Chapter 71 Boys also need to know how to protect themselves
Sheng An brought the eight people back to Sheng Garden and first arranged accommodations for them.
She pointed to the two rooms on the left and said to the four male waiters, "Two people per room, please make your own arrangements. There are bedding and clothes on the beds, one set for each person, no fighting over them."
The four men bowed respectfully, their movements perfectly synchronized: "Yes, Master."
They were of similar height and had delicate features, making them a pleasing sight to behold when standing together.
Sheng An nodded in satisfaction: "Starting tomorrow, I will train you. It will only last for five days, so you must do your best."
She didn't mention the consequences of poor performance, but the four male waiters were all on high alert, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
Sheng An waved his hand, telling them to go back to their rooms and put away their belongings, then led the remaining four girls inside.
When Shengyuan was first built, houses were built specifically for servants to live in, which was the row of houses in the northwest corner near the road.
Two of the rooms were converted into shops for the Sheng family elders and Xu Chenglin to run a wonton business, while six other rooms remained empty.
Sheng An pointed to the two rooms on the side and said to the four girls, "You will also be two people per room, and each of you will have a set of bedding and clothing."
The four girls were of different ages and had quite different appearances. Like the four male waiters, they all curtsied in unison and said, "Yes, Master."
Sheng An's gaze fell on the faces of the four people one by one, and his tone became serious: "In the next few days, you will also receive training. Those who perform well will be taught all the knowledge they have acquired in their lives."
How can you train a master chef without giving it your all?
If I don't become a master chef, how will I earn money for her retirement?
The four girls' eyes widened suddenly, and they subconsciously looked at Sheng An, wondering if they had misheard.
After realizing what had happened, she hurriedly lowered her head, her heart pounding wildly with excitement.
They didn't know their master's specific identity or what he did, but to be able to afford such a large house, he must be a very capable person.
If they are fortunate enough to catch the eye of their master and learn his skills, they become very useful servants to their master.
In this way, they would not be easily sold off and end up in dirty places like brothels or kilns.
Sheng An didn't miss the changes in the four people's expressions, and his tone softened a bit: "I have high hopes for you, so don't let me down."
The four girls eagerly declared their determination: "Yes, Master, we will definitely perform well!"
Sheng An nodded, turned and left.
Watching their master walk away, the four girls relaxed. They looked at each other, seeing a strong fighting spirit in each other's eyes, and had only one thought in their minds:
We must absolutely crush the other three!
As soon as Sheng An stepped into the small building, she saw three elders sitting in the main hall, clearly waiting for her.
Before she could ask, Grandma Sheng said, "An'an, we've moved here. The shop is all set up inside and out. We've discussed it and plan to open for business selling wontons tomorrow."
Grandpa Sheng immediately chimed in, "Yes, if we open a day later, we'll make money a day later. It's such a pity."
Xu Chenglin nodded in agreement: "The cart and stove are readily available. Your grandparents can sell them in the shop, and I'll push the cart outside to set up a stall, promote our shop, and let the surrounding residents know about it."
There are no familiar neighbors or friends here. They can't stay idle all day long; they just want to start making money as soon as possible and contribute to their little family.
Sheng An hadn't expected them to be in such a hurry. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Aren't we going to pick a better day?"
Grandpa Sheng waved his hand: "You taught us three old guys step by step, so it's fine if we don't choose an auspicious day to open the business."
Sheng An felt embarrassed and quickly gave them a heads-up: "There aren't many residents here, so it will probably take some time to build a reputation. You might not make much money at first."
Xu Chenglin nodded: "That's why I decided to set up a stall. There are many residents across from Minghu Lake, and there's a market there. We can buy vegetables and meat there in the future."
Early this morning, the three of them went out for a walk to get a general understanding of the surrounding area.
Seeing that the three elders were prepared, Sheng An said no more: "Alright, let's open for business tomorrow."
The small wonton shop opened early the next morning.
The shop is right by the roadside, and passersby can see it.
Seeing such a large house with a wonton shop, passersby couldn't help but be curious, and some even suspected that the owner of the house had fallen on hard times to do this.
Unable to contain their gossip, some passersby, thinking that a bowl of wontons wouldn't cost much, walked into the shop with great interest and looked around.
Seeing that the tables, chairs, and benches were all in place and kept clean, the passerby felt a sense of goodwill and walked to the kitchen window to look inside.
Seeing that the kitchen was clean and tidy, and two elderly people were busy working, the passerby asked in a loud voice, "How much is a bowl of wontons?"
Grandpa and Grandma Sheng were overjoyed when guests arrived as soon as they opened the door.
Grandpa Sheng, in particular, had no experience in entertaining guests and suddenly became nervous, staring at the guests, unsure of how to respond.
In contrast, Grandma Sheng, who had set up a stall with Sheng An, was much more experienced, responding with a kind smile: "A large bowl costs eight coins, a small bowl costs six coins."
As she spoke, she seemingly casually lifted the lid of the steaming pot, and a rich aroma of meat wafted out, assaulting the minds of passersby.
Wow, it smells so good!
The passersby hadn't eaten breakfast yet, and the enticing aroma immediately made their stomachs rumble.
He swallowed hard and eagerly pulled out eight coins: "Give me a large bowl."
Grandma Sheng: "Okay, please wait a moment, it will be ready soon."
The passerby looked at the fragrant meat broth and couldn't help but swallow hard before turning around and finding a seat to sit down, gazing longingly at the kitchen window.
A short while later, a bowl of fragrant wontons was served. Grandma Sheng pointed to the bottles and jars on the table and said to the passersby, "These are vinegar and chili peppers. You can add them to your liking. They're free."
Passersby were astonished: "Adding more is free? Aren't you afraid someone will steal it?"
He went to other restaurants to eat wontons, but he didn't get this kind of treatment; the restaurant was already being generous if they added extra scallions.
Grandma Sheng chuckled and said, "Customers who are willing to spend money to buy wontons wouldn't care about this little bit of food."
Passersby thought Grandma Sheng was too naive; there were plenty of people in the world who "knew how to manage their lives."
However, since it wasn't their business, the passersby didn't bother to get involved.
Looking at the plump, white wontons with thin wrappers and generous fillings, emitting a wonderful aroma, his mouth watered instantly. He grabbed a spoon, scooped one up, blew on it a couple of times, and popped it into his mouth.
Wow, this is delicious!
Passersby's eyes lit up, and they didn't care about anything else, stuffing wontons into their mouths one after another.
Soon, a large bowl of wontons, soup and all, was gone.
The passerby let out a satisfied burp, and looking at the empty bowl with not a drop of soup left, he felt that the eight coins he had spent were well worth it.
This newly opened wonton shop is absolutely delicious!
When Grandma Sheng came out to clear the dishes, a passerby gave her a thumbs up: "Boss lady, your wontons are really good, I'll come again next time."
Grandma Sheng was overjoyed to receive praise from customers on the very first day of business, and the wrinkles around her eyes deepened: "Thank you for your patronage."
As soon as the customer left, Grandma Sheng hurried back to the kitchen, took out eight coins from the front pocket of her apron, and showed them to Grandpa Sheng with a smile: "This is the first wonton money our little shop has earned."
Grandpa Sheng rubbed his hands together with joy: "Great, great! The customer just praised us, we're sure to make even more money!"
The two elderly people were as happy as two children, as if they could see the bustling scene of the small shop selling a hundred bowls a day.
The passerby, who had already walked away, had no idea that a casual compliment from him could fill the two elderly people with confidence.
Halfway there, he felt like he had forgotten something.
Suddenly, he slapped his forehead: "Damn it, I haven't even asked the old lady how she got her shop."
Reluctantly glancing back, he thought for a moment but ultimately decided not to go back: "Never mind, that bowl of wontons was worth eight coins. I'll ask about the gossip about that house another time."
More than one customer entered the store out of curiosity, and in just one morning, more than ten bowls were sold.
Although it wasn't nearly as successful as when they set up a stall in Sheng'an, the two elders were very content.
With breakfast time over, Grandpa Sheng and Grandma Sheng began cleaning the shop.
Xu Chenglin returned pushing a cart as soon as he finished cleaning, his face beaming with an uncontainable smile.
Looking at the empty soup bucket and wonton bucket, Grandma Sheng was astonished: "They're all sold out?"
Xu Chenglin placed the heavy money bag on the table, poured himself a large bowl of water, drank it all in one gulp, and excitedly replied, "Sold out! There are a lot of people at the stall, business is booming."
At this age, this is the first time Xu Chenglin has ever set up a stall to do business.
However, he had been working outside for many years and had an outgoing personality, so he was very good at attracting business for himself.
Sure enough, the three hundred or so wontons he took out were all sold out, far better than what he sold in the shop.
The three locked the shop door and returned to the small building in high spirits, eager to share their day's achievements with Sheng An.
Sheng An was in the front yard training four male waiters, mainly instructing them on etiquette and conversation skills for receiving guests.
"...Always remember your place. No matter how easy-going the guest is, you must not be rude to them. Similarly, no matter how difficult the guest is, you must not be disrespectful to them...If a problem arises that you cannot handle, you must report it to your superiors in a timely manner."
The four listened very attentively, each silently memorizing the information.
"Of course, you should also politely refuse any unreasonable requests from guests. If any guest tries to touch you inappropriately, you must speak up immediately to stop them and not let them take advantage of you."
These words were so blunt that the four male waiters looked at each other, mostly puzzled.
They were all young men, around seventeen or eighteen years old. How could the guests have laid hands on them?
Sheng An saw through the four people's thoughts at a glance, coughed lightly and continued, "There is a Nanfeng Pavilion in Qingzhou City. You can guess what it does without me telling you."
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