The sales of crayfish had noticeably declined after several days of fermentation.
However, Zhang Tianxing was not flustered at all. Nothing goes smoothly, especially when he had eagerly entered the crayfish industry.
Unexpected problems were bound to arise, so he would tackle them one by one.
Gao Tianming complained to Zhang Tianxing, "Tianxing, these past two days have been bad. Our business is getting worse day by day, and we're about to hit a new low."
Zhang Tianxing said calmly, "We sell out our grilled meat and crayfish every day. That's enough. How much more do you want to sell?"
"We used to sell five hundred catties of crayfish a night not too long ago, and now we only sell three hundred catties," Gao Tianming said, a bit impatient.
Whenever Zhang Tianxing had free time these past couple of days, he would sketch and write in his notebook. Sometimes, he would even ask Gao Tianming to help stir-fry the crayfish.
Gao Tianming, a promising new-era university student, had never suffered such indignities at home. This crayfish shop had seen many of his firsts.
Suddenly, Zhang Tianxing looked up and said to Gao Tianming, "Right, Tianming, remember you have a camera at home? Bring it tomorrow, along with two or three rolls of film. I need to take pictures."
Gao Tianming was almost beside himself. At this critical juncture for the crayfish shop, he was being asked to bring a camera to take photos the next morning. What was he thinking?
Although he wasn't short of money, he was doing this for Li Fang and Zhu Dayong. If they couldn't earn enough for tuition, they wouldn't be able to attend university, no matter how well they scored.
But what was Zhang Tianxing so busy with? Didn't he want to earn more money?
Suddenly, Gao Tianming seemed to recall something. In the past, mornings were for deliveries. Was he not delivering tomorrow?
Seeing Gao Tianming's confused gaze, Zhang Tianxing explained, "Tomorrow, Zhu Dayong and Li Fang will handle the deliveries. You, me, and Wen Qing will meet at the shop at eight o'clock for something important."
"How important is it? You want me here at eight in the morning when we finish work at three in the morning? You're going to kill me!"
"Wen Qing is also coming at that time. If you trust me and Wen Qing being together, you don't have to come. Oh, and Wen Qing seems to have a camera too," Zhang Tianxing said with a smile.
"You... Fine, I'll be here at eight. I'll bring the camera, Zhang Tianxing, don't push it."
Zhang Tianxing ignored Gao Tianming and continued to write and draw in his notebook.
Gao Tianming's curiosity was piqued. He stood up and took a look.
It turned out Zhang Tianxing was writing recipes. No, the sales of crayfish were poor, what did recipes have to do with it?
Gao Tianming couldn't understand, nor could he understand the connection between recipes and cameras.
"Wen Qing, Zhang Tianxing has been acting strangely these past two days. He's writing recipes and asked me to bring a camera tomorrow to take photos. What does he want to do?"
"Tianming, I don't know what Zhang Tianxing is thinking either. I think of crayfish as Zhang Tianxing's child, and he would never allow his child to die. He will definitely find a way to turn things around for the crayfish."
"Haven't you asked your father?"
"It's a business matter. How can I say it? You can't force people to buy crayfish. How much they sell is a market behavior, and the government doesn't interfere with the market."
...
At eight o'clock the next morning, Wen Qing and Gao Tianming arrived at the shop.
They were both stunned by the scene before them. Zhang Tianxing had prepared about four hundred catties of crayfish.
Most of them were already processed.
Zhang Tianxing looked back at them and smiled.
"You're here just in time. I'll prepare the dishes according to the recipes, and you two will be responsible for photographing the cooked dishes."
Wen Qing asked confusedly, "What are you taking pictures of? And what are you planning to do with so many crayfish?"
Zhang Tianxing tapped his forehead, "I forgot to tell you. I plan to publish a book, a complete guide to making crayfish. I've already written the recipes, and all I need are the photos."
Wen Qing's eyes widened. What, Zhang Tianxing was going to publish a book, a complete guide to making crayfish?
This news completely overwhelmed Gao Tianming. It wasn't that he didn't understand, it was just that the world changed too quickly.
Classmates who were studying together had now become bosses selling crayfish. And they weren't selling crayfish properly, only to find out he was going to publish a book.
What was all this about? It was utterly absurd, beyond comprehension.
"This is very important. The sales of crayfish have plummeted due to a piece of news, which shows that our crayfish has not formed its own culture, nor does it have loyal fans."
"What are fans?" Wen Qing asked, puzzled. This Zhang Tianxing always used strange words.
"Oh, it means fans," Zhang Tianxing explained, forgetting that the term "fans" hadn't yet entered common usage in this era.
Zhang Tianxing began to get busy. For this complete guide to making crayfish, he had invested quite a bit.
Costs, plus seasonings, labor, and effort.
It was fortunate that business was slow these days. If business were busy, he wouldn't have the time for this.
Wen Qing and Gao Tianming carefully chose their angles, transforming into cameramen, capturing the artistry of the cuisine.
Seeing them haphazardly shooting, Zhang Tianxing said, "Don't shoot randomly. Two shots per dish are enough: one of it in the pot, and one on the plate. Shooting too much wastes film."
Hmph, stingy, Wen Qing retorted unhappily.
It had to be said that Zhang Tianxing's culinary skills were top-notch.
Braised Crayfish, Spicy Crayfish, Mala Crayfish, Thirteen Spice Crayfish, Garlic Butter Crayfish, Milky Cheese Baked Crayfish, Steamed Crayfish, Tea Baked Crayfish, Oil-Braised Crayfish, Finger-Licking Spicy Shrimp Tails...
This array of dishes left both of them dazzled.
They had never imagined that there were so many ways to prepare crayfish.
It was no exaggeration to say that the color, aroma, and taste of each dish were incredibly enticing.
Gao Tianming looked at Zhang Tianxing in astonishment and said excitedly, "Tianxing, I take back what you said before. You are truly a genius, a culinary genius! I never expected that crayfish could be made in so many ways by you."
Wen Qing was also astonished. Such a variety of crayfish with distinct flavors had made a huge impact on her. What kind of person could come up with so many methods?
In fact, having many methods wasn't the key. The crucial part was that after tasting them, they felt there were only two words to describe it: delicious, and four words: extremely delicious.
They tried to use more words to describe the deliciousness of the crayfish, but found that the taste was indescribably good. These two were completely conquered by the crayfish.
The name "Finger-Licking Spicy Shrimp Tails" was so accurate; they were already licking their fingers.
Zhang Tianxing let out a sigh of relief. The complete guide to making crayfish was finished. Now, all that was left was printing.