The Annual Trademark
The gingerbread man wanted to eat a gingerbread man, but he had no gingerbread man to eat.
Young Master Jiang looked at Yu Jinnian with eager, expectant eyes for a long time, but all he got was, “Sorry, our shop no longer sells little man skewers…” The light in his eyes dimmed instantly, as if greatly disappointed.
Seeing him so pitiful, Yu Jinnian said, “But today we have stuffed buns. Would you like to try one, young master?”
Jiang Bingren, feeling down, said, “But I came specifically for the little man skewers. A while ago, a servant went out to buy ink and conveniently brought back a bag—just this much—” he gestured with two fingers, “These past few days, my father has been pressing me to learn the restaurant business, which is really boring. I finally had some free time today and came to check, only to find you’re not selling them anymore.”
As he continued talking, he suddenly raised his head and glared, saying, “You guys aren’t lying to me, are you?”
“…Where did that come from? Why would we lie to you?” Yu Jinnian looked at him, puzzled.
Jiang Bingren confidently replied, “Those little man skewers sold so well, how could you stop selling them after just a few days? If we had such delicious pastries at Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant, we would sell them all year round!”
Yu Jinnian almost forgot—this gingerbread man was also the young master of Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant.
The gingerbread men they had been selling recently didn’t cost much to make, and since they were novel and fun, they had a market even if priced a bit higher. Moreover, Yu Jinnian had capitalized on the popularity of a famous monk, making some shaped like “Golden Bell Skewers,” which became a trend in Xinan County for a while.
The noodle shop had earned a considerable amount as a result, that was undeniable. However, their cooking equipment was simple, and they didn’t have an oven that could heat evenly. They had to use hot pans to bake them, and only one batch of cookies could be made per pan, making the process of making Golden Bell Skewers and little man skewers overly tedious, consuming a lot of labor and energy, with little return.
Even though it was profitable, Yu Jinnian had stopped early. Otherwise, the noodle shop wouldn’t have been able to do anything else. With just him and Qing Huan working hard, they’d be exhausted from making batch after batch of cookies all day.
Naturally, the young master of Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant couldn’t understand the difficulties of their small shop.
Yu Jinnian, both amused and helpless, said, “To be honest, Young Master Jiang, making the little man skewers is too troublesome for our small shop. It was just something I made on a whim, not something we could sell long-term.”
Jiang Bingren lifted his robes and sat down at a clean table, still unwilling to give up, saying, “Then give me that… whatever it was you mentioned.”
Yu Jinnian: “Foie gras bun?”
“Oh, foie gras bun. Bring me one to try.”
Yu Jinnian agreed, then paused for a moment before turning around to point at a bowl of Sha Yuanzi pork kidney soup he had served earlier. He whispered to Ji Hong, “Make sure you drink this before I get back, or I won’t let you sleep in bed tonight!”
Jiang Bingren was familiar with the smell of pork kidney soup. At his home, whenever this smell wafted through the air, he knew for sure that one of his father’s concubines was making a special dish for him. The next day, his father would emerge from that concubine’s room looking pale and hollow-eyed. Jiang Bingren looked at Ji Hong with a complicated expression and sighed, “So you’re the one working so hard. No wonder you look so drained. Who would’ve thought that pretty boy would be so fierce and wild.”
Ji Hong was forcing himself to swallow the soup with a frown when he heard Jiang Bingren’s comment and almost choked to death: “No…”
“No?” Jiang Bingren, as if he had heard something strange, exclaimed in astonishment, “Do you two take turns or something? You really know how to have fun… Tsk tsk. But that lad does look strong, so I bet it’s quite the experience.”
“…” Ji Hong bit into a piece of pork kidney, forcing himself to swallow it down, thinking, Why am I even entertaining this young master’s dirty imagination?
In the kitchen, Yu Jinnian chopped up a piece of foie gras and braised meat, then crushed a large bell pepper with the back of his knife, mixing it all together with the liver and meat, before drizzling some savory sauce over it. He then took a freshly baked bun from the slightly warm pan, sliced it in half, and stuffed the liver-meat mixture inside.
He also made a bowl of seaweed soup with goose bone broth to go with the buns.
Two buns and a bowl of soup, served on a wooden tray. It looked rustic, but it smelled delicious.
Jiang Bingren still remembered the delicious scallion oil noodles he had eaten here last time, but he also vividly remembered the fearsome spicy soup. The soup served this time was as clear as water, with a few dark pieces of seaweed floating on top, looking as plain as boiled water with seaweed. Having learned his lesson from the horseradish egg soup, he cautiously scooped a little with a spoon, smelled it, and then used the tip of his tongue to taste it—
Hmm, not only was there no strange flavor, but it was actually savory and fresh. The saltiness spread gently across his palate. At first, he thought the soup tasted a bit bland, but after taking a bite of the foie gras bun, he exclaimed how delicious it was. The foie gras, mixed with perfectly cooked braised meat, was juicy and tender, while the fresh and crispy bell pepper added a refreshing contrast, nestled between the liver paste and meat.
As he ate, the sauce dripped down his fingers, and he hurriedly licked it off.
After finishing one bun, he felt a bit thirsty, so he took a sip of the soup he had previously thought was too bland. It now tasted cleansing and refreshing, and he slurped up the seaweed in a couple of gulps before eagerly devouring the second bun.
As the saying goes, “Goose meat in the sky, donkey meat on the ground.” This was truly well-deserved.
Although Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant boasted grand dish names and brightly colored dishes, the flavors weren’t always perfect. Jiang Bingren knew that while he might not be as talented in business as his father, his palate was far sharper. He also understood that the restaurant’s success relied heavily on its century-old reputation, and in fact, no new dishes had been introduced for many years.
Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant’s most famous dish was its Tea-Smoked Chicken. Even though neighboring restaurants had figured out how to make it, none could surpass their version, which depended on the quality of the tea, chicken, and wine used, as well as the precise cooking techniques and secret seasoning.
However, Jiang Bingren believed that customers would eventually tire of these old dishes and that it would be better to introduce new ones with different flavors.
For instance, take foie gras—most restaurants either stir-fried or mixed it into salads. Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant did the same. But this little noodle shop took a novel approach, braising the foie gras into a paste and stuffing it into buns, which was quite a unique flavor. These small buns could be eaten in-house or wrapped in oil paper for takeaway—very clever indeed.
Yu Jinnian wasn’t playing any tricks this time, but as he watched Young Master Jiang’s face change expressions while eating, he was completely puzzled and eventually turned away, instead checking on the frail Ji Hong to see if he had obediently finished his soup.
Ji Hong pursed his lips and beckoned Yu Jinnian over. When Yu saw that the bowl was indeed empty, he smiled and reached into his sleeve to reward Ji Hong with a red date. However, before he could do so, Ji Hong pulled him over for a kiss, swiftly slipping his tongue inside.
“How does it taste?”
Yu Jinnian gulped down a large pot of tea and, seeing that Ji Hong was about to lean in for another kiss, hurriedly covered his mouth, exclaiming, “Stop! Stop! No more kissing!” He quickly stuffed the red date from his sleeve into Ji Hong’s mouth, silencing him.
What a kiss, filled with the taste of pork kidney!
Wiping his mouth, Yu Jinnian muttered, “Why don’t you learn anything good from me? All you’ve picked up is how to mess with people.”
Ji Hong smiled at him, saying, “You’re aware of how much you mess with people? Who was it that pasted paper on Xiao Dingdang’s back with rice paste, making that cat so mad it didn’t come home for three days?”
Yu Jinnian was left speechless, and remembering the cat he had angered, he huffed and refused to talk to Ji Hong any further.
Meanwhile, after finishing the buns and muttering to himself for a while, Young Master Jiang suddenly slammed the table, startling Yu Jinnian. Jiang turned around, snapped open his folding fan, and gestured at Yu Jinnian with his chin, “Come here, I want to discuss business with you.”
“With me?” Yu Jinnian pointed to himself, wondering if he had heard wrong. Could it be that Jiang wanted to discuss how to buy Ji Hong to accompany him at the Jiang residence on odd-numbered days and return to Yu Jinnian on even-numbered days?
It wasn’t unreasonable for his mind to go to such indecent thoughts—after all, Young Master Jiang had always seemed like a little rogue in Yu Jinnian’s eyes. Other than “beauty” deals, Yu Jinnian couldn’t imagine what serious business they could discuss.
Swaying as he walked over, Yu Jinnian was ready to mock Jiang a bit.
Who would have thought—
Jiang Bingren was actually talking about legitimate business!
Yu Jinnian’s eyes widened in surprise as he listened to Jiang, who dipped a chopstick into tea and began drawing on the table. “Let me tell you… since you can’t produce the little man skewers long-term, why not sell the recipe to us at Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant? I’ll pay sixty taels for it. And if you have any other fresh recipes, you can bring them to me or to a steward named Xia Dong under me. We’ll price them according to the dishes and pay you… Did you hear that?”
“Huh?” Yu Jinnian snapped out of his daze, astonished. “Young Master Jiang?”
Jiang Bingren pouted, “Why are you staring at me like that?”
Yu Jinnian: “Just making sure you’re not possessed by someone else—uh, what did you just say? Something about sixty taels?”
“…” Jiang Bingren was speechless for a moment. The water stains on the table dried quickly, so he patiently began to redraw and explain, “I said, at Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant…”
Behind Jiang Bingren stood Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant, which was favored by the county magistrate. In short, Young Master Jiang was a valuable connection in the county, one many people would love to associate with. While Yu Jinnian wasn’t particularly eager to curry favor with influential figures, he did have a wealth of recipes that he couldn’t fully utilize due to his restaurant’s limited resources. With Jiang’s offer, he could earn quite a bit of money.
These recipes weren’t originally his creation. The dishes were considered delicious in this time simply because they were unknown in the Xia dynasty and had been refined and passed down for centuries, offering a broader range of flavors. As the saying goes, “The tree was planted by those before us, and we now enjoy its shade.”
However, merely selling recipes seemed too simplistic. Although it would bring in a lot of money in the short term, it would eventually be like draining the pond to catch all the fish. Once all the recipes were sold, what would his little noodle shop have left to offer? Yu Jinnian proposed a more sustainable “exclusive partnership” model. He would teach the chefs at Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant how to make the dishes without passing the recipes to others and would take a portion of the net profits from those dishes each week. If the dishes didn’t sell, he wouldn’t take a penny.
Yu Jinnian explained that until their noodle shop grew as large as Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant, they wouldn’t have the resources to make those high-end dishes. In the future, when they had enough financial strength, they wouldn’t use those recipes to compete with Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant.
At the same time, he thought to himself that he still had many other recipes in his head. As for who could make the dishes better and attract more customers, well, that would depend on their respective skills!
In any case, the primary goal was to ensure that Young Master Jiang wouldn’t suffer losses. Besides, the noodle shop’s current income was stable, so there was no rush to make money from selling recipes.
Finally, Yu Jinnian added, “I hope you’ll allow some of our staff to work at your restaurant for training, maybe to serve plates or clean tables.” In truth, he wanted to observe how the Jiang family managed Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant, as customer service was something that revealed a lot over time, both in the front of the house and in the kitchen. As a newcomer, he needed to gain experience.
Jiang Bingren thought about it carefully. Something seemed off, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, so he hesitated for a moment.
Ji Hong watched the two from behind the counter. Setting aside the absurd fact that Jiang Bingren usually liked to tease people, just looking at the two of them, they were actually around the same age, both with a bit of youthful innocence. Moreover, since Yu Jinnian had lived in poverty during his youth, he looked especially smaller and thinner. Two boys with pale, tender faces were arguing, one asking for fifty taels and the other bargaining for twenty beads. Young Master Jiang’s round face and eyes puffed up like a steamed bun when he got angry. They didn’t seem like they were negotiating business but rather playing a child’s game.
Finding it amusing, Ji Hong glanced at Yu Jinnian a few more times.
He thought to himself, although his bookkeeping skills were lacking, Yu Jinnian was quite sharp when it came to business. Perhaps Ji Hong could entrust some of his future ventures to him as a test.
Yu Jinnian didn’t notice Ji Hong observing him. He tapped the table and said to Jiang Bingren, “Young Master Jiang, you know that our noodle shop has a unique skill that others don’t—making medicinal cuisine. If ‘Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant’ cooperates with us as I suggest, you could also learn a few seasonal medicinal recipes from me and market it as a health-conscious brand. Wouldn’t that appeal to wealthy gentlemen and ladies?”
If this collaboration succeeded, it would be a test for the commercial potential of medicinal cuisine. If a brand as big as ‘Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant’ couldn’t support medicinal cuisine, he would have to reconsider the viability of the idea.
This suggestion made Jiang Bingren even more intrigued. He hesitated and asked, “This medicinal cuisine… it won’t harm anyone, right?”
Yu Jinnian replied, “I will, of course, teach you a few simple methods to identify the health condition of your customers. Based on their constitution, you can recommend suitable medicinal dishes. Besides, the dishes I teach you will be fairly mild; even if they aren’t perfectly suited to someone, it won’t cause any harm.”
Jiang Bingren still hesitated.
Yu Jinnian took a sip of tea and glanced sideways at him, saying, “Could it be… that Young Master Jiang’s words don’t carry any weight?”
This hit Jiang Bingren right where it hurt. He couldn’t stand being provoked and immediately slapped the table, saying, “Who says that? If my word doesn’t count at ‘Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant,’ whose does?!”
“Oh,” Yu Jinnian nodded, testing him, “then the contract…?”
With just a few words, Yu Jinnian coaxed Jiang Bingren into signing the contract.
As Yu Jinnian waved a handkerchief to see him off, Young Master Jiang, clutching a foie gras sandwich gifted by Yu Jinnian, was left standing in the cold wind, looking quite bewildered as if he hadn’t fully grasped what had just happened.
Ji Hong chuckled lightly and said, “Don’t laugh like you’ve pulled off some evil scheme.”
Yu Jinnian slumped over the counter and snorted, “What scheme? If anything, I’m the one at a loss!”
“Yes, yes, you’re at a loss,” Ji Hong shook his head.
Yu Jinnian then went to ‘Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant’ and taught their pastry chefs how to make the gingerbread men, improving the recipe along the way. He particularly emphasized the importance of baking time. ‘Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant’ had a large oven specifically for baking delicate pastries, so these little cookies were produced much more efficiently compared to the method of dry frying in a hot pan!
After two days of experimenting with the flavor, he further instructed the pastry chefs to add almond slices, walnut pieces, raisins, and other small ingredients to the gingerbread men, making the cookies even more delicious and diverse in flavor compared to what was sold at his noodle shop.
At first, Jiang Bingren was wary, thinking that Yu Jinnian might be playing tricks and wouldn’t teach them the real recipe. So, he stayed in the kitchen watching at all times. But after personally tasting the improved versions of the little gingerbread men and the golden bell-shaped cookies, he couldn’t stop praising them and immediately changed his opinion of Yu Jinnian, trusting him a bit more.
Moreover, ‘Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant’ had ample funds. They not only had various bronze molds crafted but also made a small round branding iron, no bigger than a pinky, as Yu Jinnian requested. It had a round bowl shape carved into it like a stamp, representing ‘One Bowl Noodle Shop’, and they stamped it on the back of every little gingerbread man.
Not to be outdone, the Jiang family also had a ‘Chun’ character representing their restaurant crafted and stamped it next to the noodle shop’s bowl mark.
Thus, each little cookie had two stamps on the back, which not only prevented counterfeits but also served as advertising.
Three days later, when ‘Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant’ reopened, the customers saw a new sign on the wall that read “Assorted Cookies with Tea.” Someone ordered a plate to try, and sure enough, the flavor was identical to the ones sold earlier at ‘One Bowl Noodle Shop,’ but with more variety in taste, shape, and color. They even came strung together with thin strings, allowing people to carry them along the street as they walked and ate.
The elder members of the Jiang family were initially displeased, thinking that Jiang Bingren had made a rash decision in his early days of managing the restaurant by partnering with an unknown noodle shop. However, when they saw how well these cookies were selling, they couldn’t say much.
The craze for the golden bell-shaped cookies, which had just quieted down, once again swept through Xinan County.
But no one expected that from then on, the little bowl stamp that Yu Jinnian whimsically created would eventually become a symbol of his unique ‘Yu Jinnian’s creations’ in the future…