At the end of November, on an auspicious day when everything was going well, Luo Jingyu and Zhan Xi's teahouse officially opened for business.
The store entrance is filled with flower baskets, sent by relatives and friends.
Luo Xinran and Pipixia helped to entertain the guests. Their work was very flexible. They told Zhan Xi that having this teahouse was like having a base for entertainment. They could bring their friends to play Werewolf when they were bored during the day.
Zhan Jie put his hands in his pockets, stood at the door of the store and looked up at the sign.
There are two big words on the wooden sign - Xiyu. They are specially made on the half that is not blocked by the big tree. I don’t know what the font is, but it looks very charming.
There is also a small lg next to the "Jubilee Fish", which is a dark blue cartoon whale with a round egg with a smiling face on its head. The whale has closed eyes and has curled eyelashes, which makes it look particularly gentle.
The other half of the sign has eight small characters, two in a row: tea, light meals, hot stamping, hand
Zhan Jie entered the store and a girl in her early twenties in uniform came up to him and smiled sweetly: "Welcome!"
Her name is Xiao Miao, and she is a waitress hired by Zhan Xi. There are two employees in the store, Cheng Ge who is in charge of catering and Chinese dim sum, Meng Meng who is in charge of drinks and Western dim sum, and Yue Qi who works in the office on the second floor.
When the teahouse first opened, Zhan Xi and Luo Jingyu would come to the store every day. Zhan Xi did not dare to hire too many people for fear of not being able to support them, so he did the cashier and odd jobs himself.
It was Luo Jingyu's idea to recruit Yue Qi.
The business of the Taobao store will not stop. The two major areas of Hanfu clothing customization require customer service and online customer communication. Originally, Zhan Xi was doing it. Considering that this matter is very energy-consuming, Luo Jingyu wanted to recruit someone to do full-time customer service, who would also be responsible for packing, shipping and after-sales. So he thought of his classmate Yue Qi.
Yue Qi studied computer science in college, and his written communication skills were several levels higher than Luo Jingyu's. Zhan Xi said that she would be responsible for training him on embossing and Hanfu knowledge, and that Yue Qi would surely be able to learn anything Fang Xu could do.
When Luo Jingyu was chatting with Yue Qi, she told him that this position not only required customer service, but also online store renovation and new products. The working hours were fixed, with one day off a week. After get off work, he didn't have to worry about anything. Zhan Xi could go online to check it out. If Yue Qi wanted to go to the balloon shop on the weekend, that was fine.
The salary offered by Luo Jingyu was very attractive, and Yue Qi agreed without much thought. A stable office job was more technically demanding than working the night shift in the warehouse, and Luo Jingyu also said that meals and social security would be provided.
The teahouse at the storefront is not very big. Zhan Jie stood on the first floor and looked at the environment he was in. The designer was very awesome. He designed the teahouse in a neo-Chinese style, which was classical and elegant but not pretentious. Every detail was carefully considered. It is the style that young people like nowadays.
The tables and chairs are all made of walnut, and there are small partitions between each booth, which ensures the transparency of the entire space while also having a certain degree of privacy.
There is a embossed ornament on each table, with different shapes, some complex and some simple, all of which are Luo Jingyu's works.
There were already quite a few customers, mostly girls, and a few women in Hanfu, who ordered tea and snacks and kept taking photos there.
Zhan Xi didn't have time to greet Zhan Jie, so he just said hello to him and let him walk around by himself.
She was also wearing a uniform and was introducing the embossed flower ornaments on the table to a few girls. The girls were all fans of "Xiyu Embroidered Flower" on Weibo. They saw the news of the opening of the teahouse and came to support the legendary Master Luo.
Since his sister couldn't leave, Zhan Jie started walking around by himself.
The cashier counter is also a bar, and also serves as a display cabinet, with a row of embossed accessories on display. Some are suitable for Hanfu, some are suitable for casual wear and formal dresses. Each item is clearly marked with a price for retail.
Mengmeng was arranging various utensils for making drinks behind the bar. In order to get the job, she also went to learn tea culture. Needless to say, this teahouse is not mainly about tea art, and there is no need to perform tea ceremony. It is estimated that younger consumers will be more willing to order other drinks, so there is no need to be too stressed.
Zhan Jie went to the kitchen to take a look. The kitchen was small but well-equipped. Cheng Ge was there preparing the simple lunch ingredients. His specialty was actually Chinese dim sum. Zhan Xi said that simple meals were simple meals, with no fixed menu. Ingredients were purchased according to the season, and a few sets of meals were prepared every day. They would be sold out.
Zhan Jie went upstairs.
The two storefronts on the second floor are arranged into three private rooms, one large and two small. All of them are near the windows, and you can see the green tree outside the window. Even in the bustling city, you can still feel a sense of natural tranquility.
Needless to say, the large private room can accommodate more than a dozen people and is the venue for flower ironing experience classes.
The two small private rooms have their own styles, with scrolls hanging on the walls and embossed works on the tables. One is bamboo-themed, while the other is all rattan products, giving people a rustic feeling of returning to the countryside.
The two small rooms are suitable for two good friends to get together and chat, or for one person to sit alone and meditate, with a cup of tea, a book, or a laptop... Zhan Jie looked at the environment, and his restless heart slowly calmed down. He thought it would be nice to spend an afternoon here, basking in the sun and drinking tea.
The remaining storefront was divided into two rooms. The first room was an office and warehouse, with space used as workstations. Yue Qi and Zhan Xi had one workstation each, and the other was left empty. The second room was Luo Jingyu's studio, which was like her home, with a large workbench and side cabinets for tools and materials. There were no other unnecessary decorations, and everything was done to facilitate his work.
When Zhan Jie walked into the office, Luo Jingyu was chatting with Yue Qi using sign language.
When the two saw Zhan Jie, they stopped. Zhan Jie looked at Yue Qi, a young man about the same age as Luo Jingyu. He looked decent, but his eyes showed a sense of vicissitudes, as if life was not easy.
Luo Jingyu greeted Zhan Jie using sign language: Hello, brother.
Zhan Jie asked, "Busy?"
Luo Jingyu smiled and shook her head.
Zhan Jie stepped forward, patted his arm, and said, "Now you are the boss, do a good job."
Luo Jingyu quickly took out her cell phone and typed for him to see: You are a shareholder, I will do my best.
Zhan Jie: “…”
He invested 100,000 yuan in this teahouse and became a nominal shareholder, saying that he would receive dividends at the end of the year.
Zhan Jie was actually thinking about Zhan Xi. His sister Luo Jingyu opened a shop together, but she didn't contribute a dime. It would be embarrassing to tell others about it, so he paid for it. Anyway, it was not in vain. Zhan Jie had confidence in Luo Jingyu. She had the ability and was hardworking, so she could do anything well.
After returning to the first floor, Zhan Jie found Zhan Xi chatting with a man with a cane. When he saw him coming down, he called him over.
Zhan Xi said: "Brother, this is Xiaoyu's father and brother-in-law."
This was the first time that Zhan Jie met Luo Jingyu's family.
Yan Yajuan is watching over the store in the supermarket, Luo Xiaomei is about to give birth, and Luo Mingsong and Gao Yuan are here as representatives to congratulate Luo Jingyu on the opening of her new store.
Zhan Xi introduced them to each other. Gao Yuan, who was leaning on crutches, shook hands with Zhan Jie: "Hello, my name is Gao Yuan, and I'm Xiaoyu's brother-in-law. I'm sorry, my legs are not very convenient. You are Xiao Zhan's brother, so I will call you Brother Zhan."
Zhan Jie had heard from his sister before that Luo Jingyu's whole family were disabled, and he didn't feel anything at first, but now that he actually saw it, he felt uncomfortable.
Chapter 83 Extra 2: Year after Year (1) The Tea House Opens…
It's not easy for everyone.
Facing Luo Mingsong, Zhan Jie was a junior and felt that he had no position to communicate with him like a parent, especially since the other party was deaf. So, he chatted more with Gao Yuan.
Zhan Jie took out a cigarette box and offered it to Gao Yuan. Gao Yuan actually seldom smoked, but he took it out of politeness. Zhan Jie and he went outside to smoke together.
Gao Yuan and Zhan Jie are only years older than each other, and they got along quite well. Speaking of Luo Jingyu and Zhan Xi, Gao Yuan said, "Xiao Zhan is a good girl. Xiao Yu has changed a lot since he met her. He has become cheerful and loves to laugh. Before, Xiao Yu was really introverted. I couldn't imagine what he would be like in a relationship. It turns out that he needs to meet the right person. Brother Zhan, I dare not say anything else, but I can absolutely guarantee Xiao Yu's character. Although he can't hear, he is really a very good guy."
Luo Jingyu is a very young boy, Zhan Jie can see that.
Not only that, he also saw the couple rings on the ring fingers of Luo Jingyu and Zhan Xi's left hands. That feeling... Zhan Jie felt a little complicated.
In his impression, Zhan Xi was still a little girl, but somehow she grew up and found a partner all of a sudden. This reminded him of his own youth, when he was twenty-four or twenty-five years old, and he was indeed at an age where he was fearless.
Luo Jingyu did not stay on the second floor all the time, he also came to the first floor to help. When he came down, he was discovered by several girls, and they all shouted:
"Wow! Is that Master Luo?"
"I finally got to see Master Luo's face! He's so handsome!"
"Master Luo is already in a relationship. Didn't you see the ring on his hand?"
"When can I take Master Luo's trial class? I really want to learn how to make hot stamping."
Zhan Xi smiled and said to the girls, "There will be the first trial class this weekend. Teacher Luo will teach it personally. You can make an appointment in advance on the official account."
The relatives and friends stayed until dinner time before leaving. Luo Jingyu saw her father and brother-in-law off. Zhan Jie also came out and asked Gao Yuan, "Xiao Gao, let me see you off."
Gao Yuan took out the car keys and showed them to him: "No thanks, Brother Zhan. I drove here and the car is in the parking lot."
Zhan Jie looked at his legs and asked in surprise: "Can you drive?"
"Yes, a C5 driver's license." Gao Yuan said and looked at Luo Jingyu, "Xiaoyu, find some time to let Xiaozhan also take a driver's license and buy a car. It's inconvenient for the two of you to run a store without a car."
Luo Jingyu was stunned for a moment, then immediately nodded. What her brother-in-law said made sense. Since Huanhuan was not working at home now, he really needed to buy a car.
On the first day of opening, the teahouse was constantly filled with customers, and Zhan Xi was inevitably busy and flustered. Fortunately, he had the help of relatives and friends, and Cheng Ge and Meng Meng also had experience, so the whole thing went smoothly.
The teahouse closed at around 9 o'clock in the evening. Zhan Xi held a small meeting with everyone to summarize the problems encountered on the first day, and then everyone went home after get off work.
Luo Jingyu and Zhan Xi walked hand in hand towards the subway station at the end of Wenchuang Street. They had agreed that if they were not in a hurry, they would take the subway to and from the teahouse. Qingquemen was not close to here, and it would be too expensive to take a taxi every day.
He thought about Gao Yuan's words and decided to buy a car for Huanhuan.
Luo Jingyu can't drive, so if Huanhuan wants to go on a self-driving tour in the future, it has to be Huanhuan who drives. It's a pity, but there's nothing he can do about it.
It was already very late when the two returned home. After opening the door, Liou came running over and circled around their feet affectionately.
Liwu is one year old and has grown a little bigger, making it an adult cat. Its temperament is similar to Luo Jingyu’s. It is not noisy, but very gentle and a little timid. It likes to lie on the windowsill to bask in the sun, and what it enjoys most is playing with Luo Jingyu.
A busy day made people exhausted. Zhan Xi took off her down jacket and collapsed on the sofa, not wanting to move at all. Luo Jingyu washed her hands and squatted in front of her, asking in sign language: Tired? Do you want to eat? I'll make you something to eat.
Zhan Xi shook his head: "I don't want to eat, I want to sleep."
Luo Jingyu smiled: Then go take a shower.
Zhan Xi shook his head again: "I don't want to take a shower. I'm lazy."
Luo Jingyu put the tip of her right thumb on her temple with her palm facing downward, and flapped the other four fingers a few times. She then pointed at Zhanxi with a playful expression.
Zhan Xi rushed over and pulled his ears, shouting, "You said I'm a pig? You are the pig!"
Luo Jingyu laughed out loud, then hugged her waist and sat on the sofa, letting her sit on his lap.
He was also very tired, and his spirit was tense after a day. Seeing the endless stream of people in the teahouse, he was not used to it at first, and his whole body was in a state of detachment. Later, seeing Zhan Xi entertaining customers with great energy, Luo Jingyu gradually became sober. This was his happy shop, and it was the direction he would work hard for in the future.
He can no longer hide at home and do handicrafts by himself. He also has an office and colleagues. Hmm... can he be considered the boss? And Huanhuan, is she the boss's wife
When Brother Chen spoke to him today, he called Huan Huan "Ban Niang". Luo Jingyu didn't understand it at the time, but she realized it later.
Ban and Ban Niang, Ban, Ban Niang... What great names!
Luo Jingyu hugged Zhan Xi, buried his cheek in her shoulder, closed his eyes and felt her breath.
Zhan Xi still didn't want to move and leaned softly on him.
On an early winter night, the air conditioner made the living room very hot, so hot that it made people sleepy. Liwu lay on the sofa and yawned. Zhanxi was lost in thought, and Luo Jingyu squeezed her hand.
She turned her head lazily to look at him, and when she saw his dark and bright eyes, she couldn't help but kiss him on the mouth.
Luo Jingyu picked up her phone and typed a few words without showing it to her. Zhan Xi was wondering when her WeChat notification sounded.
She picked up her phone and saw the message from Luo Jingyu.
What a Big Fish: Last year, today, I added you on WeChat.
"Really?" Zhan Xi was surprised. She had deleted the chat history with Xiaoyu several times, and the one from a year ago was long gone. She asked excitedly, "Let me see it! Do you still have it?"
Luo Jingyu nodded and used the date to search for his first WeChat chat with Zhanxi.
November 29, 20xx 16:23 PM
You've added egg pudding, and now you can start chatting.
Egg Pudding: Hello!
What a big fish: Hello.
Egg Pudding: It was you I was chatting with on P Station that night, right
What a big fish: Yes.
Egg Pudding: Are you also going to make the flower pot I ordered
What a big fish: Yes.
Egg Pudding: Are you the one who will be delivering the goods next Friday
What a big fish: Are you in Qiantang
Egg pudding: Yes~ [happy]
What a big fish: Now we can't know who is delivering the goods.
Egg Pudding: Okay, that's up to you. Please make it more delicate for us. It's a gift for someone. Please, please, thank you!
Egg pudding: cat acting cute.jpg
Xiaoyu was so cool when he was chatting! Zhan Xixiao lay in his arms.
Luo Jingyu also laughed. He had recalled these chat records.
Chapter 83 Extra 2: Year after Year (1) The Tea House Opens…
Countless times, during those sleepless nights last winter.
He likes the egg maker across the internet line and wants to meet her, but he doesn't dare to meet her, for fear that she will find out that he is deaf. Every day he can only chat with her clumsily but attentively.
And now, the egg maker was in his arms, he was his girlfriend and his wife.
Luo Jingyu saw Zhan Xi's laziness, so she simply picked her up and carried her to the master bathroom.
He went to the bedroom to help her get her clothes. After Zhan Xi moved out, all her luggage was moved to his house, and her clothes occupied his closet.
Luo Jingyu put some of his clothes in the closet in the guest bedroom. He thought that as a girl, she must have more clothes than him and would need a bigger space.
Zhan Xi really bought him a bright red sweater, but Luo Jingyu hasn’t worn it yet. Every time she opens the closet, she can see this sweater at a glance. It’s so bright!
In the past, he would never wear clothes of this color, but now, he knows that he will definitely wear it.
He is very different now. After winter, he no longer pulls up his hood and wears a mask when going out, or walks with his hands in his pockets and his back hunched. He no longer wants to be invisible. He walks in the sun with his head held high, holding the hand of the girl beside him. He is really much more confident.
There are two more cabinets in his house, a shoe cabinet and a side cabinet, which he installed for Zhanxi. Zhanxi was reluctant to throw them away, saying that if it weren't for these two cabinets, she would have no chance to bring Xiaoyu home, so she couldn't leave them to the landlord, she had to keep them as a souvenir.
After picking up their spare clothes, Luo Jingyu walked into the master bathroom. Zhan Xi had already taken off his clothes and was standing in the shower room running the water.
The bathroom was filled with steam, the heater and the hot air were turned on at the same time, and it was not cold at all. Zhan Xi looked back at him and signed to him: Let's take a shower together, go to bed early, I'm sleepy.
Luo Jingyu nodded, took off her clothes and stepped into the shower room.
—
With Zhan Xi and Luo Jingyu's diligent management, Xiyu Tea House is doing quite good business.
Reporters from Qiantang TV actually came to interview Luo Jingyu. After the show was broadcast, many people came to the teahouse to consume and check in, to see what the actual embossed flowers looked like. There were young girls, middle-aged women, and couples in their sixties and seventies.
Hot stamping is the absolute theme of the store. The spots for the trial classes every Saturday and Sunday afternoon are booked up very quickly, so Zhan Xi has to add one more class on Wednesday night to meet the needs of the customers.
In addition, Luo Jingyu also negotiated two joint-branded contracts, one was for Hanfu clothing like Huanshang, and the other was with a clothing studio. The designer wanted to make a series of conceptual spring clothes with flowers as the theme. The style was very enchanting, and the flowers on the clothes needed to be made by Luo Jingyu using hot stamping.
Yue Qi also started working, because Luo Jingyu had already opened the pre-sale of the customized model for the Spring Festival and Valentine's Day, and the orders were overwhelming within a few hours. During those days, Yue Qi answered the girls' questions every day, and asked Luo Jingyu if they didn't understand. One of them was in the inner room, and the other in the outer room, and they communicated with sign language, which was quite convenient.
Two weeks before Christmas, Zhan Xi planned an event called "Send You an Eternal Rose".
She advertised the event on her official account and Weibo. Only men can sign up and make a "never-fading" red rose by hand to give to their lover. Isn't it meaningful
Zhan Xi originally wanted to test the waters. The target group of the flower-wrapping experience class has always been women, but on certain specific dates, such as Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Chinese Valentine's Day... many men can't think of what gifts to give to their lovers. Spending five or six hundred yuan to make a rose by hand may make their lovers happier than fresh roses.
Zhan Xi didn't expect that the two open rose experience classes would be fully booked in an instant. She added two more classes, and they were still fully booked quickly.
The men were so enthusiastic! Zhan Xi and Luo Jingyu discussed and added another session, five classes, each two and a half hours, six students, 600 yuan per person, including a simple meal, a drink and a snack. After the class, the red roses can be put in a gift box and taken away. The profit is very good.
During the first rose class, Luo Jingyu faced six men in the box, whose ages ranged from their twenties to forties. She felt a little uncomfortable. Thinking back to the time when she was teaching Mantis shrimp, she couldn't help feeling uneasy.
Zhan Xi was explaining things to Luo Jingyu as an assistant. Seeing how clumsy the men were, she was very nervous, fearing that they would get their hands burned by the hot trowel.
The class for men is really different from that for women. The women are very quiet and elegant when doing things, but the men are very noisy. They keep chattering and have a lot of questions. The box is like a vegetable market. Zhan Xi's head hurts from listening to them, and he has to keep walking around the room to help them answer their questions.
Fortunately, Luo Jingyu couldn't hear, and she was very patient in the exercises, and occasionally taught the students step by step.
The class lasted more than an hour before it ended. Zhan Xi couldn't help laughing as he looked at the six red roses of varying quality.
There was a man in his forties who did a better job than expected. He was very proud of himself, just like a primary school student who got 100 points on the test. Facing the compliments from his classmates, he was "modest": "No, no, it's not that sophisticated. I just did it casually. This is my first time. Maybe I need some talent?"
There was a boy in his early twenties who was completely frustrated. He pestered Luo Jingyu and asked if he could make amends, saying that if he gave the flowers to his girlfriend, she would probably beat him to death.
Luo Jingyu held back her laughter and helped him adjust the shape of the flower. His hands seemed to have magic. The originally horrible flower actually became a little more presentable after he pinched it lightly a few times.
The men all gathered around to watch, and the boy was full of admiration: "Master Luo, you are really amazing."
Zhan Xi stood by and watched quietly. There was a Band-Aid on the back of Luo Jingyu's right hand. It had a cartoon pattern on it, which completely covered the scar on the back of his hand. It was his standard wear when he was in class or shooting videos, as he didn't want to scare others.
On the Q station platform, Zhan Xi would post a short video every few days, and Luo Jingyu also had a nickname, "Band-Aid Brother."
His hands are still very beautiful, with white and slender fingers, round and clean nails, blue veins on the back of his hands, and a cartoon Band-Aid with different patterns. Every time he posts a new video, it attracts a lot of "hahahahahahaha".
After class, the students left with gift boxes of red roses. The first floor had also closed. Luo Jingyu and Zhan Xi were cleaning up the private room on the second floor. They put the tools away carefully and took the students' leftover bowls, plates and cups to the kitchen to wash.
While Luo Jingyu was washing dishes, Zhan Xi received a call from her father and she picked up the call.
Zhan Qiang said, "Huan Huan, um... New Year's Day is coming soon, is your Xiao Luo back?"
Zhan Xi glanced at Luo Jingyu, and he was also looking at her. Zhan Xi thought for a moment and said, "I'm back. Stay for one night."
Zhan Qiang added, "Your brother said he won't be back. Your mother has cleaned up the room. Let Xiao Luo live at home. Don't stay in a hotel. Let her sleep in your brother's room."
"Okay." Zhan Xi replied.
Zhan Qiang said, "Tell Xiao Luo not to buy anything. She's tired from carrying things on the bus. Just come home to visit and have a couple of meals."
"Um."
Perhaps sensing his daughter's reluctance, Zhan Qiang sighed, "Huanhuan, don't worry, Daddy is here and won't let Xiao Luo get bullied."