Sponsored chapter~ ♪ ♬ ヾ(´︶`♡)ﾉ ♬ ♪Li Juren
It had been several years since Shen Laifu became a chef. He had seen many restaurants and inns, but he had never seen a restaurant with such a peculiar layout.
The design wasn't focused on a splendid and imposing layout. The seats in the lobby were in order, surrounded by green leaves and red flowers. We could easily feel comfortable just looking at it, not to mention that the seats in private rooms were so elegantly decorated.
The seating arrangement was wonderful, and other details were handled with great care. The teapots, cups, and saucers on the table are all printed with a striking "Fu", which was even more impressive. Wearing a uniform blue shirt with a "Fu" embroidered on his chest, the waiters from the shop looked so energetic...
Shen Laifu didn't know where a scholar got so many fantastic ideas. At this moment, the admiration in his heart was like the rolling water of the East River. It couldn't be described simply with words.
"Shen...Shen Yan, I'm wondering that should our meal prices be raised a little bit?" Shen Laifu looked at the new menu prices, his eyes almost fell off.
"Our food is so delicious, and this restaurant is so unique. At first glance, we can know it's not for ordinary people to come to eat. Besides that, the price of this dish is also..."
The best restaurant in this county was Changsheng restaurant. But no matter whether the layout or the taste, Shen Laifu believed that their Tongfu Restaurant was the same level as Changsheng Restaurant! A portion of good food in Changsheng Restaurant cost at least one or two silver. But Shen Laifu just counted that their restaurant's meal only cost five or six hundred cents, how could this work!
Shen Yanbei explained to him, "Because our restaurant looks good, ordinary people will hesitate to come in. So for the opening, the price of the food in the first two days of opening has been deliberately lowered. This is to attract customers, also to increase reputation and publicity for our Tongfu restaurant."
He was not worried that the low prices of meals in the first two days would lead to a loss. There were not too few rich people and not too many poor people in this county. In the past two years, the weather had been smooth, so ordinary people had surplus food. Due to his restaurant was full of freshness, ordinary people might be willing to spend money just to watch the excitement and tasted the food. After two days, the reputation of his restaurant would spread over. After three days, those who really could afford it naturally would come to be their regular customer in the future.
Shen Laifu suddenly realized that the look in Shen Yanbei's eyes changed. He originally was worried that as a scholar, Shen Yanbei was not good at managing, but now he seemed to be very clever. Even he counted the common people's greed and their habit that liked to join in the fun. It was true when it said that didn't judge a man by his looks!
Everything was prepared well, Shen Yanbei started to pick a lucky day for the opening.
It was early in the morning when there was a newly opened restaurant on Changchun Street. At the most lively street in the county, people could hear the sound of festive firecrackers. The red silk on the plaque with the four shining big characters of "Tongfu Restaurant" was spanned in front of the passersby. Many people had noticed this new place when it was being renovated, and now they inquired about this restaurant as soon as they opened it.
"Shopkeeper Liu? Why is the owner so willing to spend much money on redecorating the restaurant? Could it be that the sun came out from the west?"
Everyone in the county knew the stingy reputation of the previous owner. They thought the restaurant might have changed ownership. But the previous shopkeeper was still there, so they couldn't help but feel strange.
Shopkeeper Liu stroked his beard and smiled. "The owner has changed. Today is the day of our Fu Restaurant's great celebration. The new owner said that to celebrate the opening of the restaurant, guests who come to the restaurant for eating in these two days can enjoy a discount price." At this point, the shopkeeper Liu paused, pretending to act unpredictably. "If guests are interested, you can go in and take a look."
"Hey, are there such good things inside?" The visitor was even more curious.
"Shopkeeper Li, by looking at your mysterious face, is there something hidden in this restaurant?" Another person joked.
"It's impossible to say that the universe is hidden, but our Tongfu Restaurant is not an ordinary restaurant. It will definitely satisfy you."
"Yes, for you, I will give you a taste today!"
Shopkeeper Liu smiled and spread his hands. "Please come in!"
As soon as the visitor walked in, he was immediately shocked by the different style of decoration in the restaurant.
"This... how does it look like a garden?"
The visitor looked at everything around with interest. An energetic waiter stepped forward and greeted, "Good morning, Guest. where do you want to sit?"
There were a total of 18 tables in the lobby. As the first customer, you could choose your seat!
"Your restaurant is so beautiful..." The visitor looked around and finally chose a seat by the window.
"Guest, what do you want to eat?" Waiter asked respectfully.
Came to sit in a small space and looked around, it was amazingly novel.
"What kind of menus do you have? I haven't eaten breakfast yet!"
There was a wall in the lobby with many small wooden signs on which the names of various dishes were written. When the waiter was asked about the menus, he recommended some.
The dishes were about to be served soon. Staring at the steaming porridge in front of him, it had a good smell and the texture was soft. Really looked like an exquisite breakfast. The visitor was stunned, didn't know how to start.
Guests then came in one after another. Everyone was fascinated by everything in front of them like the first guest before...
In the private room on the second floor, Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng were having breakfast. Today the restaurant was opened, as the owner, he couldn't be absent.
"Here taste this." Shen Yanbei used chopsticks to put a soup dumpling in Gu Changfeng's bowl and then showed him how to eat it. "First bite a hole in the skin, drink the soup before eating the buns. Be careful to not burn your mouth."
Tongfu Restaurant was a modern restaurant. Its main operation was for the morning tea and food market. Not to mention the food market, the morning tea alone was enough to attract people.
While preparing to open the restaurant, Shen Yanbei investigated the situation of eating habits of the people here. There were only a few things to eat in the morning: such as porridge, wonton, buns, pancakes..., the choices were very limited. Because saccharin was expensive, so the price of pastries made with sugar was expensive. Ordinary people were not willing to eat them, so they bought some sugar cakes for the children at home to relieve their hunger only during the new year festival. That was why he didn't find a pastry shop on the street that day. But the snacks sold in their restaurants were all made by improving the simple and inexpensive dim sum styles he chose from the modern dim sum variety: such as shrimp dumplings, noodles, siu mai, shortbread, mullet cakes, rice dumplings, and many more. Just looking at it made the index finger move (to choose the menu)!
Gu Changfeng tried to eat one and commented very pertinently, "The soup is very fresh and the buns are thin but thick. So delicious!"
Shen Yanbei smiled, pushed the porcelain bowl with the word 'blessing' on the blue background. "The porridge is gonna be cold, try it?"
In the white thick porridge exuding an alluring aroma, there was a bright red shrimp half hidden and half exposed, and there were some green onions in the porridge, which looked delicious whether in color and fragrance.
Gu Changfeng put a spoonful of porridge into his mouth, swallowed it slowly.
"How?"
Gu Changfeng nodded. "It's very fragrant, fresh, and warm."
"You can eat all of these. If you like, I'll make them for you at home." Shen Yanbei squinted. White pepper could dispel cold, invigorated the stomach, and improved freshness. Adding some white pepper to the porridge could make the porridge more aromatic.
A piece of steamed pork ribs was clamped into a bowl, Gu Changfeng's calm black eyes looked directly at him. "I'm not that hungry, you eat too." Shen Yanbei had stared at him to watch him eating, without moving his chopsticks.
Shen Yanbei graciously picked up the ribs given by his wife. "Let's walk together after this?" After the restaurant opened, they could finally have a good break. By taking advantage of the bright spring, let's walking around with his wife!
"Good."
The downstairs gradually became lively. Some guests wanted to book a private room, so the shopkeeper led the guests upstairs.
There was a small noise at the door, it seemed that someone was talking. As soon as Shen Yanbei opened the door, he happened to see a plain but arrogant man in brocade clothes talking.
"This restaurant is indeed different. It seems that the owner of this restaurant has not been less proficient in strange skills."
The young man in the green robe beside him smiled flatteringly. "Mingde xiōng* is right, otherwise, how can they attract guests?"
*elder brother.
Another young man in sapphire silk clothes also echoed, "Businessmen are chasing profit. Even if they have more thoughts, it can't be denied that it's all for yellow and white things*. Geez, so vulgar." The mole on the lower right corner of the mouth shaking while speaking, looking eye-catching and funny.
*Gold and silver. The ancients were ashamed to talk about money directly, often expressed by pronouns.
Shen Yanbei. "..."
Was it wrong to use some means to attract customers to make money?
The man seemed to be very satisfied with the compliments of the two, his faces were full of joy. But he didn't expect to see Shen Yanbei when he turned his head, his eyes' looks changed.
Shen Yanbei. "..."
Did he look that scary?
"Isn't this Shen Xiucai from Shenjia Village?" The man fixed his tone and raised his eyebrows, looking at Shen Yanbei's gaze intriguingly.
Did the original owner know this person? Shen Yanbei recalled the memory of the original owner and got the identity of the other party-- Li Yi, a Master Xiucai of Lijia Village.
The relationship between Lijia Village and Shenjia Village was not very good. Because the original owner did not have much contact with others, so Shen Yanbei slightly nodded to greet.
The man lowered his eyes, obviously unhappy.
The young man in a green robe scolded. "You are really rude. You don't know how to salute when you meet the Master Juren, yet you regard yourself as a scholar. Indeed read the book to the dog! You do not have a sense of shame and do not understand the respect!"
Shen Yanbei was taken aback. It turned out that the Master Juren from the Lijia Village that Village Chief told him before was this man, Li Yi?
Sure enough, it was a case of scoundrel realizing his ambition*.
*xiǎo rén dé zhì: villain: refers to a person with low morals or improper behavior. Refers to people with low personality gaining power.
Since the restaurant opened on the first day, Shen Yanbei did not want to break the good atmosphere, so he apologized. "I have secluded myself from society for a long time, I don't know that it's Juren dàjià*. I am really ashamed."
*Honorifics title to others.
Li Yi snorted, looked at Shen Yanbei arrogantly. "I heard that you were very ill a while ago? It seems that the rumor is true that your brain was burnt*." He waved his hand pretentiously. "What else I can say, ignorance can be forgiven anyway**."
*chōng hūn tóu nǎo: being dizzy because of success, can not think calmly and act recklessly.
**bù zhī zhě bù zuì: no blame attaches to the unconscious doer of wrong.
The young man in the green robe immediately said, "As expected to a Master Juren like you who were broad-minded. If it's me I won't be able to stay calm with this someone who likes to flatter around!"
Unwilling to be left behind, the blue silk youth denounced Shen Yanbei. "You have to be grateful that Master Juren doesn’t care about your current attitude. If you are still so rude next time, you should stop regarding yourself as a scholar. It's better for you just going home to do farm!"
Shen Yanbei just smiled, while Gu Changfeng quietly clenched his hand.
Seeing that there was no embarrassment on the face of Shen Yanbei, Li Yi asked coldly, "Don't your house have nothing in the pot*? Why did you come to this place?"
*be short of food.
Shen Yan did not change his face's color when he spoke nonsense, "I heard before that the restaurant will give the discount price for two days. So I specially came with Fu Lang to taste it."
The blue silk youth sneered and looked at him contemptuously. "Are you trying to make yourself look fat by slapping your own face*? Then have you eaten well? Since you are the Master Juren's acquaintance, I'll treat you!"
*jiēbukāiguōle: try to satisfy your vanity when you cannot really afford to do so.
Seeing Gu Changfeng's face sank, Shen Yanbei quickly said, "Thank you for the invitation. We have already eaten well. We won't disturb Master Juren's good mood. We'd better get going first."
Li Yi raised his eyelids. He looked straight at Gu Changfeng, who was standing beside Shen Yanbei.
"...This is the Shuānger that you bought for Chongxi? It's true that to know a man by repute is not as good as meeting him face to face*."
*wén míng bù rú jiàn miàn: it's better to understand by just listening to fame than meet personally.
Shen Yanbei's eyes were slightly cold, he unconsciously clenched his hands under the sleeves.
"It's a good match for you." Li Yi chuckled lightly, with a deep meaning.
As soon as these words came out, the two people beside him stared at Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng recklessly.
"What Juren means is Shen Xiucai, because of your body's condition, just let your husband guard you. But you still have to be careful when the lights are turned off! Hahaha..."
"Yes, Shen Xiucai, you are so small. So you have to be careful not to be crushed!"
The blue veins on Gu Changfeng's arm had been exposed. Shen Yanbei squeezed his hand tightly and smiled embarrassedly. "I made you laugh. I like him the way he is."
The smile of the young man in the green robe froze, he looked at Shen Yanbei like seeing a fool and the blue silk young man ridiculed.
"Your preferences are quite special." Li Yi smiled but not smiled at the same time.
"Whatever you say." Taking his wife's hand openly, Shen Yanbei smiled and said, "My Fu Lang and I are going to walk around the county. Goodbye."
Seeing Shen Yanbei turning around to leave, Li Yi suddenly asked, "I wonder if Shen Xiucai saw Miss Wanru in the past two days? She gave me a purse that day, saying that she liked the poems I made. I haven't thanked her in person."
"Lady Wanru? Lady Lin?" Shen Yanbei looked blank. "She came to me that day and asked if she could pay the farm-rent later, but I refused her. So I haven't seen her in the past few days." In the end, he comforted Li Yi with gentle words. "If I see her, I will convey your gratitude to her. Don't worry."
In an instant, Li Yi's facial expression was hard to describe.
Shen Yanbei smiled, joined his hands together in salute, and left.
Seeing Li Yi's dark face, the young man in the green robe spit. "Cih, What the hell?"
"Such poor ghost can only pick up such ugly monster!" The blue silk youth smiled on his face. "Let's ignore this poor, come and taste delicious meals in this restaurant!"
"Yes, yes! We will visit the magistrate later. So we shouldn't be upset because of this kind of toxic scholar..."
Li Yi's face was still slightly dark. At that time, Shen Yan obtained fame as a scholar at a young age and was well-known for many miles in eight villages. His family was quite wealthy, and his appearance was handsome. He suddenly became the yearning object of many young and beautiful women and Shuāngers. On the contrary, it was a pity for him to study hard for ten years but being forgotten as the first Xiucai in ten miles in eight villages.
Later, Shen Yan's parents died unexpectedly and the Shen's Family was slowly collapsed, causing Shen Yan to gradually fell into despair. While he studied hard, regardless of cold or heat. Finally, he passed the Juren exam when he participated in Qiuwei for the third time!
Thinking of this, Li Yi was back to his sense and became arrogant.
Shen Yan now was just a broken-down Xiucai, but he would soon become a magistrate of state or county. If that day came, doesn't it only needed one sentence to teach Shen Yan a lesson*?
*The original says: rounding and pressing to roll you into a ball or squash, which means to beat you violently.
Gingers: if Dear Readers are confused about why this 'Fu Lang' title suddenly appears, I want to inform you that I will use 'Fu Lang (husband)' in the future when Shen Yanbei talks to others while mentioning his wife or anyone mentions Shen Yan's husband. But I'll use 'wife' when Shen Yan personally talks with Changfeng, calls Changfeng in person, or in his monologues.
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