"Whatever choice you make, sir, I am willing to follow you."

Dan Qiu held his sword in his right hand, then suddenly knelt on one knee, the scabbard striking the ground with a dull thud.

The night in Yingzhou was exceptionally long.

The pigeon landed silently on the window frame, fluttering its wings.

After finishing her accounts, Sun Miao'er fell asleep on the table. When she woke up, she saw this scene: the man took the secret letter from the pigeon's leg, glanced at it hastily, and then the letter turned to ashes in the brazier.

"Is Master leaving?" She already knew the answer in her heart; they were destined to be apart most of the time.

Although her master unexpectedly returned to spend a few days with her, she still felt that those few days were far from enough, out of selfishness.

It was raining outside the window again, and tiny flames leaped up from the brazier, disappearing in an instant.

Fu Yuchi didn't expect her to wake up suddenly, but fortunately he concealed his feelings very well and didn't show the slightest bit of guilt. "No."

"I'd like to wait until your shop opens before leaving, in case I need your help someday."

Sun Miao'er rubbed her forehead, her shoulders and neck aching from sleeping on the table. "If Master really has something important to do, don't delay."

"No, not really, I just wanted to try your burgers again."

Not wanting to delay Fu Yuchi's time, Sun Miao'er took the money and went to sign the shop contract the next day.

The cloth shop was handed over to Sun Caiping to manage, while she focused all her attention on the snack shop.

In addition to hamburgers, she also made fries and sold them as a side dish with chicken nuggets.

The opening day was a big event. Xiaoman and Xiaoning, along with the other children from the private school, ran all over the streets and alleys of Pingnan City, distributing hundreds of "flyers" made by Sun Miaoer herself.

Because Pingting Cloth Shop had never officially opened, Sun Miao'er always felt regretful, so she put a lot of effort into opening her own snack shop.

The entrance was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, and firecrackers, so loud that they could be heard from three miles away. Not only that, even Hu Tingzhi brought his people to show their support.

"Manager Sun is so young, yet he has opened two stores in just a few months. It's truly admirable!"

Many people came because of Hu Tingzhi. Although they didn't know what kind of business her shop was running, they were all impressed after sitting down and trying it.

This shop is also different in that it only hires female staff.

But she was by no means a young and beautiful woman, but a widowed woman living alone with no one to rely on.

Sun Miao'er hopes that her small shop can provide some help to women like Mei Niang, so that they can have a job to support their families.

Before opening, she also specially trained the female staff in the store and established a unified procedure so that they would not be flustered and disorderly when there were many customers.

"Welcome everyone! As this is the grand opening of my shop, I have prepared a special winter-themed drink for you all. Please enjoy it."

Sun Miao'er had a small pot set up in the hall, with a dark, murky substance being stir-fried inside.

Someone looked closely, realized what was going on, and exclaimed, "Manager Sun, aren't you going to waste such good tea by not bringing it out for us to drink?"

“No.” Sun Miao’er quickly stirred the tea leaves with a small iron spatula, then sprinkled in a few spoonfuls of brown sugar.

After the caramelized sweetness of the brown sugar was released, fresh milk that had just been squeezed that morning was immediately poured on top.

The snow-white milk turns a vibrant caramel color after blending with the caramel, creating a wonderful aroma of tea and milk that wafts out with the steam from the heated milk.

"It smells so good..." someone said.

Tiny bubbles gradually appeared in the milk. Sun Miao'er used a wooden spoon to scramble a bowl of milk tea. "Tea cultivates the mind and body and refreshes the spirit, while milk nourishes yin and yang and beautifies the skin. The two combined are simply a match made in heaven."

“It’s milk tea.” Sun Miao’er picked up the milk tea in her hand and handed it to Hu Tingzhi. “Please try it, Manager Hu. I wonder how my milk tea compares to those fragrant drinks sold in the summer?”

Hu Tingzhi picked up the bowl, initially hesitant, but seeing that Fu Yuchi was still there, and considering his influence, he lowered his head and took a sip. His expression immediately changed, and he exclaimed, "Sweet, smooth, and delicious!"

"Today, anyone who orders a set meal will receive a complimentary bowl of milk tea."

After Sun Miao'er made her announcement, the guests who came to support her and those who came because of her reputation took their seats.

Ordering food is very simple. Just tell the counter what you want, take the bamboo tray with the number written on it, and wait for the food to be served to your table.

To facilitate sales, most of the burgers in the store are sold in combo meals, such as a burger, a serving of fries, and a serving of chicken nuggets.

Considering the actual situation in Pingnan City, Sun Miao'er priced each set meal at around ten coins.

After her improvements, the ovens in the kitchen can now easily bake fifty loaves of bread at the same time.

The bread makers were also women, and they were all skilled at making pastries, since pastries and bread have a similar essence.

Ten coins a serving isn't expensive at all, especially considering that just renting the shop and hiring people to sell things cost seven or eight thousand taels of silver.

At ten coins each, who knows when we'll break even.

Fortunately, business was very good on the first day of opening. More than 500 customers were attracted by the flyers, and almost everyone ordered at least one set meal.

Fast food is all about eating quickly. On average, a customer can eat their fill and leave in the time it takes to burn an incense stick. So no matter how many people come, it won't be too crowded, although there are quite a few people queuing at the ordering counter.

Fu Yuchi finished a sip of milk tea and licked his lips with lingering satisfaction. This small gesture happened to be noticed by Sun Miao'er.

"Should I go get another bowl for Master?" Sun Miao'er finally had a moment to talk to Fu Yuchi, only to find him engrossed in the food in the shop.

Fu Yuchi pretended to be serious and said, "No need, drinking too much tea is bad for your health."

"What's wrong, Master? Are you reluctant to leave?" Sun Miao'er teased.

Fu Yuchi smiled and said, "Of course. Miao'er's business is doing so well that I'm kicking myself. I should have invested some money too. Now all the money has been earned by that guy surnamed Ji."

"Master, don't worry." Sun Miao'er breathed a seductive breath behind his ear. "What's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine."

His rabbit apprentice suddenly transformed into a cunning little fox, making him react a beat too slow.

He reached out in an extremely suggestive manner, wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and whispered, "You'd better remember this."

Sun Miao'er was all talk and no action, but he went straight for it. Even though it was in a corner of the shop, she was still afraid of being laughed at and tried to push his hand away.

Unexpectedly, his hand suddenly turned and gently pinched her side waist.