The person serving the dishes was an orphan from Wutong Street named Gouzi, only about twelve or thirteen years old. Having lost his parents at a young age, he supported his eight-year-old sister by running errands for neighbors in exchange for food.
However, a growing boy eats like a horse, and the neighbors had only been giving him errands out of pity for the siblings. The residents of Wutong Street were not well-off themselves, each family barely managing to fill their stomachs.
When the two children were younger, neighbors could spare half a steamed bun for them, but now that they were older and ate more, the neighbors could no longer provide for them.
Aunt Wang was kind-hearted. Having watched these two children grow up, she immediately thought of Gouzi when there was work available.
Afraid that Xi Ning might think she hadn’t taken the job seriously, Aunt Wang brought Gouzi to meet her in person.
“Miss Xi, don’t let his age fool you. He’s diligent and quick with his hands and feet, no less capable than a grown laborer. I know this puts you in a difficult position, but just providing them with two meals a day would be enough. We wouldn’t dare ask for wages.”
Gouzi had changed into clean clothes, likely borrowed from Aunt Wang’s grandson. Though patched in places, they were washed spotless.
He was dark and thin, with a stubborn glint in his eyes. Fearing Xi Ning might not take him, he knelt directly on the ground and kowtowed to her.
“Miss Xi, I don’t even need food for myself. Just give my sister something to eat, and I’ll work hard for you.”
His forehead struck the bluestone bricks with a thudding sound, making Xi Ning’s heart ache. She quickly pulled him up.
In her previous life, this would have been considered child labor, but here, without this job, Gouzi and his sister would likely have to beg on the streets.
“Get up quickly. I’ll take you on.”
“Really?”
Gouzi’s eyes shone with disbelief. A red mark was already forming on his forehead, but he didn’t seem to feel any pain.
Xi Ning nodded. “Really. The staff in our shop get three meals a day, plus a monthly wage of one hundred wen. As long as you work hard, there will be bonuses in the future.”
Gouzi was stunned by Xi Ning’s words. Such good fortune—not only meals provided but also money? Money, something he had never seen before.
With money, could he buy clothes and good food for his sister?
His heart pounded wildly. As he left, he nearly tripped over the threshold, unable to believe such luck had fallen upon him.
Aunt Wang felt both heartache and amusement, giving him a light pinch.
“Miss Xi is a good person. From now on, you must work hard and never slack off. Otherwise, not only will Miss Xi not forgive you, but neither will I.”
“Don’t worry, Auntie. I’ll work hard, I promise.”
Besides these two, Xi Ning also selected two indentured servants bound by lifelong contracts.
This dynasty was called the Zhou Dynasty, though it wasn’t the same as the historical Zhou Dynasty. It resembled the Southern Song Dynasty from her previous life, emphasizing literature over martial arts. Women’s status was not high, but they could still work outside.
However, over the past decade, frequent natural and man-made disasters had made life difficult for the common people, so many sold themselves into servitude just for a meal.
The two people Aunt Wang selected for her were refugees who had fled from elsewhere—one man and one woman, both around twenty-five or twenty-six years old but already deeply lined and weathered.
When they learned that Xi Ning was buying them to teach them culinary skills, they immediately called her their master without hesitation.
Song Yun and Liu Ye were not dull-witted, and the dishes Xi Ning intended to make were simple. After learning for just over half a month, both could handle tasks independently.
In mid-May, Xi Ning’s shop opened for business.Thanks to the wonton noodles, Xi’s Shop had built up a reputation in the northern part of the city. Knowing that Xi Ning was about to open a shop, these regular customers had been eagerly waiting.
“What do you think Xi’s Shop will sell? Still wonton noodles?”
“Probably not. If it were still wonton noodles, there wouldn’t be a need to rent a shop. There might be new dishes.”
“New dishes? Miss Xi’s cooking is so good. These new dishes are probably just like the wonton noodles—something we’ve never tried before. No, we have to go early to get a seat. These past few days without Xi’s Shop setting up the stall, I’ve felt like food just doesn’t taste the same.”
And so, a group of people chatted and made plans to visit Xi’s Shop together.
Xi Ning stood not far from the shop with Ren Dong, watching as more and more customers gathered at the entrance. She couldn’t help but feel excited.
Xi’s Shop was her first step to establishing herself in the Zhou Dynasty, and it gave her a sense of belonging.
She was no longer a wandering soul—she had a home now.
Ren Dong didn’t know what her mistress was thinking. Her mind was entirely focused on going into the shop to take a look. This was the shop she had personally supervised the setup for, and she had also tasted the food that was being sold. She wondered if the customers would like it.
Ren Dong was both excited and nervous, peering around restlessly, making it impossible for Xi Ning to ignore her.
“Let’s go and take a look.”
By the time the two arrived, the shop was already full.
The shop wasn’t large, with about ten tables set up, accommodating thirty to forty people. Most of the visitors today were regular customers of Xi’s Shop.
Xi Ning had created a menu using a modern approach. The menu was made of thin wooden boards crafted by Madam Chen’s husband, each board of equal thickness and size, with the shop’s dishes written on them for the convenience of the customers.
“What’s this liangpi? Cold noodles? It’s hot now, so something cool would be refreshing. I’ll have one.”
“I’ll have a bowl of zhajiangmian, plus a cup of sour plum juice.”
…
The menu featured dozens of dishes: liangpi, zhajiangmian, dalu mian, wonton noodles, braised chicken, cross-bridge rice noodles, and more. Xi Ning had recreated many of the common snacks from her previous life.
Since the customers had never tried spicy food before, Gouzi specifically asked them if they wanted to try it when they ordered. Of course, everyone wanted to taste something new.
“Yes, I’ll have it mildly spicy!”
The ingredients were all prepared in advance, and Song Yun and Liu Ye worked quickly, able to serve the dishes in just half a quarter of an hour. As the various dishes were brought out, the shop filled with a mildly spicy and fragrant aroma.
“Ouch! So this is spicy flavor—it’s really intense!”
The speaker clearly wasn’t used to spicy food. After one bite of liangpi, the tip of his tongue was tingling.
But the spiciness was addictive, and by the end, no one in the shop was talking—only the sound of slurping and eating could be heard.
Ren Dong had already tasted the food, but she was still drooling with anticipation.
“Miss’s cooking skills are unmatched. With this many people on the first day, we won’t have to worry about business in the future.”
Xi Ning smiled and nodded. It wasn’t that her cooking was exceptional—she was simply standing on the shoulders of those who came before her. These snacks had been tested by time and were the food of the people.
But by introducing these snacks ahead of time, she could also improve the diet of the people in the Zhou Dynasty.
Seeing the customers enjoying their meals so much, Xi Ning couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction.
Outside the shop, Pei Zhao stood not far away with Chang Lin.
“Master, shall we go over?”
Ever since Pei Zhao had arranged for two people to secretly protect Xi Ning, news of her would occasionally appear on his desk.
Pei Zhao didn’t want to admit that he was paying attention to this woman, but he never missed any updates about her.Knowing she had bought a shop to open a store, Pei Zhao had been looking forward to it for ten days. So, as soon as Xi’s Shop opened for business, he brought Chang Lin along.