pjbooks Chapter 68 Discount
Chapter 68 Discount
The private rooms in the courtyard, designed by Lu Yuan, present a style similar to Song Dynasty aesthetics.
The newly painted white walls are decorated with only simple embellishments.
The wooden round table is not as heavy as those in traditional Chinese restaurants.
A sideboard was placed on one side of the round table, and two armchairs were placed on the other side.
The walls are clean and tidy, without excessive decoration, minimalist and elegant, making it extremely comfortable to look at.
"What a beautiful private room! Master will definitely love it!" Jingjing's eyes lit up as she stood at the door.
The girls who came along all showed expressions of delight, scrutinizing every decoration.
Zhang Yuwen's fingertips traced across the tabletop as she slowly walked to the armchair beside her and couldn't help but sit down.
A gentle breeze blew in through the window, and she felt the whole world quiet down.
"Let's book a farewell dinner for next Friday."
She had initially wondered if it was too far to eat here, but once she sat down in the armchair, she already had the answer in her mind.
"Okay, let's leave a deposit first." Lu Yuan nodded and gestured for Zhang Yuwen to go to the front desk with her.
"Yes, of course."
To make it easier for diners to pay their bills, a front desk has been placed in both dining areas.
Currently, Lu Changming is in charge of the old front desk, while Yingying is in charge of the new front desk.
Lu Yuan led Zhang Yuwen to the new front desk and gently tapped the table, saying:
"Yingying, please collect the deposit for the private banquet next Friday."
"Okay, Brother Yuan." Yingying stood up and smiled politely at Zhang Yuwen.
"Hello, the deposit is 1000 yuan in total."
"How much?" Zhang Yuwen's eyes widened, thinking she had misheard.
After Yingying repeated it again, she realized that this was a price comparable to that of a top-tier restaurant in the provincial capital.
"Excuse me, how much is it in total?" Zhang Yuwen asked, her voice weak.
Yingying still smiled and said, "It's 5000 yuan in total."
Hearing this number, Zhang Yuwen's heart tightened. Although she had expected it, she was still shocked.
As the head of the banquet, she had attended several banquets hosted by large corporations at top restaurants in the provincial capital.
The prices here are even slightly higher than those of the top-tier restaurants.
But that's a top-tier restaurant in the provincial capital; this is just a rural eatery.
On what grounds?
But the feeling of sitting in that armchair and the irresistible taste of the dishes here also gave off a sense of paradise.
Master must prefer this place.
"I'd like to discuss this with my sisters first, sorry."
After saying that, Zhang Yuwen quickened her pace and urged the group of girls back to the car.
Although their titles are impressive, their income is only slightly higher than that of ordinary workers, amounting to only a few hundred yuan a month.
After she stated the price, the women fell silent.
"Master will definitely like it more here!" Jingjing's words broke the silence, and the girls all nodded in agreement.
They were torn; they wanted to give their master the best farewell feast, but they were short of money.
Zhang Yuwen suddenly spoke up, "I can take 2000 yuan, and the rest of the sisters can chip in the remaining 1000 yuan. I'll go see the boss again to see if I can get a discount."
After saying that, Zhang Yuwen, wearing high heels, walked back to the restaurant's front hall.
Lu Yuan and Yingying were flipping through the ledger at the front desk, looking at today's earnings.
Zhang Yuwen's eyes were resolute, but her cheeks flushed crimson: "You must be Boss Lu?"
Lu Yuan turned around and said, "Yes, have you all made up your minds?"
Zhang Yuwen nodded, but hesitated a little when she tried to speak:
"Could you... give us a discount? We can only come up with 3000 yuan. I'm Zhang Yuwen, the principal dancer of the provincial dance troupe. My teacher is going abroad, and we might never see her again. We want to give her the best farewell banquet. Please help us!"
As Zhang Yuwen spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, and she actually bowed deeply to Lu Yuan.
"Don't do that." Lu Yuan helped Zhang Yuwen up and said helplessly, "It's just a meal, there's no need to bow and be so formal."
The diners who were still eating couldn't help but look over, and Zhang Yuwen realized her blunder and said awkwardly:
"Or I can write you an IOU and pay you back every month when I get my salary."
He separated the home-cooked lunch from the private afternoon banquet so that it would be affordable for all groups.
He's not a simp. Even though Zhang Yuwen is slim and beautiful, he can't just give her a discount the moment she asks for it.
That would be unfair to Mr. Wang, who is the top supporter.
However, a farewell banquet, which represents a special emotion of parting, will indeed leave regrets if one does not do their best.
Lu Yuan once had a close friend with whom he learned to cook. Later, his friend chose to go south to Guangzhou to make a living.
Lu Yuan had boasted to him more than once about how delicious the mutton from his hometown was, but he had never had the chance to cook it for him.
Unexpectedly, his friend passed away in the second year after moving south to Guangzhou, and that bite of mutton became a regret in his heart.
Actually, Zhang Yuwen and her friends chose a method that was clearly beyond their spending power in order to avoid having such regrets.
Lu Yuan pondered for a moment and then said, "You mean you're professional dancers?"
Zhang Yuwen immediately nodded and said, "We're the most professional in the north. If you want to see us dance, we can dance for you!"
Lu Yuan couldn't help but laugh at the girl's straightforwardness: "Why would I watch you dance?"
He came from the era of fierce competition on platforms like Douyu and Panda TV, so why would he be interested in this kind of traditional dance?
"How about this, after school starts in September, you can come to Baiyang Elementary School once a month to teach the children to dance."
Zhang Yuwen was somewhat surprised that Lu Yuan would make such a request, and immediately nodded in agreement.
Anyway, they often teach the young actors to dance in the troupe, so it's a very simple thing for them.
In fact, what rural children lack most in this era is education in special skills and character development.
Many rural children feel inferior after entering university not only because of their unfashionable clothes and appearance.
It's also because others can play musical instruments and dance, while they can't do anything, and can't even speak Mandarin well.
Lu Yuan was actually lucky to have the opportunity to invite dancers from the provincial capital to teach children in the countryside.
The price of a top-tier art exam tutor in later generations would be far more than just a meal.
Lu Yuan smiled with satisfaction and said, "Then it's settled. Miss Zhang, please tell Yingying about the dining arrangements. She can come for dinner after 5 p.m. next Friday."
"Mr. Lu, may I have your phone number?"
Lu Yuan was a little embarrassed: "Uh... I really don't have a phone number. Yingying, could you tell Miss Zhang the phone number for Eighth Grandpa's convenience store?"
Zhang Yuwen reminded Lu Yuan that he needed to install a landline now.
There was no cell phone signal in the countryside, so he wasn't in a hurry to buy one.
However, with the increase in regular customers and the expansion of private banquets, it is indeed necessary to add a landline.
We also need to provide a pager for him, Lu Hua, and Lu Wen.
Other stores are opening next week, and when things get really busy, there won't be time to call out to people.