Lu Baichuan wasn't there; he must have gone to help carry the door plaque. The magistrate and his wife were going to address her as Madam Lu the Third, but they were only halfway through saying the word "Lu" when He Jiuniang whispered a reminder: "Sir, you should just call me Doctor He!"
The words were simple, but the meaning was clear: they wanted to tell the magistrate's family that they wanted to keep a low profile and didn't want to reveal their identities.
The magistrate and his wife were no fools; they smiled even more enthusiastically and said, "It's a joyous occasion for Doctor He's family today, so of course we have to come and offer our support! Besides, when I saw the list yesterday filled with all sorts of exotic delicacies, I was so eager to come and queue up overnight!"
In this small county town, the county magistrate is the highest-ranking official. When the people see the county magistrate, they all praise Lu Family Restaurant. Originally, they just wanted to observe, but suddenly they wanted to go in and try it.
Besides, the drinks are free, what a great deal!
"It is an honor for our restaurant to have you and your wife here. We hope you will continue to support our restaurant in the future!"
The implication is quite clear: he wants to use his position as county magistrate to establish authority over the restaurant, so that ordinary people won't dare to bully it.
If anyone else had said such a thing, the magistrate would definitely have been unhappy. But He Jiuniang, who said it, was different. She was of such a higher status than him, and using him was already a sign of respect. He immediately nodded repeatedly, "No problem!"
Madam Lü pulled Zhang Lanxiang forward and smiled along. Last night, she had thought that the Lu family was now successful and might not even care about them. But she didn't expect them to be so approachable and not hold a grudge about the previous minor conflicts. They were even willing to take the initiative to get close to them. Madam Lü couldn't stop smiling.
Judging from this situation, they still have a chance to maintain close ties with the Lu family. In any case, no matter what happens, as long as they cling to the Lu family's powerful backing, they can rest easy.
Just then, Lu Baichuan and Boss Lu carried over the plaque, which was covered with red silk cloth and had a large red flower on top that was particularly eye-catching.
A group of kids followed behind, some from the Lu family, and others from other families, just joining in the fun.
A young waiter prepared a ladder, and Lu Baichuan and Boss Lu went up to hang the plaque themselves. Then Boss Lu was responsible for lifting the red silk cloth.
The three large characters "Xi Lai Lou" came into view. They were written by Old Man Lu himself. It is said that Old Man Lu had studied and practiced diligently for many days in order to write this plaque.
As firecrackers went off, Lianhua and Leizi carried trays and handed out candy to the onlookers, filling the air with laughter and joy.
Looking at the plaque, the magistrate smiled and said, "What a wonderful name! 'Joy comes, joy comes, joy every day!'"
"Hahaha, thank you for your praise, sir. Since you are here, I'll leave the ribbon-cutting to you!"
As she spoke, He Jiuniang ran inside, pulled Yu Shi out, and made her cut the ribbon with the county magistrate.
Ms. Yu was a little shy, as she had never dealt with such a situation before. She had originally wanted her third sister-in-law to make the decision for her, but she was unexpectedly dragged into it in the end.
"Oh my, this aunt looks just like the one in the portrait!"
A child pointed to a poster on the wall, which featured an enlarged, cartoonish version of Yu Shi, with a brightly colored lace apron.
Mrs. Yu became increasingly embarrassed, but He Jiuniang seized the opportunity to say, "This child has a good eye! This is Mr. Yu, the owner of our restaurant, and also the best chef in the restaurant. With my sister-in-law's cooking, I guarantee you'll want to eat there again and again!"
Yu blushed deeply and didn't dare to look at the crowd. Fortunately, He Jiuniang and Lu Laoda stood on either side of her, otherwise they would definitely have been unable to stand.
Taking the scissors handed over by Lu Xiaoyang, the magistrate took one and Yu took the other, and cut a large red silk ribbon shorter.
The firecrackers grew louder, and the cheers from the surrounding crowd grew even louder. Lu Xiaoyang and Lianhua led the guests inside with smiles on their faces, but Yu Shi couldn't help but shed tears amidst the laughter and joy.
In her entire life, she never imagined that she could be a boss, run a business, and even open such a large restaurant.
A year ago, his whole family was still struggling on the road to escape famine, not knowing where they would be tomorrow, let alone where they could settle down.
A year later, the family has started various businesses. Even she, who usually knows nothing but cooking and serving the family, has managed to run such a large restaurant.
"Thank you, Third Sister-in-law!"
She hugged He Jiuniang tightly and cried uncontrollably.
All of this was brought to her by He Jiuniang.
This restaurant is registered in her name, and no one in her family objects. Even her parents-in-law are very supportive, and her husband wholeheartedly supports her. She wouldn't have made it this far without the help and encouragement of everyone in her family.
Her family was unfortunate, but her husband's family were all wonderful people.
From now on, she must run this restaurant well and live up to the expectations of everyone who supports her!
"Oh dear, sister-in-law, you've grabbed the wrong person! Brother is over there! Brother, what are you standing there for? Quickly pull your wife over there, I need to go greet the guests!"
He Jiuniang chuckled and pushed Yu Shi into Lu Laoda's arms, then pulled Lu Baichuan away.
Yu was extremely shy, and of course she couldn't be all lovey-dovey with Boss Lu at the door. She wiped away her tears and hurried to the back kitchen to get busy.
She knew that her third sister-in-law didn't want her to feel burdened, so she deliberately pushed her away, her heart filled with gratitude.
Today was the opening day of the restaurant. Actually, He Jiuniang and the others didn't need to work too hard. The restaurant had hired a lot of young waiters, which was enough to keep them busy. In addition, the maids from the house also came along, so He Jiuniang had some time to catch her breath. She took Lu Baichuan to the backyard for tea.
"You specially arranged for the county magistrate to cut the ribbon. With so many people watching today, it's clear that this restaurant has the magistrate's backing. We don't need to worry too much when we're not around."
Lu Baichuan poured her a cup of tea, looking at He Jiuniang with admiration, feeling extremely happy. How could his wife be so smart?
"Hehe, if it's offered to us, we might as well lend it to you! Although you are a third-rank official, we are far away in the prefectural city. Who here would know who you are? As the saying goes, distant water can't quench a nearby fire. With the county magistrate backing you up, your sister-in-law will have a lot less trouble in the future. Besides, this county magistrate is a good one. He has always been very polite to us and we haven't heard of him causing any trouble. He is someone we can befriend."
He Jiuniang naturally knew why the county magistrate had brought his wife and daughter to show his support in such a grand manner. She could only say that they all wanted to take advantage of each other's influence. Since neither of them were particularly vicious people, why not do them a favor?
Lu Baichuan nodded: "Yes, I'll have someone check his performance over the years when I get back. He'll be promoted if there's an opportunity."
Although He Jiuniang didn't say it explicitly, he immediately understood what she meant.
He Jiuniang reached out and rubbed his face, saying, "I just love dealing with smart people!"
This family has changed so quickly, it really moved me. When Mrs. Yu cried, I cried too. Women in that era really had it tough!
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