Carpenter Zhao worked very quickly. He finished the cake stand that Li Hehua wanted in just two days. It was exactly the same as what she asked for. Dahe helped Li Hehua transport the stand with a wheelbarrow.
After the shelf was made, Li Hehua started making three new kinds of pastries the night before, twenty pieces of each, and placed them on the shelf together with the other pastries, no longer using the baskets he had used before.
The pastry rack is one person tall and is divided into two parts. The lower part is a cabinet where various things can be placed, and the upper part is used to display pastries. There are three layers in total, and each layer can hold two kinds of pastries. The pastries no longer need to be squeezed together, but are neatly laid out on the rack, which looks better and makes people more want to eat them.
As soon as the shelf was set up, a strong sweet fragrance filled the air, immediately attracting the curiosity of people around. After all, there were no such shelves on the market, and no one used such shelves to sell things at the stall. Everyone squatted on the roadside and sold them with baskets.
However, such a rack is definitely much better than a basket. Everyone who sees it thinks it is good and praises it, saying that it is clear and beautiful. The three newly made cakes are all placed in the most conspicuous position, so that everyone can see them at a glance. When everyone asks curiously, Cao Simei introduces them to the guests one by one according to Li Hehua's instructions.
It is inevitable that some people would not dare to buy new food. Li Hehua had made preparations in advance. He cut the three new pastries into small pieces at home and placed them on plates for the guests to try. Only when the guests thought they were delicious would they buy them.
Whenever there is a food tasting, there are always a lot of people gathering around the pastry stall, especially children. They are reluctant to leave after looking at the pastry shelves and clamor to eat. The stall is very lively for a while, and Cao Simei and Daya are busy all the time.
"Auntie, why is your house so lively today? What are you doing over there?" A child's voice came from in front of him. Li Hehua looked and found that it was the little guy Gu Jinzhao.
Gu Jinzhao's hand was being held by Gu Zhijin, and the uncle and nephew came together.
Li Hehua hurriedly asked, "Jinzhao, why are you here?"
Gu Jinzhao retracted his gaze from the cake stand and replied to Li Hehua, "Aunt, today is a day off, so I asked my second uncle to bring me to your place. I want to play with Shulin."
So that's how it is. Li Hehua said, "Well, go sit down quickly. Shulin is over there." Li Hehua pointed to the table where Shulin was, and then said, "That's Auntie's cake stand. She made three new cakes today. Go sit down and Auntie will give you some."
Gu Jinzhao smiled sweetly and saw Shulin sitting at a table playing the Nine Rings puzzle seriously. She broke free from Gu Zhijin's hand, ran towards Shulin, and sat next to him.
Seeing that Gu Zhijin was still standing there, Li Hehua smiled at him and said, "Master Gu, you can go sit down too. Don't be polite."
Gu Zhijin nodded, "Sorry for disturbing you today."
Li Hehua smiled. Mr. Gu was always so polite when speaking.
Li Hehua went to the cake stand, put three new cakes on a plate, and brought it to the table where the two children and Master Gu were sitting. "These are the new cakes we sold today. Try them. I'll bring you more after you finish eating."
The two little guys' eyes lit up, and Gu Jinzhao immediately said sweetly, "Thank you, auntie." After that, he picked up a piece of water chestnut cake and put it in his mouth. The expression on his face immediately became very enjoyable, as if he could be shooting a food commercial.
Seeing Gu Jinzhao's actions, Shulin also took a piece and stuffed it into his mouth. He chewed it much harder than usual and was obviously enjoying it.
Li Hehua found it hilarious, these two little guys are so cute...
At this time, Gu Zhijin suddenly asked: "Boss, do you want to open a shop?"
Seeing Gu Zhijin looking at the shop rental notice she wrote, Li Hehua said truthfully, "Yes, I want to rent a shop to do business. It's not convenient to set up a stall, and there is not enough space now."
Gu Zhijin nodded, "Boss, your business is so good. A shop is indeed more convenient than a stall. Have you found a shop yet?"
Li Hehua sighed, shook his head and replied, "No, it's not easy to rent a shop in town. I've been looking for a long time but haven't found one."
Gu Zhijin didn't know much about doing business, and wondered, "Is it so hard to find one? Is there not even one?"
Li Hehua smiled bitterly, "Really? I haven't found one yet. I've been looking for it for so many days. I did find one, a restaurant that's for sale, but it's too expensive. I can't afford it, so I can only look for something else."
Gu Zhijin frowned.
Gu Jinzhao, who was happily eating cakes nearby, heard this, his eyes rolled around, and he said with a smile, "Aunt, how much money do you need? You can ask my second uncle for help. He has money."
"Jin Zhao, stop talking nonsense!" Gu Zhijin scolded softly. It was too frivolous to say such things, and it would be easy for others to misunderstand it, and it would affect the boss's reputation.
This child always likes to talk nonsense.
Li Hehua knew that children can talk without restraint, so she didn't care and said with a smile: "Thank you Jinzhao for your kindness, but auntie will be able to make enough money soon, and when she makes enough money, she can buy a restaurant."
Gu Jinzhao pouted and swallowed the words in his mouth under the glare of his second uncle. He said "oh" and stopped talking, lowering his head to eat his pastry.
Gu Zhijin looked at Li Hehua with an unnatural expression, "Boss, please don't mind the child talking nonsense."
Li Hehua waved his hand, "I don't mind, Jin Zhao means well, it's nothing, don't talk about him."
Gu Zhijin pursed his lips, a little hesitant, moved his mouth, and finally said: "Actually, if you need money, I can...can lend it to you." After that, he added, "Pay me back when you make money."
Li Hehua was slightly startled, then smiled and shook his head, "Thank you, Master Gu, but no, I don't have to buy it. I'll buy it when I have enough money."
Gu Zhijin pursed his lips slightly and said, "Is that so? Then...if you need anything, you can come to me."
Li Hehua smiled and thanked Master Gu for his kindness. But she didn't want to borrow money from Master Gu. She didn't want to owe him this favor. If she wanted to borrow money, why did she refuse Zhang Tieshan's money again and again?
She still wants to earn enough money before buying it.
Speaking of Zhang Tieshan, Li Hehua glanced at Shulin who was playing with Gu Jinzhao, and felt a little confused. Today was Shulin's day off. Didn't they say that they would pick him up when Shulin was on day off? Why didn't Zhang Tieshan come to pick him up yesterday? Didn't he run into any trouble?
Realizing what she was thinking, Li Hehua shook her head. Why was she worried about him? What could happen to such a strong man like him? Forget it, if he didn't want to come to pick her up, then he didn't have to. She didn't believe that he would never show up in his entire life.
She shook off everything about Zhang Tieshan from her mind. The most important thing now was about the shop. Although the shop could not be opened for the time being, she believed that it would be opened soon, so now, in addition to making money, she should also make the necessary preparations.
She plans to recruit two apprentices.
Once she opens the shop, the scale will no longer be as small as it is now. She plans to divide the shop into three parts. One part will still sell snacks like now, another part will be opened up to make pastries, and the last part will take a high-end route and make exquisite dishes, including the use of private rooms. She will be in charge of this part then.
But by that time, the shop would definitely be open all day long and even at night, so she would have no time to prepare pastries or snacks. In addition, she wanted to spend more time with her children, so she planned to recruit two apprentices, one to make pastries and the other to make snacks.
Everything has to be prepared in advance, so these people have to be recruited now, and then taught and trained first. When they are able to become masters and the shop is almost open, they will be responsible for making cakes and snacks, and she will be responsible for cooking.
Recruiting apprentices is not an easy task. In terms of skills, the person Li Hehua wants to recruit cannot be completely ignorant of cooking. At least he must know how to cook and have good talent. In terms of character, of course, he must be a person of good character and upright. She does not want those with bad character, no matter how talented they are.
Recruiting apprentices is no small matter, and she can no longer rely on introductions, so she plans to recruit publicly. She will simply write a notice and post it on the stall, waiting for people to come. Then she will interview and inspect them one by one.
In the evening, after finishing his work, Li Hehua lit the oil lamp, spread a piece of white paper on the table, and wrote a recruitment notice with a brush, stating the recruitment requirements and basic wages.
Although apprentices generally did not have much money, and some even had to pay money to their masters, Li Hehua thought about the difficulties faced by ordinary people at that time and was not prepared to do so. She paid her apprentices the same salary, but the salary was not very high before they became apprentices, only ten cents a day.
After writing the notice, Li Hehua posted it on the stall, placing it together with the original rental notice, making it very eye-catching.
Everyone was already familiar with the rental notice, so when they saw a new notice posted, they were naturally curious. Those who could read would read it directly and explain it to others around them who could not read. Li Hehua would also explain the contents of the notice to the guests who came to eat. Therefore, within two days, everyone knew that she was going to recruit apprentices, and naturally some people came to inquire.
On the first day, three people came. The first one was a man of about 18 or 19 years old. He had never been in a kitchen before. He was attracted by the offer of free food and drink written by Li Hehua, and the salary, so he wanted to try it. Li Hehua politely declined.
The second one was a middle-aged woman who had been in the kitchen before. Li Hehua asked her to make a dish of noodles, but she declined because not only was her cooking skill average, but she was also quite dirty. She didn't wash her hands before cooking. She just grabbed the rag and went to grab the noodles. After cooking the noodles, she didn't even clean up the stove. It was obvious that she was used to cooking like this and didn't realize that she was not clean. Li Hehua didn't want people who didn't like cleanliness because habits are hard to change.
The third one was even more exaggerated. He was just a small-time hoodlum who had no knowledge or skills. He was also attracted by Li Hehua's offer of free food and drink and wages. He was not here to learn skills at all, but to find a place to eat for free for a long time. Of course, Li Hehua did not dare to hire such a person.
Three people came that day and none of them were reliable, so Li Hehua cheered up and continued the next day.
The next day, four people came. Except for one of them who had no cooking skills at all, the other three knew a little. Li Hehua made a portion of fried noodles in front of the three people and asked them to learn to make the same.
The three people had never seen noodles being fried and eaten, and of course had never made it before. The first person fried it so badly that it got burnt. The second person didn't control the salt well and it was too salty. The third person did manage to make it perfectly, but the taste was far from what Li Hehua expected.
These three people only know the basics of cooking. They can’t be said to be skilled in cooking, let alone have talent.
Li Hehua shook his head in denial.
I didn't expect it would be so difficult to find an apprentice who is talented in cooking. It's much more difficult than in modern times. But I can understand it if I think about it. In modern times, there is no such concept as "cooking is a woman's job". In most families, men cook, and some men are much better at cooking than their wives. Here, the idea is still "a gentleman stays away from the kitchen, and cooking and doing housework are women's responsibilities", so it's already amazing for a man to have some cooking skills, which leads to too few people who meet her requirements. As for married women who can cook, who would come out to be an apprentice?
Li Hehua sighed again after a busy day.
Shulin saw Li Hehua sighing heavily and frowning slightly. He stopped playing with his rag tiger and ran over to her. He quickly climbed onto her legs and sat in her arms. He touched her face with his chubby little hands and looked at her with his big eyes blinking.
What's wrong with mom?
Li Hehua was immediately attracted by the little guy, and the matter of recruiting a disciple that he had just been thinking about was thrown out of his mind.
"What's wrong Shulin, are you worried because you saw mom sighing?"
Shulin put his arms around her neck and rubbed his little face against her neck like a little kitten.
Li Hehua lowered her head and kissed the top of his head, then hugged his little back and patted him, "It's okay, it's okay. Mom is thinking about something, so she sighed."
Worry flashed across the little guy's big black eyes.
What a warm-hearted boy. Li Hehua smiled, kissed him hard on his chubby cheek, and teased him, "Mom was really upset just now, but as long as Shulin kisses her like this, she won't be upset anymore."
The little girl opened her mouth slightly, with surprise flashing in her big eyes. She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then gently moved closer to Li Hehua's face, pouted her little mouth, and gently touched her cheek. After that, she immediately pulled back, looked curiously at the place she had just kissed, and then looked at Li Hehua's expression again.
This was the first time Shulin had kissed someone! Li Hehua was so excited that she couldn't help but hold the little guy in her arms and rub him tenderly, "My dear baby, how can you be so cute! I have nothing to worry about after you kiss me!"
When the little guy heard this, his big eyes immediately lit up, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, showing that he was very happy.
Li Hehua was almost dying of love for the little guy in his arms, and he kissed him on the forehead again. After being kissed, the little guy pouted his lips and kissed Li Hehua on the cheek again, making a "mua" sound.
"Hehehe..." Li Hehua couldn't stop laughing after being kissed, and a trickle of warmth flowed in his heart.
The little guy can even take the initiative to approach his relatives now. He is getting better little by little. Nothing can make people happier than this. Li Hehua couldn't help but think, if Zhang Tieshan saw it, he would probably be as happy as she is, right?
Um, Zhang Tieshan...
Li Hehua's smile subconsciously faded.
This person hasn't appeared for several days and has not gone to the academy to read books.
Li Hehua patted the little guy on the back and said, "Shulin, did Daddy come to see you today and give you money?"
Shulin shook his head, pouted his lips slightly, and looked at Li Hehua in confusion.
Why didn't Dad come?
Li Hehua frowned and his right eyelid twitched involuntarily. He felt a little panicked for some reason and didn't know where the emotion came from.
It turned out that Zhang Tieshan had not appeared for five or six days. Before that, he would go to the academy every two or three days, and then give the silver to Shulin, asking Shulin to come back and give it to her.
Li Hehua was accustomed to his behavior and was also accustomed to putting some money into Zhang Tieshan's cloth bag every two or three days.
But in the past few days, Shulin has not come back to give her money, and Zhang Tieshan has not been to the academy, but Zhang Tieshan's character is not the kind of person who gives up halfway. She deeply understands his stubbornness.
Li Hehua didn't know what was wrong, but he always felt something was wrong.
Shulin looked at Li Hehua, and seeing that she ignored him, he reached out his little hand and touched her face.
Li Hehua finally came to her senses and knocked her head, thinking that there was something wrong with her brain. She had rejected him so many times before, and now that he no longer came to give her money, she should be happy. There was nothing wrong with her here!
After giving himself a lecture in his heart, Li Hehua put aside the messy thoughts in his mind.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
