Reborn in the 90s, I traded my ex-husband for eight apartments.

The next day, as soon as it was light, Jing Si went to the train station and bought three tickets to Chengdu for around 8 a.m.

After breakfast, Dong Juan took her daughter and son-in-law out.

Bai Chengxiang and Xu Yin went to the braised meat shop, while Bai Zhenzhu, Bai Chenglei, and Liu Fang were busy with the restaurant's opening.

Bai Zhenzhu consulted the old almanac and found that tomorrow would be an auspicious day. She felt that everything was ready except for the opening of the business.

So we need to stock up on some goods today, and finalize the menu as well.

I took almost everything from the grain and oil store next door: rice, oil, vermicelli, some dried goods, cigarettes and alcohol, etc.

Miao Wei recorded everything in the accounts using carbon paper, and immediately gave Bai Zhenzhu a copy. They would settle the accounts at the end of the month.

Then I went to the market and ordered vegetables from Mei Xiulian for tomorrow, asking her to deliver them at eight o'clock in the morning.

Then I went to the butcher and ordered the pork belly and lean ribs I wanted, asking him to deliver them to the store at 8 o'clock.

This meat seller is the one that supplies braised meat shops; the owner is also a very honest person.

There are two fishmongers in the market, and Bai Zhenzhu had already set her sights on one of them. However, she didn't dare to buy too many fish, so she asked the owner to deliver two for the time being tomorrow.

I went and bought a bunch of seasonings.

It was the first time Liu Fang and Bai Chenglei had realized that cooking required so many ingredients, such as soy sauce, MSG, cooking wine, and five-spice powder. No wonder the dishes cooked by restaurant chefs were so delicious.

After they had walked around the market, almost everyone knew that the Good Taste Restaurant was opening the next day.

We've bought most of the groceries. As for the cutting board, kitchen knife, and other kitchen utensils, the couple who sold the house left all the kitchenware behind. We don't need to buy any more pots, pans, bowls, or plates for now; we'll just make do with what we have.

However, Bai Zhenzhu bought new chopsticks.

In the afternoon, Bai Zhenzhu took Liu Fang and Bai Chenglei to the department store and bought a Haier refrigerator and two ceiling fans.

As Liu Fang emerged from the department store, her gaze remained fixed:

"It's too expensive, the things inside are ridiculously expensive."

Those appliances all cost four figures, which shattered Liu Fang's worldview.

She had initially wondered who would buy such an expensive refrigerator, but her sister-in-law bought one without batting an eye for 1988 yuan.

What a concept!

Bai Zhenzhu felt that the money had to be spent, since it was impossible to prepare the ingredients perfectly, and they would spoil if they were stored without a refrigerator.

When I passed by the cosmetics counter, I bought four more sets of cosmetics.

Then he took Bai Chenglei and Liu Fang to Xia He's place to buy them clothes.

Not only the eldest brother and sister-in-law, but also the second brother and sister-in-law bought two outfits each.

Bai Chenglei and Liu Fang were both taken aback by Bai Zhenzhu's spending spree and kept saying no.

Bai Zhenzhu then said:

"In business, we also need to present a good image. If we look clean and presentable, customers will feel more at ease eating here."

Xia He echoed:

"Yes, yes, brother and sister-in-law, don't worry, I won't make money off you with these clothes, I'll give Pearl the wholesale price."

Liu Fang held the shirt in her hand, feeling extremely happy. This was clothing worn by city people; it was so beautiful.

Looking at Xia He's fashionable attire, she realized it was exactly like the people on TV. No wonder she had opened such a large clothing store at such a young age and her business was so good.

Upon hearing that the restaurant was opening tomorrow, Xia He immediately said she would come to support it at noon tomorrow.

The four returned to the restaurant and resumed their busy work.

Bai Chenglei bought a sunshade. It's sold in general stores, and the owner even installs it. It works on a similar principle to a roller shutter; you can take it down at night and open it during the day. Almost every household here has one.

Bai Zhenzhu and Liu Fang then disassembled the cigarettes and alcohol and arranged them in the cabinet. There were cigarettes and alcohol of all grades, and once they were all arranged, the effect was indeed very good.

Miao Wei saw it and immediately said it was good, and that he also wanted to order one.

Bai Zhenzhu happened to need to order a cooked food display case, so she asked Miao Wei to take the dimensions, and then she called Guo Yongliang to order it together.

Around five o'clock, the refrigerator that Bai Zhenzhu bought arrived. Once it was placed in the store, the ceiling fan seller also carried scaffolding to install the ceiling fans, making the whole restaurant look more upscale.

The other ceiling fan was for the braised meat shop. The installer installed this one and then went to install it at the braised meat shop.

Zhang Hongying praised, "Pearl, your shop is no worse than that big restaurant."

Bai Zhenzhu was also happy; this was exactly the effect she wanted.

Taking the low-end route is not only hard work but also doesn't pay much; she wants to take the high-end route.

Don't be fooled by the fact that many things sold in this market are cheaper than in department stores. The people doing business here are all wealthy, and those who come here to shop aren't necessarily poor either.

As society develops, people's consumption levels will increase, and their pursuit of delicious food will also increase.

She believed that if braised meat could make money, a restaurant could definitely make money too.

After dinner, Bai Zhenzhu took out a piece of red paper and wrote down the menu.

Upon seeing the pricing, Liu Fang and Xu Yin exchanged a glance, both feeling uneasy.

Xu Yin: "Pearl, isn't the sauerkraut fish too expensive?"

Upon seeing her description of Xinjiang-style braised chicken, even Bai Chenglei couldn't sit still:

"Pearl, what is this Xinjiang-style braised chicken? It costs 38 yuan a serving, isn't that too expensive?"

38 yuan! That's several days' wages for an average person. Who would spend that much money on a single dish?

Isn't this just being ripped off?

Bai Zhenzhu smiled and said:

"Both of these dishes are main courses. For example, this Xinjiang-style big plate chicken, I'm pretty sure that only our family in the whole county has it. This dish is served with steamed buns and mantou. A large portion requires a whole chicken weighing about five jin (2.5 kg), which is enough for the whole family."

Authentic Xinjiang-style braised chicken is served with noodles, but I don't know how to make those noodles, so I thought it would be good to use steamed buns instead.

This dish was made when she was working a job. She had accidentally saved her boss's son, and the boss treated her to a meal at a fancy restaurant.

It is said that the restaurant was opened by a boss who had been to Xinjiang, and the dishes there are very unique.

Bai Chengxiang asked curiously:

"Is this dish from Xinjiang? I heard Xinjiang is very far away, and it takes several days to get there by train."

Liu Fang also asked curiously:

"Pearl, how did you find out about this dish?"

White pearls can only lie:

"I heard from someone that this dish exists in Xinjiang. The one I make is definitely different from the local version, but in Yuan County, it is absolutely the first of its kind."

Bai Chengxiang's mind works quickly:

"This pickled fish is quite novel, Pearl. Are you trying to attract customers with novel dishes?"

Bai Zhenzhu didn't really think that much about it; she just wanted to replicate all the dishes she had ever seen before.

Unfortunately, we were poor back then, so we had very limited opportunities to eat out and didn't get to try many dishes.

"That's the idea. No matter what you do, you have to be innovative. Every household can cook their own home-style dishes. If we run a restaurant, we need to have some dishes that are inconvenient to make at home, or dishes that others don't know how to make but taste very good, in order to attract customers."

Liu Fang looked at Bai Zhenzhu with admiration:

"Pearl is really smart."

They couldn't have come up with these things even if they racked their brains. It's amazing that Pearl could think of them. We should listen to her.

The menu is finalized, and we're just waiting to open tomorrow.

Xu Yin gave all of today's earnings to Bai Zhenzhu. After deducting costs, the net profit was just over one hundred.

I'm just waiting for the grand opening of Hao Wei Dao tomorrow.