Chapter 14
Yu Wan's heart raced, and she fled in a panic.
When the man questioned her identity, she immediately broke out in a cold sweat, fearing that she might accidentally give herself away.
She could easily fool her mother with a few words, but faced with the man's precise and probing questions, she either had to give a logical and self-consistent answer or change the subject. Fortunately, the contract she had prepared beforehand came in handy, allowing her to decisively turn the tables at a crucial moment and narrowly win the battle.
For the next month, the restaurant was extremely popular. Many people heard that the kebabs at Yu's restaurant had been praised by the county magistrate and even surpassed the signature dish of Fu Man Ju on the dinner table, so they came to try them out to see what made them so special.
One taste and everyone praised it, giving it a thumbs up, and even taking some home to go.
Word spread like wildfire, and the reputation of Yu's restaurant spread throughout the entire county. This shows that, regardless of the era, the influence of a celebrity is the most powerful draw, far more effective than someone shouting themselves hoarse in the market.
Yu Wan was busy with her business every day. The ingredients rewarded by the system became more abundant and varied each day, and she had more and more silver in her hands, so she bought more ingredients.
As the weather gets warmer, many people are willing to go out, and the number of people coming to restaurants is increasing day by day. Some people don't want to wait in line for too long, so they even come early to queue. Therefore, Yu Wan decided to make use of the mornings and forenoons.
Originally, they only started selling kebabs after noon, and the mornings were busy preparing things. Now they've changed it to preparing the ingredients for the next day after closing in the evening, which makes better use of their time.
It's tiring, but making money is wonderful!
In the morning, they sell noodles, rice noodles, and fancy steamed buns and dumplings; in the late afternoon, they sell various stir-fried dishes.
Noodles come in various forms, including hot soup noodles, noodles with various sauces, mixed noodles in different flavors, and stir-fried noodles. Steamed buns are also made with different colors and shapes to make them visually appealing, not only delicious but also beautiful.
For stir-fries, she can choose any popular dish from the eight major cuisines, since she has hands and ingredients to make them.
She referenced modern recipe styles, combining text and images, adding small drawings above the dish names to give a general idea and allow diners some room for imagination.
All the different kinds of dishes are displayed together, covering an entire wall. So one wall of the restaurant has become a beautiful sight. It is not just a menu, but also a picturesque scene that attracts almost every diner who enters.
This fairyland image allows you to add or modify content at will, which is very convenient.
On this day, the moon was nearly full, and Yu's mother had already taken Yu Cheng to rest early.
Yu Wan added a beef and vermicelli soup to the recipe wall. She first outlined it with a brush, then simply applied paint. Although her painting skills were not very refined, it was already quite similar to the real thing. Finally, she wrote the calligraphy below the painting to complete it.
She admired her work with satisfaction, secretly praising herself for being incredibly talented.
"I'm so amazing!"
This small eatery encapsulates all her life's learning, and she believes that one day she will own a bigger shop than this!
Creating an ancient food city is not impossible!
He Jing held a mop in one hand and put the other on his hip, looking at the artwork created by the girl standing on the table.
"You can draw? I can't tell which style this is from. And this calligraphy..."
Yu Wan's expression changed instantly. She glared at him and said, "What do you know? This is called anime/manga style, it will be very popular in the future, okay? What's wrong with my handwriting? Isn't it fine?"
In her previous life, she could have taken the art exam, but due to various factors, she couldn't choose that path. Later, by chance, she took over her family's barbecue restaurant, and painting and calligraphy became a spice in her life, which she would occasionally pick up a pen for.
Unexpectedly, this half-baked skill came in handy.
He Jing pursed his lips and said nothing more. He picked up the mop, and on a sudden urge, he transformed it into a spear and wielded it a couple of times.
But the next moment it triggered a violent coughing fit, "cough cough..."
Yu Wan got off the table. "You'd better not move around too much. Your health has finally started to improve, don't let all that progress go to waste. My money has a purpose, I don't want to keep spending it on medicine for you."
He Jing looked gloomy, angry at his own body for being so useless.
Yu Wan asked, "By the way, do you know how to choose horses?"
He Jing's face darkened, and he was in a bad mood. "What?"
Yu Wan said, "I want to buy a horse-drawn carriage. It will be more convenient for hauling goods or running errands. Choosing a good steed with good stamina is very important. Tomorrow is the fifteenth, which happens to be a day when restaurants are closed. How about you come with me to the market?"
She decreed that the fifth, fifteenth, and twenty-fifth of each month would be designated as rest days for restaurants.
He Jing replied irritably, "Okay," and then sullenly went upstairs.
Yu Wan shook her head and sighed, muttering, "Does he understand or not?"
Early the next morning, Yu Wan hired a carriage and took her mother, Yu Cheng, and He Jing, a group of four, to the county town.
The town is more than 30 miles from the county seat, but for both Yu's mother and Yu Cheng, it was the first time they had ever been to such a far place.
Yu Cheng was extremely excited, constantly lifting the curtain to look outside, finding everything he saw fascinating.
After a month of herbal medicine treatment, Yu's mother's health gradually improved, but like He Jing's, her vital energy was depleted, and it was not something that could be cured in a short time.
“I told you I didn’t want to come with you, but you insisted on taking me. I have trouble walking and I’ll only delay your business.”
Yu Wan smiled and said, "Mother, besides buying a carriage, I also want to buy some fabric, but I don't know how to choose. I need your help to take a look."
Yu's mother looked puzzled. "Buy cloth? Didn't you also want to buy a carriage? Do you have any money left?"
After the New Year, Yu's mother needed to rest and recuperate because of her medication, so Yu Wan asked He Jing to collect money and keep accounts. Yu's mother was unaware of the restaurant's profit and loss, but she knew that buying a car was very expensive.
Yu Wan reassured her, "Don't worry, Mother, I know what I'm doing. Our restaurant has made a name for itself, and the place is looking more and more presentable, but there's one thing we haven't gotten around to."
Yu Cheng blinked his big, grape-like eyes and asked, "Sister, what is it?"
Yu Wan smiled and said, "Our work uniforms! How can an outstanding team not have a unified identification? So today we're going to buy fabric to make uniforms, and everyone will get one."
Yu's mother seemed to understand but not quite, "Alright, you buy it, and I'll make it for you."
Yu Wan would never let her mother work so hard alone, and the clothes had to be finished as soon as possible.
“Mother, don’t you have a few good sisters? I need the money urgently, and it’s too hard for you to work alone. Call Aunt Li, Aunt Zhang, and Sister-in-law Dong. Many hands make light work. I know they are all widows and orphans, their husbands either dead or on the battlefield, just like my father and brother, whom we haven’t heard from in years. If they are willing to take this job, I will pay them. I have already drawn up the blueprints, and they can come and get the materials anytime. They can bring them back after they’ve finished the work, so it won’t interfere with things at home.”
Mother Yu's face lit up with joy. "Awan, I'm so glad you're thinking of them. When we lived in the village, they often took care of us. After your brother was born, my health deteriorated, and they even gave us the eggs they were going to sell for money so I could recover. Over the years, I've always remembered their kindness, and I know their lives aren't much better than ours, but I'm powerless to help them."
Upon arriving in the county town, we headed straight to the market.
When Yu Wan last came to the county town, she went into the magistrate's house in the middle of the night, did everything and left, so she had no idea what the county town looked like during the day.
Looking at it now, it is indeed larger and more densely populated. Although it cannot be described as prosperous, it is much more lively than a small town, and the economic environment is not on the same level.
You can tell from the fabric of the clothes worn by pedestrians on the street that there are more wealthy people in the county town, and not many people wear coarse linen clothes like them.
A vendor's cry came from not far away: "Candied hawthorns! Sweet and sour candied hawthorns!"
Yu Cheng was immediately attracted, swallowed hard, and kept looking back.
Yu Wan was amused by his little expression and told them to wait a moment. She then ran over and bought a few candied hawthorn skewers.
I'll give the first skewer to Yu Cheng first. "I've been wanting to make you candied hawthorns for a while now, but I was so busy that I forgot."
When Chef Chen came to cause trouble, Yu Cheng mentioned that he had seen someone selling candied hawthorns on the road and had even stopped to look for a while. It was this short delay that almost led to him being wrongly accused.
He remembered this lesson as a child, so now he doesn't dare to ask for candied hawthorns when he sees them.
Yu Cheng's face has become a bit fuller, unlike before when he was so thin that he had a pointed chin, and his skin is also much fairer.
He took the candied hawthorn and immediately beamed with joy, all the gloom in his heart vanishing.
"Thank you, sister! You're so kind! You can even make candied hawthorns?"
"Of course, what delicious food can't my older sister make?" Yu Wan coaxed her younger brother and then offered her mother a skewer, which she refused.
Mother Yu smiled and said, "I don't like this, you guys eat it."
Yu Wan handed it to the silent boy who had been walking the whole way, "Here you go."
He Jing looked preoccupied, his thoughts wandering elsewhere. He stared blankly at the candied hawthorns in front of him, then his thoughts drifted away again, and he stood there motionless.
Yu Wan waved the candied hawthorn in front of him. "What's wrong with you?"
He Jing snapped out of his daze, took the candied hawthorn from her hand, and said calmly:
"I'm fine."
Yu Wan stopped paying attention to him. This man often seemed lost in thought, perhaps harboring a big secret, which was probably related to his being hunted down.
After looking around, the group chose a decent carriage. It wasn't luxurious, just ordinary, but it was sufficient for their needs.
Yu Wan then asked He Jing to help her choose a horse, which cost a total of twenty taels of silver.
Although it hurts to part with it, at least I won't have to walk anymore.
After buying a good horse, the shopkeeper helped with harnessing it, and the coachman was naturally He Jing.
Upon arriving at the fabric shop, Yu Wan took her mother's arm and was about to step into the store when she heard He Jing whisper in her ear that he had to leave for a moment.
Although Yu Wan had her suspicions, she didn't take them to heart. If this person simply left, it might not be such a bad outcome.
That way, she wouldn't have to live in fear, afraid that assassins would break into her home.
He Jing slipped away, and Yu Wan and her daughter, along with her younger brother, strolled around the fabric shop.
Perhaps because it was still early, there weren't many people at the cloth shop yet.
There was only one woman in the shop, her back to the door, holding a bronze mirror to look at herself. Hearing footsteps, she immediately turned around with a smile on her face. However, seeing that the people who came in were dressed in coarse linen and looked very poor, she didn't want to pay much attention to them. She barely opened her mouth and spoke in a perfunctory tone.
"Feel free to look around," he said, then turned and left, leaving them behind.
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