Chapter 61: Institutional Improvement (Part III)

Wen Chunmei spoke in a rapid succession of words, announcing the grand opening of the new Scholar's Restaurant and detailing the heavy discounts offered to accommodate the students taking the examinations, while handing out menus one by one.

Some people were skeptical and asked, "You claim it's half off, but didn't you just inflate the base prices by fifty percent? How is that any different from the original price?"

Hearing this, the onlookers chimed in, claiming they had fallen for such tricks before.

At this moment, Wen Dongmei's role came into play. Remembering the instructions her elder sister had given her the night before, she mustered her courage, raised her voice, and said, "There are certainly literate people among you, and those who cannot read can ask me. Every dish on this menu has a fixed price that will not change. Take a look first to see if these prices are acceptable to you; when you go in to dine, the discounts will be applied on top of these very prices."

With that, she began to recite the menu from beginning to end: honey-glazed braised pork, bamboo shoots and yams in broth, shelled shrimp with Biluochun tea, stir-fried phoenix tongue, South Lake vinegar fish, Lohan's vegetarian feast, herb-infused duck, auspicious seasoned dried bean curd, Taibai fish head, squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, braised beef in broth, braised immortal palms, sweet and sour pork ribs, Wensi tofu soup... The corresponding price for each dish was called out right along with it.

As she went on, Wen Dongmei grew more fluent and her voice louder. Her voice was soft, bright, crisp, and pleasing to the ear, drawing an increasingly large crowd of onlookers.

Wen Chunmei watched her quietly, her eyes welling up with tears. She hurriedly turned around to wipe them with her sleeve, then put on a smiling face and continued handing out menus to the gathering crowd.

When Wen Dongmei finally finished reciting, more illiterate folks arrived, and some enthusiastic people eagerly stepped in to explain things to them. Everyone began discussing how the prices at the Scholar's Restaurant were indeed quite reasonable, and with discounts lasting for several consecutive days, only a fool would pass up such a bargain!

People declared they would come over for lunch, while others mentioned they would bring their families for dinner.

Wen Dongmei quickly repeated the address of the Scholar's Restaurant three more times so no one would go to the wrong place, adding that free mung bean soup and mung bean pastries awaited those who went. A few people dropped their plans to buy breakfast and announced they were heading over right away, asking the sisters to lead the way.

On the road from the West Market back to the Scholar's Restaurant in the East Market, the two sisters worked together in seamless coordination. One shouted for everyone to come and take a look, while the other walked and recited the menu, appending the reminder that until the county examination ended, all dishes would be half off or offered at a twenty percent discount.

Walking swiftly at the front, the two drew crowds of curious people who had only heard their voices and wanted to find out what was going on. Some who had visited the Scholar's Restaurant the day before embellished their descriptions enthusiastically, causing the procession to roll forward like a snowball, growing larger and larger.

Lin Zhengkang, just emerging from the Tribute Examination Hall and heading toward the county yamen, found his path blocked by the crowd. He turned to Uncle Quan and asked, "What major event has occurred in the city today?"

Uncle Quan listened carefully for a moment, then, combining what he heard with what had reached his ears yesterday, reported, "Sir, yesterday the Gu family opened a tavern in the East Market named the Scholar's Restaurant. Because the environment is pleasant, the food delicious, and the prices low—plus they are offering a fifty percent discount for eight consecutive days to exam candidates and their families—it has been packed to capacity. These people are likely heading over there to eat now."

"Oh?" Lin Zhengkang looked up at the sky and asked, "At this hour, are they eating breakfast or lunch?"

Uncle Quan said uncertainly, "Perhaps they are eating breakfast and lunch together?" Then he nodded affirmatively, "Yes, exactly, breakfast and lunch combined."

Lin Zhengkang glanced at him and continued walking toward the yamen. "Then go back and tell my wife that we will also drop by for dinner to taste the food and see if it is truly as delicious as they say."

Uncle Quan hesitated, words failing to pass his lips.

"What, I cannot go?"

Uncle Quan shook his head. "Sir, I heard from Ah Feng that going to eat during peak hours requires waiting for more than an hour."

Lin Zhengkang raised an eyebrow. "Ah Feng has been there?"

"Yesterday, after young master came out of the examination hall, he went with him."

"They waited for over an hour?"

"Not at all. They entered through the back door."

Lin Zhengkang fell into deep thought. He had been so busy lately that he had no idea when Mo'er had grown so close to the Gu family that he could even use the back door.

"In that case, let us postpone our visit until after the county examination concludes."

Uncle Quan acknowledged the order.

When a massive crowd surged into the Scholar's Restaurant, the members of the Gu family, who were busy arranging tables and chairs, were startled. Learning that everyone had come to dine, Zhen Mi'er and the others looked at the Wen sisters with completely new eyes.

In an instant, both the upper and lower floors of the Scholar's Restaurant were filled to capacity. Everyone assumed their posts, adhering to the plan discussed the previous night, and went about their duties methodically.

The only variables were the Wen sisters.

Shedding her timid demeanor of the day before, Wen Dongmei seemed to have cast off all hesitation. Her calls to the kitchen for dish names were fast, loud, and crystal clear.

Once Hu Wenyu and the others handed the menus back to her, she could instantly calculate the total quantities of each dish. When the freshly cooked dishes were passed to her hands, she could accurately direct the corresponding waiters, telling them precisely which table number to serve. Today, the serving speed at the Scholar's Restaurant was several times faster than the day before.

Gu Qinghe frequently gave Wen Dongmei a thumbs-up, and the boat of friendship between the two young girls was thus quickly launched.

As for Wen Chunmei, she had spent yesterday acting as a waitress, yet no one had realized she was such a versatile and tactful person—gentle yet firm, adaptable to any situation.

Standing at the entrance of the Scholar's Restaurant, she personally handed out pastries and ladled out mung bean sweet soup for those waiting in line, delivering cup and plate directly into the diners' hands. From time to time, she would tell a story or share a joke to amuse the crowd, keeping the atmosphere at the entrance lively all day long so that waiting patrons no longer found the queue tedious.

Whenever people passed by the entrance of the restaurant, she never missed an opportunity to ask if they were hungry or thirsty, inviting them to step inside to sit down, enjoy a meal, and make new friends.

Seeing her radiant smile and perfectly measured manners—never overbearing or annoying—those who were not in a rush and had nothing pressing to do were genuinely happy to step inside and sample the dishes.

When the diners finished and departed, she personally escorted them to the mouth of the alley, showing warm, respectful, and courteous hospitality as she welcomed them to return often.

This was pretty much what they called making guests feel at home.

Over the course of several days, there was not a single person in the entire county who did not know of the Scholar's Restaurant. After the county examination ended, when the scholars returned to their respective homes, they carried the name of the Scholar's Restaurant back to every town and village.

After eight days, everyone was thoroughly exhausted. The influx of patrons every single day had been overwhelming, but combined, they had earned a substantial amount of silver. After deducting the cost of ingredients and the wages of the waiters, they netted a full fifty taels of profit!

Even Zhen Mi'er, who had never been able to shed her weight, lost around ten pounds.

This drove Gu Tingzhi half-mad with worry. Every day, he constantly shoved meat, pastries, or fruits into her mouth, vowing to feed those ten pounds right back onto her. Zhen Mi'er would have none of it; she was naturally heavy, and even after losing ten pounds, she was still quite plump.

Having never been able to slim down since childhood, she was endlessly thrilled by those ten pounds, feeling full of energy every day with the hope of losing a bit more and becoming prettier.