The next day, Meng Zhao and Xiao Chuan set off before dawn. After entering the courtyard of Xishui Street, Meng Zhao began to check everything.
When she left before the New Year, Meng Zhao locked every door in the courtyard herself. She deliberately turned all the locks in one direction, and she didn't insert the bolts all the way in, leaving a width of her thumb so that they wouldn't be blown away by wind or snow.
Although they had taken most of their belongings with them when they left, leaving only tables, chairs, pots, pans, and dishes, they weren't afraid of theft. But what they feared more than theft was being targeted. If they knew in advance that they were being watched, they could take extra precautions.
Once Meng Zhao confirmed that the locks were the same as the ones she had left with, she felt relieved. She then asked Xiao Chuan to help unload the braising liquid and spices from the truck. Just as they were unloading, they heard a sound coming from the doorway.
"I'll do it, I'll do it. Xiao Chuan isn't strong enough, don't spill anything."
Xiao Chuan had just outshone Shen Qingze and Shen Qingyu in height yesterday, so he was naturally unconvinced. He snorted and said, "I'm a real man, and I'm quite strong. I can definitely move these things."
Liu Niangzi reached out and pulled him, and Xiao Chuan uncontrollably took two steps back, staggering and almost falling to the ground. It was only after Liu Niangzi helped him stand up that he regained his balance.
"Is this what you call a man?"
Xiao Chuan was a little unconvinced, saying that he hadn't prepared and asked her to try again. Meng Zhao quickly said, "Alright, Xiao Chuan, you don't need to help with this for now. Go and light two stoves in the water room. No one has been here for so long, the water is probably still frozen. If we don't have water later, how will we open the shop?"
Xiao Chuan looked reluctant, but he had no choice but to turn around and light the stove.
Meng Zhao and her team had just unloaded the braising ingredients from the truck when the others arrived one after another. Everyone was eager to come early for the opening day. After greeting Meng Zhao, Cui Ying teased Liu Niangzi, "I thought I would be the first one here since I got up so early and rushed over, but you beat me to it."
Upon hearing this, Lady Liu looked proud and said to Meng Zhao, "Manager, now you know who's the most enthusiastic, right?"
Seeing this, Lin Qiuniang couldn't help but laugh and said, "My house is just a bit farther away than yours. Who knows who will leave the house first?"
Upon hearing this, Lady Liu raised her chin slightly and said, "I was here first."
However, these people were just talking and didn't really care who arrived first or last. They were just chatting while working, and Meng Zhao was amused by them.
Not long after, Aunt Feng'e and Shen Yun arrived, presumably having set off from the village early in the morning. Once everyone had finished their tasks, Meng Zhao took out several red envelopes from the house and handed them to them one by one.
"In the new year, the shop will still rely on your hard work. This is a small token of our appreciation. Consider it a lucky money gift, so that we can all share in the joy."
Meng Zhao prepared sixty-six coins for everyone, which also has the meaning of "six sixes bring good fortune" and symbolizes that everything will go smoothly in the new year. She also prepared an extra two hundred coins to give to Liu Niangzi separately later as her wages for sweeping snow during the New Year.
Everyone accepted the red envelopes with joy, saying flattering things, "Oh, thank you so much, shopkeeper! You're too kind. We'll definitely work hard."
"Following the shopkeeper is definitely the right thing to do; business will surely boom this year."
"Shopkeeper, just you wait and see, we will definitely do a great job in the shop."
With everything ready, Meng Zhao went to the front to open the shop's door and put up the "Opening" sign. She had just sent Xiao Chuan out to take a look around, and only about a third of the shops on the street were officially open today. Some were still being cleaned and prepared to open tomorrow or the day after.
We don't expect too many people today, so we're not preparing much food, only about half of what we had before the Lunar New Year. We'd rather sell less than have too many leftovers.
Once the fragrant braised meat is placed on the counter, the aroma of meat wafts out, slowly attracting a few scattered diners.
After a period of adjustment, the responsibilities of the people in the shop gradually stabilized. Cui Ying and Lin Qiuniang were mainly responsible for cooking potato noodles. Before mealtimes, they were responsible for preparing and washing vegetables in the backyard. Shen Yun was mainly responsible for greeting customers at the front, passing dishes back and forth, and cleaning up the front area. Aunt Liu was mainly responsible for the braised meat counter.
Xiao Chuan was in charge of delivery, while Aunt Feng'e would lend a hand when she saw that the other side was too busy. She would also help out with other tasks when the person in charge of a position was not too busy.
On the eighth and ninth days of the Lunar New Year, the shop's main customers were shop owners and employees from surrounding shops, or local residents. There weren't many people, and everyone had a bit more free time.
By the tenth day of the lunar new year, most shops on the street had resumed normal business, except for a few that were still closed. People from various villages had been staying at home for more than half a month and had almost finished eating the New Year's goods they had prepared. They also started to come to the county to buy things, and the flow of people on the street began to increase.
Meng Zhao was currently preparing ingredients in the backyard. The demand for Chunfenglou was enormous, so she naturally couldn't make everything herself. However, the recipe couldn't be leaked, so she had to find a reliable person to chop or grind the individual ingredients first, and then mix them herself according to the proportions.
While I was busy, I vaguely heard the sound of gongs and drums outside. I thought it was probably hired by some shop, so I didn't pay much attention. After a while, I saw Shen Yun running over from the front and calling out anxiously, "Sister Meng, come out quickly and see, the shop across the street has opened."
Hearing the shout, Meng Zhao got up and opened the door. "Xiao Yun, what's the rush? It's just a new shop, what's the big deal?"
Shen Yun stamped her feet anxiously, "The problem isn't that it's a new shop, it's that they also sell braised pork offal, just like we do."
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao couldn't sit still any longer. He turned around, locked the door, and went to the shop entrance. Sure enough, he saw a lion dance team standing opposite the entrance. It was the same group that Xiao Youzhi had invited for him last time, and the leader was still Chen Zheng.
At this time, judging from the fact that the performance had just begun and there weren't many people around, Meng Zhao immediately noticed that the plaque, which had been completely covered by red silk, was now exposed, with four large gold-flecked characters carved on it—Zhao's Braised Offal.
Meng Zhao remembered that just a few days after her shop opened, the shop diagonally opposite hers was bought and renovated. Now the shopfront is wider and the signboard is bigger than hers.
So you're determined to challenge her, right?
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