Happy days always pass quickly; in the blink of an eye, more than half a month has gone by.
February 14th is the Lantern Festival, and there are still 11 days until the start of the new school term.
The snow in Beijing stopped last night.
Jiang Jingxing's legs are gradually improving. His body's healing ability has shocked Elder Jue. After another month and a half of acupuncture, he will be able to get out of bed and try to walk.
Tao Jin regained consciousness on the third day after the surgery. Now, after several days of rest, the wounds and internal injuries on her leg have healed, and she was discharged from the hospital on the 10th.
After careful treatment by Guo Ziming and Ye Feixu, Zhong Jinghe's cough and hemoptysis decreased significantly, she looked less thin, and her mental state gradually recovered.
For the past two weeks, Su Yan has either been studying with Ye Feixu, or reading books at home, researching food, or visiting Grandma Tao and the others at the Tao family home every few days.
During Tao Jin's hospitalization, Tao Yuan and Qiao Fei handled all the company's affairs. Tao Yue had a strong desire to grow up quickly, so she got up at seven o'clock every day and went to the company earlier than her parents. She also came home late at night, and she visibly lost weight. However, she looked much more determined and was no longer the delicate girl she was half a month ago.
Tao Yue is actually very smart. Her efforts over the past two weeks have yielded considerable results. She picks things up very quickly, and even Grandma Tao couldn't help but say that she is no less capable than Tao Jin. Sometimes Su Yan can even see Tao Jin's shadow in her.
Come to think of it, there's no one with low intelligence in the Tao family, so how could Tao Yue be an idiot?
She was just too well protected before; being naive doesn't mean being stupid.
On the Lantern Festival, Su Yan got up early to prepare glutinous rice balls and dumplings.
She's prepared so she has to send several portions to the hospital.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Jue Lao was picked up by a van. She didn't know who picked her up, and she hasn't returned since. Her three senior brothers also have no news of her.
However, Xie Jin and his colleagues were already used to it. Before they had completed their apprenticeship, Master Jue would leave for a while every now and then.
Su Yan was less worried after hearing Xie Jin's explanation.
She spent the entire morning in the kitchen kneading dough and preparing fillings.
Around 11 o'clock, Li Juan, who had gone out early in the morning, returned. She appeared in the kitchen with a displeased look on her face and said to Su Yan who was making dumplings, "Ayan, you guessed it! That Aunt Wu set up a stall selling braised food on the food street near the Normal University. The price is half the price of our shop. I was wondering why business in the shop has been so slow these past few days. Turns out she's the troublemaker!"
Su Yan raised an eyebrow and said helplessly, "Mother, I already told you Aunt Wu would do this, why are you so angry? Today is the Lantern Festival, there's no need to let such a small thing ruin your mood."
Li Juan picked up a roasted sweet potato, sat down by the fire and ate it, saying dejectedly, "Many of my regular customers have gone to her place. I'm always so good to them, but they've all turned up ingrates."
“Mother, you’re wrong to think that way,” Su Yan said. “Everyone has the right to choose. If you used to be the only one selling the same thing, but now someone else is selling it at a lower price, you would choose the cheaper one if you were the customer. So you can’t expect others to do what you yourself can’t do. Who wants to be the one who gets taken advantage of? This is the same principle as when you go to the market to buy vegetables, you always compare prices from three different vendors before you buy.”
Li Juan suddenly understood, and felt much less frustrated.
"I firmly believe that taste comes first. Maybe Aunt Wu has learned a little bit from us, but the taste of her braised food is definitely not as good as ours. Once customers get over the initial excitement and eat it a few more times, they will realize this problem. At that time, most people will still pay for the taste. Don't worry."
Li Juan belatedly realized her mistake and scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly, saying, "What I said just now was narrow-minded."
Su Yan didn't criticize her. Instead, she said seriously, "It's not wrong for you to think this way. What you care about most isn't the business itself, but the fact that you treat your regular customers so well, and they end up patronizing people you dislike. You feel betrayed, and that's a normal feeling. But Mom, when we're doing business, we need to broaden our horizons and focus on making the food taste good. Nothing else is that important."
"Yes, yes, yes." Li Juan nodded repeatedly, feeling reprimanded. "I understand, I won't do it again."
Su Yan didn't bring up the topic again and turned back to making dumplings.
Li Juan took a moment to process what she was going through before remembering something else. "Ayan, why isn't your master back yet? He's been busy for almost half a month. Shouldn't he take a break for the Lantern Festival?"
"I don't know, anyway, my senior brother and the others aren't worried at all."
Just as Su Yan finished speaking, the phone on the stool rang.
Li Juan answered the call for her, "Hello, who is it?"
There was a few seconds' pause before a voice came from the other end, "Excuse me, is this Ms. Su Yan's phone number?"
It was a man's voice.
Li Juan immediately became gossipy, "Yes, I'm her mother, who are you?"
The man's attitude became even more respectful. "Hello, Auntie. My name is Jingmao. I'm Miss Su's friend. Is she here?"
Su Yan and Su Yu didn't tell their families about Jing Mao to avoid worrying them, so Li Juan didn't know who Jing Mao was.
"Yes, wait a moment."
Su Yan turned around and asked, "Mother, who is it?"
Li Juan handed her the phone. "He said his name is Jing Mao, and he's your friend."
Su Yan immediately raised her eyebrows. This was the first time Jing Mao had called her since he got her phone number from the Tao family.
She said lazily, "Mr. Jing? Is there anything I can help you with?"
“Miss Su, I didn’t expect you hadn’t forgotten me. I’m so happy.” Jing Mao was overjoyed.
"How could I forget?"
Her meaningful tone made Jingmao think that she had been waiting for his call these past few days.
Jingmao felt utterly disdainful.
She really is a country girl. Even after becoming Master Jue's disciple and the Tao family's goddaughter, her thoughts are still so low-class. She tries to climb the social ladder whenever she meets a rich person.
But apart from that, Su Yan's face is really captivating, and it must be a lot of fun to play with her.
Jingmao had already envisioned how she would be completely manipulated by him.
"I wonder if Miss Su has time tonight? I've specially booked a very difficult-to-book Western restaurant for you, hoping to spend the Lantern Festival with you."
He deliberately emphasized the first part of the second sentence, as if afraid others wouldn't hear his sense of superiority.
Su Yan agreed without hesitation, "Sure, what time tonight?"
"Is seven o'clock okay?"
"Can."
"Then I'll pick you up. Where do you live?"
Su Yan gave him the address of the shop at the intersection of the courtyard road.
After hanging up the phone, Li Juan immediately asked, "Ayan, who is this man? Are you going out with him tonight?"
She looked on warily, fearing that her daughter had been scammed.
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