Chapter 76 Reopening.

Gu Qingqiu was surprised that her uncle and aunt had prepared so many homegrown vegetables, soybeans, and black beans for her, and that they were all packed up.

The vegetables were picked in the morning and dried before being bagged, because I was afraid that it would be embarrassing for her to carry them on the high-speed train while they were dripping wet, and that it would also affect other passengers.

She smiled and agreed, "Thank you, Uncle and Aunt. These vegetables will last me for several days. They're all pure, natural, and pollution-free, so they're sure to taste delicious. And these soybeans and black beans, two big jars of them! I'll definitely make soy milk and soup with them when I get back."

Aunt Gu smiled and said, "You're welcome. If you like it, Xiao Qiu, I'll send you some vegetables from time to time. There are many courier stations in town now, even one across the street from our village. Many people often send fresh fish, shrimp, and local pork to their children. Just let me know if you want some, and I'll buy them and send them to you."

Gu Qingqiu shook her head and declined: "No need, thank you, Auntie. It's convenient to buy vegetables at the market near where I live. I know an old lady at a stall who sells vegetables she grows herself, so don't worry. When I come back in the future, I'll eat the vegetables you grow. I'm afraid the cost of sending vegetables from here to Jiang City is more expensive than the postage."

She said it in a joking tone.

"That's true, sending vegetables by express is quite expensive. They're not exactly heavy, but they're not light either." Aunt Gu finally gave up, and added, "But if you really want to eat them, I'd be happy to pay the postage to send them to you."

Gu Qingqiu smiled and agreed, "Okay, Auntie, don't worry, I'll definitely message you if I want to eat it."

Uncle Gu instructed, "Xiao Qiu, it must be hard for you to run a restaurant all by yourself. We can't help you much, so take good care of yourself. Remember to rest more and don't overwork yourself. Making money is important, but health is the foundation of everything, isn't it?"

Gu Qingqiu listened attentively and nodded sincerely: "Yes, Uncle, you're right. Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself and balance work and rest."

Aunt Gu glanced at the time displayed on her phone: "Alright, let Shaocheng take you to the high-speed rail station quickly, so you won't be rushed and exhausted later."

Gu Shaocheng only has one day off a week, and since he was off today, he readily took on the task of taking his cousin to the high-speed rail station, jokingly saying that he could handle all the transportation.

Gu Qingqiu smiled and agreed, "Okay, then my brother and I will head to the high-speed rail station first. Uncle and Aunt, please take good care of yourselves and stay healthy. If anything happens, please let me know."

Uncle Gu and Aunt Gu smiled and agreed, seeing the person off to their doorstep. They watched the motorcycle roar away and the two overlapping figures disappear into the distance before sighing and going back inside.

Aunt Gu originally intended to take a nap in her room, but as soon as she entered, she saw two red envelopes on the bedside table. Upon picking them up, she saw that there were words written on them—

Uncle and Aunt, I was afraid you wouldn't accept it if I gave it to you in person, so I quietly left it on your bedside table. It's just a small token of my appreciation, please accept it. Buy me whatever you want to eat later, take good care of yourselves, and I wish you good health and happiness every day!

At the end, a smiley face was drawn, as if you could see the smile on Xiao Qiu's face as she wrote these words, and feel the sincere blessings she sent.

"This child is really..." Aunt Gu smiled happily, picked up two red envelopes and went to find her husband who was sitting in the living room making tea. She handed him the red envelopes with writing on them, "These are the red envelopes that Xiao Qiu left for us. This child is so honest."

The night Xiao Qiu came back, she asked her how much she had spent on the offerings, incense, and paper money, and transferred the money to her without hesitation. Now she's even secretly left two red envelopes for her and her husband, one for each of them.

Uncle Gu accepted the red envelope in surprise: "Xiao Qiu left it for us? How could this child do this? She just gave us a red envelope without saying a word."

After reading the words on the red envelope, he fell silent, a rare occurrence for him. His eyes, which were already failing with age, suddenly stung with tears. He sighed, "This child is so thoughtful. Let's keep this red envelope. Just like she said, buy whatever you want to eat. Taking good care of yourself is the best way to repay her kindness."

"Of course, you don't need to tell me," Aunt Gu said, giving him a sideways glance.

She opened the red envelope and counted the money. She had felt it was quite thick when she received it, and now she knew it contained two thousand. She then took the red envelope from her husband's hand, and it also contained two thousand.

Aunt Gu sighed, "Xiao Qiu is too extravagant. No matter how much money she makes, she can't spend it like this. How about this, we'll set aside half of it and use it to buy things for Uncle, Brother, and Sister-in-law on holidays, and burn more paper money so that Xiao Qiu's money goes to good use."

Uncle Gu nodded in agreement: "I think it's a good idea. You're the quickest-witted one."

“That’s right, Shaocheng is just like me in that respect.” Aunt Gu proudly raised her chin at the child’s father.

She took out her phone, opened WeChat, tapped on her chat with Xiaoqiu, and started speaking: "Xiaoqiu, why did you leave two red envelopes for me and your uncle, and with so much money in each one? We'll accept them this time, but don't do it again next time! Be careful on your journey, and let us know when you arrive."

Uncle Gu also leaned over and gestured for his wife to press the voice button, then added a few words: "Xiao Qiu, thank you for the red envelope. I'll accept it without hesitation, but please don't give it to me next time. Don't worry, we'll definitely take good care of ourselves, eat and drink well, and you take care too."

Neither of them mentioned their plan to set aside half of the money for buying things and paper money for worship during festivals.

At the entrance of the high-speed rail station, Gu Shaocheng stopped the car and his long legs touched the ground. Gu Qingqiu got out of the back seat and took the two bags of vegetables, soybeans, and black beans. They were quite heavy, but she carried them with ease.

Looking at his cousin, who still seemed quiet and gentle but was actually very vibrant and resilient, Gu Shaocheng smiled and said, "Xiao Qiu, be careful on the road. Call me anytime if anything happens."

"Okay, thank you, brother. Take care of yourself too. Let's keep in touch when we have time. Go back now, I'm going in too." Gu Qingqiu said, waving goodbye to him.

Gu Shaocheng smiled and nodded: "Goodbye!"

Watching Xiao Qiu walk towards the high-speed rail station entrance, he watched her figure gradually blur and completely pass through the security gate before driving home.

Time was a bit tighter than when they arrived. After going through security, there wasn't even time to sit in the waiting room before they heard the announcement that it was time to check tickets. Gu Qingqiu hurriedly went to the ticket gate to queue up.

Once on the high-speed train and found her assigned window seat, Gu Qingqiu placed her backpack on the overhead cabinet, sat down, and casually put two bags of vegetables between her feet and the carriage wall, letting out a sigh of relief.

As the train pulled away from the station, Gu Qingqiu leaned back in her seat, listening to the voice messages from her aunt and uncle. She smiled and replied, "That little bit of money is just a token of my appreciation. Please accept it, Aunt and Uncle. I'm already on the train. I'll definitely let you know when I arrive."

After replying to the message, she didn't even think about checking her phone. She hadn't rested at noon and had been busy packing up to catch the high-speed train, so she was quite tired. Now that she was relaxed, Gu Qingqiu simply put her phone away and closed her eyes to sleep.

The high-speed train journey also lasted more than two hours. Fortunately, there were no very young children crying in the carriage, and it was relatively quiet overall.

Fortunately, the seat next to her remained empty, allowing Gu Qingqiu to rest well throughout the journey. When she arrived at her stop, she was full of energy, carrying her schoolbag and a handful of vegetables. She followed the flow of people off the bus, walked out of the station, hailed a taxi, and took a ride back to Suli Street.

The road on Suli Street is not very wide, and there are many elderly people and children. Ordinary taxis don't like to go around there, so Gu Qingqiu simply asked the driver to stop on the street and walked back to her family's restaurant.

She took out her key from her bag and was about to insert it into the keyhole to open the door when she noticed some writing on the notice she had posted about the closure. She wondered which mischievous customer had written it.

We're waiting for you to come back!

"Through wind and rain, we will always wait for you!"

"Because of you, I've started looking forward to Mondays."

Gu Qingqiu couldn't help but smile after reading it, her mood level rising several levels.

She chuckled and shook her head. Since there was still evening left, she didn't tear down the notice of closure. She simply opened the door and went into the restaurant, closing the wooden door behind her.

She carried everything directly up to the second floor.

After putting the two bags of vegetables in the kitchen and returning the backpack to the room, Gu Qingqiu opened all the windows on the second floor to ventilate the room.

She looked around and everything was the same as before. Since she hadn't been away for long, it didn't look too dirty. The mint by the window was still growing well, although the leaves looked a bit dry.

After watering the mint, Gu Qingqiu sat and rested for a while. Then she took a rag and wiped the tables, chairs, and cabinets in the living room, dining room, and bedroom, followed by sweeping and mopping. After finishing everything, she was covered in sweat. She turned on the air conditioner in the room, grabbed her clothes, and went to take a shower.

After washing up and drying her hair in her room, Gu Qingqiu felt refreshed and comfortable. She lay on the bed without any particular posture and started looking at her phone.

When it was time for dinner and she felt a little hungry, she slowly opened the food delivery app and ordered a plate of stir-fried rice noodles with eggs and lean pork.

Around seven o'clock, Gu Qingqiu picked up the food delivery from the restaurant staff, went downstairs to get the food, and returned to her room on the second floor. She placed the food on the desk and sat down.

Opening the takeout bag, inside was a simple dish of stir-fried rice noodles with eggs and lean meat, packed full in a regular transparent plastic box. On the surface, there were quite a few eggs and lean meat, and the rice noodles were stir-fried until moist and shiny, looking quite appealing.

The chopsticks provided were a simple pair of bamboo chopsticks; there were no spoons, napkins, or toothpicks. Gu Qingqiu tore open the plastic film, rubbed the chopsticks together a little, and started eating.

The eggs were scrambled until slightly browned and fragrant. The lean meat was cut into long strips and had a slightly salty and savory flavor. The rice noodles were smooth and delicate, and quite salty and flavorful. If you're not too picky, you can accept the taste.

But as Gu Qingqiu ate this stir-fried rice noodles with eggs and lean pork, she couldn't help but think of the rice noodles she had stir-fried herself last time. The eggs she added had a special eggy aroma, the pork slices had a meaty aroma, and there were also shredded carrots and bean sprouts. It tasted sweet, crisp, and juicy.

The rice noodles are absolutely amazing. Before they're cooked, they're practically pearl powder. After being stir-fried, they absorb the soy sauce color and the sheen of the oil, giving them a glossy and fragrant appearance. They taste savory and flavorful, yet you can still taste the aroma of rice noodles. They're soft, smooth, and delicate, leaving you wanting more.

She compared the two and found that the difference stemmed not only from the difference between her cooking skills and the takeout restaurant, but also from the quality of the ingredients.

For example, there are differences between regular eggs and free-range eggs. As for lean pork, the aroma of each cut of meat is slightly different after being stir-fried. And then there's the crucial rice noodles. The rice noodles she bought last time were of very high quality and had a strong rice aroma.

Thinking about this, Gu Qingqiu started thinking about the rice noodles, rice vermicelli, and noodles from that shop. She wondered when she would have time to make a dish from that shop and order some rice noodles, rice vermicelli, and noodles over, just for herself.

Despite feeling somewhat disgusted by the comparison, she still ate most of the stir-fried rice noodles with eggs and lean pork, feeling quite satisfied. She didn't waste the rest, saving it in the refrigerator to reheat for breakfast the next morning.

After wiping the desk clean, Gu Qingqiu sat down to finalize tomorrow's menu, then stood up and walked around the room to aid digestion.

About half an hour after eating, she would lie down on the bed to rest for a while, then get up and play on her phone against the headboard. When she got tired, she would go straight to sleep.

The next morning, Gu Qingqiu woke up feeling a little dazed. It took her a few moments to realize that the restaurant was open for business that day and that she had to get to work.

She smiled and felt that the few days of rest had been quite useful. She had completed the memorial service for her parents and received some warm care from relatives. She had truly been able to rest and relax.

At this point, you'll feel full of energy and motivation, enough to cook in the kitchen all day without getting tired.

Gu Qingqiu didn't linger in bed. She glanced at the time and got up, turned off the air conditioner, drew back the curtains, looked at the beautiful scenery outside the window, breathed in the fresh air, and called her business partner to order ingredients.

Boss Zhu answered the phone and laughed on the other end, "Boss Gu, you're finally back! I've been feeling a bit uneasy these past few mornings without your calls."

He told Gu Qingqiu that he also followed Gu's Private Kitchen on Xiaohongshu and knew that she had been dealing with personal matters for the past three days. He was glad that she had taken care of them.

"Thank you for your concern, Boss Zhu. I've taken care of everything and can come back to work with peace of mind now," Gu Qingqiu said with a smile. "Could you please bring me thirty catties of pork belly?"

Even though she ordered less pork than usual today, Boss Zhu didn't ask any questions and still replied enthusiastically, "Okay, no problem. You can rest assured about my work. I promise to send you the best pork that Boss Gu ordered."

Gu Qingqiu smiled and thanked him again. After hanging up the phone, he made another call to order 30 jin of beef ribs, also known as snowflake beef.

After ordering the groceries that could be delivered, she went to the bathroom to wash up and then heated up the leftover stir-fried rice noodles with eggs and lean meat from last night.

Actually, there aren't many eggs and lean meat in one serving, considering the price. There was more on the surface when I opened it yesterday, but it was hard to see the bottom layer. It wasn't mixed evenly at all when stir-fried.

Gu Qingqiu didn't mind. After finishing her meal, she took her phone, went downstairs, grabbed two shopping carts, and headed to the market to buy groceries.

After leaving the restaurant, she tore down the notice posted on the door, carefully folded it, and put it in her pocket, intending to keep it as a souvenir.

When she arrived at the market, it was as bustling as usual, and she even received greetings from some familiar stall owners.

"Boss Gu, I haven't seen you these past few days."

"Boss Gu, I'm so glad you've finally arrived. I haven't seen you for the past few days."

"Mr. Gu, you look great! Have you been resting these past few days?"

Gu Qingqiu responded to their greetings with a smile and bought a lot of ingredients.

The swimming crabs at the seafood stall looked plump and fresh, so she ordered thirty jin (15 kg).

The crab mushrooms at the mushroom stall were also very fresh, just enough to make the mushroom and scrambled eggs dish on her menu. Gu Qingqiu ordered twenty catties.

Today, because she bought a lot of vegetables and fruits, she couldn't take them back in a cart. So Gu Qingqiu didn't go to the old lady's stall, but instead chose a stall where she had bought vegetables several times before and found them to be very fresh. She bought 15 jin of winter melon and 15 jin of cucumber.

Then I went to another stall and bought 15 catties of taro, asking the owner to deliver it to the restaurant on Suli Street at 9 o'clock. Next, I went to a grocery store and bought 10 catties of sago, three boxes of my usual brand of milk, five 1L bottles of coconut milk, two catties of white sugar, two catties of roasted sesame seeds, two catties of peanuts, and two catties of sweet potato starch, asking the grocery store owner to deliver them to the restaurant.

Just before leaving, she remembered something and picked out two more stacks of eggs, paid for them, and asked the grocery store owner to deliver them to the restaurant.

Gu Qingqiu then pulled the cart to buy seasonings such as scallions, ginger, and garlic, and also bought some perilla leaves.

Only after leaving the market did she realize how easily she had pushed the cart today; she had only loaded thirty catties of swimming crabs, some scallions, ginger, garlic, and perilla leaves.

If she wanted to make things even easier, she could have asked the seafood stall owner to deliver the swimming crabs to the restaurant, but Gu Qingqiu didn't do that and decided to take them home instead.

After returning to the restaurant and resting for a while, people started delivering the ordered ingredients. Gu Qingqiu signed for them and then went into the kitchen to sort and organize the ingredients before starting to prepare the dishes.

Around ten o'clock, Sister Zhou came over. She was very happy to see the boss. After greeting him with a smile, she chatted for a few minutes, then went to get a rag, wet it, wrung it out, and went to the dining area to wipe the tables and chairs. After that, she cleaned the dining area.

Xu Shiren and Feng Jianguo, two men in their late sixties and early seventies, met up at the foot of their building around 10 a.m., and then set off together to find their old leader.

The two walked with perfect posture, their spirit and energy no less than that of young people, still as vigorous as ever.

When they arrived at their former leader's house, they sat down with smiles and exchanged a few words with him. Then they urged him to hurry up and leave, otherwise there wouldn't be any seats left at the restaurant, and he would have to wait in line at the door.

The old leader, Zhao Yongnian, shook his head with a smile, not understanding why his two friends were so persistent about a particular restaurant. He had heard that they had been eating there quite often lately. Last time, when they heard that he was feeling unwell and his old ailment had flared up again, the two of them insisted on inviting him to eat at this restaurant, as if they were rapping.

He didn't understand, but since he had promised, he had to do it. He got up, changed into his shoes, and told the housekeeper to cook dinner. He didn't return until around 4 p.m. before leaving with Xu Shiren and Feng Jianguo.

All of them have cars at home, so they can call someone to drive them when they want to go out. Zhao Yongnian originally wanted to call someone to drive him over, but Xu Shiren and Feng Jianguo said that they could just take a taxi. Cars can't go into Suli Street, so they could just take a taxi to the street, get out, and walk in.

Zhao Yongnian was puzzled: "Why don't we just ask Xiao Wu to drop us off on Suli Street, and then he can come back after we walk in?"

Xu Shiren insisted, "Old Zhao, just trust me and take a taxi. Why bother calling Xiao Wu along? It'll just be more trouble."

Feng Jianguo patted his chest and said, "Yes, Lao Zhao, my chief prosecutor, with Xu Shiren and I here, we will definitely protect you."

“I don’t need your protection. Fine, let’s take a taxi. Anyway, not many people recognize us,” Zhao Yongnian said with a smile.

The group went downstairs to the entrance of the residential area and hailed a taxi.

Xu Shiren even took out his phone to take a picture of the license plate before getting into the car. He opened his phone and originally wanted to send the license plate to his grandson, but after thinking about it, he sent it to his grandson-in-law instead.

My grandson is busy as always and hasn't replied yet, but my great-grandson replied instantly.

[Grandson: ??? Grandpa, where have you been?]

[Grandson: Did they go to Gu's Private Kitchen with Uncle Feng again?]

[Grandson: How can you do this to me? I'm still suffering while working on the computer!]

Xu Shiren replied to him with a smile after reading it.

[High Mountain Boulder: Yes, today your Uncle Feng and I invited our old leader, Uncle Zhao, to Gu's Private Kitchen for dinner.]

[High Mountain Boulder: Here's a picture of my license plate to put your mind at ease.]

[High Mountain Boulder: Focus on your work, I'll treat you to Gu's Private Kitchen this weekend.]

[Grandson: ...So Grandpa, you'll get to eat at Gu's Private Kitchen one more time, right? Okay, I'll treat you this weekend.]

[Grandson: OK, OK, I understand. I'll take good care of Uncle Zhao. Thank you, Grandpa, for trusting me to give you the license plate instead of my brother. (Head held high.gif)]

Xu Shiren watched the little emoji walking around with its chest puffed out, looking particularly proud as if it were showing off. It was inexplicably endearing. Knowing that his grandson and granddaughter had a good relationship, he replied without hesitation.

[High Mountain Boulder: No, I sent it to your brother first, then to you.]

[Grandson: I've ultimately misplaced my trust.gif]

A meme of a girl clutching her chest, shaking her head in utter disappointment, actually made Xu Shiren laugh. He replied with a "cat patting head" meme to his grandson. He had saved this meme from a previous chat with his grandson.

Zhao Yongnian was talking to Feng Jianguo when he noticed that Xu Shiren had been looking at his phone without saying a word since he got in the car. He asked with a smile, "Old Xu, what are you looking at with that big smile on your face?"

Feng Jianguo also looked at his friend.

Xu Shiren then put down his phone, looked up, and smiled, "I just took a picture of the license plate and sent it to my grandson. When he heard we were going to Gu's Private Kitchen, he started complaining that we were leaving him behind. We just made plans to go together again this weekend."

Zhao Yongnian became interested: "Oh, your grandson also likes to eat at this restaurant?"

Young people today have different ideas from them. Just looking at food, the dishes they like are different from those of young people, making it difficult for them to eat the same things.

In his vision, Gu's Private Kitchen should be a quiet and elegant restaurant located deep in the streets and alleys, with light and healthy dishes.

Xu Shiren nodded: "He loves this restaurant the most. He went there first and thought it was delicious, so he asked a delivery person to buy it and bring it to my house so we could eat together. Old Feng was there too."

Feng Jianguo chimed in, "Yeah, I happened to be there at the time. The aroma was so enticing that I couldn't bear to leave, so I shamelessly ate that meal with them. It was so delicious!"

"We couldn't stop thinking about it after we ate there, and afterwards we often became what young people call 'meal buddies' and went to Gu's Private Kitchen for meals. Old Zhao, let me tell you, this restaurant changes its menu every day based on the ingredients, so it's different every day, but the dishes always taste great and have never disappointed us."

"You'll definitely like it when you eat it later!" He said the last sentence with certainty and confidence.

Zhao Yongnian raised his graying eyebrows slightly: "Alright, then I'll look forward to it."

Xu Shiren thought for a moment and said, "Old Zhao, Old Feng and I have ulterior motives for wanting to take you to Gu's Private Kitchen. Old Feng and I often eat at Gu's Private Kitchen. Not only is the food delicious, but the ingredients are also very fresh and nutritious, which makes us feel at ease eating there."

"And believe it or not, ever since Lao Feng and I started eating there regularly, some of our old health problems, like not sleeping well at night, waking up easily, back pain, and rheumatism, have all improved to a large extent. We also feel much more energetic."

“My grandson saw it online and told us that many people come to Gu’s Private Kitchen and eat there several times in a row. They say things like their acne scars and blemishes have disappeared, they’ve lost or gained weight, their sleep has improved, their picky eating and indigestion have become better, and their minor illnesses and pains have all been cured.”

"We were thinking of taking you to eat there for a while to see if it would be better for your health."

The ailments he developed in his youth have been flaring up frequently in recent years, tormenting this old leader. The ailments of old age have also come knocking, and he was even hospitalized for a serious illness some time ago.

Xu Shiren and Feng Jianguo discussed this matter after visiting him. Once he was discharged from the hospital and had recovered enough, they thought they would put this on the agenda and try eating at Gu's Private Kitchen.

Zhao Yongnian thought it was a fantasy. He thought that Old Xu was just getting old and senile and would say such things. But then he thought that Old Xu couldn't be that senile. He was so shrewd when he was young. Even when he got old, he was reluctant to retire and wanted to be rehired to work for a few more years.

He looked at Feng Jianguo, another person in the know and involved.

Feng Jianguo nodded solemnly: "Old Zhao, Old Xu and I are of the same mind about this. Let's give it a try, just like going to sample a delicious dish. If it works, that would be a pleasant surprise. If it doesn't work, we'll just treat it as a chance to eat at Gu's Private Kitchen a few more times, a get-together between old friends and colleagues."

Since he was already there, Zhao Yongnian nodded, even though he was a little skeptical: "Alright, you've made it sound so amazing, I'm going to try this restaurant and see how delicious the food is."

Is it really that effective?

The three chatted about other things. The taxi drove smoothly, and the driver seemed to be focused on the road conditions and driving seriously. His ears were practically perked up.