The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

It turns out that after he got off work last night, he heard from the villagers that the "hot pot" place in Baicaoyuan was having a three-day opening promotion, with prices practically free.

I heard that a family of five would only spend less than fifty coins to eat there, and five big men would only spend one hundred coins.

It's not only cheap, but also very delicious.

His mouth watered just listening to it; if he weren't afraid the shopkeeper would find out, he would have definitely gone to try it himself.

The shopkeeper nodded; he agreed.

Moreover, he noticed that most of the people who ate at the Hundred Herbs Garden were ordinary folks, and those people probably didn't have much money.

This herb garden is so lavishly renovated, I never expected it to be doing business with ordinary people.

Unlike his Drunken Immortal Pavilion, where only the rich and powerful dine.

Business has been slow these past few days. It must be because there are too many people across the street, making a lot of noise. Those rich people are always so refined.

They definitely wouldn't want to join in the fun.

In a few days, once the opening promotions across the street are over, his business will definitely pick up again.

His restaurant has the best chef in the entire Xin'an County.

He looked at the crowd queuing across the street with a hint of bitterness, deciding to ignore it to avoid further annoyance.

He turned around, intending to go back to the counter to settle his bill.

"Boss, we have a customer!!!" He suddenly heard the waiter's loud voice.

The thought of scolding the waiter was interrupted by the arrival of a series of magnificent carriages at the entrance.

He said, "How could my restaurant, the best in Xin'an County, have no customers during mealtimes?"

The guests at Zuixianlou are different from those at Baicaoyuan across the street; their guests all arrive by horse-drawn carriage to dine.

They wouldn't bother queuing up early just to save a few dollars.

Those who come to Zuixianlou to eat are all people who are not short of money.

He put on his warmest smile, turned around, and ran towards the door.

In the middle of the road, the VIP was helped down by his family's servants.

I never expected it to be someone I knew.

The shopkeeper immediately stepped forward to greet him, "Master Ma, what brings you here?"

"I've reserved a private room especially for you. How many people are coming today?"

Master Ma greeted him with a smile, "Oh, shopkeeper, why are you out here to greet guests today?"

He glanced inside through the door; the hall was empty.

No wonder.

"I saw your carriage from afar and came here especially to greet you."

After he finished speaking, Manager Ma touched his nose somewhat awkwardly.

He looked at the Hundred Herbs Garden across from Zuixianlou and said, "Manager, this newly opened restaurant across from you looks much more impressive than yours."

The innkeeper smiled and said, "No matter how grand it is, it's useless. A restaurant is mainly for eating, and the best thing is that the food suits the guests' tastes."

Master Ma glanced at the long queue that had formed at the entrance across the street, and then at the deserted hall of Zuixianlou.

It seems the food there is more to the guests' liking.

"Master Ma, please come inside first. I'll have the waiter warm up a pot of the wine you stored here for you."

Master Ma waved his hand, "I can't go today. I'm having dinner across the street at the invitation of a friend."

The shopkeeper's smile froze. "You didn't come here to eat at Zuixianlou today!"

Without further ado, Master Ma led his servants across the street.

The shopkeeper mentally grumbled a bit.

He certainly wouldn't dare to curse in front of the guests.

Looking at the carriages behind him, he had no choice but to put on a smile again and greet the guests in the carriages behind.

However, he did not expect that the other guests also got off the carriage and went straight to the Hundred Herbs Garden across the street.

They didn't even glance at it.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the queue opposite him, he was repeatedly proven wrong.

I've been so horny I just want to crawl into a hole and disappear.

In all his years—no, in all the years that Zuixianlou has been open—this was the first time he had ever been so embarrassed.

Enraged, he kicked the waiter hard and hurriedly fled back to Zuixianlou.

The waiter was suddenly kicked to the ground by the shopkeeper and didn't recover for a long time.

This wasn't the first time he'd been hit by the shopkeeper.

He looked across the street and remembered what his friend from the same village had said.

He began to hesitate.

The ordinary people queuing across the street watched as the distinguished guests arrived in horse-drawn carriages and were led up to the second and third floors.

Although they were envious, they were also extremely unwilling to go.

I heard that you have to pay to get into the private rooms.

They came here to take advantage of others.

I would never go to a private room.

These distinguished guests were led by the staff of Baicaoyuan to private rooms on the second and third floors.

When they heard the price of the private room on the fourth floor, they all frowned and made no choice.

The main reason is that it is too expensive.

Each time, it costs at least two hundred taels of silver.

They're just here to join in the fun; the second and third floors are fine.

However, when they entered the private room, they were shocked by its luxurious and exquisite decor.

This private room is far superior to the one at Zuixianlou across the street.

This isn't even the most luxurious one; the private rooms on the fourth floor must be amazing.

They all became curious as well.

Shen's Restaurant is open for business as usual today. With the stalls at the dock, it's not as busy as usual.

However, it was still packed with people at mealtimes.

They already have a large number of regular customers who are used to the taste of the food here.

After finishing her work at noon, Li Xiaoyu went to Baicaoyuan to help out.

Shen Cao waited in the kitchen for a long time, and all she did was fry crispy pork.

Fried brown sugar rice cake.

These tasks required little technical skill, so she completely delegated them to Li Xiaoyu.

She and Wanyue first went to the first floor to take a look, and then went to the second and third floors to look around.

With Ji Lingfeng's help, everything proceeded smoothly.

She then took Wanyue to a private room on the fourth floor.

Now, they use one of the private rooms on the fourth floor as a lounge.

"Things should be easier after the opening event is over!" Although Wanyue didn't need to lift a finger, she greeted every customer with a smile.

She felt like her face was going to freeze from smiling.

This was the first time in her thirteen years of life that she had ever done something like selling smiles.

She wouldn't have agreed if it weren't for Sister Cao'er.

However, seeing so many people here still gave her a sense of satisfaction.

She's about to start earning money, without relying on anyone else; she'll earn it all herself.

This feels so good.

Sister Grass was right, she hadn't lied to her.

Shen Cao thought for a moment and nodded, "It should be."

The large number of people was exactly what she had expected.

She noticed this when she was at Shen's restaurant; most people in Xin'an County had a preference for strong flavors.

The chili oil on the table in her family's restaurant is almost freshly made every day.

That hot pot must be quite attractive in Xin'an County.

You should know that hot pot was a staple in the catering industry in its previous life.

They are not only ubiquitous in China, but also very common abroad.

She remembered that in her past life, when she was watching videos, a blogger asked foreigners what Chinese food they liked to eat the most.

Eighty percent of them would say 'hot pot'.

With such a popular hot pot, it's impossible that it wouldn't become a hit in Xin'an County.

Her goal is not just limited to Xin'an County.

She wants to open branches of Baicaoyuan all over the country!