Chapter 23 Grand Opening

Chapter 23 Grand Opening

Amidst the excited chatter, Kang Ping bowed to everyone, "Thank you, esteemed guests. Our Gather Good Fortune Building has been renovated and is now a buffet restaurant. That means everything here is all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink!"

"Wow—"

The scene erupted like a boiling pot, everyone was buzzing with excitement.

"All-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink!"

"Is this for real?"

"What's included?"

"Absolutely true, we have fruits, pastries, various cold dishes, steamed foods, roasted chicken, roasted pork, barbecued duck, barbecued meat, even the drinks are free!"

Everyone around them became even more excited.

"There's roasted chicken and pork? Barbecued duck and meat? All meats unlimited?!"

"Mom, I can smell the meat—it's really fragrant!"

"Manager Kang! How much is it?!"

"Thanks to your support, our new establishment offers a special opening price. Originally forty cash per person, but now it's half off at twenty cash per person. For children under ten and seniors over fifty, it's another half off!"

Kang Ping's tongue started to tie up as he spoke.

My dear aunt and uncle! This isn't a restaurant; it's a charity hall!

Even a charity hall wouldn't do this!

"My goodness! Unlimited meat and so cheap!"

"Is this a scam?"

"Gather Good Fortune Building has been around for over a decade, it's a property of Ningyang Marquis's residence. Why would they scam you?"

"But this price feels too good to be true!"

"What are you waiting for? Hurry in and grab some!"

After Kang Ping announced the prices, most of the onlookers rushed inside.

The remaining half couldn't afford the twenty cash per person, as money was hard to come by these days. Even having a few dozen cash coins was enough for the family's food for several days, so they wouldn't dare spend it frivolously.

They could only continue watching as those with savings burst into the Gather Good Fortune Buffet, exclaiming in amazement.

"Oh my god! It's true!"

"So many pastries, eat quickly!"

"There's really meat! Grab it fast!"

"Ningyang Marquis's residence is doing charity!"

The poor outside could only envy those inside who seemed to have entered paradise. The aroma of roasted meat wafted out, making them drool with envy.

As a large crowd rushed into the buffet restaurant, a carriage arrived at the door.

A well-dressed young couple stepped out of the carriage.

The woman exclaimed excitedly, "Yunshuo, did you see that? I told you my buffet idea would make money! So many people, we're going to be famous!"

Cheng Yunshuo watched as the Gather Good Fortune Buffet filled up, his brows slightly furrowed before he indulgently said, "You really have it in you!"

"Well, of course. I have plenty of ideas. Just keep loving me and spoiling me. If you upset me, you'll lose a gold mountain!"

Cheng Yunshuo smiled, "Alright, alright, I won't let my gold mountain slip away."

"Hmph!" Xing Dairong huffed proudly.

At that moment, in a private room on the second floor of Gather Good Fortune Building.

The second floor of the buffet restaurant also had some private rooms. The best one was already occupied.

Qiu Ling looked out the window at the playful couple below and pouted sourly, "The Prince Consort must be bewitched. He's letting that vixen waste the family's money!"

Lu Lingyun glanced briefly at Cheng Yunshuo and then focused on the table full of dishes.

There were cold dishes, hot dishes, pastries, main courses, grilled skewers, and freshly squeezed watermelon juice.

"It's indeed quite novel."

Regardless of anything else, Xing Dairong's innovations truly impressed her.

Especially the charcoal-grilled skewers and the watermelon juice.

Apart from that, these two items were indeed very innovative.

The taste was also excellent.

In her previous life, perhaps Lu Hanyi was too preoccupied with competing against Xing Dairong and being controlled by Qin Shi, she never heard about Xing Dairong's buffet restaurant.

This time, she allowed the two of them to bring out their innovations. Regardless of the cost, it broadened her horizons.

Lu Lingyun was not one to overlook others' strengths. She recognized both flaws and merits in people.

If something was good, she was willing to learn from it.

Just like these two novel dishes she tried, she also learned a new counting method from Kang Ping's ledger.

"Missus, this is called 'one two three four five six seven eight nine ten.' Miss Xing said it's Arabic numerals, which make our bookkeeping easier."

Lu Lingyun took a sip of the sweet watermelon juice, while the shopkeeper Kang Ping presented her with the ledger to show the costs for the first day of business.

Lu Lingyun quickly understood the meaning of these numbers and nodded. "So you spent fifty taels of silver today?"

"Yes."

"At this rate, how many more people would it take to break even?"

"Missus, we can't break even!" Kang Ping looked at Lu Lingyun with a pained expression. "Suddenly over two hundred people came in, and all our ingredients were depleted! And today was half-price!"

Now downstairs, there was no longer any distinction between cheap and expensive; all the pastries, cold dishes, hot dishes, and roasted meats were snatched up.

Even the boiled foods were devoured down to the last bit.

Xing Dairong thought that one person could eat at most two or three catties of food, but in reality, few people in this era had ever eaten their fill. With her low prices, the customers were mostly common folk who stuffed themselves as much as they could, not caring about overeating.

Many ate seven or ten catties of food in one sitting.

Even worse, many of them had stomachs like cows, capable of regurgitation. When faced with a feast, they would stuff themselves to the brim, leaving digestion for later.

A group of women inside, eyes gleaming green, were stuffing themselves, planning to induce vomiting when they returned home to feed their children.

With such generous charity, how could they not gorge themselves?

"There are quite a few elderly and children inside. I roughly estimated that today's revenue will barely reach six or seven taels of silver, so we've lost ninety percent."

Lu Lingyun blinked and waved him over, whispering a mysterious instruction.

After receiving the order, Kang Ping replied, "Yes, Missus."

He went downstairs.

Facing the loss, Lu Lingyun remained in high spirits.

She thought that, first, it could be considered doing some good deeds, and second, it would help Cheng Yunshuo and Xing Dairong, those otherworldly beings, see reality sooner rather than later.

It was impossible to wake someone up who only saw passion and beauty; mediocrity and reality would kill them, revealing their true selves.

That true self she had prepared for them.

Kang Ping went downstairs and quickly posted a closing sign outside Gather Good Fortune Building.

Seeing him close so early, Xing Dairong hurriedly pulled Cheng Yunshuo over. "Why are you closing so early?"

"Miss, everything has been eaten. We have nothing left to serve."

Hearing this, Xing Dairong proudly raised her head. "I told you to prepare more! My business is so good, we don't have enough to sell!"