"Li Man declined Chen Xiaohui's kind offer, but Chen Xiaohui said, 'Sixteen percent of the shares are too little, it's meaningless. If you're unwilling to lend me money, then go find someone else to borrow from.'
Li Man thought about it and realized Chen Xiaohui was right, so she borrowed 40,000 yuan from Gu Ya.
Because there were transfer fees and booth rental fees to be paid, the monthly booth rental fee was 1,500 yuan, which amounted to 18,000 yuan per year. In addition, they also needed to buy barbecue equipment and various miscellaneous items, which added up to several tens of thousands of yuan.
And so, Li Man and Chen Xiaohui's barbecue stall finally took shape.
With this booth, Li Man felt that her life had a direction.
On the day of the opening, Li Man called Huo Jian Sheng and asked him to come and show his support.
Now, she truly regarded Huo Jian Sheng as a friend.
Although the night market didn't open until 5 p.m., the preparations in the early stages were very tedious.
Early in the morning, Li Man and Chen Xiaohui went to the market to buy the freshest meat and vegetables.
The beef and lamb she bought were all fresh, and she would never substitute duck meat for beef. She believed that customers weren't fools, and if they discovered the deception, they wouldn't come back again in the future. Doing business was just like being a person; one had to be honest and trustworthy to establish a solid foundation.
Although it would be slow to build a reputation in the early stages, with good credibility, customers would only increase in number. Moreover, such customers had high loyalty and would only come to your stall, and they would also bring in new customers.
After returning from the market, Li Man marinated the meat and cleaned the vegetables before skewering them.
There were more than ten types of vegetables alone.
After skewering the vegetables, they had to skewer the marinated meat as well. There were also more than ten types of meat, such as chicken wings, bone-in meat, lamb chops, lamb, beef, pork belly, chicken legs, fresh shrimp, squid, and duck intestines, among others.
The day passed in a busy manner like this. They took a break in the afternoon and then tidied up before opening the stall.
On the first day of business, it was inevitable to feel rushed and chaotic.
When there were more people, Li Man couldn't keep up with the grilling. For items like chicken wings and chicken legs that were harder to cook thoroughly, other barbecue stalls would fry them first and then grill them, which was faster. However, Li Man believed that frying before grilling didn't taste as good as grilling them directly until they were cooked. She insisted on slowly grilling them over charcoal. Although they tasted good this way, they were slow. When customers became impatient, Li Man would start to feel flustered.
An Xin also came to help. She was responsible for greeting customers and collecting money, while Chen Xiaohui and Li Man focused on grilling.
Huo Jian Sheng arrived early and blended in with the crowd, watching Li Man go from being flustered and chaotic at the beginning to being confident and skilled later. He sincerely admired her.
Although she was extremely busy, her face always wore a smile.
That smile was infectious and anyone who saw it couldn't help but stop and see what delicious things she had on her stall.
After watching for a while, Huo Jian Sheng finally walked over.
Li Man was delighted to see him. 'You're here! Order whatever you want to eat, my treat.'"
"Huo Jian Sheng smiled and said, 'I'm here to show my support on your opening day, how can I let you treat me? Let's skip it for today, and you can treat me another time.'
Li Man giggled and replied, 'Alright then, thank you. What would you like to eat? I'll grill it for you. My ingredients are absolutely fresh, so you can eat without any worries.'
Huo Jian Sheng ordered almost everything, and Li Man asked, 'Are you going to finish all of that?'
Huo Jian Sheng replied, 'I'll take some back home for my family, so don't worry. There won't be any food wasted.'"