With Wei Jun's strong support, Su Wan didn't need to prepare anything and he managed to get things done very well.
The reason was simple. Su Wan had considered everything very carefully and basically didn't need any additional information. Wei Jun just had to follow her instructions. With Zhuo Hui's help, things would be settled quickly.
There was also the reason that Wei Jun was particularly short of money. If something hadn't been lost in the Imperial Household Department's warehouse, he probably wouldn't have been so anxious.
Not only did he empty his own family's savings, but he even used his master's money, which put a lot of pressure on him.
So naturally, restaurants opened very quickly.
As for the preparation of the soup base, Su Wan still wrote down the recipe, so Wei Jun didn't have to learn it. Wei Jun just had to read it to the two mothers. After they tried making it more than a dozen times, the taste finally turned out good.
The other meatballs and vegetables are easy to prepare.
There are some techniques to making meatballs, and Wei Jun’s sister can make all those vegetables.
On her way to the Ministry of Rites, Su Wan took a carriage to take a quick look, and after seeing that the restaurant was indeed fine, she came back.
The only regret is that the restaurant opens on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, but Su Wan cannot make it.
There was also a Lantern Festival banquet in the palace, and the Guanglu Temple and the Shangshisi were both busy with it.
Everyone knows that Su Wan is the most trusted maid of the Chief of the Imperial Kitchen, so how could she not be there?
Moreover, Su Wan served as the liaison between various departments and often went to the Ministry of Rites. Although she was not familiar with the officials of various departments of the Ministry of Rites, at least she had met them, so things could be discussed more easily.
This Lantern Festival banquet is more than just a banquet. All arrangements are made on the tower of Chengtian Gate. Below the tower is the Imperial Street Lantern Festival, where most of the people of Kyoto gather.
The Lantern Festival is usually quite lively.
The long Imperial Street was filled with lanterns, and candles were flickering in various restaurants and hotels, making it look like dawn.
While Su Wan was arranging the delicacies at Chengtian Gate, she also looked down.
They certainly wouldn't dare to think about the restaurant facades on this Imperial Street, after all, the rent is too expensive. Their own restaurant is at least three streets away from here. If you have to say it, it is almost on the outskirts of the commercial street. However, from a distance, it seems to be very lively, and you can't see anything farther away.
Wei Jun went there today through his master's connections, but he doesn't know what the situation is.
The snack shop chose to open on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, naturally wanting to take advantage of the lively Lantern Festival when many people come out, and also to take the opportunity to attract customers.
But when the name of the Malatang restaurant was put up, it attracted a lot of people to come and watch.
After all, there is nothing delicious in Kyoto, and I have seen all kinds of delicious food. This name of Malatang is the first time I have heard it.
The shop is small, with a total seating capacity of less than 15 people, but it is clean and tidy inside, and you can see how the food is cooked.
Anyway, there is a big pot next to the counter, and you can smell the fragrance from the bubbling white soup inside.
That’s fine, many noodle shops in Kyoto also arrange their dishes like this.
But the most amazing thing is that there is a row of shelves against the wall of the store, which are filled with fresh ingredients. The key point is that they are all raw ingredients! And they are all skewered with bamboo sticks.
What are you doing with all these? They look weird.
The Malatang snack shop opened on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Anyway, it wouldn’t open for a while and many people had nothing to do, so they just came to take a look.
Soon, a smart girl in the store started explaining how to eat it.
When diners come in, they first take a plate and then choose their own ingredients. The ingredients are clearly marked with prices and are divided into one cent, two cents, three cents, and five cents areas. The most expensive one is a lamb roll for ten cents.
Choose the ingredients you want to eat and put them on a plate, then go to the counter to pay. The different colors of the bamboo sticks indicate different prices, and then calculate the total amount. After paying the bill, these things can be cooked.
After cooking, you can choose your own seasoning from the small shelf on the other wall.
What a troublesome way to eat!
Many Kyoto residents wanted to leave immediately. In the past, they ordered their own dishes, and whatever they ordered was served. Now they had to choose and select by themselves, which was so troublesome.
The little girl immediately said what Su Wan had conveyed, and if anyone found it troublesome, then she should answer them like this.
"It's not troublesome at all. In the past, we ordered food, but this time we get food. We choose the food ourselves."
"And this way of choosing can ensure that the bowl is filled with food that you like."
"Besides, don't you want to try such a novel way of eating?"
People in Kyoto hate hearing this sentence the most.
Don't you want to try it?
Just give it a try!
Anyway, some dishes are not expensive. Basically, vegetarian dishes are cheap and meat dishes are expensive. The only drawback is that it is still the first month of the lunar year, so there are not many vegetarian dishes. However, bean curd, pickled winter melon, etc. can fully support the scene.
After the little girl said that, some people really started picking up dishes with plates.
Don't pick too many, just taste them.
The main thing is that the boiling white soup is so fragrant. Can the pork bone soup cooked by ordinary people have such a fragrant taste?
In the face of doubts, Aunt Su Wan said seriously: "We started to make it last night, and we have an exclusive secret recipe, so the bone soup is so good."
So it started from last night?
Wouldn't that mean it would take at least four or five hours to cook? That's right, it shows sincerity.
And there is an exclusive secret recipe?
However, after many Kyoto delicacies became popular last year, many stores claimed to have their own exclusive secret recipes.
For example, the Gan Xing family always claims that their secret recipe is unique, and Feng Qinglou also claims to have a secret recipe.
Anyone who sells sesame seed cakes can say this.
How come there is a Malatang shop now, and they say there is a secret recipe?
Anyway, just try it and you will know.
Aunt Su Wan was a little worried, but when she thought about the taste of the food, she felt relieved.
Two diners were the first to try, holding their plates and starting to choose their own food.
If you take a closer look, you will find that there are more than a hundred kinds of ingredients, basically all the commonly eaten ones are included.
You can really eat anything.
But when I turned from left to right, I couldn't help but put the ingredients I liked on the plate. As I held them for a while, I suddenly realized that the plate was a bit heavy?
This is normal. It is easy to take too much malatang and eat too much.
Delicious food is one thing, convenient choice is another.
Since there were so many foods to choose from, one of the diners didn’t even order noodles and only wanted to cook the vegetables.
Isn’t it just cooking with broth?
They all tried to see what was new.
Aunt Su Wan cooked the ingredients skillfully and poured them into bowls, then poured the thick white soup over them and added the chili oil they requested.
Looks a bit good?
Even without the chili oil, the thick white soup alone is delicious enough.
The ingredients in their restaurant are fresh. The soup is white and the peppers are red, and the large bowl is green-brown, which makes this bowl of food even more appealing.
Before even eating it, the diners have already taken a liking to this bowl of spicy hot pot. They follow the girl's instructions and add their favorite seasonings.
This way of eating is really something that makes one unable to help but admire.
From beginning to end, it's all my favorite stuff!
After sitting down with their bowls, the two diners looked at each other and started eating immediately!
Needless to say, the result was that as soon as this Malatang snack shop opened, there was a constant stream of people coming to eat from noon until the end of the lantern festival in the evening. A meal cost between fifty and forty cents, and some people paid more, so they naturally got more to eat.
It's all about personal choice anyway.
As for the taste?
The spicy hot pot was created by Su Wan and was loved by the officials of the Guanglu Temple. Is there any need to say anything about the preparation of the ingredients and the soup base?
Anyway, Su Wan herself was not worried. She was on the tower of Chengtian Gate, listening to the gossip in front. Several princes were fighting with each other, but all the results were taken away by the Third Prince.
The reason was simple. He discovered that the people under the eldest and second princes were deliberately cheating in the imperial examinations, so he worked with the Ministry of Personnel to solve the case.
With such achievements, it was natural that most of the subsequent imperial examination matters fell on him.
But they are just some insignificant things.
They are basically just minor matters. The important thing that can make you famous is to be called a saint.
Su Wan felt it was hard watching. The eldest prince and the second prince would always stir up some trouble during festivals. Their followers were almost the same, and the harem was even more so.
But every time they fought, Xie Pei always gained the upper hand, and even the dumbest idiot could see what was going on.
I guess Xie Pei’s life won’t be easy in the future.
Because of this incident, the banquet on the Chengtian Gate Tower ended in a bad mood. The main reason was that the saint left first, followed by the other concubines, leaving only the civil and military ministers to enjoy themselves.
There is no curfew during the Lantern Festival, so it is not too late to disperse at Chou time.
Xie Pei also came out of the fight, and Su Wan just looked at them from a distance. It was good that they left! Her work here was almost over.
Su Wan looked in the direction of the Malatang restaurant again, and was then called away by her superior, who told her to go back and rest first, and someone on duty would come over.
Su Wan did not refuse, as she did have a lot to do today.
But after coming down from Chengtian Gate and before heading towards the Shangshenjian's residence, she saw Xie Pei waiting for her on a remote palace road.
Xie Pei didn't say much, just said: "If I leave the palace now, I can still catch up to see your store close."
I haven't seen you for a few days, but I think you know everything clearly.
But Su Wan really wanted to take a look.
After all, it’s the first day of opening.
Needless to say, this time when she was leaving the palace, it was a breeze, so Su Wan wasn't even worried about whether she could get out.
The banquet at Chengtian Gate was still going on, so she should be able to go back and forth quickly while she had the time.
After leaving the palace, Su Wan said, "Thank you."
"No need." Xie Pei opened the curtain and looked at the night sky, then looked at Su Wan and said, "I just didn't expect that you would open a restaurant."
This matter was not particularly secret. After all, Wei Jun and Zhuo Hui often came to visit, and everyone knew it.
But he didn't say much about what kind of store it was.
Su Wan knew that Xie Pei's driver knew the place, but she still told him the address. The carriage was obviously moving very fast, but because there were some pedestrians nearby, it had to take some remote paths.
After rushing and hurrying, we finally arrived near the Malatang snack shop.
Su Wan did not get out of the car, but just lifted the curtain and took a look.
She definitely cannot show up in person, otherwise if someone catches her, it will not only be her problem, but will also implicate Xie Pei.
Just listen to the conversations of diners leaving the Malatang restaurant and get a general idea of the situation in the restaurant.
This shop is indeed not big, with a small storefront that looks very simple. Even the sign is made of ordinary wood.
One was that he was in a hurry, and the other was that Wei Jun really had no money left.
Third, they opened a snack bar, and their success lies in the delicious food, so they don’t need to worry about anything else.
“The soup in this restaurant is really good.”
"Yes, I thought it would be troublesome, but I didn't expect it to be faster than other meals."
"It's faster than cooking anyway."
"Yes, I will come to eat here again in the future."
"The only drawback is that they prepared too few meatballs. The meatballs taste even better with such a delicious soup base."
"Come early tomorrow!"
"Of course!"
These words reached the ears of Su Wan and Xie Pei, and even the coachman couldn't help but look over.
Is it really that delicious?
Everyone seems to be praising you with great sincerity?
There were warm little lights on in the store, and occasional sounds could be heard.
There were messages from Wei Jun's mother, sister, and aunt Su Wan, who seemed to be expressing their feelings about having earned a lot of money today.
Su Wan's eyes curved when she heard this. She lowered the curtain and said, "Shall we go back?"
"Don't take another look?" Xie Pei asked.
"No need to look at it, they must be fine." Su Wan confirmed.
The first day was fine, and it only got better.
And with its delicious taste, it will definitely attract many customers.
Of course Su Wan also thought that as long as the business was good for a while, it would definitely attract imitators, but just like the previous cold noodles, with an exclusive secret recipe, it would stand out among similar products.
Not to mention anything else, many people can't figure out the added spoonful of milk that is the essence.
Anyway, let’s build up our reputation first.
Xie Pei didn't say much, just asked the coachman to return to the palace.
But on the way back, Su Wan couldn't help but look at him a few more times.
Although the time was short, he experienced a lot. I don't know if this person is still living under the spell of attack.
After all, today is the Lantern Festival, and the palace gates were locked late. It was almost midnight, and I finally entered the palace gate.
Zizheng, which means twelve o'clock at night.
When the bell of Zizheng rings, it is the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.
Just as Su Wan was about to leave, Xie Pei pulled her sleeve and took out a birthday gift that had been prepared long ago.
"Happy birthday."
The sixteenth day of the first lunar month is Su Wan’s birthday.
Not only in this life, but also in the previous life.
Su Wan almost wanted to ask, how did you know.
But the words came back to his mouth. How could he not know? He knew everything.
It would be a lie to say that I'm not touched. After all, someone would take the trouble to remember your birthday and give you a gift at this very moment. Anyone would be touched.
To be honest, from the moment they knew Xie Pei was the prince, there was always something awkward between the two of them, mainly with Su Wan.
Who wouldn’t feel awkward when encountering such a thing?
But what happened next made it impossible for her to feel awkward.
After all, Xie Pei really treats her as a friend.
Su Wan took the small brocade box. Although she didn't open it, she knew that the things inside must be very valuable.
Xie Pei said: "Are we both okay?"
It's not that I'm greedy for his gift, but his kindness is really rare.
Seeing Su Wan nod, Xie Pei smiled and tilted his head to look at Su Wan: "That's good, you are one year older now, how do you want to celebrate your birthday this year?"
"This is enough." Su Wan smiled, "It doesn't matter whether you live or not. You live if someone cares about you, and you live if no one cares about you."
Xie Pei understood Su Wan's true feelings and knew that she really thought so.
But Su Wan didn't care. However, throughout the day, she received countless happy birthday wishes and countless small gifts.
She only wore a small goldfish jade pendant around her waist, which was an extra piece of jewelry she had that day.
This little goldfish is really cute.
Naturally, my aunt also asked someone to send a birthday gift, and even Su Wan's stepfather asked someone to send some small cakes.
Thirteen years old!
It feels like time passes really fast!
The superior specially bought her new clothes to congratulate her on turning one year older.
Of course, it also means she can do more.
If you are in the Imperial Kitchen, you can't be too lazy!
Su Wan had no choice but to agree with tears in her eyes.
Things in the palace were as usual, except that the two officials from the Guanglu Temple were speechless when they saw Su Wan.
These two were the officials who were on duty on the day Su Wan made spicy hot pot.
They even came to eat during the Chinese New Year!
Now he looked embarrassed and wanted to say something to Su Wan.
"You've been in the palace recently, so you may not know what's going on outside." The Guanglu Temple official said, "Have you heard that there's a snack shop opened on Yongchong Street?"
When it comes to Yongchong Street, Su Wan has some idea in her mind.
Only a small number of people knew that she and Wei Jun had opened a shop, and it was not made public at all. It was normal that the officials from the Guanglu Temple next door did not know about it.
Sure enough, I heard them say, "There's a spicy hotpot place on that street. We haven't tried it yet, but I heard the way it's cooked is exactly the same as what you do."
"Is this imitation, or did someone around us leak this way of eating and let others learn it?"
These two Guanglu Temple Guanglu have more comprehensive ideas.
I'm afraid that the palace servants from the Guanglu Temple or the Shangshenjian tasted the delicious malatang from Su Wan and secretly asked their family members to open a shop.
This is basically robbery.
It would be fine if Su Wan knew, but if she didn’t, then she would have to look for the traitor around her.
Su Wan smiled and said, "That's the store my aunt opened with someone else. Not only is the way to eat it the same, the taste is almost the same, don't worry."
The spicy hot pot restaurant opened by Aunt Su Wan?
Is it really like this?
Although the two had such speculations, they were still very happy when it was confirmed.
The last time they had eaten the spicy hot pot made by Su Wan, the two of them missed it so much that they wished they could eat it again. However, Su Wan was busy, and they were busy too, so there was nothing they could do for the time being.
Her aunt actually opened such a good restaurant, so couldn't they just go there and eat whenever they wanted?
Of course, Su Wan was happy to have someone to support her, but she was still curious and asked, "You said Yongchong Street is quite far from here, how did you know? This store has only been open for a few days."
"Although it has only been open for a few days, almost everyone here knows about it. They all say that the food tastes good and the soup is thick and white. In such cold weather, eating such spicy hot pot is just like the name of the food, making people feel numb and hot all over, very comfortable."
"That's right, why didn't you tell us earlier that your restaurant was open so that we could go and show our support earlier."
"Yes, we'll go there as soon as we get off work."
"Okay, I'll eat more meat."
"I'm different. I want to drink soup."
Seeing that the two of them had started chatting, Su Wan was naturally happy.
The snack shops owned by my family and Wei Jun’s family have officially opened. How can I not be happy?
From the sound of it, he should be somewhat famous already?
But if you think about how quickly cold noodles spread, and then think about spicy hot pot, it seems like there must be no problem, right?
It is still very cold in the first month of the lunar year.
In weather like this, drinking a bowl of hot soup and eating the noodles and vegetables in it is a perfect meal in winter.
The ingredients are selected by yourself, which makes it more delicious and you can definitely drink up the soup.
Just as Su Wan thought, business was booming as soon as the Malatang shop opened. In just four or five days, they had earned five or six taels of silver. This was net profit, but no one had expected it.
Wei Jun also said that if the ingredients were prepared adequately and two more people were hired, more could definitely be sold.
However, he also felt that it was not good to make his mother too tired, so he kept trying to stop them and asked them to take it slow.
But the mother of the two of them is now full of energy. After all, she never knew that the food she cooked could be so popular.
Now in the Malatang restaurant, Aunt Su Wan is responsible for making bone soup and collecting money, while Wei Jun's mother is responsible for preparing other ingredients. The two take turns cooking.
Aunt Su Wan also talked to Jing Ju and decided to pay her a monthly salary and ask her to help with the work.
Jing Ju naturally nodded directly to anything that could make more money.
In fact, although they are all of the mother's generation, Aunt Su Wan is only 35 years old this year, and Wei Jun's mother is not even 40 years old.
They weren't that old. Instead, they became more energetic as they worked.
Jing Ju followed Aunt Su Wan and had extra income. The two of them left home early every day to go to the restaurant and came back before curfew at night. Every day when they came back, they would discuss the day's business and interesting things in the store, and their relationship became even better.
The Su family's wife wanted to intervene, but Master Su stopped her from asking.
Is there any benefit in offending Su Wan, offending Su Wan's aunt? He has inquired about it. Su Wan is very important to the palace ladies. If they are still blind, can they afford to offend her?
Su's wife understood the situation but was still angry. However, she soon put the matter behind her. The main reason was that her daughter was getting married in March, which was a big event and must not be delayed.
Aunt Su Wan can do whatever she wants, it has nothing to do with her.
There is also the second aunt of the Su family. She is also arranging a marriage for her daughter, but it has never been successful.
Since the Su family is not well off, it doesn't matter whether she is a concubine's daughter or not, but no matter how you choose, the family she lives in is not as good as the one found by Su's wife and daughter.
In fact, the Second Aunt felt a little regretful in her heart. If it was her daughter who entered the palace, maybe she could have gotten close to a female official. Then why would she have to worry about marriage?
Look at those who usually help Su Wan. The eunuchs are fine, but the guards all have some family background.
Forget marrying a scholar, marrying a guard is fine.
The Second Aunt also understood that those who could serve as guards in the palace must have a better family background than the Su family.
But regret is only a moment.
If the imperial palace were so good, wouldn't every family with a daughter in the world send her there?
It’s because the Third Aunt is incompetent and can’t protect her daughter, but Su Wan, the daughter she gave birth to, does have some skills that have not been discovered before.
But she was too lazy to think about these things. Her top priority was to find a formal job for her eldest son and choose a better husband for her daughter.
Su Wan was relieved to learn that the Su family had no other thoughts about her aunt's affairs.
This is also because she and her aunt only told outsiders that they were helpers and it was not their own business.
But this certainly can't be concealed for too long, so she has to fool it for now. She is not afraid of the Su family at all now.
It's not that he's relying on the power of his superiors and Xie Pei, but because he sees clearly that the lifeblood of this family is in his hands, so how can he not feel at ease?
It is not surprising that the snack shop opened quickly and quickly became famous in Beijing.
This is spicy hot pot!
Malatang can be opened in every street and alley in the future!
As for the money earned, Su Wan did not ask about it, leaving everything to her aunt to decide.
Wei Jun was also completely relieved. Given the situation at home, he could slowly pay back the money he owed to his master, and he would definitely not let his master really move to the old prison.
If a lot of people move there, then he will have no conscience anymore.
Su Wan said a few words to comfort him, but was packing her things. At the beginning of the new year, she was assigned to the North Kitchen. Naturally, she was in charge of replacing the original tableware in the North Kitchen with the plates from the West Kitchen.
In order to ensure that there were no problems with the replacement, Su Wan would naturally be sent to the North Kitchen to do some temporary work for a few days.
When she went there, Su Wan was still a little worried.
After all, although she was one year older, she was still young among the palace maids. What if the people in the North Kitchen didn't listen to her?
Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived at the north kitchen, he was surrounded by people.
Su Wan's name might not be well-known in other places, but she is very famous in Shangshisi.
Everyone knows that she makes excellent pasta.
For example, noodles with scallion oil, a noodle dish that is available in all three kitchens of Shangshisi, was taught to them by Su Wan.
Unfortunately, most people have only eaten the noodles she taught them to make, and have never seen her in person.
The taste of scallion oil noodles is unforgettable to everyone who has eaten it, and it is inevitable that they will be curious about Su Wan.
When they heard that the Imperial Kitchen Supervisor had sent her here, many people in the Northern Kitchen made up their minds whether they could let Su Wan show off her skills in the Northern Kitchen!
They also want to eat the noodles made by Su Wan!
This caught Su Wan, who had made all the preparations, off guard.
She had to be prepared to face some difficulties when she was parachuted in, but instead of making things difficult for her, everyone just wanted to eat the noodles she made?
Is the pasta she makes so attractive?
"We don't want to name the dishes, but your pasta is really good."
"Yes, everyone knows about Shangshisi!"
"The reputation of the Western Kitchen now has a lot to do with you! Aren't the meals and menus all from your hand?"
Seeing everyone nodding together, Su Wan felt very embarrassed by the praise.
How about giving it a try?
Su Wan's impression of the North Kitchen was still the Hunan rice noodles made by the former right-hand man of the North Kitchen last time, which were so delicious.
How about making some Hunan delicacies?
Su Wan said, "You can make noodles, but I have something equally delicious in mind. I will be in the North Kitchen for half a month, so why not eat this?"
Seeing everyone nodding, he just asked the name of the food.
Su Wan said very seriously: "One of the most delicious foods in the world must be stinky tofu!"
Stinky tofu?!
What weird thing is this?
To Su Wan, this was not strange at all! On the contrary, it was extremely delicious!
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