Manager Jiang took the silver ingots from them with a smile and left. A few moments later, he came back out. One hand held a plain purse made of rough burlap and the other had a couple strings of copper coins. "This bag holds about 4 and ½ taels worth of silver bits. I changed the rest into these strings of copper cash." The restaurant manager even warned them. "Be careful with how you store this money! You don't want any thieves to get their eyes onto this!"
"Thank you, Manager Jiang!" Yu Xiaocao as she carefully placed the pouch full of silver into her clothing. She then divided the strings of copper coins evenly between her and her older brother in preparation for their upcoming shopping trip. Before the two siblings left, the young girl went into the restaurant's back kitchen to retrieve their old and damaged ceramic pot. At the same moment, a s.h.i.+pment of oysters had come in. The sight of the pails and pails of fresh seafood flowing into the kitchen astonished her. "Wow!" She exclaimed in awe. "Zhenxiu Restaurant must be doing really well! Are you really able to sell all of these oysters out in one day?"
Head Chef w.a.n.g laughed ruefully. "Unfortunately, oysters aren't exactly a rare delicacy for a coastal town like us. How is it possible for us to sell this many oysters in one day? It must be Third Young Master buying more than we need again! These darned creatures are hard to keep alive outside of the sea, and it's hot right now so we can't let them sit for too long. I guess I'll have to find someone to turn most of them into dried goods…"
Zhou Zixu had also followed the two children into the kitchen. After seeing the bunch of oysters all piled in the room, he knew he had bought too many. Feeling awkward, he rubbed his nose sheepishly.
"Uh..." said Yu Xiaocao. "I'll help you guys out since Third Young Master Zhou was so generous! Is there any sugar and cooking wine in here?" The little girl rolled up her sleeves as if she was about to do some hard work.
Zhou Zixu glanced at her slender and weak looking arms before he quickly replied, "Of course we do. What kind of restaurant would we be if we didn't have such basic ingredients? What are you planning to do with these oysters?"
Yu Xiaocao beamed a smile at him but decided to keep him in suspense. "You'll know once I'm done! Take it as my present to you, young master!"
The two older men exchanged a perplexed look. Just what was the little girl up to? They still had some spare time before the county magistrate's banquet, so they had enough time to satisfy their curiosity.
In her previous life, her younger brother loved to eat food flavored with oyster sauce. However, the oyster sauce sold at the supermarket all had a bunch of additives in them. In an effort to avoid harming his health, she found a recipe online and started to make her own oyster sauce at home.
After experimenting and tinkering with the recipe for long time, she finally developed a recipe that was not only delicious but also more healthy. Her brother loved the homemade sauce and thought that it tasted more original and savory than the versions from the store. The only flaw was that it spoiled more quickly than the manufactured sauces. But it was to be expected. After all, she never added any preservatives to it!
With a demeanor full of confidence, Yu Xiaocao directed the kitchen staff to start shucking all of the oysters and to leave the meat in a separate wooden cask. She surveyed the kitchen and grabbed the largest pot she could find. She swiftly calculated the ratio, then poured an appropriate amount of water into the pot to boil.
