Chapter 712 - 714: Farewell Banquet, Buffet
The next day, Bai Ruozhu began to prepare for leaving Beiyu City. She filled porcelain bottles with sterilized mud from the pond and sealed them, handing them over to Fang Guizhi.
"The production process is really complex. Without knowledge of medicine, it’s hard to get a grip on it. So, I made more, enough for a two-month supply. But you must hide it well and not let anyone take it." Bai Ruozhu made up a lie since she herself didn’t know how to make the white jade cream. How could she possibly teach Guizhi?
To avoid raising suspicion, she didn’t teach Guizhi the making of Pearl Jade Cream either, citing its overly complex production process. She prepared many bottles of Pearl Jade Cream for Guizhi and instructed her to take good care of them.
Guizhi very carefully stowed everything away. However, she didn’t feel entirely at ease. She decided to take only one bottle to the Hot Spring Mansion and return for more when it was almost used up.
Bai Ruozhu nodded. She found Guizhi to have matured significantly.
She went to meet Shen Lu at the reception house and told him about her plan to go to the Capital. Upon hearing the news, Shen Lu immediately asked, "Will you be settling there, or are you coming back soon?"
"I will be back in a month or two," Bai Ruozhu said with a smile.
"I am also about to go to the Capital soon to oversee the reception house there. Who knows, we might come across each other," Shen Lu said with a merry laugh.
Bai Ruozhu was reminded of an old saying and shared it with Shen Lu, "We will meet again if we are destined to."
Shen Lu laughed and said, "Indeed, we are destined. I heard that you have become Elder Lin’s disciple."
Seeing the fox-like smile on Shen Lu’s face, Bai Ruozhu had a sudden realization. "Are you one of my master’s subordinates?"
"Ha, did you just realize that now? I’m part of the Commerce Association, although my status is not very high," Shen Lu answered with a chuckle.
Bai Ruozhu suspected Shen Lu must have other powerful affiliations besides the association. Otherwise, even the association might have dissolved his reception house.
After some casual chat, she steered the conversation to the main topic, "Master Shen, before my departure, I’m planning to throw a farewell dinner here at your venue. I am willing to bear all the costs.
I hope you can also attend."
Upon hearing this, Shen Lu immediately agreed. Circulating from the backyard to the front yard was not really a big deal for him, so what reason could there be to refuse?
"Forget about the expenses. Let it be a farewell present from me to you. You are attracting business to our restaurant," Shen Lu said.
Naturally, Bai Ruozhu was more than happy to save money. She thought for a moment and said, "I have an idea. If the event is successful, we could make it a regular thing here. It could be my contribution to the restaurant."
Knowing Bai Ruozhu possessed many creative ideas, Shen Lu perked up and asked, "What is it?"
"Buffet," Bai Ruozhu answered, her pride evident in her smile. She then explained the concept to Shen Lu, specifying what they would need and providing an estimate of its layout. She requested that the venue
be reserved for an hour and a half starting at noon five days from now, during which time no other customers would be allowed.
An hour and a half was equivalent to three hours, which should be more than enough time for a buffet.
Shen Lu found it very novel; he had never heard of such a concept before.
"If we serve customers this way, they might consume without limitation. Wouldn’t we be running a loss?" Shen Lu asked with some misgivings.
"So, I am not asking you to turn the entire restaurant into a buffet. We can have it on the first and the fifteenth of every month as a way to give back to our regular customers. Only regular customers will be allowed to book places in advance. The number of guests allowed in will also be limited. As for the price, it can’t be too low. For example, calculate how much one person would spend at a regular ten-person feast and then mark up that price by 30%. Think about it; the guests who come are either rich or noble. How many of them can eat without a break?" Bai Ruozhu explained.
"Of course, there are other considerations. This style of buffet will only be available for one hour. With a time limit, how much can customers really eat? As for the unlimited supply of precious dishes we provide, they must be limited in number. For example, for stewed bird’s nest, only one cup can be served per person at a time. More will be given only when the previous one is finished. Naturally, this dish should be placed furthest away from the seats. Furthermore, you can hang the "Chilling Millet" poem on the wall to remind guests not to waste food."
Shen Lu felt Bai Ruozhu’s explanations to be very coherent. He nodded in agreement and said, "Okay, I will prepare all the necessary items in the next few days and let you review them."
"Thank you, Master Shen. After seeing the results, consider if you want to use it more frequently in the restaurant," Bai Ruozhu added.
Stroking his beard, Shen Lu gratefully replied, "How did you come up with this idea? You always have a dazzling array of novel ideas, don’t you?"
Bai Ruozhu modestly replied, "This was not my own innovation. I heard about it from a merchant who had visited Western countries. He told me the Westerners like to have buffets in nice weather on the grass. However, they tend to do it more for afternoon tea, the scene is very cozy. Perhaps in the future the restaurant can host banquets for homes using this format."
"Good, good. I’m looking forward to seeing the results," Shen Lu responded sincerely.
Next, Bai Ruozhu went to Hua Xiangrong’s Weaving Pavilion. The shop was doing well, so she joined Fusa in serving the customers for a bit.
After a while, the lady who rented the shop to Bai Ruozhu, Mrs. Liu, arrived. She said to Bai Ruozhu with a smile, "Ruozhu, I was just looking for you. It just so happens that you’re here, saving me the trouble of finding you."
"What is it, any problems?" Bai Ruozhu asked with a smile.
Still smiling, Mrs. Liu, however, delivered hard words, "I originally intended to rent this shop to you, but now I’ve found a sudden use for it. I can’t rent it out any longer. I’ll make up for the lease termination before pay period. "
Bai Ruozhu and Fusa were both taken aback. They had only just gotten their business off the ground, and now this woman was saying she wasn’t renting the shop anymore? What was this all about?
"Mrs. Liu, are you experiencing some difficulties? Why don’t you tell us about it? Maybe I can help," Bai Ruozhu offered carefully.
"I originally rented the shop out because my business wasn’t doing well. But now, my niece is starting a business, so I will soon need to give her the shop as dowry. There’s really nothing I can do about it. Since we have had a good relationship, let’s not make each other’s life difficult. Maybe you could rent another shop somewhere else?" Mrs. Liu continued fanning herself with a handkerchief, seemingly impatient.
Bai Ruozhu’s face darkened. Was this a sign that they were ready to turn against her?