The shop Hua Rong found originally sold fabrics and ready-made clothes, but due to a sudden family crisis, she hurriedly wanted to sell the shop. There were still three years left on the lease, and she would sell the shop after paying off the three-year lease in one lump sum.
This area is the most prosperous part of the Pill King Palace, and many people have taken a liking to this shop, but only a few can afford to pay so many spirit stones at once. As for those who can afford spirit stones, they are watching and waiting for the shopkeeper to lower the price.
After Ye Xiruo and her group of four entered, the chubby shopkeeper hurriedly came to greet them. Judging from his attire and demeanor, he must have come to see the shop. Time was running out, and he couldn't delay for more than two days. If things didn't work out, he would have no choice but to sell it at a low price as they wanted, which would result in him losing money. In just a few days, half of the shopkeeper's hair had turned white.
There are piles of fabrics and clothes in the shop and warehouse, and we don't know what to do with them.
Ye Xiruo and her three companions looked around and were generally satisfied, except that the space was a bit small than Ye Xiruo had expected. The four decided to try their luck in the East and West districts.
The West District is a residential area, but it also has many shops, including many that sell all kinds of food. The shops are generally smaller than those in the Central District.
"Master Zhang, what do you think?"
"This place won't work."
The East District is a commercial area, and the shop there is a decent size, complete with a private courtyard, which appealed to Ye Xiruo. This way, the shopkeeper and other servants could easily settle in, which would be much more convenient. Moreover, there's only one large restaurant nearby, so there's no need to worry about intense competition.
Master Zhang was quite satisfied with this relatively quiet place, and since the place used to be a restaurant, the renovation was even more convenient.
Hua Rong had already made arrangements and even paid a deposit, making it easy to secure the restaurant at a price that was within Ye Xiruo's acceptable range.
As for the fabric shop in the city center, Ye Xiruo was also somewhat tempted. Its location was excellent, making it convenient for whatever she wanted to do in the future. However, she hadn't yet decided what to do with it.
"Little Flower, do you have any ideas?"
“We can take over that shop now. It’s the best time. As far as I know, quite a few forces have their eyes on that shop, but they are all wary of each other, or rather, they are working together to suppress the price and try to get a bargain.”
"Wouldn't it be too extravagant to buy such a large shop to sell pills and spirit wine?"
"Yes." Who would buy such a large shop just to sell pills?
The four of them quickly returned to the Pill King's Palace. After running around for half a day, Ye Xiruo was also a little tired. Before going to sleep, she took a look at the bounty she had posted. Huh? Why is no one accepting the mission? Could it be that, just as Hua Rong had guessed, these princess-like alchemists felt that going to a restaurant was beneath them?
Face is worthless, spirit stones are the most important thing, okay? Ye Xiruo was also furious with this bunch of good-for-nothing blockheads. If all else fails, she can only go to the slave market and buy a dozen slaves to use.
After returning home, Ye Xiruo sent someone to fetch Aunt Wang and Liu Tiesheng. Aunt Wang had cared for her like family during her most difficult time, helping her in every way she could. It was truly inexcusable that she hadn't sent Aunt Wang a reply for so long.
With the restaurant about to open, Zhang Quan felt a mix of nervousness, excitement, and a touch of bewilderment. He had spent so many years hiding in the Pill King Palace, thinking his life would end like this, never expecting to encounter Ye Xiruo. The young palace master was a gourmand and a skilled brewer of spirit wine. Perhaps she initially approached him for his culinary skills, but that no longer mattered. Given her status, not just anyone could catch her eye. Moreover, she never inquired about his personal affairs, instead frequently seeking his advice on cooking. He had even prepared the dishes for the banquets held for the First and Second Princes—a supreme honor indeed.
What's more, the young master gave away such a precious medicinal cuisine recipe without hesitation. He was very touched by this trust. In the past three months, with the help of the master chef, he had selected more than twenty kinds of medicinal cuisine recipes and had almost finished making them. With the young master's spiritual wine, he would definitely be able to get through this period without any problem. As for the other medicinal cuisine recipes, he would have to wait until new products were launched one after another.
"Master Zhang, tomorrow morning please prepare one serving of each of the medicinal dishes you know how to make. The quantity doesn't need to be too large. I'll think about which medicinal dishes would pair better with the spirit wine. You can come and give me your advice then."
"Yes, Young Master."
"You can bring your apprentices who you find useful along. You can get five percent of the restaurant's profits. How does that sound?"
“I am the young master’s man, I don’t need spirit stones.” Zhang Quan stammered, appearing very nervous.
“This is different. I’m a hands-off manager. In the future, the restaurant will need Master Zhang to put in a lot of effort. Consider this spirit stone as a token of my appreciation for your hard work. You must accept it.”
The next morning, Si Hao, Hua Rong, and Qing Zhiyi were all invited over by Ye Xiruo. Together with Master Zhang, the five of them discussed how to pair the dishes and wine.
Because she had important business to attend to, the spirit wine bottles that Ye Xiruo took out were all very small, probably just enough for one person to take a sip each!
Si Hao didn't have any objections, but Hua Rong shouted from the side, "Little Ye Zi, you're too stingy. You can't even taste anything in this bite."
"I'm here to ask you to do some work, not to invite you for drinks." A dismissive glare flew across her face.
Hua Rong almost spat out a mouthful of blood. To be honest, after being provoked by Ye Xiruo, Hua Rong's temper flared up. Although he wasn't a chef, he had grown up eating all sorts of delicacies. In any case, regardless of other aspects, his tongue was more than capable of tasting the food. Qing Zhiyi was in a similar situation.
The second senior brother seemed to have come simply to eat breakfast; aside from eating, he didn't utter a single comment all morning.
Perhaps her second senior brother genuinely wasn't interested, so Ye Xiruo didn't force him. Zhang Quan's culinary skills were truly exceptional; the lily bulb and chicken stir-fry, walnut and tofu soup, crab meat and tofu stew, red bean and peanut stewed carp, and lavender and perilla soup were all devoured. Of course, the other medicinal dishes were also excellent, pairing beautifully with her spirit wine. Ye Xiruo left this entirely to Master Zhang and Hua Rong to discuss. As long as Hua Rong thought the taste was good, and there were no conflicting properties between the herbs in the spirit wine and those in the medicinal dishes, it was a done deal.
However, if the restaurant only sells this much, it seems too meager. It should also add some famous snacks that are good with drinks. This is not difficult for her, and it is even less difficult for Master Zhang.
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