Chapter 52 A Successful Grand Opening for the New Store
As Ah Zhu's shouts subsided, the crowd in front of the shop instantly came alive. The first to step through the threshold was Wu, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort). "Congratulations! Miss Lin! I heard about your new shop opening as soon as I got back to the镖局 (bodyguard agency), so of course I had to come and support you! I've been eating dry rations for almost half a month on this delivery trip, so I absolutely have to have three bowls of hot and sour noodles today!" Behind him were seven or eight镖师 (bodyguards/escorts), all clamoring for Wu to treat them.
Lin Yao greeted him with a smile, "Thank you for your patronage, Chief Escort Wu! The new restaurant has many new dishes, please try them, you won't be disappointed. Please come in!"
Turning around, Lin Yao saw Chen Qianyuan slowly walking towards her with his medicine chest on his back. His shoes were covered in mud, and he looked travel-worn, clearly having stopped by on his way back from a house call. He took off the turban from his head and wiped the slight sweat from his forehead with his sleeve: "Oh, I came right after smelling it! Miss Lin, give me a bowl of hot and sour noodles, extra chili, and also a serving of braised pork and braised offal!"
Lin Yao glanced at the dark circles under his eyes and then at his wrinkled robe, and couldn't help but ask, "Dr. Chen, did you just come back from a house call?"
Chen Qianyuan sat down on the bench, casually placing his medicine box beside him. He rubbed his temples and sighed, "That's right, an old customer had a relapse of his old ailment, and I had to run two miles in the dark in the middle of the night." He untied his pouch, took out half a crushed Poria cocos cake, stuffed it into his mouth, and then gulped down a large cup of tea. "It took me most of the night to calm him down. I remembered today is your grand opening, so I made a special detour to have a treat. After this, I'm going back to my clinic and sleep like a log!"
"Dr. Chen is a compassionate doctor. Please try our new fried skewers to tide you over." Lin Yao turned around and brought over a small plate of fried skewers, both meat and vegetables. "Today is our grand opening special. We're giving away fried skewers with every purchase."
"You really know how to do business!" Chen Qianyuan eagerly picked up a fried bean curd skin, its salty, crispy texture making his eyes light up. Seeing this, Lin Yao didn't say anything more and turned to find someone to do the accounting and collect the money.
Lin Yao quickly calculated the accounts on the paper, her thoughts racing. She recalled the results of her inquiries to the matchmaker over the past few days: whenever the matchmaker heard that the manager was a young woman, the accountants either shook their heads and politely declined, or demanded a high price of ten taels of silver per month. Therefore, she had to temporarily fill in for the accountant's job. To this end, she brought up her previous dream to fool Lin Cheng; otherwise, no one could explain how a country girl who knew a few characters could be proficient in the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art.
As the sun rose higher, Lin Yao's new restaurant was packed with people. The chatter of diners in the dining area, the clinking of bowls and chopsticks, and the aromas wafting from the kitchen mingled together, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.
After finishing his fried skewers, Dr. Chen took a bite of hot and sour noodles. The spiciness made him gasp for breath, but he couldn't bear to stop eating. As he ate, he chatted with the diners next to him, praising Lin Yao's cooking skills.
In the kitchen, Wang Xiaoyu and Zhao Niangzi were incredibly busy. Several large pots on the stoves were bubbling and steaming, sizzling skewers in the oil, and white mist from the steamers filled the entire kitchen. Wang Xiaoyu wielded a spatula, flipping it up and down in the wok, while Su Niang quickly chopped ingredients. Although it was their first time meeting, the two worked together seamlessly. They were too busy to talk much, but fortunately, Lin Yao had come prepared. Considering they hadn't yet hired an accountant, she hadn't released all the menu items today and had gone to the kitchen early to help prepare a large amount of ingredients, which greatly reduced Wang Xiaoyu and Su Niang's workload.
After lunchtime, the diners gradually dispersed, and the shop finally enjoyed a moment of tranquility. Lin Yao rubbed her aching back and walked to the counter to calculate the morning's earnings. She spread out her ledger, her homemade charcoal pencil scratching across the paper. As she finished calculating, a look of surprise flashed in her eyes—four taels of silver in just one morning!
Just as everyone was about to take a short break, the shop door creaked open, and a middle-aged man in a long robe walked in. He was thin and had a kind face. The man walked to the counter, bowed to Lin Yao, and said, "Young lady, my name is Wang Zhi. I heard that your shop is hiring an accountant, so I have come to apply."
Lin Yao sized up Wang Zhi, noticing his neat attire and polite demeanor, and felt a sense of goodwill towards him. She asked, "Mr. Wang, have you ever had experience in accounting?"
Wang Zhi smiled slightly and said, "To be honest, young lady, I have been an accountant for more than 20 years. I used to work as an accountant in the Wei family in town, and later I followed my master to the prefectural city. But I missed my hometown and felt that it was more comfortable to stay in town, so I resigned from my job in the prefectural city. I just came back from the prefectural city recently and want to find a job."
Upon hearing the words "Wei Mansion," Lin Yao's heart skipped a beat. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she'd heard it before. She then asked, "I wonder if Mr. Wang minds that the manager is a young woman?"
Wang Zhi smiled and said, "Young lady, please don't take it to heart. I observed outside the shop for a while just now, and I think that although you are young, you are very mature. It is not easy for a girl in her teens to have such abilities. I admire you very much."
Lin Yao was pleased to see that Wang Zhi was open-minded, unlike those pedantic people. She had originally planned to teach Liu Xu the multiplication table if no one else was willing to be the accountant, but unexpectedly, she had found a suitable candidate. "In that case, three taels of silver a month, I wonder if Mr. Wang would be willing?"
Wang Zhi quickly agreed, saying, "Thank you for your trust, young lady. I would be honored."
Wang Zhi paused for a moment, then asked, "Do your parents usually come to the shop, young lady?" Hearing this, Lin Yao frowned slightly: "My mother is gone, and my father was conscripted into the army. We haven't heard from him since."
Wang Zhi realized he had touched a nerve and quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry, I was being presumptuous."
Lin Yao waved her hand and said, "It's alright."
After the two had discussed it, Lin Yao asked, "Mr. Wang, would you be able to start work today and be paid for half a day?"
Wang Zhi laughed and said, "Of course, I have nothing to do at home anyway."
After their conversation, Lin Yao returned to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients for dinner. Wang Zhi stood behind the counter, his gaze sweeping around the shop, lost in thought. He felt Lin Yao's face looked familiar, as if he'd seen her somewhere before, but couldn't quite place it. He didn't dwell on it and turned to organize the ledgers and abacus on the counter. However, he was somewhat surprised when he saw Lin Yao's accounts. The young woman's accounts were accurate and flawless; such skill at her age was truly remarkable. It was just that her handwriting was hardly elegant.
In the kitchen, steam rose again, and the clatter of pots and pans filled the air once more. As dusk deepened, Lin Yao hung up the entire menu, with the newly added fried chicken, oyster omelets, and other dishes, along with their hand-drawn illustrations, standing out prominently.
As soon as the menu was put up, some diners asked curiously, "What is this fried chicken? Do you just throw a whole chicken into the oil to fry?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Xu immediately stepped forward to explain: "It means cutting the chicken into small pieces, coating them in batter, and frying them until golden brown and crispy. You can hear a 'crunch' when you bite into it!" These words made everyone swallow hard.
Lin Yao stood outside the kitchen, watching Liu Xu's reaction with great satisfaction. He now seemed to have the air of a modern shop manager. Once she opened her new shop, this old one could be handed over to Liu Xu. Lin Yao suddenly remembered Xu Zhiheng and specifically instructed Wang Zhi, "If a young master named Xu Zhiheng comes to dine, do not charge him a penny. He once saved my siblings' lives." Hearing this, Wang Zhi paused, fiddling with the abacus, and quickly nodded in agreement.
Before the words were finished, the shop door was pushed open, and Liu Dazhuang, dressed as a peddler with two empty baskets on his shoulders, followed Liang Shi into the shop. "Ayao! We finally made it!" Liang Shi smiled broadly, took a red envelope from her sleeve and stuffed it into Lin Yao's hand, "For the opening of the new shop, this is a small token of our appreciation from your brother Dazhuang!"
Lin Yao deftly accepted the red envelope and tucked it into her sleeve. She then took Liang's arm and led her to the empty table, saying, "I appreciate your kind gesture, sister-in-law! Please sit down. We have fried chicken and plenty of other delicious dishes today, sure to suit your tastes!"
At the beginning of the hour of You (5-7 PM), Lin Cheng packed up his stall at the dock early and hurriedly led Lin Song and Li Shi to the restaurant.
"Little sister, I've finished up the work at the dock ahead of schedule!" Lin Cheng rolled up his sleeves and headed straight for the kitchen. "Leave the food preparation to me!" Li Shi skillfully picked up a rag and tidied up the table she had just used.
As dusk fell, the last table of guests paid their bill and left. Lin Yao and Wang Xiaoyu brought out several large platters of dishes from the kitchen: four glistening fried chickens piled up like a small mountain, braised pork belly trembling with an amber sheen, braised pork offal overflowing in a large bowl, and stuffed eggplant filling an even larger plate. This table of rich, oily, and savory dishes made the stir-fried cabbage on the side look refreshingly simple.
Afu and the others looked at each other, staring at the large table of food in front of them, and stood aside, not daring to go forward.
"Sit down, everyone!" Lin Yao pulled Afu, who was closest to her, over. "In these chaotic times, life is as worthless as grass. It's a blessing from God that we've come together." She glanced at everyone. "From now on, there will be no masters and servants in this shop, only family."
Afu's hands, clutching the hem of his clothes, trembled slightly. He stared at the table laden with meat and dishes, his throat bobbing. He had never seen such a sumptuous meal before. He had thought that being able to eat was a blessing after being sold into slavery, but he never expected to encounter such a generous master.
Zhao Niangzi wiped away her tears and sat down with Xiaoman. Xiaoman opened her round eyes, pointed at the fried chicken, and asked softly, "Mother, is this the kind of meat we can only eat during the New Year?" Zhao Niangzi gently covered her daughter's mouth, but Lin Yao stuffed a fried chicken leg into her mouth: "If you want to eat it in the future, come to the kitchen anytime!"
Wang Zhi, watching the lively scene, suddenly gripped his chopsticks tightly. He'd been busy with the accounts and hadn't had a proper look at Lin Cheng, but now, getting a closer look, the boy resembled Lin Changkang, the man from the Wei family who always brought wine and meat to ask him to teach him the Thousand Character Classic. No wonder Lin Cheng's daughter looked familiar; she was his daughter! His husband had received a message from Lin Changkang by carrier pigeon just a few days ago, but these children said they hadn't heard from their father since he joined the army.
Wang Zhi had a vague feeling that there was something he didn't know, but he didn't plan to tell the Lin siblings about Lin Changkang for the time being. After all, his return this time wasn't just about missing his homeland, as he claimed. He wanted to get as little involved as possible in other people's affairs.
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