen before. Plus, with the reputation of Yueqiong Tower, they could easily double their profits in a month. These dishes could also continue to sell well in the future. Their sweet and sour fish had been popular for several years, and he believed these dishes would be even more popular.

At first, he thought that ten yuan for a hot dish would be enough, but now he was offering double that amount in order to keep Cheng Yun. This price was sincere, and it surprised Cheng Yun. They didn’t haggle too much and quickly made a decision.

Liu Wen bought all the recipes for the duck neck and cucumber salad Cheng Yun made yesterday, the Five-Cup Duck dish that Dr. Liu had mentioned before, and the two dishes he proposed today. To show his sincerity, he gave Cheng Yun a hundred yuan and even compensated him for the abuse he had received from the innkeeper.

Cheng Yun’s pockets were suddenly filled with money. One hundred yuan may not have been much for someone doing business, but many people in the village could never hope to see that much money in their lifetime. In return for Liu Wen’s generosity, Cheng Yun also gave him the recipe for Garlic Pork Belly. Liu Wen was pleasantly surprised by this unexpected gift, and his spirits were lifted.

“Come, come, let’s use tea instead of wine, and Brother Liu will toast you.” Liu Wen was so happy that his face was flushed. He patted Cheng Yun’s shoulder and said, “If the business of Yueqiong Building grows bigger in the future, we will open branches in other towns and even in the capital. You will also have to get a share of the credit, Cheng-Ge’er!”

These ideas were originally just Liu Wen’s wishes, but now that Cheng Yun was here, everything seemed more feasible. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, wishing to push out all the dishes onto the market all at once.

Cheng Yun could see his thoughts and couldn’t help but remind him, “Brother Liu, we still need to perfect the recipes with the head chef of Yueqiong Building before gradually introducing them to the market. It’s hot lately, and two cold dishes and sweet and sour fish are perfect for relieving the heat at this time of year. After the weather cools down, we can introduce the hot dishes one after another.”

“Yes, you’re right.” Liu Wen had been too excited earlier, but after Cheng Yun reminded him, he realized that dishes like spicy duck neck were delicious, but eating too much could cause the body to overheat, so it was better to eat them during colder weather.

Cheng Yun didn’t just take the money and do nothing. After everything was settled, he went to the cashier to collect the money. The sum of one hundred yuan was too large, so he only took half. He would come back for the rest in the next few days; he wasn’t in a rush to take it all at once.

Then he was urged by Liu Wen to meet with the head chef of Yueqiong Building. With Liu Wen as the boss, and someone explaining the previous shopkeeper’s issues, no one dared to look down on Cheng Yun. After the head chef listened to Cheng Yun’s words, he was even more impressed with him and had a feeling of recognizing a hero.

After a whole day of work, Cheng Yun was exhausted. It wasn’t until the sky turned yellow, the sun was about to set, and Yueqiong Building began preparing for dinner that Cheng Yun’s work came to an end.

He wasn’t in a hurry to go home. He took Yang Hongjin to the tailor shop in town and directly ordered four sets of new clothes, two for himself and two for Yang Hongjin. Watching the idiot being measured awkwardly, with a face full of refusal and panic, Cheng Yun wanted to go up and pinch his face.

After that, he bought some spices and ingredients in town. This was his way of making a living, and he had to work hard on it in the future.

By the time he returned home, it was completely dark outside. Cheng Yun carried his belongings with one hand and held Yang Hongjin’s hand with the other, trying to soothe him after he had been uneasy all day.

“Wife, where are we going now?”

“Nowhere, we’re going home.”

“Can we go home now?” Yang Hongjin’s voice was cheerful. He grabbed Cheng Yun’s hand and shook it a few times, almost carving the words “happy” on his forehead.

Cheng Yun smiled and said, “Yes, don’t you like going home, Hongjin?”

“I like it!” Yang Hongjin’s voice was loud. “I like going home the most!”

“Then, can you be obedient and stay at home tomorrow?” Cheng Yun thought about it. In the next few days, he will have to go to Yueqiong Tower and talk to the chef there about the dishes. “I will try to come back at noon to cook for you. Be obedient-“

Before Cheng Yun finished speaking, Yang Hongjin tugged at his hand, causing him to stagger. He then heard Yang Hongjin say nervously, “No!”

Cheng Yun was taken aback and then heard Yang Hongjin say, “Don’t let my wife go, I want to go together!”

Cheng Yun reluctantly realized that it was a difficult task to leave this idiot alone at home. Although they now had money in their pockets and Yang Hongjin no longer had to work hard on the ground, Cheng Yun wanted to resolve the matter at Yueqiong Tower as soon as possible. He might be too busy to take care of Yang Hongjin. Today, this fool was frightened outside. Although it was resolved without incident, he did not dare to speak behind Cheng Yun the whole time. Cheng Yun saw all of this and did not want him to suffer for no reason.

He hoped that Yang Hongjin could live a happy life and regain his intelligence one day. Although Cheng Yun was a Ge’er now, he always regarded himself as a man and did not think he had to rely on his husband.

However, in recent days, this idiot had become increasingly dependent on him. This made Cheng Yun both happy and helpless. He could not bear to refuse him, but when he was thinking, Yang Hongjin seemed afraid that he would not agree and used his hands and feet to directly hug him. He was so strong that Cheng Yun could hardly breathe, and he repeated, “Don’t let my wife go!”

Cheng Yun patted him a few times to make him let go, but this idiot seemed to be fighting with him. Cheng Yun had no choice but to agree to go out with him tomorrow.

Yang Hongjin was overjoyed when he got the confirmation and laughed as he went to hold Cheng Yun’s hand, still shouting that he wanted to be with his wife.

Cheng Yun saw that he was happy and thought to himself that it didn’t matter. It was also reassuring that he could keep an eye on him by his side.