CH 10

A big boss came to the house.

The news from Doctor Liu’s side came faster than expected. Just as Cheng Yun made the spicy duck neck, their door was knocked on.

The person who came was Doctor Liu’s son, Liu Wen. When Cheng Yungang saw him come in, he felt somewhat flattered.

After finding Doctor Liu, he flipped through his original memories and briefly learned about the father and son of the Liu family.

Doctor Liu only had one son, Liu Wen. He came to their village when he was about two or three years old. When he arrived, there were only the two of them, father and son. Some people said that Liu Wen’s mother died in childbirth, some said that Doctor Liu’s previous location suffered from famine, and Liu Wen’s mother died shortly after giving birth due to starvation. Others said she ran away with another man. There were all kinds of rumors, but there was no official version.

But Doctor Liu was kind to others, and in this era, literate and educated people were highly respected by rural people. After a long time, everyone had no interest in pursuing what happened to Liu Wen’s mother.

Liu Wen was also promising. There was no hereditary land in their village. Doctor Liu earned money by practicing medicine. When Liu Wen was only ten years old, he went to work in town with two coins in his pocket. After several years of hard work, he saved enough money and opened a restaurant in town.

After Liu Wen earned money, he wanted to open a clinic in town and bring Doctor Liu to live with him. But Doctor Liu had lived in the village for a long time and was accustomed to the environment. Besides, there were other clinics in town, and he was the only doctor in the village. Liu Wen tried to persuade him, but in the end, he couldn’t convince Doctor Liu.

Every morning, Liu Wen would send someone from town to bring some vegetables and fruits to Doctor Liu. Therefore, after Cheng Yun found Doctor Liu, the next morning, Doctor Liu had the person who delivered the vegetables bring a message back to Liu Wen.

Doctor Liu exaggeratedly said that he had never eaten such delicious duck meat and asked Liu Wen to come and try it. The person who delivered the vegetables was also clever and told Liu Wen about it. Liu Wen couldn’t sit still for half a morning and immediately set off to the village.

Cheng Yungang didn’t expect Liu Wen to come so soon. He had already processed the remaining duck neck and internal organs in the morning and checked the few crops in the backyard.

He took out the chopsticks he marked last night and compared them. It had only been one night, but the crops had grown more than half a finger, seemingly growing faster than ordinary plants due to the effect of the speech spirit.

He used the water he washed the rice with to water the plants and followed Aunt Wang’s method of mixing some feed for the chickens and ducks to eat. After taking care of everything in the backyard, he returned to the kitchen to deal with the remaining duck neck and internal organs from yesterday.

Yesterday, he went to town and found that many people in this era still liked to eat spicy food. The stalls selling pancakes on the street would put chili powder on them, and many people would dip them in it before eating.

But he wasn’t sure how spicy everyone could handle, so when he started making duck necks, he thought he would avoid such a strong flavor at first. If it was successful, he could decide later whether to add or reduce the amount based on everyone’s preferences.

After boiling the duck necks in water and removing the foam, Cheng Yun heated up another pot with oil and chili. Then he sautéed a pile of selected spices from yesterday with ginger and scallions until the whole kitchen was filled with a strong aroma of chili, which made him cough a few times.

After sautéing the spices for a while, he added some water, poured in soy sauce, sugar, and other seasonings, and boiled them over high heat. Then he added the chopped duck necks and boiled them together.

He tried to control the size of the flame himself. He tried burying ashes yesterday, but that trick probably didn’t work. He recalled the actions of the fool who seemed to have done nothing but pressed down the fire, and the fire became smaller.

With some uncertainty in his mind, Cheng Yun still gave it a try. He found that this simple action indeed made the fire a little smaller.

After discovering this trick, Cheng Yun felt proud for a while. He saw that it was almost noon and began preparing lunch. They had eaten well last night, so he planned to make only porridge for lunch, which could go well with the duck necks and create a unique flavor.

He took a corn cob and cooked it with rice to make porridge, using enough rice for two people but ending up with enough porridge for three. He planned to let Yang Hong eat the extra portion after his nap.

Looking at the leftover vinegar and chili on the table, Cheng Yun washed a cucumber and made a simple smashed cucumber dish to go with the porridge.

When Liu Wen arrived, it was mealtime. He came earlier than Yang Hong, so Cheng Yun was startled for a moment when he saw him. He quickly welcomed him into the house and poured him a glass of water.

Liu Wen was in a hurry and didn’t pay much attention to etiquette. He gulped down the water in one go.

As Cheng Yun poured water for him, he scrutinized Liu Wen. He looked to be around 25 or 26 years old, and like all people who run restaurants, he wasn’t very tall. He was probably even shorter than Yang Hong, but he was quite fat, with a plump face that looked well-fed. Cheng Yun estimated that he weighed more than 180 pounds. Sitting with his big belly, the already small room looked even smaller.

There was still a spicy and numbing smell in the room from cooking duck necks, along with a hint of fresh vinegar. It was already mealtime, and after rushing here for half a morning, Liu Wen was already starving. As soon as he caught a whiff of the aroma, his mouth started watering.

He took a deep breath and licked his lips before getting straight to the point, “I won’t beat around the bush. My father told me that you make an especially delicious duck dish and I’d like to discuss a deal with you.”

He glanced towards the kitchen, and it was likely that the aroma was coming from the duck meat his father had mentioned.

Seeing the look of hunger on Liu Wen’s face, Cheng Yun found it somewhat amusing. He thought he had found the right person this time and tried to contain his smile before nodding seriously, “Mr. Liu…”

Before Cheng Yun could finish his sentence, Liu Wen waved his hand and said, “No need to be so formal. Just call me Liu Wen.”

Cheng Yun didn’t object and continued, “I do want to discuss a business deal with you. This duck dish I’ve created is called ‘Five-Cup Duck’. The recipe isn’t difficult, and it’s just a matter of trying it out a few times. Even if you can’t replicate the taste exactly, you can get close enough.”

Liu Wen raised an eyebrow and rubbed his chin, looking more interested than ever. “Since you know that, aren’t you worried that I’ll take your recipe and run off without paying?”

“If Mr. Liu could build such a successful restaurant with his own two hands, I don’t think he would do something like that. The most important thing in business is ‘integrity’,” Cheng Yun praised him with a smile before continuing, “Moreover, the fact that you brought that up proves that you don’t have such thoughts. And I believe in Mr. Liu’s character, since you are his son, I naturally trust you too.”

Liu Wen found Cheng Yun quite interesting. He had only come to try out the duck dish after hearing how his father had praised it to the heavens, but now he was curious about this young man. Having traveled to the city for a better understanding of the culinary world, he had tasted countless dishes, and there were few that he would praise as exceptionally delicious.

It wasn’t that he looked down on people from the countryside, but his horizons had broadened after years of traveling. There were so many new and delicious things in the outside world, but those who had spent their whole lives on the land couldn’t come up with anything innovative no matter how hard they tried. Liu Wen came here out of curiosity, and also to give his father face; he didn’t want to disappoint the old man’s enthusiasm.

If this dish really tastes that good, it would be worth spending some money to buy the recipe. The recipe for a single dish doesn’t cost much, maybe ten or twenty taels at most. If it turns out to be nothing special after trying it, then giving a few hundred wen as a courtesy wouldn’t hurt.

However, after chatting with Cheng Yun for a few moments, Liu Wen’s thoughts began to change.

When doing business, encountering someone clever can make conversation flow more smoothly. Cheng Yun happened to be one of those clever people.

Cheng Yun spoke eloquently, complimenting Liu Wen just enough to not come off as insincere or annoying. Most importantly, his confidence was evident, making Liu Wen look up to him.

Liu Wen no longer spoke with him as a customer would, and instead put on a business-like demeanor. “I’ve heard plenty of kind words before and am tired of them. Let’s talk business. If you want me to pay, you have to show me it’s worth it.”

Cheng Yun smiled, but didn’t immediately reveal his ace in the hole. Since it was lunchtime, he invited Liu Wen to stay for a simple meal.

Liu Wen was eager to do so, as his stomach growled in anticipation, rubbing his hands together as he watched Cheng Yun go to the kitchen.

However, when Cheng Yun brought out a large pot of porridge, Liu Wen’s expectations plummeted.

Who invites a big shot to dinner and serves them porridge?!

Rural people are just rural people, lacking in knowledge and insight, it’s really a mistake to misjudge.”