Chapter 37: You've changed your mind?
Zhu Zhifeng's eyes sparkled, her brows filled with longing and anticipation, as if she was even more excited than Yu Wan herself for the restaurant to open in the county town.
She noticed everyone was staring at her curiously, and her expression became somewhat awkward.
"Don't think that just because I'm the daughter of a county magistrate, I can eat and drink well every day. My family usually eats simple meals. My mother can't cook, and my father is only half-baked. He can only cook the food properly. So I've never really eaten anything good since I was a child."
She took Yu Wan's hand and said, "I always thought it was because of the ingredients, but I later found out that it's not like that at all outside. So when we first met and saw your skewers, we never imagined that a teenage girl like you could make them so delicious with such ordinary ingredients."
Yu Wan recalled their first meeting. The girl kept stopping Jin Yifei, not because she was used to delicious food since childhood, but because she didn't believe in her cooking skills.
She smiled and said, "Then come to my restaurant more often in the future, and I'll improve your meals."
Zhu Zhifeng jumped up happily, "That's great! But don't worry, I'll bring some money with me, I won't eat for free. Just one thing, don't find me annoying."
"And what about me? Awan, don't show favoritism!" Jin Yifei said with a smile.
Yu Wan smiled and said that since everyone was coming, she suggested that they go for a walk.
The wind in early spring is much gentler than in the dead of winter, so people don't need to bundle up, and some are even eager to take off their clothes.
There are more and more street vendors, selling food, clothes, household items, and toys. Although they are not as abundant as those in the capital, they have their own unique characteristics because of the remote location.
Seeing that Yu Wan's clothes were simple and she wasn't wearing any jewelry, Zhu Zhifeng insisted on buying some for her.
She pulled Yu Wan to the jewelry stall, spotted a white jade hairpin, and picked it up to put it on Yu Wan.
"A-Wan, you're so beautiful, why don't you dress up a bit? Are you already seventy or eighty? Whatever you like today, I'll give it to you. Don't worry, even if I don't have enough money, my cousin has plenty!"
Jin Yifei smiled and chimed in, "Yes, Awan, we know you care about the restaurant, but you should also treat yourself sometimes. Whatever you fancy today, we'll buy it for you."
The brother and sister chatted back and forth, making Yu Wan feel their great goodwill, but she still politely declined.
Now that she has some money, it wouldn't be a problem for her to buy some decent jewelry, but she doesn't care about these things, so she hasn't bought any for herself.
She patiently persuaded Zhu Zhifeng for a long time, and finally convinced her to stop clamoring for a gift.
To prevent this from happening again, Yu Wan suggested going to Fu Man Ju to take a look.
Yes, it will be renamed soon.
The two boys who had been silently following behind had been whispering to each other for a long time.
Xue Xiujun immediately stepped forward, "Boss lady, Fumanju is just over there on the street, I'll take you there!"
It was fine if he didn't speak, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he immediately angered Zhu Zhifeng.
Zhu Zhifeng's beautiful eyes widened. "You're going to lead the way for A-Wan? Who do you think you are? I grew up in this county town and have been here countless times with my father. Do you think you know it better than me?"
As she spoke, she clung tightly to Yu Wan's arm, as if afraid she would be kidnapped.
Xue Xiujun crossed his arms in front of his chest, looked the woman in front of him up and down, and then chuckled.
"She's just the daughter of a minor county magistrate, yet she acts so arrogantly. So what if you're a princess? My boss's wife has her own legs; she can have whoever she wants lead the way. What business is it of yours, an outsider?"
Zhu Zhifeng was truly enraged this time; she never expected anyone to dare speak to her like that.
"You! How dare you!"
Xue Xiujun retorted without backing down, "I'm bold, what can you do to me? I just said a few honest words, is that illegal? Boss lady, they look down on people, let's stay away from them."
He held onto Yu Wan's arm, and Zhu Zhifeng wouldn't let go either.
The two of them kept arguing, giving Yu Wan a headache and making her feel like she was being torn in two.
"Stop arguing! Let go of each other!"
The two finally shut up, glared at each other, and angrily turned away, leaving each other with their backs to the others.
Yu Wan took a deep breath and took the first step. "I know the way too, let's go!"
After being neglected for many days, Fu Man Ju was covered in dust.
Yu Wan walked around the building, upstairs and downstairs, and had already come up with a series of specific plans.
It must be said that the original layout of the restaurant was already very good, so she did not plan to make any major changes.
First, you need to clean it up, then buy some tables, chairs, and benches, and after a little tidying up, you can open for business.
Just then, a group of people arrived at the gate, driving a carriage loaded with tables and chairs. Upon seeing Jin Yifei, they bowed and said:
"Young Master Jin, the items have been delivered. May we move them in now?"
Yu Wan understood perfectly well that someone had prepared these things for her in advance.
"Young Master Jin, I appreciate your kind intentions, but this is not appropriate."
Jin Yifei looked at her intently and smiled:
"Why are you calling me Young Master Jin again? Didn't we agree that we're friends and there's no need to be so polite? Don't be so quick to refuse. These things originally belonged here, and besides, it was my uncle's idea. Just accept them. I'll ask them to clean up first and then move the things inside. You two chat first, I'll go keep an eye on things so no one bumps into anything." With that, she went off to get busy.
When Yu Wan heard that it was the county magistrate's idea, she guessed that he believed her plan and wanted her to open for business and generate revenue as soon as possible.
She looked at the two boys and said, "What are you still standing there for? Go and help!" Then she rolled up her sleeves and turned to clean up the kitchen.
Xue Xiujun nudged He Jing's arm with his elbow, "What's the situation right now?"
He Jing said coldly, "Get to work."
In the end, only a completely bewildered Xue Xiujun and a bewildered Zhu Zhifeng remained.
Zhu Zhifeng glared at him and then ran to the kitchen to find Yu Wan.
Xue Xiujun snorted, "Where does this woman get her sense of superiority from?"
After working for several hours, until it was almost dark, everyone finally finished cleaning the entire restaurant and arranging the tables and chairs.
Yu Wan really liked the restaurant's kitchen. Putting everything else aside, the space was really big, with a cold storage, wine cellar, ice room, and so on. It was far superior to the restaurants in her town.
Roughly speaking, this restaurant can accommodate about 500 people at the same time.
She took some time to buy some ingredients and cooked a sumptuous dinner at the restaurant, treating everyone to a hearty meal. Even the people Jin Yifei hired left with full stomachs.
After saying goodbye to everyone, Yu Wan and the other two boarded the carriage hired by Jin Yifei and left the county town.
Yu Wan closed her eyes to rest, but her mind was still racing.
Such a large restaurant definitely needs to hire people. Taking five people from the restaurant is not enough; at least ten more are needed.
"Axiu, you'll move to the county town with me in a couple of days. Once everything is settled, we'll bring my mother and Acheng over. He Suzhi, could you help me write a job advertisement?"
Xue Xiujun glanced at He Jing first, then smiled broadly, "Boss lady, you're so good to me! The county town is great, there are so many more fun places than in the town."
Before Yu Wan could criticize him, he immediately changed the subject, "Where there are many fun places, there are many people. Your cooking skills are so great, our business will definitely be booming! I am so grateful to you for broadening my horizons."
Yu Wan smiled. This guy was really talkative, unlike the other guy who didn't say a word for ages.
"He Suzhi, are you ready?"
He Jing remained silent with a dark expression.
Yu Wan knew he had heard her. "No matter what, please keep an eye on things for me for a while. If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to contact me. I am truly grateful for your great help."
He Jing's face darkened, and he coldly said, "I understand."
Xue Xiujun cupped his hands and said in a slightly sullen tone, "Congratulations on your promotion! From now on, I'll have to call you Manager He. Wow, I don't know why, but it sounds even more impressive than General He."
He Jing ignored him.
Back at the restaurant, they learned that Yu's mother and A-Cheng had prepared dinner but hadn't eaten it, reheating it again and again while waiting for them to return.
When Yu's mother heard that her daughter was leaving her to go to the county town, she couldn't help but worry.
But she also knew that her daughter had made up her mind, and it would be useless to stop her.
Seeing her with tears in her eyes, Yu Wan smiled and comforted her, "Mother, what are you doing? The county town isn't far. I'll bring you over once I've settled in."
Yu's mother wiped away her tears: "Why don't you let Asu accompany you to the county town? He's so skilled in martial arts, he can definitely protect you."
Yu Wan persuaded him again and finally got him to sleep. When she walked out of her mother's room, she saw that someone was already waiting outside the door.
"You've changed your mind?" That was her first thought.
She felt a little disappointed, but she had been prepared for this for a long time.
We were just strangers who met by chance; our meeting was accidental, and our parting was inevitable.
"No." The boy's tone was somber, his eyes fixed on her calm face, a strange tightness in his chest.
"Then why aren't you asleep yet? It's so late." Yu Wan felt relieved.
The boy seemed unsure of what he wanted to say, his eyes flashing with uncertainty and confusion. In the end, he only said, "I'm going to sleep now," before turning and walking away.
Three days later, after arranging things at the restaurant, Yu Wan took Xue Xiujun and the five kitchen helpers from Fumanju to the county town.
The restaurant in the county town needs at least ten more days of preparation before it can open. Such a large restaurant must be fully prepared.
For example, we should first develop the professional skills of Xue Xiujun and others, and then let them lead the newcomers. Yu Wan can't do everything by herself; that would be too tiring.
She also needs to recruit new people, and she will at least oversee the final interview.
The most important thing she had to do was to create the highlight of Yu Family Restaurant – the menu wall.
There was a wall in the lobby that originally had a painting of cranes, but she simply scraped it off, repainted the wall, and then painted the menu wall on that wall.
This wall is twice the size of the one in the Yu Family Restaurant, and the painting on it is more spectacular and evocative.
Xue Xiujun admired the painting on the wall, lost in thought. "Madam, I wonder who you studied under? What school or style is this painting? I've wanted to ask you for a long time. I observed it for a long time when I was in town, but I just couldn't figure it out."
Yu Wan recalled that when she was painting in the restaurant, He Suzhi had asked her a similar question.
"My art style is unique because very few people can do it right now."
Xue Xiujun asked innocently, "Wow, you figured that out on your own? Boss lady, you're amazing! You're so smart, a genius among geniuses."
Yu Wan declared, "This is not something I figured out on my own; I learned it from others."
Xue Xiujun pressed further, "Who did you learn from?"
"Then you don't need to know," Yu Wan said with a smile, since he wouldn't be able to see it anyway.
How could someone from ancient times know about the future?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
