Zhou Zifang was almost speechless with shock. "Qiu Yan, stop joking."

Song Jiao stepped forward and bowed to Zhou Zifang. "Manager Zhou, does the young lady mean that I should perform at Xingyue Tower?"

"I see!" Zhou Zifang clasped his hands together. "That's good. How come I didn't think of that?"

Song Jiao's demeanor was poised and graceful; she clearly had seen the world.

Zhou Zifang had barely finished speaking when he turned around and started complaining to Qiu Yan.

"The new chef has been here for several days, but you haven't shown your face for days. You're busier than me, the manager. Qiu Yan, you don't know how delicious the new chef's cooking is. You should try his skills later."

Qiu Yan nodded; she was also eager to try the chef's cooking.

She even made a special trip to the kitchen for this.

The chef was a middle-aged man, slightly overweight, with regular features, and made a very good first impression.

His arrival sparked a sudden and intense interest in cooking in Qin Wu, who had been forced into it.

Chen Ming was a kind person who always had a smile on his face.

On the day he first arrived, he heard the county magistrate's wife praising Qiu Yan, saying that she was a woman who was just as capable as any man. When he first came to Xingyue Tower, he also heard Zhou Zifang praising Qiu Yan. Now that he had seen her in person, he couldn't tell how skilled she was, but anyway, she was a slender and beautiful girl.

Upon hearing from Qin Wu that Qiu Yan was a picky eater, he immediately prepared several of his signature dishes, including Kung Pao Rabbit, Crispy Fried Crucian Carp, Braised Wild Boar Rolls with Golden Needle Mushrooms, and a mushroom soup, for Qiu Yan to try.

Therefore, Qiu Yan and her two companions, along with Zhou Zifang, sat down at a table and began to enjoy the meal.

As for Song Jiao, because of her ugly appearance, she declined to dine with us and ate alone in a secluded spot.

Although it was still early, they hadn't eaten much that morning, so they ate what they thought was lunch.

Kung Pao Rabbit Cubes are spicy and flavorful, with a crisp and tender texture.

Crispy fried crucian carp is fragrant, crispy, and tender.

Wild boar rolls are smooth and flavorful, with a lingering aftertaste.

The mushroom soup is rich and flavorful, with an absolutely delicious taste.

After tasting it, Qiu Yan realized that ancient delicacies could be so delicious.

Qiu Dayu had never eaten such delicious food before, and he praised it highly.

Li Zheng seemed to be deep in thought.

During the meal, Qiu Yan asked, "Young manager, how's the recruitment going?"

Speaking of hiring, Zhou Zifang had a bitter face. "We found people, but they went to Shuangxi Restaurant as soon as they arrived."

"Are you just going to let them bully you?" Qiu Yan had never had a good impression of Shuangxi Restaurant from beginning to end.

Zhou Zifang rubbed his temples. "I didn't want to either."

When Qiu Dayu heard that Zhou Zifang wanted to hire workers, his eyes lit up and he immediately offered himself up, "Young manager, what do you think of me?"

With such a large restaurant, the wages must be quite high.

Zhou Zifang readily agreed, as he was worried about not having enough workers.

Qiu Dayu is Qiu Yan's uncle; how could he not keep him?

“Alright, the previous workers were paid one tael and two taels of silver a month, I’ll give you one tael and three taels.”

One or two ounces? Qiu Dayu almost burst into tears of joy.

Qiu Yumei's sister doesn't earn this much money in a month.

He secretly calculated that if he worked hard, he could pay back the money he owed the village chief by the end of the year.

He has never earned a single penny since he was a child.

Qiu Yan twitched her lips, and asked Qiu Dayu with her eyes, "Are you really sure you can do this?"

Qiu Dayu responded with a look, "Of course."

After all, Qiu Dayu was unreliable, and Qiu Yan didn't quite trust him.

After the meal, he didn't forget to give his uncle a lot of advice, telling him to work hard and not to slack off.

Also, he has to come back to help during the busy farming season.

Qiu Dayu accepted the previous words with a calm mind, but the last sentence made him break out in a cold sweat.

Afterwards, Qiu Yan took Song Jiao to the clothing store.

After Li Zheng finished eating, he went to the kitchen.

Qiu Dayu went to strike up a conversation with Lin Shu. He was always outgoing and friendly. Lin Shu was happy to have a helper, and the two quickly hit it off.

Song Jiao was somewhat flattered. Qiu Yan was the mistress and she was the servant. It was not proper for the mistress to buy her clothes, but as a pipa player, it would be undignified for her to dress poorly.

She repeatedly assured Qiu Yan that she would repay the money as soon as possible.

"You can wear it." Qiu Yan was also thinking about Xingyue Tower's business. If business was good, would she lack money to buy clothes?

Based on Song Jiao's preferences, Qiu Yan specially selected a light blue dress for her.

The dress is made of medium-grade fabric, with emerald green silk threads outlining faint bamboo shadows. A bright blue wide belt cinches her slender waist, and a light-colored gauze overlay further accentuates her graceful figure.

Back at Xingyue Tower, Zhou Zifang had already instructed Lin Shu to clear out an empty room on the second floor for Song Jiao to play.

Song Jiao sat in a separate room, her face veiled in white gauze, giving her an air of mystery.

She was very confident in her pipa skills. As soon as she sat down, she plucked the strings and played a piece called "Frontier Song".

The melodious sound of the pipa drifted in, its clear and poignant tune tinged with a heavy, choked emotion, drawing the listener into the scene.

Her voice captivated all the diners at Xingyuelou, who put down their chopsticks and were quickly enthralled by it.

Not only that, but it also attracted scholars and literati outside the building to stop and listen.

They listened intently, one person taking the lead and the others following suit.

Once inside, they saw a beautiful young woman holding a pipa, her face half-hidden, sitting behind a beaded curtain in the center of the second floor of Xingyue Tower. Her hands moved nimbly, like pearls falling onto a plate.

As some people entered, even more people followed, men, women, young and old, in countless numbers.

Those who arrived early followed the sound to the second-floor private room, while those who arrived late sat at the downstairs table.

Many others who couldn't find seats stood at the top of the stairs, looking up.

For a time, Xingyue Tower was packed with people.

After the song ended, Song Jiao looked at Qiu Yan, waiting for her comments and instructions.

Qiu Yan nodded to her, telling her to keep playing, but not to be too sad.

Qiu Dayu, being very perceptive, followed behind Lin Shu, pouring a cup of hot tea for each table of guests so they could enjoy it at their leisure.

Taking advantage of the large crowd, Qiu Yan announced loudly, "Dear guests, for the next three days, all guests dining at Xingyuelou will enjoy a 50% discount."

Of course, all of this was discussed in advance with Zhou Zifang, the shopkeeper.

In addition, she told everyone that Xingyuelou had recently hired a new head chef who was an excellent cook, and suggested that all guests give him a try.

As soon as she finished speaking, someone called her over to introduce the restaurant's dishes.

"Miss, what are your restaurant's signature dishes? Could you please tell me about them?"

Having seen the menu beforehand and tasted the chef's cooking, Qiu Yan could readily name the dishes. "Our restaurant specializes in wild game, and our first signature dish is Kung Pao Rabbit. However, this dish is limited to sixteen servings today..."

Actually, it's just that their wild rabbits can only do so much.

Qiu Yan thought that if the sales were good, wild rabbits could reproduce quickly and be raised in captivity, and other wild game could also be raised in captivity.

After Qiu Yan's introduction, the customer first ordered a plate of Kung Pao Rabbit, and then, looking at the dish names, ordered a few more of the ones he liked.

They dined at Xingyuelou, where they could not only hear beautiful melodies but also enjoy free hot tea. Most importantly, their meals were half price that day—why not take advantage of it?