Chapter 20: Serving the Dishes

The magistrate of Cao County first allocated the largest government-run tavern in the county—the Kaixing Tavern—to Yue Rou and Yue E for their use.

On the opening day, Chen Fan, Li Xing, and some county officials all attended.

Chen Fan and the officials hung up a blue signboard high above the entrance.

They also arranged flowerpots at the doorway and placed a notice board at the tavern’s entrance.

It read:

“Grand Opening! Various new dishes prepared for all diners to sample.
Wishing great success! Free tasting for anyone for three days! No exceptions after the offer ends!”

Chen Fan refused the arrangement by Master Du to have drummers and gong-beaters.
He felt such ostentation might make the common folk think it was all show with no substance.

So he simply told Yue Rou and the others not to put out the fire, to keep the kitchen ready at any moment.
He also placed some prepared dishes on tables on the first floor of the tavern.

Passersby stopped, drawn by the aroma.

They glanced at the notice; some did not understand what was written.

But the Great Zhou government had already made great efforts to promote education, and some could read it.

Most of those who understood were working women, among whom someone said,
“Anyone can eat for free for three days! This is practically disaster relief!”

For the government office, this was but a small matter.

Because in recent days, Chen Fan and his team had vigorously implemented hunting laws.

The game caught just these few days was enough to supply the entire county for a week.

The county hadn’t imported meat from other prefectures for five days.

To supply the government-run tavern, Chen Fan and his team decided to keep some as capital.

Otherwise, they could become entirely self-sufficient.

However, relying on hunting for meat was not a long-term solution.

Without domesticated livestock providing a steady supply of meat, the tavern could not sustain itself indefinitely.

Although Zeng County was rich in natural resources, even so, it could only last about forty-five years this way.

Chen Fan decided to first make use of these wild animals; after earning enough money, he would begin developing other industries.

Hearing this, the crowd gathered around.

“What does that say?”

“It says a new shop is opening, with some new dishes, and anyone can eat for free for three days!”

“Ah! They probably want to invite nobles and officials to eat! How could they possibly let us eat?”

“Let’s go! Let’s go! Is there really such a good thing in the world?”

Hearing this, Li Xing gave a signal to a beggar sitting at the street corner.

The beggar had the character for “beg” tattooed on his face.

Such people were usually convicted criminals, imprisoned and then released.

After release, they would tattoo the character “beg” on their face.

This mark represented being blacklisted by the state, forbidden from any profession.

They could not own any property and had to rely on begging, wandering everywhere.

The beggar approached directly, and the crowd quickly moved away from him.

“How unlucky! How dare such a person sit here! Aren’t they afraid of being chased away? Or beaten?”

“People like that usually have mental problems, a real nuisance!”

Everyone looked at the male shop attendants at the door, hoping they could drive the beggar far away.

But the beggar pushed his luck and asked loudly,
“Didn’t you say anyone can eat here?
Can I eat too?”

The crowd began pointing at the beggar, and more onlookers gathered.

All eyes turned to see how the tavern staff would respond.

At this moment, Yue E stepped forward and spoke.

“This tavern was approved by Magistrate Cao, who said no matter who you are, you may eat here.
Even if you are poor or guilty, as long as you come to our tavern, you can eat free for these three days.”

The crowd fell silent but remained doubtful, no one spoke.

Li Xing gave a signal to the attendants behind him.

They nodded respectfully and invited the beggar inside.

As the beggar entered, he stuck out his tongue at the laughing crowd.

Then, laughing loudly, he stepped into the tavern.

The crowd was left utterly bewildered.

“Did they really let him in?”

“Does that mean we can go in too?”

“Forget it, I don’t want to eat with someone like that!”

Yue E spoke again, guiding the crowd’s mood.

“Everyone need not worry. Each guest will have a round table filled with dishes.
You can eat by yourself or bring whoever you wish along.
If everyone is happy eating, that is the greatest joy for us owners!
Please understand, once inside, just enjoy your meal and don’t concern yourselves with others!”

After speaking, Yue E invited them with an open gesture.

The crowd didn’t move at first, unable to believe it.

But seeing Yue E hold her posture for a long time, their impression was that she was sincere.

They entered with a cautious intent to observe.

Upon entering, the guests were invited to sit by the waitstaff.

The attentive service felt unfamiliar but pleasant.

Once seated, they saw menus on the tables, listing dish names and prices.

Because the ingredients were self-supplied, the food came from hunters who provided the raw materials.

Chen Fan had calculated the cost prices carefully and set the menu prices as fairly as possible.

The crowd had never seen menus before.

They exchanged glances and asked,
“What is this? Are these the dish names and prices?”

“Little sister, you’re truly clever! Exactly so! Just order whatever you want!
We will serve it right away!”

Seeing the prices were reasonable, the crowd felt the tavern was sincere.

They also thought the place must be well-funded.

“Braised pork! Hot and sour shredded potatoes! Spicy boiled meat slices! Cold tossed thin noodles——”

“Little sister, don’t order so much! If you can’t finish the free tasting, you’ll have to pay!
You can finish what you have first, or come back tomorrow!”

So they stopped reciting the menu and began ordering one or two dishes.

Yue E and the others recorded the orders and sent them to the kitchen.

“Yue Rou, Yue Rou, work has come! Work has come!”

Hearing this, the kitchen staff began working methodically, preparing dish after dish.

As one dish after another arrived at the table, and bite after bite was tasted, exclamations of surprise and praise arose again and again.

Plate after plate was cleaned completely.

Then orders came one after another.

But Yue Rou and all the kitchen maids held steady under the pressure, working at full capacity.

Before long, the kitchen plates piled up high, waiting to be washed.

But this did not last long.

After everyone was full, most left quickly; only a few men who were free stayed behind.

They continued eating; the women had chores to do and had to leave, or their husbands would scold them.

Otherwise, they might have taken the Kaixing Tavern home with them.

One woman approached Yue E, who was attending to guests, and pleaded,
“Sister, may I take some dishes home for my daughter to eat?”

Yue E was momentarily taken aback, lost in thought.

She recalled that all the meat she had eaten growing up came only from two people—Chen Fan and her mother.

“Oh, of course, little sister, no problem. You can wait by the back door; I’ll bring it to you shortly!”