With the help of this group of adopted younger brothers, Jiang Shan's work progressed much more smoothly than she had imagined.
An Er found experienced craftsmen, and Jiang Shan showed them the drawings he had made. They confirmed the decoration style and timeline, and began preparing the decoration materials.
However, buying materials requires money, the craftsmen's wages need to be paid on time, and the ingredients needed to open the shop require capital. The total amount of silver that Jiang Shan brought was only two thousand taels, which could not last long at all.
She couldn't easily discuss it with An Er, so she could only worry anxiously on her own.
When Fu Wen came to Jiang Shan with ten thousand taels of silver, to be honest, Jiang Shan almost couldn't hold back.
However, she knew better than anyone that Fu Wen didn't have that much money; he was just doing things for his master.
Facing Jiang Shan, Fu Wen couldn't lie. He admitted that Fu Qiyuan had asked him to pass it on to Jiang Shan.
Jiang Shan harbors resentment towards Fu Qiyuan, but she cannot use that to blame Fu Wen.
She smiled bitterly and pushed away the silver note Fu Wen offered, saying bluntly, "I don't want to have too much to do with Fu Qiyuan! Money is a good thing, but sometimes good things can turn into endless trouble. Give the money back to him, I don't need it."
Fu Wen clutched the silver note in his hand, feeling a wave of powerlessness wash over him.
Just when Jiang Shan was running out of money, Mr. Xunmei arrived.
He came all the way from the bamboo hut, and Jiang Shan knew he must have something to discuss with her.
Before Jiang Shan could ask what his purpose was, Mr. Xunmei took out several silver notes from his sleeve and pushed them in front of Jiang Shan.
"That kid's a blockhead, he doesn't know anything. Here's a 10,000 tael silver note, take it and use it!"
Jiang Shan stared at Mr. Xunmei in shock, speechless.
It's true that she's short of money, but where did Mr. Xunmei get so much money? An old woman who has lived a secluded life for many years, all alone and without any relatives or friends, would feel it would be too much for her to accept this money!
Mr. Xunmei seemed to see through Jiangshan's concerns and laughed, "You underestimate me, don't you? It's not convenient for me to reveal my identity to you right now. Just keep this money for yourself. Just know that I don't care about these material possessions!"
Jiang Shan still refused to accept it. Mr. Xunmei said, "Although I am Sanlang's teacher, I have long regarded Sanlang as my own grandson and have been raising him. You are Sanlang's sister, so you are also my granddaughter. Could it be that you are unwilling to regard me as your grandfather?"
Jiang Shan waved his hand in a panic and said, "Sir, you misunderstand. I respect and love you as much as Sanlang does. I regard you as my own ancestor from the bottom of my heart. But this money is what you have worked hard to save..."
"Hahahaha!" Mr. Xunmei laughed loudly, "You child, you are not as insightful as Sanlang in this respect! Let me ask you, what are the valuable things in this world?"
There are so many valuable things! Pearls, agates, jewelry, jade, antiques, calligraphy and paintings...!
Calligraphy and paintings!
Jiang Shan's eyes lit up suddenly. How could she forget that this man was once a great Confucian scholar of his time? He must have a lot of these collections. And most importantly, he himself is a living antique!
The kind of thing that you can sell for a lot of money just by scribbling and drawing!
Seeing the glint in Jiang Shan's eyes, Mr. Xunmei knew she understood, so he said no more, only saying, "I'm already one foot in the grave. It's a blessing to have you children by my side in my sixties. Please grant me this wish!"
Jiang Shan said no more, gave Mr. Xunmei a solemn bow, and accepted the silver note.
Having money in hand makes things easier. Once the shop was almost finished being renovated, Jiang Shan began looking for local suppliers.
One essential element for restaurants is their food suppliers; all kinds of fish, meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, fruits, rice, flour, and cooking oil are indispensable.
Jiangshan had to see the supplier in person before he could select one.
"Young lady, look at my mutton, it's so fresh! It's exclusively for restaurants and wealthy families, ordinary people can't afford it!" The woman selling mutton noticed Jiang Shan had walked back and forth several times, guessing it was a big deal, so she took the initiative to strike up a conversation.
Jiang Shan stepped forward, frowning, and asked, "Auntie, your whole sheep... it's not complete! The head, hooves, internal organs, offal, and so on are all missing."
Upon hearing this, the woman smiled broadly and said, "Yes, yes, yes. Don't wealthy families usually look down on those things? Let's clean them up so that people won't find them disgusting. Do you want the whole sheep, young lady?"
Jiang Shan nodded without saying a word.
The woman's smile became even more genuine. "Young lady, look! These sheep were all sent from the north. They're free-range sheep raised by local herders. The meat is tender and has an excellent taste!"
"Really? Auntie, have you ever been to the grasslands? What's it like there? I heard that when the wind blows, the sandstorm can block your nose!"
The woman laughed heartily, "Don't listen to those people's nonsense! They even say that when the sea breeze blows here, you can see dragons emerging from the sea, and they're really blowing hard! It's much more beautiful over there; the grass looks like satin from afar. The sandstorms are only occasional, and not as exaggerated as they make it out to be!"
Jiang Shan chatted with the woman casually, and soon determined the quality of the mutton.
The woman and her husband were in the mutton business. They had been to the desert more than once, and they also had a small farm that raised sheep brought back from the grasslands.
After agreeing on the price and some details, Jiang Shan took out a thin bamboo slip and handed it to her. "Auntie, I am the owner of Jiang's Private Kitchen on Tianjie Street. This is my business card. Please deliver the goods to this address later."
After seeing Jiang Shan off, the woman stared at the business card for a long time, muttering to herself, "Jiang's Private Kitchen? Isn't it number 138 on Tianjie Street? How come it's number 165 now?"
Jiang Shan walked along the most luxurious street in Chongqing, his heart filled with joy as he contemplated his grand ambitions, his steps light and carefree.
From afar, she saw Xiao Qi running wildly toward her.
"Why are you running? Xiao Qi, stop right there! Why are you running?"
Xiao Qi looked closely and ran towards Jiang Shan, crying loudly.
"Sister Jiang, a fight has broken out! Brother Tiger is fighting with them!"
"Who did you fight with? Why did you fight? Where is Young Master An?" Jiang Shan asked as he pulled Xiao Qi into the shop.
"They said that Jiang's Private Kitchen was theirs and wouldn't let us hang this sign! Tiger couldn't stand it and got into a fight with them! Second Brother An wasn't in the shop."
They won't let us hang up the "Jiang's Private Kitchen" sign? Are you kidding me? This is her own trademark, and it's registered with the county government of Guyang County! Counterfeiters are infringing on the rights of the rightful owner! Is there no law left?!
"Let's go, let's go take a look!"
At the shop entrance, Tiger and a young shop assistant were fighting, while Xiao San and Xiao Wu tried to break them up, and a group of onlookers stood by.
"Stop it, all of you!" Jiang Shan shouted, squeezing into the crowd and pulling Hu Zi behind him.
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