Zhao Zhe stared blankly at the fleeting poem in the night sky for a long while. "Who wrote this poem?"
"Sister Tao gave it to me. She said she saw it by chance and it had the words 'Picking Stars' on it, which is perfect for naming the restaurant," Xiao Yi replied. "The fireworks were also specially made. The idea came from Sister Tao. Tonight, whether or not anyone comes to the restaurant, everyone who sees these fireworks will have an impression of the 'Picking Stars' restaurant."
It's Tao Wan Niang again! Zhao Zhe couldn't help but look at Ling Yunzhou with a hint of sympathy.
Ling Yunzhou's lips twitched bitterly and helplessly. What could he say? No matter how capable Tao Wanniang was, he could no longer reach her.
The banquet concluded perfectly, and Zhaixinglou undoubtedly left a good impression on some of the high-ranking officials and dignitaries in the capital.
Tao Wanniang finally came out of the kitchen and saw the end of the song and dance. The lights reflected each other, and the luxury of the restaurant collided with the fireworks, giving her a glimpse of the lively scene to come.
"Wan Niang, you are very capable." Ling Yunzhou's deep voice came from beside her. Tao Wan Niang immediately turned around and subconsciously kept some distance.
"General Ling's arrival is an honor. If he's not sitting in the front, he must be in a private room." Tao Wanniang wasn't surprised by Ling Yunzhou's arrival. "Did you enjoy the song and dance performance?"
Ling Yunzhou's gaze was deep and somber. He looked at Tao Wanniang as if through a mist. She no longer overlapped with the person in his memory; they seemed like two completely different people.
"Zhaixinglou will surely prosper in the future, congratulations!" Ling Yunzhou said bitterly. She was so outstanding, yet he had forgotten her for so long.
"Thank you for your kind words. If I do well, I can also make a fortune." Tao Wanniang said politely. "General, you can come and patronize the business more often in the future. However, forget about your subordinates. This restaurant is not like my previous small restaurant."
Ling Yunzhou understood that Tao Wanniang was referring to Qian Feng. He nodded and said, "I will come. Both of my sons work here, and as their father, I have to come and see them."
“It wouldn’t hurt to meet them, but I’d like to remind General Ling first that they chose this path of being waiters themselves. It’s not that I’m forcing them to stay by my side. If you feel that your son is ashamed to be a waiter, don’t blame me,” Tao Wanniang said first.
Ling Yunzhou was somewhat surprised and frowned as he asked, "Why do you think that way?"
“I didn’t agree with them wanting to be waiters, but after hearing their own ideas, I went along with it.” Ling Yunzhou felt that Tao Wanniang had misunderstood him. “Wanniang, you’ve raised your two sons very well. Nobody’s perfect. Under those circumstances, the fact that they didn’t turn bad is already the best thing that can be said.”
"Ha, that's a really low requirement!" Tao Wanniang scoffed inwardly. "What are they even doing here in Lingyunzhou?"
“Dapeng came to my residence a few days ago and talked about your family division,” Ling Yunzhou continued. “I also gave him a scolding. Don’t worry, I won’t give them any help. If Dapeng and Zhou Shi are unfilial to you, I will definitely teach them a lesson.”
Tao Wanniang looked Ling Yunzhou up and down; her master was trying to curry favor with her!
“Oh, I didn’t care about the division of the family property. After all, I’m not that old, and I don’t know what the future holds. It would be inconvenient to have two such grown sons around,” Tao Wanniang said deliberately.
As expected, Ling Yunzhou's expression changed, his eyes filled with shock, as if Tao Wanniang had said something earth-shattering.
She said she wanted to remarry, but now she finds her two sons an eyesore. Does that mean she's already married?
Ling Yunzhou suddenly had a lot of ideas pop into his mind, and his gaze toward Tao Wanniang became increasingly disapproving.
"Since that's what you think, I don't agree, but I won't stop you." Ling Yunzhou said somewhat insincerely. If Tao Wanniang were to remarry, he would definitely magnify any problem that he could find fault with.
“Oh, you really have no right to stop anything,” Tao Wanniang said calmly. “I should go to the kitchen to take stock of things. General Ling, please make yourself at home.”
As Tao Wanniang spoke, she turned and walked towards the kitchen.
"Wan Niang!" Ling Yunzhou called out to Tao Wan Niang, opening his mouth but swallowing back the words that almost escaped. "I sincerely wish you all your dreams come true and a bright future!"
"Thank you very much, and I wish you a successful career and continuous promotions!" Tao Wanniang said casually.
With plenty of staff in the kitchen, Wang Hongyu informed Tao Wanniang of the completed inventory results as soon as she entered.
"Very good, everyone has worked hard. You can rest after the restaurant closes!" Tao Wanniang said to everyone.
The backyard of the restaurant is where all the staff rest.
"Manager Tao, Manager Lu are looking for you." Just then, the voice of a waiter came from outside the kitchen.
Tao Wanniang asked the others in the kitchen to tidy up, and then she went out again.
Along with Luneng were Prince Rui and Princess Rui. Upon seeing Tao Wanniang, Princess Rui took the lead and held Tao Wanniang's hand.
"Sister Tao, it's so good to have you. Look how successful our Zhaixinlou restaurant is! I never thought of doing something like this before," Princess Rui said with emotion. "Although the dishes today were all free, the monetary gifts that came to our door were quite substantial. I've already had Manager Lu put them into the accounts; this is all profit for the restaurant."
"It's all thanks to the Princess's extensive connections. Without the Princess's influence, who would come?" Tao Wanniang said with a smile.
"It was your good idea! If you hadn't suggested holding an opening banquet first, I wouldn't have asked someone to teach the performers from the Imperial Music Bureau to perform songs and dances!" Princess Rui said with a smile.
"That's because Your Highness is so quick-witted. How would I know about the Jiaosifang?"
Prince Rui and Lu Neng watched as Tao Wanniang and Princess Rui flattered each other, then turned their eyes away, not daring to interrupt.
After Tao Wanniang and Princess Rui exchanged compliments, Princess Rui couldn't help but ask, "Sister Tao, you said our restaurant will start operating normally tomorrow, is that according to your previous plan?"
"Yes, tomorrow morning, a notice can be put up at the entrance of Zhaixing Tower to announce a three-day grand opening sale: 66% off on the first day, 77% off on the second day, and 88% off on the third day. Those who pre-deposit silver at Zhaixing Tower, starting from 500 taels, can enjoy an 80% discount forever!"
Tao Wanniang said that these were all things they had discussed before. "Have our membership cards already been processed?"
"I'm really not sure about this. This is the first restaurant to offer this kind of membership discount, do you really think people would actually deposit money into the restaurant?" Princess Rui was unsure, as she hadn't told anyone about this.
“How will we know if we don’t try? Even if it doesn’t work out, it’s still a good deal for our restaurant!” Tao Wanniang said. “On the contrary, we are the first in the world to promote prepayment. What everyone is interested in is the mountain behind Zhaixing Tower, which is you.”
“Yes, the restaurant has run away, and so has our Prince Rui’s mansion!” Prince Rui interjected. After all, his princess wanted to run the restaurant, so he could only go along with it.
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