Chapter Sixteen: The Business Opens

  "Everyone, seniors and fellow villagers, I want to open a restaurant to supplement my family's income. From now on, please take care of me, neighbors."

  The next day at noon, in the elegant room of Zhenxing Building, Wang Tong stood up and raised his cup, saying.

  His face still had a youthful appearance, but his speech and demeanor were old-fashioned. The owners of the various shops in their thirties and forties found this amusing, but they didn't dare laugh and instead stood up to politely respond:

  "We're all neighbors, no need for you to be so polite, Master Wang."

  When Wang Tong said this, he saw that Xia Zhanggui's face changed suddenly. If he opened a restaurant himself, wouldn't that be snatching business from Zhenxing Building?

  As expected, Xia Zhanggui hesitated for a moment and said as politely as possible:

  "Lord Wang, our Zhēn Xīng Building's east master is the cousin of Shun Tian Fu Prefecture Magistrate, although he doesn't often come to this side..."

  The words are humble and hesitant, but the meaning is not so. The back of our building is not simple, Lord Wang, if you want to rush into business, you'd better weigh it carefully.

  "Xia Zhāngguì must be worried that I'm stealing business from this side!"

  Wang Tong bluntly said it out, a few people sitting on the side couldn't help but burst into laughter, this guy is really just a kid, whatever he wants to say, he says. Wang Tong ignored Xia Zhanggui's embarrassed expression and smiled, saying:

  "How much silver is this table of wine and food?"

  "We're all family here, just calculating the labor cost, adding the wine would be about six taels of silver."

  "Xia Zhanggui, Wang Mou opened that restaurant does not sell wine, no tables for more than four people, the price of dishes is not higher than one hundred coins, does not receive red and white events, does not package the scene."

  As soon as he said that, Xia Zhanggui's expression relaxed a bit, but there was still a hesitant look on his face. Wang Tong smiled and continued to speak:

  "Wang, although young in years, has always been mindful of his actions. I make a vow here and now: if the restaurant does not do as I have said today, then Wang will resign from his position in the Brocade Guard and move out of South Street."

  The words were heavy, and the crowd in the room stopped smiling, but Xia Zhang's face relaxed, his face awkward, he had just used his backstage to suppress others, now he was a little embarrassed, not knowing what to say.

  No wine is sold, no banquet is accepted, and dishes over 100 cents are not sold. This has nothing to do with the prosperity of the building, but people with money have their own chefs, and those without won't be particular about it. What business can such a small restaurant have? This was what Xia Zhang thought in his mind, but what he said was:

  "Since Master Wang is also entering this line of work, if there's anything you need help with, feel free to ask me, I'll be your advisor."

  Wang Tong faintly said "thank you", looking at the other person's awkward smile while rubbing his hands, no matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem sincere.

  Many people are waiting with a playful attitude for Wang Tong's restaurant to open, but it will take at least until the twelfth month of the lunar year to finish decorating the storefront. In the twelfth month, everyone is busy with the New Year preparations, who would go to a place that sells ordinary food for common people?

  It was unexpected that on the fifth day of Wang Tong's banquet, it opened on November 5th.

  In the southern part of the capital city, Nanjie is a small hub where people come and go every day. Those who can afford to stroll around and shop here are generally well-off.

  On Ke Nan Street, the only decent place to eat is Zhen Xing Lou. Having a wealthy family background doesn't mean one can casually enter a restaurant to spend money, but those small vendors on the street carrying bamboo baskets selling food, people who are slightly particular either think the taste is rough or not very hygienic.

  The south street is closer to the imperial city, and many houses were built in the past few decades. The people who stroll around live far away from here, and it's really hard for their legs to walk back home with an empty stomach.

  It was approaching noon, and at both ends of Nan Street, several men stood, each holding a stack of paper. Whenever they saw a decently dressed man between the ages of 20 and 50, they would thrust the papers into his hands while smiling broadly and introducing themselves loudly.

  "Delicious Food Hall is now open for business. Ten cents will fill you up, twenty cents will treat you well. Clean and trustworthy, please come and give us a try."

  The paper was just ordinary yellow paper, with simple sketches of dishes drawn on it, and almost no text. It wasn't until the men at several intersections started shouting and distributing the papers that the entire street began to fill with the aroma of food.

  At this time, everyone's stomach was a little hungry. The aroma of the dishes and the freshness of the paper slips and shouting made them decide to take a look around since they were just out for a stroll with nothing better to do.

  Zhengxing Building does not receive individual guests. The various guests who come and go to enjoy the whole table of wine and dishes all pay attention to their image. If the flavor of the kitchen's dishes is too overwhelming, it will definitely cause people to feel disgusted. His kitchen has made special arrangements to prevent the flavor from being too overwhelming. As for the cooking scale of the residents, it is too small.

  So the south street had never had such a strong food aroma, many people who took paper strips and started out of curiosity to take a look, walked and walked, and their stomachs were growling, their footsteps quickening.

  The man handing out flyers at the intersection just pointed in a general direction. Some people were worried they wouldn't be able to find the place, but after walking a few steps, they suddenly burst out laughing.

  On the side of South Street, a wooden pole stood tall, with a flag fluttering on top. On it was a simple drawing of dishes, exactly like the ones on the yellow paper, and the more you looked at it, the more eye-catching it became.

  After walking over, the bamboo pole canopy that had been surrounded by days before had disappeared, leaving only a brand new and spacious door face. Unlike other places, the kitchen of this "Delicious House" was actually set up on the street side, with windows made of railings. Although it was cold and windy, people outside could see clearly.

  It is often said that "a gentleman keeps a distance from the kitchen", and in reality, there are also people who can't eat if they see the cooking process. The dirtiness and chaos of the kitchen is a common understanding among everyone.

  But the kitchen of this restaurant is cleaner than many people's living rooms, with several women wearing white aprons busy wiping and cleaning.

  The pots on the stove were emitting a thick, hot air. In this position, the aroma of the dishes was even more intense. At the entrance, a quick-witted young servant was constantly inviting guests to come in.

  Outside the door, on the right-hand side of the entrance, there was also a stove. On the stove were two large steamer baskets with their lids open. One basket had several big bowls of dishes arranged on it, and the other one was filled with rice.

  Steam is constantly coming out below, apparently to keep the dishes warm. Two robust women are constantly sweeping and wiping in the store, making this dining place even cleaner and more tidy.

  The customer buys several wooden tablets and hands them over to the two attendants in front of the counter. The waiter, according to the color and number of the wooden tablets, puts the dishes into bowls and plates, and carries a square wooden tray to your table.

  In this cold winter, the dishes are nothing but radish and cabbage, but one look can tell that they were made with care, not those careless clear broth stews.

  What's even more impressive are the two meat dishes, one is the sweet and sour pork balls that smell appetizing, and the other is the braised pork belly in a savory sauce.

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