Among the guests, some came in out of curiosity, took a look around, and left; some listened to the music but didn't eat; and some came to freeload tea, but left after finishing their tea.
But someone quickly filled the vacancy.
Soon, everyone at each table was clamoring to order food.
The kitchen was incredibly busy today.
With so many diners, the current head chef Chen Ming and the former head chef Qin Wu are simply not enough to keep up with the demand.
Li Zheng was watching Chen Ming and Qin Wu cook in the kitchen, intending to learn how to cook for his wife at home. Seeing the kitchen bustling with activity, he decided to help prepare the ingredients.
Lin Shu and Qiu Dayu were only responsible for serving dishes, while Qiu Yan was responsible for taking orders from the customers on the first floor. After taking orders for each table, she would record the table number with a brush and quickly calculate the total price.
Zhou Zifang went upstairs to the second floor to attend to the guests in the private rooms.
...Two hours later, Zhou Zifang was fiddling with the abacus while Qiu Yan collected the money and settled the bill.
Originally, there were far more guests on the first floor than in the private rooms on the second floor. However, because Zhou Zifang was in such a hurry that he couldn't even recognize his own handwriting, and he hadn't calculated the price for each table, things became chaotic in the end.
Lin Shu and Qiu Dayu were also exhausted and covered in sweat. It was Qiu Dayu's first day of work, so it was inevitable that he would bump into things.
Even Li Zheng, who could slaughter pigs effortlessly, had his hands covered in wounds and cuts.
Qin Wu and Chen Ming were the most exhausted; their arms felt sore, swollen, and numb, almost like they didn't belong to them anymore.
They were exhausted, extremely exhausted, but everyone had a genuine smile on their face.
Today marks the first time since the decline that Xingyuelou Restaurant has been fully booked, with all kinds of wild game in short supply.
To be honest, they hadn't prepared much to begin with.
Just after noon, Qiu Yan paid Song Jiao five taels of silver to bury her father and asked Qiu Dayu to accompany her.
Qiu Dayu disliked the job, but seeing Song Jiao as a weak woman, he did not refuse.
Just as everyone was catching their breath, the county magistrate's wife came over to show her support.
Jiang Liu has always been a low-key person, and few people can recognize her on the street.
But after what happened last time, she's become quite famous. "Qiu Yan, I've come twice and haven't seen you. What have you been busy with these past few days?"
Busy making money, huh?
Qiu Yan smiled faintly and replied, "I have too many things to do at home and can't find the time right now."
Jiang Liu hadn't originally planned to come today, but she came out of curiosity after hearing that a pipa player had arrived at Xingyue Tower.
She saw the pipa player, but she didn't see her face.
She wasn't a man, so she wasn't particularly curious about Song Jiao's face. Instead, she chatted with Qiu Yan for a while.
Qiu Yan sat down opposite Jiang Liu and poured her a cup of hot tea.
"Madam, the success of Xingyue Restaurant is largely thanks to the chef you recommended."
"I'm glad I could help you." Jiang Liu wanted to say that while Xingyue Tower's business was booming, their Tang family was in complete chaos.
Aunt Hu, because the perfectly good chef Chen Ming had disappeared without a trace, spent her days crying and complaining to the county magistrate about Jiang Liu.
And so, she came out to find some peace and quiet.
Jiang Liu was extremely bored today. After dinner, she wanted to invite Qiu Yan to go out for a stroll and buy some useful items.
Women, don't they just love to shop?
"Cuizhu, you stay and help out. Qiu Yan and I are going out for a walk."
"Yes, madam."
As Jiang Liu's personal maid, Cui Zhu had no choice but to comply, even if she was unwilling.
The work at Xingyue Tower is much more arduous than serving the lady.
This afternoon, Qiu Yan had other plans. She wanted to visit her second uncle in prison.
But after thinking about it, she readily agreed and left Xingyue Tower with Jiang Liu.
The two strolled down the street, chatting casually.
During their casual conversation, Jiang Liu's feelings for Qiu Yan grew stronger.
When her girlfriends met her, most of them flattered her, and she felt that those people were not genuine.
Qiu Yan remained humble yet assertive throughout, and Jiang Liu found it comfortable to be around her and enjoyed chatting with her.
"Sigh, being a woman is so stifling. I want to be a man in my next life." Jiang Liu dislikes her current life. Despite her seemingly open-minded demeanor, she is full of bitterness.
"Who has upset Madam?" Qiu Yan guessed, it must be that Aunt Hu.
Even in this patriarchal society, she would never share a man with other women.
"It's all fate." The vixen and the fickle lover got together, and they were always clinging to each other in front of her. Whenever Jiang Liu returned to that house, she felt suffocated.
“Madam, whoever makes you unhappy, you should make them unhappy.” Qiu Yan always said this, her words coming out without thinking.
"I love hearing that!" Jiang Liu liked Qiu Yan's straightforward personality.
Unfortunately, she is not Qiu Yan, and there are always so many entanglements between them.
"Madam is beautiful and intelligent; she must come from a well-off family," Qiu Yan said.
“I grew up in Huaiyuan. My father was a salt official in Huaiyuan, and my mother came from a scholarly family. My uncles also doted on me.” Jiang Liu spoke with pride about her family background, but alas, she could never go back.
Qiu Yan chimed in, "Unlike us, we don't have a single person helping us."
Jiang Liu followed up with another question after hearing her words, "What about your uncles and aunts? Don't they care about you?"
Qiu Yan briefly recounted her family affairs: "...My stepmother treated us harshly, constantly beating and scolding us. My third and fourth uncles were the same. My youngest uncle couldn't even take care of himself. Only my second uncle cared about us siblings. But unfortunately, my second uncle went to prison and we don't know when he'll be released."
"How could there be such a vicious family in the world!" Jiang Liu seemed even angrier than Qiu Yan after hearing this. "Why is your second uncle in jail?"
“Because of my stepmother…” Based on the original owner’s memories, Qiu Yan downplayed the seriousness of the matter and said that she was going to the prison later to see her second uncle.
When Jiang Liu heard about Qiu Dafu's deeds, she felt both angry and amused. She couldn't believe such a thing could happen in the world.
“If you go alone, you might be harassed. You won’t be able to see anyone without money. I’ll go with you. Let’s go now, so you can finally fulfill your longing for your second uncle.”
"Thank you, Madam," Qiu Yan said politely. With Jiang Liu accompanying her, her trip would proceed smoothly.
"Qiu Yan, stop calling me Madam all the time, just call me Sister Jiang."
...The two stopped wandering around and headed straight for the prison.
Soon, they arrived at the prison cell.
When the jailer saw Jiang Liu, he bowed respectfully.
They were all somewhat surprised and couldn't help but ask a few more questions.
Jiang Liu explained her purpose for coming today: to introduce Qiu Yan, who was beside her, to her family.
The jailer took a serious look at Qiu Yan. This girl had actually managed to climb the social ladder to become the wife of the county magistrate, and even had the magistrate accompany her to visit him in prison. She was no ordinary girl.
Following the jailer's lead, Qiu Yan quickly found Qiu Dafu.
In prison, Qiu Dafu, dressed in prison clothes, sat on a dirty pile of straw, his back to Qiu Yan.
Qiu Yan looked at that familiar yet unfamiliar figure and softly called out, "Second Uncle."
She felt familiar because the original owner had deep feelings for Qiu Dafu, but felt unfamiliar because she was not the original owner.
Qiu Dafu trembled twice and suddenly turned around.
Upon seeing Qiu Yan, he was startled and quickly got up and walked over, climbing onto the prison pillar.
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