Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 186: Making a Shop Sign

"For meat skewers, don't fry too much at a time. Fry them again after frying. This way the skin will be crispy and fragrant when it cools down."

Everyone thinks that placing a stove in the store and using a steamer to keep warm is a feasible method.

In the afternoon, Shen Yu went to buy a few stoves similar to the ones he used when setting up stalls, and placed them in front of the shop kitchen, and put steamers and steamers on them.

Place the fried dishes in small dishes and place them in the steamer.

No matter what dish the customer orders, we can directly take out a portion of it, ensuring that it is hot when it is served to the table, and it also saves the time of serving the dish.

According to the portion of the dishes, Shen Yu went to the porcelain shop after closing the stall early the next morning.

Based on the portions I tried yesterday, I plan to buy some small porcelain plates.

The firing of porcelain had become very mature at that time. It is said that the restaurants used silver plates, glass bowls, and wooden trays, and porcelain was the lowest grade.

Shen Yu looked at the colorful small porcelain plates handed over by the shop owner. Some were as delicate as white jade, some were as green as the sun after rain, some were round, and some were square.

Shen Yu tried to remain calm on the surface, but in his heart he kept exclaiming like a country bumpkin: "Is this azure? In modern times, it is said that there are less than a hundred pieces left in the world, but here they are piled up everywhere like street goods, and each one only costs ten cents!"

Because Shen Yu wanted a large quantity and his requirements were not high, the store owner generously took Shen Yu to the warehouse to choose.

There are not only piles of common bowls and plates in the warehouse, but also some special-shaped plates.

There are a dozen stacking plates that can be put together to form a flower shape, and each small plate is shaped like a petal when separated.

There were fruit plates with various small animals. What attracted Shen Yu the most was a pair of goose plates. They were shaped like a large white goose singing with its neck stretched out. The goose's back was a hollow oval that could hold soup, vegetables and fruit.

The various kinds of porcelain made Shen Yu, who has always had a hobby of collecting tableware, his eyes light up and he couldn't let go.

Although they were of no use, I couldn't control my hands. After carefully selecting, I bought a pair of white and fat goose fruit plates.

In the afternoon, all the vegetables, fish, meat, chicken, duck, spices, bamboo sticks, etc. ordered by Shen Yu were delivered.

Everything is ready, we'll open tomorrow.

Shen Yu looked around, thinking that there should be nothing missing.

After two days of studying, Yu Cheng, who was full of enthusiasm for learning, walked in through the main entrance of the store and asked in confusion, "Sister, why don't we have a sign in our store?"

The adults all looked at each other in shock.

Yes, I was so busy preparing things for the store every day that I even forgot to hang up the sign outside the store.

Li was a little panicked: "This is troublesome. The store will open tomorrow, and now it is getting dark. It is too late to order. What should I do?"

The original shop sign had been taken down by Mrs. Hu when she moved.

Some of the signboards on this street are wooden plaques with the store names written on them, while others are tung oil lanterns with the store names written on them, strung together on long bamboo poles and hung at the door.

Neither of these can be accomplished in a short period of time.

Shen Yu was also in a dilemma for a moment. He looked around the shop to see if there was anything he could temporarily use as a sign.

Seeing the newly pasted tung oil and bark paper on the windows, she suddenly thought of the vertical poster light boxes that used to be common on the streets.

There are still a few sheets of thick and large tung oil-paste paper left at home for pasting windows.

Just make a frame with wooden strips, paste tung oil and bark paper on it, and write a sign on it, isn't that enough?

Shen Yu quickly asked Zhou Dalang to find a few remaining wooden strips from making the kitchen partition.

After finding the wooden strips, Shen Yu and Zhou Dalang worked together to nail the strips into a rectangular wooden frame, supporting it with short wooden strips in the middle and at the top and bottom.

Fix the bottom of the wooden frame on a thick wooden board and paste a whole piece of tung oil bark paper on the wooden frame.

After it was done, I stood the wooden frame up and tried it out. The half-person-high sign at the door was very eye-catching.

After the signboard was fixed, it was already dark. Shen Yu asked Zhou Dalang to go home first. Before leaving, Shen Yu made an appointment with him. From tomorrow on, he didn't have to come at the beginning of the Yin hour. He could postpone it half an hour to the fourth quarter of the Yin hour.

When the husk paper is almost dry, you can write your shop sign on it.

Shen Yu looked at Dun Dun and Yu Cheng, and said with a smile, "Dundun, write it. Let's change it to Shen's Fengnian Restaurant based on the sign written by Old Man Yang. How about that?"

Dun Dun nodded repeatedly, eager to try. Jiang said with a smile, "How can this be done? A child's handwriting cannot be used as a signboard."

Shen Yu smiled and said, "What's wrong with that? The account book can help me remember it very well. It's just a sign and a few words."

Jiang was afraid that Dun Dun would write badly and delay the opening of the restaurant tomorrow.

Yutao and Yucheng had already gone to grind ink happily.

Li smiled and said, "Let them decide for themselves. Use it first. If it doesn't work, we can order a new sign another day."

Seeing that Li did not try to stop her, Jiang had no choice but to repeatedly remind Dun Dun to practice writing it on paper a few times first, and then write on the signboard when he was confident.

A few people were talking animatedly when two people came in from the shop at the door. They could not be seen clearly in the darkness.

Shen Yu thought it was a guest who came in because the door was open, so he greeted him with a smile and said, "Guest, the restaurant is not open yet, please come back tomorrow."

The person next to him laughed and said, "Congratulations, Miss Shen. We are here to congratulate you."

Judging from the sound, it was 7-Up.

Shen Yu then saw clearly that the people coming were Lu Lang and Qi Xi, the master and servant. Qi Xi was holding a flower tree with clusters of bright red beans in its hand.

Jiang and Li came forward to greet them. Lu Lang smiled and said, "Qi Xi said that your restaurant will open tomorrow. I have nothing to do tonight, so I came to take a look. I brought a pot of fortune seeds to congratulate you on the opening of your restaurant."

Shen Yu hurriedly thanked him and took it, then lit up the seven or eight oil candles in the shop. Suddenly, the shop, which was originally dim with only two oil candles lit, became bright.

Lu Lang looked at the sign lying horizontally on the table and asked curiously, "What is this? It's so big. What is it used for?"

Shen Yu looked at Lu Lang, who was dressed like a scholar, and suddenly smiled and said, "Mr. Lu, you came at a good time. I just happen to have something to trouble you with."

As he spoke, he told her about the store forgetting to customize the sign.

Lu Lang smiled and said, "Isn't it just writing a few words? How difficult is that?"

Shen Yu shook his head and smiled, "I plan to let Dun Dun write the words on the sign."

Lu Lang was a little embarrassed for a moment and opened his mouth, not knowing how to respond.

Qi Xi complained, "Miss Shen, my young master is very good at calligraphy and painting. You don't let him write, but let a child who has only been in school for two days write. This, this..."

Jiang also advised: "Miss Yuzhi, let Master Lu write it. Dun Dun can't write well."