Chapter 100: Old Stories, Restaurant Opening
Since the people bought back had indentures, and Xia Yanjing also selected orphans, this largely ensured that they would not be threatened by outsiders and easily betray him.
After half a year of training and brainwashing, these people have long regarded Ruyi Restaurant as their own home, but the real core things are still in the hands of Xia Yanjing's confidants.
And this person is Ye Zi. Since Ye Zi can manage such a big general's mansion, a restaurant must be even more of a piece of cake for him. At this time, the general's mansion has been handed over to Shi Tou for management.
Although Xia Yanjing wanted to hand over the restaurant to Yu An at first, Yu An showed amazing talent for studying during the years he followed Sheng Yuan and Wei Yang. In addition, Yu An also had high emotional intelligence, which made him a good candidate for an official.
There were many children in that group who were very talented in studying. Xia Yanjing sent them all to study under Tutor Zheng. Yu An was fourteen years old this year and could take the imperial examination. The other children were still relatively young and had to wait for two years.
Some children showed excellent talent in martial arts. Xia Yanjing and Shengxia discussed and decided to let them stay in Shilin Villa to specialize in martial arts and military tactics. When they reached the right age, some of them could go to the army for training, while others could be arranged to join the imperial guards.
The remaining children are interested in pharmacology, arithmetic, and musical instruments. No matter which one, Xia Yanjing and Shengxia try their best to cultivate them.
Of course, there are some with average talents, but with so many talented children, Shengxia and Xia Yanjing are very content, and Xia Yanjing has arranged very important tasks for these children with average talents.
In the past four years, whenever Xia Yanjing and Shengxia met suitable children while traveling, they would bring them back. Now there are more and more children in Shilin Villa.
Xia Yanjing had taken this into consideration at the beginning, and the Stone Forest Villa was built very large with everything he needed. To be on the safe side, Xia Yanjing ordered everyone to supervise each other, and anyone found traitors would be killed without mercy, and the person who exposed them would be rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver.
But for so long, the children have been very contented staying in Shilin Villa, doing their best to learn knowledge and skills, hoping to help Xia Yanjing and Shengxia in the future.
These children don’t know who is good and who is bad, but they know that Xia Yanjing and Shengxia are like their reborn parents to them, so how could they betray them?
Xia Yang passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi four years ago. Now he has entered the court as an official and joined the Ministry of Personnel. He is now the newly appointed Yuwenlang of the Ministry of Personnel. When he first joined the Ministry of Personnel, Xia Yang was highly appreciated by the Minister of Personnel, who finally married his son to Xia Yang.
After Xia Yang got married, Fang Yu started to arrange a marriage for Xia Huan. Xia Huan couldn't help but tell Fang Yu that she liked Sheng Yuan, but was rejected by Fang Yu.
Xia Huan ran out of the house in anger and met Zhou Fan, a handsome scholar who was going to Beijing to take the imperial examination. Xia Huan quickly fell in love with Zhou Fan and became happy with him. After returning home, she clamored to marry Zhou Fan.
Fang Yu disagreed. After all, given Xia Yang and Xia Yanjing's current status, it wouldn't be a problem for Xia Huan to marry into a wealthy family. However, she never expected Xia Huan to be so obsessed.
Later, Xia Huan sneaked out and had physical contact with Zhou Fan. Fang Yu had no choice but to marry Xia Huan to Zhou Fan. Xia Zhiyong asked his in-laws to arrange a sinecure for Zhou Fan in the Ministry of Personnel, and Fang Yu gave up.
Now Xia Zhiyong and Fang Yu are both very proud of themselves. They have been widely welcomed in official circles and at parties respectively, and they are simply in high spirits.
Near noon, the restaurant officially opened. Xia Yanjing invited a lion dance performance in front of the restaurant. Firecrackers were set off and the atmosphere was very lively. Many people who came to watch the fun gathered at the entrance of Ruyi Restaurant.
A large sign stood at the entrance of the restaurant, which read, "This restaurant is membership-based. Dining on the first floor costs 500 taels of silver per year. Dining in the second-floor private rooms costs 2,000 taels of silver per year. Accommodation on the third floor is limited to second-floor private rooms. No one else is allowed."
After the lion dance stopped, Ye Zi stood up and looked at the crowd. "We're offering a promotion for the restaurant's opening. We're open for a trial run for the first week. You don't need to be a member to dine in. After that week, only members will be allowed to enter. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask the information desk at the entrance."
The Ruyi Restaurant took four years to build. Its exterior was extremely luxurious, and many dignitaries had long been curious about it. Now that the restaurant was open, they had already sent servants from the mansion to inquire about it, and many of them immediately went back to report the news as soon as they got it.
Those who had some spare money and were curious walked in bravely. After entering the restaurant, they saw handsome men and handsome boys standing on both sides of the aisle. Every time a table of guests came in, they were greeted by a man and a boy.
The man and the boy, dressed in gorgeous clothes, walked in front to lead the guests. As they passed by the luxurious stage surrounded by fences and decorated with flowers, everyone couldn't take their eyes off it. They took the guests to the east and west districts respectively.
The guests following behind looked at the environment inside curiously. The floor was covered with luxurious carpets. They looked up at the second floor, but could not see anything.
After the guests were seated, the man and the boy who led them began to divide the work. The man took out the menu placed on the table next to the dining table and handed it to the guests, while the boy took tea from the tea area in the corresponding area and poured tea for each guest. During the whole process, both of them served with smiles and patience.
After the tea was served, my brother brought fruits and snacks from the tea area and placed them on the table one by one.
"We didn't order this." The customer said with a frown.
"Guest, these are all provided free of charge by our restaurant. There is unlimited supply." The brother replied with a smile.
"That's great." The customer instantly felt like he had gotten a good deal and was very proud of himself. Then he took a sip of the tea and was shocked to find that it was made from the top-grade tea, Junshan Yinzhen. Not only was it free, but it was also available in unlimited quantities.
Every table of guests instantly felt that the membership fee of 500 taels of silver seemed to be worthwhile. If they ordered a cheaper dish and had some tea and snacks prepared by the restaurant, they might be able to make their money back in a year.
When they saw the menu, they were a little stunned. The names of the dishes, without exception, all had auspicious meanings, and the prices were also a little unimaginable. The cheapest bowl of noodles cost one or two taels of silver. Everyone swallowed their saliva at the same time.
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