take in
This was the first time in Yu Wan's two lifetimes that she had shared a bed with a man, and she was even more unaccustomed to having a living person lying next to her, so she blushed with embarrassment.
Yu's mother noticed that her complexion was somewhat unusual, so she went to the bedside and touched her forehead.
"Why is your face so hot? Do you have a fever?"
Yu Wan forced a smile. "Mom, I'm fine. It used to be cold at home, and we didn't have a place to warm ourselves by the fire. I've earned some money these past few days, and it's warm inside now, so I'm a little unaccustomed to the heat. Don't worry, I'll be fine after a short nap. By the way, are the customers still waiting downstairs? Could you please go and tell them to come back this afternoon?"
Yu's mother looked somber, her eyes filled with guilt as she recalled the hardships of the past few years, her eyes reddening.
“Your mother is useless. After your father and brother passed away, the family was so poor that we didn’t have a single copper coin. Luckily, you and A-Cheng are healthy, otherwise your mother wouldn’t have had the money to treat your illnesses. If anything were to happen to you, your mother wouldn’t be able to go on living…”
Yu Wan hated herself for her mouth, for how she had touched a raw nerve with her mother. She really knew how to rub salt in the wound.
"Mom, don't be too sad. Our lives are starting to get better, aren't they? My dad and brother will definitely come back. Then the five of us will be reunited and we can run the restaurant together."
She was extremely anxious, wondering if the man under the covers would be unable to bear it any longer. If he crawled out in front of her mother, then everything would become unpredictable.
She herself didn't care, since nothing really happened; she was just worried that her mother wouldn't be able to handle it and might get further agitated.
Yu's mother sighed softly, expressing the bitterness in her heart.
“I used to think about selling this restaurant to make some money, but in this world… everyone is willing to hoard their money and not buy property. Besides, this is the place your father left us to shelter us from the wind and rain, and your mother was afraid they wouldn’t be able to find us when they came back, so we’ve been living here ever since. I never expected that you would actually run it up and make money in just a few days. Awan, how did you do it? The barbecue seasoning you made isn’t a recipe your father used to know.”
Yu Wan naturally couldn't tell the real reason. How could she bear to tell a mother that her real child was gone and that a soul from another world had taken in her daughter's body?
She couldn't possibly say that she had a system; anyone would think that was crazy.
“Every day I went to the market to observe how the vendors did their business, and after a while I figured it out. Actually, I was just trying it out at first, but I didn’t expect it to work out. We’ve suffered for so many years, maybe God couldn’t bear to see us suffer anymore, and finally opened His eyes and gave us good luck.”
Although Yu's mother had doubts, she didn't say anything more. She nodded slightly, wiped the tears from her face, and got up to leave.
"You should get some more sleep. You've been exhausted these past few days. I'll go downstairs and tell the customers."
Yu Wan watched her mother leave, finally letting out a long sigh of relief. She quickly lifted the blanket and found that the man's face was pale and his forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat.
"Are you alright? You should leave now."
He Jing clutched his abdomen, got up, and slowly got out of bed.
Thank you.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly swayed and collapsed onto the bed.
Yu Wan could tell that this person probably suffered severe internal injuries in addition to external ones.
I have to open for business in the afternoon, so I don't have the energy to focus on him.
“If you really can’t walk, then stay here and recover. But be careful not to let anyone other than me see you. I’ll bring you food when I have time. You can stay in my brother’s room for now. Let me help you over while no one’s around.”
He Jingjian frowned, enduring the excruciating pain as he thanked him.
After settling everyone in, Yu Wan went to the kitchen, brought over a bowl of noodles, and
"You can stay here to recover from your injuries, but I must make it clear that you cannot cause trouble for me or my family."
He Jing nodded sullenly.
Yu Wan recalled what he had done on the snow mountain yesterday and dared not be too forceful, but she still couldn't be too stingy with the reward she was owed.
"Besides, you can't just eat and stay for free, can you? Moreover, there are so many people chasing you, I'm taking a huge risk."
He Jing's gaze fell on the bowl of noodles in her hand. The aroma of braised meat tantalized his taste buds. He had been living a life of constant battles for days and hadn't had a hot meal in a long time.
Seeing that he didn't refute, Yu Wan continued, "I helped you change your clothes yesterday, and I didn't see a purse or anything, so I guess you don't have much money on you. How about you write me an IOU?"
He Jing pursed his lips, his throat bobbed, and stared at the noodles without blinking.
Can I eat it?
Wait, change clothes?
He looked down at his clothes and realized they had indeed been changed; his ears immediately burned.
Yu Wan placed the bowl in front of him. "Then it's settled. You'll have to write an IOU."
Whether the man listened or not, he grabbed his chopsticks and bowl, ate the food in a few big bites, and stared at her longingly.
Yu Wan said, "Alright, I'll get you another bowl. I don't have time to worry about you now, the restaurant needs to open for business soon."
The weather is quite nice today; perhaps that's a good sign.
Yu Wan busied herself inside and outside the restaurant, checking and rearranging everything that needed to be checked, and making adjustments to anything that might affect the restaurant's image.
She ran a popular barbecue restaurant in her previous life, so she has a lot of experience in this area.
While good wine needs no bush, a good image is an even bigger plus.
The young man in the fur coat was the first to arrive. He stood at the entrance of the restaurant, looked it over, and couldn't help but praise it:
"The execution is quite good. It was dilapidated before, but upon closer inspection, there haven't been any major changes. However, it's a pleasant surprise and looks much better than before."
His gaze fell upon the young girl who greeted him at the door. She was dressed in coarse linen clothes but was clean and tidy. Despite her young age, she had a calm demeanor, unlike the typical farm girl from a remote town.
The girl in white beside him looked reluctant, her tone somewhat disdainful.
"This restaurant is deserted and quiet. What kind of delicious food can it make? If it were really as delicious as you described, it wouldn't be in such a dilapidated state."
Yu Wan, adopting a welcoming attitude, ignored her sarcasm and greeted her with a smile:
"Miss Zhu, Mr. Jin, please come in."
Over the past two days, she learned about their identities by listening to their conversations.
They came from scholarly families; the young woman was Zhu Zhifeng, the daughter of the local magistrate, and the young man was Jin Yifei, her cousin from her aunt's side.
At this moment, a dozen or so people came to the front of the shop, complaining that the shop's opening hours were too late.
"The grilled fish the table next to me was eating looked delicious yesterday, and I even dreamed about smelling it when I got home last night. I'm definitely going to eat it today!"
"And grilled lamb skewers, pork belly, bring all of those on!"
"I want garlic vermicelli scallops! The texture is amazing!"
Zhu Zhifeng was a little embarrassed. She had just said that no one was coming and was immediately proven wrong. She glared at Yu Wan and wanted to leave.
"Cousin, let's eat somewhere else. Besides, you've already been here before, haven't you? It's just the same few dishes anyway, why would she make them fancy? This place smells too smoky, it's even making my clothes smell."
Yu Wan observed that she had a refined appearance, and although she was a bit sarcastic, she did not leave.
"Miss, why don't you come in and try it first? If you don't like it, I won't charge you."
Jin Yifei was already eager to go into the store, but his cousin held him back.
"You're the one who asked me to bring you out to play, and now you're such a spoilsport. Fine, if you're not going to eat, just go back. The carriage is right there anyway."
Zhu Zhifeng still followed her in. "My mother told me to keep an eye on you, afraid you'll get into some trouble. Otherwise, I wouldn't want to follow you around."
Jin Yifei found a seat and retorted, "Then why did you come in? What are you doing here? Don't eat anything later, it'll all be mine."
Zhu Zhifeng snorted, "Fine, I won't eat it then! Who cares! I'm afraid I'll get a stomachache!"
Yu Cheng brought up the teapot to pour tea, his manner quite meticulous even at such a young age.
"Please have some tea to warm yourselves up. After you have ordered, my sister will serve the dishes as soon as possible."
Yu Wan gave him a thumbs up, a big thumbs-up.
Yu Cheng received praise and worked even harder.
Once someone had ordered the ingredients, Yu Wan went to the kitchen to get busy.
Today's ingredient list has a few more items added, which should be enough to meet everyone's needs.
However, although the variety is complete, the quantity is too small because there is not enough capital to purchase more.
She was busy grilling skewers when Jin Yifei suddenly appeared in the kitchen.
Jin Yifei observed her skillful technique and exclaimed in surprise:
"Young lady, how old were you when you started learning to grill skewers? Your movements are quite nimble. Over the years, I've traveled around and grilled some food myself, and it's not that simple at all. They're either undercooked or burnt."
While he was speaking, Yu Wan had already placed the dozen or so grilled skewers on a plate and called out, "Acheng, table number one."
Yu Cheng came running in, grabbed the bag, and left.
Yu Wan's hands were busy replenishing the ingredients to be grilled, arranging them neatly on the grill, flipping the ungrilled ones over, and brushing on the sauce.
"Grilling skewers can be easy or difficult, but you get the hang of it as you go."
Jin Yifei rolled up his sleeves, eager to try, "Teach me, since you're short-handed, I can help you out, how about it?"
Yu Wan quickly declined, "That's not appropriate, Mr. Jin. Your skewers will be ready soon. I'll have my brother bring them to you in a bit. Please have a seat. It'll be quick."
She was short-handed, but there were only so many ingredients. If he ruined the grilling, it would be a waste and she would lose money.
As they were talking, Zhu Zhifeng came in again.
"Cousin, what are you doing here? There's so much smoke in here, it's so pungent. Don't let it make you sick."
Just as she was about to pull the person out, she suddenly smelled a fragrance.
"What is this that smells so good?"
Yu Wan pursed her lips and picked up a skewer of grilled gluten from the barbecue grill.
"Miss Zhu, are you really not going to try it? If it's not good, you don't have to pay."
In her past life, she ran a popular barbecue restaurant, where grilled gluten was one of the top three best-selling items, and many people couldn't resist it.
Jin Yifei didn't give his cousin time to hesitate; he reached out and snatched it.
"Never mind her, if she won't eat, I'll eat!"
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