HCB Chapter 179 A good start
Chapter 179 A good start
Doctor Sun was very grateful for the method provided by Shen Lingzhu. She also needed some other medicinal herbs, but the business was not from the Shen family, so she couldn't clearly tell the bottom price.
So Dr. Sun had to prepare for both situations. He told her the types and quantities required, and asked her to help him find out the lowest price.
After he left, Grandpa said, "The Qixing Temple should be moved to Shenquanji. It's inconvenient to do anything hidden in the mountains, and it's isolated from the news.
They often miss gatherings like this for buying and selling medicinal herbs.
"As for the peaches after viewing, if they were sold elsewhere, they would have been sold at a high price due to their reputation, but anyone can pick as many as they want.
"If it weren't for Taoist Master Zhiyuan setting a limit later, allowing each household to pick only two, their own disciples wouldn't be able to eat them all."
"Do you also think that they are guarding a treasure mountain without knowing it?" Shen Lingzhu felt that if he had two mountains with various wild fruits and good timber, he would definitely explore their economic value to the fullest.
Grandpa shook his head: "They know, but they are just content with poverty."
“Master Xuan Lingzi is watching… Never mind, this has nothing to do with us.
However, when making stir-fries in the store, some of the herbs needed can be purchased from Qixingguan." Shen Lingzhu has full confidence in her grandfather's cooking skills and her senior sister's menu.
Grandpa waved his hand and said, "You won't need much of these stir-fries, and you can buy them at any clinic in the city.
Since you have agreed to act as a matchmaker, you should first contact the Post Office to expedite the delivery."
"That's fine." Shen Lingzhu quickly went to mail the letter with Ni Ye.
However, she did not expect that in ancient times, expedited letters could be delivered very quickly as long as the money was in place. Baozhou was only more than a hundred miles away from Beigou, and the letter was handed over to Xuan Lingzi by Shen Huai in the evening of the same day.
The reason why Shen Miaozhu didn't hand it over was because she was already on her way to the capital with a batch of food.
Xuan Lingzi read the letter and knew that the girl was helping him, so of course he would not refuse. He immediately replied to the letter and some samples and asked the Post Office to take them back.
These things arrived in the city at the same time as Shen Miaozhu.
Shen Lingzhu just handed this matter over to her senior sister to handle, while she herself was focusing on promoting her own shop.
Of course, she would not choose to use the method of distributing flyers. First, there would not be enough time for color printing, and second, the people who received the flyers might not be able to read, so there would be a high possibility of waste.
She absorbed the good experience from selling bellows and arranged for the brothers who came with their senior sister to support her to beat drums and gongs on the street again and again.
Coupled with the witty and catchy words, and the colorful food picture held high by Shen Lingzhu in a slightly cartoon-style style, it attracted the attention of many people.
Even though it wasn't a lion dance or anything like that, within just a day or two, everyone in the streets knew about Hu Ji Food Shop.
The reason why it is not called Shen Ji is to conceal its identity. As for Hu Ji, it does not entirely mean Hu, but it just happens to be named after the Hu in Hu La Tang, which is the same as my aunt's surname.
……
After three days of non-stop promotion with discounts and free two rice cakes, when the auspicious opening day came, many people gathered outside the door to try out the new products and join in the fun before the plaque was even hung.
When the auspicious time came, Shen Lingzhu and everyone hung long firecrackers from the second floor, which were lit by the eldest brother. With the crackling sound, Hu Ji Food Shop officially opened.
Almost as soon as the firecrackers were over, the first floor was filled with guests. However, after these guests sat down, they soon discovered that Hu Ji was different from other restaurants.
The waiters in the store did not come up to ask everyone what they wanted to eat. Instead, they introduced each table of customers to the cashier to pay the money and get the ticket. Then they would pick up the food they bought from two connected kitchen windows with the ticket.
Behind the cashier's counter and above the kitchen window, there are vivid paintings of delicious food and copper coins next to them, so you can tell at a glance how much the mutton soup costs.
Many people are not used to this method. Generally, people pay after eating. How can they collect money in advance?
So some people left with dissatisfaction, while others asked the young shopkeeper Shen Xianzhu for an explanation.
However, many people find it novel and are willing to pay first.
So after a while, the two sisters Shen Lingzhu and Shen Miaozhu collected more and more money behind the counter.
Aunt Jiu, who had been worried in the kitchen about steaming too many buns, finally felt a little relieved.
But before long, she had no time to worry because the people in front kept asking for buns and steamed buns. Even Aunt Ding, who was playing a supporting role, was busy as hell.
The grandfather who was serving soup behind another window looked at the increasing number of customers and put his worries at ease.
His granddaughters are very smart. They said that paying first may make some people uncomfortable, but once they get used to it, it is convenient for both the store owner and the customers, and it is almost impossible to eat without paying.
Guests may also end up not being able to finish the food if they don’t order too much because they paid upfront.
The nephews and nieces led by Uncle Jiu started by introducing the rules of the store to the customers, and gradually changed to clearing the empty plates and bowls on the table over and over again.
As for the store rules, it is the diners who come to join in the fun who take the initiative to become publicity ambassadors to help educate new customers.
The constant influx of customers made the restaurant crowded both upstairs and downstairs.
When Doctor Sun, who had received the lowest quote from Qixingguan, came to show his support happily, Shen Lingzhu and her sister were too busy to entertain him behind the counter. They just greeted him and lowered their heads to collect the money and invoice.
After receiving his gift, Shen Xianzhu specifically asked his uncle Jiu to prepare all the food and give it to Doctor Sun. He then personally sent him upstairs and arranged him at a table with Chen Daochang and his nephew to introduce them to each other.
It was not until then that Doctor Sun realized that their table might be the only VIP guests at the Shen family restaurant, because they were the only ones sitting at the table on the second floor that was separated by a screen door.
All other tables on the first and second floors were full, and no other table looked like theirs, with all the food in the restaurant on display.
Smelling the delicious aroma of the mutton soup and listening to the guests' praise, Doctor Sun also tasted a mouthful of the mutton soup silently, and then his eyes lit up, "Here..."
"It's made with nourishing herbs." Taoist Master Chen, who also possesses medical skills, could taste the difference. "It's warming and nourishing, suitable for all ages. It won't be long before this mutton soup becomes a must-try delicacy for gourmets in the capital."
Doctor Sun agreed, "This is called Hu La Tang, maybe it also contains nourishing herbs."
"The pepper must have been used. I drank two bowls." Master Chen's uncle and nephew came earlier and tried the new food earlier.
Doctor Sun naturally also smelled the scent of pepper. This ingredient is also considered a medicinal ingredient. It was very expensive in the early years, but since the Qing Dynasty opened the sea to the South China Sea, it became worthless as more was brought back.
He had just tasted two bites and was about to give his praise when he suddenly felt the surroundings become quiet. He looked up behind the screen and saw several thousand households coming up to the second floor under the guidance of Master Shen.
He walked towards their screen and sat behind another screen in a moment.
Then, several soldiers came up with trays of food.