Chapter 49

Chapter 49

The shop had also prepared ingredients and broth. Xu Meng brought out a bowl of hotpot base from the kitchen—a portion she had scooped out earlier while preparing the ingredients, weighing about half a pound, just enough for a medium-large pot.

Kitchen helper Liu Jingyuan then carried out a basin of broth from the kitchen, and the hotpot base was poured directly into it as the fire was lit.

Zhang Mingqing took charge of plating first.

The servers buzzed with excitement. The shop’s earlier gloom vanished instantly, and the staff were no longer listless—some grabbed plates while others started prepping vegetables. Xu Meng sat on a chair and chatted with Zhang Mingqing.

Xu Meng did the math: "I can make fifty portions at once. Every Sunday afternoon, I’ll come directly to your shop and prepare two hundred portions for you. Think that’ll cover it?"

Fifty medium-sized pots were actually quite a lot. Zhang Mingqing’s shop only had twenty tables, and if converted to small pots, it would make a hundred portions. Two hundred portions would be enough for four hundred small tables.

Even if business was booming and tables turned over quickly, it would be sufficient.

Besides, even the Xiangxiang restaurant across the street wasn’t packed for every meal.

Zhang Mingqing sweat bullets: "That’s more than enough, more than enough! Just make sure you have enough time yourself."

Just today’s single pot was a beast to make.

Xu Meng: "Today dragged because we had to render the beef fat from scratch. In the future, if Xiao Liu prepares the beef fat in advance, I can just focus on stir-frying the base, which will save a lot of time. Once I get the hang of it, I can make even more in one go. I’m just not very familiar with it yet, but I’ll improve."

Still, it was hard work—making two pots at once.

Even if others prepared all the ingredients, standing over a pot for 30 minutes straight kills your back, both from the heat and the strain.

But Xu Meng, who had sold watermelons at the train station, was no stranger to hardship. Zhang Mingqing was paying top dollar—two hundred portions meant two hundred yuan in her pocket, plus a sweet 2% cut of the profits. It was already a very lucrative deal.

However, there was one concern: if business at Zhang Mingqing’s shop didn’t pick up, this would just be a flash-in-the-pan gig.

Soon, the photos were taken.

Zhang Mingqing called everyone over to eat. The crew, practically salivating by now, quickly gathered around. The aroma had long made their mouths water, and they couldn’t wait to take a bite. When the first mushrooms were done, everyone eagerly reached out with their chopsticks.

Those who got the first taste widened their eyes in disbelief.

Is this even human food?

This was god-tier food.

"Boss Zhang, this is hotpot?! How is it so delicious? I’m gonna cry—no, die—it’s so good! I absolutely love hotpot! Liu Jingyuan, why are you grabbing so fast? Leave some for the rest of us!"

"Yeah, Liu Jingyuan took it all! Boss, you’ve got to control him."

Zhang Mingqing’s first bite was also a mushroom, and her eyes lit up the moment she tasted it.

Her brain screamed: This’ll be a hit.

The flavor was incomparable to what she had tasted at Xu Meng’s place before. The broth pumped up the flavor, and the beef fat brought out the spices to their fullest potential. With just one bite, her mouth was filled with the intense fragrance of hotpot. Zhang Mingqing’s chopsticks moved on autopilot, quickly reaching for the next piece.

But eating was much faster than cooking.

Soon, the shop echoed with groans.

Zhang Mingqing was in an exceptionally good mood today, her grin stuck like glue. For the past two weeks, the shop had been a stress bomb—some feared the boss might miss payroll, while others were halfway out the door.

Now? Those worries got ghosted.

At lunchtime, Lu Zhanrong and his roommates went out to hunt for food.

Most of their senior class had already secured jobs during the fall recruitment, so whether they were well-off or not, everyone felt relatively relaxed. There was a tinge of sadness about parting ways, and ever since the fall recruitment began, if you saw groups gathering on the food street, chugging beer straight from the bottle, chances are it was these seniors.

This time, Lu Zhanrong was invited by his roommates who got guaranteed grad school spots. Laughing and chatting, they headed out together, but after much deliberation, they still couldn’t decide where to go. By the time they reached the school gate, they were stumped again.

They had been eating out a lot recently, and they’d already hit up all the good spots.

"Where should we go?"

"How about noodles?"

"No way I'm eating noodles again. We’ve had enough of them lately, and that noodle place doesn’t have anything new. Let’s try somewhere else."

"Maybe we should go to Xiangxiang. They’re the only ones who can whip up something new."

Lu Zhanrong didn’t have any strong opinions and just followed his classmates. Before they even reached Xiangxiang’s entrance, they were hit by an overwhelming aroma. The smell was so intense that passersby were all talking about it. As a foodie, Lu Zhanrong suddenly was rooted to the spot.

"What’s that smell? I’ve never noticed it before."

"Did Xiangxiang add a new dish?"

"Doesn’t seem like it."

Only Lu Zhanrong, his gaze fixed on the shop across the street, stared intently. After a long pause, he walked over and confirmed that the smell was indeed coming from there. He lifted the cloth covering a stainless steel tray at the entrance, and as soon as he did, a mouthwatering aroma wafted out.

Song Xia quickly rushed out from inside, smiling as she stopped him. "Hey buddy, sorry, but this is food. You can look, but please hands off."

Truthfully, she’d rather he didn’t even look—who knew if something gross might fall in and contaminate the hotpot base?

Once he confirmed the smell was from this shop, Lu Zhanrong asked calmly, "What’s this smell? Are you serving hotpot now?"

He had a cool, aloof demeanor, but his tone was surprisingly polite.

Song Xia’s eyes lit up. "Yes! We’re about to start serving hotpot. Today’s just a trial run." She was about to introduce the menu when—

Lu Zhanrong cut in, "Can you squeeze in one more table?"

Song Xia: "..."

They weren’t even open yet—how could they add a table? They hadn't even set prices yet.

But Lu Zhanrong’s expression was so earnest it was hard to refuse.

After a moment’s hesitation, Song Xia said, "Sorry, we’re not open today. We haven’t finalized prices, and we don’t even have ingredients ready. How about this—we’ll be opening soon. Come back then, and we’ll even hand out flyers with free soup base coupons. Really sorry about this!"

Lu Zhanrong: "Oh."

He turned back to his friends. "They’re not open yet."

Classmate A: "Told ya it wasn’t Xiangxiang. They do stir-fry dishes."

Classmate B: "But I’m still curious what this place is selling."

Lu Zhanrong deadpanned, "Hotpot."

And not just any hotpot—it smelled better than any he’d had before. He had no idea when this place would open, but he was determined to come early on opening day to secure a spot. Otherwise, he might miss out.

Lu Zhanrong: "When they open, I’m coming early. If I miss out today, fine—but if I miss out on opening day, I’ll really lose it. Whoever finds out the opening date has to tell me. I want to be the first customer through the door. No—I want to be at the first table..."

The classmates exchanged exasperated glances, knowing his old habit had kicked in again—rambling to himself like this.

But Lu Zhanrong wasn’t usually like this. He only got this way when he couldn’t get his hands on good food.

Lu Zhanrong was the school’s renowned gourmet, a bona fide foodie who had even had his restaurant reviews published in the newspaper. For such a connoisseur to give his approval, this place must really have its merits. Soon, everyone was chatting and laughing as they headed off to find another place to eat.

They ruled out Xiangxiang because it was too close to home, and next to that mouthwatering smell they’d just smelled, Xiangxiang’s stir-fried dishes seemed bland.

At one student’s suggestion, they decided to walk to the nearest hotpot restaurant for a meal.

The nearest hotpot place was a bit far from campus and not too pricey, but no one knew how expensive this new shop near the school gates would be. If it was too costly, students wouldn’t be able to afford it. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too expensive.

Before they even finished their meal, several waves of students had already stopped by to inquire.

Zhang Mingqing began contemplating the opening date.

“No time like the present! Let’s just open tomorrow,” Zhang Mingqing said.

Song Xia was stunned. “Boss lady, opening tomorrow is way too rushed.”

But Zhang Mingqing seemed resolute. Clapping her hands, she encouraged everyone, “I think we should strike while the iron’s hot. Teasing them too long backfires. The flyers are already printed, and didn’t you already line up students from the school? Just give them a few bucks each—it’s easy to handle. We just need to make sure the promotion is thorough and gets the word out.”

She had run the numbers: hotpot had lower costs than stir-fry, which was why she could afford to give Xu Meng a two-point cut.

Only by opening could she prove whether her idea was right.

Hotpot was different from stir-fry—it didn’t require hiring chefs.

Before, the kitchen needed three people: two chefs and one assistant. Even when business slowed, they still needed two.

Besides providing meals and lodging, they also had to pay wages.

Now, things were different. Xu Meng came once a week to prepare the base, while the kitchen assistant handled the daily tasks—prepping the beef tallow and simmering the stock. The broth was simple: the main ingredients were pork bones bought from the market, plus a chicken for flavor. It wasn’t like serving straight-up bone broth. Together, the cost for a large pot of broth was just over twenty yuan. As for the hotpot base and seasonings, she had bought them wholesale from Sichuan, so they weren’t expensive either.

The waitstaff still handled prep work—washing, chopping, and skewering ingredients. They had the hands on deck.

Getting things up and running wouldn’t be difficult.

Once Zhang Mingqing gave the word, everyone sprang into action—especially Song Xia, who had been itching to do something. She took off with two thousand flyers and headed out, planning to cover not just the nearby Peking and Tsinghua Universities but also every college within a few kilometers. These students were their target customers.

Zhang Mingqing took charge of procurement, roping in two morning-shift staffers to accompany her to the market the next day. Since she had a car, they’d haul it all back in one go.

Some ingredients, like vegetables and meat, needed to be bought fresh daily, while others—like potatoes, dried tofu skin, and even fried tofu sticks—could be stocked in bulk for several days.

Xu Meng sat to the side, watching Zhang Mingqing delegate tasks one after another, the shop buzzing with organized chaos.

Once everyone had scattered to their duties, Xu Meng had a lightbulb moment. She pulled Zhang Mingqing aside. “I’ll give you a few recipes for signature meatballs, but you’ll need someone reliable to make them—they’ll be your shop’s signature.”

Zhang Mingqing’s eyes lit up. “What kind of meatballs?”

Xu Meng only asked, “Can you find someone? Get them over here, and I’ll show them the ropes once.”

Zhang Mingqing thought for a moment. “I’ve got a cousin in town. I’ll go find her now and see if she’s willing to come work here.”

Xu Meng raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t loop her in when you started the business?”

Zhang Mingqing hesitated. Back then, she had been afraid of family members trying to foist people on her business, so she hadn’t told any of them.

She and Wang Jiahui were close; the latter wouldn’t mind such things. When they were kids, both were treated like trash by their families, often hiding together to play house—Wang Jiahui would play the father, and Zhang Mingqing the mother.

Later, Zhang Mingqing moved to the city and married a city guy, and Wang Jiahui pulled back from her.

But they still met during the New Year when they returned home, just like when they were kids, griping about their parents’ flaws together.

When Xu Meng mentioned needing someone to help, Zhang Mingqing’s first thought was Wang Jiahui.

Once outside, Zhang Mingqing headed straight to her car and drove to Wang Jiahui’s place. When she arrived, she initially thought Wang Jiahui wouldn’t be home at this hour, but there she was.

Wang Jiahui had just returned from outside and was taken aback seeing Zhang Mingqing: “Is everything okay at home?”

“Nothing’s wrong at home. I came to ask if you’re free now. I started a business and need someone I can trust. I thought about it and realized you’re the only one, so I came to ask.”

It took Wang Jiahui a moment to process this. Seeing Zhang Mingqing show up in person, she had assumed something bad had happened.

Zhang’s mom was shamelessly partial, caring only for her son. She had brought him to the city multiple times to cause trouble for Zhang Mingqing, making a scene until she got money. Each time, Zhang Mingqing had turned to Wang Jiahui to mediate. Wang Jiahui’s mother was Zhang’s mother’s sister, so their families were close.

Zhang’s mom kept telling anyone who’d listen, “Now that she’s made it, she’s forgotten her own family. If she ever has trouble, we won’t stand up for her.”

Like Zhang Mingqing ever needed her.

And she wouldn’t listen to reason—no matter what others said, all she cared about was squeezing out cash.

Back then, Wang Jiahui had tried to reason with Zhang’s mother: “Qingqing’s in-laws already treat her like dirt. If you keep barging in like this, making things hard for her, she’ll only give you less. Take my advice—she’s always responded better to a soft touch than a hard push. Don’t push her. If she has extra, wouldn’t she naturally care for her own mother?”

These were the same words she wished she could say to her own mother.

But Zhang’s mom just shot her a look, acting as if her daughter’s well-being didn’t matter: “Look down on her? Why should they? My daughter has a proper job—is she worse than anyone? I’m still her mother-in-law, but look how their family treats me—like I don’t even matter.”

This only made Wang Jiahui sympathize more with Zhang Mingqing’s struggles.

Zhang Mingqing had married up, and back then, she hadn’t yet secured her footing in her husband’s household. Her mother’s shameless, showing up like a bill collector only made the Li family look down on Zhang Mingqing even more. Because of all this, the two would often bitch to each other.

After hearing Zhang Mingqing’s explanation, Wang Jiahui understood.

Zhang Mingqing was in a bind and didn’t trust outsiders she could hire.

A carton of smokes or a 200-yuan bump could poach them in a heartbeat.

Wang Jiahui asked, “So what do you need me to do?”

Zhang Mingqing thought for a moment. “Honestly, I’m not even sure yet. Just come with me.”

The two drove straight to the university district.

Hearing all this, Wang Jiahui’s stomach dropped. So the shop’s launch had been this messy, with so many hurdles along the way. If it really failed, not only would they lose money, but Zhang Mingqing’s position in the Li family would tank.

Zhang Mingqing said, “Let’s settle on this for now—I’ll pay you 500 a month. Your hours won’t be like the other servers’. You’ll work directly with me. How’s that?”

Five hundred a month—Wang Jiahui knew this was a sweet deal.

“But I’ve never done any of this. I don’t know how to do what you’re asking.”

“But I’ve found someone to teach you. Since when have you ever fallen short?” Zhang Mingqing pleaded earnestly. “If I pass these skills to someone else and they leave, I’ll have nothing left. But if I teach you, even if you leave later, at least it won’t benefit an outsider—it stays with family.”

A few years ago, Wang Jiahui’s mother-in-law fell ill, and she had stayed home to care for her. After the long illness, her mother-in-law passed, and the family’s savings were gone.

Luckily, her husband and children were hardworking, but Wang Jiahui still wanted to earn some money to ease the family’s burden.

Wang Jiahui hesitated, then nodded, “Fine, I’ll do it.”