Since Fang Yajun needed to stay in the hospital for another week before she could be discharged, Tang Li packed up his belongings that he had left at the Tang family home and stayed at the hospital to take care of her. He would return to Guangzhou after she was discharged.

Su Yan spent most of her time going back and forth between the hospital and home.

During the day, he studied with Ye Feixu, and at home he continued to consolidate the knowledge he had learned for the grade skipping exam.

Old Master Jue was supposed to return by the next day at the latest, but for some reason he was delayed again.

Another week has passed.

Feng Caixia called and immediately asked, "Have you checked your year-end bonus?"

Su Yan, who was in Jiang Jingxing's hospital room at the time, replied upon hearing this, "You've seen it."

"Then why aren't you excited at all?" Feng Caixia asked persistently.

She didn't receive as much as Su Yan, but it was still a considerable sum of money. She was so excited when the money arrived that she couldn't sleep for three days.

Su Yan said slowly, "What's the big deal? I made more money selling ginseng than I did from the restaurant's profits. Sister Caixia, our profits will only keep increasing in the future, so calm down."

Half-Day Leisure has been open for less than six months, but the income is very substantial.

She received a total of 37,800 yuan, while Tang Li and Feng Caixia should have received more than 20,000 yuan, which was a very substantial income in those days.

The fruit seedlings in the orchard haven't grown well yet; they won't start bearing fruit until June or July this year, so there's no income yet.

However, the various medicinal herbs planted on another mountain have all survived and are growing very well, which is good news for her.

Anping Town Food Factory also received 45,386 yuan.

Most of the dessert shop's total revenue was invested in the Gangcheng branch, with only a little over four hundred yuan in dividends.

She's rather greedy; these dividends combined aren't nearly enough.

After all, there are many people who earn more than her, and she is still a long way from becoming the richest person in the country.

Feng Caixia exclaimed, "How can you be so composed at such a young age?"

Su Yan smiled and said, "Sister Caixia, you didn't call me just to ask about this, did you?"

Knowing Feng Caixia as she did, she knew she wasn't that free.

Feng Caixia said, "Nothing can be hidden from you, girl. Here's the thing, business has been booming since we reopened after the New Year. I've looked into it, and now we have a lot more out-of-town customers who come specifically because of our reputation."

Customers are coming in non-stop. Although we've hired new staff and have enough manpower, the food supply is a problem. Another issue is that even from morning till closing time, there are still a lot of customers outside. Our staff have been working overtime for a week straight, but there are still too many customers. This can't go on."

The restaurant was open until 2 a.m., but it had to close because it ran out of ingredients. Customers who had been waiting in line for a long time but had not been able to get a meal complained.

Although Feng Caixia gave away many free gifts to the guests who didn't get to eat, and won over the magnanimous ones, she couldn't win over the more impatient ones.

Su Yan pondered for a moment, "Do you mean opening a branch?"

"Yes, opening a branch is a bit troublesome and tiring, but it earns more money and solves the problem of customers from other provinces making a special trip."

Feng Caixia learned a lot of management skills from Su Yan. As she interacted with more different people, her horizons naturally broadened, and she was able to consider all aspects of a problem.

"You're calling me now, so you must already have an idea, right? Tell me about it."

Seeing that Su Yan did not object to her idea, Feng Caixia said happily, "I have done some statistics on customers from other places and found that there are more customers from spicy food regions such as Sichuan and Chongqing, so I want to open a branch in a spicy food region."

Many guests come from provinces near Guangdong, but these guests are relatively close to Guangzhou, unlike guests from the far north who travel long distances to visit.

Su Yan didn't answer immediately, and thought for a long time before saying, "If we open in a region where people can eat spicy food, we'll have to make some changes to the flavors of our dishes. Banrixian's current dishes are mostly salty and sweet and have a savory sauce flavor. We need to add some local flavors, such as spiciness, to these bases."

"Okay, Sister Caixia, you go and choose a location first, then find a shop. I'll work out the flavors of the dishes later."

"Huh?" Feng Caixia thought she had misheard. "You mean I should go by myself?"

"Otherwise what?"

"Can I manage by myself?"

Feng Caixia felt that she didn't even believe in herself.

"Can't you ask yourself?" Su Yan said unhurriedly, "Uncle Tang won't be back in Yangcheng for several more days. If you want it to be faster, you can discuss the branch area with him over the phone. I'm only responsible for the taste of the dishes."

Feng Caixia gritted her teeth and said, "Fine! Since you support my idea, I definitely won't let you down."

“That’s right, you have to have the courage to do what you want.” Su Yan said, “You can’t guarantee anything else, but you can’t not guarantee that our dishes will taste the best.”

"That's right! Wherever we open for half a day, business will definitely be booming!"

Feng Caixia was given a mouthful of chicken soup and was now bursting with confidence. "I'm not saying anything more. I'm going to call Tang Li."

He hung up the phone after saying that.

Su Yan put down her phone, feeling both amused and exasperated.

Jiang Jingxing had been watching her the whole time, and seeing this, he said, "Are you opening a branch?"

“Yes.” Su Yan proudly raised her chin. “Business is so good that we have no choice but to stay open.”

As if struck by a thought, the man's gaze suddenly turned intense. "Why not open one in Beijing?"

Su Yan was burned by his intense gaze and subconsciously reached out to cover his eyes, saying truthfully, "Land in Beijing is too expensive; we can't afford it for now."

She prefers to buy the property and open a shop, so she won't have to deal with issues like landlords suddenly raising rents and causing her distress.

Jiang Jingxing took her hand and brought it to his lips, speaking softly, "I have a friend who wants to sell..."

"Stop!" Su Yan quickly said, "It's fine if we open it somewhere else, but if we open it in Beijing, my master will definitely scold me for not doing my job properly!"

Originally, her master was dissatisfied with her doing business on top of her busy studies, believing that she would have grown much faster if she had devoted herself to her studies.

Unfortunately, her master couldn't control her restless heart.

She's constantly expanding her business, practically teetering on the edge of her master's bottom line. If she dares to cross that line, her future days are going to be tough... sob sob...

Although opening a branch in another province saves her from having to travel around, adjusting the flavors of the dishes is still a very time-consuming task.

Jiang Jingxing had no choice but to give up.

He couldn't bear to see Su Yan get scolded, and said regretfully, "We'll talk about it later. Just let me know when you want to open a shop in Beijing."

Su Yan asked in confusion, "Why? Can your friend who sold the land still leave it to me?"

Jiang Jingxing said seriously, "Can I say that friend is me?"

"..."