After chatting with Lin Changjun for a while, Jing Zhe changed into a black robe and came out of the Lin family home.
Lin Wan'er wanted to follow him, but Jing Zhe refused. It wasn't that Jing Zhe didn't want to enjoy time alone with her, but rather that he had come out to inquire about some things. If Lin Wan'er came along, everyone would know her, and there would be no need to inquire.
He discovered the prosperity of Jiangling as soon as he entered the city.
It was nearly noon, but the streets were still bustling with pedestrians.
According to Jing Zhe's idea, Zhang Xiaoyu and others, who are far away in Kunlun County, should have already finished printing the first issue of the newspaper. After all, their location is readily available, so the speed should not be slow.
So it won't be long before they arrive in Jiangling, and Jing Zhe wants to choose the addresses of the newspaper office and restaurant before they arrive so they can use them immediately.
Firstly, he hadn't contributed much to the affairs of Kunlun County. If he didn't do something in Jiangling, although others wouldn't say anything, he would always feel uneasy.
Most importantly, he wanted to end this trip to open a branch office of the newspaper as soon as possible, because his right eyelid had been twitching badly for the past few days, and he felt that something big was about to happen, so he wanted to return to Jingzhou as soon as possible in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
After asking around among a few people on the way, Jing Zhe followed the directions and arrived at the entrance of Feng Family Restaurant.
Standing outside Feng Family Restaurant, watching the endless stream of people coming and going, Jing Zhe finally understood why Lin Changjun said this was the only restaurant that met his requirements.
Jing Zhe's first impression of Feng Family Restaurant was that it was huge, and his second impression was still that it was huge!
Back in Ruzhou, Juxianlou was not small, but it was a three-story building combined into one, yet it still couldn't compare to Feng Family Restaurant.
In his previous life, Jing Zhe's knowledge of ancient Jiangnan came from television and historical novels.
The novel's descriptions of the Jiangnan region are all concentrated on West Lake. Wherever there is West Lake, there are always tall buildings and painted boats gliding on the water, making it a beautiful and prosperous place in Jiangnan.
What we see today, though not West Lake, is comparable to Yunling River. The river surface is sparkling, tourist boats pass by, and pedestrians line the banks. Feng Family Restaurant is built along the river, and the teahouses and taverns on the street are also thriving.
The prosperity of Jiangling is vividly displayed in Feng Family Restaurant!
The Feng Family Restaurant has four floors, making it the tallest restaurant Jing Zhe knows. Its exterior is exceptionally luxurious, and its grandeur is evident even before entering the building.
Jing Zhe then followed the pedestrians into Feng's Restaurant.
The layout of the first-floor hall was similar to other restaurants, except that there was a ladder in the middle of the hall, and a platform connected the ladder to the second floor. This structure was very similar to a brothel, because women would often dance on the platform to the sound of music in a brothel. Jing Zhe knew the purpose of this platform in Feng Family Restaurant.
Lin Changjun had previously told him that although Peach Blossom Temple hosted poetry gatherings of all sizes in Jiangling City, it was not suitable to go up the mountain in bad weather such as rain or snow. In such cases, the poetry gathering would be temporarily moved to Feng Family Restaurant, and this platform was where scholars and talented men left their calligraphy and paintings.
"Young master, are you looking for a meal or a place to stay?"
As Jing Zhe was looking around the restaurant, a waiter came up to him.
"Oh? Does your restaurant also have an inn?"
"Young master, you're obviously from out of town. If our Feng Family Restaurant doesn't even have an inn, then no other restaurant will!"
It turns out that the Feng Family Restaurant is huge in scale. The first floor is a hall, the second floor has individual private rooms, and the third floor is an inn. This model is somewhat similar to the previous Juxianlou.
As for what was on the fourth floor, the waiter smiled but remained silent.
In this era, inns and restaurants were mostly separate, because inns required a lot of space, and ordinary shop owners only needed to run one restaurant, so how could they have the capacity to build an inn as well?
A larger part of the reason is that restaurants and inns are very profitable businesses. Those who can open them are either rich or noble, and even opening just one is extremely competitive, let alone one person opening two.
Back then, Juxianlou was able to open because it had the backing of Yuwang's heir and the prefect of Ruzhou. As for Feng Family Restaurant, I heard that the person in charge is Madam Feng. Judging from the scene at today's poetry gathering, Feng Mubai and Prefect Xu have a good relationship. It seems that Madam Feng's ability to open Feng Family Restaurant is inseparable from his support.
Jing Zhe nodded and said, "Let's eat."
Upon hearing this, the waiter looked him up and down, then asked, "Are you alone, young master?"
"one person."
"I'm sorry, young master."
The waiter politely said, "There are no seats left in the hall."
Jing Zhe glanced around. It was lunchtime, and the main hall of Feng Family Restaurant was indeed packed with people, but there were still a few empty tables in the corners. The waiter's claim that there were no seats was a complete lie.
However, it makes sense when you think about it. This is the busiest time for the restaurant, and Jing Zhe can't eat much by himself. If he takes up another table, it would be a complete waste and delay the restaurant's business. That's why the waiter said that.
However, since his attitude was good, Jing Zhe didn't intend to argue with him and said directly, "There are no seats left in the main hall, so let's go to the private room on the second floor to eat!"
"Young master, these private rooms on the second floor are also..."
The waiter initially wanted to say that there were no empty seats in the private rooms on the second floor, but after looking at Jing Zhe's attire, he immediately changed his tune, saying, "But there is a minimum charge."
Jing Zhe took out a one-hundred-tael silver note from his clothes and waved it in front of the waiter.
"Money is no object."
"Alright, young master, please come upstairs with me!"
The waiter was overjoyed to see the silver notes, as if they were his own father, and hurriedly urged Jing Zhe to go upstairs.
Just as he reached the top of the stairs, a middle-aged man in a gray robe came down the ladder. Seeing the waiter, he asked, "What are you doing upstairs when things are so busy?"
"Manager Lin, someone wants to go upstairs to a private room for dinner. I'm here to take him there!"
"oh?"
The man called Manager Lin was a little puzzled when he heard this, because most of the people who came to their private room to eat were regular customers from Jiangling. They were very familiar with the place, so why would they need a waiter to lead the way?
He looked behind the waiter and saw Jing Zhe; his eyes immediately lit up.
Seeing that Manager Lin was staring intently at Jing Zhe, the waiter assumed that Manager Lin also thought it was a waste for Jing Zhe to go to the private room alone, so he quickly explained with a smile, "Manager Lin, this young master is not short of money! He knows that our private rooms have a minimum charge..."
Manager Lin glanced at the waiter but didn't reprimand him. Instead, he smiled and said, "Judging from your clothes and demeanor, young master, you don't seem like someone who would be short of money. You can go downstairs and get back to work. I don't have anything else to do, so I'll take you to the private room!"
"Yes, Manager Lin..."
The waiter replied and went downstairs.
————
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
