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After lighting the firecrackers, Li Yang nimbly jumped back and stood beside Ye Xiaohan, watching as the firecrackers burned out with everyone else.
"Thank you all for coming today; this place truly shines with your presence!" Ye Xiaohan said with a beaming smile at the entrance of the restaurant. "I now declare that our 'Cup Never Stops' restaurant is officially open! We welcome everyone to come and taste our offerings!"
As soon as she finished her announcement, a chorus of congratulations erupted around her.
Li Yang quickly stepped forward and exchanged glances with the waitstaff. A line of servers emerged, causing quite a stir.
"Why are there women here?" some bystanders exclaimed in surprise. Inside Ye Xiaohan's restaurant, there were not only ordinary waiters but also several women dressed in matching uniforms, smiling as they ushered guests inside.
Hiring women as waitstaff was a novel concept in this era. Ye Xiaohan had anticipated people's shock but proceeded with her plan nonetheless.
It was simply unfair to strip women of their rights based solely on gender. In reality, women's work capabilities were no less than men's; everyone should be treated equally.
The female servers hired by Ye Xiaohan came from impoverished backgrounds. She chose them because, at this time, most women were too afraid to step into the spotlight.
Only those whose families were truly struggling could muster the courage to earn money and support their households.
This was just the beginning; achieving such progress was already commendable. Ye Xiaohan did not overestimate her ability to challenge the tide of an entire era; she could only do what was within her reach.
Another reason for her decision was to attract customers' attention. The idea was simple: if others lacked what she had, then whenever people mentioned "Supporting Actress" restaurants, they would naturally think of "Cup Never Stops."
This kind of tangible promotion was far more effective than mere chatter.
"Come on in, please!" Ye Xiaohan continued to greet guests without missing a beat. She observed the new female servers closely; although they were still somewhat nervous, they were managing well overall.
On opening day, being among the first to take such a bold step meant these female servers bore many eyes upon them and faced significant pressure.
Starting anything is difficult, but I believe that as long as we persevere, we will achieve better results.
As the onlookers saw them behaving so confidently, their own shocked expressions began to feel out of place, and gradually, they calmed down.
At least, they pretended to be calm on the surface.
With the grand opening of the restaurant, Ye Xiaohan decided to take a loss for the sake of publicity. All the dishes inside were offered at a 20% discount, and some snacks were given away for free. The customers quickly filled the restaurant to capacity, with many more waiting outside.
Ye Xiaohan had an advantage in health-conscious cuisine, so when designing the menu, she made sure to highlight this strength.
In addition to regular home-style dishes, the restaurant also specially introduced medicinal cuisine with nourishing effects.
Generally, medicinal dishes tend to lack flavor. Although people know they are nutritious, they often do not enjoy eating them. To address this issue, Ye Xiaohan improved the recipes to ensure both the medicinal benefits and the satisfaction of her customers' appetites.
"Hey, what is this?" The Third Prince scooped up a spoonful of a jelly-like substance, gently shaking it and watching it wobble with fascination.
Taking advantage of his status, he occupied a private room on the second floor during the bustling business hours and ordered nearly every unique dish on the menu, filling the table to overflowing.
Ye Xiaohan was deeply shocked by his childishness. Was this person really an adult? Had he truly escaped from kindergarten?
She grew increasingly curious about the education within the royal family. What kind of teaching methods were used in this grand palace that gathered scholars from prestigious academies? The outcome was simply astonishing!
Despite her criticisms, she dared not offend the Third Prince. If she upset him, there would be no need for her restaurant to continue operating.
As she learned more about Murong Jing, Ye Xiaohan heard many tales of his "great achievements." For instance, he once got so angry after getting a fishbone stuck in his throat that he smashed up a restaurant.
The boss of the restaurant was dissatisfied and took the matter to the Yamen. As a result, the Yamen received an imperial decree from the Empress, sealing the restaurant for three months on charges of plotting against the prince.
Ye Xiaohan wiped away a cold sweat and explained with a forced smile, "In response to the Third Prince, this is hawthorn barley tea jelly. It is primarily made from hawthorn and barley tea, with added brown sugar and a small amount of yogurt. The taste is moderately sweet and sour, refreshing and appetizing, especially suitable for this season."
"Barley tea?" Murong Jing took a bite of the jelly from the spoon, surprised as he said, "It doesn't taste like barley tea at all. Although it's not very tasty, considering it has no barley tea flavor, I suppose it's acceptable."
Why belittle something just because you don't like it? There are others who enjoy it!
Ye Xiaohan silently shouted in her heart. This Murong Jing was truly annoying; if it wasn't good, why did he finish it all? Could he please not scoop up the leftover bits? It didn't match his words at all!
"The restaurant has many delicious dishes. Third Prince, please take your time. I will go check on the situation in the kitchen now; excuse me." Ye Xiaohan forced a dry smile, eager to leave this private room.
Murong Jing was savoring the flavors with great delight. Upon hearing that Ye Xiaohan was leaving, he waved his hand casually without any intention of keeping her: "It's fine; you can go. No need to serve me; I can call for food myself."
Oh? You can't be satisfied with this whole table and still want to order more?
Ye Xiaohan looked affectionately at the table, unsure if this Third Prince would pay for his meal. If he intended to dine and dash, no one could stop him.
With regret, Ye Xiaohan went downstairs, where every table was also fully occupied.
"Sister-in-law, over here!" Yang Ling skillfully navigated through the crowd, perfectly managing her duties as a server. Upon seeing Ye Xiaohan, she quickly called her over to the counter to show her what was inside.
"These are all new arrivals. Since you weren't here, I helped you collect them." As the restaurant opened, nearby shopkeepers brought small gifts as a gesture of goodwill—not valuable items but merely tokens of courtesy to celebrate.
Such gifts are generally acceptable. Especially for someone like Ye Xiaohan, no one would take advantage of her by slipping money for favors; these were genuine tokens of goodwill that could be accepted without issue and later reciprocated during festivals.
"Understood." Ye Xiaohan casually flipped through a pile of simply wrapped gifts and spotted a particularly exquisite one.
Just looking at the packaging, she could tell it wasn't something an ordinary family would send. With curiosity, Ye Xiaohan picked up the gift and found a greeting card that came with it.
Upon opening it, she was somewhat surprised to see "Prime Minister's Residence" written prominently on it, signed by Lady Liu.
Liu Chancellor's mother? Ye Xiaohan couldn't recall ever meeting this person. No, she was certain she did not know someone of such high status at all.
Thinking this, she proceeded to unwrap the gift. The contents were rather ordinary, just slightly more lavish than usual, which didn't seem extravagant given her own status.
Regardless, since it had been sent, she couldn't just return it as is. She would have to look into it later to see if there was anything unusual about it.
The restaurant was bustling with business; after tasting the food, customers who had initially come just for the atmosphere quickly transformed into eager diners, enjoying their meals heartily.
Ye Xiaohan had no time to linger; she joined the team serving the guests. Fortunately, her previous training had proven effective. The restaurant staff were attentive and focused on providing excellent service, maintaining smiles throughout and promptly cleaning up, making guests feel right at home.
Meanwhile, in the cold and quiet General's residence, Gu Bei stood alone, staring in the direction of the restaurant.
The dishes served at the restaurant had been tested extensively by Ye Xiaohan when she was developing the menu, using her family as taste testers. Although Gu Bei couldn't go himself, Ye Xiaohan had sent Gu Da back with a large food box each time.
However, even though he was among the first to taste the dishes, not being able to personally go and congratulate her during this special time left Gu Bei feeling a bit regretful.
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