Chapter Thirty-Five: Grand Opening

  The next morning, Old Cat arrived at the inn just as Liang Xin and Qu Qingmo were checking out, packing their luggage onto the horse carriage. Old Cat was shocked and rushed over to grab Qu Qingmo, asking breathlessly: "You signed the contract but haven't paid yet, are you trying to run away with our money? Don't think about cheating us..."

  Qu Qingmo and Liang Xin were at a loss for words, repeatedly explaining themselves, while Lao Mao was skeptical but refused to leave their side even half a step along the way.

  The inn was not far from the Qingmo's favorite shop, and Lao Mao was a talkative person. After walking for a while, he approached Liang Xin and said with a mysterious face: "Do you two know? Last night, something big happened in Tongchuan Prefecture! A Xiantian immortal died in the city!"

  Liang Xin smiled and nodded, without saying much.

  Last night, after the flying sword's light flashed by, Liang Xin and Qing Mo rushed to check on it. They saw a middle-aged Taoist lying on his back, with blood filling his mouth and nose, and a deep depression in his chest. He had already died from his injuries. The Taoist's flying sword was also broken into seven or eight pieces. It seemed that the killer first punched and shattered the flying sword, then followed up with another heavy blow, shattering the Taoist's internal organs.

  The two of them hastily examined the corpse, and found that the deceased was an elder of a small sect. According to Qingmo's estimate based on the color of his flying sword, this person's cultivation was at the Haitian boundary, making him a fourth-step cultivator.

  Although the matter was strange, it had nothing to do with them after all. Liang Xin and Qing Mo didn't think much of it after their initial shock.

  Before long, they arrived at the shop. The original owner was also startled and had never seen anyone who set up on the first day and moved away on the second day.

  Liang Xin followed the owner to take a look around the shop, and he was indeed very satisfied. This place is located in the middle section of Tie Xie Street, only three hundred steps away from Tian Ce Gate.

  This shop used to be a teahouse, except for not selling wine, it was no different from a restaurant, with a kitchen, counter, and even tables and chairs all complete. The space was bright and airy, and after partitioning off the elegant seats, they could still fit in over a dozen tables. Almost nothing needed to be changed, as long as they hired some cooks and clerks, went through the formalities with the government office, and put up a new sign, they could open for business.

  Behind the shop is a small courtyard for the owner's residence.

  The two shops on the left and right sides of the tea house have also changed owners recently, and their doors are now closed for renovation. Old Cat couldn't find out what kind of business they were going to operate, only knowing that the new owners of these two shops were also outsiders who had just arrived in Tongchuan.

  The old cat thought he had done a good job with this single business, and smiled at Qingmo and Liangxin to invite credit: "Three new shops will open together, and when the time comes, they will add more popularity. The old man is the first to congratulate you two! Wealth is rolling in!"

  Liáng Xīn handed over twenty-four taels of gold, and exchanged the deed and transfer contract with the teahouse owner. He hung up a whip to celebrate, and the original landlord had already packed up and left. The large cart he hired quickly cleared out the courtyard, and all the tables, chairs, and utensils were given to Liáng Xīn.

  After the old cat helped Liang Xinan settle down, he came up with a piece of paper in his left hand and a pen in his right hand: "The old man is going to handle the signboard and other trivial matters, what's the name of this precious shop..."

  Liang Xin suddenly became spirited, and with a smile said: "The name of the restaurant... every day when I wake up I'm hungry, so let's just call it 'Ri Cuo'!" (Okay, this is the name of a Tianjin restaurant)

  Opening a restaurant looks easy, but in reality, there are many trivial matters to attend to. From the entrance of ingredients and meat, to the chef's tactics and strategies, to the bribery of officials and yamen, even the pricing of menus is a study. Fortunately, there is Lao Mao to take care of everything from front to back, handling all sorts of trivial matters, including helping Liang Xin contact suppliers for meat, vegetables, and wine.

  Putting aside trivial matters, after seven days, everything was ready for the "Daily Fast". Qingmo was in charge of the counter and accounting, while a master chef with his own apprentices helped out in the kitchen. Due to Liang Xinfu's stinginess, he didn't hire any other staff members, so he had to personally deliver dishes...

  And in these seven days, Tongchuan Prefecture was also turbulent, with several cultivators being killed one after another. Each person's death was different, but they all died under heavy blows.

  The worst of them were nailed into the ground like nails!

  These people have different identities, different cultivation levels, and different sects. They seem to be unrelated to each other, just passing by this place, and were suddenly ambushed and killed for no reason.

  In an instant, Tongchuan Prefecture was in an uproar, and many Xiu Zhen Men sects sent their disciples to investigate the murder case.

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  Firecrackers crackled, a joyful atmosphere rose with the blue smoke, Liang Xin's "Ri Zhan" opened for business!

  As expected, Tie Xie Street was bustling with people, and the chef's cooking was passable. In the first few days of opening, although it couldn't be said that every seat was filled, there were still quite a few customers during lunch and dinner hours, with about 70-80% of the seats occupied. Even with Liang Xin's quick hands and feet, he couldn't keep up with the orders, and Qing Mo had to come out from behind the counter to help, muttering under his breath that Liang Xin was stingy and didn't want to hire more staff...

  It's been five days, and business has been getting better and better. Liang Xin was originally worried that the Tian Ce Men would retaliate, but in the past few days, there hasn't been a single movement from them. It seems that Zheng Xiaodao really kept his promise, and Liang Xin completely put down one of his worries. This deal has finally gone smoothly!

  The little gibbon without a tail is much more obedient than its counterparts in the distant Kunlun Mountains. It doesn't cry or make noise, and it follows Liang Xin around, sometimes even running back and forth on the counter as Liang Xin busily serves dishes, looking flustered and pointing to this table and that, like a half-manager.

  A specialty fruit in the north, its taste is similar to watermelon but with a crisper texture, shaped like a sheep's horn, commonly known as "sheep horn crisp". The little heavenly ape especially loves to eat this fruit and got the name of "sheep horn crisp".

  By the sixth day in the afternoon, before the store opened, two customers had already arrived.

  Two people were both tall and thin, walking shoulder to shoulder. The person on the left wore a black hat and a black robe, with a dark face, fine eyebrows and eyes, a flat nose and wide mouth. The person on the right was exactly the opposite, wearing white clothes and a white hat, with a pale face devoid of blood color, eight-shaped eyebrows, drooping eye corners, a high nose bridge, and thin lips that were almost invisible.

  They walk with a light and airy gait; fortunately it was daytime, if they had come out at night, they would have been mistaken for ghosts.

  Liang Xin, having seen the real deal before, was not afraid of a fake one. He smiled and walked up to them: "The shop hasn't opened yet, if you two aren't in a hurry, I'll brew a pot of good tea for you, please take a seat and wait..."

  Before he finished speaking, the two guests each took out one or two silver coins from their pockets and placed them on the counter. 'Bai Wuchang' smiled: "It's going to be busy later, please arrange some wine and dishes that are easy to drink, and have them served."

  Two taels of silver can prepare a decent wine table, Liang Xin hasn't spoken yet, Qu Qingmo is overjoyed: "Quickly invite the two noble guests to sit down and let the kitchen get busy!"

  Before long, seven or eight dishes were served, and Liang Xin busied himself serving the guests and refilling their wine cups. Hei Bai Wuchang, despite his sinister appearance, had a very easy-going temperament, chatting and laughing with Liang Xin, and praising the food to no end.

  Hei Bai was eating when the old cat suddenly walked into the shop, looked at Qing Mo and then Liang Xin, and suddenly bowed deeply to them, saying in a dejected tone: "Two masters, I've made a mistake this time, sorry!" As he spoke, he took out a piece of silver from his pocket and placed it on the counter.

  Five taels, which was exactly the commission he earned when he helped Liang Xin at his pawnshop earlier.

  Liang Xin let out a cry of surprise and hastily walked up to Old Cat, frowning and asking: "What's going on? What happened?"

  The old cat sighed and said: "Our day is done, I'm afraid we can't do it anymore! The commission will be returned in full... In short, the old cat owes you two an apology!"

  Qu Qingmo stomped his foot anxiously behind the counter and shouted: "What's going on? Say it out loud!"

  The old cat let out a deep sigh: "I inquired this morning about the businesses of our neighbors on both sides. The shop to the left is called Bu Zhou, it's a coffin store; the shop to the right is called Gong Jin, it's a paper horse store specializing in incense and sacrificial offerings! Today at noon, they're about to open for business."

  Liáng Xīn was stunned, with coffins on the left and paper horses on the right, squeezed between two funeral shops. What business could there be after this? Not to mention business, it's even hard to sell the shop itself!

  The black and white cat, who was savoring the food and wine, suddenly looked up at the old cat with a smile and said, "You're quite well-informed, old fellow. We thought no one knew about our business before we opened."

  Hei Wu Chang stood up, cupped his hands and said: "I am Zhuang Zhou, the owner of Not Zhou Coffin Shop. My humble shop is located on the left side of Guibao Building. I look forward to your continued patronage."

  Bai Wuchang immediately said: "I am Song Gongjian, I have opened a humble shop next to your esteemed store, let us be more familiar with each other from now on."

  Qu Qingmo gave Liang Xin a look, hinting at him to close the door. Xiu Shuixian was going to take matters into her own hands and beat someone up herself!

  Liang smiled bitterly and intercepted Qu Qingmo, walking to Hei Bai Wuchang's side. Without bothering to make polite conversation, he asked straightforwardly: "You two, I'm closing down this shop. I'll sell it to you at a low price, no need to worry about making a profit, just minimize the loss."

  Bai Wuchang Song Gongjian shook his head, with a sincere expression: "Master has pointed out to us before that my brother and I are eight characters incompatible, opening a shop together is definitely not possible, otherwise disaster will strike, so we chose this kind of left and right adjacent shop layout."

  Liang Xin stamped her foot in anger: "Don't you two get along? You two don't get along with me either!"

  The old cat also recovered some energy at this time, walked over to Hei Bai Wuchang and said: "Old man relying on his age, saying something unpleasant, you two are doing this, it's really a bit too much, our master has just arrived in Tongchuan, all his family property is invested in this daydream..."

  Hei Bai was indifferent, neither angry nor responding, just staring at the old cat, making it clear that no matter what he said, it had nothing to do with them.

  The old cat grew angrier as he spoke, and with a wave of his hand, he sneered: "You smashed my signboard, ruined the business of two bosses, but you also underestimated the face I've accumulated in Tongchuan over the decades. I guarantee that your business will not open!"

  Hei Wu Chang's smile grew even wider as he shook his head at Lao Mao and said, "You don't get a say in this matter."

  The old cat's face was gloomy, his dull eyes almost forming a line, indeed resembling an angry cat. He said sternly, "If you don't believe me, then just wait and see!" Following that, he waved his hand: "Liang Xin, I heard you even beat up the disciples of Tian Ce Men, what are you waiting for..."

  He heard that the boss was skilled in martial arts, so he hastily added two more dishes and quickly ran out of the door. Liang Xin lowered his head and smiled wryly, how could he really use force to fight two ordinary people?

  Hei Wu Chang didn't go far, walking to the door, seeing no one chasing after him, he let out a sigh of relief and slowed down his pace. He turned back with a smile and said: "I've opened my business in Tongchuan, naturally I have my own reasons. As for you all, if there's no wealth to be found in Tongchuan, why not try your luck elsewhere? That's all I have to say, farewell!" After finishing speaking, he took one last look at the table of food and wine that hadn't been touched, and walked away lightly.