Chapter 273 The Embroiderer Who Came to Our Door
Cheng Wanwan felt that 800 coins was not cheap, but it was definitely not expensive either.
The gap between the rich and the poor was enormous in this dynasty. The poor couldn't even afford a single meal, while the rich could afford three or four taels of silver for a set of clothes. As long as it was delicious, plenty of people were willing to pay for it.
She nodded and said, "Let's do as Xiao Zheng said, eight hundred coins a dish of braised chicken."
Shen Zheng put down his chopsticks and asked, "Have you decided on a name for this restaurant?"
Cheng Wanwan hadn't had time to think about this yet: "This restaurant is our family's shared property. Everyone can bring up any good suggestions we can discuss."
“This is really heartbreaking,” Shen Zheng sighed. “My surname is Shen, and I’m not part of your family. I feel like I’m superfluous sitting here…”
As he spoke, he looked up and said, "But it's okay, I'll become family with you all sooner or later!"
Cheng Wanwan: "..."
This kid seems to still have hope?
She said earnestly, "Next time I see Magistrate Shen, I'll bring up the matter of becoming godparents with him. Then you'll be a member of our Zhao family."
"No rush." Shen Zheng stroked his chin. "The word 'godmother' doesn't quite feel right... Hahaha, let's continue talking about the restaurant. How about calling it Jade Wind Pavilion?"
This topic attracted everyone's interest, and everyone offered their own insights.
"The Heavenly Pavilion is even more magnificent than the Drunken Immortal Pavilion."
"Qiongjiangyuan, it sounds so inviting, I really want to go in and try it out."
The children suggested a bunch of names, but Cheng Wanwan wasn't entirely satisfied.
Zhao Sidan, resting his chin on his hand, said, "The soap workshop is called Dahe Zhao Clan. Shouldn't the restaurant also have a similar name? That way, outsiders will know that it's an enterprise of our Dahe Village."
Zhao Ergou said slowly, "How about the Great River Banquet? The words 'Great River' have a profound meaning, and the word 'banquet' elevates the restaurant's status and class."
Zhao Sanniu nodded vigorously: "The Great River Banquet sounds good, I like it."
“These three characters are really good.” Cheng Wanwan liked them as soon as she heard them. “Then let’s tentatively call it the Grand River Banquet.”
"Ahem!" Shen Zheng cleared his throat. "My poem is out, listen carefully—Smooth and chewy braised chicken, rich and fragrant for miles around, if you ask where the best restaurant is, look no further than Dahe Banquet in Ping'an County."
Cheng Zhao commented: "It rhymes, but it lacks resonance and can only be considered a doggerel."
"A limerick is fine, after all, not everyone knows how to write poetry." Cheng Wanwan quite liked this catchy little poem. "Zhao'er, write this poem next to the painting. After the other dishes are finalized, we'll take them to the city to have them colored and framed, and then hang them in the restaurant."
Cheng Zhao nodded: "Okay, Second Aunt."
The meal ended in a lively atmosphere.
The next morning, Cheng Zhao got up early to paint, while Cheng Wanwan and Wu Huiniang continued to finalize the menu. Today they planned to make roast duck, which was relatively complicated to make. They had to make a hanging oven in advance, with charcoal burning underneath and the duck hanging on top. The heat was also difficult to control... However, Wu Huiniang really enjoyed doing these things that Cheng Wanwan found troublesome.
Throughout the day, aside from breastfeeding her child, she spent the rest of her time studying the roast duck's cooking temperature and flavor, and even took a piece of paper to record her observations.
After teaching Cheng Wanwan the steps for roasting duck, she started practicing calligraphy. Her handwriting wasn't very good, but she tried her best to write it better, since she would be writing so much more in the future.
She had just written a character that she thought was pretty good when Afu suddenly ran in. Her hand slipped, and the vertical stroke was written too long, ruining half of the paper.
"Auntie, a carriage is coming, it looks like the Cao family's carriage," Afu said excitedly. "Where's Brother Ergou? Why hasn't he come back yet?"
The whole family knew that Zhao Ergou had become much more taciturn since Cao Yingying went back, and it was obvious to everyone why.
Cheng Wanwan deliberately put on a stern face: "Er Gou went to Ping'an County to renovate the restaurant, you're not allowed to talk nonsense."
Afu quickly covered his mouth: "Auntie, I was wrong, I will definitely not do it again."
A carriage slowly approached the house and finally stopped at the gate of the courtyard. The curtain was lifted, and a woman who looked to be in her thirties stepped out.
The woman was dressed in a silk dress embroidered with flowers and subtle patterns, which looked quite impressive.
Despite her imposing presence, she maintained a humble demeanor. After alighting from the carriage, the woman stood at the door and asked, "Excuse me, is this the residence of a ninth-rank lady?"
Cheng Wanwan went up to her and said, "It's me. May I ask who you are?"
"Greetings, Madam Jiu." The woman curtsied in an orderly manner. "I am an embroiderer invited by Miss Cao. My surname is Kong. Madam Sui, you can just call me Embroiderer Kong. I came to Dahe Village mainly to teach a few girls embroidery until they learn it."
Cheng Wanwan had heard Cao Yingying mention this before, but she didn't expect the child to act so quickly. In just a few days, she had already hired an embroiderer.
This embroiderer, Kong, was dressed in silk and had a rather dignified air about her; she didn't seem like an ordinary embroiderer from a typical embroidery workshop.
She smiled and welcomed them in: "There were two girls who were learning embroidery from Yingying before. Kong Xiuniang, please sit down and have a cup of tea to rest. I'll have someone call them over right away."
Kong Xiuniang nodded, glancing almost imperceptibly at the courtyard.
For years, she had been making clothes for wealthy families in the capital. Over the past ten years, she had made a lot of money. However, the power struggles and infighting among the wealthy families in the capital were extremely complicated, and sometimes she would be affected by them for no reason. She didn't want to be able to serve people so carefully in that circle anymore, so she returned to her hometown at the end of this summer.
Her hometown is Ping'an County. When she was young, she was a maid who accompanied the original lady of the Cao family. After her mistress died in childbirth, she left the Cao family and went to the capital to make a living. Now she has returned and is doing a few odd jobs. She doesn't have any serious work.
A few days ago, the mistress of the former master came to her for help, offering her a high monthly allowance and asking her to come to a village to work as an embroidery master.
Although she was tired of life in the capital, it didn't mean she wanted to live in the village. It was only out of respect for her deceased wife that she reluctantly agreed to the job.
Anyway, as long as you teach some basic acupuncture techniques, it should be done before the Chinese New Year.
Kong Xiuniang had seen far too many noblewomen of the fifth and third ranks in the capital, so when she met a ninth-rank lady, she didn't feel anything special and spoke with great ease.
Before long, Zhao Xiaohua and Wang Damai arrived excitedly.
They thought Cao Yingying had just left and that her words were just to comfort them. They never expected that she would actually invite an embroiderer over.
The two maids, suppressing their excitement, stood in the courtyard and greeted her politely: "Greetings, Kong Xiuniang."
In the embroidery trade, the first thing to look at is a person's hands, as their hands can reflect their embroidery skills.
As soon as her gaze fell on the two women's hands, Kong Xiuniang's expression darkened: "Since you want to be an embroiderer, you can no longer waste your hands. Rough, calloused hands will ruin the fabric, which is not worth it. From today onwards, these hands can no longer do rough work. If anyone violates this rule, then they don't need to come to me to learn embroidery anymore."
Xia Hua nodded quickly: "Yes, Kong Xiuniang."
Grandma and her mother didn't let her do anything in the first place, but she would sometimes help out when she saw that Qiuhua and Donghua weren't doing well.
Wang Damai dared not respond. Her mother wanted to run a braised food business, and her father had to help out. After finishing their work, they still had to work in the fields, and Niqiu had to go to school.
There are so many things to do at home; if she doesn't do them, her mother will have to work hard.
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