Chapter 326 Food Festival

"Let's not talk about the past. Now Chunyu has been sent to Jiangxi, Xiaojing has become an idler again, and the prince is still under house arrest. The Helian Palace is now easily blamed." Ye Jiayao just talked about the matter objectively.

Although Prime Minister Su is also a loyal supporter of the prince, the political direction of Yong'an Marquis is unclear like that of Jing'an Marquis. Ye Jiayao is not sure what Su Yi and Zhao Qixuan are thinking. Perhaps they do not want to get involved and just want to be their businessmen. From their own perspective, it is understandable that they do not interfere in this matter. After all, the fight for the throne is extremely dangerous. If things go wrong, both sides will be destroyed.

Su Yi smiled bitterly: "The Xiangfu is always blamed."

Ye Jiayao understood. She heard from Zhu that Prime Minister Su was the first to plead for the prince, which made the emperor furious.

Zhao Qixuan said, "I don't think highly of Prince Yu. He is a man of deep scheming, cruel and bellicosity. Huai Song has been plagued by disputes since its founding. It has only been peaceful in the past decade or so, and everyone has lived a good life. If Prince Yu becomes the crown prince and sits on the throne, I'm afraid the war will start again."

Su Yi pondered and said, "We dare not look for Xiao Jing. After all, it is more convenient to act in the dark. Did Chunyu give any instructions before he left?"

Ye Jiayao recalled what she and Chunyu said that night. Chunyu repeatedly warned her not to let anyone else hear it. Although Chunyu never mentioned it again later, Ye Jiayao's intuition told her that Chunyu was already planning this.

Ye Jiayao shook her head: "He just asked me to continue to run my own business and take care of the family as usual."

Su Yi said: "I think Chunyu would have made some arrangements. He didn't tell you because he didn't want you to worry."

Zhao Qixuan also said: "Now that we are back, we can't just do nothing. Su Yi and I will go around and visit some friends and see how things are going first."

Ye Jiayao's heart settled down. After listening to the words of the two people, she knew that she would not sit idly by. This was good. One more person meant one more strength. Besides, these two people were not ordinary people and each had their own methods.

"Well, you also have to be careful. The prince has been suppressed to the point where he can't raise his head. Even the queen has been deprived of the right to rule the six palaces." Ye Jiayao still had to give a few reminders.

Su Yi and Zhao Qixuan nodded.

Suddenly there was the sound of a gong outside.

Zhao Qixuan was stunned: "What's going on?"

Ye Jiayao smiled and said, "It should be time for the lottery. Oh, by the way, Su Yuanyuan's party will be held this afternoon. I guess Xiao Jing will also come to support us. You can have lunch here at noon."

"Then I have to go quickly. I have cast several tickets. I, Old Zhao, am very lucky today. Maybe I can bring back a golden pig." Zhao Qixuan said as he was about to go and watch the lottery.

Ye Jiayao sneered and said, "There is only one golden pig every day. If you win, I will treat you to a meal."

Zhao Qixuan closed his fan, tapped his palm, and said confidently: "Just wait and see, the God of Wealth is possessed, and nothing can stop it."

Su Yi glanced at Zhao Qixuan with disdain, but still followed him. Before leaving, he said, "Then arrange a private room for us!"

What I mean is that we have to eat here and wait for Xiaojing.

Ye Jiayao sent the two downstairs before returning to the private room upstairs.

The topic of the people upstairs has shifted from the food festival to the next training class.

Ye Jiayao sat aside and listened quietly.

"I suggest inviting two chefs from other places to give lectures, and let the students learn more about the cooking skills of other local cuisines. After all, Jinling is a metropolis, and merchants from all over the world gather here." Mrs. Rong suggested.

Duan Qilin immediately clapped his hands and agreed: "This is a good idea. We can't limit ourselves to Huaiyang cuisine."

Everyone nodded. Ye Jiayao thought about it and decided that this was a good idea. She had been planning to teach a class on Shandong and Hunan cuisine for the next session. This way, she would be more relaxed.

Boom boom boom...there are drums beating outside.

Everyone rushed to the window to watch, because this was a sign that the golden pig had been drawn.

Who is so lucky?
Ye Jiayao was also curious, but there were so many people over there that she couldn't see clearly.

After a while, Xiao Lu ran in with a smile and whispered to Ye Jiayao: "The prince of Yongning won the golden pig."

Ye Jiayao was speechless. Damn, that guy must be possessed by the God of Wealth. He asked for a golden pig and he got a golden pig.

At noon, Ye Jiayao hosted everyone for lunch. Since the food festival was held nearby, Tianshangju's business was booming. Even Deng Haichuan came back to help, but he was still too busy, so Ye Jiayao had to do it herself.

In the afternoon, Su Yuanyuan appeared and Xiaojing came as expected. Cui Dongpeng received instructions and hinted to Xiaojing to go to Tianshangju. They sat in the private room for an hour or so and then went their separate ways.

The first day of the food festival did not end until the hour of Xu 9:00, and Cui Dongpeng and Jiang Yue came to report on their gains today.

Cui Dongpeng said: "The total revenue of Tianshangju's booth today is 2,482 taels. We distributed more than 300 coupons and received 56 reservations on the spot."

Ye Jiayao was shocked by this data. She had previously estimated that it would be great if it could exceed 1,000 yuan, but it turned out to be more than doubled. And those coupons are all for later benefits. Ye Jiayao still kept some thoughts in mind and made some changes to the coupons. On weekdays, the discount is 15%, and during the Chinese New Year, the discount is 30%. Because the Chinese New Year is the off-season, this can increase the income during the off-season, and gradually change the habit of customers not leaving their homes for meals during the Chinese New Year.

The data from Tianshangju was already shocking, but who would have thought that the data reported by Jiang Yue was even more frightening.

"The total revenue from the bakery and dessert shop booths is 5,568 taels..."

Before Jiang Yue finished her words, Cui Dongpeng took a deep breath and looked at Jiang Yue in horror. Damn, this is too arrogant.

Jiang Yue's face flushed with excitement. She ignored Cui Dongpeng's exaggerated reaction and continued, "The dessert shop doesn't give out coupons, but almost everyone who comes to the pastry shop gets one."

Ye Jiayao was a little afraid to think about this data. How many people came to participate in the food festival today? There must be thousands of people. Even if one-third of them came to the dessert shop booth, it would still be an incredible number.

"Have they all been sent out?" Ye Jiayao asked tentatively.

Jiang Yue smiled and nodded: "The people who came later can't get it yet, they said they can come back tomorrow."

Ye Jiayao was stunned. She had printed a total of 500 coupons for Tianshangju, and most of them had been sold out today. She had also printed 1,500 coupons for the pastry shop, and all were gone.

"Second Young Madam, should we print more?" Jiang Yue asked.

Ye Jiayao thought for a moment and said, "No more printing. I'll announce a discount tomorrow. During the Food Festival, you can get a 15% discount on cakes from the bakery. This discount will continue for another seven days after the Food Festival ends."

It’s too late to print again, so it’s better to use this method.

Jiang Yue said: "That's fine. The pastry shop just happened to accept a few apprentices. They are quite talented and learn quickly."

Ye Jiayao smiled. The apprentices that Jiang Yue pointed out were Yingtao and Qiao Xi. These two were obsessed with making pastries. Today, thanks to these two people who came to help, otherwise they would have been too busy to handle the work.

"Today is the first day. I estimate that there will be more people coming tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. The subsequent business will not be bad either. You still have to work hard for a few more days." Ye Jiayao said.

Cui Dongpeng and Jiang Yue nodded at the same time: "Don't worry, Madam Second Young Master."

"Well, the quantity has increased, and the quality must also keep up. We can't destroy our reputation. In addition, we must pay attention to food hygiene and safety to prevent people from causing trouble."

It’s not that Ye Jiayao thinks too much. The influence of the food festival exceeds expectations. No mistakes can be made at this time, otherwise the adverse effects will increase several times.

The two men nodded solemnly and vigorously, and they were clear about the interests involved.

Cui Dongpeng said: "I think our booth has the best business at this food festival, and the others are not bad either."

Ye Jiayao said, "That's good. We can all make money. If we hold the event again next year, we can attract more merchants and customers."

Ye Jiayao left the cherries for Jiang Yue and had to work late tonight to make pastries, otherwise there would be no supply tomorrow.

It was already dark when I returned home.

A Lian came to Ye Jiayao's room holding Baoer.

"Miss, the second young lady came today, but she didn't come in. The doorman said so. The doorman recognized the second young lady. When I left, the second young lady had already left."

Ye Jiayao took Baoer over. She smelled a pleasant milky scent. The white and tender little hand touched Ye Jiayao's face. Ye Jiayao grabbed it and took a sip. When she saw Baoer's smiling face, she felt that all her tiredness disappeared.

In a blink of an eye, Baoer has been in the Marquis' Mansion for more than two months. He has gained a lot of weight, and he feels heavy when held in his arms. The expressions on his face have also become richer, and he can even laugh out loud.

"She misses Bao'er." Ye Jiayao could understand the feelings of a mother. Jin Rong had cruelly left Bao'er to her because she was desperate and didn't want Bao'er to suffer with her.

"Go to Mingyue Embroidery Workshop tomorrow and tell her that Baoer is doing well. When she can give Baoer a stable life, come and take Baoer back!" Although Ye Jiayao was reluctant to leave Baoer, Jinrong was Baoer's biological mother, and she couldn't be so selfish.

Besides, Jin Rong is really a different person now. She sent people to ask about Jin Rong's situation several times, and they said that Jin Rong is very quiet and hardworking. Such a change is not easy for a spoiled daughter. The fact that Jin Rong did not go back to ask Ye Binghuai for help and did not go to Liuli again made her look up to her.

A-Lian agreed and came down.

Just as A Lian left, Xiang Tao came in and replied, saying that Zhou Xing's family went to the third lady's place when they went out to buy groceries today.

Ye Jiayao's face immediately darkened. Why did Zhou Xingjia go to see Zhou Shi for no reason? Something must be wrong when things are out of the ordinary.

"You keep a close eye on them. Also, have the people at Third Madam's place keep an eye on them. Report to me immediately if there's any sign of trouble. Don't wait until I get back." Ye Jiayao instructed. She would tell Xiangtao where she was going, and Xiangtao was the one staying at home now.

"I woke up." Xiangtao looked confident.

(End of this chapter)