"Steamed crab in lotus-leaf cups, steamed shad, oven-roasted chicken, candied eggplant, meat-filled pancakes, spiced cakes, and Peking duck slices..."
Fang Yunxin came from a noble family, the eldest legitimate daughter of the Duke of Wei's mansion. What rare and delicious dishes hadn't she tasted?
Hui Zhenyu was the same. As a descendant of a marquis's mansion, he had been raised on the choicest delicacies since childhood.
When the dishes were served one by one, their expressions remained calm.
But after taking the first and second bites... their eyes both lit up.
Fang Yunxin took a couple of mouthfuls of the dishes and then sipped the milk tea. She chewed on something elastic and chewy that was truly addictive.
She raised her eyebrows and asked, "What are the particles in the milk tea?"
Hui Zhenyu was also conquered by the delicious food and tea.
Both of them had very discerning palates, and it was rare for them to be so impressed.
Hui Zhenyu said, "Could we meet the chef?"
Qi Jiao heard that the diners in the private room on the second floor wanted to see her. Seeing that there were no new customers at the moment, she took off her apron and went to the front.
Qi Jiao went upstairs and entered the Double Red Bean private room. She introduced the dishes to them one by one.
"...The tapioca pearls that Lady Fang asked about are the 'pearls' in bubble milk tea. They are made from tapioca starch and brown sugar to enhance the taste of the milk tea. But it's not advisable to eat too many as they can cause bloating."
Fang Yunxin understood and smiled. "I see. I'd like to take some back to the mansion. Do you sell the complimentary milk tea?"
Qi Jiao said of course. "I'll pack some for you later."
Hui Zhenyu was more interested in the new dishes. "Putting aside the seafood, just this Peking duck slices are truly delicious."
Qi Jiao briefly described how to make the Peking duck and said with a smile, "If you two like it, our restaurant can provide delivery service and send the dishes to your doorstep every day."
Fang Yunxin clapped her hands. "That's great. I'm so lazy to go out."
She said to Hui Zhenyu, "Husband, if the cook doesn't suit our taste in the future, we can just order from Sister Jiao's delivery service."
Hui Zhenyu looked at her with doting eyes. "I'll do as you say."
Hui Zhenyu had just arrived in Lingle County to take up his post. He didn't know much about the local customs and practices, but he knew that the local area was rich in seafood, yet it was extremely difficult to sell it inland due to transportation and preservation issues.
When he saw the products in Sister Jiao's Restaurant today, he felt excited. He secretly thought that the woman in front of him was definitely not an ordinary person. Maybe the opportunity for his political achievements lay here.
So they started talking about the delicious food and then moved on to the seafood. He asked about the local people's livelihood, even how much the salt cost.
For questions like these, Ye Geng and Ye Yun beside them could answer - they were the lowest-level commoners.
Fang Yunxin saw that Qi Jiao had a clear look in her eyes, was well-spoken, neither overbearing nor humble, and immediately took a liking to her.
Although she was a noble lady and a bit willful, she was reasonable and understood the ways of the world.
Fang Yunxin stopped Hui Zhenyu from bombarding Qi Jiao with one question after another. "Sister Jiao's restaurant just opened today. If you keep asking like this, how can she do business?"
Hui Zhenyu paused and burst out laughing. "I'm being too talkative."
Qi Jiao said it was okay. "It's my first time opening a restaurant, and I'm so busy that I may not have entertained you well."
Fang Yunxin said with a smile, "We'll come again next time."
Hui Zhenyu left a silver ingot worth twenty taels and then went downstairs to buy a lot of snacks for Fang Yunxin.
For such big customers, Qi Jiao naturally offered many discounts.
The two of them asked the servants to carry the big and small packages and then slowly left.
Ye Yun was so shocked when he saw the silver ingot that his chin almost dropped.
"Goodness, our annual expenses are only worth their one meal."
Ye Geng tapped him on the head. "What do you think?"
Ye Geng then turned to praise Qi Jiao. "But then again, Sister Jiao is really capable. She earned back our annual expenses with just one meal."
Qi Jiao shook her head and said with a smile, "Come on. We were just lucky to meet some noble guests today."
Earlier, when the restaurant just opened, Zhu Dalang and Xiang Wen's couple, who came to congratulate them, had mentioned the newly appointed county magistrate.
It was said that this new county magistrate was from the capital. No one knew how he was assigned to their Lingle County - and he even brought his family with him.
Qi Jiao guessed that the county magistrate and his wife must be the two people just now.
Only newly appointed officials would ask about people's livelihood in such detail.
Food is the paramount necessity of the people.
A bowl of porridge and a meal already contain a wealth of information.
Qi Jiao looked at Pei Xia, who was rolling up his sleeves to clean the table. The sunlight outside the window shone in, outlining his handsome profile.
Qi Jiao liked him but also sighed - he was so handsome, yet he had to do odd jobs here.
Hearing the bustling noises downstairs, Qi Jiao became more confident. She was determined to make Sister Jiao's Restaurant bigger and stronger.
Since the restaurant opened in a hurry, Qi Jiao didn't have time to recruit and train new employees. So she asked her own family members to help out first.
Because a large batch of products had been produced some time ago, there was enough to sell for a while.
Only the snacks needed to be made fresh every day.
Qi Jiao and Pei Xia simply moved into the house in the backyard of Shiliu Alley. They also arranged rooms for the Pei and Ye families.
Pei Xia and Qi Jiao lived in the west wing, Tang Guiniang and Aunt Ye lived in the main house, the Ye brothers lived in the west side room, and Aunt Zheng and Zheng Huier lived in the east side room.
As for the east wing, Qi Jiao asked the craftsmen to turn it into two large open rooms.
The one facing the front shop was a large kitchen. There was a well outside the kitchen, so it was convenient to get water. The room at the back was a snack workshop and a storage room.
Pei Li and Pei Jin had to go to school and couldn't be delayed. They only took a day off to help on the opening day and went back that night.
Jiang Yuniang was pregnant, and Ye Geng was worried about his wife, so he went with them.
Uncle Ye was guarding the duck farm at home, so there was no problem.
On the one hand, there was a shortage of cooks. On the other hand, Qi Jiao wanted to ensure the quality of the dishes to the greatest extent. So she made a rule that the restaurant would only receive four tables of customers every day.
Moreover, there were six days of rest every month, with the restaurant closed for two days every ten days.
In the early days of the opening, many people who knew Qi Jiao came to support the business, such as Master Zhang Yi, Scholar Fan, and even the Shu family, Qi Jiao's old customers - several young masters and ladies from the Shu family had come.
They even said in unison, "Sister Jiao, you've finally opened a restaurant. We used to have to beg Aunt Mei to buy the egg yolk pastries for us. It was so difficult!"
Qi Jiao said happily, "From now on, if you all want to eat something, just send your servants to buy it. It's all ready-made. And we also provide takeout and will deliver it directly to your mansions."
Shu Qingnian, the second daughter of the Shu family, kept saying it was good. "In this way, my siblings and I will be in for a treat."
Lingle County was just a small county town with dozens of streets. Even if it was just word-of-mouth, the fame of Sister Jiao's Restaurant quickly spread.
At first, some diners complained and asked, "Why only receive four tables of customers every day?"
Before Qi Jiao could say anything, Pei Xia stood up and explained, "My wife strives to make the dishes look, smell, and taste perfect, and the ingredients have to be the freshest. If we just blindly accept customers for the sake of making money, not only will your experience be poor, but we'll also be overwhelmed."
After hearing this, the diner said that Sister Jiao's Restaurant had integrity and then turned to the front desk to queue up for a reservation.
Even so, Qi Jiao, Pei Xia, and the whole family were so busy that they hardly had time to catch their breath.
Finally, it was the day of rest, and everyone returned to Yinwan to rest and replenish their stock.
The spring sun was warm, and the flowers were in full bloom everywhere.
The Chinese roses in the Pei family's small courtyard were in full bloom.
The magnolias by the sea were also in full splendor.
To Qi Jiao's surprise, she found a patch of bright pink wild roses when she went beachcombing.