Chapter 50 Preparing for the New Store (Part Two): Creating the Menu!
The dim candlelight flickered in the night breeze as Lin Yao spread yellowed straw paper across the wooden table. She chewed on her pen, her gaze sweeping over the already written list of signature dishes: braised pork offal, roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), hot and sour crystal noodles…
These are all dishes that she had already accumulated a good reputation for when she was setting up her stall. She plans to keep them, but they are far from enough to support a restaurant.
"Brother, come and see!" Lin Yao waved to Lin Cheng, who had just stepped into the room, and then pushed a piece of paper covered with writing in front of him, her eyes full of expectation. "We have to keep all the dishes we used to make at the stall. These are the ones we worked so hard to build our reputation on. As for the rest, I plan to add the braised pork, pickled fish, fried chicken, and oyster omelet that I made before, and some seasonal stir-fries. That will make the menu much more varied."
Lin Cheng leaned closer to take a look and saw the crooked handwriting on the paper. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "You can arrange these things, A Yao, but your handwriting..." Before he could finish speaking, Lin Yao glared at him.
The characters used in this dynasty are similar to traditional characters. Thanks to Lin Yao's obsession with Hong Kong dramas in her previous life, her current state of being able to read and write is surprisingly consistent with the original owner's experience.
Lin Cheng's gaze swept over the words written by his sister, and he suddenly recalled a night many years ago. Back then, his father would always return home from town covered in dust, and after dinner, he would close the door and teach him and his sister the "Thousand Character Classic".
“Back then, when Dad worked in town, he got along very well with Mr. Wang, the accountant for his employer,” Lin Cheng suddenly said. “Mr. Wang had beautiful handwriting and could count on his abacus faster than a bell. Every time Dad got his wages, he would buy two catties of liquor and half a catty of pig’s head meat, and listen to him explain the ‘Thousand Character Classic’ and learn those neat and square characters.”
Lin Yao paused, her memory suddenly surging. In the original owner's memory, the image of her father holding her small hand and writing "Heaven and Earth, Black and Yellow" stroke by stroke appeared.
“Every time Dad comes home, he teaches us what he learned in town. We are among the few literate children in the village. Dad also said that when he saves up enough money, he will buy us pens and paper, so we will never have to write on the ground with twigs again.” Lin Cheng’s voice gradually faded, and the candlelight flickered, casting the shadows of the brother and sister on the wall, swaying slightly.
Lin Yao lightly tapped the three characters "Braised Pork" on the scrap paper with her fingertip: "That's why we need to find a good scholar to write the menu. Although our calligraphy can be used for bookkeeping, the signboard has to be beautiful, like the calligraphy Mr. Wang wrote for Dad. Maybe we can ask Mr. Wang for help?"
Lin Cheng shook his head: "Mr. Wang went to the prefectural city with his master last year. But there are always some unsuccessful scholars in the market who have excellent handwriting." He patted his sister's shoulder, "Let's go to the market tomorrow morning and inquire; we're sure to find someone suitable."
~
"Young Master Lin! Young Lady Lin!" Jin Yu saw the Lin siblings seemingly searching for something in the market. He hurried through the bustling crowd, squeezed in front of them, and, panting, bowed: "Why haven't you two set up your stall today? My young master was helping someone write a letter at the market. He was talking about wanting to eat a bowl of hot and sour noodles at noon, but when he went looking for them, he found no one there!"
Lin Yao smiled upon hearing this, "Look at my memory! I haven't had a chance to inform Young Master Xu yet! To be honest, we've been busy preparing for the opening of our restaurant, and we haven't had time to set up our stall these past few days." As she spoke, she took a bag of konjac snacks from her basket and handed it to him, "Please ask Brother Jin Yu to apologize to Young Master Xu for me. Once the new shop opens, I'll definitely treat him to a delicious meal!"
Jin Yu took the konjac dessert and stuffed it into her bosom, her eyes sparkling as she asked, "Is it the one that took over Yue Lai Zhai? I heard from the broker that you're going to turn the pastry shop into a restaurant?"
Lin Cheng smiled and shook his head: "That's exactly it. I came out today to find a scholar to copy the menu." He helplessly unfolded the menu that Lin Yao had written crookedly, "Our handwriting is crooked and not worthy of being presented in a refined manner."
Jin Yu glanced at the words on the paper and clapped her hands: "My young master writes letters for people in the market, and his handwriting is so beautiful! The other day he wrote a sign for a cloth shop, and the owner praised it as being even more impressive than the plaques of established brands! Why go to such lengths?"
Lin Cheng hesitated for a moment: "Wouldn't it be inconvenient to trouble Young Master Xu?"
Upon hearing this, Jin Yu grinned, revealing two rows of bright white teeth. She reached out and patted Lin Cheng's shoulder, saying, "Oh, my young master Lin, what kind of trouble is this!" With that, Jin Yu impatiently grabbed Lin Cheng's sleeve and strode towards the depths of the market, saying, "Come on, come on! Right now, young master must still be setting up his stall under the old locust tree. If he's dragged away by someone to write a letter home any later, we'll have to wait again!"
Lin Yao followed Lin Cheng and Jin Yu, turning left and right, until she finally saw Xu Zhiheng under the old locust tree. The autumn sunlight filtered through the layers of locust leaves, casting dappled shadows on the bluestone slabs. Xu Zhiheng was surrounded by a circle of chattering children, each with their little faces upturned and their eyes full of anticipation.
Xu Zhiheng held a wooden slingshot in his hand. He turned slightly to the side, squinted his left eye, and hooked the slingshot string with his right finger, steadily embedding a pebble in his leather pocket. He suddenly exerted force with his wrist, and the pebble cut through the air, accurately hitting the shuttlecock stuck between the branches of the locust tree.
The bright red shuttlecock feathers swirled and fell, and several children cheered and rushed over to grab them.
A little girl with pigtails was the first to grab it. She turned around and, imitating a scholar, bowed deeply to Xu Zhiheng: "Thank you, big brother! I'll share half of the malt candy with you tomorrow!" The other children also thanked him in turn and skipped away.
Xu Zhiheng casually stuffed the slingshot into his sleeve, only then noticing Lin Yao and the other two not far away. He raised his hand to straighten his slightly disheveled sleeves: "It's rare to see you two with some free time today, is there something you need?" Xu Zhiheng's gaze swept over the draft paper in Lin Cheng's hand, "Young Master Lin, are you writing a letter?"
Lin Cheng quickly waved his hand: "It's not a letter, but I want to ask Young Master Xu for a favor!" As he spoke, he handed over some draft paper, "We have taken over Yuelaizhai and are preparing to open it. We would like to ask Young Master Xu to help us transcribe the menu."
Xu Zhiheng took the paper, and his lips twitched involuntarily as soon as his eyes fell on the crooked handwriting. He suppressed his laughter and lightly tapped the paper with his fingertips: "Brother Lin's handwriting... is truly unique, and no one else can imitate it."
Lin Yao's ears turned bright red instantly. Although she could recognize most of the traditional Chinese characters, she was not good at writing them, so there were many mistakes on the menu.
Seeing this, Lin Cheng smiled憨厚ly and said, "To be honest, my sister and I only learned to write for a few days with our father when we were young, and it's really nothing special." He scratched his head, "If it weren't for the restaurant's reputation, I wouldn't dare to trouble you, young master."
Seeing the two men's embarrassed and anxious expressions, Xu Zhiheng understood immediately. He put away his teasing expression and gently opened his folding fan: "Since this is your business, why be so formal?" As he spoke, he reached out and took the wooden plaques from the two men's baskets.
Xu Zhiheng took out a wolf-hair brush from his bundle. When he dipped it in ink, the tip hovered above the inkstone for a moment before flowing smoothly onto the paper like a dragon entering water. His brushstrokes were vigorous and powerful, with a free and easy style in their transitions. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the wooden plaque was already filled with the names of the dishes.
Lin Yao stared in disbelief. She hadn't expected that Xu Zhiheng, who usually seemed so carefree, could write with such bold and unrestrained strokes. She reached for her purse to take out some money, but Xu Zhiheng closed his folding fan and gently tapped her hand: "You have to talk about money over a few words?" He raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Keep the money to buy a couple more pounds of meat. I want to try your signature dish when you open."
Lin Yao touched the spot where Xu Zhiheng had tapped her, stuffed the purse back in, and then smiled, "Then Mr. Xu must grace us with his presence when we open! We'll have plenty of new dishes, and you can eat as much braised pork and hot and sour noodles as you like!"
Xu Zhiheng put the brush back in the brush washer and raised his hand to dust off non-existent dust from his sleeve: "Miss Lin, don't complain that we eat too much."
~
Lin Yao and Lin Cheng carried the written menu to the restaurant.
As soon as they entered the restaurant, Lin Yao tiptoed to hang the menu in a prominent place, then stepped back to examine it carefully. She nodded in satisfaction, "Young Master Xu's calligraphy, hanging it here, makes our restaurant look much more impressive!" She turned to Lin Cheng, her eyes sparkling, "Then you'll be the manager, sitting behind the counter, helping to collect money and manage the accounts. How respectable!"
Lin Cheng smiled and shook his head upon hearing this, reaching out to brush the dust off the counter: "Ayao, I want to stay at the dock. We have regular customers there now, and we earn quite a bit each month. We just need to hire an accountant for the shop. I've inquired, and you can find a decent one for two taels of silver a month."
Lin Yao looked at Lin Cheng with some surprise, "But the dock is exposed to wind and sun..."
Lin Cheng walked to her side and gently patted her head: "Ayao, I'm the eldest son, what's a little hardship and fatigue? Look, one of us is guarding the dock and the other is managing the restaurant, so neither business will be neglected." He looked at the bustling street outside the door, "Besides, with Ayu and Brother Xu helping out at the shop, and a capable accountant, I feel at ease."
Looking at Lin Cheng's sun-darkened face, Lin Yao smiled and said, "Brother is right! Then it's settled! Once the restaurant is open and we make money, we'll open a shop in the prefectural city too!"
Lin Cheng chuckled and flicked Lin Yao's forehead: "You little rascal, you're so young, yet you've got such big mouths. You've only just taken over the shop in town, and you're already eyeing the shop in the prefectural city? What kind of place is the prefectural city? The rent alone would probably eat up half a year's income!"
Lin Yao leaned closer to her brother, tracing circles on the wooden table with her fingertips: "But we have to aim higher! Once we've saved enough money, we'll rent a small shop on Zhuque Street, the busiest street in the prefectural city, and sell our hot and sour noodles and steamed buns." Her eyes lit up. "Then we'll ask Young Master Xu to help us write the signboard, and hire a few clever assistants. I guarantee customers will be lining up at our door!"
"Alright, alright, let's focus on making the business in front of us solid first." Lin Cheng shook his head helplessly and neatly arranged the cleaned bowls and chopsticks. "Once the shop in town is established, we can think about things in the prefectural city." He glanced at the empty hall. "We need to hurry up and go to the brokerage to select a few assistants."
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Author's Note: The grand opening is in the next chapter! Congratulations to Lin Yao on becoming the boss lady!
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