Although the shop has been settled, Pei Yuezhi is not slacking off at all. She still has to set up her stall every day these days, although she hasn't prepared a lot of goods.
I plan to make the same things for the next couple of days: thirty savory pancakes, eighty meat pies, and sixty chive and egg pancakes. I won't be making them for many more days, so I'll just make these most popular ones.
After finishing their sales today, when Pei Yuezhi and Liu Yuanyuan arrived at the shop, the proprietress was alone inside. The shop was very clean and tidy, clearly having been prepared.
"You two are here. The shop is all cleaned up. I'll wait for you here to give you the keys and everything. Also, the pots and pans, tables and chairs are still here, so it'll be more convenient for you."
The proprietress handed over the shop's locks and keys to Pei Yuezhi, wished them good business, and then left.
The system's voice rang in her mind the moment the key was handed to Pei Yuezhi.
Pei Yuezhi arrived at the kitchen. She was very satisfied with the kitchen when she last visited it. Now there was much less clutter, and it looked much cleaner. Moreover, the pots in this restaurant were very large, making it especially suitable for cooking large pot dishes.
Having run a restaurant in my previous life, I still have certain requirements regarding hygiene.
The two cleaned the kitchen thoroughly. The tables and chairs in the living room were quite old, though still sturdy, but they looked a bit dirty. It would take an entire afternoon to clean all six sets of tables and chairs.
I still have to take an oxcart home. The cart will be heading back soon, and I have to set up my stall tomorrow, so I can't not go back.
After cleaning up the kitchen, the two went back first.
When they arrived home, Grandma Liu was already waiting for them in the Pei family's courtyard.
"How's it going? Have you rented the shop yet?"
Liu Yuanyuan replied, slightly tired, "We've rented everything. I was just a little tired from cleaning the kitchen, but overall it's very clean and tidy."
“Auntie, why don’t you come to town with us tomorrow? You can sell the goods, and Yuanyuan and I will help tidy up the tables and chairs,” Pei Yuezhi suggested.
Grandma Liu readily agreed: "Sure, I'll help out, but you can skip selling things, you go sell yours, Yuanyuan and I will go to the shop."
"Besides, I don't know how to sell things. People who come to eat all look for you."
After thinking about it, Pei Yuezhi agreed, saying, "Then I'll work with you, and let Yuanyuan go sell the goods. She's been there for several days, and everyone knows her now."
With three children at home, Pei Yuezhi was a little worried. She wanted them to stay at Aunt Zhang's house next door for a day, but Fan Chao refused.
"Mother, you can go to town without worry. I will take good care of my sister. Besides, no one usually comes to our house, and I can cook."
"Then I'll save some food for you tomorrow, so you'd better not light a fire."
The next morning, Pei Yuezhi, Liu Yuanyuan, and Grandma Liu set off early. Before leaving, Pei Yuezhi made a delicious egg fried rice for the three children for lunch, saying that it was fine if it was a little cold since it was hot.
Pei Yuezhi first accompanied Liu Yuanyuan to the place where the goods were being sold. Several regular customers were already waiting. This was the first time that Granny Liu had come out with them, and the first time she had seen such a place where she was immediately surrounded by people.
"Moon, do you usually have this many guests?"
On their way to the shop, Grandma Liu and Grandma Liu started chatting.
"Yes, we haven't been researching anything new lately, and this is when we have fewer customers. You didn't see the first two days when I started selling meat pies."
"This is really popular, and Auntie is confident about opening the shop."
"......"
The two chatted all the way and soon arrived at the shop, where they quickly got to work.
The tables and chairs were moved to the well in the back courtyard, and the two of them started washing and cleaning. Liu Yuanyuan had already returned, and the tidying was almost done.
The three of them worked together for another half day and finally finished cleaning everything up.
"I'm exhausted. We need to have a good meal tonight to treat Auntie and Yuanyuan," Pei Yuezhi said, wiping her sweat.
Grandma Liu was also a bit tired, so she sat down and drank several glasses of water.
As for Liu Yuanyuan, she was too tired to speak at this moment.
"Moon, does your shop have a name?" Granny Liu asked curiously.
"Yes, I've already thought of a name. It'll be called 'Full Moon Restaurant,' which includes both my name and Yuanyuan's name. Thanks to her support, I dared to go ahead and do it."
"That's a good name."
After resting for a while, the three hurried towards the town entrance. The oxcart almost turned back, but they managed to catch up after running a few steps.
After returning home, Pei Yuezhi told Liu Yuanyuan that she wanted to chat for a while, but the two of them fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow. When Pei Yuezhi woke up, it was almost dinner time.
Get up and go to the kitchen to cook. We have to have a good meal today, let's make a braised pork knuckle.
Pei Yuezhi took out a large pork knuckle from her spatial storage, singed the skin, soaked it in warm water, and planned to scrape it with a knife later.
After preparing the pork knuckle, Pei Yuezhi heated some oil and added scallions, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, angelica root, and nutmeg to the pot. She stir-fried them until golden brown and fragrant before serving.
Next, put a handful of rock sugar into the pot and caramelize it. Once the color turns a dark reddish-brown, you can add water, the stir-fried spices, and the pork hock.
Add some more seasonings: three bay leaves, a pinch of peppercorns, two tablespoons of oyster sauce, a little more than half a tablespoon of dark soy sauce, and appropriate amounts of chicken bouillon and salt.
Cover and simmer for over an hour.
During this time, Pei Yuezhi steamed rice again, and after the rice was cooked, she made some other dishes.
Liu Yuanyuan and she both love sweet and sour poached eggs. This dish is very simple, and the braised pork knuckle is almost ready.
Prepare a sauce by mixing light soy sauce, aged vinegar, sugar, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, cornstarch, and a bowl of water.
Pei Yuezhi fried twelve eggs in one go, two for each of them, she had to make sure they ate to their heart's content.
After the eggs are cooked, leave some oil in the pan, sauté the minced garlic until fragrant, then pour in the sweet and sour sauce and cook over high heat until thickened. Then pour in the cooked eggs, simmer for a while, and it's ready to serve.
"Yueyue, you've cooked! It smells so good! Why didn't you wake me up? I'll come and watch the fire for you." Liu Yuanyuan appeared at the door, rubbing her eyes.
Pei Yuezhi looked at her amusedly: "What are you looking at the fire for? It's time to eat. Go get some rice."
Grandma Liu, who was eating Pei Yuezhi's braised pork knuckle for the first time, kept praising her for her skill, which made Pei Yuezhi quite embarrassed.
After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, they started working with renewed energy.
The next morning, since the shop was almost finished being packed up, Granny Liu said she wouldn't go anymore. But she mysteriously pulled out a board from behind her back, on which was engraved "Moonlight Restaurant" and traced over it with ink.
"This, this is our restaurant's sign! Thank you, Auntie!" Pei Yuezhi happily accepted the sign. "I was just thinking about how to get one!"
Grandma Liu looked at Pei Yuezhi with a smile.
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