Chapter 43: Lease a shop and wait for opening
She was hesitant at first, but when her aunt found out, she told Baozhu to rent it without hesitation. "It's just a restaurant, how can it be difficult to protect it? Your uncle will be promoted to Guanglu Temple Secretary after the new year, so he will have some influence in the future. If someone deliberately provokes a fight, your uncle has a colleague who is now an official in Bianjing. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Aunt Zhen always spoke softly, but when she mentioned this matter, she showed a bit of toughness.
"Last time, the Zheng family's drink shop forced me to buy your coconut drink recipe. If I had known about it earlier, I would not have let it go so easily."
Zheng Jiaqiang bought Baozhu's coconut drink shop. Initially, Baozhu, fearing trouble, kept it a secret from her aunt. But when her aunt noticed she was no longer selling coconut drinks, she came to inquire about the matter. After discussing the matter with several of her friends, she discovered that the Zheng family's drink shop was simply a distant relative of the imperial concubine's family, who annually sent large sums of money to the Zheng family, thereby securing some protection.
Realizing Baozhu had suffered a loss, Zhen's mother went to find Manager Zheng. Manager Zheng had no idea a small vendor was actually acquainted with Mrs. Dong. Manager Zheng pleaded for mercy, then added two hundred taels of silver and personally delivered it. Baozhu had no desire to antagonize him. After all, she still had business to do in Bianjing. If something went wrong, someone would bear a grudge. Businesses don't always have to be on guard against thieves, and it wouldn't be good for her family either.
After hearing what her aunt said, Baozhu felt more at ease. If she could reopen the restaurant, she could hire someone to look after the stall. Liu Si'er was already very skilled, so he could be in charge of the stall at the dock.
In Zhouqiao, although Aunt Cui was skilled at her work, she was a little lacking in her ability to handle things. Brother Wang, who had originally only done errands, knew that Baozhu wanted to hire someone to look after the stall, so he came to recommend himself. Brother Wang was a good person and had gained the courage to sell those pickled garlic dishes. Baozhu did not agree immediately, but asked him to try the stall for a few days first.
Seeing that nothing went wrong, he agreed.
The portions of food on the stall are fixed, so there is no need to worry about them embezzling money. Thanks to Baozhu's care, their families are living a better life, and there is no reason for them to ruin their future for petty profits.
Madam Xu didn't have a suitable shop at the moment, so she asked other housekeepers and searched around herself before she found two suitable ones. Madam Xu had a good eye, and the two shops were located one on Caomen Street and the other on Bianhe Street.
Caomen Street is close to the Wa Si Night Market, and Bianhe Street is close to the South Gate Street of Daxiangguo Temple.
The rent on Bianhe Street was cheaper, at 32 strings of cash a month. In September, the shop caught fire. Although there were no casualties, most business owners felt it was a bad omen. The rent, while cheap, wasn't exactly cheap, so the shop remained unrented until the end of the year. Furthermore, if the shop were to be rented, renovations would be a considerable expense.
The shop on Caomen Street was smaller than the other one, with a monthly rent of 38 strings of cash. Previously, it hadn't been a food business, but had some counter curtains, so it didn't need new ones. Just some tables and chairs and a few renovations were all that was needed to open.
I asked my family, and they all thought the shop on Caomen Street was better. It was smaller and more expensive, but I didn't have to renovate it myself. Plus, the shop on Bianhe Street had caught fire, which wasn't a good omen. Besides, the walls were charred, and repairing it would be a huge expense. If I gave it to someone else to repair it, I'd be at a disadvantage when the rent increased next year.
Baozhu looked at both shops. Both shops were small, only three or four steps wide and six or seven steps long. The shop on Caomen Street was half a step smaller than the one on Bianhe Street.
Seeing that Baozhu liked the shop, Madam Xu did not rush to ask the owner to sign the contract. Instead, she made careful inquiries and finally told Baozhu after confirming that there was nothing wrong with the shop.
Although the shop is near the old Caomen and not in the most prosperous and bustling area, it has the advantage of being not far away from the Wazi Night Market and there are several lecture halls to the north, so business is never a problem with people coming and going.
The shop was still unpriced, and the rent was fixed at an annual payment, with a one-year lease. Because her own mother acted as the middleman, she refused to accept the fees, and Baozhu and her eldest brother, fearing that there would be considerable expenses later, shamelessly refused to pay.
Baozhu calculated the cost and found that her family had contributed seven hundred taels, and her eldest brother had contributed two hundred, for a total of nine hundred taels. Rent was more than half of that, and the remaining sum was about a hundred taels for miscellaneous purchases and renovations, and she also had to hire two more people to help.
A stove needs to be built in the shop, and the original clay pots, bowls and chopsticks will be used on the stall. Since it is a new restaurant, it is naturally not possible to use the old bowls and chopsticks, otherwise no diner will dislike them. The cups, plates and bowls must be made in a porcelain kiln, and the tables, chairs and benches also need to be made in sets.
There won't be much left of the nine hundred taels after all, and the rest will be used as capital to support the store, and money will also be needed to buy meat, vegetables, rice and grains when the store opens.
Money flowed out like water before the business even opened. Fortunately, she had made some money from the coconut powder before, otherwise she would not be able to withstand the current situation.
The shop was small and could only accommodate four tables, so Baozhu specially ordered two long tables, which seemed to be more spacious and could accommodate two more people.
Although the house did not need to be renovated, I still wanted it to look clean and tidy, so I repainted the places that needed to be painted. After painting, I put the shop aside to let the smell dissipate. After all, if I want to open the shop, I have to wait until spring at the latest.
Anyway, there are a lot of things to do during the year, and I can’t even take care of the business at the stall.
At the end of December, Lord Pei, who had not been home for a long time, came home. Grandma Pei asked him to deliver gifts to the Zhen family. The Zhen family helped a lot during his absence. Lord Pei used to draw water from the well himself every day. Since he went out on business, the eldest son of the Zhen family saw that there was not much water in the jar, so he drew some and delivered it to him. If there were some minor ailments such as headaches and fevers, Baozhu would immediately help to call a doctor. After telling Pei Yanqing about every little thing, she also mentioned that the second son of the Zhen family had passed the autumn examination.
Lord Pei congratulated her, and Madam Xu asked if the mission could be completed.
"It's done." It's hard to say what specific task he had done, but it was done. Lord Pei had nothing to hide. He only said that he would be promoted to the commander of the Imperial City Division after the new year. At that time, he would set up several tables at home and invite the Zhen family to come and have a meal.
"That's incredible! We'll definitely be going to congratulate Master Xiao Pei on his promotion." Madam Xu offered congratulations. He's been promoted two ranks. Dong's uncle had been an official for over a decade, and only this year did he seize the opportunity to be promoted to the next rank.
"I heard from my grandmother that Erlang passed the imperial examination and won first place. Next year would be a good opportunity. The court is short of people right now, and if he passes the spring examination, he might be able to enter the government."
Lord Pei laughed. Although he had gained the trust of the government, he was walking on a path that was neither civil nor military. In the eyes of those noble civil officials, he was losing the big picture for the small details. It was hard to tell whether this was a good or bad thing.
Of course, there was no distinction between civil and military officials in Xu Niang's place. She knew that Lord Pei now held a high position in the eyes of the emperor. She kept this in mind and would bring it up with Erlang when he returned home.
After the shop was settled, the eldest brother took over Baozhu's stall at Zhouqiao. Baozhu was responsible for looking after the shop every day. The stove had to be built first, and the things in the house were moved out temporarily. When the stove was built, the shop, which was not big to begin with, seemed even smaller.
After the stove was built, the carpenter shop also hired someone to say that the tables and chairs were ready. Baozhu first asked the painter to repaint the counter pillars and re-tamp the floor of the restaurant. After all the work was done, she asked the shop assistant to deliver the tables and chairs.
Two square tables were placed in the middle, and two long tables were placed against the wall. The long tables were convenient, and even if the diners didn't know each other, they wouldn't feel cramped. Plus, the shop wasn't spacious to begin with, so the long tables made it feel less crowded.
The house, which had just been painted, had a strong smell in it. Baozhu was not in a hurry to open the shop. She opened the windows every day to ventilate the house. In addition to the curtains, she also bought various colorful curtains and asked Baorong and Axiu to help her tie them up.
The shop was decorated inside and out, and only then could we start preparing for the New Year with peace of mind.
A Zhong didn't bring back any fish until the end of December this year, and he brought Jiang Shi with him again this year, mainly because he insisted on coming along. Baozhu was worried that she couldn't hire a reliable person to work in the shop, so when she saw him coming, her eyes lit up and she wanted to keep him.
A Zhong is now familiar with Xuzhou, and the landlord Shi is also very thoughtful. He hires temporary workers when he is busy, so he is not short of manpower now.
"I'll give you four strings of cash a month. Can you do the waiter work?"
"I can do it!" You have seen a pig run before you have eaten pork. Since Jiang Shi started to receive wages, he often went to restaurants to eat and drink. He had seen almost all the work in those restaurants.
Taking advantage of the free time during the new year, I immediately taught Jiang Shi a lesson. He used to run errands for a restaurant, and although he had never been a waiter before, he didn't know many things. But he was smart and had good sense. Baozhu only taught him once, but he had already learned almost everything.
How to serve dishes and attract customers. When people come, you have to serve tea and water first. Jiang Shi has a rag on his shoulder and is reading out the names of the dishes in a very professional manner.
Baozhu didn't want to sell her vermicelli soup in her shop. The shop had huge daily expenses, and if she didn't raise the price, she would lose money. If she did, people would rather eat at the stalls.
As for what kind of food to prepare, Baozhu has some idea in mind, but she and her elder brother are still discussing the specific ones.
Baozhu reserved a place at the counter for making drinks. She was responsible for making drinks and managing the shop's income and expenditure.
The eldest brother was responsible for the kitchen work and the purchase of meat, vegetables, rice and grains. He also hired a woman to wash dishes and clean the house. Because the work was simple and many people were willing to come for a monthly salary of one string of coins, Baozhu kept the clean and tidy one and decided to ask her to come again after the business opened.
As the year goes by, she grows one year older, and Baozhu feels that this year has passed especially quickly.
The Zhen family was unaware of the changes in the court until Uncle Zhen and his family came during the New Year and learned about the shake-up in the officialdom.
It was because of a huge corruption case. The salt officials in the south colluded with officials in Beijing to suppress salt households from reselling salt permits. The government took action during the New Year's Day court meeting. More than a hundred officials were involved in the case. There were many senior officials who had mutual benefits with the salt officials, and there were countless minor officials who shared the spoils. The government took a whole incense stick of time to read through the list.
When Madam Xu heard this, she immediately remembered what Master Pei had said to her before.
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