Taibai Tower Opening

Three days later, Taibai Tower officially opened for business.

A row of musicians stood on both sides of the gate, and the atmosphere of playing music attracted many onlookers.

With the sound of a gong, Fu Zhiqiao reached out and pulled, revealing the three golden characters "Taibai Tower" on the signboard.

The calligraphy was specially written by Xie Zhuo at Fu Zhi Qiao's request.

Xie Zhuo had long planned to buy a manor as a congratulatory gift for the opening of Taibai Tower. However, he had already arrived in Liangzhou when Taibai Tower opened and could not be with Fu Zhiqiao. Therefore, he wanted to send a congratulatory gift to express his feelings and apologies.

When Fu Zhi Qiao found out, she immediately stopped him from giving money and told him that a calligraphy piece would be enough as a gift. Xie Zhuo hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

Fu Zhiqiao had a purpose in inviting Xie Zhuo to write the plaque for Taibai Tower; she wanted to use Xie Zhuo's title as the heir of the Prince Duan's Mansion.

Ordinary people wouldn't recognize Xie Zhuo's handwriting, but those who could wouldn't be nobodys either. They could deduce from the handwriting on the plaque that Taibai Tower was related to the Prince Duan's Mansion.

The fact that Xie Zhuo's name appeared on the signboard was practically a declaration to everyone: Taibai Tower is under the protection of Prince Duan's Mansion. Before you mess with us, you'd better think twice about whether you're qualified!

Fu Zhiqiao unveiled the plaque, and Defu, standing at the entrance, announced as the manager: "Taibai Tower is officially open for business!"

Having experienced the opening of Taibai Wine Shop, Fu Zhi Qiao was already familiar with the process of opening a shop. However, this time she did not try anything fancy. Instead, she directly asked the waiter to bring out two small baskets. One basket contained candied fruit wrapped in oil paper, and the other basket was full of copper coins.

On the first day of a restaurant's opening, what could be more attractive than throwing money around to attract customers?

Fu Zhi Qiao, dressed in a simple ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), along with the restaurant staff, tossed candied fruit and copper coins into the crowd watching the play at the entrance. The coins and candied fruit rained down on the crowd, and even the passersby who were watching the play couldn't resist and rushed forward to join the scramble for the coins.

Before long, the two baskets of copper coins and candied fruit were all gone, and the people who received the candied fruit and copper coins applauded and cheered continuously.

When Fu Zhi Qiao refused to give him the estate, Xie Zhuo secretly prepared other congratulatory gifts. Although he was not present on the opening day of Taibai Tower, he still sent his gifts, having instructed Sheng An in advance.

Besides Xie Zhuo, Peng Gaofei and Guo Jiacun also sent people to deliver congratulatory gifts.

The game of snatching copper coins attracted many passersby to watch the excitement, so the overall atmosphere of the opening of Taibai Tower was quite lively.

The opening ceremony was over, and the musicians who had been playing drums and gongs stopped. Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from the alley entrance, and everyone turned their attention to the direction from which the sound was coming.

A convoy of seven or eight carriages made its way towards Taibai Tower. The lead carriage bore the Qin family's insignia, so it was clear that Zhou Miaosi and Qin Xiyu had arrived.

Two days before the opening of Taibai Tower, Fu Zhiqiao sent invitations to Zhou Miaosi, Qin Xiyu, and a group of noble ladies, inviting them to dine at Taibai Tower. The noble ladies seemed to want to give Fu Zhiqiao face, as carriages lined up one after another in front of Taibai Tower, completely blocking the entrance.

At the service of the maids, the noble ladies disembarked from the carriage one by one. They seemed to want to show off in front of Fu Zhi Qiao. Each of them had exquisite makeup, wore gorgeous dresses, and had large, precious jewels on their heads that were so bright they were almost blinding.

Zhou Miaosi and her group of noble ladies did not come empty-handed. They had learned Fu Zhiqiao's makeup techniques, and those who came to support her today naturally brought gifts.

With light, graceful steps, Qin Xiyu walked to the gate of Taibai Tower. Seeing the utterly shocked expressions on the faces of the passersby, she nodded in satisfaction and turned to say, "Sister Fu, I wish you boundless wealth and a constant stream of customers."

Zhou Miaosi smiled and said, "May your opening be auspicious and your business prosper."

The other noble ladies also came forward to congratulate Fu Zhiqiao. They didn't care about Fu Zhiqiao's status as a businesswoman. After all, learning from her would make them more beautiful and profitable. How could those empty titles compare to the real benefits they gained?

The waiter at the door respectfully welcomed the group in.

Upon entering the Taibai Tower, a wall of wine immediately comes into view.

After all, this is a restaurant in the bustling capital city. The social class of the customers is not the same as in Qingzhou. The high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital are used to good things. If Taibailou wants to stand out among the many restaurants, it must be original.

The floor-to-ceiling wine cabinet was made into square compartments, with a wine jar placed in the center of each compartment. To reduce weight, all the jars were empty. Even so, seeing an entire wall of wine jars upon entering was still quite astonishing.

Passing the wine cabinet, you'll see a miniature version of a mountain stream landscape, with green plants placed every few steps, giving people a refreshing feeling. Especially after seeing lotus flowers and koi in the pond, their expressions finally changed.

With mountains and water, flowers and grass, and even koi fish... the decoration style of Taibai Tower completely surpassed the aesthetics of this era. Stepping inside is like being in a garden. Everything here is so unique that it immediately captivated the hearts of noble ladies.

Once inside the private room on the second floor, everyone took their seats. Zhou Miaosi exclaimed, "Bringing the landscape into the restaurant, allowing everyone to enjoy delicious food while sitting in a place with mountains and water—only Zhi Qiao could come up with such a unique idea!"

Fu Zhi Qiao smiled slightly, accepting all the praise. This was something she had spent a lot of money and effort to build.

*

Fu Zhiqiao entertained the group of noble ladies upstairs, while Defu took care of things downstairs.

Seven or eight exquisite and luxurious carriages were parked in front of Taibai Tower, attracting the attention of passersby. Defu directed his men to move the carriages to the other side so as not to block the entrance of the restaurant.

Cheng Yexuan and his security team were stationed at the front and back gates to prevent anyone from causing trouble during the chaos.

Defu cleared his throat: "Today is the grand opening of our Taibai Restaurant. We welcome all neighbors to come and support us. Today, all drinks in the restaurant are half price!"

Is it really half price?

"Really! Even Taibai liquor is half price!"

"Is it that Taibai wine, which is described as having a 'clear liquid like water and a fiery flavor'?"

Seeing everyone's enthusiastic response, Defu stood at the door with a smile and explained, "That's right! The Taibai wine that can knock out a big man with just one bowl comes from our Taibai Tower!"

Taibai wine already had a fixed consumer base in Beijing. Later, after a round of price speculation, Taibai wine's reputation increased significantly. Now, even passersby know the name of Taibai wine.

A man with a mustache grinned and said, "It's rare to see Taibai liquor so cheap!"

"Hey, a new restaurant has opened here. I remember this used to be Liuxiangju, how come it's been changed to Taibailou?"

"Look at the signs on those carriages, those who come to dine at Taibai Tower are all important people!" The curiosity of the passersby was aroused, and they began to discuss among themselves.

Liuhe Lane didn't have as much foot traffic as Zhuque Street, so Fu Zhiqiao hired some children to shout on various streets: "Taibai Tower is opening! All drinks are half price!" "Half price on Taibai wine! Right here at Taibai Tower in Liuhe Lane, half price offer for one day only!"

Upon hearing the news, someone stroked his beard and laughed, "Half-price Taibai wine? I'll have to go into the store and try it!"

Zhang Mu originally intended to eat at Qiongxianlou on Zhuque Street, but when he passed by Liuhe Lane and saw so many carriages parked at the entrance, and then heard everyone discussing the news of Taibai wine being half price, he changed his mind.

He glanced at his companion and said, "Let's go in and take a look."

As soon as you enter, a waiter greets you with a warm smile: "How many of you are there, sir? Would you prefer the main hall or a private room?"

"Gentlemen, we'd like to have the main hall."

After passing the wine cabinet and the artificial hill, the waiter led them to a two-person table in the hall.

Zhang Mu had already taken in the entire environment of Taibai Tower: "Your place is quite unique!"

The waiter smiled slightly upon hearing this, "Sir, you have a truly discerning eye. Every table and chair at our Taibai Restaurant is made by master craftsmen; you won't find them anywhere else!"

Not long after we entered the hall and sat down, the waiter in charge of serving the dishes brought over a plate of radishes.

When Zhang Mu saw a waiter carrying a plate over, he assumed the waiter was there to serve the food and said to his friend with a smile, "The food here is served really fast!"

The waiter, who hadn't left yet, explained, "Sir, you've misunderstood. This is a complimentary appetizer from our Taibai Restaurant, called Spicy and Sour Crispy Radish. Please have a taste."

"This dish is free?"

"Yes, it's free! Our Taibailou's biggest specialty is incorporating wine into our dishes..." The waiter smiled as he introduced the menu to Zhang Mu, handing him the menu booklet.

Zhang Mu looked through the menu and finally ordered four dishes: Rabbit with Wine Sauce, Steamed Chicken with Rice Wine, Fish Slices with Sake, and Bamboo Shoots and Ferns.

While waiting for the food to be served, Zhang Mu, out of curiosity, tried the free radish. Since it was free, he figured he might as well give it a try.

He thought it was just an ordinary dish, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

The pickled spicy and sour radishes are made with tender radishes. After pickling, the radishes become both sour and crunchy, and each bite is like a burst of juice in your mouth.

The tangy, spicy, and crunchy flavor was so addictive that it was impossible to stop eating. Zhang Mu had only intended to try it, but once he started, he couldn't stop. In the end, he and his friend each ate the entire plate of radishes with a chopstick.

"Gurgle, gurgle..." Not long after finishing his spicy and sour radish, Zhang Mu's stomach rumbled. His face flushed slightly as he awkwardly clutched his stomach. He looked up at his friend, wondering if he had heard it. It was all the radish's fault for being so appetizing, causing him to embarrass himself in public.

Fortunately, the waiter delivered the food in time, but Defu was also with the waiter.

Since it was the first day of opening, there weren't many customers in Taibai Tower at this time. There were customers in the private rooms upstairs, but those noble ladies were all customers of young ladies.

Zhang Mu and his friend, who were sitting in the hall, were the first two guests at Taibai Tower, and Defu personally came to entertain them.

Along with the dishes came wine. Defu introduced it to him, "This is our Taibailou's signature wine, Taibai Wine. The liquid is as clear as water. As soon as you take a sip, you can taste the spicy, hot, strong, and bitter flavors. After swallowing, there is a faint sweet aftertaste in your mouth."

Defu gestured to the waiter behind him to pour wine for the guest. "Sir, before drinking this wine, please smell its fragrance. This wine is very strong, and drinking too much will harm your health. You can only appreciate the wonders of Taibai wine by sipping it slowly."

"The dishes are all served, please enjoy your meal." After introducing the dishes and drinks, Defu withdrew.