Chapter 184 New Store Opening
"Candidates, please stop writing and stand up. You may leave only after the invigilator has collected all the exam papers and checked them for errors."
With the ringing of a bell, the school gates opened, and the students who had finally finished their last exam rushed out of the examination hall.
Parents eagerly awaiting their children at the school gate searched through the crowd for their child.
Mr. Wen was carrying a black backpack and kept asking Mrs. Wen if she had seen it.
"Why aren't they out yet? Everyone else has come out. Why don't you give Xiao Fan a call?"
Wen's mother: "What are you calling? There are so many people here, and the signal is bad. My daughter said we should just wait here... She's coming out, she's coming out!"
The couple's eyes lit up, and they couldn't wait to take a few steps forward to greet them.
After a year of senior high school, Wen Fan had grown a few centimeters taller than before. Her hair had grown long and then been cut short, now just reaching her shoulders. The days of patient and arduous study had honed her mind, and the features of a mature woman were beginning to show. Her skin was fairer, and she had become thinner, which made her features stand out even more. Wearing an inconspicuous short-sleeved shirt and wide-leg pants, which appeared thin from a distance, she was surprisingly noticeable in a crowd.
When Wen's mother picked up her daughter, she first took her schoolbag, while Wen's father tenderly took out a teacup from his black bag: "Is it hot?"
Wen Fan took two sips: "It's alright."
Although there was no air conditioning in the examination room, it was fortunate that it rained a few days ago, which created a less unbearable environment for the candidates.
Neither Wen's father nor Wen's mother asked how the exam went, but Wen Fan himself said that he did alright.
Wen's mother: "Let's not talk about this now that the exam is over... Are you planning to go home and rest first? Or go to the shop?"
During the year of exam preparation, even though business at the shop declined somewhat, Wen's mother stubbornly refused to let her daughter get involved. The private kitchen even announced a year-long closure.
At first, many people didn't understand what Wen Ji was up to, but when Wen's mother explained that it was because the head chef, who was also her daughter, was taking the college entrance exam, the diners, though dissatisfied, understood.
All my previous questions have been answered. It turns out that Wenji's Private Kitchen wasn't using scarcity marketing; it's because the head chef is a high school graduate!
What else can I say?
Of all things under heaven, the college entrance examination is the most important.
Wen Fan gradually withdrew from the store's business, occasionally going there on weekends after finishing his work, just to give his family and employees a change of pace.
Now that the college entrance exam is over, Wen Fan's mother asked him a question, and Wen Fan didn't hesitate at all.
"I need to go to the store!"
She hadn't cooked much for a year and was really going stir-crazy.
Fortunately, she was less busy after that, and she could cook whatever she wanted to eat by herself.
Wen's mother: "I don't think you'll have any room to maneuver tonight."
...
Inside Wenji Restaurant, all the employees, after finishing their lunch, kept an eye on the time. One moment Yao Qingqin was calculating and saying it was time to start, and the next moment Du Min was saying that the internet said this year's exam questions were quite difficult.
"Do you think the teacher who set these exam questions is crazy? The math exam was already so hard this year, how come the physics exam is this hard too!"
Du Min was sullen. She watched for a while and then stopped, wondering when the boss and his wife would be able to pick up Wen Fan.
The two of them hadn't been to the shop since yesterday, as they were there specifically to accompany Wen Fan during the exam. Before the exam, Wen Fan hadn't shown any signs of illness, but the two of them hadn't slept well. They had specially booked a hotel close to the exam venue these past few days, worried that Wen Fan wouldn't eat well. Before leaving, they asked Chef Da Jin to prepare several side dishes, and they even took about ten packets of herbal tea that Ji Baiyi had sent.
A group of people are busy with their own tasks, and they also have to worry about things from time to time.
"They should be back soon, right?"
It was almost 1 a.m. when I left the exam room.
As the saying goes, "Speak of the devil," and soon, Wen's father returned in his car.
When Wen Fan entered, he felt as if he were standing on a stage, and everyone was overjoyed.
"The young boss is back!"
Wen Fan felt a warmth in her heart: "Yes, I've finished my exam."
Everyone was so happy they didn't know what to do, showering her with concern and asking if she was hungry.
"Master Jin and Xiao Ge have been busy all day, they're just waiting for you to come back so they can eat!"
Wen Fan hadn't expected this, but she knew it was Master Jin's way of showing care for her, a junior, so everyone pushed her to sit down.
Wen's mother told Du Min to close the door: "Let's rest tonight!"
Celebrations always need a certain atmosphere.
Once the door was closed, no more guests were received, and everyone sat down around the table.
Tonight, Chef Da Jin not only made his signature dish, braised cabbage, but also smoked ribbonfish, stir-fried snail slices, and braised pomfret. Wen Fan hadn't had Chef Da Jin's cooking in a long time, and it was surprisingly good.
I glanced at Master Jin with surprise; his eyes were gleaming with anticipation.
Wen Fan: "It's delicious. The conch slices are very crispy, and the pomfret is cooked well too."
Especially the golden cabbage; Chef Jin made some changes to the previous recipe, and Wen Fan immediately noticed the difference, giving it a thumbs up.
"very nice."
The egg floss, in particular, was fried to perfection.
Master Da Jin smiled with satisfaction, as if Wen Fan's comments were his own exam results.
The food was quickly finished, and Wen Fan said to his parents and Chef Da Jin, "Mom and Dad, I want to open a shop."
Wen's parents were not surprised at all, but they still listened quietly to Wen Fan's explanation.
"The current venue is too small, and the renovation can't be done too much. I want to make my home-cooked meals even better."
Wen's mother smiled: "I was originally planning to wait and tell you, but since you've brought it up... your father and I have also decided to move the shop to a different location."
Wen Fan suddenly looked up.
Wen's mother's gentle voice carried a firm tone: "The shop has been open for so long, we can't keep renting other people's houses like this. It's more stable to use our own houses... Your father and I have found a storefront we like."
Although this place is not as big as the former Jinyulou, it has two floors, each with more than 200 square meters, which is three or four times larger than the current one.
Wen's mother stroked her daughter's hair: "The storefront has been under renovation for a while now, and it should be ready in about half a month."
As for the storefronts near the school, although the leases were not being renewed upon expiration, Yao Qingqin decided to take over two of them.
Although landlady Yang Hong was reluctant, she knew that Wenji couldn't stay there forever. And since she wouldn't sell her own storefront, it was inevitable that Wenji would have to move. Therefore, she readily agreed and continued to rent the space to Yao Qingqin at a low price.
Over the past year, Yao Qingqin initially followed Wen Ji's example by frequently changing the menu. However, as Wen Ji gradually reduced its new dishes, the snacks, modeled after Wen Fan's approach from the previous year, sometimes became even more popular than Wen Ji's. Many tourists also wanted to try snacks like persimmon cakes and fried shrimp balls, so Yao Qingqin simply stopped removing them from the menu and kept adding new items. Now, the shop offers nearly ten different snacks.
With so many snacks available, Yao Qingqin felt the shop was too small, so now she's expanding.
Wen's mother told her daughter about the situation at home: "Everything is ready. Tomorrow, you and your father will go to transfer the property."
Wen Fan's throat was a little dry: "What transfer of ownership? The paperwork hasn't been completed yet?"
Wen's mother smiled: "We're waiting for you to finish your exams. We need to put your name on the shop sign."
The family business owes its current success entirely to their daughter, so after deciding to buy the shop, Mr. and Mrs. Wen made the decision without consulting each other. They signed the contract, planned to renovate first and then transfer the property. Even if their daughter didn't say anything today, she would have to go and sign the papers in a few days anyway.
"You should rest well. If you want to go out and have fun with your friends, go ahead. We'll open for business in another two weeks."
...
After the firecrackers stopped, Wen Fan, dressed in a red dress, stood between her parents. A long red ribbon was cut open, revealing the "Wenji Restaurant" signboard with its bold characters.
A camera was filming, and Director Hao went up to shake hands with Mr. Wen and congratulate him.
"We're finally open for business."
Tourism in the city developed well this year, the only downside being the Wen Fan college entrance examination. Although Wen Ji maintained a certain high standard, it couldn't consistently come up with new dishes as it used to. Therefore, its popularity declined slightly this year.
But it's okay.
Director Hao glanced at Wen Fan and thought to himself that it wouldn't be long before Wen's company would be back in power.
Wen Fan, who was amazed by the return of the Dragon King, first went on a ten-day trip with his classmates. They experienced everything from climbing snow-capped mountains to seeing the sea, taking a cruise, and eating mushrooms before finally returning to his new shop with a satisfied heart.
On the first day of the new store's opening, the liveliness far exceeded Wen Fan's expectations, and many familiar faces also appeared.
-----------------------
Author's Note: This is just a transitional chapter; I'm a bit stuck on the later parts of the story. I'll make up for it tomorrow.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
