Butcher Fulang’s Noodle Shop - Chapter 36
After settling on two permanent workers, there were two temporary workers who strongly requested to stay as waiters.
The two of them were the youngest in the family, and their father and brother supported them even if the sky falls. They usually wandered around, but they were determined to stay and work in the restaurant, mainly because they were given meals every night.
Song Shi’an couldn’t laugh or cry, “Once, Ye Du got started; I won’t necessarily cook the three employee meals every day.”
He thought very clearly that in the mid-to-low-end market, cultivating customers and making money through volume, while the high-end market had high added value and profits. If they could use this banquet well, they could bring more well-off customers.
So as the boss, he had to free up his time to build relationships and run the business!
The two men hurriedly said, “We are satisfied if we can eat the food cooked by my sister-in-law every now and then. We know that we have a big appetite, and you need to feed three people. Sister-in-law, if you don’t work, you can give us all, braised pork, braised large intestine, pig ears, and daily dishes. Whatever is left can be taken home by us!”
After careful consideration, Song Shi’an agreed in advance that he would provide them with an extra ten kilograms of meat and twenty kilograms of pig offal every month, and the wages would be only one tael. All they had to do was greet the guests and serve them plates.
He knew very well that as long as he opened the door for business, all kinds of people would come. Their business was booming, and no gangsters came to look for trouble. His husband was the famous Butcher Xu, and there were several strong men in the shop.
He made it clear again and again: “Since you are working long-term in my restaurant, you are no longer just a short-term helper. The preparation before opening the restaurant and the cleaning up after closing the restaurant must be done together. You must not put down the bowls and chopsticks after dinner as before and then leave, okay!”
The two men blushed, and they both agreed honestly: “Never again, sister-in-law, don’t worry!”
As for the piles of bowls and chopsticks in the restaurant, Song Shi’an found two more women in their forties. They only came to wash dishes at noon and evening, he gave them twenty cents every day.
Washing dishes and chopsticks were extremely easy for women, and they didn’t have to stay in the restaurant all day. They could come to work as long as they prepared the meals at home in advance.
The two honest women were overjoyed at the thought of earning some private money and hurriedly agreed. Song Shi’an carefully inspected the dishes they washed, and sure enough, there was no trace of grease on them, which was reassuring.
.
One afternoon, the strong sun heated the bluestone slabs.
After dinner, the guests sat sparsely in the shop. For each guest, Song Shi’an gave him a large bowl of cold sour plum soup to relieve the heat. He drank it slowly while holding a bowl of mung bean paste with a little rose on top, especially sweet and delicious.
As soon as he put down the bowl, he saw Madam Zhou, a self-working girl who often came to eat, running in with a basket and covering her face with one hand.
He hurriedly poured a large bowl of extremely fine mung bean paste for her, Madam Zhou was not polite, picked up the bowl and drank it all in one go, then sighed: “How can you do everything with your skillful hands?”
She wasn’t bragging. This mung bean paste seemed ordinary, and everyone in Qingjiang Town knew how to cook it. Only Xu Fulang didn’t have any bitter bean smell at all; it was cool and sweet.
Song Shi’an smiled slightly and said: “This is easy. Just soak the mung beans and peel them off in advance, and the taste will be much better.”
Madam Zhou sighed: “No wonder the business in your restaurant is good. The food you eat is better than anywhere else. You really put in the effort!”
She talked while taking out the contents of the basket.
“This is custom-made by me… By the way, the work clothes you ordered, quickly see if e need to change the size!”
Song Shi’an hurriedly called Shen Fusheng, Ye Du, and the other two men out and asked them to try the summer work clothes.
The style was designed by him. Song Shi’an knew nothing about needlework. Fortunately, a group of self-working women were used to weaving, embroidery, and other tasks, and they stored his ideas without any distortion.
Because the weather was hot, the top was made of thin apricot cotton. The long sleeves could be rolled into half sleeves by pressing a button on the elbow. The collar and cuffs were embroidered with the dragon’s head, claws, and a powerful long tail respectively.
The trousers and apron are both black, with a wide belt tied around the waist. On the front, “Dragon Looks Back” was written in gilded yellow cloth, and on the back, “If you want to eat after eating, turn back when you go out.”
Shen Fusheng, Ye Du, and the other men all have good figures. They wore wide belts, which showed their big shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs. Whether they were walking around in the restaurant or going out in work clothes, they all looked extremely handsome!
Each one was a walking advertisement!
Song Shi’an was most afraid of the smell of sweat from the employees working in the restaurant, so he made three shirts and trousers, and two aprons for easy change. After Madam Zhou made it, she washed it in advance to make it stiff and without any wrinkles.
Ye Du and the other men were well off at home, so they just lamented that their sister-in-law had a wonderful idea and the clothes were particularly beautiful.
As soon as they put them on, people passing by the restaurant couldn’t help but look in.
Shen Fusheng was extremely surprised. His family had just become more relaxed, and there was no time to buy clothes. The clothes he usually wore had several patches.
He washed his hands twice before he dared to change his clothes. He felt the crisp fabric and felt extremely excited.
It was great to work here!
Song Shi’an admired it for a while and was extremely satisfied. He couldn’t help praising Madam Zhou and the other sisters for their wonderful craftsmanship, and paid her the agreed wages.
Madam Zhou was an honest person, and even the fabrics and embroidery work were 30% cheaper than those in clothing restaurants!
“By the way, give this to your daughter to drink.” Song Shi’an brought out another bamboo tube, which contained the goat’s milk that had just been squeezed in the morning.
A while ago, the self-working girls picked up an abandoned baby and brought it back to the building. The child was about under one year old. She was cute but was born blind. They had brought the child to the restaurant once, and Song Shi’an hugged the child.
The little girl weighted so lightly in his hands; she laughed when teased, she was very cute.
Madam Zhou was familiar with Song Shi’an, so she didn’t refuse. She thanked her generously and took the goat’s milk.
“You and Butcher Xu have been married for some time. Let us know when you are pregnant. You don’t need to worry about the clothes, coats, and shoes for the child!”
Song Shi’an’s face turned red.
After the Mad Bear incident, his attachment and admiration for Xu Zhongyue quietly grew. Now he was not as resistant to having children as before, and he even started to take the medicine Aunt Liu prepared for him.
“Ahem, I don’t have to say anything about this, he still needs to work hard!”
.
Song Shi’an naturally didn’t know. His casual words were written down by the man who had just become a waiter in the shop to report on their brother.
When Brother Xu came, he couldn’t help but try his best. At the end of the fight, Song Shi’an was pressed against the door with his feet firmly on the ground, asking Xu Zhong to work harder and harder.
.
“By the way, I still have some clothes for Madam Zhou to make for me.”
After finishing the work in the restaurant, he naturally had to work on his husband’s things.
Song Shi’an originally didn’t pay much attention to personal clothing, as long as it was clean and tidy. Since marrying Xu Zhongyue, his husband had bought him new clothes every now and then. They were all a very refreshing lake green and willow green color, and the materials were getting better every time.
The pair of bracelets given to him when they got married were too heavy to work with, so Song Shi’an took off the bracelets and put them together with the silver ingots at the bottom of the box.
Xu Zhongyue didn’t say anything after seeing it. He didn’t know where he earned the money in the past two days, but he actually gave Song Shi’an a small gold lock.
It was a custom in Qingjiang Town that children must wear a longevity lock after birth. When they grow up, most people also wear it close to their flesh. Most people couldn’t afford gold locks, so they bought silver locks. No matter how poor a family was, they had to hang one for their children.
Song Shi’an did not have one.
The heavy little gold lock was hung around his neck; Song Shian was really moved. He didn’t take it seriously, but Xu Zhongyue cared about it.
So, he tried his best to recall the costume TV series he had watched, combined with the current clothing fashion, made a design, and let Madam Zhou knew the detailed gestures.
Madam Zhou pursed her lips and smiled, and said: “I know, in fifteen days, you will wear it for the banquet. I will rush to work when I get back, and I will not delay you!”
Song Shi’an touched the little gold lock through the thin clothes, nodded and smiled.
Xu Zhongyue gave him a surprise, and he also wanted to surprise Xu Zhongyue.
.
In the evening, Xu Zhongyue made another quick trip back and forth, selling the captured deer and antlers to a restaurant in Fucheng.
He calculated that apart from the one hundred taels that might be used on the fifteenth day, the remaining money would be enough to buy a fine horse. After Song Shi’an’s work in the restaurant slowed down, he wanted to take his wife to Fucheng for a visit.
Before getting married, the young shuanger had never even been out of Qingjiang Town.
He rode faster and returned the horse first, then walked to the restaurant.
It was a pity that he arrived a little late. It was time to close the business, Song Shi’an went home one step ahead to prepare dinner for him, leaving only four men, busy doing the finishing work.
The four of them, either long or short, all wore crisp clothes. As they walked, black aprons swayed around their slender legs.
Seeing Xu Zhongyue approaching, several men surrounded him and showed off happily.
“Brother Xu, look at this, are these words embroidered beautifully?”
“Brother Xu, I look even more handsome in these clothes!”
“My sister-in-law specially customized this for us, and we all have a share! Sister-in-law is so nice!”
Xu Zhongyue, ‘…… What’s going on? These brothers are so annoying today!’
.
Twenty days passed in a blur.
He himself found it strange that he had been able to speak eloquently for more than 10,000 words when he was young, and he could finish it in a short time.
Now that he was older and had learned more, his thinking had become stagnant. He was leaning against a tree trunk with his book in his arms and was in a daze. His ears were filled with the constant chirping of cicadas, but he heard several colleagues walking past the gravel road, still talking about him.
“Last time when Song Shijin was a host, what kind of banquet was it? He made steamed sea bass, but the sea bass was smelly!”
“Don’t mention it. After all, the steamed sea bass was not fresh and you could still eat it. I ate a dish which was nothing more than a chicken stewed with mushrooms. The chicken had been dead for who knows how many days, and the cause of death was unjust, but it was served to the table with a look of death!”
“If you don’t have money, it’s better not to be a host. Do we need him to feed us?”
“This time, the newly arrived Lin Zhihang will be the host. I hope he can be more reliable. My stomach and intestines are just healed, I can’t stand another torment!”
“Don’t worry, I heard that Lin Zhihang spent a lot of money this time, borrowed a garden from Master Jiang’s house, and invited the owner of Dragon Looks Back Restaurant. We will definitely be able to enjoy it!”