That evening, Yan Ci first let his wife experience the excitement of a long-awaited reunion, and after she was satisfied, he let her feel completely at ease.
He pulled his wife into his arms and said:
"Honey, I'm really not used to you not being by my side for so long."
Bai Xiaoyue nestled comfortably in Yan Ci's arms and squinted her eyes: "A-Ci, I miss you too."
Yan Ci: "Once the other masters have gotten used to the routes, I won't go out anymore and will stay here with you."
Bai Xiaoyue: "Great! Did your trip go smoothly?"
Yan Ci: "We arrived in the capital safely and without any problems."
Bai Xiaoyue: "A great start! May everything go smoothly from now on."
Yan Ci: "I stayed in the capital for two days and brought back some rice and flour. Didn't you say that the rice and flour in the north are delicious?"
Bai Xiaoyue hugged Yan Ci's neck and pecked him on the lips: "A-Ci, you're so wonderful."
Then, she told Yan Ci about her idea: to rent Old Madam Xie's storefront and open a small restaurant.
Yan Ci: "Wife, that's great. If you want to do it, then do it. You be the boss, and I'll run errands for you."
Bai Xiaoyue: "Okay!"
The next day, Bai Xiaoyue saw the rice and flour that Yan Ci had mentioned, one ton each.
Seeing his wife's appearance, Yan Ci said:
"I thought it wouldn't be good to drive empty, so I brought some over. Now that you're opening a restaurant, it'll come in handy."
Bai Xiaoyue asked about the price of grain and wrote it down in her notebook.
Yan Ci was puzzled.
She explained, "I've never run a business before, this is my first time opening a restaurant. I'm keeping good accounts to see if I can make a profit."
Wang Weiguo led several workers to demolish the wall in front of the storefront.
It has an area of about 80 square meters, which is more than enough to open a restaurant.
We signed a contract with Grandma Xie for a monthly rent of 100 yuan. If we sell each vegetable for 40 cents, we need to sell 250 portions first to cover the rent.
Although Bai Xiaoyue felt it was a bit expensive, she gritted her teeth and signed a three-year contract, with the rent paid annually.
After the old lady put the money away, she smiled and said to Bai Xiaoyue:
"You and Mingyue go pack your things and move in here."
Bai Xiaoyue was stunned, and pointed to herself and her friend:
"Grandma Xie, are you suggesting we move here?"
Grandma Xie glared at her: "Didn't I say I'd be provided with food and lodging? How can I be provided for you if you don't move in?"
Bai Xiaoyue and Li Mingyue looked at each other in bewilderment.
The two eventually packed up and moved in; since it was a rented place, it didn't matter where they lived.
Anyway, Grandma Xie has many houses here, and they are all empty and no one lives in them.
There were only three workers living in one room, one office, and one warehouse in that courtyard; the other rooms were empty.
After getting ready, Bai Xiaoyue and Li Mingyue went to the neighborhood committee to register their business and then to the Industry and Commerce Bureau to apply for a business license.
Two months have passed since I bought tables and chairs, set up a stove, and acquired pots, pans, and other necessities, and finally obtained the business license.
Because there was no gas and honeycomb briquettes were used, Bai Xiaoyue found stir-frying too troublesome, so she mostly cooked dishes by boiling.
First, cook a big pot of food, and then heat up a portion for anyone who comes to eat.
Each day, they would offer one meat dish for 30 cents and one vegetable dish for 10 cents, rotating them around the same dish every day for a week.
Li Mingyue became anxious and agitated after hearing Bai Xiaoyue's plan.
She felt that if Yan Ci's transportation company didn't open, her friend's restaurant would also go out of business.
Bai Xiaoyue bought some paper and wrote on it: Monday: Braised pork, cucumber.
Tuesday: Braised chicken pieces and Chinese cabbage. Wednesday: Braised pork ribs and bok choy...
On the day of the official opening, after preparing the dishes, she went to the wholesale market with Li Mingyue.
She gave each stall owner a menu, saying that their restaurant could deliver food.
On the first day of business, a meat dish and a vegetable dish cost only two cents, whereas normally they cost four cents.
With a 50% discount and delivery service, many people placed orders on the spot.
Bai Xiaoyue and Li Mingyue split up and finished registering in no time.
When we get back, we'll have Yan Ci, Wang Weiguo, Feng Xiaobei, and He Zhiyong deliver it to us in a small cart.
There were only two or three customers at the restaurant, but they still managed to sell out all the food.
While collecting money, many vendors were also placing orders for food for the next day.
Bai Xiaoyue took the opportunity to say that if you eat at her house for six days, the seventh day will be free, and there were still many people ordering food.
The small restaurant business took off. Conservatively speaking, selling 100 servings a day could earn 10 yuan, resulting in a monthly income of 300 yuan.
The rent for the two courtyards and everyone's living expenses were covered.
Grandma Xie also eats at the restaurant every day and doesn't let Bai Xiaoyue cook for her.
In the afternoons, when Bai Xiaoyue had some free time, she would sit in the courtyard and chat with the old lady.
She asked the old lady if there was anything she could do if the transportation company was not operating.
Grandma Xie sat in her rocking chair for a long time before speaking:
"Xiaoyue, you have to be flexible in business. Isn't your yard empty?"
Many people come here to buy goods, and many are looking for places to stay. When they come to eat, we promote our accommodations and explain the transportation to them.
People see you have restaurants and hotels, so they're bound to trust you a little more!
Bai Xiaoyue suddenly understood; the old man was indeed experienced.
She said, "Grandma Xie, thank you for the advice. I'll go and talk to Yan Ci right away."
Yan Ci was also a little anxious, and immediately agreed. Anyway, the house was useless just sitting there, so it was no problem to tidy up a few rooms and make them habitable.
Bai Xiaoyue was busy with the restaurant's affairs, so she asked Yan Ci and Wang Weiguo to handle this matter.
Yan Ci also bought a semi-automatic washing machine, saying that it would be more convenient to wash quilt covers and bed sheets with a washing machine.
Bai Xiaoyue wanted to find someone to clean her room every day, make the bed, and wash the sheets.
There aren't many rooms, the workload is light, only half a day is needed each day, and the monthly salary is twenty yuan.
Aunt Jiang volunteered to help, and Bai Xiaoyue agreed because she thought Aunt Jiang was warm and efficient.
When the people who came to eat asked about accommodation, she introduced her small hotel.
She only charged 80 cents for the guesthouse, since she wasn't trying to make money.
Gradually, some people started asking about the prices of their goods, but they didn't place any orders.
Bai Xiaoyue wasn't in a hurry; everything is difficult at the beginning!
In between, Yan Ci delivered goods back to the capital twice more to Chang Le. It wasn't until December that Yan Ci finally received a real order.
He is a regular customer who has eaten here several times and stayed here several times.
The customer's surname is Zhang, a middle-aged man in his forties, and he has 10 tons of goods to deliver to Beijing.
He first went to the state-owned transportation company, which wanted to charge him 12,000 yuan.
He approached Yan Ci hoping for a discount. After some negotiation, Yan Ci agreed to send him 10,000 yuan to the capital.
Yan Ci took all the drivers away, and Bai Xiaoyue asked Jiang Xiaonian, a local boy of about fifteen or sixteen, for help. He was introduced by Aunt Jiang.
Bai Xiaoyue started to worry because Yan Ci hadn't returned after being away for half a month.
He was distracted while cooking, so Li Mingyue took over and cooked it herself.
Bai Xiaoyue gave an awkward smile: "I am a little worried about Yan Ci."
Li Mingyue rolled her eyes at her friend:
"What's there to worry about with five grown men together? It's good to have something to do; it's worrying to have nothing to do."
Bai Xiaoyue rolled her eyes at her friend and went to the courtyard to talk to Old Mrs. Xie.
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