It would take at least a month to travel from Jiangnan to Yuejing and back, so the Jingyang Marquis' Mansion certainly would not have received the news so quickly.
Wang Baogen was used to being a mean person, and letting him watch Ruan's Restaurant grow up was like cutting off his flesh.
The servants of the Wang family were also used to the Ruan family being weak and easy to bully, especially the servant who was slapped.
He didn't hate his boss, but blamed the Ruan family for the beating.
In the past, he was the most valued person in front of the shopkeeper, and he was waiting to help the Wang family manage other restaurants in the future, most likely the Ruan family's shop. How could he give up like this?
The master and servant had bloodshot eyes as they looked out over the crowds of customers coming to the next door at noon. They knew that the hustle and bustle along the river at night must have all been going to the Ruan family.
"Boss, I'll find someone right away to smash those two iron cauldrons!"
At the Ruan Family Restaurant, Ruan Qin and his son Ruan Jialin were personally holding glasses of wine to thank the merchant named Zheng who had spoken for them when they entered the restaurant.
"If it weren't for you, we would have completely ruined our reputation today. From now on, Mr. Zheng is an honored guest of our Ruan family. When you come to our house for dinner, just order the food and don't mention money!"
Boss Zheng thought to himself, I'm not short of money, so how can I be interested in these meals you prepare?
"Please let Mr. Ruan know that I came back from the northwest. I bought a lot of goods from the Wuliangha family and made a lot of money. It was the second master of the Wuliangha family who asked me to support the Ruan family. You don't have to thank me. My hard work will not be in vain."
Ruan Qin and Ruan Jialin looked at each other. The Wuliangha clan sounded like someone from Northern Mongolia, but they didn't know them. Could it be related to Awan?
But how did Awan know the Northern Mongolians?
Not only that, Boss Zheng also took out a letter from his pocket and gave it to the confused father and son.
"This was given to me by Second Master's friend. He said that if I see Hongyun Dangtou and Bubu Shenggao in Jiangnan, I should send this letter to the Ruan family, or I should just burn the letter. After you read the letter, you'll probably understand what's going on."
Ruan Qin took the letter, thanked Boss Zheng with a smile, and waived their bill with many thanks.
When Ruan Qi finished his work, he asked someone to call Ruan Jiasheng, who was reading, over. Then the two pairs of father and son read the letter in the kitchen.
The letter was left by Qiao Ruichen to the Ruan family, and the handwriting inside was Qiao Shengwen.
Before marrying Miao Wan, the Qiao family couldn't help but check the situation of their daughter-in-law's family. They didn't know what to say to the Ruan family.
If you say that the Ruan family is incompetent, the older generation has saved up so much wealth and even married their daughters into the lord's mansion.
But if you say that the Ruan family is capable, their wealth was emptied out, their legitimate daughter was angered to death, and their granddaughter became a bitter vegetable in the hands of her stepmother, with no power to fight back.
Qiao Shengwen discussed this with his son, "It can only be said that the descendants are unfilial. The heart is like the surname. If he were an ordinary rich man, he would not be afraid of anything. But if he tries to get close to the officials, he will be devoured by jackals, tigers and leopards. It is only a matter of time."
Therefore, apart from the greetings with the daughter-in-law's in-laws, the rest of the content between the father and son was all practical matters.
Qiao Shengwen explained very clearly in the letter that the Qiao family was in trouble and used the Ruan family's ancestral secret recipe. It was with the protection of Miao Wan's mother that the family was able to gain a foothold in the northwest, and he was extremely grateful.
If Ruan didn't need to use the recipe for anything, he must have become a wealthy man who no longer did business. The Qiao family would not dare to disturb the Ruan family's peace.
If Ruan used the recipe, he would ask his friends to come to his house to report his safety. If they were interested, they could exchange letters.
Of course, Qiao Shengwen also expressed his concern for the Ruan family in a very subtle way, saying that he was afraid that the Ruan family would be implicated by the Qiao family. If someone was in trouble, some ways to deal with it might help the Ruan family find new ideas.
This letter was discussed by Qiao Shengwen and his son and written without telling Miao Wan.
You can't say in front of Miao Wan that your mother-in-law's family is just a dumpling that anyone can take a bite of.
I can’t say that to the Ruan family, but everyone in the Ruan family can see it.
People are almost saying it directly, I know you are a glutton, I have given you the recipe and the method, but if you still get bullied, it would be better to just sell your property and become an ordinary rich man.
Ruan Qi and his son Ruan Jiasheng remained silent.
Ruan Qin's old face felt a little hot. He actually had a good business mind, but he was a little concerned about his reputation and always worried about too many things.
Ruan Jialin, on the other hand, was more straightforward. "Since Awan's in-laws have given us a solution, let's quickly get people ready. If we're still bullied by those bastards from the Wang family, we might as well sell the shop and move to the countryside."
He gritted his teeth and said, "But I don't want to be so frustrated. Uncle and Dad always told me not to cause trouble for Awan. Now the Miao family has expelled Awan from the family tree, and my aunt can't get her dowry back. If I have to endure it any longer, I might as well die."
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Ruan Qin patted Ruan Jialin on the back of the head. "Why don't you quickly call someone in to bring back the brine, clean up the kitchen, and have someone quickly set up a red clay stove in front of the counter. Then go and hire some stick wielders."
After Ruan Jialin left, Ruan Qin advised his brother, "Brother, Dalang will have to go to the capital to take the imperial examination sooner or later. Will you be able to rest assured that he will be alone in the capital by then?"
Ruan Qi subconsciously glanced at his thin eldest son, and he was definitely worried.
The Jingyang Marquis's Mansion was afraid that if a promising person appeared in their family, he would come to ask for a dowry. If Jiasheng passed the provincial examination and went to the capital, that vicious woman Wang would definitely not give up.
"So I decided to follow the previous method. Except for the old house, we will deal with all other family properties and move to Beijing. From what I saw in the letter from the Qiao family, they may not stay in the northwest forever." Ruan Qin whispered.
"Even if they never come back, we must get my little sister's dowry back and send it to Awan. The Jingyang Marquis's family can't get away with trampling on my little sister's flesh and blood!"
Ruan Qi was reluctant to leave the restaurant he had guarded for decades, and was also worried that he would be harmed by the Miao family after entering Beijing.
Ruan Qin looked at Ruan Jiasheng and said, "Don't worry about your father. Just write me a few nursery rhymes and have them sung in the streets and alleys. Don't worry about the Ruan family's reputation. We haven't done anything wrong, so why should we be afraid of losing face? If you have the potential to become an official in the future, you can't let others bully you. You have lost all your backbone."
Ruan Jiasheng glanced at his father, and seeing that Ruan Qi didn't say anything, he nodded and said, "Leave it to me."
When the thugs hired by the Wang family rushed into Ruan's Restaurant with sticks wrapped around their waists and a brutal look on their faces, the waiter immediately notified the owner.
As the youngest and most playful child in the family, Ruan Jialin also has a few friends in the underworld, or in other words, people in gangs.
There are more gangs near water.
Those who are capable and promising join the legitimate gangs, while the incompetent second-rate gangs join those small gangs that bully others. Some are so bad that no gang will even accept them. The situation is very complicated.
The Ruan family is righteous and their children don't get involved in messy things, so they naturally make friends with legitimate gangs.
Those who came to cause trouble were from a small gang that could do things for money. Before they had even taken a few steps after entering the door, they saw a man with his arms folded and a big knife in his pocket.
Several people: "..." Damn, from momentum to weaponry, they lost.
"What would the guests like to eat?" Upon hearing the news, Ruan Jialin took the initiative to come over and asked with a forced smile.
A few people didn't dare to smash and destroy things, but they were unwilling to give up the money they had obtained.
"We, we want your family's Hongyun Dangtou and crystal agate meat!"
They decided that no matter how delicious the food was, they would throw bugs into it after taking a few bites.
Ruan Jialin invited the guests in with a half-smile: "Hongyun Dangtou, one hundred coins per plate, and Crystal Agate Meat, one hundred and fifty coins per jar. Please choose for yourself. We will prepare it right under your nose so that you can eat it with more peace of mind."
The freshly treated sewage is light pink in color, and there is no trace of its original dirty appearance.
The pork belly has been blanched and cooked in advance, with fat and lean parts mixed together, and is tied with clean cotton rope so that customers can pick it directly.
The kitchen was spotless after being cleaned for an entire afternoon. Only the rich aroma of the braised soup and roasted pork could be smelled, making people swallow their saliva continuously.
The braising soup and gravy are filtered with gauze to ensure that there are no seasonings in them, preserving the secret recipe and keeping it clean.
This made the customers who were still hesitant after experiencing the smelly offal in the morning, couldn't help but join the ranks of eating braised food as soon as they entered the kitchen.
Although it was very dirty originally, it looks very beautiful after being washed. It smells so good and is auspicious. Why not eat it?
As for the few people who were causing trouble, they watched helplessly as the meat they had picked was put into the jar.
Damn it, they chose the lid of the jar themselves and put it on in front of everyone, so they can’t do anything.
Then the jar is sent to the front of the counter, where there is a red clay stove surrounding it. It can be eaten after two cups of tea.
From beginning to end, they didn't have a chance to throw anything in. If there were still bugs inside, it would be a trap.
As for the hair... several people looked at everyone's hair tightly wrapped in a bun in despair.
No, can you give those who cause trouble a chance to live?
Qiao Shengwen looked at the emergency booklet that Miao Wan left for Zhang Sanzhuang, which was specifically prepared to deal with ruffians.
He is an old fox, and when he is mischievous, he is much more authentic than Miao Wanke.
It is conceivable that most of the customers are scholars and businessmen. Some are poor and more particular, while others are rich and more particular. So from the kitchen to the table, the food is so clean that people can eat with confidence. There is only one word to say - buy!
It was the Shangsi Festival, and the restaurants and shops along the river were always busy until around midnight, but Ruan's Restaurant sold out all its ingredients just after midnight (10 p.m.).
A new guest was surprised: "No, even if we don't have braised food and crystal agate meat, we still want to eat at your house. It's okay to order something else!"
Ruan Jialin wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, his expression was extremely complicated. "I'm really sorry, there are so many guests today that we don't even have any green onions left."
All the guests from Dengzhou Prefecture were asked to use the black bean sauce to dip into their wine. They all hurried out to buy a few cakes to fill their stomachs so that they would not starve to death.
Customer: “…” So delicious?
"Then I'll come early tomorrow. I'm a regular customer, so you must leave a jar of crystal agate meat for me!"
Ruan Jialin sent the guests away in a polite manner, turned around and closed the door. He didn't even bother to show off to Wang, the waiter opposite him who was looking at him with tears in his eyes. He was so tired that he lay down on the table.
"It's so tiring. Even if the business is good, it's still tormenting."
His father was already exhausted and lying down in the storage room, resting. His face was almost frozen from smiling.
Ruan Jialin patted his cheeks and shouted to the equally exhausted clerk, "Bring over the account books and cash boxes. Let's calculate how much we've earned today. Everyone will get a reward later!"
He also had to send some to the good brothers he invited to take charge. He would probably have to ask a few of them to stay in the restaurant permanently until their family finished their work and went to Beijing.
As soon as they heard that they were going to settle accounts and pay money, everyone perked up.
Even Ruan Qin and Ruan Qi, whose hands were shaking from exhaustion, came over and sat down. A group of people gathered around the money box and smiled happily when they saw the sparkling golden beads inside.
At the same time, at the Zhang family, the situation was similar.
The Zhang family members were filled with joy when they saw the shining silver coins in the money box.
"So many silver coins." Madam Zhang smiled, her eyes narrowing. "This saves us from having to go to the bank to exchange copper coins."
One guan of coins could be exchanged for one tael of silver, but copper coins were worthless, so one had to pay an extra five cents to exchange for one tael of silver.
Miao Wan was also very happy, but she felt a little regretful that she didn't see the gold.
I haven't made any money in a month since opening. Now is not the time to set up a stall. Why are the customers not as generous as when I set up a stall?
This is unscientific.
But she couldn't say these words. She lay comfortably at home for a month, and it was the Zhang family who took care of everything inside and outside the house.
If she asked now, it would be a bit like talking without any pain in the waist.
I still have to go and see for myself. Miao Wan asked Sun Yaozu to bring the account book over, and kept muttering to herself, "Husband, please come back soon! There's a new job!"
"At the beginning, Am gave me five hundred taels, Sun Ada gave me two hundred taels, and I added eight hundred taels, making a total of one thousand five hundred taels." Miao Wan first explained the initial start-up capital.
"The shop didn't spend any money, but it needs to be offset by goods. Currently, only Uncle Geng and Aunt Geng are making soap and other things, so they need to reserve some money for costs. So the one thousand taels on the land deed belongs to the Qiao family, and it also needs to be deducted from the costs. It can't be touched for now."
Everyone nodded. The Zhang family got the land deed and the Sun family got 40% of the profits. This was what they deserved.
"The Lin family paid two hundred and seventy taels for the shop renovation, which included building a brick and tile house, digging a well, building a kang, repairing the kitchen and the chimneys in each room, and renovating the lobby."
"The Yu family paid sixty-three taels. All the tables, cabinets, chairs, stools, shelves, the screen on the kang, and the screen at the middle door were made by the Yu family."
"The Yang family paid one hundred and seventy-two taels. The iron cauldrons and troughs were quite expensive, and the various jars, earthenware pots, and urns were all made by the Yang family."
So, "After spending five hundred taels of silver, there is still five taels of silver left."
The remaining three and two taels are actually the cost for the Yu and Yang families to make the food delivery signs.
The other party didn't want to charge for the drawings, but Miao Wan felt that since they were going to have a long-term cooperation, she could give him a discount, but she couldn't not pay, so she paid him anyway.
Mrs. Zhang's heart ached when she heard this. "If you don't count it, you won't know. Opening a shop is really too expensive."
Zhang Sanzhuang glanced at Miao Wan secretly, but he didn't dare to say anything. A normal person couldn't actually spend that much money to open a shop. It was all because they had met a girl who was so fancy and loved to make trouble.
Don’t be fooled by the simple appearance of Ju Fu Restaurant. It is just like a wooden house where rich people live, with every corner and edge carved out with silver.
He always felt that Awan was holding on to the money and had to spend it.
Miao Wan doesn't think so. No matter what route she takes, as long as she has enough money, she must improve the quality.
In the northwest, the guests are very mobile, and most of them come from all over the world. What good places have they not visited, and what good food have they not eaten?
If you want to retain these customers, besides delicious food, there is no need to be too innovative. The most important thing is comfort.
Otherwise, why would so many hotels with good service be so popular in later generations? Isn’t it because of their good reputation?
Miao Wan clapped her hands. "Okay, the expenses are quite high, but it's a one-time deal. It won't be this much in the future. Let's calculate our income this month."
Everyone became excited again.
Miao Wan looked at Sun Yaozu with a smile. The child had been staying in the restaurant for more than twenty days. She didn't know whether it was because Qiao Shengwen taught him well or because he didn't have to face those bullying classmates, but he seemed more cheerful than before.
Sun Yaozu took a deep breath, held up the account book, and although his voice was low, he spoke clearly, "My second brother-in-law kept the accounts for the first three days of business. After deducting the costs, the total amount is 158 taels."
Huh? Three days is almost enough to build half the house? Everyone's expressions relaxed a little.
"For the next ten days or so, except for the barbecue period when the turnover will exceed fifty strings of cash, the rest of the time it will be more than forty strings of cash per day." Sun Yaozu paused and lowered his voice.
"In the last ten days, except for the barbecue day when it was fifty strings of seven hundred coins, the rest of the time it was over thirty strings of coins. Yesterday was the lowest, twenty-nine strings of coins."
Madam Zhang frowned as she listened. "Why are the orders getting smaller and smaller? Is it because you haven't been managing the shop well, Sanzhuang?"
Zhang Sanzhuang couldn't help but complain, "Business in the shop is pretty good. There are many customers every day at noon and in the evening. Sometimes I'm so busy that I don't even have time to drink a sip of water."
"Then why are they getting less and less?" Madam Zhang was even more confused.
Zhang Erzhuang, who often goes there to help, knows a little bit. "I've noticed that during the busiest time of the day, the waiters can't handle it all, so the customers go elsewhere. Now that the weather is getting warmer, the specialties of each restaurant are coming out, and some of them are really delicious."
Zhang Sanzhuang nodded aggrievedly, "That's the truth. If you ask me...isn't it time for us to serve some new dishes?"
Everyone went to see Miao Wan.
Miao Wan noticed that Sun Yaozu seemed to be hesitant to speak, but didn't know what to say. Something moved her heart, and she just smiled and said, "Of course we should release new products, but there's no rush. It's more important to pay first!"
"The waiters are paid one string of coins a month. Sun Ada and the apprentices are paid two strings of coins a month. Third brother, as the shopkeeper, is also paid two strings of coins. Brothers, sisters-in-law, and Amma Ada also have to work hard every day, and each of you will also be paid one string of coins."
Yu and the others didn't bother to worry and were all happy. "We still have our wages, right?"
"Well...we can't help much at home, so we won't take the wages, right?" Mrs. Zhang felt reluctant when she heard Miao Wan say that all the money had been spent.
Most of the money of the three families has been spent. Even if there is profit, they cannot spend it like this. They still have to save it for their children's education.
Miao Wan hugged Madam Zhang's arm and said, "I looked at the account book. After deducting the costs, we still have more than 900 taels of profit. Although we don't have to work hard at home, my family members have also been busy. When the wages are paid for the first month, we must add some joy to the payment."
Without waiting for Madam Zhang to refuse, she continued, "After I'm out of confinement, I can help Mom and Mom with their work. We'll all be paid according to our work."
She glanced at Zhang Sanzhuang and said, "As for the restaurant, in addition to wages, bonuses will also be given based on performance and the restaurant's profits. Rewards and punishments must be clearly defined."
Zhang Sanzhuang's heart tightened. Why did it sound to him like this wasn't about giving out bonuses, but more like asking for a fine?
The author has something to say:
The daily update is a little slower than usual. I have obsessive-compulsive disorder and need to check for typos carefully, so I will still update twice before 10pm.
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