Soon, the last dish, steamed fish, was served. Dinner was ready, with a total of 12 dishes, a mix of meat and vegetables, and each dish was delicious and visually appealing.
The people at the table swallowed hard, and Jiang Xiaoli poured juice for everyone.
She spoke first, "Today is the last day of our 'Guizhi Steamed Buns Shop' ten new store opening promotion. Gua Ge, come and give us some good news!"
Pumpkin stood up, holding his cup. "Alright, then I'll give you all a report. Business was booming for the first three days after the opening of the ten new stores, with each day selling out ahead of schedule."
Each store achieved a net profit of around 2,380 yuan per day over the past three days, which is better than the previous time when all four stores opened at the same time, demonstrating better cost control.
Our 15 stores now have an excellent reputation in Xijing, and I think that's something we should all cheer for!
Everyone agreed, and they raised their drinks to clink glasses.
Jiang Xiaoli also stood up and gave Li Guizhi a wink, "Today, besides celebrating the successful opening of our new store, there is another great event."
She walked over to Zong Jiayu's side and said, "That's our little Zong Jiayu, he's turning 18 today!"
Li Guizhi brought over the cake, which had candles with the numbers 1 and 8 on them, and the others applauded.
Zhong Yuan was delighted when he saw the cake. "Wow, this cake is just my style! It's so perfect for someone as talented as Zong Ge, making a fortune every day. It perfectly matches my brother Zong's temperament!"
Zong Jia looked at the cake, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, followed by delight, "Little Pear, you really remember."
Jiang Xiaoli raised an eyebrow. "Of course I remember. I promised to celebrate your birthday."
She pulled a carefully drawn card from her pocket. "Ta-da! I have another gift!"
Zong Jia accepted the card with a big smile. The card was decorated with cartoon characters drawn with watercolors around the edges, and the three words "Wishing Card" were written in the middle in a cute, chubby style.
Zong Jia was a little curious. He held the card and shook it, "What does the wishing card mean?"
Jiang Xiaoli smiled and said, "I didn't think it would be appropriate to give you anything, so I made you a wish card. Whenever you want me to fulfill a wish, you can use this card to make a request, and I will try my best to satisfy you."
Dafu and Nangua laughed, "Little Pear, this is a wonderful gift!"
Zong Jia stared at the cartoon figure on the card, a sly smile appearing in his eyes. "Little Pear, can I have any wish?"
Jiang Xiaoli's eyes darted around. "It has to be something I can do. You can't just give me your wish card and expect me to pick a star for you, can you?"
"Don't worry, it won't happen," Zong Jiayu assured him.
She was relieved. "Alright, let's sing the birthday song and blow out the candles!"
She took the lead in creating a lively atmosphere, shouting, "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!"
The cheerful singing stopped, and she placed the cake in front of Zong Jiayu. "Birthday girl, you can blow out the candles and make a wish now!"
Zong Jia looked around at everyone at the table, clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, blew out the candle, and paused for more than ten seconds before opening his eyes.
Zhong Yuan, who was next to him, nudged him with his elbow, "Hey, Brother Zong, what did you wish for?"
Zong Jia smiled and shook his head, remaining silent.
Dafu patted Zhong Yuan on the shoulder, "Haven't you heard? You can't tell others what you wish for. If you keep asking, Brother Zong's wish will be for nothing."
Jiang Xiaoli put the cake aside. "Let's eat first, and then we'll cut the cake."
Her reminder prompted everyone to start eating, and for a moment no one asked Zongjia and Xu what their wishes were. Everyone was focused on eating, and there were fewer people chatting.
Suddenly, a chicken wing appeared in Jiang Xiaoli's bowl; it was given to her by Zong Jiayu.
She looked up at him, and Zong Jiayu explained, "The chicken wings were placed far away, so I picked them up for you first since you liked them. Otherwise, they would have eaten them all in a while."
Li Guizhi smiled at the children, "If you like, you can come over for meals often in the future. I'm happy to see you all enjoying your meal so much."
Dafu swallowed the food in his mouth and scratched his head sheepishly. "Auntie, can I come and learn a few dishes from you sometime?"
Li Guizhi nodded, "Of course! Dafu, you're interested in cooking?"
Dafu smiled sheepishly, “Auntie, your cooking is so delicious. We’re sorry to bother you so often, so I’d like to learn a couple of your signature dishes so I can make them for myself when I’m craving something sweet.”
After finishing her chicken wing, Jiang Xiaoli gave Dafu a thumbs up, saying, "Self-reliance leads to abundance. Dafu, I give you a thumbs up!"
Zhong Yuan, trying to be clever, said, "I originally wanted to learn some skills from Auntie, but since Dafu wants to learn, I'll give him the opportunity!"
Pumpkin couldn't help but complain, "With your cooking talent, it's a miracle if you don't end up in the hospital after eating your food. You'd better just shut up!"
The group bickered and quickly finished off more than a dozen dishes. Zhong Yuan even used a steamed bun to wipe the sauce off the plate.
Li Guizhi couldn't help but shake her head with a smile, "It seems that we didn't prepare enough dishes. I'll prepare more dishes next time."
Zong Jiayu quickly said, "Godmother, it's because we eat too much that you've prepared enough food."
Indeed, Li Guizhi prepared 12 dishes, each with a large portion, and these four young men had quite a good appetite.
After finishing their meal, the group rushed to wash the dishes and utensils.
Li Guizhi, Jiang Xiaoli, and Su Xiaoxiao were chatting in the main room.
Li Guizhi cut a piece of cake for Su Xiaoxiao and asked, "Xiaoxiao, you work at the steamed bun shop. Are you busy all day?"
Su Xiaoxiao smiled gently, "I was a bit busy when I was not very skilled at the beginning, but it's much better now. My shop is basically sold out and closed by 3 or 4 o'clock every day. Business is pretty good."
Then Li Guizhi started interrogating the parents about their household registration, while Jiang Xiaoli secretly went out and shared cake with them.
Zong Jia pulled up a small stool and sat down next to her. "Little Pear, does your wish card have an expiration date?"
Jiang Xiaoli laughed, "You're so meticulous now! What, are you afraid I'll deny it if it expires?"
Zong Jiayu took a bite of cake and said, "It's better to ask clearly, just in case. I'm afraid Xiaolizi will tell me later that the merchant has the right to interpret everything."
Jiang Xiaoli chuckled, "You seem to know these tricks quite well now. Let me think... a three-year validity period, is that enough? That's a long time."
Zong Jiayu stared at her for a moment, "Three years... that's a bit short, but it's still alright. Let's leave it at that."
Jiang Xiaoli frowned. "You think three years is too short? You're not planning to rip me off once I'm rich, are you?"
Zong Jia couldn't help but rub her little head, "What are you thinking about all day? Don't worry, I don't want your money, I won't rip you off."
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