Chunyan kept her eyes fixed on the stove fire, pulling the bellows while poking at the wick with a fire poker.
"Alright, bring the fire up high, then simmer it for an hour. When it's almost done, you'll smell the aroma, and it'll be ready."
Zhang was chopping away on the cutting board, her eyes fixed on Liang Shuyan: "Mother, should we still make hot pot?"
Liang Shuyan quickly washed the small bowls on the table and nodded: "Of course, these things are necessary. The people in the village don't have the opportunity to eat at our Jinzhou Restaurant, so this is a must so that the people in the village can try our restaurant's signature dishes."
Following the restaurant's rules, Zhang prepared some green vegetables, sliced meat, tofu, and potato noodles made by Liang Shuyan herself. Because there weren't many hot pot ingredients in ancient times, Liang Shuyan specially planted some green vegetables in her garden—all kinds of green vegetables, chives, bok choy, some well-known and some unnamed.
Many of the rapeseed seeds were taken from the system. Liang Shuyan gave them some strange names, and her family members called them by those names without anyone finding anything wrong with it.
Cilantro is also a good addition to hot pot. Grandma Jin loves cilantro. Pointing to the cilantro in the bowl, she instructed her granddaughter-in-law, Liu, "Second daughter-in-law, prepare more cilantro. Grandma loves cilantro."
The lotus root slices taken from the pond were also cut into thin slices and placed on the table.
The dipping sauce was made by Liang Shuyan herself. She mashed peanuts into a sauce, added various seasonings and wild peppers, stirred it, and then poured hot oil over it. The dipping sauce was then ready.
The hot pot base was Sichuan spicy hot pot base that Liang Shuyan took out from the system. As soon as it was added to the pot and cooked, it emitted a fragrant aroma.
Zhang smelled it curiously: "Mother, why does this smell different from the broth in our restaurant? It smells even better than the broth in our restaurant. Mother, are you hiding something from your second daughter-in-law?"
Liang Shuyan couldn't help but burst into laughter: "What are you thinking? The restaurant uses a lot of base ingredients, so of course we need to cook them ourselves. But today we're moving, and we've invited not only our fellow villagers, but also the county magistrate and some important dignitaries. Shouldn't the sauce be made even tastier?"
Zhang used to be a quiet, unassuming woman, always agreeing with whatever her mother-in-law said. But now, her eyes lit up: "Mother, no, it's just that I feel this matter can't be taken lightly. The people who come to our restaurant are all wealthy and influential. If our broth can be made even better, wouldn't we have even more customers and earn more money?"
Liang Shuyan couldn't help but poke Zhang's head: "What are you thinking about all day? Our restaurant is trying to improve the base ingredients and also needs to change its operating methods. The current taste is already very suitable for the general public. If we change it again, we may lose some customers. I'm thinking, should we open two Jinzhou restaurants in the provincial capital and give it a try?"
"Mother, shouldn't we keep the restaurant in Jing'an County open?"
Liang Shuyan shook her head: "No, it depends on the restaurant. The Jinzhou Restaurant in Jing'an County is the main store, and the stores that will be opened afterward are all branches. However, the requirements for the branches are quite high. First of all, the manager must be capable and have good character so as not to damage the reputation of our Jinzhou Restaurant. Secondly, they must have a certain reputation in the local area. Only in this way can we better expand the reputation and fame of our Jinzhou Restaurant."
Zhang seemed to have heard about an extremely valuable treasure from her mother-in-law, and said happily, "What a great idea, Mother! But it must cost a lot of money, right? A considerable sum of money."
Liang Shuyan shook her head: "No need. We can issue a recruitment notice. In this way, some capable partners will automatically come to us. We now have Jinzhou Restaurant as our only capital. Others are interested in our restaurant's reputation and profit prospects, which is why they cooperate with us. As for partners, we can only cooperate with them if they are capable."
Zhang was surprised that her mother-in-law could come up with such a good idea. She nodded and said, "Yes, Mother, good idea. Let's find some qualified partners and open two stores to test the effect."
As Liang Shuyan spoke, she prepared the sauce and poured it into a large bowl. Then she prepared the bowls and chopsticks. Next, she prepared an old duck, cleaned it, added some seasonings, and placed it in the pot as the base.
In the courtyard, Jin Dashan had already prepared all the household items, and they had placed everything that should be in each room. However, Jin Sanwang's room was the only one that had not yet been filled, as instructed by Liang Shuyan.
Liang Shuyan told Jin Dashan, "Don't put anything in Sanwang's room yet. We'll wait for the new furniture to arrive so we can move it in. By the end of the month, we can hold Sanwang's wedding."
Ruyan was squatting on the doorstep, holding some quilts, about to tidy up the house when she heard Liang Shuyan's words and blushed immediately.
Granny Liu glanced at Ruyan and said with a smile, "Your mother-in-law is finally going to arrange a marriage for you two. That means I won't be far from holding my grandson!"
Beibei walked over with a small schoolbag on her back, took Grandma Liu's hands and said, "Grandma, I'm your little granddaughter too. Auntie, you have to give me a little sister!"
Ruyan blushed and pinched Beibei's ear, saying, "You little brat, who told you these things? You're so young, why don't you learn something better?"
"No, it was my third uncle who told me that Aunt Ruyan should have a little sister."
Sanwang walked over, patted Beibei's head, and said, "Beibei, what are you saying? How can you secretly talk bad about your third uncle?"
"No, Third Uncle, it was you who said that Aunt Ruyan should have a little sister, Third Uncle, I'm not lying, am I?"
Sanwang glanced at Ruyan somewhat embarrassedly, his face flushed, and said, "This Beibei, really, children shouldn't talk nonsense. Go back to your books. These are things for adults."
Granny Liu burst into laughter: "Beibei is right. You two, after you get married, hurry up and give this old lady a grandson, whether it's a boy or a girl."
"Mother, are you just bored all day long, talking about such unfounded things? Aren't you ashamed?"
Ruyan said something, then covered her face and left.
The villagers gradually came to the courtyard.
"Jinxia, why did you come alone? Didn't you bring the children?"
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