A Maid's Survival Story in a Noble Family Mansion? Rich Landlords Are More Appealing.

"Buy a son?" Upon hearing this, Chen Wanxing gently shook her head, her expression turning serious.

"Wei'er, think about it. Which family doesn't treasure a truly unique and excellent recipe like a family heirloom? Even if it does circulate occasionally, the cost is far beyond what a new shop like ours can easily afford. Besides..."

She paused, then looked at Lin Wei with clear eyes: "To put it another way, even if we spend a lot of money to buy a recipe, how long will it remain novel? Won't others copy it? Can we keep relying on buying new recipes to maintain novelty? This path is not feasible, nor is it worthwhile."

Upon hearing this, Lin Wei's already anxious heart tightened even more, and she frowned. In fact, when the shop's business was not good before, she had considered buying more recipes or hiring more master chefs with different skills.

But because she had seriously considered it beforehand, she knew very well that buying a house was not feasible. "Then what did you mean by introducing new flavors, sister?"

"It means that we figure it out ourselves." Chen Wanxing's tone was calm, but it carried a convincing certainty. "The way is not to have wild and unrestrained ideas, but to combine existing materials and skills to try some flavors that may not have been combined before."

Seeing Lin Wei's "this is easier said than done" expression, she gently explained, "I know what you're thinking."

"I think figuring out new recipes is too difficult. If it were that easy, those experienced chefs would have figured them out long ago, wouldn't they?"

Lin Wei nodded honestly: "That's right. Our shop's chef has been making pastries all his life, and his skills are beyond question, but if you ask him to come up with a completely new flavor... he'd probably be scratching his head."

Normally, I just ask him to make something, and he does it. There are specific rules regarding the type of pastry, the quantity, and the ingredients.

"This is the crux of the problem." Chen Wanxing tapped the table with her fingertip.

"Most master craftsmen are highly skilled, but since they are working for their employers, they value stability and dare not, and are often not allowed to, waste materials to try and make mistakes."

Secondly, the constant repetition of the same few things leads to rigid thinking, making it difficult to proactively consider what would happen if this were combined with that.

She looked at Lin Wei with encouragement and a hint of slyness in her eyes: "But we are different. You are the young master and have the right to make decisions."

We can tell the chef directly and clearly that we allow him, or even encourage him, to try new combinations without wasting a lot of money.

We can set aside a specific amount of money to establish a special fund for research and development expenses. Material wastage and other costs will be covered by this fund, and as long as it's reasonable, he won't be held responsible.

Lin Wei blinked, seemingly somewhat tempted, but still had doubts: "That's a good idea, but how much silver would it cost? Wouldn't it be very expensive? Besides, even if we provide these, I'm afraid my master still won't be able to break out of his own mindset if we let him figure it out himself."

"So, it's not just about letting him think for himself." Chen Wanxing picked up the conversation, this was the path she had already planned, "After all, we probably have seen and tasted more than our master."

So I think we can provide him with some ideas, some directions that he might be able to try, and then let him use his experience and skills to implement and adjust them.

She paused for a moment, carefully recalling the snacks she had eaten in modern times.

Although she had only tasted most of them and had never made them herself, she could barely describe the ingredients and process for some of them, but for most she only knew the general direction and had no idea about the specific recipe, proportions, or techniques.

In this era, these ideas are already rare inspirations. They may not be of much use to ordinary people, but for skilled master craftsmen, they need just a little bit of inspiration.

But inspiration is precisely what Chen Wanxing has the most of, yet the least valuable thing about.

Actually, before, when she had a craving, she wanted to try to recreate the snacks she ate in modern times.

But thinking about those complicated procedures, Chen Wanxing had already lost her appetite before even starting.

"When I was in Beijing, I vaguely remembered hearing someone mention that in some places in the south, not all pastries are sweet; some are savory."

Besides flour, sugar, and oil, the ingredients also include minced ham and crushed dried fruit to make small, flaky cookies with a savory and slightly salty flavor.

Lin Wei listened intently, subconsciously imagining that taste.

"For example, a sweet and sour flavor. Besides the common hawthorn cake, could we try using dried apricots and plums to make a thick jam, wrapping it in puff pastry, or making it into a filling?"

Even adding a tiny, finely ground leaf of a plant, like mint or mugwort, just for its delicate fragrance, to pastries could create a dish with a refreshing color and unique flavor.

Lin Wei's eyes lit up as she listened, as if she could see new doors opening before her: "Using sweet and sour fruits as fillings? Adding mint and mugwort? These sound so special, I'm sure no one has ever done them before."

Hmm, but can you eat mint and mugwort? Won't it be very bitter, like taking medicine? Also, if I want to make it with a plant-like aroma and fragrance, should I add some tea leaves?

As Lin Wei spoke, her thoughts became increasingly expansive, and her imagination ran wild: "Could we add some flowers inside? Adding petals would make it even prettier..."

But she quickly calmed down and looked at Chen Wanxing: "Sister, can you really make all of this? It sounds great, but I'm afraid even the master isn't sure about the specific proportions, how to process the materials, or the heat."

"This is where experimentation is needed," Chen Wanxing said frankly. "I'm just offering some possible directions. Whether it will work out, and which combination will be most popular with customers, depends on Chef Wang trying them out one by one."

We can discuss with our mentor and decide on a few directions that he is most interested in and that are most likely to succeed, so that he can do a little bit of each one first.

If we succeed, great; if we fail, the loss is limited, and we can consider it as gaining experience.

She looked at Lin Wei and said sincerely, "Wei'er, this is what I meant by 'working together,' and..."

She paused, her voice carrying a deeper meaning: "The process itself can also show Master Wang our sincerity and determination."

Besides, which chef wouldn't want to master more recipes? If we're willing to bear some losses, he'll definitely be more willing to use his brain and try new things.

However, you still need to think about how to get the master chef to work with us on the same page. But those are things to worry about later. Right now, our focus should be on developing new flavors to improve the business of the shop.

Lin Wei was completely convinced.

She originally thought that figuring out a new formula was a vague and hopeless thing, but after Chen Wanxing broke it down, it became something that could be followed, although there was still a high probability of failure.

"Sister, I understand." Lin Wei nodded vigorously, her face shining with eagerness. "I'll go back and talk to Master about it, tell him about your ideas, and allocate some special funds for research so he can try it out without worry."

"Yes." Chen Wanxing nodded with satisfaction. "However, flavor innovation is not something that can be achieved overnight; it requires patient and repeated adjustments."

Right now, we need to think about methods that can produce results more easily and quickly.