Chapter 50 Saturday
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Don't let the old lady's small and thin appearance fool you; every blow she struck landed squarely on the skin.
Although it was unexpected that the old lady she had just helped was Lin Xinmiao's mother, it didn't stop She Ning from pulling She Hongmei away from the battlefield and quietly watching the drama unfold with the other clients.
When Lin Xinmiao was about to strike again, he turned around to fight back, but when he turned around, he realized that his mother, who was usually sleeping at home at this time, had inexplicably appeared there.
Not daring to resist, Lin Xinmiao, a tall man of 1.9 meters, covered his head and ran around the restaurant in a disheveled state.
"Mom, why did you hit me?" he asked as he dodged.
"Why did I hit you?" The old lady paused in her swinging of the cane. She repeated his words, then became even angrier. This good-for-nothing son of his actually had the nerve to ask that question.
If she hadn't suddenly decided to try the braised pork rice that Aunt Zhou next door had praised so many times, she wouldn't have known that her usually dutiful and obedient son was like this outside.
Her father died early, and she raised her siblings single-handedly. When they first escaped here, during the most difficult years, she even had to collect garbage to support their education.
She had always been proud of raising several upright and responsible children, but she never expected that she would raise a child who looked down on women.
"Is this how I've always taught you?" the old woman scolded him as she hit him. "You don't do anything productive, all you do is stir up trouble..."
"Disrespectful and even tried to hit a woman. If I had known you were like this in public, I would have preferred to give birth to a piece of char siu rather than you."
Lin Xinmiao had long legs and was quick to dodge. Apart from taking a few hits at the beginning, the old lady couldn't catch up with him after that, and the two of them kept circling around the table.
"Mom, I'm sorry, I was wrong, please calm down." Seeing that the old lady was a little out of breath, and afraid that she would get too angry, Lin Xinmiao didn't dare to move. He stood still and let her catch up, obediently taking a few blows. He bent down and held the old lady's hand, saying ingratiatingly.
"Sorry? You shouldn't apologize to me." The old lady twisted his ear, making him apologize to She Ning and She Hongmei.
Lin Xinmiao was initially reluctant, but faced with the old lady's stern gaze, he dared not object and could only lower his head and apologize again.
The old lady also noticed his insincere attitude. With a "smack," she slapped him directly on the back. Her hand, which had been used to flipping large pots, made him stagger.
"Mr. She, Mr. She, I'm so sorry. I haven't raised my son well, and I'm sorry you had to see this." She looked at She Ning and the others and said apologetically, "I'll take him home first, and I'll come back to apologize another day."
It's true that every creature has its nemesis. Lin Xinmiao, who was arrogant and fierce before, was completely subdued. The old lady twisted his ear, showing him no respect at all, and forced him to leave the She family restaurant.
She Ning and the others saw her off at the restaurant entrance.
"Your braised food smells delicious. We can discuss how to make it sometime," the old lady said with a smile before leaving.
She Hongmei thought she was just being polite and nodded in response to welcome her. She Ning looked at the calluses on her palms and seemed to be deep in thought.
The restaurant was upset today, which affected everyone's dining experience. To make up for this and to thank everyone for their support, She Hongmei gave each table a plate of braised food.
When Guan Xiuhua pushed open the restaurant door, She Ning and the others were already packing their things.
"Sold out so early today?" she asked in surprise. Usually at this time, the store is packed with people and bustling with business.
She Hongmei turned the stool upside down on the table to make it easier to sweep and mop the floor later. She then gave Guan Xiuhua a brief account of what had happened in the store that day.
"This is a case of the big tree attracting the wind," Guan Xiuhua said. "I don't know if it was really his own idea or the idea of Judinglou Restaurant."
She Ning felt that it was Lin Xinmiao's personal idea. Throughout the process, he paid great attention to the reputation of Judinglou braised food, which seemed more like his own self-protection awareness of braised food than a collective decision of the restaurant.
After all, Judinglou is a time-honored brand that has always been known for its quality and reputation. It's not worth ruining its reputation for just one type of braised food.
Moreover, after meeting Lin Xinmiao's mother today, She Ning is even more certain that he is acting on his own initiative.
Guan Xiuhua helped clean up. After they finished, She Hongmei went to the noodle shop next door and called Zheng Ling over. They discussed the braised food business, while She Ning sat quietly listening.
After doing business for several days, She Hongmei had a plan in mind on how to make money. With Guan Xiuhua by her side, the three of them quickly agreed on the details of their cooperation.
In the early stages, She Hongmei would prepare the required amount and types of braised meat for Zheng Ling each day and provide it to her in the morning at a price five cents lower per pound than the market price.
Because Zheng Ling currently only wants to sell braised food with soup noodles, and the volume is not large, she doesn't need to go through the agency route.
Later, when she had enough capital, she planned to open a braised food shop in town. At that time, She Hongmei would sell her pre-mixed and ground braised food packets, teach her the precautions for making braised food, the requirements for heat, provide regular training, and add or remove dishes according to the season.
Similar to franchise stores in later times, Shejia Braised Food has already registered its trademark and made a name for itself in the town. When Zheng Ling opens her store, she can hang up the Shejia Braised Food signboard and take advantage of the brand effect.
However, an additional 10% of the profits from each branch will be given to the head office, which is a condition of the franchise agreement.
After finalizing the cooperation details, Zheng Ling handed over the money for tomorrow's braised food to She Hongmei and went back to work, while Guan Xiuhua stayed behind to continue discussing the cannery matter.
She Hongmei contacted the factory using the phone number on the business card. The staff there said that Director Luo had instructed them to call a day in advance if they wanted to come, and someone would come out to pick them up for a visit.
“When are you free? I’ll go with you,” Guan Xiuhua said.
It's perfectly normal and reasonable for She Hongmei to run the cannery business independently, since the cannery needs the recipe. However, because of old friendships, Sister Hongmei has been looking out for her and has been helping her in every way, trying to help her secure a supplier for the goods.
"Would 3 PM this Sunday be alright?" She Hongmei asked after considering her schedule.
There are fewer trains on Sundays, and by around 3 PM there are hardly any people around. She can prepare less food and close the shop earlier. The cannery closes at 5 PM, and it's only a half-hour bike ride from here. About an hour should be enough for the visit.
“Okay, I’ll come to the shop to find you on Sunday afternoon, and we can go together.” Guan Xiuhua readily agreed, and at the same time, postponed her trip to the city to buy fabric on Sunday afternoon to next week.
After closing the shop, She Ning sat on the back of the bicycle, her arms wrapped around She Hongmei's waist, her head resting obediently against her back. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on them, gilding their silhouettes with a layer of gold.
"Mom, I've arranged for a classmate to come over on Saturday," She Ning said softly.
"Great! Are these the classmates we met before?" She Hongmei pedaled her bicycle steadily. It was rare to see her invite people home, so She Hongmei was pleased. She asked, "Have you decided where you want to take them?"
"I plan to take them to the beach and have a picnic together."
"I want to prepare lots of delicious food and drinks for them, Mom. Do you think they'll like it?" Having never invited anyone over to her home in either of her lives, She Ning was excited and looking forward to it.
Her tone revealed a rare liveliness and innocence typical of her age, a stark contrast to her usual mature and composed demeanor.
It was only then that She Hongmei realized she was still a thirteen-year-old child.
“I’ll definitely love it,” She Hongmei replied with a smile. “What you’ve prepared must be fantastic.”
"Thank you, Mom." She Ning rubbed against her back and said sweetly.
She Ning got up before seven o'clock on Saturday morning. She Ni knew that her sister's classmates would be coming to visit today, so she also got up early.
She can dress herself, put on her shoes, brush her teeth, and wash her face without anyone's help.
Normally, she would go out to play hopscotch or tag with her friends as soon as she got up, but today, no matter how many times her friends invited her to play outside in the yard, she refused to go out and stayed at home with She Ning.
"Sister, I've washed the dandelions clean." After carefully washing each dandelion (Viola yedoensis) she had picked from the field ridge that morning, She Ni put them in a bamboo basket to drain the water, and then brought them over to She Ning.
Today we're going on a picnic on the beach. She's planning to make some fried food, including a whole bucket of fried chicken and French fries. For desserts, she's prepared coconut layer cake, water chestnut cake, and bowl-shaped rice cake. As for fruits, she'll have seasonal loquats and mulberries.
To prevent fried food from causing internal heat, She Ning specially arranged dandelion honey tea.
"Thank you, Xiaoni." Putting down the knife she was using to cut coconut layer cake, She Ning turned around and took the bamboo basket from her, then held a piece of the layer cake to her lips. "Here, help your sister taste it."
The white coconut milk and amber syrup are layered alternately, each layer thin and even, making the whole thing look as white as jade, while the syrup layer has an enticing amber luster, making it look so tempting.
"Is it good?" She Ning asked with a smile.
"Mmm, delicious!" Covering her mouth, She Ni nodded repeatedly, her eyes, the only part of her face showing, were full of surprise and joy.
The cake is soft and fluffy, with a slight elasticity when chewed, yet it is not sticky. It has a light texture without any grainy feel, and the flavor is sweet but not cloying, with a rich coconut milk flavor.
The syrup, after being boiled, carries a hint of caramel aroma, and the rich caramel flavor intertwines with the refreshing coconut fragrance, creating a unique flavor.
"Take this to Grandma and eat it together." After cutting out a portion of both the coconut milk layer cake and the water chestnut cake, She Ning placed them on a plate and handed it to She Ni.
These desserts have a delicate texture and are easy to chew, making them perfect for grandma.
When the clock in the main room struck 7:45, She Ning took off her apron, washed her hands and face, tidied her clothes and hair, and led She Ni to the village entrance to wait for someone.
There's a big banyan tree at the entrance of the village. The villagers love to chat and boast under the tree. In the past, everyone liked to gossip and spread rumors. Whether the rumors were true or not didn't matter; they just wanted to gossip.
They'll comment on everything they pass by; even a dog passing by will be ruined in their mouths.
Later, She Ning called the police and sent Luo Xiaoling, who was spouting nonsense, to the police station. After that, the atmosphere in the village improved a lot. I don't know what happened in private, but in any case, people didn't dare to spout nonsense without solid evidence.
After She Ning picked up Wang Weiwei and the others, the aunties at the village entrance greeted them warmly. Since outsiders rarely come to the village, everyone looked at them with curiosity.
She Lao Er's house was near the village entrance. Lin Xiufang heard the noise inside the house, so she got up and walked to the gate of the courtyard, looking outside through the crack in the door.
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