Chapter 13: The Battle of Xudu (7) Section 47
Liu Xie saw Cao Cao hesitating, and said: "The general is not to blame for my lion's big mouth, but you have to know that the risk of opening a wine shop is very great. If it can't be turned around in a month, it will be considered bankrupt. I am taking the risk of bankruptcy, which of those big families in Xuchang dare to do this, who are not afraid of losing?"
He would have been more tolerant if he hadn't mentioned those big clans. Now, upon hearing this, Cao Cao was even more infuriated in his heart. Since taking over the state of Yan, he had shown consideration to those powerful families and large clans. Now that he himself was having trouble, they were being hesitant about contributing money, which made him feel that his efforts had been wasted. Although Cao Cao complained like this, as a generation of heroes, how could he act so rashly? He had to weigh the pros and cons. If he followed Liu Xie's method, then the officials' salaries for this month would be resolved. This was the first point. Second, it could intimidate the powerful families, and by helping the Kaiyuan Wine House, the people of the four major families would naturally know about it. It was also an opportunity to warn them, to see if they dared to disobey him again in the future. Cao Cao was happy to do something that would kill two birds with one stone. Moreover, since the emperor had spoken, he wouldn't dare oppose it, so he smiled and said: "Your Majesty's idea is indeed innovative, setting a precedent for the future, but also very practical. I will issue these orders."
Liu Xie saw Cao Cao nod in agreement, and with a smile, he said to Cao Cao: "Very well then. Later, I will have someone send this bag of wooden tallies to the General's mansion!"
Cao Cao bowed his hands and said, "I will take care of this matter now!" After finishing speaking, he retreated while playing with the wooden plaque in his hand. On the back of the plaque was a line of small characters: "Deadline, Jian'an second year nineteen days". Cao Cao was stunned, today is December 18th, thinking about it, he was speechless for a moment.
The next day at noon, the open-source wine house, which had been deserted for several days, suddenly became crowded with people coming and going. All sorts of officials and military officers flocked to it. Liu Yuan stood on the second floor, seeing this scene, he was stunned for a moment.
On the dining table of the wine house, there is a menu with eight dishes, three soups and two wines. Officials who come here only need to show their wooden signboard and can choose four dishes, one soup and one wine at will. The waiter writes it down and then sends it over.
Let's take another look at the kitchen, all eleven large wooden barrels were filled with ready-made dishes, steaming hot, and the waiter would casually pick up a few plates, fill them with a ladle, and take them out to eat. The speed of serving dishes was very fast, almost no need to wait. However, the plates used for serving dishes were the smallest in the store, which was Liu Xie's idea of saving costs. At first, some officials complained that there was not enough food, but after eating, they realized it was just right and didn't waste anything, and gradually got used to it. Of course, there were also those with large appetites, mostly military generals. For this type of customer, the principle of Kaiyuan Restaurant is limited dishes, full rice, because Liu Xie had specifically instructed that every dish must be done well, so the chef was very careful. As a result, over time, Kaiyuan Restaurant's reputation among officials was extremely good.
The waiter brought the dishes, running quickly along the way. Occasionally, he bumped into an official, but also mixed in without a care. In the hall, people's voices were loud and clear, those with similar interests sat at the same table, piling up the dishes in the middle, sharing the delicious food, either engaging in lofty discussions or clapping their hands and laughing loudly. Those who didn't get along would each find another table, keeping a safe distance from each other, yet still getting along peacefully. From afar, the Open Source Wine House looked just like a 21st-century fast-food restaurant.
Liu Yuan stood on the second floor, but his heart was filled with mixed emotions. He was happy that things had turned out this way, and the Liu family would be saved. However, he was worried about the numbers that the shopkeeper calculated every day, which made him feel a pang in his heart. Suddenly, he thought of Liu Xie, whom he hadn't seen since that day. It seemed that he had indeed met a noble person. His initial investment had not been in vain. Thinking of this, Liu Yuan's mouth curled up slightly: "With such good resources, we must make the most of them!"
