Chapter 343 Old Madam Shen visits
A long table was placed against the wall in the main hall of the restaurant, with hundreds of small plates on it, each containing food such as a piece of chicken, a slice of roast duck, a piece of braised pork, etc., all of which could be sampled for free.
A large crowd poured in, and each person grabbed a serving, and a whole table of free samples was gone in no time.
However, new food kept being brought out of the kitchen, and Chunhua and Lu Yingxue were in charge of serving the dishes.
Lu Yingxue was a lively person. When she heard that the restaurant was short-staffed for its opening, she immediately volunteered to come. She was wearing an apron and was busy all day, with a thin layer of sweat on her face.
Cheng Wanwan stood by the table where free samples were offered, handing out plates of snacks to everyone.
Because of her status, and because the county magistrate was also there, those people dared not take more after trying one serving. Those with money kept it, while those without money left after trying it.
Even though he went out, he would talk to acquaintances about the delicious food at the newly opened restaurant.
"It really was a free sample; a plate of sliced meat was delicious."
"The owner of this restaurant is Lady Sui. Do you know Lady Sui? She's the woman who was a ninth-rank official last year, but has become a seventh-rank official this year."
"Mrs. Sui is very approachable and has no airs at all."
"The county magistrate is inside too..."
As word spread, the people of Ping'an County all wanted to see Lady Sui in person, and of course, they also wanted to try the free food.
Cheng Wanwan greeted the guests with a smile, and countless eyes fell on her, but she remained calm and composed.
"The restaurant run by Madam Sui is indeed extraordinary." A voice came from the doorway. It was Master Wang, who had arrived with two attendants. "I heard that Madam Sui has launched a membership card program. May I ask what the details are?"
He came to the restaurant for two reasons: first, to support Mrs. Sui, and second, because he had heard about the membership card program and found it very interesting.
"Master Wang, this way please." Zhao Ergou led Master Wang to the counter. "The membership cards are like this: there are gold cards and silver cards. You can become a silver card customer by recharging ten taels of silver, and you'll get a 20% discount on every purchase. You can become a gold card customer by recharging one hundred taels of silver, and you'll get a 30% discount on every purchase. In addition, gold card customers have priority access to new food items..."
Master Wang waved his hand and said, "Give me a gold card. I'll have lunch here today."
Zhao Ergou grinned from ear to ear: "Okay!"
He immediately took out the accounts and the membership cards he had prepared beforehand, and began the registration process.
When his mother first proposed this activity, he didn't really agree with it. Before even making any purchases, he was expected to spend ten to one hundred taels of silver. He didn't think anyone would be so generous.
But now, Wang Yuanwai's spending of one hundred taels of silver has given him a tiny bit of confidence in the membership card.
Just as Master Wang went upstairs to sit in the private room, another guest arrived. It was Cao Defu, who came with his daughter Cao Yingying.
As soon as the two entered, Zhao Ergou saw a woman in a peach-colored dress. His hands, which were holding an abacus, paused for a moment, and he even choked on his breath.
He missed Yingying terribly, having not seen her for many days and meeting her in his dreams every night.
"Still looking!" Zhao Dawang pinched him on the waist. "Brother Ergou, hurry up and go greet your future father-in-law!"
Zhao Ergou snapped out of his daze and quickly looked away from Cao Yingying's face. He coughed and went to greet her, saying, "Master Cao, Miss Cao, please come in. Tiezi, bring tea to the private room."
He led the Cao family directly to a private room on the second floor.
"This restaurant may not look grand, but it's comfortable everywhere you look," Cao Defu couldn't help but comment. "Jingcheng, your mother is truly no ordinary woman. Once this restaurant opens, all the other restaurants in Ping'an County will be left with nothing."
"Dad, what are you saying?" Cao Yingying said disapprovingly. "Auntie's restaurant caters to wealthy people, so it doesn't compete with other restaurants. Besides, there are only ten tables in total, upstairs and downstairs, so the capacity is not large. How could it steal business from other restaurants?"
Zhao Ergou handed over the menu: "Order whatever you want, it's on me today."
Cao Defu laughed loudly: "We're here to support your mother, why are you treating us? Go, go, go, quickly tell the kitchen to bring out all the good food."
Cheng Wanwan fetched tea downstairs and personally served it to the guests in the private room.
Master Wang brought over a pot of wine, Cao Defu brought over a pot of wine, and then they went to Magistrate Shen's private room. As soon as they entered, Magistrate Shen stood up and said, "Someone just came to report that He Yan died suddenly on the way to the capital."
Cheng Wanwan was astonished: "How could this be..."
“Those who commit many evils will be punished by Heaven.” Magistrate Shen shook his head. “I have to go to Huzhou, so I’ll be leaving now. I’ll come back to support you when I have time.”
Cheng Wanwan knew he was busy, so she didn't linger and saw him downstairs to the restaurant entrance.
Magistrate Shen left, turning back every few steps.
Just as Cheng Wanwan was about to turn around and go inside to continue greeting guests, a carriage slowly drove up and stopped at the main entrance of the restaurant.
A woman in her thirties or forties jumped down first, and then helped an elderly woman in her fifties or sixties down.
The old lady, dressed in coarse cloth, with her hair tied up and adorned with a plain silver hairpin, walked in with a sprightly air.
Looking at the old lady's face, Cheng Wanwan vaguely felt that she looked familiar, as if she had seen her somewhere before.
"This old lady has met Madam Sui." The old lady smiled and looked at Cheng Wanwan. "Dongming said you are a wise and magnanimous woman, and seeing you today, it is indeed so."
Cheng Wanwan was a little confused: "Dongming?"
"Shen Dongming." After the old lady finished speaking, seeing that Cheng Wanwan still looked like she hadn't reacted, she was speechless for a moment. "You don't still not know my son's name after all this time?"
Shen... Shen Dongming, Magistrate Shen!
Cheng Wanwan suddenly realized: "Oh, it's Madam Shen. Please come in."
Madam Shen is in her early fifties, quite old, but in good spirits. She is dressed simply, and looks like someone who has been a Buddhist for many years.
The lobby was already full, so Cheng Wanwan led her people upstairs to the private room where Magistrate Shen had just been.
She asked with a smile, "I heard from Xiao Zheng that the old lady is a Buddhist and only eats vegetarian food on a regular basis?"
"Now that we've left the Buddhist hall, we won't be so formal about food," said Madam Shen. "May I be so bold as to invite Madam Sui to sit down and dine with us?"
The free tasting event in the lobby has passed its peak, and with Er Gou and Da Wang keeping an eye on things, there shouldn't be any trouble for now.
Cheng Wanwan readily sat down and said, "Madam's presence at the Grand River Banquet is a great honor for me, so let me treat you to this meal. Madam is getting on in years, so let's have some shredded chicken and tofu, and some braised pork with bamboo shoots. What else would you like to eat, Madam?"
“Two dishes are enough.” Madam Shen suddenly grasped Cheng Wanwan’s hand. “Your maiden name is Wanwan, right? Then I’ll take the liberty of calling you Wanwan.”
Cheng Wanwan's eyelids twitched. Her intuition told her that Old Madam Shen's visit this time had ulterior motives.
The old lady wasn't one to beat around the bush, so she got straight to the point: "Dongming thinks of you day and night, and Xiaozheng always speaks highly of you. I used to wonder if you, as a woman, had bewitched them. But after meeting you today, I realize I was too narrow-minded. There are indeed outstanding women like Wanwan in this world."
“Lord Shen is a man of great concern for the people and incorruptible. I have always respected and loved him. Xiao Zheng is adorable and sensible, and I like him very much too.” Cheng Wanwan said calmly, “Didn’t Xiao Zheng say before that he wanted to recognize me as his godmother? Why don’t we find a time to get this done?”
Upon hearing this, Madam Shen understood that Lady Sui had no interest in her son at all, and that the father and son were both infatuated with each other.
However, this made Old Madam Shen appreciate Cheng Wanwan even more. She smiled and said, "Alright, then let's make her a goddaughter. I'll have another goddaughter. Good, very good. I'll go back and ask Dongming and Xiaozheng what they think..."
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