When Zhang Qinghua and his companion returned, it was almost 10:30 PM. Both of them looked somber and exhausted.
"You're back?" Song Lili heard the door open and quickly went out. She saw the two of them come in.
Without even hearing a word from the two of them, I quickly relayed the news of Zhang Shengtian and the others' arrival, knowing they were probably incredibly anxious.
Sure enough, upon hearing that Zhang Shengtian had arrived home, the two breathed a sigh of relief, the heaviness on their faces disappeared, and they felt much more relaxed.
"Wait here, I'll bring you your food." Song Lili didn't ask anything else and hurried to the kitchen.
These two probably didn't eat much all day, they were just worried.
So, after putting the child to sleep, she made a few more pancakes, worried that there wouldn't be enough food left for the two of them that night.
Song Lili's estimate was correct; the two were indeed starving. As soon as they saw food, they immediately began to wolf it down, finishing everything in the end.
During their meal, Song Lili told them how she met Zhang Shengtian and what Zhang Shengtian had told her.
Finally, they said that the others had already gone to rest.
After the meal, Zhang Qingguo had already washed all the dishes and chopsticks without letting Song Lili do anything.
He's gotten so used to doing all of this lately that he doesn't find it troublesome anymore.
"Qingguo, you should go back and rest too. We can talk about it tomorrow," Zhang Qinghua said finally, before taking Song Lili back to his room.
As the couple lay in bed, Song Lili leaned lazily against Zhang Qinghua's chest. "You must have been worried sick today, right?"
I was worried about those few people going out for the first time. Whatever happened, thankfully, they all made it home.
Zhang Qinghua hummed in agreement, but said nothing.
But Song Lili understood, so she gently patted his chest, offering silent comfort.
The group finally met early the next morning.
Because I had to go to class, I only said a few words and then had to leave.
Song Lili didn't have class in the morning, so she wasn't in a hurry to leave.
"We'll cook something delicious tonight, what would you like to eat?" Song Lili asked while everyone was asking.
"Let's eat hot pot! Let's eat hot pot!" Xiao Chen jumped up and down beside him.
"Hot pot?" Song Lili hesitated, this...
"Let's have this. I haven't had it in a long time," Zhang Shengtian said, and the others didn't seem to have any objections.
Song Lili nodded and said, "Okay, let's have hot pot then." She then wondered what groceries she should buy later.
After Zhang Qinghua and Zhang Qingguo left with Xiao Chen, Song Lili told Zhang Shengtian that she and Lin Xue would take the two children to the market.
Song Lili also wanted Lin Xue to get familiar with the place as soon as possible, so that Lin Xue could come and buy groceries when she didn't have time.
Lin Xue was happy to do it, otherwise it seemed she had no other options.
Song Lili bought a lot of groceries; basically, she bought everything that could be used for hot pot.
The two of them carried a lot of things home, with their two children following behind, holding hands.
Song Lili had classes in the afternoon, so she quickly packed up the most important dishes and went to school.
The rest is up to Lin Xue.
She showed Lin Xue around the kitchen, told her where the things were, and then left.
"Hey, where's the child? Zhang Qinghua is with him?" Wang Mei asked as soon as she saw Song Lili.
"My father-in-law came, and he took care of the child. I came to class alone today." I'm still a little unaccustomed to not having my little tagalong anymore.
"Your father-in-law is here?" Wang Mei asked in surprise.
"Yes, and Qingguo's wife and children are here too." Song Lili nodded happily.
"That's great." Wang Mei said enviously, "Your whole family can be together now, and you'll have someone to help you take care of the kids. You can finally relax a bit."
Although Song Lili was exhausted from taking care of her child while studying, Wang Mei still envied her. She also wanted her child to be by her side, but reality didn't allow it.
“Yes, I’ll have more time to do what I want to do in the future,” Song Lili added.
Wang Mei couldn't help but secretly roll her eyes at Song Lili. That's not what she meant, okay?
The afternoon classes passed quickly, and after class, Song Lili hurriedly went home with Zhang Qinghua.
This time, they didn't forget Xiao Chen and went to pick him up.
In the evening, the family enjoyed a happy hot pot meal.
Seeing everyone smiling happily, chatting and eating delicious food together, Song Lili suddenly had another idea.
She originally intended to open a fast food restaurant at the shop she bought, but now, looking at it, she suddenly had the idea of opening a hot pot restaurant.
It's a self-service hot pot restaurant.
Winter is coming soon, so hot pot should be selling very well, right?
Most importantly, Song Lili felt that sitting together with people who had a good relationship, chatting about everything under the sun, eating delicious food, and experiencing a different kind of happiness in the steamy atmosphere.
That should be something to look forward to, right?
So, how about we go to a hot pot restaurant?
Once psychology had this idea, it couldn't stop.
Like a spark, it spread rapidly and eventually became a raging fire that could never be extinguished.
After one night, Song Lili had made up her mind: she would open a hot pot restaurant and wouldn't change her mind.
She told Zhang Qinghua about her idea, since the shop hadn't been renovated yet anyway.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Qinghua also thought it was a good idea.
"Is what you mean by self-service really possible?" Zhang Qinghua was a little worried because no one had ever done this before.
"Yes, yes, it's really possible." Of course it's possible. There are so many self-help businesses in later generations, and they're doing so well. How could it not be possible?
Moreover, it's the first self-service hot pot restaurant, and this novel approach is sure to attract many customers, even those who are just curious.
And so, they happily decided to open a hot pot restaurant.
Once she made the decision, Song Lili busied herself finding someone to make a table and a pot.
She plans to make the pot a yin-yang pot, so that both those who can eat spicy food and those who can't can be accommodated.
Meanwhile, the stall was still operating, though Lin Xue and Wang Mei were the only ones doing the work.
Back when she was at home, Song Lili had made multigrain pancakes. Although the steps were slightly different from now, Lin Xue had seen them made before.
After Song Lili gave her a proper lesson, Lin Xue quickly learned it.
Because Lin Xue was free every day, she set up her stall every day, and Zhang Shengtian helped her out.
The two of them were even busier at this time than when they were in Hongqi Village.
However, Song Lili didn't ask for the money back and let Lin Xue keep it herself.
After all, Zhang Qingguo never took any money from the couple, and they had no source of income.
I'm afraid I don't have any extra money left now.
These two people were too embarrassed to ask, and even if they were short of money, they wouldn't say so. So Song Lili simply let Lin Xue do it.
As for how Zhang Shengtian should handle it, that's up to the couple to decide.
However, Song Lili still insisted that Wang Mei and Fan Lijuan's wages should not be reduced; they would only help out on weekends and receive eight yuan a month.
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