The two soft and adorable little ones stared at Qi Zhenzhen, their big, watery eyes melting hearts.
"Yes, yes," Qi Zhenzhen nodded with a smile, taking two stuffed bunnies from the counter. "Here, these are gifts from your sister."
Their endearingly clumsy appearance made them very popular with children. Qi Zhenzhen had sewn them herself in her spare time. Sewing them didn't require exceptional needlework skills, just basic stitches and a bit of effort.
"Yan'er, Jin'er, thank your sister quickly," the uncle urged with a smile.
"Thank you, sister," the two obedient children thanked Qi Zhenzhen.
"You're welcome, you're welcome. Tell me, what do you want to eat?" Qi Zhenzhen asked.
"Meat," the two little ones said in unison.
"One meat sandwich for each of them will do. I'll have a bowl of hot and sour braised pork noodles, the usual, spicier. And could you also get them a bowl of noodle soup?" the uncle said.
Qi Zhenzhen nodded at Zhao Fenglin, who hurried off to the kitchen.
"That young man looks familiar," the uncle said meaningfully, looking at Qi Zhenzhen.
It wasn't strange that the uncle remembered, as he was still at the shop when Zhao Fenglin drew his lot at noon.
Qi Zhenzhen calmly explained Zhao Fenglin's situation. "Linzi's lot was drawn with his money, so it's still valid. For fairness, I've added half-month lots."
After hearing Qi Zhenzhen's explanation, the uncle praised her, "Young lady, you have great character and a bright future."
Qi Zhenzhen smiled, "It's also fate."
The meat sandwiches were served first. The two little ones ate them delicately, taking a bite of the sandwich and a sip of bone broth, eating with great concentration.
Qi Zhenzhen brought over the lot-drawing container and had them each draw one.
The bottom of each lot had four circles, meaning both children had drawn half-month lots. Their luck was off the charts.
The uncle's eyes crinkled into slits as he smiled, "I can eat here for free for a month now."
"Uncle, Yan'er and Jin'er drew the lots!" Qi Zhenzhen reminded him.
"Oh, they're just staying for a short while and will be going home tomorrow," the uncle said with a smile. "Does your noodle shop have branches elsewhere?"
I see. Qi Zhenzhen brought out a notebook to record their information. The uncle's surname was Tang, and his name was Tang Duo.
"Little girl, your handwriting is good. Have you practiced?" Tang Duo asked, looking at the notebook.
"Oh, my mother taught me. I practiced for a while," Qi Zhenzhen replied casually. "Could you also leave your fingerprint or sign here? Your meal today can be deducted from this."
Tang Duo took the pen from Qi Zhenzhen. "This charcoal pencil is quite good, easy to use."
Tang Duo's signature was bold and vigorous, exuding a sharp energy. They say handwriting reflects the person. This Uncle Tang, who seemed quite amiable, had surprisingly sharp handwriting. He must have been a sharp-edged person in his youth, and now, with age, he had become more reserved, appearing more amiable.
More and more people came in to eat, many holding flyers. It seemed Da Jiang and Xiao He had done a good job.
The six square tables were turned over many times, and the bar counter was also continuously occupied. Many people also ordered braised dishes to take away when they left.
When they settled the accounts in the evening, the profit was a full tael of silver, more than four hundred wen higher than the five hundred and eighty-two wen from noon. After carefully reviewing the accounts, it was attributed to the braised platter, as many people had taken several portions with them when they left.
Lin Ruixue looked at the copper coins in the money box, her face full of surprise. "Calculating it this way, it's a full tael and a half of silver."
"There was a big stir today, and many people came for the lucky draw. It might not be as lively in the future," Qi Zhenzhen said.
"Miss Qi, I think it will get better. Although there was a big turnout today, it was mostly people from these few streets nearby. People from further away haven't come yet. Those who ate and were satisfied will surely help us promote. And this braised dish is truly delicious. If people who like to drink knew about it, they would definitely frequent it often," Da He said, holding a chicken claw and gnawing on it.
His words made sense. In any case, this first step had gone quite smoothly. As long as nothing went wrong, the profit for this month would be considerable.
"Da He is right. Today is only the first day, let's take it slow. As long as the noodles are delicious, we won't lack customers. Good wine needs no bush. Our good noodles don't need to be afraid of being unknown," Zhang Er Niu said. "Let's take it slow, use good ingredients, use them generously, and be diligent. We have nothing to worry about."
Qi Zhenzhen strongly agreed with this. "This is a food business. Besides what we've discussed, there's one more thing we must keep in mind: the kitchen, the dining area, and everyone must be clean. Anything related to food must be guaranteed fresh. If it's not fresh, we'd rather take a loss than serve it to our customers!"
Everyone nodded and took her words to heart.
For seven consecutive days, the daily income remained stable. As Da He had predicted, the sales in the following days were even higher than the first day, with the income stabilizing at about one and a half taels per day. On days with more braised dish orders, the profit could reach two taels of silver.
"Little aunt, please take good care of Yi Ge'er," Qi Zhenzhen said, preparing to leave. "I'll leave the carriage here for you. You can get a mule or a horse later. I'll ride back on horseback and get a carriage made in our town. I've been out for over ten days, and my mother must be worried about me. If I ride a horse, I can get back faster."
After saying this, she mounted her horse, squeezed her legs, and the rider and horse sped away.
Without the burden of the carriage, she reached home in just over half a day.
The sun was good today. Yun Shi, Yu Shi, and Song Mingyue were in the courtyard, each holding an embroidery hoop, diligently working on their embroidery.
"Mother, Auntie, Mingyue," Qi Zhenzhen called out cheerfully.
Yun Shi stood up excitedly. Her two children had never left her since they were born. One was studying at an academy hundreds of miles away, and the other had been away for over ten days. Her heart had been in her mouth every day.
"Why did you take so long? Are you all right?"
"There were many trivial matters, and I had to supervise the opening of the noodle shop. Don't worry, Mother, everything is fine. The customer base for the noodle shop has stabilized, and we've hired staff. Everything is in order," Qi Zhenzhen said, turning in a circle. "I'm also fine. Look, I've even gained some weight."
Yu Shi chimed in, "Why do I think you've grown a bit taller?"
Yun Shi examined her and nodded in agreement, "You do look a bit taller."
Song Mingyue put down her embroidery hoop and stood in front of Qi Zhenzhen, reaching out to compare. "Mother, Auntie, look, have I grown taller? I was taller than Zhenzhen at first, but recently Zhenzhen has been like a spring bamboo shoot breaking through the soil, growing taller and taller. I can hardly catch up."