In the Ming Dynasty 1498, my restaurant connects two worlds.

After hanging up the framed manuscript of Zhu Zhishan's cursive script, Song Xiaoyi locked the door and went out, intending to first go to the Confucius Temple Market to find two sets of ancient costumes, and then get some hotel utensils that conform to the characteristics of the Ming Dynasty.

What to sell tomorrow? The ancestor advised instant noodles, so let's start with instant noodles. We'll offer multiple flavors, add ham sausage, and even an egg. Our main selling point is that we'll follow your advice.

The Song family's traditional dishes can be launched at a more opportune time.

After locking the door with his back turned, Song Xiaoyi bumped into a tall, beautiful woman as he turned around. At first glance, she had a regular face and a peaceful and prosperous appearance, but why was she dressed in ancient costume? Could it be that the second floor had also been invaded by the Ming Dynasty in such a short time?

"Brother Xiao Yi~!"

Song Xiaoyi looked closely and exclaimed, "Pearl... Pearl?"

"Brother Xiao Yi, have I gotten so beautiful that you don't even recognize me?"

"Hmm, Pearl, this ancient costume really suits you, you look so beautiful. Why don't you come and be my waitress when my little restaurant opens?"

"Brother Yi, am I only fit to be a waiter?"

"Waitresses also working as cashiers—that's the most we can do!"

"No way! I'm a college student majoring in cultural relic restoration. If I were to work as a waiter in a small restaurant, my classmates would laugh me to death."

"Fine, don't do it then, I'll figure it out myself."

"Hmph, I'm ignoring you."

"......" It's better not to come. I haven't fully figured out the strangeness of this store yet.

"Pearl, how long have you been back? I haven't been back in ages, I haven't had a chance to explore. Why don't you come with me to the big market and let me relive some of the wonderful times from my childhood?"

"Okay, okay!"

Song Xiaoyi, wearing a military green T-shirt and old military pants, and Zhu'er, dressed in a beautiful ancient costume, walked and chatted along the scenic street, greeting the neighbors from time to time, while also attracting the attention of the entire street.

"Hey! This must be Xiao Yi? Long time no see!?"

"Hello, Aunt Liu. I'm back this time to reopen the small restaurant."

"..."

"Is that Xiao Yi and Zhu'er? They really are a perfect match. Zhu'er used to be Xiao Yi's little shadow, always following him around and causing trouble. It's amazing how they've both grown up..."

"Brother Xiao Yi, are you really going to reopen your family's restaurant?"

"Yes, the family tradition can't be broken with me. Besides, the living environment outside is really unfriendly now, and it's too hard to find a job."

"But look at our Taoye Ferry, it's almost gone. Look over there, He Dayu's restaurant closed down last month."

"Over here, Uncle Cao's breakfast shop has been closed for half a year, and Fatty Cao sells period costumes in the market."

"Huh? Isn't Fatty Cao an antique dealer? That's perfect. I'll go check if he's lost weight and buy him a couple of sets of period costumes while I'm at it."

"Clothing stores, antique shops, specialty shops—look, even the ones that are open are barely surviving. All their business is in the big market."

What Pearl said was true; the desolation of this neighborhood was visible to the naked eye.

"Pearl, I know all this. Anyway, I'll set up this shop first. Even if no one comes to eat, I'll just treat it as practice. It's better than doing nothing and wasting time."

"By the way, Pearl, a few people dressed in ancient costumes came to the shop today. Their costumes fit them very well, just like yours." Song Xiaoyi was having a good time bluffing. "I was thinking, I'll open a retro-style restaurant, and hang up the signboard that Grandpa put away. I'll wear ancient costumes every day, and all the decorations in the shop will be antique-style. The waiters will also all wear ancient costumes and speak ancient language."

"Great! I love antique styles! At least this is somewhat related to my major."

"Didn't you study that ancient artifact restoration major?"

"Yes, ancient artifact restoration and antique-style restaurants both contain the word 'ancient'."

"Tch~"

"Brother Yi~, I suspect you're making fun of me!"

No! Absolutely not!

"Yes! It's definitely there! I can hear it!"

The two of them playfully bickered and joked all the way, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the market.

"Oh, you two are out for a walk? You have quite the refined taste."

"Uncle Cao, don't talk nonsense!"

"Uncle Cao, you're right! Uncle Cao is right!"

"Get out of here!"

"You can't hit me! Come and chase me, hahaha~"

At the market, Song Xiaoyi ordered some large glass jugs without obvious markings, transparent glass beer glasses, wine glasses, and steamers based on the number of tables on the first floor. He also ordered a batch of bagged Yangzhou steamed buns based on the freezer capacity. In the end, Zhu'er paid for everything.

Song Xiaoyi's account didn't even have enough money to buy one set of ancient costumes. Cao Pangzi, who sold the costumes, was his childhood friend, and both sets of clothes were given away for free; the other party refused to accept any money.

"Brother Xiao Yi, I feel like you've tricked me. You asked me to take you to the market just to use me as a payment method."

"You're not happy? Didn't you see all those uncles and aunties vying to give it to me for free?"

"Only you have thick skin."

"Pearl, our little restaurant opens tomorrow. You paid for all these cups and pots anyway, so why don't you just owe us your beer for now?"

"Brother Yi~, your skin is really thick, thicker than a city wall brick!"

"This is nothing. My aunt said that if I marry you, your family's supermarket will all be mine."

"No way! I don't want to be a small restaurant owner."

"Wow, wait, what's wrong with a small restaurant owner?"

"Brother Yi~ I'm ignoring you now~"

After Song Xiaoyi had the deliveryman put the purchased equipment in the second-floor lobby, he went to the small supermarket across the street from Zhu'er's and moved a few boxes of "Brave the World" (a type of herbal tea), a few boxes of Wanglaoji (a herbal tea brand), and some orange juice. He then went back and unpacked some of the contents of the freezer.

Instant noodles are a must for any business opening, so I grabbed two packs of each flavor. The frozen buns from Yangzhou that I ordered from the market arrived, and I filled the freezer with them all.

That evening, Song Xiaoyi used his phone to search for information on the second floor and wrote tomorrow's menu on the whiteboard in a language that Da Ming could understand:

Mushroom Stewed Chicken Noodles (Qiwen)

Fresh Shrimp Noodles with Seven-Wen

Western Persimmon Secret Meat Noodles (7-character)

Braised Secret Recipe Noodles (by Qiweng)

Suzhou Crab Roe Noodles (by Qiwen)

Old Jar Pickled Vegetable Noodles (Qiwen)

Sichuan Pepper Sauce Meat Noodles (Spicy) (Qiwen)

Western persimmon braised noodles with seven-spice powder

Spicy Ramen (Spicy) Qiwen

Zhongcui Mixed Noodles Qiwen

Spicy Secret Meat Noodles (Spicy) by Qiwen

Noodle Partner Erwen

Chicken Egg One Article

Two of each type of Yangzhou-style pastry cost one coin, or five coins for a basket (12 pastries per basket).

Song's Secret Recipe Herbal Tea, 2 coins per cup

Song's Secret Fruit Juice Drink - 2 coins per cup

The purchasing power of copper coins in the Ming Dynasty was actually very strong at that time. Priced at 10 wen for a bowl of instant noodles, it was indeed too high and not conducive to long-term sales. According to the purchasing power at that time, 1 wen could buy two steamed buns, and 10 wen could buy 20 steamed buns. Converted to today's currency, that's 10 yuan. Therefore, Song Xiaoyi finally priced it at 7 wen per serving, plus 2 wen for a sausage and 1 wen for an egg. A classic combination of instant noodles cost 10 wen.

As for "Song's Secret Recipe Herbal Tea", it is naturally iced Wanglaoji. "Song's Secret Recipe Fruit Juice Drink" is orange juice with pulp. Both of them need to be chilled. The bottles are too big to remove, so they need to be poured into cups for serving. A cup is a full 300 ml, and at 2 cents, it's a very reasonable price.