Jiang Yanyi said, “Everyone has their own unique features; whether it’s makeup or body shape, being proportionate and natural is already very attractive. There’s no need to ruin your body for the sake of others’ opinions on beauty.”

Chu Shubao nodded vigorously. “I think so too.”

The two chatted for a while when a worker returned with groceries, but he had only bought relatively cheap pork.

Jiang Yanyi sliced half of the lean meat into thin pieces for later use, while the other half was minced and mixed with chopped cilantro.

She added an egg, stirred it well, and formed it into meatballs.

Once the ingredients were ready, she heated the pan until dry, added oil, and waited for it to heat up.

She scooped a large chunk of seasoning sauce into the pan.

As the solidified fat melted upon heating, the blend of plant and animal oils released a rich aroma.

Jiang Yanyi stirred with a spatula while adding spices to mix evenly, filling the air with a strong and fragrant spice scent.

After the spices were fragrant, she poured in boiling water.

Using broth would have made it taste even better, but unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to prepare it.

Once the water boiled, Jiang Yanyi first added potato slices, lotus root slices, bean sprouts, and tofu to cook.

After estimating they were about seventy percent cooked, she added the pork slices and cilantro meatballs.

At the same time, she soaked a few pieces of instant noodles in boiling water; when the noodles expanded, she used chopsticks to transfer them into the pot to absorb the flavors.

After turning off the heat, she served the dish in soup bowls, garnished with chopped green onions and cilantro, making it both visually appealing and aromatic.

The difference between “mào cài” (a type of hot pot) and hot pot itself is that hot pot is eaten by dipping, while “mào cài” is a mixed stew where all the ingredients are cooked together.

The rice was steamed in wooden baskets beforehand.

Jiang Yanyi called out that dinner was ready, and the workers, who had been drooling outside from the delicious smells, rushed into the kitchen like dogs fighting for food, carrying out two bowls of “mào cài” and the steaming basket of rice.

A few people gathered around two tables.

Jiang Yanyi sat down with Bing Shao and Chu Shubao, along with several experienced cooks.

In the past, the noodle shop struggled to survive, and there was barely enough oil to cook; now, they could eat heartily.

The young workers devoured their food hungrily, scooping up vegetables from the soup and shoveling hot rice into their mouths.

The lingering spiciness from the dish filled their mouths, leaving a delightful aftertaste.

The vegetables in the pot seemed to have absorbed the meat’s aroma, and the instant noodles fully soaked up the flavorful broth, making the meal taste far better than what they usually ate.

The noodle shop workers couldn’t stop praising the meal.

Chu Shubao was quite carefree and didn’t feel uncomfortable at the table.

She even actively asked the cooks about the process of making noodles, appearing casual but still speaking with consideration.

Jiang Yanyi thought this girl was quite opinionated.

If she focused on her rouge business, she might achieve something great in the future.

After finishing the meal, Chu Shubao rubbed her round belly and sighed, finding it difficult to walk.

Jiang Yanyi couldn’t help but laugh. “Next time, don’t eat so much.”

Chu Shubao lamented, “If I could control myself, I wouldn’t be in this situation!”

As she spoke, she sniffed her clothes. “I feel like my clothes have absorbed the smell too. I hope when I get back, Huibao won’t tug at my sleeves and cry while craving food.”

Jiang Yanyi reassured her, “It won’t smell that strong. Next time you come, bring Huibao with you.”

Chu Shubao’s brows furrowed. “Grandmother won’t let Huibao come.”

Jiang Yanyi asked, “Why not?”

Chu Shubao made a conflicted face. “Grandmother says Huibao is too greedy.”

Jiang Yanyi chuckled, “Even if she can eat a lot, can she really eat me out of business?”

Chu Shubao couldn’t help but smile shyly in response.

Feeling that a little walk would aid in digestion, Jiang Yanyi didn’t call for a cart and instead walked back to the antique soup shop with Chu Shubao.

As they arrived at the shop, Jiang Yanyi noticed a cart parked in front.

There was no one with it, just a few chickens bound by their wings and feet, looking as if they were about to be slaughtered—a rather striking sight.

When Chu Shubao saw the cart full of chickens, she was momentarily taken aback and turned to Jiang Yanyi, asking, “Are you planning to serve a whole chicken feast in the shop?”

Jiang Yanyi was just as puzzled.

She went inside to ask Yang Xiu, “What’s with that cart of chickens outside?”

Yang Xiu replied, “The cart driver from the Wang residence just brought it over, saying it’s for us.”

Jiang Yanyi felt a bit complicated.

Were these chickens sent by Feng Shuo?

His style of gift-giving was indeed varied and unexpected.

Since there were many diners in the shop, bringing the chickens into the backyard meant passing through the dining area, which might disturb the guests.

So, they could only temporarily leave the ten or so chickens on the cart outside.

Jiang Yanyi led Chu Shubao into the shop, cheerfully greeting familiar diners, who, knowing that Jiang Yanyi had opened a new noodle shop, couldn’t help but congratulate her.

It was Chu Shubao’s first visit to Jiang Yanyi’s antique soup shop.

She noticed that, although the place was a bit small, its layout and arrangement were no worse than those of famous restaurants, and everything was clean and tidy, with no sign of mess.

Half-height bamboo screens separated each table, so even though the tables were quite close together, it didn’t feel cramped.

The screens provided a bit of privacy, making the dining experience more comfortable for the guests.

Each table had a slender-necked white porcelain vase with a branch of half-open, half-closed red plum blossoms, complemented by various delicate plates and dishes on the table—everything was pleasing to the eye.

Before Chu Shubao had a chance to compliment Jiang Yanyi on the shop’s decor, she heard a table of diners shout, “Waiter, bring us paper and ink!”

Following the sound, Chu Shubao saw that the diners at that table were young gentlemen who had drunk a few cups of light wine.

Their faces were slightly flushed, and perhaps noticing the young ladies looking at them, the young men blushed even more.

To show off their literary talents, they started reciting poetry, their voices growing louder, while the diners at the neighboring tables either watched them with smiles or discussed the young men’s literary abilities.

Jiang Yanyi seemed unfazed by the scene. She took out some brushes, ink, paper, and an ink stone from beneath the counter and handed them to Yang Xiu.

When the young gentlemen composed their poems, the diners around them also got up to see the commotion.

Those who wrote good poetry and had nice handwriting naturally received much praise, while those who acted pretentiously were met with ridicule.

This trend had started after Feng Shuo wrote a piece for Jiang Yanyi’s shop, and she hadn’t anticipated it would develop into such a phenomenon.

Her antique soup shop seemed to have become an ancient hotspot for hot pot enthusiasts.

Other restaurants might want to replicate this gimmick, but without the same reputation, they would ultimately fall short.

Chu Shubao, unaware of these developments, found everything quite novel.

She leaned on the counter and whispered to Jiang Yanyi, “Do many people come to your shop to compose poetry? Doesn’t that mean you have to spend a lot on paper and ink?”

Jiang Yanyi smiled and quietly explained, “Once the reputation is established, it leads to greater profits.”

She pointed to several handmade poetry collections on the wall, “These are poems composed by diners who came to eat hot pot. The owner of the bookstore suggested we publish these poems as a book for sale, but there are a few poets whose names I haven’t encountered again, so I couldn’t get their permission, and thus, I’ve set that aside.”

This effectively made it a rare collection exclusive to her shop, and many scholars who visited would borrow the poetry collections to admire them.

Chu Shubao was excited by Jiang Yanyi’s words and picked up a poetry collection to browse through.

She discovered that some poems had replies written in small characters below, and when the original poet discovered them, they would inevitably return a poem in kind, creating an exchange that resembled friendship through literature.

She sighed, “You’re really clever, Ayi. If I left a poem in the collection, I would also come back every so often to see if someone had replied to me.”

Jiang Yanyi was recording accounts in the ledger and, upon hearing this, held the brush and said, “If a talented scholar and a talented beauty become a couple because of poetry, I believe more guests would leave poems in the shop.”

The era was harsh for women, and in Xizhou, there were fewer constraints on them compared to the southern capital, where aristocratic young ladies were even less free.

They were often confined to their homes, adhering to strict rules of propriety.

A young girl would rarely encounter any men outside her family, and if male guests visited, she had to avoid them out of caution.

In matters of marriage, most couples followed “the orders of the parents and the matchmaker’s words,” with some even meeting their husbands only on their wedding night, leaving little room for genuine affection.

Most of the time, it was simply the woman enduring hardship, creating a false facade of harmony.

Thus, the poignant love stories that break through societal conventions found in popular novels were always exceptionally favored.

Chu Shubao asked, “Ayi, isn’t your shop selling antique soup? How did you come up with so many ideas?”

Jiang Yanyi replied, “If I only wanted to run a small business and focus solely on profit, that would be sufficient. But if I want to grow larger, I need to develop my own core offerings so that even if others try to emulate it, they can only achieve a poor imitation.”

“There are many reasons guests choose a restaurant. Delicious food is certainly the most obvious one, but even the best food can become tiresome over time. There has to be something else to guide diners in their choices, like the dining environment or the entertainment available while eating.”

Currently, besides having the old scholar telling stories and composing poetry, Jiang Yanyi had also organized a throwing-game activity where guests could win a free dish of Chef Yao’s specialty if they hit the target.

This prize encouraged many diners to participate in the throwing game.

Chu Shubao, quick to understand, immediately asked, “Then what about my rouge? Besides being effective and appealing to female customers, what other ways can I make them like it?”

Jiang Yanyi thought for a moment and said, “The celebrity effect might be useful.”

Seeing that Chu Shubao didn’t quite understand, Jiang Yanyi explained, “Since you came from the capital, one day you could wear a beautiful makeup look and say that it was inspired by a certain princess or county princess from the capital. Who would dare say it looks bad? If someone asks how you did your makeup, you could then explain what rouge you used and how you applied it, genuinely praising how great that rouge is. Wouldn’t it sell then?”

Chu Shubao nodded vigorously, her face filled with admiration, exclaiming, “Thank goodness you don’t sell rouge, or I might end up spending my entire fortune on it.”

Jiang Yanyi couldn’t help but laugh.

After finishing the accounting tasks, she pulled Chu Shubao into the backyard to discuss the arrangement of the rouge counter and how to promote it to female customers.