Chapter 121: Ice and Fire

"People in Beijing always like to follow trends, but in a few days, they will calm down. You better quickly research the new recipe. We need to launch a new product before Tongyuan Building does, in order to attract more customers and regain our advantage." While Yu Wanwan appeared calm on the surface, her heart was in chaos. Note: The "@"symbol is not commonly used in English in this context, so it is not included in the translation.

虽然这养容堂她只占三成份额，晴柔才是大东家，但她也砸了不少银子进去，父亲母亲都不支持，母亲经不住她一再央求，拍胸脯保证，绝对不会亏，母亲才拿了体己出来给她当本钱。

Yeah! She and Qingrou both naively believed that as long as the restaurant opened, money would flow into their pockets like running water, and they could also undermine Lin Yannan's Tongyuan Restaurant, killing two birds with one stone.

The actual situation is completely different from what they expected. In order to open the restaurant as soon as possible, they completely ignored the initial investment and just wanted it to be done quickly. They even spent 12,000 yuan to buy the recipe and offered three days of free service before opening to attract customers.

Tens of thousands of taels of money disappeared like water, making her heart and flesh ache.

Just as they saw the return on investment, a piece of terrible news arrived: Lin Yannan was about to introduce a new formula, and they had to spend another six thousand taels to buy it.

However, before the new product was even launched, Lin Yanyan received praise from the Empress Dowager, effortlessly attracting all the customers she had managed to gather.

It's frustrating to think about it. When it was free to eat, one by one, they all said they would fully support Yangrong Hall. But what happened? As soon as Lin Yanyan gained power, they immediately went to flatter her, a bunch of unfamiliar and ungrateful people.

Yu Wanwan is in a desperate situation, but she can only pin her hopes on a new formula and must launch it before the rival building.

If this continues, she will end up losing everything and won't be able to explain to her mother. Translated content:

Wang Kuer said, "Don't worry, I will do it as soon as possible."

Wang Kuer plunged into the kitchen and studied the new recipe with the head chef.

"Hawthorn lotus leaf soup, winter melon lotus leaf soup, stewed pork slices with red amaranth, turtle soup with poria cocos, bamboo fungus and mushroom soup... Although it aligns with the principle of light and healthy diet for summer, this recipe seems too plain and ordinary..." Wang Kuer finished reading the new recipe with doubts in her heart.

Then I went to find Miss Yu Wanwan again.

“余小姐，林晏晏写的新配方我瞧着太素淡了，我担心照这配方做，吸引不了客人，还不如老配方的菜式精致，荤素搭配更合理。”

Yu Wanwan said, "If others change but we don't, do we still have a way out? Now everyone believes in Lin Yanyan and thinks that the medicinal cuisine she offers must be the best. Even if you come up with a more reasonable and delicious recipe than hers, everyone will still prefer her, right? Besides, you can't come up with a good recipe. Whether it's plain or flavorful, just follow the instructions."

王可儿讪讪，本想着来了养容堂，她可以跟林晏晏一争高下，最近她可是花了不少心思研究药膳，结果林晏晏沾了她师父的光得了太后夸奖，便有人开始称林晏晏为大盛药膳第一人。这名头打出去，她还怎么跟林晏晏比？再多努力也是白费。

Forget it, forget it. She's just taking the money and doing her job, no need to bother with it. Anyway, she won't bear any losses.

Wang Keh Er took the recipe and went back to the kitchen, obediently following the instructions to cook.

养容堂里冷冷清清，同源楼里却是人满为患，这对比简直就是冰火两重天。

“小姐，几乎每张桌子都翻了三台，照这样下去，不到晚饭，咱们备的食材就都用光了，这会儿再去集市买也不新鲜。”柳先生发愁。

I don't have to worry about having no business, I'm just worried that my business is too good.

If I had known, I should have prepared more ingredients today.

Lin Yannan thought for a moment: "Go and get the notice we printed before, and also bring the stamp of Tongyuan Building."

Mr. Liu went to get the things Lin Yannan wanted. Lin Yannan asked, "How many more tables can we make with our ingredients?"

"I asked the kitchen, and we can make up to twelve more tables at most, but some dishes no longer have ingredients."

林晏晏点点头，在告知书上写下数字，并做上独特的记号，再让锦心在记号上盖上同源楼的印章。

After a while, Lin Yannan wrote sixty copies of the documents.

"Mr. Liu, please take another twelve tables and have someone distribute these to the guests at the tables. With this ticket, they can come back tomorrow. The first thirty numbers will be for lunch, and the next thirty numbers will be for dinner. Expired tickets will not be accepted."

Our primary principle at Tongyuanlou is to ensure quality. We cannot compromise on quality just because business is booming. Today is a special circumstance. From now on, we will serve a maximum of fifty tables per day at Tongyuanlou, and reservations must be made in advance. Please post a notice to inform everyone.

Mr. Liu regarded her with admiration. The young lady had a great insight into business management and didn't seek immediate benefits. She knew that having a good reputation is the foundation for success.

"Alright, I'll go take care of it right away."

"If that's the case, can't we finish work early today?" Jinxin felt regretful. There are so many customers outside, and they are all money, shiny money.

"Everyone has been working non-stop for most of the day without even taking a break. It's only fair that we rest early."

"However, these people went out to eat but couldn't find any food. Would they possibly go to Yongrong Hall?"

Lin Yannan smiled lightly: "Their legs are attached to their bodies, so they can go wherever they want. We can't stop them, can we?"

她这边收不完的客人才跑去养容堂，就晴柔那高傲的性子，即便是赚了钱也不会高兴的。

锦心心说：可到底是咱们不收硬生生推到养容堂去的。

想到养容堂在背后干的缺德事儿，锦心一个客人都不想放给养容堂，毕竟京城里做药膳的就这么两家，想吃药膳不是这家就是那家。

“要不，我去养容堂那边瞧瞧？”封花就喜欢凑热闹，去看看养容堂的倒霉样也很有意思。

“我待会儿要做新菜品，你确定要去？”

Feng Hua immediately shook her head and said, "I'll help you taste the new dishes."

Feng Hua didn't go to Yang Rong Tang, but Mr. Liu sent someone there. The employee came back and reported that there weren't many customers at Yang Rong Tang, but they had put up a notice. They will launch a new recipe suitable for summer health tomorrow, and there will be a 20% discount on the new dish as a reward for customers.

Mr. Liu sneered, impressed by how quickly the other person fell into Miss's trap.

"Mr. Liu, when should we also promote a new formula? Don't let others steal the limelight." The assistant expressed his concern.

Mr. Liu was not convinced: "Don't worry, our Miss Lin's popularity is not so easily overshadowed."

Nowadays, the name Lin Yanyan is a valuable brand. Your efforts in the Rongrong Hall are in vain, and you will only lose more money in the process.

He really wants to see how long Yong Rong Tang can hold on.