On the ninth day of the lunar month, everything is auspicious and there are no taboos.
Today, Qi Jiao was elegantly dressed in light makeup. She wore her hair in a single snail-like knot, adorned with a silver hairpin engraved with peacock and floral patterns. She was dressed in a jade-colored ruffled dress featuring lotus, water chestnut, and narcissus patterns, paired with an ice-blue shawl. Standing gracefully under the corridor, she looked like a painting come to life.
Pei Xia was dressed in a honey-colored round-collared robe. He was imposing and dignified, standing side by side with Qi Jiao.
Ye Pa held a small copper hammer and struck the gong and drum, shouting at the top of his voice, "Jiaoniang Restaurant! Officially open!"
With the crackling of firecrackers, a crowd of onlookers quickly gathered in front of the gate.
As it was the grand opening of a new store, a festive arch made of colorful silk was erected outside the door. The colorful ribbons fluttered in the wind, looking extremely vivid and beautiful.
Qi Jiao had hired a group of musicians and performers to play music at the entrance, which immediately attracted a large crowd and created a lively atmosphere.
There was also a large wooden barrel at the door, filled with fragrant milk tea, which was offered for free to passersby and customers.
This was one of Qi Jiao's opening promotions - offering free milk tea for three days to attract customers.
Their shop was located in the middle of Pomegranate Alley. Although the footfall was decent, it was still far less than that on the bustling Qing'an Avenue up ahead.
Even good wine is afraid of being in a deep alley.
Qi Jiao was determined to make a name for the restaurant right from the start.
People love to try something new.
Sure enough, within just a quarter of an hour, Pei Jin and Pei Li had distributed quite a lot of milk tea.
The milk tea was served in bamboo tubes, which could be recycled or given directly to the customers.
The first floor had two rooms. On the left were rows of pastry cabinets. Since transparent glass was too expensive, Qi Jiao used a wooden base and polished mussel shells into translucent tiles for the cabinet tops.
This way, the pastries were clearly visible, and it was also clean and hygienic.
There were also tasting trays on the counter, with various pastries cut into mini pieces and toothpicks beside them for customers to sample.
Zheng Huier was in charge of the pastry counter.
She had a clear voice, a charming smile, a quick mind, and a good attitude. It wasn't long after the shop opened, and she had already sold more than a dozen servings of pastries.
On the right was the cabinet for seafood and other non-staple food items, which was managed by Ye Sanlang, also known as Ye Pa.
Since there was a wide variety of non-staple food items, and many of them were new to the common people, they looked at them with curiosity but most were hesitant to try.
Ye Pa launched into a long and passionate sales pitch, leaving the onlookers stunned.
"But have any of you ever tasted 'tu huang you'?"
"The word 'tu' here means 'only' or 'unique', which is a dialect word from our boss, the head chef Jiaoniang's hometown. We take out the highest quality crab roe and crab paste, add in some well-cooked fat, then stir-fry it with scallions and ginger. After that, we braise it in rice wine, season it with high-quality broth, and finally drizzle it with lard and sprinkle some pepper on top. That's how 'tu huang you' is made."
"Serve 'tu huang you' with rice or noodles. After finishing a bowl of noodles, the crab flavor will still linger on your tongue. Oh, one truly hasn't lived until they've tasted 'tu huang you'..."
"It's simply delicious! Come on, give it a try!"
There were also many small tasting servings on the non-staple food counter. Just listening to Ye Pa's description, the onlookers were already drooling. They picked up the bamboo spoons and took a taste, their faces immediately showing expressions of amazement.
An old gentleman in a blue robe immediately ordered six jars of 'tu huang you'. He set aside one jar for himself and planned to share the rest with his wife, children, and grandchildren.
After making his first sale, Ye Pa became even more confident and proficient.
Oyster sauce, salted duck eggs, spicy tiger-skin pepper sauce... none of the items were left unattended.
After a busy spell, Ye Pa was parched. Looking up, he caught sight of Zheng Huier at the opposite counter.
Zheng Huier was handing the packed pastries to a customer. With a slight raise of her delicate hand and a charming smile, she looked extremely elegant.
Ye Pa couldn't help but grin foolishly. He quickly took a sip of water and then turned back to his work.
Zheng Huier couldn't help but notice Ye Pa's actions and words.
Ye Pa was good-looking, with sharp features and a pair of smiling eyes. Once he started talking, he just wouldn't stop, making him a very noticeable presence.
Zheng Huier lowered her head and continued to work, but a faint smile involuntarily appeared in her eyes as she listened to his endless chatter.
Tang Guiniang was in charge of collecting money and keeping accounts at the main counter.
Although she was illiterate, she was extremely good at arithmetic. Aunt Ye and Aunt Zheng were on the side, greeting the customers and providing packing services, and occasionally helping Tang Guiniang out.
So everything here was in an orderly manner.
Ye Geng and Ye Yun were running errands in the hall and private rooms on the second floor, welcoming and seeing off customers.
Jiang Yuniang was pregnant, and Aunt Ye thought she should rest at home since the opening day would be very busy and tiring.
But Jiang Yuniang insisted on coming. Being an outgoing person, she playfully said, "Even if I can't be of much help, I can still come to the store and be a good luck charm, just like Huahua."
This made Qi Jiao and the others burst into laughter.
At this moment, Jiang Yuniang was sitting by the window on the second floor, soaking up the sun. She held the increasingly chubby Huahua in her arms. Looking out, she could see half of Pomegranate Alley.
She gently stroked Huahua's soft cheeks when she suddenly saw a well-dressed man and woman.
They were really eye-catching in the crowd. The man was elegant and refined, while the woman was extremely beautiful. They were walking hand in hand towards the store.
Hui Zhenyu and Fang Yunxin were strolling around leisurely when they suddenly saw a bustling crowd up ahead, along with the sound of music.
The festive arch was very eye-catching.
Fang Yunxin looked up at the plaque on the arch and read out each word in a clear voice, "Jiaoniang Restaurant."
She turned to look at Hui Zhenyu and said with a smile, "It's a new store. Let's go and take a look."
"Sure, I'll do whatever my wife wants."
Hui Zhenyu smiled gently, took her delicate hand, and walked into the store.
The stairs leading from the first floor to the second floor were located right in the middle of the entrance. Qi Jiao had someone make wooden signs with the names of the dishes written in running script, which hung like tassels on both sides and above the stairs.
On the one hand, it was for decoration, and on the other hand, it was convenient for customers to order food.
As soon as Hui Zhenyu and Fang Yunxin entered the store, Qi Jiao noticed their noble bearing. She greeted them with a smile, "Are you here for a meal or to do some shopping?"
Hui Zhenyu looked at Fang Yunxin. Fang Yunxin thought the first floor was too noisy with too many people, and since it was almost time for lunch, she said, "We'd like to have a meal."
Pei Xia led them up to the second floor, "We have private rooms, which are quite quiet. Please come this way."
Hui Zhenyu noticed that although the store was small in size, its layout was very well-organized. There was a large hall and several private rooms, and the place was bright and spacious, not at all cramped.
The paintings on the walls, the flower vases and incense burners on the tables all showed the store owner's excellent taste.
There was a nameplate hanging on the door of each private room, such as "The Clear and Elegant View of Water and Trees", "Trading the Mink Robe for Wine", "Singing Under the Moon", "Twin Red Beans", "Hidden Fragrance", "Sparse Shadows"...
The style of each room was also very different, with its own unique charm.
They chose the room named "Twin Red Beans". The atmosphere inside was charming but not vulgar. The seating was in light blue and faded red. There were two purple morning glories in a white porcelain vase with a slender neck, and even the incense was of the sweet and refreshing Hengwu variety.
Fang Yunxin immediately fell in love with this room and sat down to order food.
Ye Geng presented the menu. They were both surprised to see that the menu was also very novel and unique, with pictures corresponding to each dish name.
Hui Zhenyu and Fang Yunxin were newlyweds, deeply in love. Their favorite thing to do was to have meals together.
Hui Zhenyu waved his hand boldly, "Since I'm out with you today, just order whatever you like."
He instructed, "Bring us one serving of each of your signature dishes. We'd like to give them a try."
Ye Geng smiled honestly, "Sure thing. Please wait a moment."
Ye Yun quietly brought them milk tea and refilled their tea cups. Then he gently closed the door and left.
Qi Jiao took the order, went to the kitchen to wash her hands, and tied on an apron.
Pei Xia assisted her.
They worked in perfect harmony. And since there were pre-prepared dishes in the kitchen, it wasn't long before the bell rang and the dishes were served.