047 – Eating Savory Restaurant

What happened in front of the old house soon spread to Qin Mian’s ears, but he didn’t pay any attention to it. About the old house, if he could avoid them, he would do it desperately. Afterwards, Lei Daqiang and Du Shi no longer provoke him and Lei Tie. However, if they came to provoke again, he still had more vicious tricks. If people don’t offend me, I won’t offend them. If people offend me, I will definitely offend them.

After the well construction at home was completed, Qin Mian and Lei Tie drove the ox cart to the town. In order to promote their “Eating Savory” Restaurant, Qin Mian specially painted 20 posters with the paintings of hot pot on the top and hot spicy soup on the bottom, as well as the restaurant’s address and opening time stated at the very bottom. The promoting paintings were very lifelike that it aroused people’s appetite when looking at it. Fortunately, he learnt to paint in the previous life for three years, therefore he could paint so well. These paintings alone took him a day. When they entered the town, he and Lei Tie pasted the posters in conspicuous places in the town. Two sheets were left and they pasted one at the door of the shop.

In order to save time, Qin Mian went directly to the brokerage and hired a waiter named Zheng Liu, who lived in the town and was only 14 years old. Although he was not very old, his glib talk was particularly nimble. The agreement was 500 Wen per month and there would be a bonus if work did well. Qin Mian had inquired that this monthly salary was higher than that of the ordinary hired worker. He didn’t mind being generous as long as the waiter get right on the job.

Back in the store, Qin Mian gave Zheng Liu the last poster and asked him to beat gong on the street while shouting: “’EATING SAVORY RESTAURANT’ WILL OPEN TOMORROW. ALL DELICIOUS HOT SPICY SOUP AND HOT POT WILL BE 20% OFF!”

Qin Mian and Lei Tie stayed in the shop and bustled about, seizing the moment to make pork meatballs and vegetable balls.

Zheng Liu went back and forth several times around the town and every time he passed the shop’s door, they could hear his clear and brisk voice: “’EATING SAVORY RESTAURANT’ WILL OPEN TOMORROW. ALL DELICIOUS HOT SPICY SOUP AND HOT POT WILL BE 20% OFF! ’EATING SAVORY RESTAURANT’ WILL OPEN TOMORROW. ALL DELICIOUS HOT SPICY SOUP AND HOT POT WILL BE 20% OFF!..”

“He seems to be a steadfast person.” Qin Mian rolled a ball in his hands and said to Lei Tie at the same time.

Lei Tie said: “Time reveals a person’s heart.”

More than two hours later, Zheng Liu stepped into the shop.

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“Bosses, I’m back.”

Qin Mian said: “You’ve worked hard. Thirsty? Pour your own water.”

“Thank you, small boss.”

Qin Mian glanced at Lei Tie and said with a severe countenance: “I’m the big boss. He’s the small boss.”

Zheng Liu was taken aback and suspiciously looked towards Lei Tie while murmuring in his heart: It’s the opposite?

Lei Tie nodded, “He is the big boss.”

Qin Mian’s face looked smug, “Heard that?”

“Yes, big boss.” Zheng Liu responded with a laugh. After drinking the water, he self-consciously squatted on the edge of the big wooden basin to help washing the vegetables.

There was a corner door in the kitchen leading to the back of the shop and there was a well in the back of the shop, which was shared by several shops nearby. It was very convenient to wash vegetables.

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Qin Mian informed Zheng Liu, “The vegetables must be washed clean. If I find worms or rotten leaves in it, you’re in trouble.”

Zheng Liu patted his chest and said: “Don’t worry, big boss. This little one doesn’t have any other prospects, but this pair of eyes is capable. If you find worms or rotten leaves in the vegetables, you can immediately chase me out.”

“En.” Qin Mian kept rolling ball in his hands. “We are doing food business, so I’m afraid the food is not clean. You can understand this principle without me saying it. Anyway, you don’t have to be too nervous. If you do well, your big boss I will reward you.”

“Yes.”

Afterwards, the trio didn’t talk anymore.

After the food balls were ready, Qin Mian taught Lei Tie and Zheng Liu to skewer them.

“The bamboo sticks with red paint are used to skewer meat dishes and those without red paint are used to skewer vegetables. This will make it convenient for us to charge for meat dishes and vegetable dishes. When I collect the money, I count the bamboo sticks. Four on a bamboo stick for the boiled meatballs; also four for the vegetable balls; four pieces for fish fillets; four slices for streaky pork; six slices for potato.. As for noodles, 2 Wen per serve..”

The boiling wok in the kitchen made a gurgling sound. Qin Mian went to stirred it and the aroma became stronger.

Zheng Liu took a sniff, “Smell so good! Big boss, what are you cooking?”

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Qin Mian voiced: “Big bone soup. Our hot pot and spicy hot soup are not suitable for eating in the morning. The shop is open for business at about three quarter of snake hour[1]. Your small boss and I will come very early to bring the ingredients over. Your small boss and I are in charge of making the balls while you’ll stew the big bone soup to be used, wash the vegetables and skewer the dishes every morning. When the shop opens, you’re responsible for entertaining the customers. Seeing that you’d work hard today, you can have dinner with us in the evening before you go home.”

Zheng Liu was greatly happy and glad that he found good employers, “Thank you very much big boss; thank you very much small boss!”

Qin Mian secretly praised him for his cleverness for not leaving out Lei Tie. He took a glance at Lei Tie, but he couldn’t help laughing again and then cracked a joke: “Small boss, add more strength. Otherwise, it will be dark when we get home after dinner.”

Lei Tie looked at the remaining bamboo sticks; there were about 40 sticks left. He stood up and said, “I’ll make dinner.”

Qin Mian voiced: “It’s time-saving to cook spicy hot soup. Just cook it together with noddle.”

By the time Qin Mian and Lei Tie got home, it was dark. The next day when the sky was bright, they drove the cart to the town. The cart was loaded with noodles made by the noodle maker and vegetables they bought priory. When they returned to the shop, they conveniently bought a few steamed stuffed buns for breakfast.

Zheng Liu was a diligent person. He appeared at the door of the shop almost at the same time with them. The trio had breakfast, and then each had their own division of labor.

At three quarter of snake hour, Lei Tie ignited firecrackers, and together with Qin Mian, they uncovered the red cloth on the plaque.

Altogether, there were eight tables in the shop; four in the shop were for the customers who ate hot pot. Qin Mian had taken these four tables to be rebuilt in the carpentry shop and each table was embedded with a charcoal stove to cook hot pot. The four tables outside the shop were for spicy hot soup customers.

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The big pot for cooking the spicy hot soup was placed at the door. After boiling the thick soup with hot pot ingredients, the rich aroma floated around along the autumn wind, attracting people from afar to look over curiously.

Yesterday’s publicity was very effective, and soon a group of people flooded into the shop.

Zheng Liu hollered: “DELICIOUS HOT POT AND SPICY HOT SOUP; EAT ONCE AND WANT SECOND!”

At the entrance, there a three layered wooden rack, on which various kinds of dishes that had already been skewed were placed. Seeing a young gongzi[2] about 20 years old curiously scanning all kinds of dishes on the wooden rack, Zheng Liu immediately took a small hollow wooden basket and handed it to him, “For delicious spicy hot soup; vegetarian dishes for 1 Wen a skewer, meat dishes for 2 Wen a skewer! It’s cheap and delicious. Gongzi, you can choose what you want to eat.”

The gongzi interestingly picked up the dishes he wanted to eat and put them in the basket. Then, he handed the basket to Lei Tie at the door, to simmer the dishes.

A moment later, a second person came, then a third person – – – –

“Waiter, we brothers are going to have hot pot!” Four big men wearing duanda garment walked into the shop.

Zheng Liu quickly ran over, “Gentlemen, please sit down. We have all the dishes on that rack in our shop, which can be served immediately after you order.”

“Fish fillet, streaky pork, pork balls..”

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Zheng Liu nodded as he listened, waiting for the customers to finish order before he quickly ran to the kitchen, put food ingredients on plates and served on the table. Once black charcoal was added, the fire on the stove roared more and the hot pot soup soon boiled. The aroma lingered around.

A man on the table outside the shop was eating spicy hot soup, and he was full of praise, “Delicious. It’s spicy and numbing. Gratifying spicy and satisfyingly numbing!”

People kept coming and soon there were no available seats.

Qin Mian watched with a smile. Based on this trend, today’s turnover wouldn’t be bad.

“Check out, boss.” A young couple beckoned Qin Mian.

Qin Mian quickly walked over, “Coming.”

He swept the bamboo sticks on the table and said with a smile, “Seven skewers of vegetarian dishes and six skewers of meat dishes, 19 Wen in total. After 20% discount, it is 15 Wen. Thank you for your patronage and please come again.”

The couple paid the money happily and after they went away only in few steps, the seats were occupied by new customers.

An old man with a short beard and two boys of about ten years old walked slowly to the shop. Upon seeing that there was no empty seat in the shop, the old man frowned and dissatisfiedly asked: “There is no seat left?”

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Qin Mian said, “Welcome, honored customers. These three customers must be from the town. I don’t know if these customers want to eat hot pot or spicy hot soup? The raw ingredients of hot pot are the same as spicy hot soup. Both are delicious. If these customers want to eat hot pot, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait. But, if it spicy hot soup, you can pack it to take home; undisturbed and it won’t take long.”

The old man couldn’t help laughing and looked at him a few times. “You this small boss actually simplify matters.”

Qin Mian also laughed, “I’m[3] telling you the truth.”

“Grandfather, I don’t want to wait.” The older boy took the old man’s hand and hinted.

The old man looked at him with a smile, “Then, we’ll order spicy hot soup.”

Qin Mian made a gesture, “Customers, please come in and choose what you want to eat.”

Qin Mian hadn’t in the least expected that the scene of full seats continued until the sun went west, and even the nearby residents brought their own bowls.

“Big boss, we’ve run out of dishes for spicy hot soup!” Zheng Liu reported in time, wiped the sweat on his face with the cloth towel on his neck and rubbed his stomach quietly. There were too many customers today. Not only he, but also the two bosses were too busy to have lunch. They had been hungry until now.

Qin Mian was both happy and worried. “They are sold out so soon? Now it’s too late to skewer another. Forget it. Close the door when the dishes are finished.”

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As he was entertaining two tables of hot pot customers, the dishes in the kitchen ran out.

Lei Tie asked Zheng Liu to close half of the shop’s door.

Qin Mian looked at the sky and lamented: “Our estimation was still too cautious. If we sell in two more hours, we can make a lot of money.”

Lei Tie said to placate: “Tomorrow, prepare more dishes.”

Qin Mian thought so, too. He looked at the broken silvers and copper plates in the drawer happily. He took out ten copper plates and handed them to Zheng Liu. “Little Liuzi, go buy some steamed stuffed buns. I’ll be counting the money with your small boss.”

“Alrighty.”

Qin Mian divided the money into two piles. He counted one pile and Lei Tie counted the other.

Note:

[1] It’s the Chinese zodiac hour; 9 a.m to 11 a.m, Basically ? of it is 10.30 a.m

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[2] son of a feudal prince or high official. Basically, a wealthy young man

[3] Qin Mian used 在下 [zài xià] which meant humble me

Translator’s side note: Sorry, I got distracted and hungry when googling for the food images. Therefore, I stopped and there were no pics to be included here. You can google Malatang and Hot Pot if you want. uwu

On another note, I hope none of you reading this on an aggregator site.