The younger sister mistakenly identified her brother when visiting relatives and was kissed by the c

At this point, Bai Zhengyuan paused, then slapped the list, setting the tone.

"Of course, we need meat dishes too, they're our signature dishes! But we don't need too many varieties. Just perfect the 'braised' specialties! For the hot dishes, just keep the two most substantial ones: braised pork belly and braised spare ribs!"

"This way, we can save a lot on the cost of buying expensive meat. Secondly, it will make preparing the ingredients easier every day, so you and Mom won't be scrambling around in the kitchen, and the meat won't go bad if we can't sell it. What do you think?"

Qiao Xinxin nodded repeatedly, her big, watery eyes filled with admiration.

She felt that her brother's words were like a wake-up call! As expected of a battalion commander who had led troops, his overall perspective and insight into problems were far more comprehensive than her own theoretical understanding.

"Brother, you're absolutely right!"

Qiao Xinxin slapped her thigh, her clear, soft voice brimming with excitement: "The menu really can't be too broad; it has to highlight the key points and create something unique!"

She deftly picked up the pen on the table, held it up to the dim light bulb, and began to scribble on the letter paper. As she revised, she said crisply, "For the hot dishes, braised pork belly and braised spare ribs are definitely on the list! I'll also add twice-cooked pork! These three are the 'main dishes,' rich in oil and with a powerful flavor. People who want to treat themselves to a meaty meal during holidays or after receiving their salary will always order one of them."

She twirled the pen, bit the end, and mentally reviewed the common dishes found in 1980s markets, rattling off a long list of names:

"As for vegetarian dishes... hot and sour shredded potatoes, hand-torn cabbage, Mapo tofu, stir-fried potatoes, eggplant, and green peppers, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, dry-fried green beans, water spinach with garlic, and a stir-fried bok choy!"

"These vegetables are in season, so they're cheap to buy, and the cost is very low. We'll price them low too, five cents or ten cents a month, focusing on small profits and quick turnover—they'll definitely sell well!"

Listening to her daughter rattle off the names of the dishes in rapid succession, Bai's mother, though she hadn't seen the actual food yet, could already picture plates of brightly colored, steaming stir-fries in her mind. Especially when she heard words like "spicy and sour," "dry-fried," and "garlic," she couldn't help but swallow hard.

But as soon as he swallowed, he was troubled again.

"Oh my goodness, so many vegetarian dishes! Can Mom manage to cook them all even with her arms all bruised?" Mother Bai rubbed her hands, feeling somewhat uncertain.

"Mom, don't worry!"

Qiao Xinxin turned her head, smiling sweetly as she hugged Bai's mother's arm and said coquettishly, "These dishes may have many names, but they're actually much simpler to make than braised dishes! Once the heat is right, just a few stirs and they're ready. I'll write down for you exactly how much oil to use, when to add salt, and what to add first and what to add later, all clearly written on a slip of paper. Just follow these instructions, and I guarantee you'll be able to make them at a glance, and you won't burn them even with your eyes closed!"

The mother was amused by her daughter's confident demeanor, and a great weight was lifted from her heart.

Mr. Bai, who had been sitting silently to the side, still clutching a rag, suddenly interjected, "Just eating vegetables isn't enough, it's so dry. Without some soup to balance things out, it just feels like something's missing, doesn't it?"

"Snapped!"

Qiao Xinxin suddenly slapped her forehead, her eyes lighting up even more: "Oh! Right, right! Dad, you're so right, I almost forgot about that!"

She quickly added a "Soup" category to the corner of the menu, her eyes darting around as she suddenly had an idea.

"As for the soup, we can do it in two steps! We'll prepare two free soups: seaweed and egg drop soup and tomato and egg soup. The cost of these two is negligible; just a big pot of water with some egg drop soup is all you need, and they're quick to make. We'll set up a large insulated container at the entrance of the shop, and customers can take bowls and serve themselves—it's free and unlimited!"

At this point, she smiled slyly: "Furthermore, we can use the leftover scraps from making braised dishes to simmer some oily bone broth, and then make it into a special dish! A small bowl will cost one or two cents. Those who want a good soup and have a little spare cash will naturally order it!"

Bai Zhengyuan paused, his hand holding the teacup still, his eyes showing even more admiration. He then pressed on, "And what about staple food? Do you only sell white rice and steamed buns?"

"We get our steamed buns ready-made from the state-run grain store on the next street, and we mainly eat rice as our staple food."

Qiao Xinxin shook her pen, a shrewd smile playing on her lips: "However, there's something to it about rice! I've got an idea, let's prepare two kinds of rice!"

The three of them all looked at her.

"One type is the most common indica rice, which, although a bit coarse in texture and not very sticky, is extremely inexpensive. We provide this rice for free; as long as you order dishes, you can eat as much rice as you want—it's all you can eat!"

Qiao Xinxin held up two fingers: "The other way, let's get some better quality, fine fragrant rice. This rice is shiny, soft, and chewy after steaming, but it will cost extra—two cents a bowl!"

"Two kinds of rice?" Mother Bai frowned, hesitating. "Wouldn't that require two large wooden steamers? Wouldn't that be too much trouble?"

"Mom, it's really no trouble at all, it's just a matter of adding another pot to the kitchen!"

Qiao Xinxin patiently explained, breaking it down step by step: "Think about it, all kinds of people come to our restaurant. Some dual-income families are well-off and don't care about spending a few cents; they just want a good bowl of rice. But some manual laborers and those with average means save every penny they can!"

"We feed them with free rice, how could they not be grateful? Whether they're well-off or poor, as long as they step into our store, they'll eat well! Word of mouth will spread, and won't repeat customers come in droves?"

"good!"

Bai Zhengyuan couldn't help but slam his teacup down on the coffee table, giving a thumbs-up and praising loudly, "Xin Xin, you're really clever! Doing business is all about understanding people's hearts and making sure customers are satisfied. Having a choice is always better than having no choice!"

When Bai's mother heard that her son had made the decision, she thought about it and realized that it made sense, so she stopped objecting.

In a great mood, Qiao Xinxin casually added another column at the bottom of the menu, writing in delicate handwriting:

[Desserts and cold drinks: mung bean soup, red bean paste, plum juice—five cents a bowl.]

"etc!"

The moment Bai's mother's gaze fell upon those words, she reacted as if pricked by a needle, abruptly raising her voice to stop her: "Xin Xin, what did you write? Cold drinks?! How are you planning to make cold drinks?!"

"It's the middle of summer! Even the cicadas are chirping from the heat! This soup will spoil in half a day! You can't expect your guests to drink a bellyful of scalding hot mung bean soup on such a sweltering day, can you?"

Qiao Xinxin had already prepared her explanation. She winked with a grin and said, "Mom, what's so difficult about that? We can buy a refrigerator! With a refrigerator, we can just stuff mung bean soup and plum juice in it and sell them chilled! In the sweltering summer heat, who wouldn't want to spend five cents to drink a refreshingly cold plum juice?"