"Young Master Jiang, what is this aroma? Does your restaurant have any dishes not listed on the menu?"
Jiang Pan emerged with a smile to explain, "Of course not. The scent you all are smelling is another delicacy from our Wangxiang Tower. It's entirely different from what you're eating now, and it's only served at night, which is why it's not on the same menu. Our chef is currently testing the flavors."
Someone who was already captivated by the smell eagerly said, "Young Master Jiang, don't keep us in suspense. Quickly bring a portion of this to our table. This smell is truly intoxicating."
Jiang Pan smiled and replied, "Then I'll go to the kitchen and instruct the chef to prepare some for everyone to try first."
With that, Jiang Pan asked Sun Wang to hurry to the kitchen.
Sun Wang jogged to the back and saw Jiang Wan deliberately fanning the aroma of the barbecue towards the front with a fan.
She was doing it on purpose.
Although the barbecue was scheduled to be prepared only at night, with so many guests present, how could she miss this prime opportunity for promotion?
Sun Wang was filled with admiration for the young proprietress.
The young proprietress was not old, but her mind worked far better than the master and madam. In just this moment, the guests would surely not forget the aroma of the barbecue.
Before long, several portions of barbecue were served to the tables.
The first guests to receive them looked at the skewers of grilled meat, each finding them novel.
In truth, who among those present had never eaten grilled meat?
But all the grilled meat they had eaten before did not compare to the intense fragrance of these small meat skewers!
Picking up a skewer and taking a bite, the rich, charred aroma exploded in their mouths, making their mouths water uncontrollably.
It was truly fragrant and delicious.
The grilled meat was perfectly cooked, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a special fragrance they had never tasted before.
In a short while, a plate of grilled skewers was completely devoured.
When they reached out for a second skewer, alas, there were none left.
Someone quickly called out, "Young Master Jiang, bring another plate to our table. No, three plates, the more the better!"
Jiang Pan smiled and said, "My apologies, everyone. The barbecue is a dish that we officially start serving at night. We truly don't have any more at the moment. If you wish to eat it, please come back tonight, and the barbecue will be plentiful!"
The guests cursed Jiang Pan's cunning in their hearts.
Not only did they make them come and patronize the restaurant during the day, but they were also making them come back at night!
Yet, they truly couldn't resist coming.
The taste of the barbecue was too fragrant. After eating the barbecue, the other dishes felt much lighter.
Although they were almost full, they felt they could still eat another ten or eight skewers of barbecue!
Thus, on the first night Wangxiang Tower was open for business, the open-air dining area was packed, as was the first-floor hall, and even the private rooms on the second floor were full.
Yuan Bao was so busy grilling that his hands moved like blurs.
If Jiang Wan hadn't replenished his energy from time to time, Yuan Bao would have surely collapsed from exhaustion in front of the barbecue grill.
They remained busy until the curfew, and only then did Wangxiang Tower send off its last table of guests.
Leaving a few resident staff to clean up, the Jiang family, with their somewhat exhausted bodies, took a carriage back to the small mountain village.
As soon as they entered the house, Zhang Qiaoxiu and Jiang Xiao rushed out to greet them.
"Dad, Mom, you're finally back. You must be exhausted, right?"
The few of them were indeed too tired to even speak, but Erlang and Dalang's eyes were shining with excitement.
The reason was simple: the two brothers were holding money boxes.
The box in Dalang's hand contained the midday revenue, while the evening revenue was in Erlang's.
"Let's go count the money!"
The family gathered in the main house. Dalang even specially went to call Su Shi, who had already fallen asleep.
The money from the two boxes was divided into two piles, and the family split into two teams, each counting one pile.
After a while, the amounts from both piles of money were tallied.
Jiang Wan smiled and asked Dalang, "Eldest Brother, what was the midday revenue?"
Dalang's eyes gleamed as he smiled, "Twenty-five taels!"
Erlang couldn't wait, "The evening revenue was twenty-six taels!"
Combined, that made fifty-one taels.
Rounding down, the total revenue for the first day was fifty taels. If they could maintain this level, it would amount to fifteen hundred taels in a month!
The two brothers were so excited they could barely contain themselves.
Jiang Pan shot them a glare, "Look at your limited ambition!"
Chen Yuezhi said, "Fifty-one taels, but we still need to deduct nearly twenty taels for the cost of goods. So, the profit is only around thirty taels."
Jiang Wan added, "Today is just the first day of opening, so business is exceptionally booming. However, how the business will fare afterwards is still unknown. Therefore, everyone, don't get too happy too soon."
Excessive expectations can easily lead to disappointment.
Jiang Pan nodded, "I've inquired about the best-performing restaurants in our county. In their busiest months, after deducting all costs, they earn two to three hundred taels of silver per month. Their daily profit is about ten taels."
Dalang counted on his fingers, "Then, if we calculate at this level, we can also earn about that much!"
Two to three hundred taels a month! That was still an amount they had never dared to imagine before.
Jiang Wan couldn't help but shake her head at their easily satisfied nature.
These two brothers truly lacked experience.
In fact, Wangxiang Tower's business would not be bad in the future. With the dishes she exclusively supplied, Wangxiang Tower would have virtually no rivals in Yao County.
Moreover, their dishes were different from other restaurants, so there would be no conflict with other establishments in the short term.
However, over time, some restaurants would likely start imitating their dishes.
But Jiang Wan didn't need to worry at all, because who else could possess supernatural abilities besides her?
As long as she wanted to, what kind of delicacies couldn't she procure?
Those restaurants had absolutely no capital to compete with Wangxiang Tower.
However, she didn't want to tell these two silly brothers these things for now, lest they get too excited to sleep tonight.
But even without Jiang Wan saying anything, Dalang and Erlang were so excited that they didn't fall asleep until late into the night.
The Jiang family all woke up a little later the next day.
When Wang Hongye arrived, Chen Yuezhi, who was usually an early riser, was still not awake.
It was unavoidable. In the days leading up to the opening, everyone in the family, except for Su Shi, had been utterly exhausted.
The success of the previous day's opening had brought joy and excitement to the entire family. Once they finally lay down, their spirits completely relaxed, and they overslept.
On the second day, Jiang Pan and Chen Yuezhi did not go to the restaurant. They went to their respective duties, he to his official post, and she to the medical clinic.
The restaurant matters were temporarily handed over to Dalang and Erlang.
Although they were still a bit worried about their two inexperienced sons, people had to learn and grow. As long as they spent more time at the restaurant, they would quickly be trained.
And besides, wasn't there Wan Wan!
Their youngest daughter had said that she would be watching over her two brothers from behind the scenes, and if any mistakes occurred, she would find a way to rectify them.
With Jiang Wan's assurance, the couple then went about their own business with peace of mind.