Chapter 47 047 Luo Tiantian [First Update]
In the morning, Wen's mother stood at the door directing the work.
"Pour, pour, pour—it's done!"
Mr. Wen wiped his sweat: "When will the panoramic dashcam I ordered arrive? I don't feel at ease driving with this dual front and rear camera."
The day before yesterday, Wen's mother and he went to a used car dealership and bought a minivan almost without much hesitation. The car had been driven for three or four years and was in pretty good condition. Wen's mother bargained with the dealer for a long time and finally settled on a price of 23,000 yuan.
The car dealer wasn't making enough money on this car, and he was still unwilling to give up, so he kept trying to persuade her to buy a panoramic dashcam. When Wen's mother asked, she was surprised to find that she could buy one for only one or two thousand yuan, but the car dealer was asking for five thousand.
Wen's mother didn't indulge him at all and turned to leave.
I bought one online when I got home, planning to install it myself.
Wen's mother took the bags of vegetables out of the trunk one by one.
"You arrived this afternoon... Why did you buy so many lotus roots?"
Besides ten bags of various sizes, the trunk contained two large baskets of lotus roots. They looked fresh, each one thick and long.
Wen Fan jumped out of the passenger seat and picked up where his mother left off.
"I think lotus root looks good. The weather has been a bit cold lately, so it's perfect for making lotus root and pork rib soup."
In addition to lotus root, Wen Fan also bought a lot of taro.
This is the season for eating taro, and when Wen Fan saw that basket of taro, he already thought of a hundred ways to eat it.
Mr. Wen carried several heavy baskets down, and the entrance to the shop was instantly piled high with vegetables, making it impossible to walk.
Yao Qingqin was peeling garlic when she saw the vegetables arrive, so she put down what she was doing to help.
"Young boss, how do we prepare these things?"
Yao Qingqin learned Wen Fan's nickname within two days of arriving, and also learned that the best cook in the shop was not Wen's father, but the seemingly well-behaved Wen Fan. Therefore, she called him "little boss" with great ease.
Wen Fan took a sip of water: "Let's get these lotus roots ready first."
After only one table last week, Wen Fan's weekend private kitchen has achieved a new breakthrough, with two tables available in the evening!
One table was booked by Qu Qingqing, and the other table was also occupied by familiar faces.
Zhang Fengqiu, the owner of the steamed bun shop, came to see Wen's mother two days in advance.
"It's my daughter Tian Tian's birthday. I thought there wouldn't be many people, just the three of us, plus my mother-in-law, four of us. We booked a table, which is enough to celebrate."
Zhang Fengqiu's eyebrows were relaxed and her complexion was rosy. More than a week into the new semester, her business was getting better and better.
She had been thinking about adding a few new items, and after much deliberation, she added a dish of pickled cabbage and pork, and later added a dish of corn and diced chicken.
She wasn't stupid; she brought the new product to the Wen family to try first, speaking politely, mainly wanting to hear Wen Fan's opinion.
Wen Fan wasn't so secretive about this, and it didn't require her to do anything; it was just a matter of her saying a few words.
Wen Fan tasted half of each and instructed Zhang Fengqiu: "Fry the pickled cabbage beforehand, and add a little more salt. Add some sugar when mixing the corn and chicken filling..."
Zhang Fengqiu was very perceptive; she knew that getting a few words from the other person was already a favor, so she didn't push her luck and ask for more.
After returning home, Zhang Fengqiu tried the recipe step by step according to Wen Fan's instructions. Wen Fan said there was a lot to learn in this step, and it took Zhang Fengqiu three days to finalize the filling recipe.
After the improvements, new products were launched, and sure enough, more students came to visit in the morning.
Zhang Fengqiu sent Wen's mother local specialties several times, and when it was her daughter Luo Tiantian's birthday, she booked a table without hesitation.
When Wen's mother asked Zhang Fengqiu if she wanted to order any dishes or if she had any dietary restrictions, Zhang Fengqiu waved her hand and said, "You know our Luo Tiantian, she doesn't have any dietary restrictions as long as it's delicious."
When this was mentioned, Zhang Fengqiu pretended to sigh, which made Wen's mother laugh.
The story begins a few days ago. After the start of the school year, Luo Tiantian was in the middle grade of kindergarten.
Perhaps because she had such a wonderful summer vacation, Luo Tiantian momentarily forgot that she still had to go to kindergarten.
So on the first day of school, Luo Tiantian broke down.
"I don't want to go to kindergarten!"
"I've been to all of them!"
She cried and hiccuped, feeling it was very unfair. She had already attended school last semester, so why did she have to go again now?
"Let Dad go, Dad's never been before!"
Luo Tiantian pushed her father, insisting on sending someone else to kindergarten, which made the whole family laugh in exasperation.
Zhang Fengqiu coaxed her again and again, making a whole bunch of wishes, like if she went to school, they would buy her toys when she came back. Didn't she say she wanted to go to the amusement park before? If she agreed to go to kindergarten, her parents would go with her.
Luo Tiantian sobbed for a while, and was almost comforted, but then her father added another comment.
"If you eat well at kindergarten, Dad will buy you chocolate."
Upon hearing this, Luo Tiantian was overcome with grief.
"I don't want to go to kindergarten!"
She remembered! The kindergarten didn't serve good food!
After a summer vacation, Luo Tiantian's already picky appetite has become even more demanding. Having gotten used to Wenji's food, she no longer wants to eat at kindergarten.
The foolish father, who had stirred up a hornet's nest, was still wondering, "Didn't this girl used to really like eating the food at kindergarten?"
Only Zhang Fengqiu knew why her daughter had broken down, so she glared at her husband, hugged her daughter, and coaxed her, "How about Mom puts a few of Sister Wen's braised chicken wings in your little schoolbag?"
With tears in her eyes, Luo Tiantian asked in her childish voice, "Can I not go to kindergarten?"
"No, you can't."
Luo Tiantian whimpered a few times, but seeing that her mother remained unmoved, she could only whisper, "I want five!"
The little hand stretched out, its five short little fingers looking exceptionally firm.
Zhang Fengqiu hesitated for a moment before reluctantly saying, "Okay, but you have to share it with your friends."
Luo Tiantian has several good friends at kindergarten, and Zhang Fengqiu doesn't want her daughter to develop the habit of eating alone.
Besides, she didn't want Luo Tiantian to eat so much. If she ate five chicken wings, the girl probably wouldn't eat any rice.
Luo Tiantian tapped her fingers and finally obediently agreed.
The next day, Zhang Fengqiu and his wife were busy doing business at the store, while Luo Tiantian was dressed by her grandmother and sent to kindergarten.
Before Zhang Fengqiu left, he told the old man to take the chicken wings from the refrigerator with him. However, the old man felt sorry for his child and packed not only the chicken wings but also two boxes of braised dishes from the refrigerator.
When I dropped her off at kindergarten, I specifically told the teacher to heat it up for Luo Tiantian to eat at noon.
One of the two boxes of braised food contained potato slices, while the other contained kelp and dried tofu.
Luo Tiantian has never eaten soy products since she was a child. Zhang Fengqiu originally planned to use these two boxes as a late-night snack for the adults, and never thought that her daughter would take them to kindergarten.
The kindergarten teachers were also responsible; at lunchtime, they heated up several dishes in the microwave and gave them to Luo Tiantian.
When Luo Tiantian saw that there were three boxes, she happily shared them with her friends.
"Lingling, one for me; Qiangqiang, one for me; Huahua, one for me..."
The little ones, seeing the food they received, started eating without a word. Those who didn't get any sucked their fingers, their eyes full of envy.
"Luo Tiantian, the things you brought are delicious."
"Teacher, I also want to eat Luo Tiantian's dishes."
"Luo Tiantian, I'll bring you chocolate tomorrow, can I have a chicken wing?"
...
Luo Tiantian pinched the chicken wing with her chubby little hands, eating it with her mouth full of oil.
"Okay, okay, I'll bring it to you tomorrow."
He then ate the dried tofu clean.
The kindergarten teacher, smelling the delicious aroma, also felt a little hungry: "Why does Luo Tiantian's food smell so good?"
"Ask her mother where she bought it."
"Wait a moment, I'll take a video."
Luo Tiantian ate happily, and the kindergarten teacher sent the video to Zhang Fengqiu, firstly to show that she had done what the parents wanted, and secondly to find an excuse to ask about it.
When Zhang Fengqiu looked, he was dumbfounded. Luo Tiantian was actually eating dried tofu!
After calling her mother-in-law and finding out the truth, Zhang Fengqiu was both amused and exasperated.
She thought this girl wouldn't eat this or that, and she never bought food that the child didn't like when cooking. But it turns out this girl only likes to eat delicious food!
Zhang Fengqiu told Wen's mother about her daughter's joke: "I think even if your Wen Fan brought her a glass of water, she would think it was the best-tasting water."
Ever since Luo Tiantian shone brightly at kindergarten by bringing her own snacks every day, she hasn't been making a fuss about not going to kindergarten these past few days.
On the contrary, Zhang Fengqiu was constantly asked by parents in the parents' group which braised food brand she used.
Zhang Fengqiu simply posted Wenji's address, and later she indeed frequently ran into familiar parents on that street.
"So let Xiao Fan do whatever she wants, anything is fine with her!"
Zhang Fengqiu didn't order any food, and neither did Qu Qingqing.
Wen Fan remained the same, with a clearly marked price for each table, charging one hundred yuan per person.
Zhang Fengqiu's family has four members, while Qu Qingqing's family has three.
Around 5 p.m., Qu Qingqing handed the pharmacy over to her mother and then drove to pick up the person.
Before she left, her father pitifully asked her if she could bring back some leftovers.
Qu Qingqing was speechless: "Aren't you going to eat with anyone this week?"
The Wen family's dishes weren't expensive either; she had thought her dad and his fishing buddies would be there every single day.
When this was mentioned, Mr. Qu felt aggrieved: "Your mother insisted that my blood pressure was unstable and wouldn't let me go."
Fishing buddies one and two were not to be outdone. When they got home, they let slip to their families that they had eaten fried food and pork intestines. They focused on how delicious the food was, but their families were furious when they heard it.
Fried food, pork intestines, and cola.
Even if it's delicious, you can't be reckless.
The three of them couldn't even get a little pocket money, and they even started planning to go fishing and exchange the money for it.
Unfortunately, all three of them failed to make any money; a week has passed and they haven't earned a single penny...
"Should!"
Qu Qingqing didn't feel sorry for him at all. He used to drink and smoke a lot, and all his bad habits were just his own doing.
"You should just stay home and eat cucumbers!"
Qu Qingqing walked away, and her father sighed and finally closed the door and went into the shop.
—Can't I at least smell it if I can't eat it?
Meanwhile, Qu Qingqing drove to the station and soon met her two college roommates whom she hadn't seen for three years at the station exit. Qu Qingqing had attended a three-plus-two vocational college, but after graduation, she was the only one who returned to her hometown, while her two roommates went to work in big cities.
However, Qu Qingqing was not very happy when she saw the person.
"...How did you all get so fat? Did they sprinkle yeast in the air in Shenzhen?"
Her roommate's initial feeling of being touched vanished instantly after hearing what she said.
"You're the one who's talking about us! Look at yourself, you've got a little belly!"
The three attacked each other, and in the end, they could only lament.
Qu Qingqing, steering the car, complained that it was all the food's fault.
"The restaurants near my house are so delicious, I've already gained 15 pounds."
Waaah, it's painful yet pleasurable.
The other two experienced pure pain with no pleasure.
"You're just showing off, aren't you! You're deliberately trying to make us jealous by showing off how we gain weight from eating pre-cooked meals every day in the big city!"
"Aaaaaah, I can't take it anymore! Let me out of the car!"
The three joked around, and after putting their roommate's luggage at the hotel, Qu Qingqing urged the other two to change their clothes.
"Come on, I've ordered some private kitchen dishes for you."
Upon hearing the mention of private kitchens, the two roommates were taken aback. Even though they knew that Qu Qingqing's family was well-off, private kitchens... wouldn't they be very, very expensive?
"Let's forget about that, let's just grab something to eat. The main thing is to chat."
After not seeing each other for many years, we had so much gossip to exchange.
Qu Qingqing pushed the two of them, saying, "What's there to calculate? I said I'm in charge here. Let's go! I'll make sure you don't miss out on this trip."
The two had no choice but to change their clothes and get into Qu Qingqing's car.
However, as the car twisted and turned, it soon arrived at an old street.
Qu Qingqing stopped the car: "Look, right here."
The two roommates remained silent for a while before finally saying, speechlessly, "So this is the 'private kitchen' you were talking about!"
"Why isn't it called 'Private Kitchen' anymore? Don't judge a book by its cover!"
"hehe!"
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Author's Note: I felt the ending of the last chapter wasn't handled well, so I revised it a bit. It won't affect the reading experience. The next update will be before midnight.
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