kvmb Chapter 270 Preparing to Go to Europe
Chapter 270 Preparing to Go to Europe
Yunxiang Restaurant is also a famous restaurant in Beijing. The prices are not affordable for ordinary people, so everyone came there on the first day with the mentality of giving it a try. It turned out that they could eat for free, and the food was indeed worthy of its previous prices and was really delicious.
So on the second day, those who had eaten before called their friends to come and eat the free buffet, and more and more people came. Some people even brought their families with them. Just like the Jinyiwei yesterday, everyone took a bowl and ordered the same dish, so that they didn't have to eat a hodgepodge.
Some are even shameless enough to stay in the store to eat at night after eating lunch. Of course, this is only a small part.
Feng Hao knew that there would be a lot of things going on here, so he simply took a few brothers to stroll around the area and help maintain order in the name of a business trip. If they encountered anyone who was deliberately looking for trouble, they would drive them away.
With the experience of the first day, Yun Ji not only transferred some servants from his home over, but also transferred a few people from other shops of Yunxiang Restaurant to help, so that the waiters of Yunxiang Restaurant could have an easier time and not be too tired.
There is also a group of well-informed people who have been lingering around Yunxiang Restaurant after learning that it is offering a free buffet, but they dare not approach. They are the beggars in the capital. Given the status of Yunxiang Restaurant, they usually stay away from the door to beg, or can only squat at the back door of the kitchen to get leftovers. Now they hear that everyone can go to Yunxiang Restaurant to eat, regardless of their wealth, but they still dare not approach, especially since there are Jinyiwei guarding nearby.
It was Min Xi who noticed this situation. He knew that beggars were the ones who needed the meal the most, but if they were allowed to eat with everyone in the store, it would definitely cause a lot of unpleasantness. So he set up a stall outside specifically for the beggars and served them food, but they had to bring their own bowls and chopsticks, and the dishes were not that rich, with only two or three items.
But for beggars who could only eat leftovers and scavenged food from swill buckets, clean and delicious meals were enough respect. Therefore, many beggars brought their broken bowls to get food, and finally had a full meal for two days. It was also necessary to praise Yun Ji, saying that the owner of Yunxiang Restaurant was kind and generous, so he could turn danger into safety, survive a disaster, and will surely have good fortune in the future.
The three-day buffet finally ended, and the fourth day was the official opening day. Although some people still came to try to get a free meal, overall, the bustling Yunxiang Restaurant finally returned to calm.
When running a business, the busier the better, naturally. But for the waiters at Yunxiang Restaurant who have just experienced the busyness of the previous three days, they think it is better to have a quieter environment for the time being. They really need a good rest now, but the store has just reopened and it is impossible for them to take leave at this time, so they can only hope privately that there are fewer customers.
In the first few days, there weren't many customers, and the occupancy rate was only about 30% to 40%, even lower than before the store closed. But gradually, more people came, because the menu of Yunxiang Restaurant was far more than the dishes that appeared in the buffet.
What appears at the buffet are just some home-cooked dishes that can be quickly stir-fried or stewed in a big pot. The real big dishes need to be cooked carefully, especially the signature dishes such as Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and Boiled Cabbage, which need to be cooked for a long time and the taste is incomparable to home-cooked dishes.
The names of the two dishes, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and Cabbage in Boiled Water, are actually very good advertising slogans. Coupled with Sun Huasun's approval, many wealthy and idle people in Beijing came to try the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, which even the Buddha could not help but break his precepts, and the cabbage soup which was as clear as boiled water.
Of course, these two signature dishes are not cheap, and each costs at least one or two taels of silver per person. There is no other way, the ingredients are too many, the cooking method is too complicated, and it takes too long. In all aspects, the cost is too high.
But the thing that was most abundant in the middle and late Ming Dynasty was rich people, especially in the capital city, which advocated luxury. Eating Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and Boiled Cabbage had become a symbol of status. So after the reopening of Yunxiang Restaurant, business was booming, and it was already showing a trend of surpassing Zuixianglou and Heminglou.
This situation was within the expectations of Min Xi and Yun Ji, because Min Xi's recipes, which were the culmination of hundreds of years of wisdom, were too advanced for people of that period.
The Yunxiang incident finally came to an end. It was August now, and Min Xi and Yun Ji had to prepare to go south. It was almost October, and they should go to sea. Although Yun An had already arranged to go to Quanzhou to prepare the ship and cargo for Europe, they had to go there earlier, as the cargo on the Jazz was not yet fully loaded.
Min Xi and Yun Ji planned to take the galleon they bought back with them on this trip. They would leave for Europe this fall and return to Ming from Europe around October next year, when the ship they booked should be ready for delivery.
After returning from Europe, the two of them had to concentrate on their studies.
But Yun Ji had a lot of things to do at home, and he had to arrange everything before leaving. As the head of Yun Xiang Hao, in addition to dozens of shops in the capital, there were also branches in various places, all of which needed to be managed, otherwise it would be a mess.
Yun Ji screened for a long time and finally decided to let his cousin Yun Zhen take over the management. Yun Zhen was the eldest among their generation, more than ten years older than Yun Ji. The age difference between the two was huge, so they were not very close, but this eldest brother was a decent person. This time when the Yun family members occupied his family's private property, their family never touched a single cent from beginning to end.
Yun Zhen's eldest son is sixteen years old. He is very talented and has passed the boy's examination. He is preparing for the provincial examination and is determined to pursue a career in officialdom.
The reason for choosing Yun Zhen is that Yun Zhen's family also runs several shops, and they are doing quite well. Although he can't be compared with the entire Yunxianghao, he is experienced after all, and his status is there, so he can convince the public.
Yun Ji was not worried that he would be like Yun Xiao. Firstly, he trusted Yun Xiao's character, and secondly, he believed that his elder brother would not joke about his nephew's future.
After hearing Yun Ji's request, Yun Zhen rejected it outright: "I don't have the ability to manage such a large business. Seventh brother, please find someone else."
Yun Ji said sincerely: "I know that you are always afraid of trouble. But if I can find someone else, how can I cause trouble to you? Brother, please help me this time. I will be back in a year at most."
Yun Zhen frowned and looked at Yun Ji: "Seventh brother, as the eldest brother, I really need to have a good talk with you. At the beginning, you insisted on going out to sea with us, but the boat capsized and you almost lost your life in the sea. Fifth uncle and fifth aunt were so heartbroken for you that they became sick with worry, and both of them couldn't wait for you to come back. But you, you finally came back from that damn place, and it's only been a few months, and you want to take risks again? How dare you! Don't you think about your deceased parents, and your brother who just learned to run? You are his only support in this world, do you really want the Tao family to raise him for you? Do you have a heart? Do you really have to go?"
Yun Zhen became angrier as he spoke.
Yun Ji lowered his head, knowing that what he said was true. When Yun Zhen's voice faded away, Yun Ji whispered, "Brother, I'm sorry. I really have to go this time. I ordered a large sailing ship from Fulangji and donated it to the Ming Navy. This time I'm going to drive the ship back."
When Yun Zhen heard this, he thought he had misheard: "What? Why did you donate the ship to the Ming Navy?"
Yun Ji said: "Because Western-style sailing ships are stronger and faster than Chinese-style sailing ships, and they also install cannons on the ships. I want to bring Western ships back so that our Ming shipbuilders can also build such ships."
"Then why donate it to the navy?" Yun Zhen continued with the previous question.
"Because the European fleet is very powerful, their countries fight each other for maritime hegemony. I am worried that one day they will point their guns at us, and we only have the vulnerable Fuzhou ships. I hope that the Ming navy can have the most advanced ships and weapons, so that we can deter those foreigners."
Yun Zhen was silent for a moment before he said, "Are you worrying too much?"
Yun Ji sighed, "Overthinking? Maybe. If I hadn't been to Europe, I would have thought it was groundless worry, but the Europeans used their sailboats and cannons to make the natives of Africa and America surrender, and then plundered gold and silver back to Europe, and then used the plundered gold and silver to exchange with us for tea, silk and porcelain. But what if one day, they are unwilling to use gold and silver to buy our things, but want to rob us directly with cannonballs like they did in Africa and America?"
Yun was furious: "How dare they!"
"I don't know if they dare to attack us, but if they do, our navy won't have the upper hand. So we must first make ourselves stronger so that we won't be afraid of any threats."
"Even if you want to buy a boat, do you have to go by yourself? Don't you have a sworn brother who came back with you? Can't you let him go?" Yun Zhen asked.
Yun Ji shook his head: "I don't trust him to go alone. I need to take a shipload of goods and sail another ship back. How can I let him be responsible for everything?"
Yun Zhen sighed, "I'm also worried about letting you go. After you go, will you still go out to sea in the future?"
"Probably not. I plan to study for the imperial examination after I bring the boat back."
When Yun Zhen heard him say that he wanted to study, he looked more relaxed: "You should have started studying a long time ago. With your talent, if you had focused on studying, you would have graduated from high school a long time ago."
Yun Ji smiled and said, "I didn't want to work for a living before, but now I have ambitions and want to study to realize them."
"Okay then, I'll help you look after those shops, and I won't be in charge of them when you come back." Yun Zhen said with a straight face.
"Thank you, brother!" Yun Ji thought, let's talk about the future later.