Chapter 280: The Opening of the Song Family Porridge Shop

Chapter 280: The Opening of the Song Family Porridge Shop

"I will only love by association, loving you and caring for your family as well."

"Because they are my family too."

A wave of emotion surged in Song Que's heart.

He tightened his arms around the person in his embrace.

"So, she is not you."

"And the one I will fall in love with is only you."

Qin Xiaoyao's heart trembled, all his worries vanished.

He added more strength to his embrace, feeling sweet and content.

"In the future, let's have a good life together," Song Que murmured softly.

"Um."

In the following days, many people came to visit the Song family.

Qin Xiaoyao and Song Que took advantage of their holiday to visit other families as well.

It wasn't until the fifth day that the two finally had some free time.

They spent two more days at home in peace, and on the seventh day, they resumed their busy lives.

On the eighth day, the Song Family Porridge Shop officially opened for business.

Early in the morning, quite a few people had already gathered in the shop.

Most were Song Que's colleagues from the government office and military commanders.

Many local residents also came to join in the festivities, as the renovation of the Song Family Porridge Shop had been quite a spectacle.

To celebrate the opening, the shop offered special promotions.

The main porridge dishes provided by the Song Family Porridge Shop included Century Egg and Shredded Pork Porridge, Century Egg Porridge, Vegetable Porridge, Eight Treasure Porridge, and Plain Porridge.

In terms of price, the Century Egg and Shredded Pork Porridge was the most expensive, costing ten coins per bowl.

Next was the Century Egg Porridge at eight coins, followed by the Eight Treasure Porridge at six coins, the Vegetable Porridge at four coins, and the Plain Porridge at three coins.

Besides the porridge, the shop also sold buns, steamed buns, spring rolls, sesame balls, glutinous rice cakes, and fried dough sticks, all priced similarly to the market.

Additionally, pickled vegetables were provided free of charge, with each customer receiving a small dish of pickles.

In short, it was like a high-quality breakfast place from before the apocalypse.

On the opening day, customers who spent ten coins or more received a one-coin discount.

At the same time, Qin Xiaoyao introduced a membership card service.

If a customer was willing to pay one hundred coins to get a VIP card, they would receive a two-coin discount for every ten coins spent in the future at the Song Family Porridge Shop.

Since the porridge and breakfast items at the Song Family Porridge Shop were indeed delicious and reasonably priced compared to the current prices in Lingquan Town, many chose to get the card.

Qin Xiaoyao, along with Wang Xiaomei, was busy selling items, collecting money, and handling card applications.

In addition to dine-in services, the Song Family Porridge Shop also offered takeout options, allowing customers to bring their own containers or use the shop's containers with a deposit.

By mid-morning, many satisfied customers had left with packed meals.

As a result, the porridge prepared in advance by the Song Family Porridge Shop was quickly running low.

Not only the porridge but also items like steamed buns, spring rolls, sesame balls, and glutinous rice cakes were selling fast.

Liu Shi, accompanied by Song Yun and the three hired aunts, worked tirelessly in the kitchen, continuously making porridge, steamed buns, and frying spring rolls and sesame balls.

Once the finished products were ready, Liu Erniu, acting as a waiter, quickly delivered them to the front hall for Qin Xiaoyao and Wang Xiaomei to sell.

Despite their efforts, the production speed could hardly keep up with the sales pace, and they were constantly being urged.

It wasn't until the fourth hour of the morning (10 AM) that the number of customers in the porridge shop finally decreased.

Everyone, who had been busy non-stop, heaved a sigh of relief.

By noon, when only a couple of customers remained, Qin Xiaoyao finally allowed everyone to rest and eat.

The meal consisted of the leftover porridge and dishes from the shop.

Everyone was exhausted, and the food was so delicious that they all ate more than they intended.

Especially the three aunts hired by Qin Xiaoyao, who nearly overate.

Given the scarcity of food now, these poor women rarely indulged in such rich porridge or a variety of dishes.

Working at the porridge shop, they knew the prices of these items.

At this rate, a single meal would cost no less than twenty coins.

Combined with their daily wage of fifty coins, their income was quite substantial.

The only downside was that they couldn't take any of the food home.

Although it was half price to take away, they still felt it was a bit expensive.

Seeing this, Qin Xiaoyao didn't say much more.

Instead, he said that everyone had worked hard today and needed to eat well.

The porridge shop currently only operated in the morning and at noon, but from today's situation, business was so good that everyone's workload was not light.

After closing, on the way back, Qin Xiaoyao discussed with everyone about hiring more people.

"We need to make some adjustments to our work," Qin Xiaoyao said.

"In the future, selling porridge and handling cash will be led by Xiao Mei, with Yun'er and Mother working together."

If she had time, she could also help with the cash register, but she couldn't guarantee her presence every day.

The ideal state for the porridge shop would be to run smoothly even without her.

The three people mentioned were taken aback.

"Can we really do that? How about I stay in the kitchen and help with making buns?" Lady Liu said uncertainly.

Although the kitchen was busy, she didn't have to deal with customers, and she felt she could manage.

But if she went to the front, she would have to serve customers and handle money, and she was afraid she wouldn't be able to cope.

Song Yun also looked at Qin Xiaoyao with some anxiety.

She wanted to help in the front, but she was also worried she wouldn't be able to handle it.

Qin Xiaoyao smiled.

"Don't worry, it's fine if you're a bit slow. I'll be watching over these few days, and Xiao Mei will be here too; nothing will go wrong."

Wang Xiaomei looked at the two of them, "That's right! The work in the front isn't complicated, just helping to serve meals and calculate bills. With Auntie and Yun'er's math skills, it shouldn't be difficult."

"As for the customers who want to get membership cards, we can let Sister-in-law handle it." She then looked at Qin Xiaoyao.

Qin Xiaoyao's lips curled up, "Alright, for the next few days, I'll handle the membership card users."

Later, he planned to hand this task over to Wang Xiaomei as well.

After all, his original plan was to entrust the management of the porridge shop to Wang Xiaomei. Of course, this would be after the shop was running smoothly.

Hearing this, Lady Liu and Song Yun felt more reassured and finally agreed.

"Then what about the kitchen—" Lady Liu asked again.

She was worried that without herself and her daughter, the kitchen might be overwhelmed.

"We'll hire two more people to help prepare meals. Additionally, we'll hire someone specifically to help with cleaning and washing dishes in the kitchen."

Previously, they hadn't expected the business to be so good, and the cleaning and dishwashing in the kitchen were done by Lady Liu and others.

This slowed down the meal preparation, affecting the speed of service.

Since labor costs weren't high, having more people to share the workload would make things easier, with everyone focusing on their own tasks.

"I've already asked Erniu to check with Aunt Liu. If she's willing to come, she can handle the cleaning and dishwashing," Qin Xiaoyao said.

"And if Little Miss Liu is willing to help with meal preparation, we'll only need to hire one more person."