"If I were to design it, I would use traditional design elements such as eaves, brackets, and glazed tiles to showcase the elegance of the ninth floor. At the same time, I would introduce tableware made by well-known artisans in Beijing as a gimmick to attract literati and scholars."
After Li Ping finished speaking, Qiao Ming continued, "Miss Zhou, Li Ping and I have different opinions. If the restaurant wants to make a quick profit, it definitely needs to attract wealthy young men in a short period of time."
Seeing the appreciative look in Zhou Zhizhi's eyes, Ming knew he was right.
“Miss Zhou, during the past few days of waiting, I asked around and found out that there used to be a large hall here specifically for the children of the family to play in. If I were to design it, I would renovate this hall first.”
Zhou Zhizhi nodded in satisfaction, "Not bad, so how do you plan to make the modifications?"
"Miss Zhou, please take a look." Qiao Ming said, taking out a drawing from his pocket. "This is a simple sketch I drew."
"I will connect the hall and the backyard into one integrated space, and build pavilions of various shapes around it to facilitate small groups chatting. The middle will be connected by a corridor, which can accommodate more people on rainy days," Qiao Ming explained to Zhou Zhizhi, pointing to the blueprints.
"The space is decorated with flowers, trees, and shrubs to provide guests with a tranquil and elegant leisure space where they can enjoy the natural scenery while savoring delicious food."
Zhou Zhizhi had never thought of this approach before, and he agreed with Qiao Ming's idea.
Zhou Zhizhi was touched by Qiao Ming's seriousness and thoughtfulness during the meeting, and she had already made up her mind that she wanted to choose Qiao Ming as her designer.
"Wu Da, reward him!" Zhou Zhizhi ordered Wu Da.
After saying this, Wu Da took out money from his pocket and gave Li Ping and Qiao Ming one tael of silver each.
"Thank you, Miss Zhou."
"Thank you, Miss Zhou," the two said in unison, bowing with their hands clasped.
Zhou Zhizhi smiled at the two of them, "Both of your designs are exquisite, but my restaurant is too small, so I can only choose one of them to cooperate with me."
Upon hearing this, both Qiao Ming and Li Ping looked at Zhou Zhizhi nervously.
"My choice is Qiao Ming," Zhou Zhizhi quickly announced her answer.
Hearing this, Li Ping felt a little disappointed, but he still smiled and said, "Congratulations, Brother Qiao Ming. Then I'll take my leave."
Qiao Ming was very happy that his efforts had not been in vain. He said gratefully to Zhou Zhizhi, "Thank you, Miss Zhou. I will definitely do my best and fulfill my responsibilities."
Then he turned to Li Ping and said, "Brother Li Ping, you flatter me."
Li Ping nodded to him and left the house.
"So, what are your thoughts on the restaurant's front hall?" Zhou Zhizhi asked Qiao Ming after Li Ping left.
Qiao Ming thought for a moment and then said, "I plan to use exquisite wood carvings and lacquerware for decoration. At the same time, in each private room, we will use different themes to bring guests different dining experiences, such as bamboo forest, mountains and rivers, flowers and birds."
Zhou Zhizhi nodded repeatedly, "This is a great idea, and I had the same thought."
Qiao Ming added, "Furthermore, the floors of the restaurant should be rationally divided so that different functional areas do not interfere with each other, especially the private rooms and the main hall. This will ensure the privacy of the private rooms and allow guests to have the best dining environment."
Zhou Zhizhi looked at Qiao Ming with great satisfaction. "Very good. I'll have Foreman Zhang show you around the shop in a bit, and then you can draw a draft for me as soon as possible."
Qiao Ming put away the previous draft. "Okay, Ms. Zhou."
While Zhou Zhizhi was busy with the renovation of her shop, Xiao Xiyou was also dealing with businesses related to the shop.
"Greetings, Master." In the renowned Yongxing Pawnshop in the capital, the shopkeeper looked at Xiao Xiyou with utmost respect.
Since opening the shop, Xiao Xiyou has made him the apparent boss and rarely comes to the shop.
"How's business at the shop lately?" Xiao Xiyou asked. Besides this pawnshop, he also had two grain and oil shops in the west and south of the city, respectively.
This was the foundation he had built over many years with great effort, and it was operating quite well, although it was nothing to his elder brother and younger brother who had enjoyed wealth and luxury since birth.
Although they were both children of the same father, his father rarely paid attention to him, and he struggled alone in the cold palace.
No one believed that he, a prince, had never been well-fed and clothed before adulthood, and that the annual allowance given to him by the Imperial Household Department was always deducted for various reasons.
Xiao Xiyou had considered rebelling, but there were plenty of snobbish servants in the palace.
These servants, under the intentional or unintentional influence of the First Prince and the Third Prince, always secretly sabotaged him.
Later, he gradually learned to read people's expressions, which, although somewhat despicable, at least allowed him to live a better life.
Later, when he reached adulthood, according to the rules left by his ancestors, he was to be granted a mansion and move out of the palace.
Xiao Xiyou finally gained true freedom, allowing him to gradually build his network of connections and wealth, and begin to make a name for himself in the imperial court.
"Business is very good at the shop," Manager Qian told Xiao Xiyou truthfully. "So far this year, we've made a profit of five hundred taels. Yesterday, someone even pawned a piece of fine Hetian jade. Would you like to bring it over for the owner to see?"
Xiao Xiyou waved his hand, saying that he had never been particularly interested in such material possessions.
"Go and bring me the account books so I can take a look," Xiao Xiyou instructed Manager Qian.
Zhou Zhizhi's preparations for opening a restaurant reminded Xiao Xiyou that although he didn't have many businesses, he really should manage them properly.
"Yes, I'll go right away." The shopkeeper said as he hurriedly went behind the counter to get the account book.
"These are the accounts from previous years. Please take a look." Manager Qian handed the account book to Xiao Xiyou.
Xiao Xiyou took the ledger and carefully looked through it. It had been three years since he took over the pawnshop, and he had kept five ledgers. Xiao Xiyou looked through this year's ledger.
I found that every account was recorded very neatly, clearly noting the time, what was pawned or sold, the relevant price, the total daily revenue, and the monthly revenue every few pages.
The figures above matched the profits he sent to Xiao Xiyou each month, and he nodded in satisfaction upon seeing this.
"Manager Qian, you've done a good job," Xiao Xiyou praised Manager Qian.
Upon hearing this, Manager Qian immediately bowed and said, "If it weren't for the master taking me in back then, I would have been beaten to death by those hooligans long ago. I will do my utmost to serve the master and dare not deceive him in the slightest."
Xiao Xiyou was slightly moved when he heard this. He had originally thought that pawnshops were the easiest places to tamper with things, so he checked them first.
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