Chapter 47 Sheng Garden
Today was a bright and sunny day. Sheng An was thinking about the big house in the north of the city, but that didn't stop her from going to the market early in the morning to set up a stall to sell wontons.
The guests could clearly sense that Sheng An was in a good mood, and one of them couldn't help but joke, "Boss, did you find gold this morning?"
Sheng An's smile remained unchanged: "If I found gold, why would I need to get up early and work late selling wontons?"
Her restaurant is finally settled; isn't that more exciting than finding gold?
The customers couldn't stand Sheng'an saying he wouldn't sell wontons anymore, and they all quickly showered him with compliments:
"Boss, it's so hot outside, I'm just relying on your wontons to keep me going, please don't stop selling them!"
“That’s right. My granddaughter suffers from summer heat and becomes skinny as soon as summer arrives. This year, she hasn’t lost much weight thanks to your wontons.”
“My grandson is the same way; every night before bed, he reminds me to get up early and buy wontons.”
Upon hearing this, Sheng An's previously good mood plummeted.
Having sold wontons here for two months, I've already built up a loyal customer base, with many familiar faces queuing up early every day.
Now that the restaurant's location is confirmed, she will be frequently traveling to the north of the city to oversee the bricklayers' renovations, leaving her with no time to set up a stall.
She was destined to disappoint these loyal customers.
Looking at the long queue in front of him, Sheng An suppressed the complicated thoughts in his mind and raised his voice a few decibels: "Thank you all for your love and support. These wontons will only be sold for three more days at most, and then we won't be setting them up here anymore."
What? You're not selling it anymore?
The long queue instantly erupted into chaos, everyone thinking they had misheard, and quickly asked the people in front and behind them.
Confirming he hadn't misheard, the customer at the front of the line was the first to ask, "Boss, why aren't you selling anymore?"
Sheng An explained with a smile, "I'm better at cooking, so I'm closing down my wonton stall and opening a restaurant instead."
The guests looked at each other in bewilderment.
I'd heard the boss mention it briefly before, but they hadn't really taken it seriously.
Compared to selling wontons at a street stall, opening a restaurant is much more difficult and requires a higher investment; otherwise, you could lose everything.
I thought the boss was just talking, but who would have thought that in just one month, he would be determined to open a restaurant and it seems he wants to make a big splash.
That's true. People strive for better things. If you're capable enough to open a restaurant, who would want to set up a stall on the street?
The customers had to accept the fact that Sheng'an was no longer selling wontons, and they all congratulated her, saying, "The owner has excellent skills. Once the restaurant opens, it will surely be packed with customers and very successful!"
Sheng An smiled and thanked them. When collecting the money, she deliberately charged one less coin per bowl, asking them to pass on the message to the other customers who hadn't come yet, so that they wouldn't wait here in vain if she stopped setting up her stall.
Customers who can afford to spend money to eat wontons every day are naturally not short of money, but Sheng An's actions made them very happy, and they all said they would tell their acquaintances.
Today, the wontons sold out even faster, with almost everyone taking one home, even though Sheng'an only offered limited-quantity takeout.
Sheng An hurriedly pushed the cart home. A bullock cart was parked at the gate of the courtyard, and the other four people were already ready.
For this reason, Xu Jinnian specially asked his teacher for half a day off.
Grandpa Sheng and Grandma Sheng specially changed into new clothes and shoes, which Sheng An had asked someone to make for them a while ago, as well as for herself and the Xu family father and son.
As expected, clothes make the man. Looking at the two elderly people who were full of energy, Sheng An smiled and praised, "If the villagers saw Grandpa and Grandma, they probably wouldn't recognize them."
Grandma Sheng remained relatively calm, but Grandpa Sheng tugged at his clothes somewhat uncomfortably: "Wouldn't this be inappropriate? Perhaps we should change it?"
Thanks to their granddaughter, these two old folks wore such exquisite and beautiful clothes for the first time.
"No, no, this outfit is perfect."
Sheng An quickly stopped the old man from changing his clothes and praised him from head to toe: "Only Grandpa can wear such clothes. They make him look young and energetic."
After being praised by his granddaughter, Grandpa Sheng stopped mentioning changing clothes.
After Xu Jinnian carried the elderly Grandma Sheng, who had difficulty walking, onto the oxcart, the others also got on and headed towards the north of the city.
The mansion was located on Minghu Street in the northern part of the city, some distance from the Xu family's residence. It took the oxcart about three quarters of an hour to reach it.
As soon as they entered Minghu Street, they saw the shimmering Minghu Lake in the distance.
The lakeside willows provide shade, their thousands of delicate branches hanging down, swaying gently in the breeze, rippling across the shimmering lake surface.
The weather was hot, and there weren't many pedestrians by the lake, but there were quite a few elderly people fishing, with servants standing beside them.
Amidst the chirping of birds, occasional exclamations could be heard from the shore, clearly indicating that a large fish had taken the bait.
Grandpa Sheng and Grandma Sheng were captivated by the beautiful lake scenery, murmuring repeatedly, "This place is wonderful, this place is wonderful..."
The main road here is wide enough to accommodate three carriages side by side; the flowers and trees on both sides are neat and show signs of being meticulously maintained; and there are rows of tall mansions, clearly indicating that this is where wealthy people live.
How could the feng shui of a place where a rich person lives be bad?
The oxcart continued along Minghu Street, turning a corner before stopping in front of a lakeside house with green tiles and white walls.
Looking up at the tall door in front of them, Grandpa Sheng and Grandma Sheng could hardly believe that this obviously expensive mansion was earned by their granddaughter whom they had raised for sixteen years.
Without much thought, Sheng An took out his key and unlocked the door. With a slight creak, the door was slowly pushed open, and a screen wall carved with the character "福" (fortune) appeared in front of them.
This is a garden-style residence, and you can smell the fragrance of lotus flowers as soon as you enter the courtyard.
Sheng An was somewhat surprised, not expecting that this house would have a lotus pond.
Grandpa Sheng also smelled it, and following the fragrance of lotus blossoms, he went around two walls and saw a small lotus pond.
The lotus pond is full of pink lotus flowers, and several bees buzz around, flitting about and swarming among the flowers, creating a lively and bustling scene.
This house, covering a plot of land of fifteen acres, not only has a lotus pond, artificial hills and strange rocks, pavilions and waterside terraces, but also bonsai and flowers. The courtyard wall facing the street is planted with vines and flowers, making it lush and beautiful.
"It's so good, so good..."
Grandpa and Grandma Sheng couldn't take it all in; they could only keep saying "good!" and couldn't find any other words to describe their excitement.
The thought of their granddaughter using such a nice house to run a restaurant made the two elderly people's hearts ache, but they didn't say anything.
Their granddaughter is so smart; she wants to use one house to earn more houses. They can't help her, so they shouldn't interfere and make things difficult for her.
Remembering that their granddaughter had said she would set up a separate room for them to sell wontons, Grandpa and Grandma Sheng were overjoyed and couldn't wait to finalize the deal.
Fortunately, they didn't lose their senses and decided to follow their granddaughter's arrangements. They would use whichever room her pointed to.
The three elderly people were tired after walking around twice, so Sheng An let them sit in the pavilion to rest while she took paper and pen and continued to look around. Xu Jinnian silently accompanied her.
After a long while, several sketches that only Sheng An could understand took shape.
She pointed to the entrance and asked Xu Jinnian with a smile, "I've named this place Shengyuan. What do you think?"
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