“Chapter 40”

"Chapter 40"

"The shopkeeper, initially thinking the chubby child was just talkative, was taken aback by his purposeful words. This was his first encounter with such a smart and adorable chubby child, and he couldn't help but grow fond of him, playfully asking in all seriousness, 'What if I don't buy your food?'"

"Minghe's face froze in surprise."

"'Would you cry then?' the shopkeeper asked."

"'I wouldn't,' replied Minghe."

"Seeing Minghe's near-tearful expression, the shopkeeper asked curiously, 'Then what would you do?'"

"I, I would be sad," said Minghe as he turned and hugged Xiao Yu's arm, burying his chubby little face in Xiao Yu's sleeve. He said in a muffled voice, "Uncle, I've failed. The shopkeeper won't buy our food."

"It's okay, the fact that you bravely shared your idea is already fantastic!" Xiao Yu hadn't expected Minghe to promote their family restaurant to the shopkeeper, and he felt the initiative itself was commendable.

"Really?" Minghe asked, lifting his little face.

"Really! Your uncle would never lie to you," Xiao Yu reassured him.

"But I failed," Minghe said.

"If you fail, just get back up and you'll succeed! Don't be sad, brother!" Danzi chimed in.

"Your brother is right! Don't lose heart! We'll keep trying. Even if we don't succeed, we'll have no regrets!" Xiao Yu wasn't sure if Minghe understood.

Minghe's mood visibly lifted. He turned to the shopkeeper and said, "Shopkeeper, I'm not sad anymore. I'll go find someone else, someone who will buy our food. Someone will, for sure."

"You're so confident?" asked the shopkeeper.

"Yes!" nodded Minghe.

"Alright, your confidence has inspired me! In three days, I'll go to your—” The shopkeeper momentarily forgot the name of the restaurant.

"Xiaohezi Restaurant!" Minghe reminded him.

"Right, in three days, I'll go to your Xiaohezi Restaurant to buy food!"

Minghe's eyes widened, sparkling as he asked, "Shopkeeper, do you really mean it?"

"Guaranteed!" said the shopkeeper.

The chubby little Minghe looked up at Xiao Yu with joy, "Uncle, he agreed!"

Before Xiao Yu could respond, Danzi praised first, "Brother, you're amazing!"

Xiao Yu said, "See, failure is nothing to be afraid of."

"Yes!" Minghe nodded vigorously.

Xiao Yu realized the shopkeeper was just teasing Minghe, so he thanked him.

But the shopkeeper replied, "Young sir, I'm serious. Xiaohezi Restaurant in Shuiqing Lane, right? I'll definitely be there in three days."

Xiao Yu was pleasantly surprised that Minghe had actually managed to invite the shopkeeper, and he quickly expressed his welcome, "Thank you, we'll be glad to have you."

The shopkeeper smiled, "See you then."

"See you then."

After leaving the bookstore, Xiao Yu stopped by the roadside.

Minghe and Danzi looked up at him, puzzled, "Uncle?"

Suddenly, Xiao Yu crouched down, gently touching Minghe's chubby, smooth cheeks, and smiled, "My little cutie, your approach was brilliant!"

"What approach?" Minghe looked confused.

Indeed, he had simply promoted Xiaohezi Restaurant instinctively, without any tactics, purely driven by emotion.

Xiao Yu felt that mentioning Xiaohezi Restaurant to small vendors, shopkeepers, and managers would be more effective than distributing flyers. So, after validating Minghe's approach, he took Minghe and Danzi on errands, chatting about Xiaohezi Restaurant with everyone they met.

This became their routine for the next few days while shopping, and it seemed to be quite effective.

Soon, they finished setting up Xiaohezi Restaurant, and Xiao Yu's saved silver taels were almost spent.

From this month, Chef Yu and Zhang Wu would be working from morning to night, meaning their wages would double. Next month, they'd have to pay Manager Liao, Yunxiu, Xiaqiu, and cover expenses for himself, Minghe, and Danzi... Ah, the pressure suddenly felt immense.

But!

Yet, for the sake of buying a house in the future, for Minghe and Danzi's education, and for a better life, he had to take this step. Thus, he bolstered himself mentally, believing that he could definitely make it work.

"Uncle, are you out of money?" Minghe asked, climbing onto a stool.

"How did you know?" Xiao Yu inquired.

"Your wallet is all flat!" Minghe pointed at Xiao Yu's worn-out wallet.

"Uncle, I have money, I'll give it to you!" Danzi also clambered onto the stool, offering his treasured wallet to his uncle.

Xiao Yu remembered that Danzi's wallet only contained a few copper coins, partly given by him and partly earned from running errands for the Shen family.

"I have some too," said Minghe.

The two adorable yet flattened wallets before him were the children's prized possessions. Especially Minghe, who was usually so frugal, now generously offered his savings knowing his uncle was out of money. This filled Xiao Yu with energy as he touched the children's chubby cheeks, saying, "Thank you, my little darlings."

"No need to thank us, uncle, we're family!" Minghe declared.

"Right!" Danzi nodded emphatically.

Though the small amount of silver was of little practical use, Xiao Yu wanted the children to feel their contribution was valuable. So, he carefully saved the money, promising, "Tomorrow, when uncle earns some silver, I'll return it to you, okay?"

"Yes!" the two children nodded.

"Uncle, let's earn silver together tomorrow!" Minghe said.

"I'll join too," added Danzi.

"Okay."

The uncle and nephews slept huddled together. The next morning, as usual, they prepared breakfast, sold it, and finished before the hour of Si.

After cleaning up Xiaohezi Breakfast Shop, Xiao Yu and his team moved to Xiaohezi Restaurant. They prepared chicken, fish, meat, eggs, and vegetables, checked the oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea, set up tables and chairs, and hung up lanterns and red silk.

At the sixth division of the Si hour, they set off firecrackers to officially open Xiaohezi Restaurant.

Neighbors like Song Sanwu, Madame Yue, Mrs. Shen, and Lady Niu, whom Xiao Yu had invited to support the opening, arrived, and he, along with Manager Liao and others, hurriedly welcomed them.

Guests like Song Sanwu brought gifts.

Xiao Yu expressed his thanks with a smile.

Chef Yu, being the head chef, was content making buns, spicy soup, and porridge daily to support himself and his family, but he was even happier to cook every day. Despite the lack of staff at Xiaohezi Restaurant, he was pleased to personally chop and prepare ingredients.

Zhang Wu served dishes and poured water.

Yunxiu tended to the fire.

Xiaqiu, Manager Liao, Minghe, Danzi, and Yu Tongtong followed Xiao Yu in attracting customers.

Two divisions of the hour passed, and passersby curiously glanced at Xiaohezi Restaurant. They inquired about the menu but none entered.

"Why hasn't anyone come to eat yet?" Minghe asked anxiously.

Danzi also furrowed his little brows in concern.

"It's not mealtime yet, let's wait a bit longer," said Zhang Wu.

Manager Liao agreed.

Xiao Yu felt uneasy, suspecting that Xiaohezi Breakfast Shop mainly attracted morning patrons, who likely went home or to other restaurants for lunch, explaining the lack of interest in Xiaohezi Restaurant.

Could it be that they wouldn't attract a single table of customers today?

Just then, the bookstore owner appeared, waving at Minghe from a distance: "Little one."

Minghe exclaimed with surprise, "Uncle, it's the shopkeeper."

Xiao Yu nodded, "Right."

Minghe ran over enthusiastically, asking, "Shopkeeper, have you come to eat?"

"Yes, I promised you, didn't I?" replied the shopkeeper.

Minghe immediately grabbed the shopkeeper's hand, urging, "Then come on in, come on."

"I've also brought friends and family," the shopkeeper added.

Minghe turned to see several adults and hurriedly greeted, "Hello uncles, aunties, brothers, and sisters."

Such sweet words!

Who wouldn't like that?

The group all smiled at Minghe's charm.

Xiao Yu stepped forward to welcome the shopkeeper and his company inside, then turned to Zhang Wu, saying, "You handle welcoming the guests, I'll take care of them and the cooking."

"Okay," Zhang Wu responded.

"This restaurant is nice, clean, and bright," the shopkeeper observed, looking around.

"We all worked together to clean up!" Minghe said.

"Not bad, not bad at all," the shopkeeper complimented, giving a thumbs-up.

Minghe giggled happily.

Minghe led the shopkeeper to the second floor.

Xiao Yu handed the menu to the shopkeeper with a smile.

The menu, featuring both text and illustrations, was simple yet effectively captured the essence of each dish, making them look quite appetizing.

Xiao Yu introduced each item.

The shopkeeper was surprised, "So many dishes?"

Xiao Yu replied, "Yes, and we'll introduce new dishes every month."

What to order?

After consulting with his friends and family, the shopkeeper cautiously chose chestnut-braised chicken, mapo tofu, blanched choy sum, and shredded potatoes, as these were standard dishes unlikely to disappoint in any restaurant.

Xiao Yu asked about any dietary restrictions, then had Xiaqiu serve tea. He rolled up his sleeves in the kitchen, chopped the freshly slaughtered chicken into small pieces, and instructed Yunxiu to light the fire and pour oil for frying the chestnuts on low heat.

"That smells amazing!" Yunxiu couldn't help but remark.

Chef Yu, nearby, turned and asked, "Chestnut-braised chicken?"

"Yes."

At the peak of the chestnuts' aroma, Xiao Yu took them out of the pot, added a little rock sugar to make caramelized sugar, added half a bowl of water, boiled it, and set it aside.

Next, he cleaned the pot, heated oil, and stir-fried the chicken pieces to evaporate moisture and intensify the flavor.

Then he added green onions, ginger, garlic, and dried chili, frying until fragrant. He poured the prepared caramelized sugar water into the pot, added soy sauce, stirred well, then put the chestnuts back in, added half a pot of water, covered the pot, and boiled it on high heat for a quarter of an hour.

Xiao Yu then had Yunxiu heat another pot for the mapo tofu, blanched choy sum, and shredded potatoes. By the time these dishes were ready, the chestnut-braised chicken was also perfectly cooked.

As he lifted the lid off the pot, the aroma instantly filled the kitchen and wafted outside.

Yunxiu took a deep breath of the delicious scent.

Chef Yu was astonished, looking at Xiao Yu and thinking, "This chestnut-braised chicken smells incredible! You can even sense the sweet and chewy chestnuts, and the chicken's freshness!"

Unaware of Yunxiu and Chef Yu's reactions, Xiao Yu focused on seasoning the dish with salt to enhance and firm up the meat, then served it alongside the other three dishes on a tray.

Carrying the tray out of the kitchen, the aroma followed him as he walked towards the second floor, drifting all the way outside the restaurant.

"It smells so good!" exclaimed Danzi.

"It's a dish made by Uncle!" Minghe and Yu Tongtong said together.

Passersby, attracted by the scent, turned their heads in curiosity.

Minghe quickly invited them, "Dear guests, would you like to dine? All our dishes are at a 20% discount."

"For just eight wen, you can enjoy delicious meat. Come and eat," Danzi also invited.

Yu Tongtong, less experienced, simply echoed Minghe and Danzi's words.

Zhang Wu also played to his strengths, calling out to attract more customers.

Xiao Yu placed the four dishes in front of the shopkeeper and his group.

The shopkeeper and his companions, who had tasted dishes like chestnut-braised chicken before, were astonished at the appealing presentation and rich aroma of these dishes, unlike any they had experienced.

Xiao Yu smiled and said, "Please take your time. Let me know if you need anything." He then took the tray downstairs and returned to the kitchen to clean up the cutting board and pots.

Shortly after, Xiaqiu came running excitedly, "Boss, the guests upstairs love your cooking! They want to order more dishes!"

They loved it that much?

This undoubtedly boosted Xiao Yu's confidence immensely. Delighted, he asked, "What would they like to add?"

Xiaqiu listed four dishes and a soup.

"Alright, I got it," Xiao Yu immediately started preparing.

Soon, Xiaqiu came back in, relaying the order to Chef Yu.

Xiao Yu, focused on his task, finished the four dishes and soup, and upon stepping out, noticed many customers seated, all browsing the menu.

Manager Liao and Zhang Wu were still leading guests upstairs.

Minghe ushered in a few people at the door, sweetly saying, "Grandpas, grandmas, uncles, aunties, please sit here, sit here. I'll get you the menus."

"Okay," the customers responded with smiling eyes.

Minghe ran to the counter, stood on tiptoe to reach a menu, and turning to see his uncle, exclaimed excitedly, "Uncle, there are so many customers! I, I, I'm so busy. We can make money now!"