When it came to money, Connie returned to her usual cold and hard demeanor.
“We provide the stall, the seasonings, and the meat noodles; you just provide some vegetables. I think we shouldn’t split the profits. I’ll give you one hundred original coins to buy all the vegetables needed for making the sauce, and give you another one hundred original coins as a processing fee. Not a coin more.”
There was still a whole basket of vegetables left over, which was such a huge loss!
“Fine. But won’t you have some vegetables left over on your end, too? I’ve noticed that the plain toppings haven’t been selling well these past few days either. Why don’t we mix ours together? The weather is hot, so let’s make a refreshing salad and try selling that.”
“Salads need to be served with dressing for people to eat them, and I haven’t prepared any,” Connie said.
This was precisely what Ning He had been waiting for.
“Don’t worry, I know how. I’ll make some for you to try first. Are there any leftover boiled eggs?”
This time Connie did not mock her, but instead handed over a box from nearby containing several peeled, hard-boiled eggs.
“Alright, leave it to me!”
Judging by the current situation, waiting until they went outside to save money was definitely too late. Tomorrow, they had to sell all these items!
Ning He took a breath and decided to pull out some real skills.
First, she dug out the egg yolks one by one and put them into a bowl, squeezed in one-sixth of a lemon’s juice, tied a bunch of chopsticks together with a rubber band, added a little salt and sugar, mixed them evenly, and then poured oil into the bowl while stirring rapidly.
This was the method for classic mayonnaise, except most people didn’t know that cooked egg yolks could also be used.
Ning He’s arm quickly grew sore; the process of yolk emulsification was not easy and took some time.
“I’ll do it.”
Just as Ning He’s arm was about to cramp, a hand reached out from the side and took the chopsticks from her.
It was A Huai.
“Thank you.”
Ning He let out a sigh of relief.
A Huai’s hand speed was much faster than hers. About three minutes later, the cooked egg yolks in the bowl had completely emulsified and blended with the oil, turning into a pale yellow sauce.
A look of surprise surfaced on Connie’s face.
Ning He picked up a clean lettuce leaf from the side, dipped it in a little sauce, and handed it to her.
“Have a taste.”
Connie took the leaf, hesitated for a moment, and under Ning He’s expectant gaze, took a bite. Then her expression shifted.
Imagine this:
Fresh egg yolks and oil whipped together into a thick-textured, slightly salty, slightly sweet, slightly sour cream rich with a strong egg aroma.
Hmm… at the first bite, it seemed a bit greasy, but the crisp freshness of the lettuce quickly made the whole flavor refreshing.
The two magically paired together; one was no longer greasy, and the other was no longer bland.
Salty, savory, sour, moist, smooth, crispy, and refreshing.
Finally, there was even a hint of an aftertaste.
What kind of magical dipping sauce was this?
It could turn ordinary lettuce into something so delicious!
Connie opened her eyes, and the look she gave Ning He was complex yet slightly puzzled.
With such formidable culinary skills, how did she end up in this state?
“How do you plan to sell this?” Connie asked.
“Huh?” Ning He scratched her head, thought for a moment, and said, “The eggs and seasonings still have to use yours. I think, just like before, I’ll sell you the remaining vegetables for one hundred original coins, and I’ll charge another one hundred original coins for the processing fee?”
Ning He actually felt a bit guilty saying this.
The most important raw materials for this mayonnaise belonged to Connie, and she only provided a lemon and her labor, with A Huai probably doing the heavy lifting for the labor part. Would asking for one hundred original coins be like opening a lion’s mouth?
Sure enough, Connie frowned.
“That’s not right. Even a restaurant in the third ring might not know how to make these two dishes of yours, and beating down the price like this makes it look like I’m taking advantage of you. But I can’t afford a price that’s too high either. How about this: I’ll give you two hundred and fifty for the processing fee of both dishes. However, if we learn it ourselves and make it in the future, you can’t have any objections.”
Objections?
What objections could she have?
She could make a hundred variations of such sauce!
Should she try asking for a slightly higher price, though?
Ning He brewed some careful thoughts, but when she looked up and met Connie’s fierce, sizing-up gaze, her scalp went numb. She immediately chose to give up, nodded hurriedly, and said: “Alright, two hundred and fifty it is! Deal!”
She agreed so readily that Connie felt uncomfortable instead, and her expression softened somewhat.
“Think carefully. A secret recipe like this is never passed on to outsiders, and even culinary schools might not necessarily teach it. Don’t go back on your word once you’re out there. Once a skill is learned, I won’t spit it back out.”
Since Ning He had agreed, she didn’t intend to go back on her word. She waved her hand heroically: “If you can learn it, it’s yours. I’m not that petty!”
“Alright, it’s settled then.”
Connie reached out her hand toward her. Ning He was stunned for a moment, then understood and extended her hand as well.
A high-five, a handshake, and a fist bump.
A ritual of agreement unique to this era, which also represented a form of respect.
“Hey, is there any food?”
A voice suddenly rang out. The three people who were preparing to pack up the stall looked up and saw that it was a squad of soldiers wearing mecha combat uniforms.
They looked a bit exhausted, their hair had slight burn marks and was curled in strands, and one of them even had a few bandages tied around his hand.
“Starving to death over here, is there food? Anything is fine!” The dark, thin young man leading them smiled gently.
Connie snapped out of it and nodded quickly: “Yes, take a seat, it’ll be ready right away!”
The youth was very happy and sat down nearby with his companions.
The meat sauce made earlier wasn’t much, and the five people who arrived definitely wouldn’t have enough to share. Connie hesitated whether she should just serve the regular minced pork noodles instead.
“Serve the salad first, let them eat while they wait,” Ning He spoke up first. “Mix in more vegetable varieties, any leafy greens are fine, and match them with cucumber and carrot strips, onions, and corn kernels. Cut the remaining egg whites into small pieces and put them in too.”
“Leave this to Connie. A Huai, come help me boil water and cut vegetables, and I’ll make the sauce.”
Connie and A Huai exchanged glances and nodded at each other, saying nothing more as they immediately went to work.
The two of them were accustomed to back-kitchen work, so their movements were extremely fast, and their timing was tightly interleaved without a single bit of waste.
While A Huai boiled water to blanch the tomato skins, he had already cut the minced garlic, diced carrots, and diced onions, and taking advantage of Ning He’s stir-frying, he quickly processed the tomatoes.
When Ning He added the minced meat sauce, Connie had already served a large plate piled high with a rather exquisitely arranged salad onto the table.
“This is our shop’s new salad, served with a secret salad dressing. It’s very delicious.”
“Alright, thank you.”
The young man thanked her politely, but his eyes swept toward Ning He’s direction.
The aroma of the tomato meat sauce was already drifting out.
Rich with a sour fragrance, just smelling it made one’s mouth water and secretly swallow.
The other companions felt the same way.
How satisfying it would be to eat a bowl of this fragrant meat sauce noodles!
As for this salad?
Uncooked green leafy vegetables—you could devour a pound of them and still not fill your stomach; what was so delicious about them?
Yet no one revealed such thoughts. Instead, they casually picked up a leaf or a cucumber stick from the plate, dipped it lightly into the sauce dish, and took a casual bite.
“Hmm?”
The dark, thin youth leading them suddenly looked at the half-bitten cucumber stick in his hand with a face full of astonishment.
Was what he had just eaten a cucumber?
Why was it so delicious?
Looking at his teammates, they wore the exact same reaction—a face full of disbelief and confusion.
Following that, their gazes unanimously shifted toward the pale yellow dipping sauce beside the salad plate.
The next second, five hands reached out simultaneously—
When taking the second bite, everyone was very earnest.
The sauce was smooth and delicate; the vegetables were crisp and juicy. The vegetables were light and bland, while the sauce was savory, slightly salty, and slightly sour. The rich egg aroma and cream-like smooth texture formed a delicacy they had never enjoyed before.
Before they knew it, the plate of sauce was scraped to the bottom through everyone taking turns, with only a tiny amount clinging to the bottom of the dish.
The dark, thin youth gave a light cough.
“We mustn’t waste food; leave this part to me.”
As he spoke, he reached out to take the sauce dish, but four hands reached out from beside him to block him.
“Why trouble the team captain? Let me do it instead!”
“Let me, I almost was late for formation today—”
“I was the last one to put on my armor today, let me do it!”
“Well, I got injured, so I should do it!”
As everyone argued and scrambled, a burst of steaming, rich fragrance suddenly drifted over, causing several people to pause their actions.
“Everyone’s tomato meat sauce noodles are ready. Please enjoy!”