Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

After receiving Li Jiuzhou's affirmative answer, Jia Zhangshi went home without stopping.

Many neighbors noticed her excitement and assumed that Jia Zhangshi had gotten some benefit from Li Jiuzhou.

After returning home and closing the door, Jia Zhangshi eagerly pulled her son and daughter-in-law to sit down, and then repeated Li Jiuzhou's words.

After listening to Jia Zhangshi's story, smiles gradually appeared on Jia Dongxu and Tong Jie's faces.

After all, for a family, having an extra source of income is a huge deal!

You must be very careful before making a choice!

Jia Dongxu personally invited Yi Zhonghai to his home to discuss this matter.

"Master, this is the matter. Do you think my family can do it?" Jia Dongxu was now trying to get his master's opinion.

Yi Zhonghai was smoking, his brows furrowed, deep in thought. After a long while, he slowly said:

"Dongxu, making more money is a good thing. Yes, Old Zhang's family is making money selling tofu."

"But tofu sells well, and you don't get tired of eating it every few days."

"But I'm not confident about selling this Sachima."

"I've never seen anyone selling Sachima (a type of Chinese pastry) from door to door!"

"Besides, this stuff is really expensive. Are you sure anyone will buy it once it's made?"

Yi Zhonghai's words made the Jia family of three feel uneasy, and their initial enthusiasm dissipated considerably.

But anyone could see the resentment in their eyes.

Yi Zhonghai naturally realized that it was better to guide than to suppress such matters; they would know whether it would work or not after trying it out.

Anyway, he doesn't have to spend a penny, and it's not difficult to come up with an idea. Even if they lose money later, the blame won't be placed on Yi Zhonghai.

"Well then, if it doesn't work, we'll give it a try. It won't cost much anyway."

"Didn't Jiuzhou say that the tuition fee is 30, and the rest is for materials?"

"All things considered, the maximum is 50."

Yi Zhonghai made the final decision!

Of course, Yi Zhonghai also said that Jia Dongxu should not be involved, and that Jia Zhangshi and her mother-in-law should handle it.

After all, Jia Dongxu still had to go to work at the factory. He needed to protect his savings; he couldn't afford to lose sight of the bigger picture.

That very night, after agreeing to the terms, the three members of the Jia family went straight to Li Jiuzhou's house, pleaded with him, and left him 30 yuan.

There were no written agreements or anything like that; it was all based on a verbal deal!

Of course, the main reason is that I believe in Li Jiuzhou's character.

People don't even care about that 30 yuan. They only make Sachima at the end of the year to buy some New Year's goods and sweeten their mouths.

Otherwise, with Li Jiuzhou's abilities, he could have easily gone to a dessert shop to buy it.

I didn't buy it because I wanted to relax and have some fun.

In short, this is definitely an opportunity for the Jia family!

After discussing it, Li Jiuzhou decided to start making it the day after tomorrow, because he also needed to prepare some things.

Because Li Jiuzhou chose a down-to-earth approach, he used only the cheapest ingredients.

It may be cheap, but it's still edible.

Sachima is a high-end dessert of the Manchu people.

Have you watched "Yongzheng Dynasty"?

Emperor Kangxi once said that the Sachima presented as tribute by Guishunzhai in Tianjin was made with real dog milk and honey, and its taste was exceptional. It was also very expensive!

(Dog milk is wild goji berries)

Sachima at dessert shops in Beijing is very expensive now, especially the ones with cream. People who eat this stuff are mostly old-fashioned folks.

Ordinary people have certainly heard of the famous Sachima, but who would actually eat it...?

Li Jiuzhou purchased some soybean oil, flour, and eggs.

The day after tomorrow morning, there will be four people in Li Jiuzhou's kitchen.

Li Jiuzhou, Sha Zhu, and the four members of the Jia family: mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Sha Zhu came over to help since he had nothing else to do, and the Jia family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law also came to help.

Bingbing went to work, and Shanhe went to school.

Li Jiuzhou's courtyard gate was tightly shut, and Jia Zhangshi even used a piece of wood to prop it open.

She was afraid someone would steal her skills, so she guarded against her like a thief.

They paid for it, so they can't let others learn it.

There are no secrets in the courtyard; the news that Li Jiuzhou was going to make Sachima had already spread.

There are naturally clever people who want to learn a thing or two, but unfortunately, they can't this time.

Since Li Jiuzhou has accepted the money, he must act according to the rules.

Li Jiuzhou instructed Sha Zhu to do it, while he provided guidance from the side.

Jia Zhangshi was in charge of watching and learning, while Tong Jie was taking notes on the steps Li Jiuzhou had described.

Li Jiuzhou explained each step very clearly: kneading the dough, frying the dough, adding syrup, adding raisins and sesame seeds.

This includes the allocation of the proportion of doing more and doing less.

Tong Jie's handwriting is quite good, and she remembers things very carefully.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law dared not forget a single step, damn it, 30!

If you fail to learn this, you'll be losing a fortune.

After the finished product was cut, everyone picked up a piece to try.

After tasting it, Jia Zhangshi exclaimed in surprise:

"Wow, this smells so good and tastes delicious!"

Tong Jie smiled after tasting it. This Sachima was truly the best dessert she had ever eaten in her life, bar none!

Li Jiuzhou thought the taste was alright, nothing wrong with it. He used ordinary honey, and the taste was already beyond his expectations.

Of course, in this day and age, it would be more than enough to sell, especially now that the New Year is just around the corner.

As long as the Jia family makes good products and sells them cheaply, their business will definitely be good.

The cost is not high to begin with; it's just flour, eggs, and oil. White sugar and maltose are more expensive and are considered scarce commodities.

Honey is completely unnecessary. Who would be so lucky as to eat honey?

Just now, Jia Zhangshi said that her family only uses white sugar...

They even want to cut back on lactose and sesame seeds...

Li Jiuzhou doesn't care. I've taught him the method. How to reduce costs is your Jia family's business.

Not making money is none of my business...

For three consecutive mornings, Li Jiuzhou was instructing the Jia family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law on how to make Sachima.

The venue was naturally changed to the Jia family's house, and Tong Jie delivered all the Sachima she made over the past three days to the neighbors in the courtyard.

Good heavens, after the neighbors finished eating, their eyes were all red!

One bite and they'd know this stuff really could make money; no wonder they were envious!

Yi Zhonghai even placed an order for ten jin in front of his neighbors!

It sells for 500 yuan per jin (500g), which is several hundred yuan more expensive than tofu!

However, the profit margin is relatively thin, and each batch only yields about ten pounds.

Unlike tofu, Sachima can be made repeatedly as long as the dough is kneaded properly.

The people in the courtyard aren't fools; they all know what's good, and they sell it cheaply.

The deaf old man in the backyard also ordered 5 jin (2.5 catties), and the Xu family, Liu family, and others also placed orders.

It's good that it's delicious and cheap, but the main thing is that they're all neighbors, so they're giving me face and helping out with my business.

Tong Jie initially gave them free meals, so they should at least be sensible.

Even the Zhang family, who had a conflict with the Jia family, ordered five jin.

Jia Zhangshi felt a little embarrassed. She had been arguing with someone not long ago, and now that someone was supporting her business.

Jia Zhangshi wasn't stupid; she immediately turned around and went to Old Zhang's house to buy tofu. This quickly eased the tension between them.

This is life in a tenement courtyard: you see each other all the time, and conflicts come and go quickly!