Jiang Jiaojiao raised her eyes, "Tell me about it."

"Yes, what good ideas do you have? Tell me quickly."

In front of Jiang Jiaojiao, Su Peng never called Caiyan "Yan'er" as affectionately as he did when they were alone.

Caiyan gave a slight bow to the two across the table, cleared her throat and said, "Every winter, every household stays at home and warms themselves by the fire to get through the winter. It's not the time to set up a stall until March next year."

Su Peng nodded repeatedly, "This girl is right, it snows every year at the end of February."

"But the restaurants and teahouses are not doing business as usual, especially during the Chinese New Year, when many restaurants are full of people."

When talking about restaurants, Juxian Pavilion inevitably comes to mind.

Jiang Jiaojiao frowned slightly, her heart burning with jealousy.

Why is she so successful while I am struggling every step of the way?

Caiyan nodded and said, "What the young mistress said is right. Not only is the restaurant doing business as usual, but even the steamed bun shop is not affected by the wind and rain. That's because their business is indoors and is not affected by the wind and rain."

Caiyan paused for a moment and then said, "Take that barbecue stall on the street over there, for example. Their house faces the street, and the barbecue grill is placed under the eaves."

Customers who buy their skewers don't rush off; they sit in his house, warming themselves by the fire while they eat. Not only are they kept warm, but they can also enjoy a cup of hot tea afterward. Everyone wants to buy skewers from him.

Hearing this, Su Peng's eyes lit up. He looked at Jiang Jiaojiao and said, "Wife, why don't we rent a shop on the street?"

"That would require a lot of money, but we don't have any, so there's no point in talking about it."

Jiang Jiaojiao dared not expect Qin Shi to contribute a single penny.

Su Peng said with great interest, "The shops in the north of the city are much cheaper than those in the east. They won't cost much silver, probably around a hundred taels, which will be enough to buy tables and chairs and hire people."

"Easier said than done, where are we going to get so much money?"

Before Su Peng could even respond, Jiang Jiaojiao quickly said, "Don't expect me to borrow money from my parents' home. Madam Zheng is in charge of the household, and my aunt can't make the decisions. My father is completely disappointed in your family, and he won't lend me a single penny."

Su Peng's gaze shifted to the wardrobe. "Wife, there's no need to go back to your parents' home to borrow money from your father-in-law. Take those jewelry pieces in your makeup box to the pawnshop and we'll redeem them when we make some money."

"No, I only have so much stuff. If I lose it all, life will be even harder." Jiang Jiaojiao refused without even thinking.

Su Peng had finally seen a glimmer of hope, so how could he give up now?

"Don't think I'm blind. Those few pieces of jewelry you own came from my Su family. If you want to argue with your father-in-law, all those pieces of jewelry should be returned to my Su family."

When Su Peng revealed the origin of her jewelry, Jiang Jiaojiao's face turned extremely ugly for a moment.

She argued vehemently, "They were all part of my dowry from my father, so of course they're mine."

Su Peng changed to a gentler tone and continued to persuade, "If you keep it at home, it's just an inanimate object that won't fetch a single penny. Noble ladies in the capital change their jewelry every year, and your style is already outdated."

"My wife, why don't you lend me some money to make some money? Once you've made a fortune, you can wear gold and silver and buy any kind of jewelry you want."

Listening to Su Peng's eloquent explanation, Jiang Jiaojiao began to waver; she also wanted to make money.

She looked at Caiyan, who lowered her eyes. "Young master is right. Although those pieces of jewelry are worth a few dollars, their styles are outdated."

It wouldn't be appropriate for the young mistress to wear it. She'd be better off listening to her son-in-law and expanding the business. If she really can't bear to part with it, she can pawn it and redeem it later with the profits.

Caiyan had never betrayed her, and Jiang Jiaojiao had no one else she could rely on, so Jiang Jiaojiao trusted her quite a bit.

She pondered for a moment and said, "I agree to pawn the jewelry and open a shop. Caiyan should manage the accounts; otherwise, I won't trust anyone else to do so."

Before Su Peng could even grin, Jiang Jiaojiao continued, "I must control the money I earn, and your parents cannot give me any money for any reason."

Su Peng quickly reassured her, "My wife, please rest assured, all the money we earn will be given to you. I will never let my mother interfere in our business."

Caiyan seized the opportunity to suggest, "Young Madam, Zhao Wu is an honest and kind man. Now that we have a shop, we can let him live there permanently. That way, we can delay closing time and we won't have to hire someone to guard the place at night. It's a win-win situation."

Caiyan and Supeng talked back and forth, each with their own plans, and quickly finalized the matter.

Fearing that things might get complicated if he waited too long, Su Peng immediately took the makeup box and went to find a pawnshop.

...

Despite two days of heavy snow, business at Juxian Pavilion did not decrease at all.

With the introduction of new dishes, business has improved even more than before.

Upstairs in a private room, a young man was using tongs to flip the meat on the grill in the middle of the table.

After the roasted meat is cooked, cut it into small pieces with scissors and then place them into the plates in front of the guests.

The young man patiently explained to everyone, "Distinguished guests, please dip the meat in sauce according to your own taste, and then wrap it in lettuce leaves to eat."

Someone tried a bite and exclaimed, "It's great, spicy and refreshing!"

The people at the table picked up the bright green lettuce one after another and started eating it, imitating that person.

"This is really good. This kind of grilled meat is much more elegant than eating skewers on the street. The lettuce is crisp and delicious, with a light sweetness in its fragrance. This way of eating is really unique."

"That's right, this green vegetable called lettuce has never been seen in the capital before."

"That's right, this is the first time I've ever heard of vegetables that can be eaten without cooking. The world's number one restaurant truly lives up to its name."

Seeing that everyone was enjoying the food and praising it, the young man explained to them:

"This lettuce variety was bought by the owner from foreigners. It is very difficult to grow this vegetable in winter. It is grown in a greenhouse and occasionally needs to be heated."

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