Chapter 79

Hype has been created, and the star's gimmick is in place. The next step is the financial offensive. After all, no matter how delicious your dishes are, you first need to attract customers into the store. Only then can you be considered to have successfully taken the first step.

"Dear friends, dear fellow townspeople, everyone, good day! Today is the grand reopening of Zui Xian Ju. To thank everyone for your support, we have set the most favorable policies, welcoming all friends to visit and patronize us. Within five days, anyone who spends ten guan in our shop will receive a voucher worth one guan, which cannot be used as cash but can be used for any in-store consumption. Additionally, we have introduced various discount packages..."

As soon as the firecrackers stopped, Chen Anan loudly announced, beating a gong and drum.

Bai Qianruo, upon hearing this, covered her mouth and giggled, whispering to Lady Qin, "Was this idea also his?"

Lady Qin nodded slightly, a hint of pride on her lips.

Bai Qianruo sighed, "Sister Wang, with this person's help, Cuizui Xuan is no longer a concern. In a few years, Zui Xian Ju will surpass Fanlou and become the top restaurant in Bianjing."

Lady Qin shook her head, "I don't dare to think that far. I only hope to preserve the Qin family's ancestral business."

...

"Welcome to Zui Xian Ju."

Two young girls stood on either side of the door, their faces beautiful and their voices clear.

"Sir, this way, please."

"Sir, please go upstairs."

...

As soon as the guests entered the store, a waiter would immediately guide them to their seats, providing very attentive service. The guests were seated before they even realized it.

"Sir, our鸳鸯锅 (yuan yang guo) has three types of broth: river fresh, mutton, and dog meat. One pot costs sixty wen, and we also offer a free dish of pork..."

"Sir, to make it more convenient for you to dine at our restaurant, we have recently introduced membership cards, including regular and gold membership cards..."

"Sir, this is our menu. Please take a look and see what you need."

A waiter handed a wooden board with a piece of white paper to a guest.

"Menu?"

The guest, curious, took the menu and saw that it read: "天下无双 (Tianxia Wushuang) - 300 wen (per pot), mutton - 50 wen (per serving), donkey meat - 40 wen (per serving), rabbit meat - 40 wen (per serving), fish slices - 40 wen (per serving), pork - 30 wen (per serving), cabbage - 15 wen (per serving)..."

Apart from the wine, no dish exceeded 100 wen. For a restaurant of Zui Xian Ju's scale, the prices were incredibly cheap. In places like Fanlou and Cuizui Xuan, a single dish could easily cost over 100 wen.

The prices were incredibly tempting.

...

The twenty young men and women selected from the refugees had been trained by Li Qi to be graceful, polite, and articulate. They quickly charmed the guests, and despite the increasing number of customers, the order inside remained well-organized, with no sign of chaos. Each waiter maintained a smile on their face.

Although the waiters' actions were unique, the guests found them very comfortable, and their vanity was satisfied. Even the young masters who usually treated waiters with disdain became polite when facing the waiters at Zui Xian Ju.

The status of waiters, who were often looked down upon, began to change significantly from that day.

"Wow! Look, what is that?"

Suddenly, from a private room on the second floor, a scholar pointed at the ceiling beam and exclaimed.

Everyone looked up.

They saw three red banners hanging from the ceiling beam, each about ten feet long, with three couplets written on them. Next to each banner hung a wooden board about a foot long, one side covered with red cloth.

The scholars and literati, who loved to play with words, were completely captivated by the three couplets, staring at them as if they had found the "Manual of the Sunflower."

"This is truly an absolute couplet."

The scholars continuously exclaimed in amazement. The鸳鸯锅 and the "天下无双" were nothing compared to these three couplets. For a moment, the restaurant was filled with discussions about the three couplets.

Clearly, the three couplets had taken center stage.

Since it was the opening day, the membership card system had not yet been implemented. However, Wu Furong, who greeted guests at the door, was selective. Wealthy merchants, high-ranking officials, and distinguished guests were invited to the third floor, while lesser-known scholars were invited to the second floor.

The four private rooms on the third floor had names on their doors: Ronghua, Fugui, Pingbu Qingyun, and Tian Shang Ren Jian.

Although simple and straightforward, these names were exactly what people aspired to.

At that moment, Bai Qianruo, Song Yuchen, and Zhao Yun, along with Lady Qin, were sitting in the Tian Shang Ren Jian private room.

The interior was elegantly decorated yet luxurious.

Song Yuchen and Zhao Yun couldn't stop praising the room.

Lady Qin, hearing their compliments, felt both proud and shy. This was her masterpiece. Initially, when Li Qi praised her, she felt somewhat uneasy. Now, even high-taste young masters like Song Yuchen and Zhao Yun were highly appreciative, she felt relieved and her confidence greatly boosted.

As the exclamations from downstairs continued, Zhao Yun and Song Yuchen also noticed the three couplets hanging from the ceiling beam.

Zhao Yun, upon seeing them, slapped his palm with a paper fan and exclaimed, "Brilliant! Brilliant!" After a long gaze, he felt powerless and bowed to Bai Qianruo and Song Yuchen, "I've heard that you two are the most famous scholars in Bianjing. Do you have any ideas for the second half of these couplets?"

Song Yuchen sighed and shook his head. He was always proud of his literary talent, but these three couplets left him no choice but to admit defeat. He then turned to Bai Qianruo, "Qianruo, you—?"

Before he finished, Bai Qianruo gently shook her head, thinking that if she could have come up with the answers, she would have done so days ago.

Seeing that neither of them could come up with the answers, Zhao Yun sighed again and asked Lady Qin, "Madam, who created these three couplets?"

"Um—!"

Lady Qin hesitated, her cheeks blushing.

"These three couplets were created by Sister Wang," Bai Qianruo said with a sly smile.

"Oh?"

The two were shocked. Lady Qin, who had been so unassuming, had created something so astonishing.

They immediately stood up and bowed to Lady Qin, genuinely admiring her.

Lady Qin's cheeks were as red as the evening sky. She felt unworthy of such respect and hurriedly returned the bows, inwardly blaming Li Qi.

Li Qi had already discussed with Lady Qin, or rather, forced her to agree, that he would handle the internal affairs while she would handle the external affairs. All the credit would be given to her, and he would only focus on the kitchen.

"Madam, why are these three couplets hanging here, and what are those three wooden boards?" Zhao Yun asked curiously.

Lady Qin found it even harder to explain.

Bai Qianruo quickly intervened, "Under the red cloth are the names of three dishes."

"Dish names?"

Zhao Yun was surprised.

Bai Qianruo nodded, suppressing a smile, "Yes, these three dishes were created by the Qin family's ancestors and have been lost for decades. Sister Wang discovered them recently. To honor the ancestors, she created these three couplets. If anyone can solve one of them, the name of one dish will be revealed."

"I see."

Zhao Yun nodded, his face full of admiration, and bowed to Lady Qin, "Madam's talent truly makes us feel ashamed."

Song Yuchen also nodded, "Indeed, indeed."

Lady Qin could only laugh bitterly, feeling the credit was too heavy to bear.

...

In the kitchen, as orders came in one after another, Wu Xiaoliu was so excited that his hands were trembling, almost cutting his fingers. He said to Li Qi, "Brother Li, listen, it seems there are many guests outside."

Li Qi's face remained expressionless, and he said sternly, "That's not your concern. Just focus on your work. Don't worry about anything else."

Li Qi, in the kitchen, was a completely different person from his usual self, always with a serious expression. No wonder his wife always said he had a split personality.

Soon, Zui Xian Ju was completely full.

With a burst of steam, one iron pot after another was brought out from the kitchen.

Half red broth, half white broth.

Dishes of hotpot ingredients were placed around the pots, but each dish was only about the size of a child's face.

Seeing that each serving was so small, the guests felt somewhat disappointed, but they felt better when they thought about the prices.

Although the hotpot's predecessor, the warm pot, had existed in the Northern Song Dynasty, the guests did not associate it with the鸳鸯锅. They were unsure how to proceed with the raw meat.

Fortunately, Li Qi had anticipated this. Over the past two days, he had taught the waiters how to eat hotpot and the precautions to take.

Several waiters found some prominent tables and began demonstrating for everyone.