Xia Tian went back to Jinglan Garden first and sent the maid to tell Mu Feng that it was time to prepare the carriage.
Last night, she had agreed with Shen Nian that she would ask the old lady today to see if she could leave the house.
Chen Nian kept Mu Feng and asked him to drive the carriage to take them there.
When the maid came back, Xia Tian had packed up everything and left with Ningxiang and Cuiling.
They first went to the Yuxiu Lane Restaurant.
When Xia Tian entered the restaurant, he saw Master Liu and his men busy at work.
"Master Liu, how's the progress?" Xia Tian stepped forward to greet him.
"Madam, you're here." Master Liu looked up and found that the master had come over, so he stopped what he was doing and came over to greet her, "Madam, the progress is faster than I expected, but the fee I paid before is probably still short.
The main reason is that the prices of some materials have increased recently. No, it seems that prices have increased recently. I wonder if Madam has noticed it?"
I was surprised to see other prices go up too. What does that mean?
She was in the backyard every day, well-fed and well-fed, so she hadn't paid attention to it. "I didn't notice that. But don't worry, Master Liu. Just follow the agreed drawings and I'll make up for any discrepancies."
"Okay. Madam, please give me five hundred taels first. I want to buy all the materials I need now, for I'm afraid the price will continue to rise later, and it will cost more money to buy more then." Master Liu thought about it and decided that if he bought them all together now, he could get a better deal.
Xia Tian asked Ningxiang to take five hundred taels of silver notes to Master Liu.
Master Liu simply wrote a receipt for her.
This is what Master Liu learned when he and Xia Tian signed the agreement last time. This way, there is no need to argue when settling the bill, which is good for both parties.
Master Liu discussed some details of the restaurant's decoration with Xia Tian. She nodded as she listened. Master Liu was indeed a senior master, and the ideas he proposed were more in line with the aesthetics of people of this era.
Xia Tian was very happy to accept the suggestion.
Seeing that the hostess's wife had a kind attitude and did not look down on them as craftsmen, Master Liu's favorability towards them increased greatly.
When Xia Tian was about to leave, Master Liu quietly told her a piece of news, "Madam, a relative of mine recently came from the south and said that there has been very little rain there recently. Madam, you can start your restaurant business earlier now."
Master Liu didn't explain it very clearly, but Xia Tian still understood it.
The south is a major grain-producing province. If there is little rain or no rain for a long time, it will definitely have an impact on grain production.
In the south, the first crop is usually harvested in May or June, and it is already mid-May.
No wonder Master Liu said that prices have gone up when she came in just now. He was pointing it at her!
"Thank you, Master Liu, for the reminder." Xia Tian thanked Master Liu solemnly.
This kind of thing is not something you can tell anyone casually. Since Master Liu reminded her, she will lend a hand if anyone needs help in the future.
"Master Liu, if you encounter difficulties in the future, just let me know if I can help you." Xia Tian would not hesitate to help those who showed kindness to her.
"Okay, madam, you are too polite. I would like to thank you in advance." Master Liu replied with a smile.
He likes dealing with people who are down-to-earth and transparent.
Master Liu smiled and went back to work. Xia Tian and his companions also got on the carriage and went to the second courtyard in Linglong Lane.
Uncle Chen felt that he hadn't seen his wife for a long time. When he saw Xia Tian's carriage coming, he happily stood at the door to greet her.
"Uncle Chen, how is everything here lately?" Xia Tian asked as he walked inside.
"Madam, everything is fine here. The servants are doing as you instructed. Yun'an and Yunquan lead the men in training for a while every day." Uncle Chen followed Xia Tian and answered as he walked.
When Uncle He and Aunt He heard that summer was coming, they hurried over to report on their recent work.
"Madam, we haven't been able to recruit a chef recently, but I have my eyes on two people. They have good skills, but they are a little young. However, they are very talented in cooking and are willing to learn our new recipes." Uncle He opened the account book, flipped open the recorded list and address, and pointed it to Xia Tian.
Xia Tian took a look and found that there were quite a few chefs applying for the job during this period. Uncle He also made a detailed registration, including age, address, expertise, and even his performance during the interview.
She nodded appreciatively. "Well done. Continue to recruit people according to our requirements. But I will also make two preparations. Let Cuiling learn first, and then let Cuiling select a few girls to teach her."
"Yes, ma'am."
Xia Tian then thought that girls were still not strong enough to be chefs, and boys were better. Thinking of this, she asked Uncle He, "Uncle He, do you think it's too late if we pick a few talented men from among our own people to train as chefs?"
Uncle He thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to say. Some famous chefs have practiced for many years. If I start from scratch, the time may be a bit tight."
It is true. Good chefs are the result of practice. Those who are just learning need someone to guide them. They need to study hard for a few years to see if they can become a good chef. However, it is too late for her restaurant that is about to open.
But she can pick a few to help her and learn first, maybe they will be useful in the future.
"That's right. However, while you're recruiting chefs, you can keep an eye on your own people and see if there are any who are willing to learn. Let them learn first, so that they can be used if we open a restaurant in the future."
"I'll listen to what my lady says. I'll go ask later." Uncle He also thought this was a good idea. He would practice it first, just in case it came in handy!
After finishing this discussion, Xia Tian asked about Aunt He.
Aunt He is in charge of the kitchen and the purchasing in the kitchen, and also supervises the practice of the little girls who know cooking.
"Aunt He, how are the prices of rice and flour these days?"
Aunt He didn't expect that the first thing the lady asked her was this. She thought she had done something wrong and the lady suspected her, so she quickly took out the purchase account book she had recorded and handed it to her with both hands.
Then he replied a little nervously, "Madam, I went out to buy rice and flour yesterday. Brown rice was five cents a pound, coarse flour and cornmeal were six cents a pound, and polished rice and flour were eighteen cents a pound."
After Aunt He finished speaking, she swallowed and added, "Madam, I noticed that the price of food has increased a bit in the past two weeks."
Xia Tian nodded and flipped through the account book in his hand. Although Aunt He's records were a bit messy, they were quite detailed.
She flipped through the pages from front to back and found that food prices had indeed increased a lot.
The prices in the capital were originally higher than those in Qingquan Town, but she also discovered that the current prices had indeed increased a lot compared to when she followed Liu to learn housekeeping at the beginning of the year.
When Liu asked her to look at the account book, the price of refined rice and refined flour was only about twelve cents. Now, only more than two months have passed, and the price has increased by one third.
It seems that the situation in the south is not optimistic.
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