Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 505: Fengnian Inn West Branch Opens

Li was reluctant at first. Her reason was that if she bought the inn, not only would she not have enough cash on hand, but she would also not have enough money for Shen Yu's dowry, which would delay Shen Yu's marriage.

Shen Yu smiled and said, "It doesn't matter if there is no dowry."

"If we buy Xinglong Inn and make it a branch."

"After the business picks up, even if I leave Anping County in the future, you can take Yutao and Yucheng with you and live a good life as long as you take good care of the inn and restaurant."

"It's easier to run an inn than a restaurant. As long as you follow the rules I set, you won't have to spend any extra time on it and you'll be able to make a profit every day. This way I can leave with more peace of mind."

Li was fine at first, but when Shen Yu mentioned that he might leave after the marriage, her eyes turned red and she looked panic-stricken and helpless.

Shen Yu sighed and tried to comfort them, but for a moment he could not think of a better way to ensure the lives of Li and the others.

Everything can only be decided after Lu Lang is appointed as an official and decides where to live.

Although everything is still uncertain, Shen Yu still stepped up his preparations.

She took out all the earnings and savings of the past few months and prepared to buy the inn, but after all, the inn had only been open for a short time and she was still short of some cash.

Doctor Sun has made some money from running his clinic over the past six months.

Seeing that Shen Yu did not have enough cash, and that he usually ate in restaurants and had no need for money, he simply gave all he had to help.

After piecing together all this and working hard, Shen Yu successfully bought the inn.

It is already July, and although the weather is still very hot, there is a cool night breeze at night, so I can sleep well.

Shen Yu has been busy renovating the newly purchased inn these days.

Because the inn was on the west side of the market, people called it the West Branch of Fengnian Inn in order to distinguish it from the old store. The original old store naturally became the East Branch.

The interiors of the two inns adopt the same simple renovation style.

Although the West Store's house has three courtyards, it is not as spacious as the East Store's townhouses when actually living in it.

Moreover, the original house had not been renovated since it opened, and it looked a bit dirty and gloomy.

In order to make the room brighter, Shen Yu simply found a craftsman to repaint the entire house.

Replace the window paper with a more transparent one, remove the overly complicated carved grilles on the windows, and take away all the unnecessary drapes and curtains.

After a major renovation, the house not only became brighter and simpler, but also looked a lot bigger.

In addition, Shen Yu took the trouble to place some thriving flowers and plants in the room, so that when people walked in, they would feel the fragrance, relaxation and comfort, and there was no trace of its old and gloomy appearance in the past.

July 6th is an auspicious day, suitable for opening a business and welcoming guests.

The west branch of Fengnian Inn opened to the sound of lively firecrackers.

Customers are very supportive. Although the west store is a few steps further away than the east store, there are discounts and free brunch as the new store is open, and food can also be ordered and delivered.

Moreover, because this is a three-courtyard house, the upper rooms of the west store are all suites and have a reception hall.

Although the room rate is slightly higher than the upper room in the East Store, it is more luxurious. Customers who are particular about the appearance when doing business will naturally choose the upper room in the West Store.

On the first day of opening, more than 80% of the rooms were occupied, and the inn immediately regained its popularity and former bustling scene.

The innkeeper and waiters are all newly recruited this time, but because there are ready-made business regulations, they can get started quickly as long as they follow the regulations and work hard.

In just a few days, we were able to provide guests with very good service, so that guests staying in the west hotel would have the same comfortable experience as in the east hotel, with nothing to complain about.

After a few days of business, Shen Yu and Li took stock of their revenue.

Looking at the profit growing every day, the tense string in Shen Yu's heart slowly relaxed.

If this continues, even if the restaurant cannot add new dishes to the menu every season, it can still rely on the existing menu and a few signature dishes, plus the stable regular customers in the surrounding area.

Relying on these two inns and restaurants, Li and her family can now live a worry-free life.

Shen Yu has been busy these days and plans to take a short rest in the next few days. After a few days, he will start preparing to make the reunion cakes for August.

Because there was an additional inn, the restaurant hired two more waiters and a cook who specialized in making soups and dishes.

With more staff, everyone was divided into shifts, with Zheng Sanniang and Zhou Dalang each in charge of one shift. They cooked and delivered meals every day, and were busy but not chaotic.

Shen Yu taught Li and Yutao how to keep accounts and manage money transactions every day.

She just watched from the side, deliberately letting them do it.

At this time, the people of Anping County were saying that the emperor, who was very pleased with the county magistrate of Anping County, Lord Lu, had made great contributions in providing relief to disaster victims in spring and summer, and was going to summon him to Beijing in the near future.

In other words, Anping County is going to change its county magistrate.

Shen Yu was very surprised when he heard the news.

The county magistrate has been in Anping County for less than two years, and is still a long way from his three-year term. I didn't expect that he would win the emperor's favor because of a relief effort. I wonder what kind of county magistrate will be replaced.

However, Doctor Sun heard from several well-informed chess friends that the new county magistrate would take office in three days.

As for the current county magistrate, when the new county magistrate takes over the official seal, I heard that he will be promoted to the capital city to serve as a leisurely official.

Friends of chess even shook their heads and sighed: "Ten years of hard study is not as good as a good father. I heard that this was something that Mr. Lu asked the emperor for."

At dinner that night, Li said with some worry, "I don't know what kind of county magistrate will come here."

"In the past, the county magistrate often came to the restaurant to eat, and the hooligans in the county town never came to the restaurant to cause trouble."

"I don't know what the situation will be like when the new county magistrate arrives."

Shen Yu knew that Li had been waiting for the Lu family to formally propose marriage, and then the Shen family would become the legitimate in-laws of County Magistrate Lu.

With such a powerful backer there, there is no need to worry about thugs from the county town causing trouble when running restaurants and inns.

Unexpectedly, the betrothal proposal did not come and County Magistrate Lu was about to leave.

Shen Yu was also a little puzzled. Would the appointment of officials after taking the exam be so slow?

It has been more than a month, and there has been no news from Lu Lang, nor has the Lu family come to propose marriage. Could something have happened in the meantime?

Although she murmured in her heart, she didn't want to say it out loud.

I know that if I tell Li, it will only cause her more trouble and it will be of no use. So I'd better remain unchanged and wait quietly.