With this question in mind, for the next few days, Cao Dou couldn’t look at Jiang Da the same way.
“Xiao Douzi, why are you staring at me?”
“Whew~ It’s honestly a miracle that you’re still alive, Senior Brother.”
Jiang Da: “?”
Is this kid out of his mind?
Back to the present.
After visiting the ad agency, Cao Dou followed Han Yunru and Jiang Fuyue’s advice to revise the menu. He stayed until it was reprinted, and the result was indeed much better than before.
Another “Respect!” moment.
“Alright, go with this one. Let’s print 200 copies and have them delivered to Jiang’s Private Kitchen this afternoon.”
Next, he checked the finished promotional banners.
Han Yunru had said red was too cliché, so they switched to yellow with blue text and added silver-gray embossed patterns on the fabric—eye-catching and refined.
It definitely had more quality than the traditional red banners.
“No need to change it again—this looks great. Send it over along with the menus. Oh, and what about the framed sign we brought in earlier?”
Shop Owner: “It was just finished this morning. It’s a bit heavy so we didn’t move it out yet. Want me to take you to see it?”
Cao Dou: “Sure.”
They went to the back room.
The shop owner lifted a red cloth, revealing the sign underneath. The five large characters—“Jiang’s Private Kitchen”—leapt into view.
Clearly the same artist had done the current “Jiang’s Pancakes” sign too.
Strong strokes with silver hook-style script—full of flair and bold spirit.
The shop owner rubbed his hands excitedly: “This calligraphy is incredible. I don’t even know much about it, but even I can tell it’s powerful.”
Cao Dou looked at it again, nodding. “Yeah… it is pretty good…”
“Little Brother, which master did you get to write this? Honestly, some of my regular customers have already asked about it. Think you could introduce us? They’ve got money, trust me—more than willing to pay a good price.”
He offered Cao Dou a cigarette to butter him up.
Cao Dou didn’t smoke and politely declined.
The shop owner mistook it as reluctance to share and quickly promised, “Listen, if you connect me with the artist, how about a 70/30 split—you get 30%?”
“It’s not about the money…”
“Okay, 60/40!”
Cao Dou twitched a little, helpless: “I really don’t—”
“Alright, alright! Half and half! You just pass the message along and you get 50%! Practically easy money—don’t let it go!”
“Boss, it’s not that I’m being stingy or anything. I genuinely don’t know who wrote it.”
“Huh? Didn’t you bring it in? How do you not know?”
“Someone else gave it to me. I was just running an errand.”
“I see…” The shop owner looked disappointed. “Could you ask the person who gave it to you then?”
Cao Dou thought for a moment. “Alright, I’ll try—but no guarantees.”
“Great! And should we deliver the sign now too?”
“Yep. Just cover it with a red cloth and wait to unveil it at tomorrow’s opening—keep the suspense going.”
“Got it.”
***
After handling things at the ad agency, Cao Dou went straight to the restaurant. He checked the space again, ensuring the media area, tasting section, dining area, and waiting zone were all set up properly. Only then did he go outside to wait for the delivery truck.
While waiting, he cleaned up the front desk one more time. The wooden beckoning cat statue gleamed under his polishing.
Soon, the delivery arrived. All materials were moved into storage. He carefully checked and counted everything before signing and paying.
Then, after washing his hands, he called the dozen new servers, telling them to be at the restaurant by 6 a.m. sharp the next day.
Even though he’d already emphasized this at the end of their training, he reminded them again just to be safe.
All the new hires were young guys and girls with good personalities but a bit on the lazy side. Despite their training, they still needed regular reminders and supervision.
Once everything was done, Cao Dou returned to the villa under the setting sun.
Inside, Jiang Fuyue was tasting a new batch of Han Yunru’s air chocolate. Rich flavor, melts instantly in your mouth.
She nodded: “Better texture than the last few times.”
“Sweetness?”
“Not greasy or oily—just right.”
Han Yunru beamed and rushed back to the kitchen to note down the ingredient proportions.
Barring surprises, this batch’s recipe would be finalized.
Besides Jiang Da’s original dishes, the private kitchen would also sell desserts created by Han Yunru.
Three limited editions each month, all priced on the high end.
If you want it, order it. If not, move on.
Want something else?
Sorry, that’s all there is.
If the pancake shop was full of lively street energy, then the private kitchen was like a little haven—where you could pause and catch your breath in the crowd.
Cao Dou walked over, popped the leftover dessert into his mouth, and his eyes lit up. “…Delicious!”
Jiang Fuyue tossed her disposable fork. “Everything set up at the shop?”
“Don’t worry—everything’s ready. Just waiting for opening day.”
“Mhm.” Cao Dou was surprisingly detail-oriented for a guy—completely opposite from rough-and-tumble Jiang Da.
For tasks like decorating or guest arrangements, he was absolutely the right man for the job.
“Oh, by the way, when I left the restaurant, I noticed the shop next door is getting ready to open too. Don’t tell me… it’s tomorrow?”
Jiang Fuyue answered directly: “It is.”
“Tch. Shi—uh, Yu Shangmei really doesn’t miss a chance to mess with us, huh.”
“What, are you scared?”
“Scared? Me? Come on! After all that promo work I’ve done, do you think it was for nothing? I’m telling you, we’ll have a huge crowd tomorrow—just wait and see!”
On that point, Jiang Fuyue had no doubt.
After all, Jiang Ji’s brand had been building an online following for the past six months.
There were bound to be fans showing up to support.
But what she was worried about was…
“If the crowd gets too big and people are stuck waiting too long, do you think some of them will get impatient, or so hungry they just go next door instead?”
“That… can’t be, right?” Cao Dou blinked—he really hadn’t considered that possibility.
Jiang Fuyue smirked: “From your tone, sounds like you’re not so sure either. But if it were me? I’d tell you straight up—if I had to wait too long, got too hungry or tired, I’d give up and eat somewhere else. Then I’d probably resent the place that made me wait.”
For customers, that’s not exactly a pleasant experience.
Cao Dou frowned. “Then what should we do? If there are that many people, some waiting is inevitable! The pancake shop always has long lines too.”
Jiang Fuyue shook her head. “Not the same. Pancakes are mostly takeout—quick to make, no dine-in, short turnaround. A sit-down restaurant is completely different.”
Cao Dou thought hard. “To keep people from leaving, we need to make the wait more enjoyable… keep them entertained or distracted so they stay patient…”
Following that line of thought: “We could offer some free snacks and drinks! But not too much. If they get full waiting, they won’t order as many dishes—bad for sales.”
“And if we offer something too fancy, the cost goes up. So maybe just some candy and sunflower seeds?”
Jiang Fuyue: “But if it’s too basic, it’ll feel cheap and unimpressive.”
Cao Dou clicked his tongue, frowning again.
Han Yunru stepped in—she had already washed up and taken off her apron. “I can make some simple handmade desserts—like snowflake crisps. Package them nicely and they’ll look fancy. They’re sweet, so people won’t eat too many. Cost is manageable.”
Cao Dou nodded: “That works! Also, I want to set up some check-in activities—like photo ops for social media, and prize draws. Nowadays, girls can spend half an hour just taking selfies. Add editing and posting, that’s two to three hours gone. By then, it’ll be their turn!”
Everything was moving forward smoothly.
As night fell, the villa was ablaze with lights, everyone busy with final preparations.
Then, Cao Dou finally remembered to ask Jiang Fuyue, “Hey—those characters on the sign, who wrote them?”
Jiang Fuyue glanced at him, her expression unreadable. “Why are you asking?”
Cao Dou relayed everything the ad agency boss had said. “…So? Do we want that money or not?”
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