northernbook Chapter 307: Preparations for Opening
Chapter 307: Preparations for Opening
Chapter 307: Preparations for Opening
After giving some instructions, Ji Meiqing called for a carriage and went to Uncle Lin's room to wake him and his two servants. She then had them move all the things they had bought the night before onto the carriage.
And so, Ji Meiqing sat in the carriage while the other three walked, and the group went to Zuixianlou. After carrying everything inside, Ji Meiqing instructed two servants to hang up the lanterns, and to take the embroidered ball, the plaque, and the writing implements from the door to the second-floor platform.
Ji Meiqing gave the instruments to Xiao Chun, Xiao Mei, and Xiao Lian, and explained the rhythm, melody, and frequency to them. The three beauties were all very clever and grasped the concepts quickly. Ji Meiqing felt everything was going smoothly. A table was set up on the stage, with writing implements on it. Screens were placed on either side of the stage. On the second floor, near the terrace, tables were laden with teapots and four cups placed upside down. Wooden planks for placing things were nailed to the walls at intervals.
Ji Meiqing felt it was about time and went downstairs. Zhang Xiaoer saw her and said, "Miss Ji, the cook you asked me to find." As he spoke, he pointed to the man next to him. Ji Meiqing looked him over; he appeared to be in his twenties or thirties, with a fleshy face and a very strong build. Ji Meiqing said directly, "Braised pork, braised fish, and stir-fried bok choy. Make these three dishes." The man quickly went into the kitchen.
Ji Meiqing asked the waiter to buy twelve fish, the type didn't matter, twenty catties of meat, and some cabbage, eggplant, green beans, and peanuts. Zhang Xiaoer thought he could buy whatever he could.
Not long after, the cook finished cooking and brought the dishes to the table. Ji Meiqing smelled the aroma, picked up her chopsticks, tasted them, and nodded in satisfaction, saying, "Not bad, not bad. A slightly higher flame would be better." After eating a few bites, Ji Meiqing invited several servants and Yin Lie to eat together.
As evening approached, Zhao Ning'er and Zhao Lei rushed over, looking apologetically at Ji Meiqing, feeling they were late. Ji Meiqing smiled at them and told them to quickly come in and change their clothes. Ji Meiqing followed them in, and after they changed, she helped them fix anything that seemed amiss.
Zhao Ning'er was already beautiful, and with light makeup, she looked like a fairy. Luckily, Old Man Yin knew martial arts, otherwise something might have happened tonight. Ji Meiqing thought to herself.
As darkness fell, Ji Meiqing instructed the servants to light all the candles, place a lantern on each side of the door, and hang the rest upstairs and downstairs. Xiao Chun, Xiao Mei, Xiao Lian, and Uncle Lin sat behind the screen. Zhao Ning'er and Zhao Lei had changed their clothes and were waiting for Ji Meiqing's instructions.
It was almost evening. Ji Meiqing stood at the door, looking at the bustling street scene, still teeming with traffic, like a city that never sleeps. A waiter arrived in a carriage and stopped in front of the restaurant. Another servant quickly helped unload the purchased groceries, discreetly checking them to make it easier to order when customers arrived. Seeing that they had all carried the groceries to the kitchen, Ji Meiqing turned to go inside.
"Whoa~" Suddenly, the sound of someone stopping a horse came from behind. Turning around, Ji Meiqing was stunned for a moment before walking over and smiling, saying, "Brother Lu, what brings you here?" Lu Yu looked at Ji Meiqing, ruffled her hair, and then turned to look inside the carriage. Ji Meiqing saw several jars of wine and suddenly remembered that Zuixianlou didn't have any wine, only the little bit they had given to Shen Bin before. Seeing Lu Yu bringing it over, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"What's wrong with you lately? You've been a bit careless with everything," Lu Yu said, looking at Ji Meiqing. Ji Meiqing, feeling a little embarrassed by his gaze, lowered her head and remained silent, her face still flushed as usual. "Oh dear, I've been too busy lately and forgot. Come in and see my setup. I'll have the servants move these wines," Ji Meiqing said, trying to hide her blushing face from Lu Yu, and quickly pushed him into the shop. Lu Yu couldn't help but chuckle secretly a few times.
Ji Meiqing called Xiao Dong out to carry all the wine inside. Xiao Dong ran out and quickly carried the wine into the shop and arranged it. When he carried the last jar, Xiao Dong stammered, "Miss... I saw that person when I came back with you. He was following you the whole time. At first, I thought he had some ulterior motive, hehe." Xiao Dong chuckled a few times after he finished speaking.
Xiao Dong carried away the last jar of wine. Ji Meiqing stood there in a daze. She had always thought Lu Yu might have gone off on something, and she hadn't interfered. But she hadn't expected that he had been silently protecting her all along. It turned out that her haggard appearance was all because of her, and she hadn't known anything about it. The more Ji Meiqing thought about it, the sadder she became, but she still forced back her tears.
Looking up, hoping her tears would stay hidden, at least so no one would see them, Ji Meiqing was suddenly patted on the shoulder from behind. She quickly wiped away her tears, turned around, and saw Lu Yu, looking somewhat stunned. Lu Yu searched her face for something, then ruffled her hair and said, "What's wrong? Why are your eyes red?" Hearing this, Ji Meiqing quickly rubbed her eyes and smiled, saying, "Huh? My eyes... I just got some sand in my eyes." Lu Yu didn't ask any further questions and took Ji Meiqing's hand as they entered the restaurant.
As darkness fell, the candles and lanterns inside made the night less dark, and the restaurant no longer seemed as deserted as before. After everything was ready, Ji Meiqing told the waiter to wait at the door until the drums and gongs on the second floor started beating before setting off firecrackers, and to announce to the outside world that there would be an even more exciting performance in the restaurant.
Shen Bin, whom she hadn't seen all day, arrived late. Ji Meiqing smiled and stepped forward, saying, "Young Master Lu, you've come at the perfect time. When the show starts, sit upstairs and watch the performance. And if you'd like anything to eat, just have the chef make it. The more the better." Although Shen Bin didn't know why she wanted him to do this, he still complied with Ji Meiqing's suggestion. He didn't know if it was out of habit or what.
Lu Yu appeared at some point and remained silent upon seeing Shen Bin. He walked directly towards Ji Meiqing, who asked Shen Bin in confusion, "Miss Ji, who is this?"
Ji Meiqing didn't hide anything and said, "This is my husband," while taking Lu Yu's arm. Lu Yu looked at Ji Meiqing with doting eyes. Shen Bin's eyes dimmed slightly when he heard Ji Meiqing's answer, but only for a moment. He smiled and nodded, then went into the shop and went straight to the second floor.
Seeing Shen Bin go inside, Ji Meiqing followed suit. Lu Yu pulled her aside and asked, "What are you going in for? Wasn't everything arranged?" Ji Meiqing turned around and gave Lu Yu a knowing look, leaving him completely bewildered. Ji Meiqing took his hand and said, "I have duties tonight, let's go."
Although Lu Yu didn't understand, he still followed him inside. For him, whatever Ji Meiqing said was law; this was his way of protecting her. When they went in, Ji Meiqing was no longer there. Lu Yu didn't know where she had gone, but he wouldn't interfere with anything Ji Meiqing wanted to do. He would simply wait quietly for her to finish what she needed to do.
I don't know why, but there were so many people here tonight. Inside the restaurant, there was the sound of gongs and drums, and below, firecrackers—a truly noisy scene. People on the street, hearing the commotion, all rushed over to see what was happening. The waiter at the door called out, "The Drunken Immortal Restaurant is newly opened today! There are wonderful performances inside; anyone who wants to come in can come and see!" People are naturally curious, and as soon as the waiter called out, they were immediately drawn into the restaurant.
Shen Bin, who was originally sitting on the second floor, was quite surprised to see so many people suddenly arrive. He smiled, thinking of the surprise Ji Meiqing had brought him, and felt so happy. But when he thought that she was already married, he felt an indescribable sense of loss.