Travel back to ancient times and open a Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 125

Two days before New Year’s Eve, on the afternoon of the 28th, Zhong Ji sold the last pot of braised food and hung up a wooden sign: Returning to the village to celebrate the New Year, and officially opening on the eighth day of the first lunar month.

Manxianglou and Lao Wu Tavern also sent over the dividends for that month. Zhong Ruyi didn't expect Lao Wu to be so smart. He only thought about braising offal, while others were braising other things.

Braised edamame, braised pig ears, braised pig tongue and spare ribs are the most basic dishes in their tavern. Some powerful people can even bring out braised beef, but they do all this secretly and dare not let anyone know.

If his competitors find out and report it, they will definitely succeed!

Boss Wu is still cautious. Only customers who spend more than one thousand taels in their store can order a braised beef dish, and they have to make a reservation half a month in advance.

They may not necessarily think that the braised beef is delicious, but eating it means that you are a big shot. Even if they don't say how powerful you are, at least you are rich.

Boss Wu understood these people's mentality very well, and he set the price of some braised goods one or two cents higher than that of Manxianglou, and some one or two cents lower.

When we came to distribute dividends for the first time, Boss Wu came along. He was very proud but pretended to be reserved.

"How is it? Miss Zhong, I, Old Wu, am not worse than Manxianglou, right?"

Zhong Ruyi gave him a thumbs up and said, "Boss Wu, you are this!"

Manager Ding was there at the time and couldn't bear to see Boss Wu looking so arrogant.

Manager Ding said, "Right before the New Year, the restaurant's business is better, mainly because the marinated food can be stored and can be kept when the weather gets cold, so more people buy it."

"Business is actually not good for shops like steamed buns and pastries. Every household makes their own steamed buns for the New Year."

The owner of Manxianglou not only opened a restaurant, but also a relatively large dim sum shop in the town, and several jewelry stores.

"Indeed, our store has been busy for more than half a month. We sell once at noon and in the evening. Customers buy as much as they can."

The income from this half month is equivalent to the income from the previous month. It is tiring, but everyone is happy when the money is divided.

There is a limit on the amount of braised offal, but there is no limit on braised spareribs and braised tofu. The braised chicken that was previously taken off the shelves has been put back on shelves at the strong request of customers.

It was usually the second brother who came out with the big iron pot and finished cooking in no time, and everyone came with big bowls or basins from home.

In the past half month, Zhong Ruyi and others have never stopped swinging spoons, from morning to night, or they would sit on small stools and wash pig offal.

Zhong's mother also sighed and said that it was fortunate that this only happened for half a month. If it continued like this every day in the future, she would have to hire someone else.

Aunt Chen's family next door also asked them to help braise a few pig's trotters and a chicken to entertain guests during the New Year.

On the last day, Zhong Ruyi asked her second brother to buy two pig's trotters when he went to fetch the pigs from the water. After they were braised, she asked him to give them to the pork shop owner as a thank you for his care over the past few months.

When Zhong Ruyi received the dividends, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart. It seemed that the matter of renting the store next door next year had been settled.

The three of them, wrapped in thick jackets and outer clothes, pushed the cart on the road to Xinghua Village. It was a bit windy on the road, so Zhong's mother asked her daughter to wear a hat to avoid catching a cold.

The three of them were so busy in the first half of the month before the New Year that Zhong Ruyi lost a little weight, but Zhong's mother and second brother remained the same, neither thinner nor fatter. After all, working in the fields at home is much more difficult than washing pig offal.

When we were almost at the entrance of the village, we could already see a few people waiting.

A few days ago, my eldest sister-in-law came to the town to buy some New Year's goods. She asked what time the store would be open. After getting the specific time, she took Cuicui, who was dazzled by the hustle and bustle of the town, back home.

Cuicui pointed at a few black spots approaching from a distance. She pulled at her mother's clothes and said, "Mom! Look!"

The eldest sister-in-law raised her eyes, but the distance was too far and her eyesight was not as good as Cuicui's. She looked for a long time but couldn't see clearly.

Only when he finally came up to her did she exclaim, "Hurry, hurry, hurry! Your grandma, second uncle, and aunt are back!"

She patted Boss Zhong who was still standing there, "Go and help mom and the others! How can you be so stupid!"

Boss Zhong walked up quickly and took over the cart pulled by his second brother.

"Mom! Little sister!" The eldest sister-in-law also came forward with a smile on her face and wanted to take the bag that Zhong's mother was carrying.

"Little aunt!"

Cuicui skipped forward, called out "Grandma" and "Uncle", then reached out and hugged Zhong Ruyi's arm.

"It's so cold, didn't I tell you not to wait? You're really thick-skinned!"

Mother Zhong complained, but she couldn't hide the smile in her eyes.

As they were talking, they walked towards home and met some villagers on the way.

"Hey, his aunt, are you back to celebrate the New Year?" The village chief's wife, Wang, smiled.

The village chief's wife and daughter-in-law were sitting under a tree at the entrance of the village. There were other people sitting next to them, all gathered together chatting.

Now that the Chinese New Year is approaching, the work that needs to be done has been done, and the New Year's goods have been prepared. Can't you be clear-minded?

Ever since Zhong's mother went to town to help with business, she has rarely joined the after-dinner activities of the village women. Now she was very excited.

She sat down on a small stool with a smile on her face and started chatting with everyone. Seeing that she was in high spirits, Zhong Ruyi and the others went back first.

At the door of the Zhong family, Mr. Zhong stretched his neck and looked forward to it.

Liu Yu Niang couldn't help laughing, "Dad, my brother and the others are already waiting outside. It's so cold, why don't you go in first?"

Mr. Zhong shook his head and said, "The weather today is not really cold. I'll stand here for a while and then go back."

Liu Yu Niang couldn't persuade her father-in-law, so she stopped trying and just stood aside waiting.

After waiting for a long time for his daughter and son to come back, Mr. Zhong did not see his wife.

He was a little puzzled and asked his daughter, "Did your mother go to chat with someone again?"

Zhong Ruyi said, "Mom hasn't been home for a few days. She is so friendly to the villagers. She is chatting with Aunt Zhao and others at the entrance of the village now!"

"Then I'll go find her!" said Mr. Zhong.

Mr. Zhong left in a hurry, leaving a few people standing there.

The second sister-in-law quickly asked them to go in first and not stand outside in the wind.

Zhong Ruyi and Cuicui were walking behind and saw a pink silk flower in the little girl's hair, which did not look like the ones she had sold to Cuicui before.

It looks very much like the silk flower that Brother Dongzhi gave to the little girl before. According to Cuicui, Brother Dongzhi also bought one for Xiaozhu and Xiaohua.

She couldn't help but joked, "Cui, I think the flower on your head is very beautiful. Where did you get it?"

Cuicui touched the silk flower on her head a little embarrassedly and whispered, "This is given to me by my uncle. Aunt, have you forgotten? They all have small beads and small flowers!"

Zhong Ruyi didn't expect that the child would defect to Chen Dongzhi so quickly and even called his uncle-in-law.

She scratched Cuicui's nose with her finger and said, "I don't know who was the one who wanted to return the silk flower? Who was it?"

Cuicui hummed twice and was too embarrassed to speak.