Yun was surprised to find out.
Lin Miao's first attempt at making tofu using his method actually resulted in a higher quality than hers. Whether it's soft tofu or firm tofu, it's more delicate, has a better texture, and even tastes richer.
"This is called tofu skin, the process isn't complicated, and after drying, it can be stored for a long time. When you're ready to eat, soak it in warm water; you can use it in salads or soup."
Following that, Lin Miao made tofu skin, a product Yun had never seen before, and it was completely new.
"This is called Baiye, cut into strips, which we call dry silk. It can be stir-fried, or blanched and served in a salad. It's a side dish; I'll make a few dishes with these at noon for you to try..."
"Mrs. Yun's tofu offerings are quite limited; I could also use a marinade to make soy products, which would be even tastier."
"Wait, what is a marinade?"
Lin Miao slapped his forehead. It seems like this world doesn't have the concept of marinated dishes, which is definitely a potential business opportunity.
"This marinade is a blend of eight herbs boiled together..."
"Young man, you actually use herbs to make tofu?" Mrs. Yun was quite surprised.
"Why not? Herbs are meant to be eaten, so turning them into dishes is quite normal." Lin Miao said naturally, as it was common knowledge in his world.
"Young man, herbs shouldn't be eaten carelessly. If someone suffers from eating them wrongly, it could be deadly." Mrs. Yun said with worry.
Lin Miao pondered for a moment before realizing this world's understanding is that herbs are toxic and shouldn't be eaten carelessly, only according to prescriptions.
Even recipes proven edible aren't haphazardly consumed; if the wrong type is ingested, it could be problematic for people with different physiques.
Only those with a medical practitioner certificate can use herbs to prepare food for sale (if it can be directly eaten, it's not considered medicinal).
If consuming personally, anything goes.
Clearly, the spices (herbs) used for making marinade should not be eaten directly, so Lin Miao's idea of opening a marinated product shop is not feasible now.
He has to wait until he passes the "medical practitioner" exam and has independent practice qualifications before proceeding, otherwise it would be illegal, and any accusation would hold.
"I understand, but the marinade I've concocted is safe for the majority of people." Lin Miao said, and even in his previous life, marinade allergies existed; from a certain perspective, anything could be an allergen.
No prescription is absolutely safe; even food can cause allergies, like soybean protein, peanuts, or broad beans allergies, which can be fatal.
However, those who consume varied diets have fewer allergens; while those with limited food choices are more prone to allergies. Allergies stem from genes, which evolve due to external influences and inheritance. Without this key exposure, allergies are more likely.
This discussion is a bit off-topic.
"Are you sure we can eat this, junior brother?"
"Senior sister, I always taste what I make first. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare offer it to you all." Lin Miao explained.
"Mrs. Yun, junior brother knows what he's doing." Sun Youwei defended, "Once he passes the 'medical practitioner' exam, he'll be able to make herbal dishes without issues."
"Youwei, you're already speaking up for him, though you're not married to him yet." Yun teased with a smile.
"Mrs. Yun..." Sun Youwei said shyly and stamped her foot before running outside.
"Young man, Youwei is a good girl; don't let her down." Yun chuckled and turned to Lin Miao.
"I know, Mrs. Yun." Lin Miao also smiled, thinking his senior sister is a pure girl; if possible, he hoped she'd remain that way forever.
"Mrs. Yun, our house doesn't face the street, lacking a frontage store; so initially we can only set up a stall outside. That's why I ordered two handcarts; then, we'll head to the street together to set up a stall..."
"You're setting up a stall together? How will you prepare for the medical practitioner exam?"
"That's no problem; I'll only spend half a day at the stall, and have the other half free." Lin Miao confidently said, "To me, passing the exam is a piece of cake."
"You're really that certain?"
"Mrs. Yun, let's make a bet: do you believe I'll surely pass this time?" Lin Miao puffed out his chest.
"Alright, if you pass this time, I'll spend the rest of my life working for you." Yun did not back down.
"Mrs. Yun, you really have faith in me, not worried about losing and forfeiting your freedom?"
"If you have the ability, young man, living with you is better than being alone." Mrs. Yun laughed.
"Mrs. Yun, you're just past thirty, looking like you're in your twenties. Calling you Mrs. makes you sound old. Why don't I call you Sister Yun?" Lin Miao said offhandedly, admiring Yun's pearly and round physique.
"But I'm of the same generation as your master; wouldn't that upset the hierarchy?"
"I'm afraid to make you sound old. Besides, my master is gone; you don't have to live in his shadow forever. It's time to move on." Lin Miao said.
"That kind of makes sense; my master has passed. Calling me Sister Yun does feel strange, given our age gap." Yun thought, realizing she had moved on from that unresolved matter. Holding onto such emotions lifelong is too burdensome.
This was actually Lin Miao probing to see how far Yun and his master went; if substantive, he would treat her as an elder.
If not, he might match her with a suitable companion in the future.
"Mrs. Yun, I'll pass on these recipes to you, and you can manage and operate them from now on." Lin Miao stated.
"You'll pass on these recipes to me?" Yun was astonished, "Don't you know how much these recipes are worth?"
"I'm aware, but I trust you, Mrs. Yun."
"Young man, are you serious?"
"Of course, it's true, Mrs. Yun. If you want to learn, I'll teach you right now, and I promise you'll master it!"
...
Three days later, in the self-produced, self-sold area of the western market, two homemade carts appeared, both with the same sign, curtains drawn, hanging on the carts.
The four big characters "Neighbor's Shop," were personally sewn by Sun Youwei over two days.
The main products were tofu and soy products.
After all, it was their first day there, and no one knew the quality of their tofu, so Lin Miao introduced a "free tasting" marketing approach.
On the opening day, buying four pieces would get you one extra, with prices the same as the tofu shops in the western market.
If the price was set too low, it would cause trouble for newcomers to this market and industry; you'd disrupt market order, make it impossible for others to earn money and put food on the table, and they would certainly make trouble for you. If they couldn't do it openly, they'd do it secretly.
Although not many people bought at first, getting a deal is human nature. Buying four and getting one free naturally attracted some buyers.
Moreover, after free tasting at the "Neighbor's Shop," everyone found the tofu of superior quality, and people gradually started to come and buy more.
In less than an hour of setting up, both carts of tofu were sold out.
If this were in Qingping Town, these two carts of tofu would take at least three days to sell, and any unsold tofu would have to be preserved, rather than sold out completely in less than half a day as it happened now.
On the first day, although they didn't earn much, it was a good start.
On the second day, the quantity doubled.
In two hours, they were sold out again, making a profit. They earned in one day what used to take ten days, and Yun felt hopeful.
Because, at this rate of making money, they could afford rent and food every month.
On the third day, they maintained the second day's supply. Although they could sell more, their "tofu stall" had already caught others' attention.
As long as they kept a fixed daily amount of tofu, their market share remained quite limited, and it had minimal impact on others' businesses.
However, nearby tofu shops still experienced some impact; many customers would compare after tasting, then change their buying habits.
By the fourth day, Lin Miao returned the prices to normal, matching others', yet their tofu still sold out quickly.
On the fifth day, while selling tofu in the morning, they introduced tofu skin and dried beancurd, offering cooking methods for both, along with free tasting.
Naturally, the pricing wasn't low.
Those who tasted it praised it highly and nearly all bought some.
In the evening, "Neighbor's Shop" appeared again, this time offering "fried stinky tofu," with tasting before purchasing.
Dongshan City was indeed a capital city; people were more receptive to new things. After trying the "smelly to the nose, tasty to the tongue" stinky tofu, their taste buds were instantly captivated.
In less than an hour, the first batch of trial-made stinky tofu surprisingly sold out.
This showed that the people of Dongshan City had an ability to accept new things beyond what he had anticipated, which was a good sign for entrepreneurs.
Sun Youwei saw the pair pushing the cart back, thinking no one would buy this stinky tofu. After all, when she first tried it, she was extremely resistant, but after tasting it, she found it quite tasty. It was just that the smell was hard to accept at first, but you got used to it after a while.
When they heard that a thousand pieces of stinky tofu had sold out, she was astonished. Were people in this capital city so accepting of such a strong-flavored delicacy?
Could they really accept this smelly food so quickly?
The three of them quickly shut the door, carefully calculated the earnings, and found that after deducting costs, they earned two taels of silver that day.
If they could earn two taels a day, that's sixty taels a month, and at least seven hundred twenty taels a year...
This day's earnings were what Yun used to make in a month in Qingping Town, a year's equivalent to thirty years for Yun!
Yun felt like she had wasted thirty years of her life.
But even so, there were still more than two months left, and there was no way to earn enough silver to redeem the "Herbal Hall" and the "Doctor's" tokens.
Not enough, far from enough!
"And that's not enough, how much do you want to earn?" the two women asked in unison.
"If we earn two taels from one stall a day, what if we had ten, a hundred, a thousand?" Lin Miao said, waving his hand.
A thousand?
Wouldn't that be two thousand taels a day, sixty thousand a month, a year...
It was as if countless silver was falling from the sky, directly burying the two women in a mountain of silver.
Renting a shop in the western market costs at least six taels of silver a month, plus an official permit for business, which would eliminate many troubles.
At least safety was guaranteed, and the protection fee was paid at a fixed rate.
Even if competitors were jealous, they wouldn't dare cause trouble at a shop with an official business certificate; a moving stall is a different story.
With this profit margin, both the senior sister and Yun didn't oppose Lin Miao spending money to rent a shop in the western market.