Because there was enough sauce color, the braised lion head was extremely bright in color, the soup was full and rich, and the round meatballs tasted full of meat, with crispy yam. The crisp texture and rich and fragrant taste could be said to be full of fragrance in your mouth.

And the braised lion head could be said to be a pure meat dish. It would be full of satisfaction after you eat it, and it would definitely make people addicted.

As for the last dish, which Su Yujin said should be available in her restaurant but not in other restaurants, after discussing it with Zheng Mingyuan, she finally decided on the fruit-wood roast duck.

As for the reasons, Su Yujin thinks there were three reasons.

Firstly, although ducks were quite common in Qinghe County, eating duck meat there was not very popular. Moreover, because duck meat was difficult to cook, stewing it made the meat less tender compared to chicken, and the soup was not as fragrant as chicken soup. Therefore, people were also curious about the taste of delicious duck.

Secondly, the roast duck had crispy skin and a tender inside. It tasted rich and not greasy, which suited the taste needs of local people. It was more acceptable than the salted duck, sour radish and old duck soup sold in other restaurants.

Thirdly, when eating roast duck, it was served sliced and plated, accompanied by shredded scallions and small pancakes for rolling. Eating it was more troublesome than ordinary dishes and appeared more ceremonial. Compared to the sauce duck that could be casually picked up with chopsticks, roast duck made people feel more refined and presentable.

In short, Zheng Mingyuan also felt that what Su Yujin said was reasonable. He spent a few days using the branches of the apple tree to bake a fruit-wood roast duck that was truly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with bright reddish brown skin, and let Su Yujin taste it.

The portion of the duck slices was just right, with just the right amount of fat and leanness, and the taste was fragrant and refreshing, leaving you with an endless aftertaste.

“It tastes very good.” Su Yujin nodded repeatedly.

Even compared to the authentic Pecking Roast Duck she ate in the modern world, it was not that bad.

With this kind of taste, once the restaurant opened, it would definitely be filled with guests and friends.

Su Yujin felt that she didn’t need to worry about the dishes at all.

There was also no need to worry about the daily management of the restaurant and the hiring and training of waiters.

Li Shi helped introduce the two managers, one with the surname Wu and the other with the surname Guo. They were both about the same age, in their mid-thirties, and had worked with the Zhou family for many years and were very experienced managers.

Su Yujin inquired about it and found that Wu Jiantong loved food, was very knowledgeable about detail management in business operations, and was more active and enthusiastic about this position than shopkeeper Guo.

In the end, Su Yujin decided to appoint Wu Jiantong as the chief manager of the restaurant. In addition to the regular monthly salary, Su Yujin also gave Wu Jiantong half of the restaurant’s shares, allowing him to receive a certain amount of dividends.

Wu Jiantong was very happy about this, and he was also very grateful to Su Yujin. He felt that his boss was very good at doing things and he had been working very hard since the early stages of preparing the restaurant.

In terms of staff, due to tight finances and long-term considerations, they purchased four employees. They mainly worked in the kitchen for procurement and assisting with cooking. For other roles such as serving and accounting, they sought out experienced individuals from outside.

Everything was moving forward in an orderly manner.

As for the colored silk banners, the red lanterns hanging at the door, and the arrangement and cleaning of cups, plates, bowls, and other trivial details, Wu Jiantong managed everything meticulously. Su Yujin didn’t have to worry about anything at all.

It was truly a state of being a hands-off boss, where Su Yujin could just relax, drink tea, bask in the sun, and take leisurely strolls without a care in the world. It couldn’t have been better.

The corners of Su Yujin’s lips curved again and again, and she just asked Ai Cao and Mother Liu to make sugar-fried chestnuts and hawthorn balls with her.

Wild chestnuts were prepared by making small slits before frying, then placing them in a pot filled with finely crushed but evenly sized stones. Honey and white sugar were added, and they were constantly stir-fried to ensure the chestnuts were heated evenly. The aroma of the chestnuts filled the entire courtyard as they cooked.

Hawthorn balls were also made by frying, but sugar was used directly. After frying until it became sticky, hawthorn was added, so that the hawthorn was covered with even frosting, forming the shape of a small round snowball.

The sugar-fried chestnuts had a sweet and fragrant taste, with a powdery texture when eaten, filling the mouth with rich flavor. The hawthorn balls were sour and sweet, refreshing the palate and aiding digestion. Just when one became tired of eating chestnuts, a few hawthorn balls provided relief from the monotony.

If your stomach felt empty after eating hawthorn balls, take half a plate of chestnuts to cushion your stomach…

What a perfect match!

On the twenty-second day of the twelfth lunar month, it was an auspicious day according to the almanac, with no taboos to be observed.

The restaurant opened on this day.

Wu Jiantong invited suona, gongs, drums, and lion dancers to have a lively party at the door of the restaurant, scattered the opening ceremony money, and amid the crackling of firecrackers, unveiled the red silk on the plaque hanging on the front door of the restaurant.

Three golden characters appeared in front of everyone – Huibin Building.

Three days before the inn’s grand opening, dishes were discounted by 20% while beverages were discounted by 10%. Additionally, for any customer spending more than one or two taels of silver, an extra small portion of pickled grass carp was given as a complimentary gift.

Naturally, the special dish Mapo Tofu was not included in the discount.

However, despite the dish already being priced quite low, its appearance and taste were both excellent. Combined with the overall promotional activities and the fact that it was a new restaurant opening, the variety displayed on the signboard outside was also very enticing.

Dishes like chopped chili fish head, embracing carp, jade belt shrimp, fish-flavored eggplant, steamed chicken with rice flour, Mei Cai Kou Rou (pork belly with preserved mustard greens), Dongpo pork, crispy fried sweet and sour pork, plum-flavored spare ribs, jade-like duck tongue, assorted honeycomb tofu, and glutinous rice chicken were all available…

On the first day of the Huibin Building, the house was full of guests and friends, and it was very lively.

On the second day, the reception hall was packed with people.

On the third day, business in the Huibin Building was booming.

On the fourth day, the Huibin Building still received a lot of gold.

On the fifth day, the business of Huibin Building was rising steadily.

…….

After bustling for half a month, the business at the restaurant continued to thrive, even surpassing the original other restaurants and ranking second. Seeing silver coins pouring in daily, Su Yujin’s smile grew wider.

With this income and her share of the profits, she was receiving around three to four hundred taels of silver in net profit each month. At this rate, the inn would break even in about six months, and thereafter, it would be pure profit.

The future looked promising!

As the days moved into the twelfth lunar month, nearing the end of the year, the weather turned bitterly cold. The northwest wind felt like knives, and snowflakes danced and scattered everywhere.

Su Ji was now managed by Shuang Ye and Qing Kui, and Wu Jiantong was in charge of the Huibin Building. Su Yujin didn’t have to worry about any of them. She was also afraid of the cold. On a day like this, she just sat in the room drinking tea and reading books.

When she started feeling restless from the idleness, Su Yujin called for Ai Cao and Mama Liu to fetch some fresh mutton and prepare it for barbecue.

On a small charcoal stove and an iron plate, put some marinated chicken wings on the edge and simmer slowly, rub some oil in the middle, add some garlic slices, put the thinly sliced ​​mutton slices on top, and wait until it changes color and was cooked. Eat it directly over the charcoal stove, it was the most tender and delicious food.

(End of this chapter)

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T/N Sorry for the irratic updates. My youngest son’s school exam was going on which ended just yesterday. He will be starting his final school year this April. so this exam was very important. And here is an interesting article about Pecking duck that you can read.

And a video on how it is made