Chapter 86 Two months later, Steward Zheng, having received instructions from Madam Qi, dared not delay...
Having received instructions from Madam Qi, Steward Zheng dared not delay and immediately went out to Jiang's braised meat shop.
He had barely arrived at Jiang's braised meat shop when he noticed that the business was even more booming than at the end of last month, with the queue stretching from one end of the street to the other, creating quite a lively scene.
Manager Zheng was suspicious. He neither squeezed in to knock on the Jiang family's door nor went into the alley to ask Yao Lang for information. Instead, he stood not far away and secretly observed for a while.
Then, he strolled to the end of the line, a smile on his face, and struck up a conversation with the two unfamiliar young men in front of him: "Young man, what kind of business does this shop do? Why is business so booming?"
The two young men stopped talking and sized up Manager Zheng, who had spoken to them. Seeing that he was well-dressed and didn't seem to be trying to strike up a conversation, one of them smiled and said, "You don't come here often, do you?"
Manager Zheng hurriedly explained, "No, that's not it. I live in the east of the city, so it's convenient for me to come here. I often come here to stroll around. It's just that I didn't see such a long queue when I passed by before."
Another person chimed in, "Then you must not have come for the past two weeks."
"..." Upon hearing this, Steward Zheng showed a hint of surprise and asked, "How did you two young men know this?"
The two young men exchanged a smile and said, "This shop wasn't so well-known before; it only suddenly became famous at the beginning of the month."
When Manager Zheng heard the words "early month," his eyelids twitched violently. He recalled when he contacted Yao Lang, who said that Su Zhihan had taken on a high-priced banquet job, and his heart sank instantly.
Is that really the case? So Yao Lang wasn't lying to me? Did they really find a new customer willing to pay a high price?
The young man didn't notice the change in Steward Zheng's expression and continued, "At the beginning of the month, they prepared a feast for the Director of the Imperial Academy. I heard that there were many officials present at the time, and they all praised the young lady's excellent cooking skills."
“Exactly, exactly.” The other person quickly nodded in agreement, “From then on, people invited this young lady to cook banquets every day.”
"We can't afford the 30-guan-per-table banquet, so we've just come to join in the fun and want to see what this dish, which even the emperor praises, tastes like."
"Moreover, they also have braised pork rice, which is affordable and tastes great, making it a really good deal."
"If I had to point out a bad thing, it's that this place is a bit too small." The young man stood on tiptoe to look ahead, looking rather helpless.
“Yes, yes, look at how long we have to queue every day.” Hearing this, he couldn’t help but turn around and say, “Before, no one ordered takeout, but now we can’t even get a place to order. I’m thinking I should just queue up myself so I can at least buy a few things to try.”
Outside, diners complained amongst themselves, while inside the shop, Jiang Zhenniang and the others were extremely busy.
Since the banquet hosted by the Imperial Academy Director, Su Zhihan's catering schedule has been packed, and her shop's business has become increasingly booming, with crowds from morning till night. Takeout orders are snapped up as soon as they are released in the morning.
It wasn't that they couldn't hire people; firstly, the quality of the people they hired was uneven, and Su Zhihan was afraid of ruining her family's reputation; secondly, after the shop had spared people to help her with the banquet preparations, the remaining staff were already fully occupied.
Manager Zheng watched as he went, knowing full well how thriving the Jiang family's business was. He pondered the task Qi had entrusted to him, his mouth bitter, but he had no choice but to go, so he gritted his teeth and walked into the alley.
When he arrived at Yao Lang's door, Steward Zheng paused, then turned around, used his own money to buy two crucian carp, two jugs of loose wine, and a piece of floral silk cloth before knocking on Yao Lang's door again.
The woman who opened the door was Madam Lü, the daughter-in-law of the Yao family. Madam Lü recognized Steward Zheng and quickly opened the door, smiling, "Isn't this Steward Zheng? What brings you to our house today?"
"Sister-in-law, I'm here to see Brother Yao."
"Oh dear, what are you doing in the back? My husband is helping out at the shop in the front. You can go there to find him." When Steward Zheng called her sister-in-law, Madam Lü's smile deepened.
Manager Zheng, with his thick skin, said with a forced smile, "Young Master Yao is also helping out at the front? I saw that the braised meat shop was doing so well, so I didn't want to bother you and came directly to the back."
As he spoke, he picked up the gift in his hand.
When Madam Lü saw the gifts that Steward Zheng brought in, she couldn't be more pleased with herself.
Just a few days ago, this Steward Zheng was showing off in front of his master, demanding a lot of money as bribes.
Looking back now, we all have to bring gifts.
Madam Lü felt as if she had drunk an iced drink on a hot summer day, feeling refreshed all over, and her smile became even more genuine. She opened the door, invited Steward Zheng to sit inside, and went to the front shop to call Yao Lang.
Before long, Yao Lang returned home with Madam Lü. He greeted Steward Zheng with a broad smile, "Brother Zheng, why didn't you tell me you were coming? And you brought so many things, I feel really bad."
"Mid-Autumn Festival is almost here, so I came to see you all."
"As expected of Madam Su's skill, I don't think any business in the whole city can compare to yours. You're truly amazing!" Manager Zheng didn't mention that he knew the price of thirty strings of cash for a banquet. He only said that he had come to visit them with some gifts: "I was thinking of visiting Madam Su again tomorrow, but I don't know if she will be available?"
After exchanging pleasantries, Manager Zheng tentatively began to speak.
Yao Lang naturally understood what Steward Zheng meant, and shook his head, saying, "Tomorrow, Madam Su is going to the Deputy Director of the East Workshop's residence to prepare a banquet, so I'm afraid she won't have time."
Although the deputy head of the East Workshop was only a minor official of the eighth rank, not a high-ranking official in the capital, he was more than capable of intimidating Manager Zheng.
Manager Zheng's expression changed slightly, and he bent over even more, shamelessly saying, "Then the day after tomorrow—"
“The day after tomorrow won’t work either. Madam Su has to go to Dr. Liu’s residence at the Imperial Academy.” Yao Lang didn’t want to waste any more words with Steward Zheng and said bluntly, “If you want to visit, I can manage to find the time, but if you want to invite Madam Su to a banquet on behalf of Master Peng, I’m not available for the entire month of August. All the tables are already booked.”
"Mid-Autumn Festival... is it settled too?"
"The position of Director of the Imperial Academy has already been reserved in advance." Yao Lang paused, then added, "It's a full sixty strings of cash."
During festivals, officials and wealthy families in the capital would prepare feasts to entertain relatives and friends. Important festivals like the Mid-Autumn Festival were given even greater importance, with some families booking cooks two or three months in advance.
Of course, this is also why the cost of hiring cooks and kitchen staff increases during festivals, sometimes doubling, sometimes tripling or even increasing three to five times.
"How much did you say? Sixty strings of cash!?" When Madam Qi heard what Steward Zheng brought back, her eyes widened, and she was completely taken aback.
Although the price doubles during the holidays, it still reaches the price of a top-notch cook.
Qi felt a pang of regret, but she was unwilling to pay any more money. Firstly, although the Peng family mansion looked glamorous on the outside, life inside was not easy. Secondly, she was afraid of offending the headmaster of the Imperial Academy.
Don't underestimate the position of the Imperial Academy's Director of Education, a minor official of the eighth rank. This official has daily contact with the students of the Imperial Academy, reaching not only the families of generals and marquises but also outstanding students from common backgrounds. If one is skilled at cultivating connections, one can build up a considerable network of influence in just a few years.
The current Director of the Imperial Academy is a man of great social skills and adept at cultivating connections.
Having no other option, Madam Qi had to hire another cook, Lü, and told Master Peng about it when he returned. Upon hearing this, Master Peng's face immediately fell: "I told you the other day to give me more money, and look what we're going to do now!"
"..." Qi remained silent.
“Money should be spent wisely. Now that we’ve lost Chef Su, how can I possibly invite Mr. Xu to come to our door?” Master Peng scolded Madam Qi. “It’s not like we’re short of money. Why are you being so stingy when it comes to hiring a cook?”
"Now it's all right."
"Tell me, how many opportunities would we lose?"
"Please, please, please, please!" Upon hearing the word "opportunity," Madam Qi finally couldn't hold back anymore. She wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, feeling wronged: "You've been saying for the past few years that you're going to find a way, and then you've been throwing all sorts of parties and trying to win people over."
"But look at it, what use is it?"
"Not only did it bring in more income for the family, but it also allowed you to take three concubines."
"That's fine, but do you think I don't know you're keeping a lover on the side? All that talk about discussing things with someone before was actually going there!"
When Madam Qi saw that Master Peng was shifting all the blame onto her, she immediately lost her temper: "In the end, wasn't it your bad idea? It's obvious that Madam Su doesn't want to sell herself or sign the contract, but you insisted on making me persuade her."
"Look at what's happened now."
"You've probably sold him out, so he'd better run away!"
The room was extremely noisy. Manager Zheng huddled outside, listening to the sound of porcelain falling to the ground, not daring to speak loudly.
Su Zhihan was unaware of the farce at Master Peng's residence; she only learned from Yao Lang that Steward Zheng had come to visit today with gifts.
Yao Lang looked cautious, as he had another question for her: "Madam Su, what do you think? If they are willing to spend more money to book a banquet, should we accept their invitations or not?"
"Just follow the normal booking process."
"Alright." Yao Lang noted this down, then with a smile, he unfolded several name cards and presented them to Su Zhihan: "These were sent from the residence of the Registrar of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."
"This was sent from the residence of Chengxin Lang."
“The most important one is this one.” Yao Lang beamed, pushing one of the name cards in front of Su Zhihan, and said excitedly, “This one was sent from the Dali brothel.”
"The Dali Zheng? Isn't that... a sixth-rank official!?"
“Yes.” Yao Lang nodded emphatically, and then explained, “This is not a banquet hosted by the manor, but rather his eldest son has specially invited you to his manor to prepare a feast, saying that he wants to entertain his classmates and friends.”
"Could it be Zhang Lang and his group?"
“No, that’s not it.” Yao Lang shook his head. “His eldest son, the chief of the Dali Kingdom, is currently studying at the Imperial Academy, but Zhang Lang and the others don’t know him.”
"Besides, if Zhang Lang could climb such a high branch... there wouldn't be a need for several people to pool their money to hire a proper banquet."
Yao Lang's words were all true. Just as he was fortunate enough to follow Su Zhihan, his life became increasingly smooth. If Zhang Lang and the others had such an opportunity, they wouldn't have needed to rent a room from him to make a living long ago.
Su Zhihan listened to the gossip for a while, then put those trivial matters aside and continued to focus on the banquet preparations at hand.
For the next two months, Su Zhihan continued to work on the banquet, while Jiang Zhenniang was not idle either. She decisively took over the shop diagonally opposite, bought and rented a few people, and divided the braised pork rice business to be operated across the street.
On the other hand, she remembered the gazebo stall that had been idle for many days, and then carefully selected two people to manage it. The items sold were no different from usual, and business soon became booming again.
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