Chapter Thirteen: New Store Opening

  Today, I still got up early and felt great. After practicing Tai Chi and having breakfast, I came to the wine house again. As soon as I walked in, I saw a group of people working hard. The layout of the hall and second floor had been changed, but nothing else was different. And the third floor was also completed. Li Jiancheng only told them the general direction, but now every room is decorated perfectly by them, with 12 private rooms having 12 different decorations. It seems they have put in a lot of effort.

  Here is the translation:

  First, there was the Golden Mouse private room. On the door of the private room was a gold-embroidered portrait of a golden mouse, which looked incredibly lifelike. The same was true for the portraits in the other eleven private rooms, each capturing the essence of its subject: the mouse like an assassin in the dark, the cow like diligent people, and the tiger like a domineering ruler. Each painting perfectly revealed the nature of the zodiac animal without affecting one's mood.

  Upon opening the door, the first thing that caught my eye was the jade beaded curtain hanging from the ceiling. The beads were all the same size, with a smooth and transparent color that sparkled in front of me. Next was a magnificent table in the center of the room, surrounded by 12 chairs. Upon closer inspection, I was even more surprised to find that the table and chairs were made of solid nanmu wood, which is as valuable as gold. Moreover, each chair was covered with fox fur, making it extremely comfortable to sit on. The entire room looked simple yet bright.

  This arrangement left me very satisfied. What is a market? A client's demand is our market. Then I went to the other rooms one by one and found that their arrangements were all different, but each one made my eyes light up.

  "Haha, you've all done a great job. If the money isn't enough, just come to me for more. Don't worry about spending it, we must create a top-notch restaurant." Li Jiancheng said with grandeur and confidence, his words causing the people around him to burst out laughing at his young age.

  "Cough, cough..." covering up his own embarrassment, "The five VIP rooms on the fourth floor must be decorated more perfectly than those on the third floor. However, the decoration of the fourth floor should not be too luxurious, but rather rich in connotation, and don't make us look like landlords." After saying this, he left the rest to them to think about.

  Here is the translation:

  Upon arriving at the large hall next door, Li Jiancheng asked for paper and pen to write down the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast he had seen online in his previous life. He then let He Niang and others prepare it. Although he was alone in his previous life and solved his own meals, there was still a certain gap compared to professional chefs.

  Li Jiancheng had already thought about it: the first floor hall could only serve 12 dishes from the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast, the second floor could only serve 18 dishes, the third floor could serve up to 28 dishes, and the fourth floor's plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum rooms could only serve 48 dishes. Only the "Water Curtain Cave" could serve the most, of course not all 108 dishes. Some things were still in the grasslands, now led by some minority groups.

  As for the amount of food served to you, it depends on what you choose. Of course, some more difficult and precious dishes will not appear on the first and second floors. So now these people are still not enough, it seems that we need to find some master chefs. Do you think eating a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast is so simple? The Qing dynasty emperors used national power to eat a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast, and local officials would spare no effort to flatter the emperor.

  Of course, the money spent was also considerable. Li Jiancheng remembered that he had seen a report saying that eating a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast once cost thousands of silver taels. Can you afford it?

  The varieties of Manchu Han Imperial Feast are numerous, and Li Jiancheng can only roughly divide them into categories. First, there is the dessert category: Longfeng Mojin Cuanhe Longpanzhu, Sihao Gan Guo, Hupi Huasheng, Guaiwei Da Bian, Nai Bai Putao, Xue Shan Mei, Si Tian Mi Gao, Mi Gao Pingguo, Mi Gao Guilan, Mi Gao Xian Tao, Mi Gao Qingmei, etc. Then there is the soup category: Yipin Guanyan, Longjing Zhugeng Tang, Changbai Lutang Tang, etc. Next is the dish category: Wanzi Shanhudai Bai Cai, Shouzi Wu Xiang Da Xia, Wuzi Yan Shui Niurou, Jiangzi Hong You Baile, of course, things like bear paws, dragon liver, and phoenix gallbladder can't be found so they have to be replaced with something else. Then there is the fruit category: Ying Shi Shuiguo Pinpan; and the sauce dish category: Guihua La Jjiang Cai, Zixiang Gan, Shexiang Cai, Xiao You Huanggua, etc. After writing for a while, it seems like most of what they had in their past life has been written down, but there's nothing that can be done about what they didn't have. Taking out a few pieces of paper and rewriting everything again, this time making sure to include the cooking methods, which dishes are not allowed to appear on the first and second floors, etc. After writing for almost two hours, most of it has been written down, but as for the specifics, that's something they'll have to figure out themselves. If he had to write down every step of each dish, he'd probably drop dead or lose a few years off his life, after all, they're opening a restaurant to make money, not to raise an emperor, no need to be so meticulous. Wiping his hands and rubbing his eyes, he's gotten a bit tired from working for so long.

  "The construction is complete, the iron plaque and jade plaque have been delivered, they're calling you to receive them." Madam Qin, also known as Aunt He, came in to call me.

  "Got it, I'll go right away." Li Jiancheng responded, "Oh, and the menu on the table was written by me. Take it with you and have them study it together. Remember that the dishes on the left page are only available on the third and fourth floors."

  "Wow! So many dishes, some of which I've never even heard of." Aunt He exclaimed.

  Before leaving, Li Jiancheng thought of something else, "Also, these recipes must not be lost, otherwise it will be a great loss for us."

  "Alright! I know what to do." After hearing her words, Li Jiancheng left, and with her abilities, she wouldn't let people down.

  "Sir, this is your item, please check it." The two shop assistants handed the receipt to Li Jiancheng. He took a close look and found no problem, so he gave them the remaining payment and let them go.

  "Yeh auntie, trouble you to send these to the Dugu Mansion, Li Mansion, Yuwen Mansion, Yang General's Mansion..." Li Jiancheng said in one breath twenty households, then handed her the cards marked eleven to thirty. "Just tell them that our store is newly opened and give them their gold VIP card. When we open tomorrow, let them come and support us if they have time, if not, don't force it." Because Li Jiancheng saw that the fourth floor was still not decorated, he would decorate again tomorrow, and then could directly open the next day. If delayed further, customers would also scatter away. Then Yeh auntie took the iron card and left.

  When she came back, the VIP cards had already been sent out. However, she also said that those guards seemed to be in a hurry. Li Jiancheng smiled and told her not to mind, saying that they would come crying to ask for higher-level jade cards later on.

  When I arrived at the hall, it seemed that the sun was about to set. After asking the time, it turned out that it was already past 4 pm. He Yini and Li Yini also told me that all four rooms on the fourth floor have been arranged, except for one "Water Curtain Cave" which is still under consideration. Li Jiancheng told them not to rush, as there was still a day left tomorrow. After Xie Yini arrived and said she had distilled 10 pots of wine, Li Jiancheng bid farewell to them and went home.

  Back home, everything was as usual. The next morning, Li Jiancheng rushed to the wine building again. Upon arriving at the fourth floor, he found that it was indeed not bad. Each door had four large characters "Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju" which were beautifully arranged but did not show off wealth. Everything seemed so poetic and picturesque. When entering, it was even more wonderful. The two rooms combined to make the space seem more spacious, with a slightly higher performance stage and various indoor potted landscapes that blended perfectly together. He then talked about the setup of "Water Curtain Cave" from Journey to the West, which immediately sparked their interest. Finally, after they all thought about it together, the setup was completed. Although the actual setup wasn't exactly as he described, it was already quite good. The entire "Water Curtain Cave" looked like it had a rich mountain and water atmosphere. From a modern perspective, it was absolutely perfect!

  To celebrate the completion of the new store's setup, Li Jiancheng took them to a restaurant for a big meal in the afternoon. During this time, they again mentioned that there were not enough chefs, and Ye Ji said a few more people who were also descendants of royal chefs. They were dedicated to studying recipes and didn't know if they would come to help. Finally, when Li Jiancheng took out one of the dishes from the Man Han Quan Xi menu, he agreed to work at his restaurant. After finishing dinner, they went back to check if there was anything missing, and the original partners had also returned from their vacation. Seeing the newly renovated restaurant, they were all surprised beyond compare. Finally, Li Jiancheng asked them to come early tomorrow and left. Previously, in order to promote the restaurant, many advertisements had been sent out, so it's just a matter of waiting for the effect tomorrow. Returning home, there was nothing much to do, but his mother said that a certain restaurant had opened and sent over a VIP iron plaque as a gift. She seemed to want to go very much in her words, and finally agreed to go under his father's agreement, as well as Li Shimin and Li Yuanji's persuasion. Li Jiancheng was secretly laughing on the side.

  The next day, the sun was exceptionally bright and beautiful. Li Jiancheng finally welcomed the opening moment of the first wine house he had traveled to in the Tang Dynasty.