Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 517 The Dowry is Ready

Shen Yu was happy and proud after hearing this, and said with a smile: "Thank you, Mr. Lu. Don't worry, although I am still working, I will naturally take care of your food, clothing and daily life, and I will not neglect one for the other."

"As for the popularity of my inn, it's because my rules are well customized."

"If we recruit shopkeepers and clerks, and they follow the rules and clearly define rewards and punishments, we can open ten stores and it won't go wrong."

Lu Lang's mind moved, and after thinking for a while, he said, "You mean, as long as the rules you set are there, the shopkeeper and the staff follow them, even if we open an inn somewhere else, such as in the capital, it will have the same effect."

Shen Yu thought of the chain hotels in modern times, and said with a smile: "Of course, maybe the size of the inn will vary depending on the location."

"But if we can make the service, hygiene and furnishings the same, the guests will have the same experience after staying at the inn."

Lu Lang nodded thoughtfully and said, "This sounds really new. Let me think about it, but I have never seen a store opened like this."

Shen Yu explained, "There is another advantage to opening a shop like this. If the shopkeeper or the waiter quits, we can recruit new workers and train them for a few days, and they can start working again quickly. It won't have any impact on the inn."

Lu Lang became interested and asked about various details. Shen Yu didn't know what he wanted to do, but he still answered his questions and explained them to him.

The two chatted and talked until noon.

Shen Yu looked at the sky and said, "It's almost noon. I should go back home. Do you want to go back to the restaurant with me for lunch?"

Lu Lang hesitated for a moment, he naturally wanted to follow Shen Yu.

But he had an appointment today. After lunch, he would go to the countryside with Master Qian to mediate a land dispute case. They would have to leave in a while, so if he went to the restaurant, it would be too late.

Seeing his hesitant expression, Shen Yu unconsciously looked at the thick pile of files on the desk.

Guessing that he still had things to do, she hurriedly said, "If you have something to do, just go and do it. Going to the restaurant and back will take at least half an hour, which is too much of a waste of time. You should go to the restaurant to eat when you have some free time."

Lu Lang reluctantly admitted: "I do have things to do today."

Shen Yu nodded, then stood up and said, "Okay, my doubts for today have been resolved. Mr. Lu, you should go to the front yamen dining hall to eat. I'm going back first, so you don't have to see me off."

Having said that, he waved his hand and walked out of the county government office briskly.

When they returned home, as soon as Li saw Shen Yu coming back, she came up to him with a smile and took Shen Yu back to the front yard.

Seeing that there was no one around, she said confidently, "How about this, can I continue to prepare your dowry?"

"What did Mr. Lu say?"

Shen Yu smiled helplessly: "Mr. Lu is right, so let's get ready."

"But if I spend five thousand taels of silver on all these items, it would be troublesome to travel to the capital. Can we make a list first and buy them after we get to the capital? This way, it would be easier on the way."

Seeing that Shen Yu no longer objected to using Lu Lang's money for the dowry, Li naturally agreed to any conditions she proposed.

He nodded hurriedly and said, "We have discussed this a long time ago. What we bought today are all unique to the Anping County market. If we take a car, it will only take three or five people, and we will only need one more cart."

"Then we will set off early and go to the capital to buy the rest."

Shen Yu thought this was convenient, so he smiled and said, "Then I don't care. I don't understand the things you buy. As long as it's not too exaggerated, it's up to you."

Li naturally made many promises. The next day, another batch of items she had customized arrived. After checking the list, Li sorted out and packed the items she had purchased in the past two days before she calmed down.

Time passed quickly, the leaves turned green and then yellow, and it was late autumn in the blink of an eye.

After the lively Wanshou Festival, the wedding dress that Li and her friends had worked together to embroider, as well as the various clothes, shoes and socks that they had prepared as return gifts, were all completed.

These things were folded up and placed in boxes according to categories, waiting to set off for the capital as soon as December came.

These days, the restaurant's menu has changed to casserole and hot pot dishes that are warm and appetizing in winter.

In addition, following Dr. Sun’s advice, we developed several light medicated meals suitable for nourishing the body in autumn and winter. Unexpectedly, the effects were very good once they were launched.

In winter, most of the elderly people in the family rarely go out, so guests often come here specially to buy a medicinal meal suitable for the elderly in the family.

Because these medicinal food recipes are carefully formulated by Doctor Sun, they are not expensive, and the medicinal materials used are all affordable and common, but they are very nutritious for the elderly and frail people.

Especially those who live nearby, all know that the recipe for this medicinal diet was prepared by Doctor Sun who runs a clinic. They have great faith in his medical skills and speak highly of this medicinal diet.

Gradually, not only the residents nearby came to pack up the medicinal meals, but even the wealthy families living in West City began to send people to pack up.

After this period of adjustment, Shen Yu can now completely let go of the restaurant affairs.

The new chef Liu has a good foundation in cooking skills and is willing to learn. After Shen Yu gave him some careful guidance, his cooking skills are now much better than before.

His mother fell ill a few days ago and had been seeking medical treatment all the time, using up all the family's savings, which were already limited. However, her condition got worse and worse, and in the end she was so sick that she could hardly get out of bed.

Shen Yu occasionally found that Chef Liu always became absent-minded when he was idle, and sometimes even had tears in his eyes, so he called him over to ask about it.

After knowing that it was the cause of his mother's illness, he recommended Doctor Sun to him.

Doctor Sun is old and usually just sits in the clinic and does not see patients.

But because Chef Liu was an employee of the restaurant, Shen Yu asked for help again. Although Chef Liu's home was in the countryside and it would take a whole day to go back and forth, he still took the trouble to ride in a mule cart in the middle of winter to go to see the doctor.

After taking several doses of medicine prescribed by Doctor Sun, Chef Liu's mother's illness has improved a lot. Now she can get up and sit under the window to bask in the sun, and she can eat her meals. It seems that after taking a few more doses of medicine, she will be back to normal.

Doctor Sun did not charge him for the consultation. Even the money for the medicine was paid by the restaurant and he was asked to pay the bill.

Shen Yu said that when the wages are paid, they can be deducted slowly over half a year, so that Chef Liu won't be left without wages to support his family.

Because of this, Chef Liu was so grateful that he not only worked harder, but also contributed several of his local specialty soups to make the menu of Fengnian Restaurant more abundant.

With the addition of Chef Liu, there was no need for Shen Yu to go to the kitchen to cook in the restaurant. Considering that he would be going to the capital in a few days, Shen Yu was happy to watch from the side.