Chapter 99 Roommates Support Jiang Ruoxi
After school started, Jiang Ruoxi quickly adjusted her state and devoted herself to her studies. She listened attentively in class and seized every minute after class, striving for her dream with hard work and sweat.
After school that day, the afterglow of the setting sun cast a layer of warmth over the campus. Yang Mina was like a happy little deer, jumping and running to Jiang Ruoxi, with an excited look on her face, "Ruoxi, did you know that there is a new braised meat shop near our school, the taste is absolutely amazing!"
Xia Ning and several other friends nodded vigorously, their eyes shining, and agreed: "Yes, yes, yes, we have all tried it, it's really delicious!"
When Jiang Ruoxi heard the words "braised meat shop", her heart skipped a beat. She felt an inexplicable tension and asked tentatively, "You are talking about... Jiang's Braised Meat Shop, right?"
"That's the one!" Yang Mina raised her voice and danced with joy, "Ruoxi, let me tell you, the taste of their braised pork, I can't forget it after eating it once, and the braised pork rice, the fragrance, I'm drooling just thinking about it now!"
"Haha, as long as it tastes good!" Jiang Ruoxi forced a slightly stiff smile, and her voice unconsciously became a little tense. She knew in her heart that it was her own store, but for some reason, she didn't want to expose it so early.
"What do you mean by delicious?" Yang Mina insisted, grabbing Jiang Ruoxi's arm and shaking it vigorously, "You have definitely never tasted it, so you don't know how delicious it is. Believe me, you will fall in love with it after you try it once!"
Jiang Ruoxi looked at Yang Mina's expectant eyes, hesitated for a moment, gritted her teeth and said, "Let's go, I'll treat you guys to a meal today!"
"Is this true?" Yang Mina's eyes widened in disbelief, "Their braised meat is not cheap!"
"Really? Today I'm treating, everyone, eat as much as you want!" Jiang Ruoxi puffed out his chest, pretending to be generous.
Yang Mina and the other four cheered instantly, like a group of birds set free.
"Long live Ruoxi! We must eat to our heart's content today!" They shouted as they surrounded Jiang Ruoxi and walked towards the braised meat shop. Along the way, everyone was talking and laughing, discussing the delicious food they were going to order, and they were very excited.
Soon, Jiang’s Braised Meat Shop came into view. There is a quaint sign hanging at the door of the store, and warm yellow light shines through from the store, with the aroma wafting out making people drool. Jiang Ruoxi took a deep breath and was the first to open the door.
"Welcome--" A familiar voice came from inside the store, and Jiang Ruoxi's mother poked her head out from behind the counter with a smile on her face. But when he saw a group of classmates following Jiang Ruoxi, he was slightly stunned and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.
Jiang Ruoxi walked up quickly and said to Jiang's mother, "Mom, I'm treating my classmates to dinner today. You don't have time to come today?" Jiang's mother smiled and nodded, "Okay, you guys sit wherever you want and order whatever you want. I got off work early today and had nothing to do, so I came to see if there was anything I could do for you. It just so happened that Wei Jun was out delivering food, so I'll help sell food here for a while!"
After hearing the conversation between Jiang Ruoxi and Jiang's mother, Yang Mina and the other four stood still for a moment, their eyes wide open like bells, with shock written all over their faces. After a long while, Yang Mina stammered, "Ruoxi, you...you're not going to tell us that this store is owned by your family, right?"
Jiang Ruoxi looked at their surprised expressions and couldn't help laughing. She said jokingly, "Hey, hey, hey, isn't this obvious? Jiang's Braised Pork, you guys can tell me, what is my last name?"
"Your last name is Jiang!" Su Qingqing scratched her head and responded foolishly, looking like she realized something late.
"Then think about it again, why is this braised meat shop called Jiang's Braised Meat?" Jiang Ruoxi blinked, deliberately keeping the question in suspense.
After Yang Mina realized what was happening, she rushed forward pretending to be angry, gently hit Jiang Ruoxi's shoulder, and said angrily: "You are so good, Ruoxi, you have kept it a secret from us! You opened such a delicious braised meat restaurant, but you didn't tell us earlier, and you didn't even let us come over to support you!"
"That's right, Ruoxi, do you still consider us your friends?" Shen Zhishu also echoed, pouting in pretended dissatisfaction.
Then, Yang Mina asked a series of questions: "When did you open such a braised meat shop? Why was there no news before?" Su Qingqing and Shen Zhishu also nodded constantly, waiting for Jiang Ruoxi's answer with anticipation.
As Yang, Lina and the other four entered the restaurant, they were attracted by the special dishes on the wall and started chattering about them. Yang Mina's eyes lit up and she pointed at the menu and said loudly, "Ruoxi, I want an order of their signature braised pork rice and an additional serving of braised pig's trotters!" The others also said what they wanted to eat.
Jiang Ruoxi wrote down everything, turned to Jiang's mother and said, "Mom, just serve what they ordered and a few more drinks!" Jiang's mother got busy quickly. After a while, plates of delicious braised pork rice and braised dishes were served on the table.
"Wow, it smells so good!" Yang Mina and the others couldn't wait to pick up their chopsticks and start devouring the food. Yang Mina took a mouthful of braised pork rice, her eyes narrowed into slits, and she said vaguely: "Ruoxi, your restaurant is simply a treasure trove of food! It's so delicious!" Others also nodded, gave thumbs up, and kept praising.
Jiang Ruoxi felt proud and satisfied as she watched everyone enjoying their meal. She smiled and handed the drinks to her classmates, saying, "If it tastes good, eat more. It's all you can eat!" The meal was held amid laughter and delicious food. It not only brought Jiang Ruoxi and her classmates closer, but also gave her a new understanding of her own braised meat shop. It turns out that sharing food means sharing happiness, and this happiness is far more precious than she imagined.
Jiang Ruoxi poured tea for everyone while she spoke: "During the summer vacation, my husband was away on a mission and was not at home for a long time. I thought it was too hard for him to work alone at home, and I didn't want him to be so tired, so I suddenly had the idea of opening a store. It just so happened that I had the skill of stewing meat, so I thought of giving it a try first to see if it works!"
"Ruoxi, your cooking skills are impeccable! Just look at us recommending you here today, and you'll know how amazing the taste is!" Xia Ning gave a thumbs up and praised sincerely.
Everyone sat together, tasting the delicious braised meat while listening to Jiang Ruoxi share interesting stories since the store opened. Jiang Ruoxi talked about the various difficulties encountered in the early days of opening the store, such as purchasing ingredients, adjusting flavors, and handling customer feedback. Everyone was sometimes nervous and sometimes burst into laughter.
“Ruoxi, you’re working too hard! But it’s precisely because you’re so dedicated that business is so good!” Yang Mina said with emotion.
As he was talking, several more customers walked into the store. Seeing this, Jiang Ruoxi quickly stood up to greet them. Watching her busy and skilled figure in the store, Yang Mina said to others: "Ruoxi is really amazing. I only knew that she was good at studying, but I didn't expect that she was also so good at running a store!"
"Yes, and he is so generous. As soon as he knew we liked it, he immediately invited us to eat it!" Su Qingqing said vaguely with a piece of braised meat in her mouth.
When Jiang Ruoxi came back after finishing her work, Shen Zhishu took her hand and said, "Ruoxi, if you need any help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask for help. We are all good sisters!"
Jiang Ruoxi's eyes were slightly red, and she said with emotion: "With your words, I am satisfied. If the store is too busy in the future, I will definitely trouble you all!"
In the warm and cheerful atmosphere, everyone enjoyed the meal, and Jiang Ruoxi's heart was also filled with warmth. She knows that this braised meat shop not only carries her own efforts and dreams, but also becomes more meaningful because of this group of friends.
After dinner, the sky gradually darkened and the lights came on. Yang Mina and the other four looked at the time and realized it was getting late, so they waved goodbye to Jiang Ruoxi enthusiastically and agreed to meet at school tomorrow. Jiang Ruoxi stood at the door of the store, watching their backs gradually go away until they disappeared around the corner of the street.
Turning back to the braised meat shop, I saw that Mother Jiang had completed most of the finishing work. The tables and chairs in the shop were neatly arranged and the floor was spotlessly clean.
Jiang Ruoxi saw it all and felt warm in her heart. She then arranged for Zhang Bin and the others to complete the final details, and reminded them that after everything was cleaned up, one person would stay on duty and the rest could go home and rest.
Afterwards, Jiang Ruoxi and her mother Jiang walked side by side on the way home, and the soft street lights stretched their shadows long. Along the way, the breeze blew gently, bringing a hint of coolness and dispelling the heat of the day.
"Mom, aren't you busy with work recently?" Jiang Ruoxi asked with concern.
Mother Jiang smiled and shook her head, saying, "Yes, I haven't been that busy lately. I happened to be free today, so I thought of coming to see you. When I got to the store, I found that you hadn't arrived yet, and the store was busy, so I helped out for a while!"
Jiang Ruoxi was deeply moved after hearing this. She took her mother's arm and said, "Mom, come back to the courtyard with me tonight and stay there for one night. You can go to work directly tomorrow. We have reserved a room for you and Dad. When we get home, I will call Dad and tell him, otherwise he will be worried about you!"
Mother Jiang readily agreed: "Okay, I'll stay at your house tonight. It's a good opportunity for me to see my grandchildren. I miss them so much!"
The mother and daughter strolled back to the courtyard, chatting and laughing. As soon as I opened the familiar door, I saw three children laughing and playing in the yard.
Hearing the door open, the three little ones looked towards the door in unison as if they had heard a horn to assemble. When they saw that it was their grandmother and mother coming back together, their faces suddenly turned red with excitement and they rushed towards them, cheering.
"Grandma, grandma, are you here to see Jiaojiao?" Sanbao called in a baby voice. His tiny figure ran the fastest and immediately jumped into Jiang Mu's arms.
Mother Jiang hugged Sanbao tightly, smiling widely, and said, "Yes, grandma misses Sanbao and your brothers!"
"Then can grandma stay here tonight? Jiaojiao hasn't seen grandma for a long time, and Jiaojiao wants to sleep with grandma!" Sanbao tilted his little head, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Okay, grandma will stay here tonight and accompany Jiaojiao and my brothers!" Mother Jiang touched Sanbao's head gently.
"That's great!" Sanbao clapped his hands happily.
"Will grandpa come?" Dabao asked curiously.
"Grandpa is busy at work and doesn't have time. Let him come to see you on the weekend!" Mother Jiang explained patiently.
"Okay then!" After hearing this, Erbao was a little disappointed, but he still nodded sensibly.
At this time, Jiang Ruoxi squatted down and said to the children: "My dears, grandma is here today. Can you go and prepare some fruit for grandma?"
"Great, great!" The children immediately became excited when they heard it, and ran to the kitchen to ask Aunt Chen and Aunt Lan for help in cutting fruit.
Jiang Ruoxi and Jiang's mother looked at the lively and cute children and smiled at each other. A warm atmosphere filled the entire courtyard.
"Mom, you stay here with the kids first. I'll call Dad and tell him." Jiang Ruoxi said softly to her mother with a gentle smile on her face.
"Okay, go ahead!" Mother Jiang nodded lovingly, and then turned her eyes to the children playing nearby, full of doting.
Jiang Ruoxi turned around and walked briskly towards the telephone in the house. She picked up the receiver and skillfully dialed her home number.
There was a beep from the other end of the phone, and after a short wait, the familiar voice of Jiang's father came from the receiver. Jiang Ruoxi said quickly, "Dad, it's me. Mom came to my place today. She will stay in the courtyard tonight and go back tomorrow. Don't worry!" Her tone was gentle, and her words were full of concern for her family. After patiently chatting with Jiang's father about family matters, she hung up the phone and turned back to the yard.
After preparing the fruit, the family sat around the stone table in the yard. The children told their grandmother about their recent interesting experiences one after another. Sometimes they said they had drawn a beautiful picture in kindergarten, and sometimes they said they had learned a new nursery rhyme.
Mother Jiang listened with great interest. She was often amused by the children's innocent words and gave them praises from time to time.
"Grandma, let me tell you, I won first place in the school running competition today!" Dabao said proudly.
"Wow, Dabao is awesome! What a little athlete!" Mother Jiang gave a thumbs up and praised Dabao's performance.
Erbao was not to be outdone and quickly said, "Grandma, I helped water the flowers today, and my great-grandmother praised me!"
"Erbao is so sensible that he even helps his mother water the flowers. He is such a good child!" Mother Jiang smiled and touched Erbao's head, her eyes full of love.
"So what did our Jiaojiao do today?" Mother Jiang gently scratched Sanbao's nose, her eyes full of smiles and her voice full of doting.
"Grandma, I am responsible for supervising my big brother's exercise and my second brother's watering the flowers!" Sanbao raised his rosy little face, held his chest high, and said seriously, as if he was talking about something extremely important.
"Oh, it turns out that our Jiaojiao is the supervisor today, that's amazing! She takes such good care of the brothers, our Jiaojiao is so awesome!"
Mother Jiang's praise was like the warm spring sun, instantly making Sanbao's cheeks even redder. The little guy lowered his head shyly, his two little hands tugging at the corners of his clothes nervously, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but slightly rise, muttering softly: "No, this is what I should do!"
Dabao came over with a smile and said, "Grandma, Jiaojiao is so strict. When I run a little slower, she puts her hands on her hips and yells at me to hurry up!"
“That’s right,” Erbao also echoed, “When I was watering the flowers, I spilled some water outside, and Jiaojiao frowned and said I wasn’t serious!”
Mother Jiang listened and laughed even more happily. She hugged Sanbao into her arms and said, "Our Jiaojiao is so responsible. He will definitely become something great in the future!"
Sanbao felt even more embarrassed by what everyone said. He snuggled into Jiang's mother's arms, then poked his head out and said with sparkling eyes, "Grandma, I will supervise you from now on. We can do many things together!"
"Okay," Jiang's mother nodded quickly. "Grandma is really looking forward to working with Jiaojiao. With Jiaojiao's supervision, grandma will definitely be able to do it quickly and well!"
"Then let's make a pinky promise!" Sanbao stretched out his chubby little finger with a serious look on his face.
Mother Jiang also stretched out her hand and gently hooked it with Sanbao's, "Make a pinky promise. For a hundred years, no changing?" The laughter of the two echoed in the yard, warm and sweet.
Jiang Ruoxi looked at the happy scene in front of her and felt deeply moved. She knows very well that the company and support of her family are her most solid backing. In this courtyard full of love, every ordinary day becomes extremely precious. And tonight, with the arrival of grandma, there is an extra touch of warmth.
Before I knew it, it was late at night and the stars were twinkling faintly in the night sky. After Jiang Ruoxi helped the children wash and dress, she chatted with Mother Jiang for a while before they went back to their rooms to rest.
Lying on the bed, Jiang Ruoxi recalled every detail of what happened today, and the corners of her mouth rose unconsciously. She knew that no matter what difficulties she encountered in the future, as long as her family was by her side, everything would no longer be so scary. Surrounded by this warmth and happiness, Jiang Ruoxi gradually fell into a sweet dream.
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