Chef Hua
Chapter 329: Episode 188: The Art of Peddling (Part 2)_2

Chapter 329: Episode 188: The Art of Peddling (Part 2)_2

Several women looked at each other, and one of them, sharp-tongued and arching her eyebrows, said, "The owner of your Sauce Garden is that young Hua Xiaomai, isn’t she? I’m well aware of her cooking skills. Did she cook these dishes? Tch, no matter what sauces are used, even if it’s the cheapest stuff, I’m afraid she could still make a delicious dish rich in color, fragrance, and taste. Even if we find the flavor to be good, how can that prove your sauce is exceptional?"

Sun Great Saint chuckled and then said earnestly, "Sister, you humble yourself too much. Little Hua Xiaomai indeed has fine cooking skills, but the young women and wives of Fire Knife Village are no worse than her! If you ask me, you just didn’t want to run a food business. If you opened an eatery, I guarantee within a month or two, you would take away half of her business!"

As pleasing as his words sounded, the women knew he was just being clever to sell his own sauces, yet they were flattered and responded with smiles. Without much further ado, they picked some tofu with Chinese toon from their plates and put it in their mouths.

"Hmm, the taste is indeed good, richly fragrant, and after swallowing, there’s an aftertaste that lingers pleasantly in the mouth. After trying this, the clear, bland stuff sold in grocery stores can’t really be considered ’sauce’ at all." Another woman swallowed a mouthful of the toon-flavored tofu, nodded repeatedly, and then looked at Sun Great Saint with a hint of inquiry, "Such fine goods must be expensive, right? Spending so much on sauces that just end up in the stomach, it’s not worth it, not worth it."

"You’re not quite right there, sister. If the food at home is well made, your husband and parents-in-law will naturally enjoy their meals. When food is satisfying, the heart feels happier, activities are done with more energy, and perhaps you’ll even find fewer reasons to argue! Spending a bit more to save you a great deal of effort seems like a bargain to me!" Sun Great Saint, as though he had been prepared, smoothly delivered another stream of flattering words.

The woman couldn’t help but laugh uncontrollably, giving him a piercing look, "So you’re saying that just a bit of your sauce can make such a difference? Today, I’ve really seen something new! You’ve given us such a good spiel, spending so much effort here, if we don’t buy some, wouldn’t we feel like we’re shortchanging you?"

Sun Great Saint laughed heartily, "Today you don’t need to spend a dime, sisters! The first batch of sauces from Zhenwei Garden comes with many sample sizes, especially prepared for neighbors to take home and try. If you like it, you won’t be too late to come back and buy more! As for the price, it might indeed be a bit higher than others’, but we don’t skimp on ingredients, so our sauce is particularly rich. You just need a little dab of it, and it’s enough for a large bowl of dish – if you really calculate it, you’ll actually save money!"

With that, he picked up the small bottles and little sauce jars on the table and passed them on to the women.

Women living day to day are all about getting the most for their money. Seeing that they could get the sauce for free, their pleasure grew. One remarked, "Oh, it’s free? Then I won’t be shy about taking it," while another said, "The auntie living next door was just saying yesterday that she ran out of vinegar. I should take a couple of bottles for her too." After some persuasion, and taking a couple more jars, they left quite satisfied.

Meanwhile, throughout the village, wherever the Zhenwei Garden stalls were set up, the situation was similar. In no more than two days, a total of four hundred bottles and jars had been distributed, leaving nearly every household in the village with these free sauces. The talk of the day was abuzz, and since the containers were so exquisitely made, many people used them as gifts for relatives and friends when visiting neighboring villages.

This grand gesture was completed to everyone’s satisfaction, and the workers gradually returned to Sauce Garden. Lei An and his wife hadn’t rested these past few days either. Finally having a moment, he said to Hua Xiaomai, "With such fine sauce given away for free, everyone in the village naturally clamors for it, fearing they might miss out. But who knows whether, after using up the sauce, they’ll come back with their copper coins to buy some?"

He glanced towards the direction of the large storage house and couldn’t help but sigh, "These past few days, the amount of sauce we’ve given away for free isn’t small. My heart just can’t settle down..."

Hua Xiaomai knew he was genuinely concerned and couldn’t help but comfort him, "Don’t take it to heart. We opened Sauce Garden to make money, and it’s beneficial in the long term to invest a little more at the start. Besides, the batch of sauces that Uncle Pingan transported to Provincial City already has buyers, so with income in hand, why worry so much? People’s tastes are the pickiest and most fickle. Our sauce is better than what others sell; that’s an undeniable fact. As long as they have a bit of spare change and aren’t tight on budget, after trying something better, who would want to revert to cheaper alternatives?"

As she spoke, she chuckled, "Moreover, Zhenwei Garden has just opened. If we give our neighbors more of this fine sauce, won’t it show our generosity? Just you watch, in a few days, people will definitely come knocking to buy!"

Her certainty provided Lei An with some relief. He thought for a moment and added, "Such small transactions won’t make much, the real money is in the County’s restaurants and eateries. Do you have a plan on how to sell to them?"

"Hmm, I’m planning to handle that tomorrow," Hua Xiaomai nodded, "Later, have Xiao Haozi and the others prepare the one hundred small bottles and jars I asked for and send two people with me. I’ll be gone for the entire day tomorrow, so please, Lei An, you and sister-in-law, take care of everything big and small here. If anything tricky comes up, discuss it with Brother Great Saint—oh, right!"

Recalling an urgent matter, she looked solemnly into Lei An’s eyes, "Do you remember the man who came last time wanting to buy sauce on credit? I suspect if he’s still intent on that, he’ll probably come in the next couple of days. Send him away for me, and be sure not to agree to any of his requests, got it?"

(To be Continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)