In the following days, the mandarin duck hot pot custom - made from the blacksmith shop was freshly out.
This double - flavor hot pot had not only the clear broth for mutton but also the tomato soup newly cooked by Li Ying. Skim the foam off the pot, ladle out a bowl of the steaming soup, add coriander and celery granules, stir in an egg drop, and cook a few slices of tender fish. Then it became a delicious and appetizing tomato fish slice soup.
The condiments were charged per person. There were several side dishes like cold - dressed shredded potatoes, spicy shredded kelp, crispy bamboo shoots in chili oil, and pickled fish skin for customers to help themselves.
The customers had never seen such a generous restaurant before. The way of eating hot pot was so novel that it was reasonable for the restaurant to be full every day.
Li Ying also specially prepared lipsticks in the colors of "Blushing Chili" and "Vitality Tomato". They were only given away for free, with five lucky draws every day.
Those who didn't win the lottery needn't worry. Every coin spent in the hot pot restaurant counted as one point. As long as they accumulated 600 points, they could exchange for a free box of lipstick in any color.
The shop that collaborated with her on the "co - branded lipsticks" naturally also belonged to the big boss.
For a while, Li Ying's hot pot food stall was extremely popular.
A few days later, the fishing boats returned, bringing good news again.
The hot pot base was sold out without a doubt. Even many villagers from neighboring villages, having heard that the tomato soup base had a unique flavor but was perishable and couldn't be "delivered", simply followed the fishing boats here just to have a taste.
"A Ying, you're really amazing! Just as you warned, the seasonings for the marinated chicken in clay pots we sold last time caught others' envy. Some people even imitated them and sold them a few coins cheaper than ours."
Hearing Zhang Lu's words, Li Ying was unhurried.
The villagers in the fishing village kept their mouths shut. They knew that the chili peppers brought by Mao Mao were the key to the village's fortune, and no one wanted to cut off their own financial resources by leaking the secret.
How could one make the food as delicious as Li Ying's just relying on the spiciness of dogwood?
Moreover, to prevent the "secret recipe" from being cracked by those with ulterior motives, Li Ying specifically ground all the spices in the seasoning into powder and occasionally adjusted the proportion of each seasoning slightly. The customers couldn't tell much difference, but it was just right for anti - counterfeiting.
The villagers in the fishing village all spoke highly of Li Ying. Zhang Lu led the dock coolies to send all the fish to the canning factory. Now the preliminary processing of hot pot ingredients was also done in the factory. The female workers got a raise, and everyone was motivated, working quickly.
Lu Xunguang took on the responsibility of managing these dock coolies as it was his due duty. When he came back from delivering the goods, he saw Li Ying being pulled by Su Buchi to continue discussing the "winning strategy of Gomoku". His eyebrows sank slightly.
"A Ying, come here."
He waved his hand, his voice was a pleasant deep tone.
Stared at by him intently, Li Ying's face suddenly flushed hot. She suddenly remembered that night when their lips were intertwined. He seemed to have the same look.
"Little Master - Uncle, excuse me."
Li Ying blushed, lowered her head and ran to Lu Xunguang's side, scolding him gently: "What? Little Master - Uncle is still watching! Aren't you ashamed!"
But Lu Xunguang just openly took her hand and took out a thin booklet from his bosom, spreading it out for her to see.
"This is the usual catch of Zhang Lu's boat, but this time it was a hundred or so catties less. I asked the familiar dock coolies, and they also said that today's wages were less than usual."
Li Ying frowned slightly.
Although the fishermen relied on the weather for a living and how much fish they could catch really depended on luck, now that she had Mao Mao, the "fish - school radar", the fishing boats could always return fully loaded.
Moreover, she saw that the fishermen who came back today were all overjoyed, obviously making a fortune. But why was the weight of the catch even lower than the historical minimum?
Recalling Zhang Lu's evasive look, Li Ying couldn't help frowning.
Could it be that he had tampered with it again?
This thought just flashed through Li Ying's mind.
She really didn't want to speculate maliciously about the villagers like this.
But Lu Xunguang spoke directly.
"I've been to the canning factory to ask. The female workers said that the quantity of the goods delivered today was normal. Could it be that the Zhang couple and a few other fishermen, just having lived a good life for a few days, are planning to line their own pockets?"
Li Ying couldn't sit still. She told Lu Xunguang not to act rashly and then rushed straight to the canning factory.
If the Zhang couple really betrayed her trust, she had to see it with her own eyes!
"Sister - in - law, what we're doing is hiding it from A Ying. If she finds out, won't she be angry?"
"Poor parents all over the world. Although our lives have become more comfortable, how many families can afford the tuition fees of the academy? Don't worry. I'll explain it to A Ying. She's such a reasonable person that she will surely understand our good intentions!"
While comforting verbally, Sister Zhang was still busy with her hands.
A Man was worried about Li Ying and came with her. Hearing these words at the factory door, she was so angry that her willow - like eyebrows stood on end. She kicked hard at the half - open door panel.
"You ungrateful white - eyed wolves! My sister is kind - hearted. Does that mean she should be bullied by you!"
Sister Zhang was stunned by A Man's scolding. She came forward with a smiling face: "A Man, what are you talking about? We can live a good life all thanks to A Ying. We wouldn't dare to have a conscience - less heart!"
A Man was straightforward. She glared at the half - peeled cuttlefish in Sister Zhang's hand and snorted again.
"Humph, there's no mention of cuttlefish on today's purchase list from the canning factory! Instead of doing your own jobs, you're all here cleaning cuttlefish?"
Cuttlefish was thick - fleshed and delicious. It was very delicious just by blanching. It was sold at a high price in the market, and the cuttlefish bone was also a good medicinal material. No wonder these fishing girls were so money - minded!
A Man's small face was flushed with anger. Just as she was about to scold again, Li Ying reached out to stop her.
"Sister Zhang, I trusted your character when I asked you to manage the canning factory for me. So, what on earth is going on?"
Sister Zhang blushed with shame and stammered.
After a long time, she finally raised her head and whispered carefully: "A Ying, believe me. We have absolutely no second thoughts about you."
"We've already discussed with Deji Hall about the cuttlefish bones. We'll sell them and return all the silver to you. We're also going to process the cuttlefish meat into cans as usual... If we had the intention to take advantage, may I be struck by lightning and die a bad death!"
Several fishing girls nodded in agreement, each swearing an oath seriously.
Li Ying knew that they took these poisonous oaths very seriously. They really didn't seem to be lying. She couldn't help asking curiously: "Then why did you under - report the quantity and secretly process them here?"
Sister Zhang stared at her toes. After a long time, she finally raised her head embarrassedly.
"A Ying... It's just that we're really too poor..."