Preparations for Xiangyunlou are complete, and it's about to open for business.
The building is divided into different areas, with the first floor serving as a lobby where people can rest, drink tea, and relax.
Song Ning hired a storyteller who brought out all the ancient folk novels and famous works in her home and told them the stories one by one.
The second floor is the dining area, where you can have hot pot or order à la carte dishes. It's set up with booths, making it easy to enter and exit, and it's clean and spacious.
The hot pot dipping sauce has been made into a self-service option.
The dipping sauces were all placed next to the counter at the front of the public area. Everything Song Ning could think of that was available there was put there.
There were also some free self-service snacks, ice jelly, and side dishes on the food table.
There was a special menu for ordering food. She bound the menus drawn by Zhou Ling'an into a book and had hundreds of copies printed at a bookstore.
One serving was placed on each table, and each waiter in the restaurant had to carry one.
The rest are placed at the counters on each floor for easy access.
The third floor consists entirely of private rooms, which are mainly used when entertaining friends for meals.
The third floor is considered VIP, with two people in charge of each private room. The private rooms are fully equipped and decorated better than other places. Song Ning prepared them according to the standards of the presidential suite in the hotel in her previous life.
These private rooms are reserved for banquets and entertaining guests.
They are sure to make their guests feel their thoughtful and meticulous service.
The day before the opening, Song Ning sent someone to inform Jiang Shuyue and the Duke's Mansion.
Opening a restaurant in Beijing is a big deal. When Xiangyunlou opened last time, the whole family was so excited they couldn't sleep the night before. Now that they're in Beijing, it's not excitement, it's nervousness.
In the middle of the night, instead of going back to sleep, Song Dahai and Liu Yuelan started inspecting the shop upstairs and downstairs again.
"Are all the ingredients in the kitchen ready?"
"Are the chairs upstairs set up?"
"And are all the tableware set out?"
"Oh right, I need to check on those flowers. They'll be outside tomorrow, so I need to water them more tonight, or they'll all wilt by tomorrow."
"Xiao Cui, make sure you have the booklets for tomorrow's accounting ready, or you won't be able to find them later."
"Don't worry, Auntie, I've got everything ready."
......
Tonight, the Song family of three and Xiao Cui all stayed at the shop and didn't go home.
After checking everything from top to bottom more than ten times, Song Dahai and Liu Yuelan were finally exhausted.
Since she couldn't sleep anyway, Song Ning simply made some late-night snacks and ate her fill before continuing.
The previously ground potato starch was made into noodles, and each person received a bowl of hot and sour noodles.
"Boss, what is this? It smells so good."
"This is called hot and sour noodles. It's refreshing and appetizing. Eat more."
The potato noodles are chewy and, paired with her specially prepared broth, are rich in flavor; just smelling them makes your mouth water.
This was the first time they had ever seen this stuff, and they took a small bite.
The three of them were stunned when they put the hot and sour noodles in their mouths. This noodle-like thing tasted completely different from regular noodles. It was chewy, firm, and had a sour and spicy flavor that was especially delicious.
"Boss, you're amazing!" Xiao Cui muttered, her mouth full of oil.
"Eat more if you like it, there's more in the pot."
The entire lobby was filled with the sound of people slurping noodles. It's summer now, and it's too hot, so I don't think there will be many people who want to eat it. But when autumn comes, this dish can be added to the menu.
The four of them ate, sweating profusely. Liu Yuelan even drank the soup clean, leaning back in her chair and saying, "Although it's hot, it's delicious, so it's worth it."
"Mmm, it's so delicious, boss! Can I have it again tomorrow?" Xiao Cui kept gulping down water as she sizzled.
"You forgot, our restaurant is opening tomorrow, there's no time for all this. Let's have a big meal together tomorrow."
"Oh right, I was so engrossed in the meal that I forgot about that. I need to go back to the kitchen to check." With that, Liu Yuelan quickly got up and headed to the kitchen.
"Oh, Mother, it's getting late. You should get some rest. Don't overwork yourself."
Liu Yuelan ignored her and went straight into the back.
Song Dahai sighed and pulled Song Ning back: "Let her go. I won't feel at ease if I don't let her see. Besides, your mother ran into the Xu family today and is in a bad mood, so she can't stay still."
"You ran into the Xu family? When?"
“It was when we went out for some fresh air in the afternoon. Your mother and I were thinking of taking a walk on the street, but we ran into the Xu family. Your mother wasn’t very happy when she came back.”
Song Ning noticed a change in Song Dahai's expression and asked, "Did the Xu family say something?"
Apart from the old lady, none of the Xu family members wanted to acknowledge her as their mother.
Because their family is now declining, they're afraid their family will become a burden, so they're implying they don't want to acknowledge them.
It's only natural for people to have distant relatives when they're rich in the mountains and no one to care when they're poor in the city. She wasn't surprised, and she couldn't blame the Xu family.
Besides, her mother has been missing for so long, any brotherly and sisterly affection is long gone.
Their family never intended to try and curry favor with the Xu family.
"They were supposed to have met the two ladies of the Xu family. Your mother thought that since they were family, she could just go up and say hello, but..."
However, the Xu family made sarcastic remarks, assuming that Liu Yuelan and Song Dahai had come to the capital to see the Xu family.
Fearing that the two would get attached to them, they swallowed their pride and said some unpleasant things in front of everyone.
Liu Yuelan's original intention was to go up and say hello. After all, they would be living in the capital together in the future and might meet again. Although she had no intention of returning to the Xu family, there was no need to make things too awkward.
Moreover, the old lady of the Xu family has been kind to her, and she plans to visit her later.
However, to her surprise, the two ladies of the Xu family publicly humiliated her, which made Liu Yuelan feel uneasy.
Song Dahai originally wanted to go up and argue with them, but Liu Yuelan stopped him.
“Your mother said it wasn’t a big deal, so she didn’t tell you. She just said that if you see any members of the Xu family in the future, just treat them like strangers.”
Liu Yuelan is no longer the timid person she once was; even now, she is still giving the Xu family face.
Song Dahai naturally listened to his wife. Although he didn't want his wife to suffer, what could he do?
Even if they don't acknowledge it, the Xu family still has Liu Yuelan's biological mother, so he can't say anything.
"Your mother didn't want your father to tell you about this, because she was afraid you would worry. It's good that you know. Don't even think about standing up for your mother. After all, it's a Marquis's mansion. Try not to provoke them if you can."
Song Dahai and Liu Yuelan were also worried about their daughter, fearing that offending the Xu family would implicate Song Ning.
Of all things, daughters are the most important. As long as Song Ning is alright, it doesn't matter what happens to them.
Song Ning's face was cold. Although she was angry, she knew that this was human nature.
The Xu family is already struggling to make ends meet; if a few more poor relatives were to appear, it would be adding insult to injury.
But even if she was afraid of her mother returning to the Xu family, there was no need to humiliate her in public, was there?
Besides, they're coming to Beijing and about to open a restaurant. Who knows who will be the poor relative before they're actually quarantined?
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