Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 133: Interrogating the Hot Pot (9)

"In that case, when do you plan to open for business? Do you need a few people to help you out?" the elder brother asked with some concern, his sister was after all only thirteen. Though she would turn fourteen after the New Year, she was still a child in her brother’s eyes.

"No need, everyone at the restaurant is still there, nothing has changed. The only difference is that we’ll introduce hot pot as part of the opening."

"Alright then, just give me a shout if you need anything. Don’t worry about the farm work; just focus on your business," the elder brother patted his sister’s shoulder, stood up, and shook off the creases in his clothes, "I’m heading back now; you should get some rest early." He ruffled his sister’s hair before turning away to leave.

"Moli and Shaoyao, you two must fully master the methods I taught you today for preparing the spices and broth. Memorize it in your minds, and make sure to burn all the paper you’ve seen." She looked up at them seriously and instructed.

"Yes, miss, we’ll remember," the two nodded and then set the paper ablaze with the charcoal fire, turning it to ash.

"Alright, get ready. We’ll be heading into town in the next couple of days, and you two will be solely in charge of the broth and spices." She put down her teacup, stood up, and stretched a little.

"Jueqing, you need to prepare more of this kind of charcoal over the next few days. If you can’t manage it alone, pick some people from the estate to help you, but make sure you personally handle the crucial steps," she said, seeing Jueqing nod before putting on her cloak and returning to her room.

With intense preparations over the next few days, the restaurant finally opened on the Lantern Festival. Around midday, a large sign was erected outside the restaurant, proclaiming, "To celebrate the Lantern Festival, our restaurant is introducing the new delicacy, hot pot. Anyone who dines on hot pot will receive a small pot of plum blossom liqueur on the house."

People passing by discussed what hot pot was and had never heard of this liqueur; many, intrigued, entered the restaurant and ordered hot pot.

Soon, the hall was continuously bustling with calls for "Waiter, bring me another plate of mutton."

"Get me a pot of plum blossom liqueur, quick!" The waiter was darting from one task to another without a moment’s rest, sweat beading on his forehead despite the winter cold. Only after the lunch rush did he finally drag his weary body to sit down.

The most excited person in the restaurant was the accountant, "Miss, guess how much we netted this afternoon?"

"Hmm, about a thousand silver?" Feng Xuxu estimated roughly.

"Hahaha, I knew you wouldn’t guess it right! Today, we netted three thousand five hundred and seventy silver," said the delighted junior accountant, his eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Look how happy you are. In the future, my goal is to clear ten thousand silver daily," she snorted and turned to walk away, leaving the accountant disheveled in the wind.

On the evening of the Lantern Festival, the restaurant was packed to the rafters, with a long queue outside. Although people were anxiously waiting, no one complained. The restaurant remained busy until late at night; the earnings were more than double the daytime takings. The accountant, seeing that just one day’s income exceeded that of two normal days, was overjoyed. He was convinced of his young mistress’s foresight.

"Today everyone worked hard. At the end of this month, each of you will receive an additional silver as a raise. From now on, those who perform well will be rewarded every month; those who don’t will not only miss out on rewards but will also be punished. As for what is good and what is not, listen carefully as the accountant reads them out, and commit them to memory."

The accountant cleared his throat softly, "First, the minimum monthly salary will be two silver pieces... At last, if anyone betrays the restaurant, they will be handed over to the County Governor’s Office." After the accountant finished reading, all the waiters were excited about the extra silver for their monthly salary and cheerfully agreed not to betray the restaurant. Feng Xuxu took their words with a grain of salt, not really expecting them to keep their promises.

While Feng Xuxu’s business was booming, the Prince in the Capital City was also bustling with activity.

"Get out, get out all of you, kill them, leave none behind," Prince Mo growled, prostrate on his bed. He had been the target of assassination attempts every few days, always in compromising and shameful places. This time, the physician had claimed he would never be able to ’perform’ again. Damn it, if the Emperor heard about this, his prospects for the throne would be in jeopardy. A bunch of worthless scoundrels.

"Someone fetch Commander Fang for me," the Prince barked at the butler in a fury. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Right away, I’ll see to it immediately," said the butler, who scrambled out on all fours and only dared to let out a sigh of relief once outside, grateful to still have his head.

The butler didn’t dare to delay and, within half an hour, had brought a man dressed in military attire to the Prince Residence.

"Prince, Commander Fang is here," he announced from outside the curtain.

"Hmm, go away. I wish to speak with Commander Fang alone. Do not come near without my summons," a grim voice emanated from behind the curtain.

"As you command, my Lord, I’ll arrange it right away," the butler bowed and quietly withdrew.

"Your Highness, have you been attacked again?" Commander Fang stepped forward and asked with concern, offering a fist-and-palm salute.

"Cousin, we still haven’t figured out who’s trying to trick me?" He threw back the curtain, revealing a contorted face marked by an astonishing sword wound.

"Cousin, I’ve checked both Prince Mei and the Crown Prince, but there’s no evidence leading to them. However, it seems like the work of the Assassin’s Camp under the control of Jueqing Castle," Commander Fang reported.

"... Damn it, what Assassin’s Camp? I’m going to dismantle their operation." Crash, another colorful glazed vase met its end.