in spring

Chapter 28
Red Lantern's business is quite good.

At first, people were just looking for a place to eat when they were visiting temple fairs. Seeing that the location of this newly opened small shop is quite convenient, and the price written on the "Daily Special" menu at the entrance of the shop is cheap, they walked in to try it. give it a try.It turns out that the food tastes good, the store is tidy and clean, the boss couple are young, handsome and considerate, they can order a bowl of cool mung bean soup after eating profusely on a hot day, and take a bunch of small rice dumplings with them when they leave. There are all of them, and it is best to take them home to coax the children. If you have guests who plan to go out of the city, you can also buy a few big rice dumplings with meat and salted eggs, which are delicious and convenient.

One pass ten, ten pass one hundred, more and more people know the name of Red Lantern, and the number of repeat customers is gradually increasing. At the busiest time, not only Chunying wanted to help, Nandeng and Hongyu also had to hire a helper The swift woman came to wash the dishes.After a month, after deducting all kinds of expenses, there is actually a net profit of eight or nine taels of silver, which is the figure obtained after deducting half a year's rent.

On the last day of May, after the shop closed, Nandeng closed the door and sat around a square table with Hongyu and Chunying in the shop, facing the broken silver and copper coins on the table, without saying a word, but They are all happy from the bottom of their hearts.

Hongyu put the ledger on the table and said: "There are eight taels and seven cents and two cents of silver here, and there are more than 300 big coins. We have made a net profit this month."

Chunying took a deep breath, and couldn't stop the smile on her face: "This is still the first month. If there is such a good business in the future, then in another three months, even the money will be made back!"

Nan Deng stood up suddenly, rushed towards the backyard, stood there facing the patio, breathing gradually heavier.

Hongyu sniffed, walked over gently, and said, "Brother Deng...are you happy?" Nan Deng slowly turned his head and held her hand. tears.

Chunying pretended not to see anything and stared down at the money on the table.The color of this silver seems to be not uniform, and the size and shape are too uneven. Some copper coins are still rusty, and the words "Yongjia Tongbao" are written on the rusty coins, but she remembers that the current ones should be "Shun "Antongbao" is right...

After at least one cup of tea, Nan Deng and Hong Yu both turned around. The latter blushed slightly, and smiled at Chun Ying: "Sister, don't take offense, your Brother Deng is so happy. We..." She paused After a pause, "I have set up a stall for so long, and I have never made so much money...Speaking of it, sister, don't joke. Why did we pay attention to these few taels of silver when we were in the mansion? We didn't know how to make a living until we came out." Difficult. But now we finally have hope, thanks to the kindness of Young Master Hu, and thanks to my sister who helped us connect and came up with many good ideas."

Chunying smirked twice, and said a little coyly: "It's really nothing...you make a lot of money, it's all the result of your hard work, I just...casually... came up with some ideas." In fact, she didn't think so in her heart of.The business of Red Lantern Records will be so good, Chunying always feels that she should make a great contribution to it, if it is not for the great improvement in cooking skills, and from time to time, if she brings home some failed meat dishes, maybe the old lady has already complained that she always ran outside.However, Nan Deng and Hong Yu get up early and get into the dark every day, and this hard work cannot be erased, so she should be humble.

"You girl! I know you're very happy." Hongyu pinched her face with a smile, then turned to Nan Deng and said, "Shall I send a letter to brother Mo Han tomorrow? I have to let Young Master Hu Come here, so we can share the dividends with him."

Nan Deng nodded: "That should be the case. I was thinking just now that since I have earned so much money, I might as well pay back the five liang. In this way, it will be paid off in five months. The bonus will be deducted separately, and we can still pay it back." Some left over. I always feel uncomfortable if I don’t pay back the money.”

Hongyu was a little hesitant: "If you pay back five taels, how can the remaining money be enough? Doesn't it mean that you have to continue to try new dishes?"

"We also sold more than [-] kinds of food, isn't that enough? With the two of us as husband and wife, how can we do it? Don't be too greedy to chew."

Chunying frowned and advised, "Brother Nandeng, that's not necessarily the case. Among the twenty or so kinds of food, half of them are zongzi of various colors. Now that the Dragon Boat Festival is over, who still eats zongzi? And haven't you seen it? What do the customers who come to eat in the store like to eat?"

She had noticed that the zongzi sold well in the first few days of May, and gradually fewer people bought them. At most, some people bought them for dry food during temple fairs.The noodles, wontons, dumplings and other noodles sold in the store are actually similar to those sold in other stores on the street. Only mung bean soup, rice and vegetables are bought by more people.But there is only mung bean soup for refreshing sweet soup, which is easy to get tired of, and there are only five or six kinds of dishes. After one round a day, you will get bored sooner or later.It’s okay if they only do business for temple fair guests, but many of the repeat customers are nearby residents. To maintain their attractiveness, they must launch new products from time to time.

She said these words in detail, and said: "Now that the weather is getting hotter and hotter, we can no longer sell zongzi. Didn't Sister Hongyu think of some dishes that are convenient for storage? One vegetable and one meat, or two vegetables and one meat , and sell it to customers, it is cheap and affordable. Also, mung bean soup is too monotonous, I am planning to add a few more sweet soups, I have tried making sesame paste at home yesterday, using soaked rice and stir-fried rice Grind the fragrant sesame seeds with water to make a slurry, and then boil it with water. It’s delicious and easy to make. I’ll tell you the recipe later. Brother Ming’erdeng buys some almonds, and I’ll try to make almond milk again, okay?”

When she worked in the small restaurant of her uncle's house, she planned several projects, including "Summer Cool and Sweet Series", "Autumn Clear Soup", "Winter Nourishing and Healthy Stew", "Affordable Hot Pot Series" and "Red Years of nostalgic cuisine", guaranteed to be refurbished every season, there will be surprises every month, and help uncle earn a lot of money.At that time, in order to collect recipes, she read a lot of information on the Internet, and now she still remembers some, just in time to use.

After listening to her suggestion, Hongyu was also quite interested: "I heard that almond milk can beautify the skin, but do you guys like it?"

Chunying tilted her head: "If you don't like food... then I'll think about something else..."

"Speaking of food, when the weather is hot, many people don't like to eat. The cold noodles you mentioned last time are a good idea, but it's a pity that the noodles we rolled are not good. How about some dry food?"

Chunying held her chin and thought bitterly: "Well... dry food... scallion pancakes... deep-fried dough sticks...too greasy... steamed buns... yes, steamed buns!" Smash it and knead it with noodles to make pumpkin ravioli? It should be yellow and a little sweet, we can call it golden steamed buns!"

Hongyu smiled and said: "Then add white steamed buns and it will be gold and silver. If you mash vegetable leaves into noodles and make green ones, wouldn't it be jade steamed buns? This is a good idea. Even though it is steamed buns, everyone loves it." Lucky head. Let's try it tomorrow and make it better."

They talked excitedly, but Nan Deng lacked interest: "This will all cost money, take your time. I still think...we should pay back part of the money first. After all, we have money on hand."

Hongyu didn't speak, Chunying said: "Brother Deng, Mr. Hu is in partnership with you, not lending money to you to open a shop, even if you pay it back, he will still pay dividends."

Nan Deng paused: "But I'm not used to owing people money."

"Who said you owed him money?" Chunying smiled, "The 30 taels is his partnership money, not lent to you. If you feel uncomfortable, work harder, earn more, and let him Also share an extra share. His family has money, but he doesn’t get much of it every month. With this bonus, his hand is much more relaxed. This is a win-win thing. If you insist on paying back the money, wouldn’t it make him feel sad? I have a lump, and I suspect that you have paid off the 30 taels, so you are going to break up with him?"

Nan Deng stood up abruptly: "Of course not! I never thought about it that way!" He clenched his fists, his face flushed red: "He helped me... Even if I pay off the money, I will not miss him." A bonus! I'm just... I'm just..." Hongyu hurriedly comforted him: "Brother Deng, I know what you mean. It's not easy for Young Master Hu at home, so he took out 30 taels to start a small business with us Well, what if his family members know about it? Paying back the money earlier will save him trouble." Nan Deng gradually calmed down: "That's right."

Chunying shrunk her neck and whispered, "I know..." Even so, there was no reason to delay the business in order to pay back the money. She persuaded Hongyu for a long time, and finally gave up Nandeng's idea, and only paid this month's money. The dividends were delivered to Mo Han two by two, and then transferred to Mr. Hu. A few days later, Mr. Hu asked Mo Han to send the money back, saying that he would continue to invest in the Red Lantern, and told them to do it well and pay back the money if they were not busy.Nan Deng frowned for a long time, as if he had made up his mind, Hong Yu quietly looked at his face, then smiled and pulled Chun Ying to continue researching new dishes.

In this way, by the third month, the profit had risen to 27 taels, six cents and three cents, and there were a few more wealthy masters among the guests, and the rewards became part of the income of Red Lantern.At the end of July, Young Master Hu received the dividend for the first time, as well as the first repayment of the principal.

The living conditions of Nandeng and Hongyu's couple have improved a lot. When they returned to Hongyu's natal home with large and small bags of medicinal materials, clothing and food, Hongyu's father did not directly kick them out, but also graciously let Hongyu Met with her mother.

Chunying saw them coming in from a distance, and was also happy for them, but she had something more happy in her heart.

Because of her hard work in recording the red light, Nan Deng insisted on paying her for her hard work, a full twenty taels!In addition to the private money she usually accumulated, it was close to four taels of silver.Hongyu also said that if she has a good idea to help Red Lantern make money in the future, she will still give her another bonus.

This is exactly the result Chunying has dreamed of for months!She had already inquired from Hongyu that the ransom money for a child in the Hou family was 20 taels for a big girl, 15 taels for an adult male servant, 12 taels for a servant girl, 62 taels for a young girl, and [-] taels for a boy under eight years old.According to this calculation, in a few months, she will be able to save enough money for herself, and the whole family needs to redeem themselves, which will cost [-] taels of silver in total.She is still far away from this goal, but as long as she continues to work hard, she will achieve it sooner or later!

She clutched the small cloth bag containing the silver tightly, and went home happily.After entering the door, I saw my mother and Aunt Ma standing in the courtyard, staring at the door of Cui's house with complicated expressions.She slowed down and walked over gently: "What's the matter, mother? What happened to Aunt Cui?"

Only then did Mama Lu realize that she had returned, and said slowly, "Chun'er, just now... Mrs. Guan came to send a message, asking you... to work as an errand in the mansion on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year."

Chunying was stunned, unable to react: "What?"

"There are two vacancies missing in the third young master's courtyard, and it happened that the mansion was looking for someone for the second master's family, so you filled it." Aunt Ma glanced at the Cui family, "I'll see, maybe I'm off with sister Cui Man. It doesn't matter. Widow Cui made a special call just now! Look at her..." She muttered softly, which was naturally not a good thing.

Mother Lu ignored her, and said to her daughter, "Whether it's recommended by them or not, you just go in, it's what they owe you." After thinking about it, she said happily, "It's the cleaning girl in the third young master's yard." , this job is not heavy, even though it is a third class, it has three renminbi of silver per month! It also saves the chewing at home, so you can go in and enjoy it for a few years."

Chunying stared blankly at her mother's smiling face, clutching the money bag tightly in her hand, suddenly felt a little out of breath.

(End of first volume)

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(End of this chapter)