Cao Jin and Huo Yuan were informed of Cai Wei’s upcoming store opening and were extremely helpful to her.
Huo Yuan personally delivered five hundred jin of cumin to Cai Wei’s new restaurant. When Cai Wei tried to return the original fifteen hundred taels of silver, Huo Yuan refused to accept it, insisting that the cumin was a celebration gift for her shop opening. Seeing his persistence, Cai Wei accepted.
Cao Jin selected four young and capable boys from his own household, along with their servitude contracts, and presented them to Cai Wei. Perhaps feeling guilty for having made the Mu Family return to the capital, Cao Jin offered relentless help throughout Cai Wei’s process of opening the shop.
He took charge of procuring the ovens for roasting dim sums, barbecue skewers, and other equipment as per Cai Wei’s blueprints. Within two days, all the items arrived at Mao’er Alley with impeccable precision.
In addition to the four boys sent by Cao Jin, Mu Zhongqing hired three shopkeepers and three maids to roast skewers and wrap ear dumplings and Hun Dun. Cai Wei held them to strict hygienic standards and rigorously trained all the staff at her restaurant.
After over ten days of intense preparation, the Mu family’s "Bafu Restaurant" finally opened.
On the day of opening, a white monkey with long eyebrows emerged on the bustling streets of the capital. The monkey was dressed in a little robe with "Bafu Restaurant" embroidered on its back, and the restaurant’s location was embroidered on its waistband.
The monkey sauntered down the street with a stack of papers, handing them out to passersby. Upon receiving it, they were intrigued by the advertisement for Bafu Restaurant.
In this era, people were unfamiliar with such advertising tactics. Therefore, when they encountered this monkey acting so human-like, and received the flyer from its hand, they were naturally curious and followed the directions on the flyer.
Navigating through streets and lanes, when they reached Mao’er Alley, the unique aroma of barbeque wafted over. The rich smell of meat mingling with cumin and sesame in the air made their mouths water.
"What is this? Why does it smell so good?"
A few individuals, looking like scholars, stopped at the entrance of Bafu Restaurant. They were curious about the long rows of iron ovens at the entrance and questioned the barbecue shopkeeper.
"Gentlemen, these are barbecue skewers, the only place in the capital where they’re sold. They are both inexpensive and delicious, please come in and have a try!"
The barbecue shopkeeper warmly beckoned, fanning the skewers harder with his hand fan.
With the constant fanning, the intense aroma of the skewers overpowered their senses. Not able to resist their hunger, a few people stepped into the restaurant.
Inside, the well-trained waiters, dressed in clean work clothes, instantly greeted those who came in with a warm smile, "Welcome, please come in."
The few guests who had just entered were immediately attracted by two paintings on the wall of the restaurant. The paintings were full of life and color.
In one of them, a young and graceful maiden stood behind a table, her face full of smiles. The table held a few large trays, filled with various kinds of barbecued skewers including barbecued meat, grilled seafood, grilled cabbage, and grilled buns. Below each tray were the prices of the skewers inside...
The image was so vivid that the various skewers portrayed seemed to glisten with oil, their colors vibrant. The aroma of the skewers nearly wafted out of the painting itself.