Becoming the Villain's Discarded Wife
Chapter 261 Opening

Chapter 261: Chapter 261 Opening

March 15th.

Not long after dawn, Nanzhi and Shen Miaomiao were standing in front of the Sanweiju Restaurant.

They set the opening time to be in the late morning, and there was still over an hour left for that.

Seeing the excited blush on each other’s faces, they both broke into giggles.

"Sister Nanzhi, I still feel like I’m dreaming," Shen Miaomiao said, gazing at the signboard covered with a red cloth, giggling somewhat naively.

"I also feel the same."

Who would have thought she’d come this far?

She has such a great family and friends, and now, this huge restaurant.

Thinking about Shen Wenchen, Nanzhi felt a little down.

What a pity, he wasn’t here by her side.

"Alright, Sister Nanzhi, let’s go inside," Shen Miaomiao noticed something was off with Nanzhi and quickly suggested, then led her into the restaurant.

Yesterday afternoon, Nanzhi had thought of something on the spot and had paid Liu Hui a visit before going home.

Liu Hui saw her coming and thought she was there to remind her about the mutton for tomorrow, but instead, Nanzhi directly ordered a small lamb.

It was not for anything else but to attract customers to Sanweiju the next day with a grand opening ceremony.

A few days earlier, she had Wang Sheng build another oven in the yard, specifically for roasting lambs and ducks.

On the first day of the opening, she knew she had to make a grand gesture.

She and Shen Miaomiao had also discussed that anyone who dined in would get Fried Mutton Tenderloins for each table on a first-come-first-serve basis, and the rest of their meal would be 20% off.

Even though she wouldn’t make much silver with these prices, at least it could draw some customers.

As for the Roast Whole Sheep, she would let the people of Yan City know about the specialty at Sanweiju, a spice called anise, which was being sold for 3 taels of silver per pound in Yan City and that they could taste it for just a wen coin.

Early in the morning, Liu Hui had sent over the mutton, and Xu Chou had already marinated the lamb, just waiting to roast it.

The rest were helping with the food preparation, every single one of them was on edge about today’s opening ceremony, fearing something might go wrong.

Because Manager Ping had explained to everyone how their monthly salary was calculated by Nanzhi.

As long as the restaurant did well, everyone’s monthly salary would increase. There was no upper limit to the increase, so everyone naturally hoped for a successful opening.

Lun Daliang also arrived early and was cutting vegetables in the kitchen. When he saw Nanzhi and Shen Miaomiao coming, he quickly greeted them.

"Good morning, owners."

"Uncle Lun, thank you for your hard work." Shen Miaomiao nodded and gave him a smile.

"It’s no trouble at all." Lun Daliang quickly waved his hand and continued cutting vegetables.

"Manager Ping."

Nanzhi greeted Manager Ping who was writing something nearby.

"The owner is here." Manager Ping had a worried frown on his face.

"Manager Ping, what are you doing? Why do you look so worried?" Nanzhi moved closer and asked.

"I’m calculating the costs. We need to make at least fifteen taels of silver today, or else we might end up losing money," he replied.

Manager Ping had never seen owners who were so generous, delivering food and offering discounts. Just the lamb alone, even though Nanzhi hadn’t mentioned how it was to be handled, he could guess they would sell it cheap.

The more he thought, the more worried he became. And yet, the two owners were laughing and enjoying themselves every day, never appearing worried.

If you said they were not young mistresses of wealthy families squandering their fortunes, he wouldn’t believe it.

"Manager Ping, don’t worry. We have to give to get. I’m sure Sanweiju will do well," Nanzhi consoled.

Manager Ping only nodded and stroked his beard.

Seeing him stroking his beard, Nanzhi was afraid that he might end up leaving himself without a beard one day.

"Owner, is it time to put the mutton in the roast? The fire below is ready," Zhang Yun wiped off the sweat on his forehead, getting his face all black.

"Do it." Nanzhi waved her hand, and Wang Sheng and Zhang Yun together placed the sheep on the roast.

"Boss, the mutton and pork belly skewers are all ready," Lin Xiaoquan and An Wazi chimed in from one side.

"Once they’re skewered, leave them be. Arrange them neatly, and be careful not to prick yourself."

"Okay!"

The two responded in unison.

Liao Da, Li Jun, and Aze were re-wiping the tables and chairs in the hall, waiting for it to be time to open the doors and welcome the guests.

Midway through the two-hour period, Liao Da and Aze took down the door panels.

As daylight broke, passersby noticed that Baiweizhai, which had been closed for business, had opened its doors again. Even though Nanzhi felt slightly uncomfortable under their gaze, she still smiled and answered their various questions.

"Young lady, so Baiweizhai is going to reopen?" a matronly woman asked.

She had a penchant for the food at Baiweizhai, but it hadn’t opened for over a month, and she had missed it dearly.

"Ma’am, the manager of Baiweizhai has sold this restaurant. It’s now called Sanwei Ju." Nanzhi explained with a cheerful countenance.

"Sanwei Ju? Are you from the recent batch of servers?" The woman looked perplexed.

"These are our two bosses," Liao Da interjected jovially from the side, which caused the onlooking crowd to exchange glances.

Female bosses?

And there are two?

Are they thinking of emulating Miss Su’s entrepreneurial exploits?

The crowd below buzzed with speculation. Nanzhi and Shen Miaomiao merely smiled back, not backing away from the probing stares.

Some folks looked at their demeanor and didn’t think they were fit for business. They shook their heads and moved on. Others sniffed the aroma wafting from the restaurant.

Just as things became a little awkward, the Lin family arrived en masse, all of them wearing new clothes and bearing gifts.

Seeing them all dressed in such grand attire made Nanzhi laugh a little, but in her heart, she felt mainly touched.

"Congratulations to the two bosses." Father Lin executed a proper ritual greeting and, after a round of small talk, handed the gift he was holding to Li Jun.

Mother Lin’s eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Nanzhi and Shen Miaomiao. She was immensely relieved.

"Mother, let’s go inside."

"Okay, okay." Mother Lin patted her hand and followed her into the restaurant.

Liao Da, walking in front, led the way. Seeing that they were family members of the bosses, he made sure to seat them in the best position.

Lin Yicheng and Lin Ercheng led their wives into the banquet. Only the three children, dressed like little dolls, stayed outside to offer congratulatory wishes.

This scene induced hearty laughter from the surrounding crowd.

When the time came, Nanzhi and Shen Miaomiao jointly unfurled the red silk ribbon. Aze ignited firecrackers off to one side, and the owners gathered there immediately began celebrating.

"Fellow villagers, our Sanwei Ju is having its grand opening today. Each table will receive one complimentary specialty dish, while supplies last, and all meals will be discounted by 20%! We even have Roast Whole Sheep for twenty wen a serving!"

As Nanzhi’s words died down, interest from the crowd picked up. Hearing about the free specialty dish, those who had just caught whiff of the aroma hurriedly entered the restaurant, leaving behind only those who were still in doubt.

At this point, Master Du’s family and Lin Fu’s family arrived one after the other. After presenting gifts and offering congratulations, Liao Da urgently ushered them into the restaurant.

Seeing the arrival of Master Du and Lin Fu, Father Lin hurriedly waved to them and beckoned them to take a seat. Seeing that the seating was becoming sparse, Wang Sheng helped Liao Da by combining two tables.

Nanzhi and Shen Miaomiao were busy greeting guests at the entrance.

Shen family and Aunt Guihua’s brother’s family arrived together, followed by Hu San. However, Liu Jie arrived a bit late.

Even after more than halfway through the appointed hour, Wang Jingzhi was still nowhere to be seen, which left Shen Miaomiao feeling rather anxious.

She looked around, hoping to spot him.

Wang Jingzhi had become rather withdrawn after fleeing the famine and never returned home after becoming an apprentice at Jihe Hall.

He was now on his own and couldn’t possibly cut ties with all of them.

Nanzhi spent the entire time waiting for Wang Jingzhi but failed to see him; instead, she caught sight of an eccentric yet somewhat familiar figure.

Seeing him approach, Nanzhi was surprised.

"What’s the matter, you’re not welcoming me?"