"That's right, Sister Xichun speaks so well, Mom, can't you praise me?" Taozi said with a grin, though he also secretly hoped to receive praise from his parents.
"Alright, alright, I'll praise you. But don't get too cocky. Follow your sister Xichun and learn how to settle the bill. Otherwise, when there are more people, will your sister Xichun still have to teach you how to calculate?"
"Don't worry, I'll learn it quickly." Taozi was very hardworking. Over the next few days, he listened carefully to Xichun's calculations, so he was soon able to collect money independently.
After several busy days, their business has finally become known to more and more people. Many people who want to spend money but are reluctant to eat at restaurants choose to come here. Spending a little money and getting together is very cost-effective.
There's an academy nearby, and some students would come over in the evenings to have dinner with their classmates. Not all of these students came from wealthy families, so they naturally had to be frugal with their meals. However, sometimes when their classmates from better-off families treated them to dinner, they didn't have enough money to reciprocate. This was a place they could finally find somewhere to eat.
"Boss, do you have any alcohol? It feels like something's missing when we're just eating without any drinks," a customer asked Xichun.
"I'm sorry, esteemed guests, but our little stall doesn't have the authority to sell alcohol, so we don't have any at the moment." Alcohol was regulated in this era. While alcohol brewed from grain was certainly delicious, grain production wasn't high enough at the time. If everyone could sell alcohol, countless unscrupulous merchants would take the risk of brewing alcohol from grain rather than selling grain themselves.
Therefore, alcoholic beverages had to be registered with the government before they could be purchased from liquor merchants. Generally, one needed a fixed location or connections to obtain them.
Otherwise, the restaurant wouldn't be doing so well; it's all because of the word "alcohol" in its name.
Moreover, Xichun thought that she didn't want to sell alcohol. They weren't burly men, and if these people got drunk and went on a rampage, there was no telling how many would fight. If they accidentally killed one of them, it would be a real problem for them.
"Sigh, such a nice place, it's just a pity it's lacking in wine." Someone sighed, but they also knew the situation was as it was.
"This Miss Chen is really capable. I heard she used to be in business in town. She's so young and she's already such a good cook. Whoever marries her will really be lucky."
Some people started teasing Xichun when they saw that she was a young girl, but Xichun pretended not to hear them. She wouldn't deliberately joke with these diners, otherwise they would definitely talk bad about her behind her back.
“I advise this uncle to keep quiet. She’s still a young unmarried woman. Such teasing is really inappropriate,” a scholar-looking man said to the other man, which made Xichun look over.
Upon closer inspection, she seemed to remember this person. He had eaten spicy hot pot at her stall before and bought a lot of tea eggs. She didn't expect him to speak up for her. Xi Chun took another look at him.
"Hehe, I was just talking nonsense, Miss Chen, I'm sorry." The man saw that these were all scholars, and that what he had just said was indeed inappropriate and had offended the young lady's reputation, so he said curtly.
"Uncle, that's not a very appropriate thing to say, but I think you must be saying this because my cooking is so good. When I was at home, the villagers often praised me for being capable, so it's all a misunderstanding. This young man is also a gentleman of good character, upholding the teachings of the sages. Both of you are thinking of me. Since everyone has come because my cooking is so good, to thank you all, I'll add a plate of golden dumplings to each table. I wish you all good fortune, success in your studies, and a prosperous year after eating these dumplings."
Xi Chun didn't want a fight to break out at her stall, so she took the initiative to calm both sides down.
"Miss Chen is indeed generous. We've actually gotten a good deal ourselves. Thank you, Miss Chen. These golden dumplings have a wonderful name and taste even better." The others, who had also enjoyed the spectacle, were naturally delighted to receive a plate of golden dumplings worth twenty coins for free, showering them with compliments.
"Thank you, Miss Chen." Fu Changfeng smiled as he watched Xi Chun easily resolve the conflict between him and the uncle, and made a gesture of thanks.
Now everyone around Xichun had a different opinion of her. This girl was indeed formidable. They say that when a scholar encounters a soldier, reason is useless. If she wasn't controlled properly, she might even cause a complete disaster.
Xi Chun's generous gesture attracted a lot of attention. Everyone was curious about what Xi Chun's hot pot skewers tasted like, so people flocked there and started queuing up.
The three of them were almost overwhelmed with work, but Uncle Zhang came to help for several more days after he saw that the housework was almost done, and they finally caught their breath.
However, Xi Chun's stall has made a name for itself. Xi Chun specially commissioned someone to make a signboard. The signs here are like flags, with a piece of cloth hanging on a pole, which reads "Chen's Hot Pot Skewers". Anyone with a little spare money has gone to eat here out of curiosity.
Back at the An family home, An Wuji and his sister set up a stall to sell pancakes every day. However, their pancakes were not very competitive compared to those of other vendors. In addition, the stall fees they had to pay each month were quite high, which made him even more anxious. This month, after deducting the stall fees, they earned less than a hundred coins.
However, the family's food, clothing, and daily necessities all depended on the brother and sister to support themselves. Their mother usually took on laundry jobs from other people's homes, but she didn't earn much.
They were initially quite curious about how the Chen family's business was doing next door. When they heard about hot pot skewers, they didn't immediately associate it with her family, and they were even quite envious of her skill in making them.
It wasn't until I saw Xichun and Taozi carrying the flag out that day that I suddenly realized that their family's stall was the one that had recently become all the rage in the city.
"Is this the hottest hot pot and skewers stall in the city these days?"
"Yeah, Brother An, how's business lately?" Xi Chun has been busy making money and hasn't paid attention to his neighbors for a while.
"My stall is just so-so, not many people buy from it, barely enough to break even," An Wuji said with an embarrassed smile.
"It's okay, take it slow, things will get better." They're all neighbors, and they don't interact much on a daily basis, so Xichun didn't want to say anything directly, lest others think they were showing off.
Business continued until the day before the Cold Food Festival. Xi Chun told his customers that he would be returning to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors during the Cold Food Festival and Qingming Festival, and would resume setting up his stall three days later. No one objected, since filial piety was what the ancients valued most.
Xichun, along with Aunt Zhang and Uncle Zhang, bought incense, candles, and paper money. After waiting for Qiangzi to rest, they returned to the village together.
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