Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 336 The Bones Restaurant Opens

Sunday, April 28th.

The year of Xinwei, the month of Renchen, and the day of Wuchen.

The weather was clear and sunny, with a clear blue sky and fluffy white clouds. A gentle breeze blew through Fengtian City, and the roadside was covered with lush green grass.

Fengtian Anji, a century-old restaurant, is scheduled to officially open on April 30th, an auspicious day according to the Chinese almanac. However, considering that the 30th is a Tuesday and many people will find it inconvenient to come to the restaurant to celebrate, Lao Chen has set the banquet date for the 28th. On the 28th, the banquet will only be held for guests and the signboard will not be unveiled. The opening ceremony will be held at 8:00 a.m. on the 30th.

In those days, there were no Golden Week holidays or long weekends. May Day was still a normal working day, except for Sundays.

Anji, a century-old restaurant, was spotless inside and out, adorned with colorful decorations. The waitresses, dressed in uniforms, were busy working both inside and outside the restaurant. Today, all the waitresses were on duty together, without any shifts, creating a festive atmosphere.

Smoke billowed and the stove roared in the kitchen on the second floor. An Laowu and Master Fan were giving serious instructions, while the kitchen helpers and apprentices were being bossed around. Today was the restaurant's first day of serving customers, and all the guests were prominent figures from Fengtian. It was said that even people from the municipal party committee, municipal government, and provincial government were coming. If this didn't turn out well, the two of them would be out of a job.

The waiters in the private rooms were a bit more nervous than those downstairs, because everyone was on duty today, with one person responsible for each private room. They were currently setting up the napkins, tablecloths, plates, bowls, cups, and saucers, ensuring everything was arranged meticulously, with the distance between each seat and the edge of the table being exactly the same. There were white wine cups, red wine glasses, beer glasses, soup bowls, dirty dishes, chopsticks, pillows, and ashtrays. Folded tablecloths were placed on the chairs, and folded napkins were inserted into stemmed glasses. One pack of cigarettes was provided per person.

The exhaust fans in the private rooms hummed and hummed, replacing the air inside. Several stainless steel food carts, spotlessly clean inside and out, were parked against the wall outside the serving area. Each private room had a storage cabinet at its entrance and storage boxes inside; the cabinets were for storing tools, and the boxes were for storing guests' clothes and belongings. In the center of the dining table sat a blue-and-white porcelain vase holding fresh flowers, the dew on the flowers shimmering under the lights.

Wearing her manager's uniform, Li Na inspected each room one by one, occasionally pointing out any shortcomings she found, and quietly reminding the waiters of things to pay attention to and etiquette.

The cleaning staff were doing a final check; the incense in the restrooms emitted wisps of smoke, and hand soap, towels, non-slip mats, and toilet paper were all neatly arranged. Everything in the restaurant was ready and waiting.

Xiao Wei and Chen Hui arrived at the store early in the morning, looked around inside and out, and then sat down to watch. All departments and positions were managed by someone. As the boss, he could look and find problems, but he couldn't interfere, or things would get chaotic.

"We should find some people to play instruments and sing in the middle; it looks too empty," Chen Hui said to Xiao Wei, looking at the circular stage left in the very center of the room.

Xiao Wei glanced at it and said, "We don't actually use this stage very often. How many people can afford to spend this much money to hold a banquet or business event here? However, hiring a band to play instruments isn't suitable for us. Let's see if we can find two more people who can play the guqin, or the guzheng, and gather two or three people to take turns performing here. We can pay them a monthly salary."

Chen Hui pursed his lips and said, "They're hard to find. It was a lot of effort to find this one today. I'll ask her later if it's okay for her to come to work. It's easy to find people who can play the electronic keyboard now, but there are very few who can play the guqin. Or rather, it's not that there are few, but it's hard to find someone who can play it well and can really perform."

Xiao Wei said, "Ask if she's willing to come. The salary will be the same as the lobby manager's. Ask her if she can help find someone, but there are requirements for appearance and figure. This is no joke."

Chen Hui unbuttoned his suit jacket, stretched, and said, "I'll ask you later. This outfit makes me look too stiff. Why don't you wear it?"

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "You're the boss, I'm just watching for the fun, what am I supposed to wear?" Neither of them usually wears suits.

Chen Hui raised his hand to look at his watch and said, "Why hasn't Lao Xia arrived yet? We should have dragged him over that day." When the two of them returned to Fengtian, Xia Maosheng didn't come with them because he had to go to work. He said he would come by himself today, but it's almost noon and he's still nowhere to be seen.

The voice of the welcoming staff at the entrance came over: "Welcome." This kind of etiquette, which would become commonplace in later generations, was still not practiced in this era; it was considered very high-class.

Xiao Wei and Chen Hui turned around and saw Old Chen leading Sister Liu in. The two quickly stood up to greet them.

"Dad. Aunt Liu."

"Uncle Chen. Aunt Liu."

Old Chen turned his head and looked around, from the waiter to the lights above his head, and nodded, saying, "Is everything ready?" Director Liu smiled and nodded to Xiao Wei and Chen Hui.

Chen Hui said, "Everything's almost ready. We can start the banquet soon. When should everyone arrive?"

Old Chen slowly walked inside, carrying his handbag, looking at the furnishings and the items on the dining table. He said, "This cigarette is quite good, really good. Several leaders in the bureau said it's delicious. We can send two cases over every month for the bureau to use as hospitality. Have you calculated it? How much should the cigarettes cost?"

Chen Hui said, "It would cost at least twenty yuan; that's special-supply tobacco."

Old Chen stopped and looked back at the door, saying, "Twenty-five, let's settle the bill together then. The lights are a bit dim here, but it's a bit bright near the door, but it's not a big deal. Is everything ready upstairs?" He then started walking towards the stairs.

Then came the welcoming ceremony. Old Chen stood at the door with two people behind the greeters. When someone arrived, he would introduce them to the two people and then have the greeters lead them to the private room on the second floor.

The first to arrive were the power industry representatives. Needless to say, they were family, so they naturally came to show their support. It's also conceivable that the Northeast Bureau's reception area would be set up here. Next were the power industry-related units. Most of these units needed to curry favor with the power industry, so they arrived earlier.

The closer it was to mealtime, the higher the rank of the arrivals. People from all districts of Fengtian came. Several district heads and secretaries entered, chatting and laughing, surrounded by their secretaries. Several major bureaus of the city also came. The city secretary did not come, but the mayor did. He explained that the secretary was unfortunately on a research trip in another city and could not make it back in time. Old Chen smiled and personally accompanied the mayor upstairs.

Finally, there was the provincial level. The heads of several major departments came, and two high-ranking officials arrived in person—these were Old Chen's buddies. The provincial party committee was represented by the secretary-general, which was quite a show of respect; this was the provincial party committee's top official.

Distinguished guests filled the restaurant. Sixteen of the twenty-five private rooms on the second floor were occupied, and five tables were set up downstairs. A girl performing the guqin entered the dance floor, sat down, and began to tune and play. The clear and melodious sound of the guqin resonated throughout the restaurant through the sound system. One after another, exquisite dishes came out of the kitchen and were placed on the tables by smiling waiters.

The guests and hosts had a great time, and all expressed their satisfaction with everything about the restaurant, from the decor and service to the food and cigarettes. Liu Sui and Director Qin also came over and met with Old Chen. Old Chen introduced Deputy Director Liu of the Provincial Department to Director Qin, which was considered a formality.

There were 21 tables at noon and 13 tables in the evening. After all the guests left, Old Chen smiled and praised Chen Hui and Xiao Wei, appearing quite pleased.

Xia Maosheng arrived in the evening, by which time most of the guests had already left. He had been transferred to the Bureau of Government Offices Administration and had officially joined the system as a state cadre, so he didn't have much free time anymore.

(End of this chapter)