Chapter 393: Eighty's Gourmet System (31)

Not many days later, the matchmakers came flocking again.

Unlike the last time, when they were scared off by Xie Yang's bold declaration of "remarrying while bringing along two stepsons," the matchmakers who came this time had clearly prepared well:

"Chef Xie, you should set your mind at ease! The man has made his position clear to me; if you marry over with your two children, they will certainly treat them as their own."

"Chef Xie, the Chen Family has only this one sprout of a son. If you marry over with the children, they couldn't be happier! It'll be so lively, won't it? When you have your own children in the future, these two will have grown up and can even take their younger siblings out to play, so you can just set your mind at ease!"

"Chef Xie,..."

Xie Yang was impatient.

She simply stated her position: "I have yet to find my biological family to this day, and I married Zhang Li because his mother was kind to me. Raising the two children to adulthood is my way of repaying that kindness. Now that I have the ability to support myself and the two children, if I really am to form a new family, I only want to take in a live-in son-in-law, so as to continue my Xie family bloodline."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The group of matchmakers stared at each other in astonishment.

Chef Xie actually wanted to take in a live-in son-in-law?

She really dared to think it!

In the past, when days were so poor they clattered, very few families were willing to let their sons become live-in sons-in-law for others.

Not to mention face, the ancestors were watching from the netherworld; if one dared to send the family's lifeline to someone else's house as their descendants, how would one answer to the ancestors when they reached the underworld?

Moreover, now that times were better, if one saved up, the bride price for a wife could still be scraped together. Who would consider becoming a live-in son-in-law for someone else?

The matchmakers' faces fell instantly.

Forget it!

This marriage proposal was definitely not going to work out.

With one sentence, Xie Yang blocked every one of these matchmakers who were about to wear down her doorstep.

She heard the men had strong opinions, but what did that have to do with her?

They spoke nicely—"absolutely won't mind her two stepsons, will definitely treat them as their own"—but wasn't it just because they saw her snack bar business was booming and wanted to take the opportunity to pick the peaches?

In their dreams!

Main System: 【Host, what if you meet your ideal type, what then?】

Xie Yang lightly raised her eyebrows: "If we really catch each other's eyes, does it matter if I marry, he marries, or if we just talk about feelings without love, or just date without talking about marriage? Whatever is convenient, that's how we'll do it."

Main System: 【...】

Her host was as "666" as ever.

Regardless, Xie Yang's "live-in son-in-law" strategy had an effect.

As for the very few stubborn families who really entrusted matchmakers to come and express their willingness to marry in, Xie Yang only said she would consider it; it wasn't as if she would accept just any Tom, Dick, or Harry.

In this way, for a short time, no one would affect the speed at which she drew her blade in the catering industry.

Under the concerted efforts of her and Xiao Rong, the business at the Chunhe Lane Red Flag Snack Department was getting better and better.

Every time people felt the business was about to slacken, the snack bar would launch one or two fresh snacks.

Things like Honey Roasted Wings, Spicy Duck Neck, Cumin Roasted Trotters... every time one was launched, a queue would appear.

In addition, there were the Crispy Chicken Popcorn, Crispy Apple Pie, and so on, which were quite popular with children.

Some snacks were added to the snack bar's permanent menu after launch, but there were also a few snacks and pastries that were only sold seasonally, and they even had a fitting name: "Limited Edition."

People of this era were particularly attentive when they heard words like "limited" and "rationed."

For no other reason than that their auditory nerves had become sensitive from being stimulated by that past era of rationing.

And so, as the year-end approached, the batch of Roasted Autumn Pear hot drinks and Autumn Pear Paste made from the pears from the Nongchang were almost sold out.

Xie Yang planned to keep the remaining Autumn Pear Paste for the children at home to eat slowly.

The change of seasons between autumn, winter, and spring was the time when children were most prone to catching colds.

Once children caught a cold, they easily developed a cough, and once they started coughing, they couldn't stop.

Xie Yang had heard from the farm manager in early autumn that the Nongchang had a bumper harvest of autumn pears this year, but the sales channels weren't great, and they would rot on the branches if they couldn't be sold, so he asked if she was interested.

The farm manager probably saw that she could turn fresh walnuts into bread and sell it so successfully, thinking she was a capable person who might be able to turn autumn pears into delicacies too.

And indeed, autumn pears were truly an essential ingredient for hot drinks in autumn and winter.

Roasted Autumn Pear!

As it happened, the Nongchang had its own jujube forest.

However, jujubes were a hot-selling item in this era; they didn't even need the Nongchang to contact customers to be made into dried jujubes or honeyed jujubes, as sales representatives from various units would scramble to come to the door, and for better quality jujubes, one even had to rely on connections to pre-order them!

Regarding jujubes alone, it wouldn't be the turn of Xie Yang, a contractor of a restructured Canteen, to get them.

In the eyes of the Nongchang, this was just a tiny, bottom-tier unit in the whole city.

Above it were the procurement departments of various large factories and large units waiting in line.

But wasn't the problem of the unsalable autumn pears something that needed her to solve?

Therefore, the Nongchang manager waved his hand and approved twenty catties of premium dried jujubes for her.

Xie Yang didn't think it was too little.

With twenty catties of premium dried jujubes, she and Xiao Rong would each take two catties, and she would leave another two catties for the few helpers as a New Year bonus.

The rest would be stewed into hot drinks with the autumn pears.

Roasted Autumn Pear had the effect of promoting fluid production, moistening dryness, nourishing yin, and reducing internal heat.

Especially in the biting cold of late autumn and deep winter, drinking a steaming cup of Roasted Autumn Pear warmed one from the hands to the stomach instantly.

Old people and children drank it and coughed less.

Women drank it and their complexions improved.

For a time, the number of people coming to the snack bar to buy Roasted Autumn Pear even surpassed the star product—Hanging Oven Roast Duck.

At this time, Xie Yang also introduced Autumn Pear Paste, brewed from pure autumn pears, without adding a single drop of water or a single grain of sugar.

There was no help for it; the volume of unsold autumn pears at the Nongchang was too large, and relying solely on Roasted Autumn Pear might not be enough to sell them all.

As it happened, Shuisheng watched the entire process of how she made Roasted Autumn Pear, and the Gourmet System rewarded him with a recipe for Autumn Pear Paste.

With the turn of autumn and winter, there were indeed many people suffering from colds and coughs, so Xie Yang took the opportunity to introduce the Autumn Pear Paste.

Daniu, from Liu Shen's family, had been coughing ever since the change of seasons; after drinking the Roasted Autumn Pear introduced by the shop a few days ago, he said he felt a bit better, and his coughing at night had decreased.

Therefore, after the Autumn Pear Paste was brewed, Xie Yang was the first to send a small jar to Liu Shen.

After Liu Shen brought it home, she followed the method Xie Yang taught—scooping a spoonful of Autumn Pear Paste and mixing it with warm water for Daniu to drink.

That very night, there was hardly any coughing to be heard, and after two or three days, the cough was completely gone!

It was common knowledge that Daniu had been coughing for nearly ten to fifteen days without getting better.

Unexpectedly, after drinking the Autumn Pear Paste mixed with water for less than three days, he was well!

Seeing this, the neighbors in the Tube Building swarmed into the Snack Bar all at once, scrambling to buy the Autumn Pear Paste.

"Chef Xie, I want a jar of Autumn Pear Paste!"

"Xiao Xie, I want two jars!"

"Xiao Xie, I forgot to bring money; save a jar for me, I'm going home to get some right now!"

"Ouch, don't push! You don't have children at home, why are you fighting us parents for the Autumn Pear Paste?"

"I don't have children, but I have parents! My mother has been coughing for several days; she finds Chinese medicine too bitter and vomits it up. I heard that Autumn Pear Paste is not only effective for coughs but also as sweet as honey water, so why can't I buy two jars to take home?"

"Chen Saozi, what are you scrambling for? No one in your family is coughing."

"Just because no one is coughing now doesn't mean they won't cough all winter; can't I stock up on a jar?"

"..."