Chapter 109: Chapter 109: Unexpected joy and sorrow
'One thousand, one hundred and three!' Feng Yuxuan pinched the wad of money in her hands. "If we open another store, we'll make more than two thousand a day. If we open ten stores, we'll make more than ten thousand a day. If we open a hundred stores...'
'What are you dreaming about? Why don't we just get everyone in the province to stop cooking at home and come here to eat noodles?" Mei Qiuping took the money from her hand and gave her a tap on the head.
'Mom, save me 300 yuan, I saw a really nice coat last night.' Feng Yuxuan reached out to grab it.
'Don't you have any clothes to wear? There are so many in the suitcase, and you want to buy more, 300 yuan for one! 300 yuan would be enough for your father and I to buy a few sets.' Mei Qiuping unceremoniously knocked her hand away.
'We don't have no money, but I'll give you your salary at the end of the month, and don't touch your usual share,' Feng Zhenchang said.
Feng Yuxuan had originally been tempted to do so. After all, it was their own money, and it wouldn't hurt to take some to buy clothes and cosmetics. But after watching the situation during the evening account settlement these past few days, she immediately gave up the idea. Her parents had checked the stack of receipts three times, and if she tried anything, she would definitely be caught.
'Big brother and sister, you'd better hurry up and buy a dough mixer!' Mei Yiliang, who was sitting down, complained, "Look at my hands, they're worn out from wearing plastic gloves.'
Mei Guoping, who was leaning back in his chair, also said, "I can't even straighten my back now.'
It's true that the noodles are sold ready-made, but the flatbread has to be made with dough that you knead yourself. Today, they sold more than a hundred flatbreads, and with so many catties of flour, it's really hard work kneading it by hand, and there were times when they couldn't keep up with the demand.
'Is there such a thing?' Feng Zhenchang asked.
'Nowadays, if you have the money, there's nothing you can't have,' Mei Guoping said.
'Then buy it!'
The next day, the dough-making machine was bought back. Two days later, Wang Changning's sister, Wang Chang'an, finally arrived in the provincial capital. Mei Yiliang picked her up at the shop. There were now four regulars at the shop, so things were finally a bit easier.
But it was still busy. Feng Yuxuan, who collected the money, did not have time to greet customers at the door, and at peak times, she sometimes did not have time to say 'welcome' to customers who had ordered.
An'an was a great help. She was hardworking and quick, and she did everything by herself, from collecting tables to washing dishes. When she had time, she also helped in the kitchen, never letting herself idle for a moment.
She was so hardworking that Mr and Mrs Feng were worried about her and always told her to take some time out to sit and relax in the backyard.
As for their own daughter, they were amazed that she could keep up with the workload. She always had excuses about not being able to leave the front door unattended, and seldom went to the back. When there were few customers, she didn't even bother to stand behind the bar and find a seat to rest her feet, and Mei Qiuping had scolded her several times, but she just ignored her.
In Feng Yiping's list of rules, it was repeatedly emphasised that even if there are no customers in the restaurant, you should not sit at the table chatting and dozing off, because this is really not a very good experience for the customers dining there.
Feng Yiping himself has had this experience. After going there several times, he went to a certain county snack bar that has since spread all over the country. Not to mention the decoration or the price or the taste,
Often, while some of them were eating, the proprietress would sit at a table inside, sometimes lifting one leg up onto the stool, speaking loudly and seemingly quite proudly in their native dialect, giving instructions to her daughter, who had just finished school, on her homework. She kept talking, and in the middle, she would argue with her daughter a bit, so that Feng Yiping sometimes couldn't tell whether he was actually in a snack bar or someone's living room.
He didn't want his own shop to turn out like this, so he repeatedly emphasised that Feng Zhenchang was now paying great attention to the paper work, and when he had time, he would go to the back corridor to relax. Now that he saw his daughter looking so lazy, he couldn't help but scowl.
Watching the behaviour of the two girls of similar age, Feng Zhenchang and Mei Qiuping both felt that at least this daughter was really good!
It was a little after two in the afternoon, not even lunchtime, when a middle-aged man in leather clothes arrived at the door of the restaurant. He looked around the place several times, then went inside, ordered some food, and without sitting down, went back and forth between the floors twice, carefully feeling things here and there. He made everyone look confused.
It seemed that he wasn't ordering food for the purpose of eating, but after taking a bite, he was gone in no time, finishing the bowl of noodles and even the soup.
He waved at Feng Yuxuan behind the counter, and she walked over, puzzled, and asked, 'Can I help you?'
The middle-aged man smiled and said, 'I'd like to ask, which company decorated your restaurant?'
'What do you want to know that for?' Feng Yuxuan became alert, thinking that this person was also a noodle shop owner who had come to steal the restaurant's secrets.
The middle-aged man was experienced and immediately understood that his question was abrupt and had caused the other person to misunderstand. "Oh, young lady, don't think too much about it. It's like this: I've rented a new shop and I'm going to sell clothes there. I saw that your place is nicely decorated and I wanted to talk to the decoration company.'
Oh, I see. "Dad, someone's looking for my brother-in-law.'
After hearing this, Feng Zhenchang thought it was a good thing. He first praised Mei Yiliang's leather bag decoration company, then took down the contact information of the middle-aged man in the leather jacket and said that the people from the decoration company would come to talk to him tomorrow.
Mei Yiliang had also received a few expressions of interest in the past two days, and they were all being negotiated. Hearing that they had also helped him get business here, he hurried over with his second brother, Guoping, that night. Store decoration is more profitable than commercial housing decoration. They have just decorated this store and have some experience.
'Brother, sister,' but the second brother Guo Ping approached Feng Zhenchang and his wife, 'Yiliang is right, there is money to be made in decoration. I am prepared to work with him in the province in the future, but it is not a good idea to leave my wife and children in the county. I want to bring them up here with us, but we can't just live here in the province, so I was thinking, your noodle shop business is doing well, could I open one like it?'
The scene, which had just been full of excitement, suddenly fell silent. But Feng Zhanchang immediately picked up the conversation again. 'Of course it's fine. At the beginning, we didn't think about just opening this one. Opening a few more will also have an impact. As Yiping said, there will be a brand effect and advertising effect. It's also good if you want to open one. Do you have enough money?'
'If it's the same as this store, 30,000 to 40,000 yuan, then it's estimated that it's still half the price,' Guoping said.
'Chengcheng is studying, and it's a hassle to come to the province to find a school for him,' said Mei Qiuping.
'It's fine, I've thought about it. If it doesn't work out, we'll just leave Chengcheng and Qingqing at home with your sister-in-law, and give her some money each month at most.'
'Yes, all that is easy to say,' Feng Zhenchang said, 'we are also preparing to find a storefront and want to open another within the year, so that would be just in time. Let's go see more places and you can make the decision if there is a suitable place.'
That being said, the atmosphere was still a bit delicate, and when the two younger brothers left, Mei Qiuping didn't even see them off.