My Home's Ancient Well Connects to the Martial Arts World

Chapter 9: Chapter 9: First Pot of Gold

”Exactly. While this plate of bamboo shoots with shredded pork is decent—worth the price—it’s nothing compared to the last one.” The large, fat man with the gold chain around his neck hollered, ”Do you have two chefs here or something? Hurry up and get the main chef to make another plate of bamboo shoots with shredded pork. We want the kind that’s *more* than worth the price.”

”Uh, about that... um... actually, that plate of bamboo shoots with shredded pork wasn’t—” Ye Xiuying faltered, feeling completely bewildered.

”What? Are you afraid we can’t pay?” the large, fat man with the gold chain said. ”That plate of bamboo shoots with shredded pork was definitely worth more than what you charged. Name your price. We can afford it.”

”No, that’s not it. The thing is, the plate of bamboo shoots with shredded pork you had earlier wasn’t actually from our shop,” Ye Xiuying quickly explained. ”My nephew actually made that for me to eat. My husband grabbed the wrong dish when he was serving. I’m so sorry about that!”

”Oh, so that’s how it is. Well, in that case, can you ask your nephew to cook a couple more plates for us?” the fat man said.

”Yes, yes, please make two more for us,” the plump woman chimed in.

”Uh, well...” Ye Xiuying hesitated for a moment, then said, ”Let me give him a call and ask!”

With that, Ye Xiuying immediately took out her phone and dialed Ye Xing’s number.

On the other end of the line, Ye Xing had just stepped through his front door when the phone in his pocket started to ring.

*JINGLE JINGLE, you are my little apple, I can never love you too much. Your little red face warms my heart, lighting the fire of my life, fire, fire, fire, fire...*

”Hello!” Ye Xing answered the phone.

”Axing, about the bamboo shoots with shredded pork you made today... some customers are raving about it. Would you be willing to make two more plates?” his aunt’s voice came through the phone.

”Bamboo shoots with shredded pork?” Ye Xing was stunned for a moment, then quickly asked, ”Auntie, you didn’t give the dish I made for you to a customer, did you?”

”Well, your dolt of an uncle got it wrong. He took the portion you made for me and gave it to a customer.”

”That’s a huge loss, Auntie. That dish was worth a lot of money, and you sold it like a regular menu item,” Ye Xing said with a wry smile.

’A pound of Demon Beast Meat costs one Gold Coin. One plate of bamboo shoots with shredded pork uses at least three to five ounces of the meat. That’s over a thousand yuan!’

”It was all your muddle-headed uncle’s fault for grabbing the wrong dish. But still, what could be so special about bamboo shoots with shredded pork? Your cooking skills must have improved a lot, kid. The customers were full of praise,” Ye Xiuying said. ”Anyway, they want more. They asked me to see if you could make another two plates for them.”

’Bamboo shoots with shredded pork... selling Demon Beast Meat? This might actually work.’ A glint appeared in Ye Xing’s eyes. He said in a deep voice, ”Auntie, ask them if they’ll take it for ten thousand yuan per plate.”

”What? Ten thousand yuan!!!”

On the other end of the line, Ye Xiuying couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.

”So? Did your nephew agree?” the fat man asked, leaning in eagerly.

”Uh, well... my nephew... he said one plate is...” Ye Xiuying was incredibly embarrassed, not knowing whether she should relay Ye Xing’s message. ’Ten thousand yuan for a plate of bamboo shoots with shredded pork? People will think I’m crazy.’

”Let me talk to him!” The fat man took the phone from Ye Xiuying’s hand. ”Hey, hello!”

”Done! No problem. The bamboo shoots with shredded pork you make are just too delicious. Did you add some kind of precious medicinal herbs to it? My whole body feels warm and comfortable. It’s amazing! I want ten plates to go.”

”What? You’ll only sell one more plate? Well... fine. One plate is one plate. It’s better than nothing!”

The fat man handed the phone back to Ye Xiuying, muttering in frustration, ”Only one plate. That’s not nearly enough.”

”Um... the price my nephew quoted... you’re willing to pay it?” Ye Xiuying asked, still uncertain. Selling a plate of bamboo shoots with shredded pork for ten thousand yuan completely shattered her worldview.

”Yep. It’s a bit expensive, but it’s worth every penny!” the fat man said with a nod. ”By the way, which big hotel does your nephew work at as a chef?”

”Er, Axing isn’t a chef. He works at a cultural company here in the county,” Ye Xiuying said.

”What a waste! With cooking skills like that, he should be a chef.” The fat man quickly added, ”I’d like to hire him to work at my hotel. Do you think that’s possible?”

”Er, and you are?”

”Oh, I’m Huang Jinbao, the owner of the Jinsheng Hotel,” the fat man, Huang Jinbao, quickly introduced himself.

”Jinsheng Hotel! The five-star hotel in the county?” Ye Xiuying’s eyes lit up. She said hurriedly, ”Yes, yes, of course! I’ll help you persuade him, definitely!” The Jinsheng Hotel was the only five-star hotel in Luoxian County. The pay and benefits were excellent; even the most junior servers had a base salary of three to four thousand yuan, which meant a chef’s salary would certainly be even higher.

After a pause, Ye Xiuying asked hesitantly, ”But is Axing’s cooking really as good as you say?” She was still in a daze.

”Of course it is! In my life, I, Huang Jinbao, have eaten all sorts of exotic delicacies, but the best thing I’ve ever had is today’s plate of bamboo shoots with shredded pork!” praised the fat man, Huang Jinbao.

Ye Xing was very fast. It didn’t take long to make the dish, and in about twenty minutes, he arrived at Auntie Pang’s Snack Shop carrying two plates of bamboo shoots with shredded pork.

”Axing, quick, over here!” His aunt, Ye Xiuying, excitedly pulled Ye Xing over and made the introduction. ”Axing, this is Boss Huang from the Jinsheng Hotel.”

”Hello. You’re the one who ordered the bamboo shoots with shredded pork, right?” Ye Xing asked.

”Yes, that’s me.” The fat man, Huang Jinbao, quickly took the plate of bamboo shoots with shredded pork from Ye Xing’s hands. He then pulled two thick stacks of hundred-yuan bills from his leather bag and handed them to Ye Xing.

Beside them, his aunt Ye Xiuying and uncle Cheng Degen’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes—and if the one selling it wasn’t their own nephew—they would never have believed that a single plate of bamboo shoots with shredded pork could sell for the sky-high price of ten thousand yuan. To think, her Auntie Pang’s Snack Shop only brought in eight or nine thousand yuan a month, less than the price of this one small dish.

”This is twenty thousand, right? Ten thousand is enough,” Ye Xing said.

”I already ate one plate of your bamboo shoots with shredded pork before, and I’m buying another now. That makes two plates, so twenty thousand yuan is right,” the fat man, Huang Jinbao, said with a wide grin.

”No need. Since the first plate was a mistake, you can just treat it as a regular dish,” Ye Xing said, accepting one of the stacks of hundred-yuan bills.

”Haha, you’re an interesting young man,” the fat man, Huang Jinbao, laughed. ”By the way, I heard from your aunt that you work here in the county, and the pay isn’t great. With cooking skills like yours, it’s a shame not to be a chef. Are you interested in coming to work at my hotel?”