On the Difficulties of Escape in Ancient Times

Chapter 467 Extra: Liu Clan
"There's a new dim sum shop that just opened on the food court on West Street. The food is really good. Have you tried any of it?"

The owner of the grocery store held a piece of cake and showed it off to the owner of the noodle shop next door: "My wife was worried that I wouldn't have enough to eat, so she insisted on buying a few pieces of cake and sending them to me."

"Actually, this pastry is too soft and sweet, so I don't really like it."

When the owner of the noodle shop heard what he said, he rolled his eyes and said, "If you don't want to eat it, I'll eat it for you."

After saying that, she quickly snatched the pastry from his hand and stuffed it into her mouth. It was soft and not too sweet, and had a milky aroma. It tasted really good.

He thought of his children at home and asked, "Is this cake expensive?"

They are not far from West Street, only two miles away.

He also heard from diners that the West Street pastry shop opened today, and he could smell the fragrant aroma when he walked over.

However, he was worried that it was too expensive, so he was reluctant to buy it and did not join in the fun.

The owner of the grocery store felt sorry for the cake he had snatched away: "The piece you ate cost eight cents. Do you think it's expensive?"

The noodle shop owner gasped: "A piece of cake that's not even the size of my palm costs eight cents? My bowl of pickled vegetable noodles is only twelve cents?"

That piece of cake was too soft and didn't fill his stomach. He had to eat at least ten pieces of cake to feel full.

But that would cost nearly a hundred coins, enough to buy a roast chicken.

The noodle shop owner couldn't help but mutter, "It's better to buy steamed buns. Six coins for two, they'll definitely fill you up."

The owner of the grocery store laughed and scolded: "Look at how stingy you are. Those steamed buns for three cents each are more filling, but do they taste the same?"

The owner of the noodle shop was still hesitating. It was not because he was reluctant to part with the eight cents, but because he had a big family, including his parents, wife, two daughters and a boy.

The boss's wife, who was sorting the goods in the grocery store, came out and said with a smile, "Today is the opening day, and they said they are holding a promotion, buy five and get one free?"

"Then if I buy ten, I can get two for free, right?" The noodle shop owner was tempted when he heard this. He felt that if he didn't buy ten, he would have wasted sixteen coins. "I'll go and take a look."

The main thing is that it tastes really good, and he can still taste the milky flavor in his mouth.

I regretted that I ate too fast and didn't savor the food carefully.

The grocery store owner hurriedly asked, "You haven't asked me where the pastry shop is?"

"My nose is not just for decoration, how can I not smell the fragrance?"

In fact, when he walked to West Street, he first smelled the fragrant aroma of milk, and then saw more than 20 people queuing in front of Xiao's Pastry Shop.

This made him feel very sad, because he also ran a noodle shop. The prices were fair, the noodles were chewy, and the toppings were tasty. His business was pretty good, but he had never had such long queues like other people's.

Besides, all kinds of cakes in Xiaoji Cake Shop were made by Xiao Xiao herself after she had eaten them in Li Mansion or in the palace. She collected the recipes because she thought they tasted good.

Xiao Xiao has too many things to do now and is not planning to start a new business for the time being. She is preparing for her mother.

The main thing is that my eight-year-old son, Xiaobao, has gone to school this year, and the charity is on the right track, so I don’t need all my family members to come and help me.

But she couldn't just ask her family members to help her at the charity hall for five years when she needed help, and then kick them out when she didn't need them anymore.

Fortunately, in the past few years, she bought three small shops one after another, so she gave one to her parents, one to her second uncle and aunt, and the other to her second sister.

Of course, she also had conditions. In the pastry shop, it would be best to hire the little girls from the charity hall and sign a formal employment contract. Today, the pastry shop opened, and Xiao Xiao also came to join in the fun. She saw a dozen little girls with their hair wrapped in blue handkerchiefs, all busy stirring egg liquid, kneading dough, boiling milk, weighing sugar, and lighting the fire and cooking. They were all doing their own thing, busy but not chaotic, and she was satisfied.

"Xiao Xiao, you're here." Mrs. Wu, who had returned from the front, smiled from ear to ear: "I really didn't expect that business would be so good today. There are so many people and we are still too busy to handle it. We can't make enough to sell."

She was originally worried that since the snacks were so expensive, no one would buy them.

Therefore, even if her niece Xiao Xiao gave her the shop for free, she would not dare to open it first.

After all, if you don't use up the milk you buy, it will go bad, and sugar, honey and the like are not cheap, so you're afraid of wasting money.

But she did a rough calculation today and found that she had already earned nearly one hundred taels of silver since the store opened in the morning, and it was not even 3 p.m. yet.

Especially since this is a food street, there will be no shortage of customers even after dark. We can at least stay open for another two hours, and I'm afraid we can still make another twenty or thirty taels of silver.

The city is large, and the store Xiao Xiao gave me is more than ten miles away from here. Even if I open my own pastry shop, it will not affect each other's business.

So Wu took the opportunity to make an appointment with her: "Can I also go to the charity hall to pick ten people tomorrow?"

Xiao Xiao agreed immediately: "Okay, I will ask the accountant to prepare the contract for you. Once you have selected someone, send them here for training for ten days, and then you can prepare to open the business."

Wu agreed immediately: "Okay, remember to go to the charity hall tomorrow morning?"

After that, he hurriedly shouted, "The honey buns and sweet-scented osmanthus sugar steamed chestnut flour cakes at the front desk are all gone. Are you ready?"

Xiao Xiao did not go to the front, but to the backyard, where the Xiao family members were drinking tea and eating snacks.

Xiao Xiao smiled and said, "I'll let you hire a few more people so you don't get too tired."

Five years passed in a blink of an eye, and Mr. Xiao and Mrs. Xiao's hair had almost turned white.

However, they have eaten and drunk well over the years and have no worries. The two old people are in good health and have become plumper and fairer.

Even though there are many traces of time on his face, he looks even more amiable and kind.

"There's no rush to hire people," said Mrs. Xiao, who has already engraved thriftiness into her bones. "We just opened today, and there are free gifts. There are many people coming to buy. Who knows how the business will be in the future?"

Mr. Xiao said very honestly: "That's right, when your second aunt and Lian'er open a pastry shop, they may also take away some customers."

After Uncle Xiao stuffed the small cake into his mouth, he sighed: "I don't know why everyone is so willing to give it away?"

Boss Xiao glared at his younger brother with disdain: "Do you think everyone is like you, only knowing how to make money but not how to spend it?"

Over the years, they have been going to Mingzhou to buy seafood and sell it, and they also transport food from here to sell, and they have made a lot of money.

However, we have also encountered bandits several times, and there have been casualties.

Now Boss Xiao no longer leads the team himself, but directly sends the manager to make the purchase.

Of course he also did not admit that he was too old and could not run anymore.

But they cherish their lives and know how to enjoy themselves.

However, he did not expect that such a cake shop could make a lot of profit. He was particularly pleased with his little daughter who came up with the idea: "You are smart to come up with such a good idea."

Liu asked worriedly, "You teach us to open a pastry shop, will your mother-in-law and sisters-in-law have any objections?"