freenovelworld Chapter 99, 1 jin of text
Chapter 99, 1 jin of text
After stirring it well, Manager Wang took a bite. "Mmm," he thought, "paired with the pink pickled radish, it's sour, spicy, refreshing, and helps cut through the greasiness. The weather is perfect for this. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a bowl of this on a sweltering summer day?"
Manager Wang could immediately imagine how exciting the scene would be once this item was brought out.
While Manager Wang was enjoying the cold mung bean jelly, Song Jiaojiao stir-fried a bowl of hot mung bean jelly with pickled radish.
"Manager Wang, try this stir-fried mung bean jelly again." Song Jiaojiao placed the stir-fried mung bean jelly in front of Manager Wang.
The fried mung bean jelly, topped with a layer of golden-brown crispy rice crust, is complemented by the pink of pickled radish, and garnished with scallions and red chili peppers. It looks incredibly appetizing.
Shopkeeper Wang picked up a piece of the jelly with his chopsticks. The outer shell of the jelly was crispy and crunchy, while the inside was soft. The radish added a sour and fragrant flavor. "Chef Wang, give me a bowl of rice."
The food instantly whetted the appetite of Manager Wang, who had just had no appetite and hadn't even eaten breakfast. He devoured the cold mung bean salad and stir-fried mung bean salad with rice, leaving none for anyone else.
With a satisfied burp, Manager Wang bowed apologetically to Song Jiaojiao, "Please forgive my rudeness, Madam Song. The weather has been sweltering these past few days, and with the decrease in customers, it's been quite a worry for me. Don't laugh at me, Madam Song, but I haven't had a proper meal in days. And so, without thinking, I..."
"I understand, I understand. What does Manager Wang think of this jelly?" Song Jiaojiao asked, her tone questioning, but her face showed confidence.
"Excellent, this is wonderful!" Manager Wang said with a hearty laugh. "How much does Madam Song plan to sell this recipe for?"
"Jiangfen (cold mung bean jelly) is relatively simple and not difficult. We'll talk about the recipe for liangfen later. Let's talk about the mung bean powder first." Song Jiaojiao thought that anyone with talent could figure out the recipe in a few days, but the difficult part was making the mung bean powder.
"This is the powder; it's what makes jelly," Song Jiaojiao said, pointing to the mung bean powder she took out of the basket.
Shopkeeper Wang saw the white powder in front of him, which looked like sweet potato starch, but was finer. He saw that the finished jelly had a grayish-green tinge and thought the powder was green.
"This powder looks a bit like sweet potato starch,"
"Yes, they are similar. The production processes of starches are all pretty much the same, and the finished products are all very similar. The only difference is that some are coarse and some are fine. If you really can't tell the difference, it's best to find something to mark it." Song Jiaojiao said, adding that there was also potato starch later.
"So, how does Madam Song plan to sell mung bean flour?" Manager Wang knew that whether or not all her efforts would be successful depended on the quality of the flour itself.
Song Jiaojiao silently did the math in her mind. She bought mung beans for five coins a pound, and ten pounds yielded a little over two pounds. The cost per pound was about twenty coins. The beans were not easy to grind, and she could only grind a hundred pounds at most a day. It seemed that the price could not be lower than that of sweet potato flour.
"Manager Wang, the process of making mung bean flour is more difficult and the cost is higher, so it costs 200 coins per catty."
Shopkeeper Wang had thought that mung bean flour wouldn't be cheap, and he figured it would be the same price as sweet potato flour at most, but he never expected it to be the same price as sweet potato vermicelli.
Before Manager Wang could speak, Song Jiaojiao spoke again, "You know that not many people grow mung beans. Before the next harvest, I can only deliver less than 300 catties at most. If you come to pick them up every day, the first batch will take about seven days. As you can see, the weather has been bad these past two days, and I don't know when the rain will stop."
Manager Wang, who had been about to negotiate the price, suddenly lost all interest. Less than 300 jin (150 kg) of this jelly was a huge loss. Sifanglou had about 50 stores nationwide, and this store probably couldn't even get 10 jin (5 kg) of it. Judging from the taste today, this jelly was sure to be a hit. It wouldn't do if it sold out in just a few days.
"Less than three hundred catties? That's too little. Madam Song, the price will be as you said, but you need to get more of this stuff!" Manager Wang said anxiously, the thought of a large sum of money floating in front of him made him anxious.
Song Jiaojiao sighed and spread her hands helplessly, saying, "There's nothing I can do about it. Without raw materials, I'm at a loss."
Manager Wang was also anxious. He suddenly realized that just because they didn't have it here didn't mean they couldn't find it elsewhere. The Wang family had its own escort agency, which could easily purchase it from other places. After all, they traveled all over the country. It seemed that this kind of matter needed to be decided by the owner.
“I’ve got it. Madam Song knows that Sifanglou and Sifang Escort Agency are owned by the same person. So, I’ll write a letter to the owner later to explain the situation and see if we can get the escort agency to buy mung beans.”
"If that's possible, that would be the best. We can also buy sweet potatoes while we're at it. I'm offering two coins for three catties of sweet potatoes and five coins for a catty of mung beans. I'll take them all if it's feasible." Song Jiaojiao thought that if Sifang Escort Agency could help, then there would be no need to worry about the raw materials. As long as these two crops are stored properly, they can be purchased from all over the country. So there's no need to worry about the raw materials. The real concern is whether the local workshops are big enough.
"Alright, I'll write to the boss in a bit, and I'll send someone to let you know as soon as I get any news. Now, can we talk about how mung bean flour is turned into jelly?" Manager Wang thought that the outcome of this matter would only be known later, and the main thing was how jelly was made at the moment.
"It's simple. The ratio of mung bean flour to water is 5:1, which means one pound of mung bean flour to five pounds of water. After the water boils, pour in the prepared starch water while stirring. Stir until it becomes a thick paste like this. Then you can scoop it into a large, dry, and oil-free bowl and wait for it to cool and solidify. If you're really short on time, you can put the bowl of jelly on cold water to shorten the cooling time."
Song Jiaojiao had just asked the kitchen staff to boil water, and now she could teach them the steps.
"The jelly made with a 5:1 ratio is firmer and can be stir-fried. Alternatively, you can add two more bowls of water to make it more tender and smoother when used in cold dishes."
Song Jiaojiao thought that the different proportions would result in different products, so she told Manager Wang everything. However, the final decision on how to make it was up to him.
"Very well, I've noted down this recipe. I wonder how much silver Madam Song is willing to pay for it?"
"Alright, this recipe is simple, so I won't charge you. It would be best if you could get the raw materials. Here's half a pound of powder, you can have it for free." Song Jiaojiao thought about how much help Sifanglou had given her, and even Wang Hefan was still studying at Sifang Escort Agency. If things went well, he would probably be able to come home more often in the future.
"Don't worry, Madam Song, I will definitely explain things clearly to the boss. Just wait for my good news, Madam Song," Manager Wang assured, patting his chest. He figured the boss wouldn't refuse such a win-win situation; otherwise, he would have to consider finding a new employer.
Upon hearing what Manager Wang said, Song Jiaojiao didn't say anything. After signing the agreement with Sifanglou, she took Meng An straight to the general store to see if they could get some mung beans.
There are really not many people growing these mung beans. I went to all the general stores in town and only managed to collect less than 200 catties. However, the price was lower, only 4 wen per catty, which was cheaper than what Song Jiaojiao bought.