This courtyard is the office of Zhuang Xiaofei’s company.

It’s also a functioning agritainment business.

When Jiang Tao and Liu Zhiyuan arrived, several canopies had already been set up in the courtyard.

Three tables of guests were dining amidst laughter and conversation, creating a very joyous atmosphere.

Jiang Tao glanced around and noticed that all three tables had plenty of grilled meat on their stainless steel trays.

The tender lamb was grilled to a crispy red hue.

A gentle breeze carried the drool-inducing aroma of the meat from afar.

To put it plainly, the grilling skills of Zhuang Xiaofei’s company are truly extraordinary.

At least until yesterday, Jiang Tao had never tasted such delicious grilled meat from a clay oven.

Even without optimization analysis from Brother Tongzi, these skills were already quite exceptional.

"Hey, President Chen, I’m definitely free whenever you ask!"

"Still two whole ones, right? Where to this time?"

"Qingfeng Gorge Scenic Area, right? Alright, I’ll have someone over within the hour to grill for you on-site."

"Thank you for your business, okay, bye-bye."

Zhuang Xiaofei led Jiang Tao and Liu Zhiyuan to the reception room along the way.

In just a minute, he received two phone calls for whole grilled lamb reservations, totaling five lambs sold.

That’s indeed a roaring business.

After inviting Jiang Tao and Liu Zhiyuan into the reception room, Zhuang Xiaofei had employees serve tea, pour water, and wash fruit.

He also brought in a plate of freshly grilled clay oven meat.

Zhuang Xiaofei cheerfully greeted the two:

"President Jiang, Zhiquan, here’s something fresh for you to try."

"This is black pork grilled today, the taste is really good, give it a try."

"Is this black pork? No wonder it smells so fragrant the moment it was brought in!"

"Brother Jiang, you first, don’t stand on ceremony with Xiao Fei, visiting here is like visiting my own home, we’re like blood brothers!"

Liu Zhiyuan felt truly at home at Zhuang Xiaofei’s, showing no formality at all. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

While speaking, he first picked up a skewer full of black pork and handed it to Jiang Tao.

"The color and aroma are excellent, the taste surely won’t disappoint either."

Jiang Tao chuckled and praised before reaching out to take the skewer from Liu Zhiyuan and biting off a piece to chew.

"Tender, flavorful, the aroma is overwhelming, this taste is really good! No wonder business is booming for Xiao Fei."

After finishing a piece of black pork, Jiang Tao raised a thumb with a smile towards Zhuang Xiaofei in praise.

"If Brother Jiang likes it, I’ll pack some for you to take home later."

"If it cools down at home, wrap it in foil and warm it briefly in the microwave, the flavor won’t change much."

Zhuang Xiaofei said courteously with a grin to Jiang Tao.

He wanted to make more friends like Jiang Tao, who were empowered.

As the saying goes, having more friends makes the journey easier.

The initial business at Zhuang Xiaofei’s clay oven grilled whole lamb wasn’t as booming as it is now.

Reaching today’s bustling state was thanks to their impressive grilling skills and the connections he had made.

Zhuang Xiaofei’s clay oven grilled whole lamb first gained momentum through word-of-mouth advertising among customers.

The three of them chatted and laughed, quickly finishing off a plate of grilled meat.

When Zhuang Xiaofei asked an employee to bring another plate, Jiang Tao stopped him.

He wasn’t here just for the grilled meat today; he had some serious business to discuss.

"Xiao Fei, we’ve known each other for years, so I won’t beat around the bush; I’ll just say it straight."

"Brother Jiang plans to open a chain of self-service grill restaurants in Beijing."

"After tasting your grilled clay oven lamb yesterday, Brother Jiang couldn’t stop praising your grilling skills."

"He wants to use our grilled clay oven lamb as a key attraction for the grill restaurant."

"So we came today to ask if you are willing to sell your techniques."

"Of course, we don’t intend to take your skills for nothing; if you’re willing to sell, just name your price."

After some casual chat, Liu Zhiyuan straightforwardly revealed the purpose of their visit with Jiang Tao.

After hearing Liu Zhiyuan’s words, Zhuang Xiaofei wasn’t very surprised.

Evidently, he had speculated about the sudden visit of Jiang Tao and Liu Zhiyuan today.

While listening to Liu Zhiyuan’s explanation, Zhuang Xiaofei was calculating in his head.

The clay oven grilling technique essentially came down to a recipe.

Mastery over the ingredients and grilling heat was easily learned.

This secret recipe, to put it simply, was like a thin window paper, easily pierced.

But if no one helps pierce this window paper, it’s quite challenging to recreate the exact flavor through experimentation.

Zhuang Xiaofei’s family’s secret dry rub involved over 20 different spices.

And each spice’s gram amount had a strict ratio.

If the ratio of even one spice was wrong, the flavor would noticeably change.

If two or three of the spices had their ratios wrong simultaneously,

the end result would taste entirely different from the original grilled clay oven lamb.

"We don’t mind selling our technique; last year, my dad sold a set, but regarding the price..."

Zhuang Xiaofei glanced at Jiang Tao and Liu Zhiyuan, not harboring the sentiment of "hoarding" his family’s grilling recipe.

The national market is vast; capturing just the Ping County area was enough to keep him busy.

Buying the recipe was to open a grill restaurant in Beijing, hundreds of kilometers away.

Even if he sold the recipe to Jiang Tao, it would not affect his business in the slightest.

In addition, he could earn a technical transfer fee and make a powerful friend in the process.