Xiaoyu and Guan Bo's wedding is set for May Day. They will temporarily stay in Xiaoyu's house. They will choose their own new house. Guan Bo's father, Guan Yi, will be responsible for providing the money. The idea of Guan Bo marrying into the Guan family is just a joke. Guan Yi is also very well-off.
Sister Liu went downstairs to find Wu Zhiqi. "Zhiqi, I'm thinking of opening a mala tang (spicy hot pot) shop. What do you think?"
Wu Zhiqi… “You’re still going to open a shop?”
The old lady was sitting in her rocking chair sunbathing when she heard the noise. She lifted her eyelids and said, "Can't this old man support you?"
Aunt Liu quickly waved her hand, "No, it's not that I'm an old lady. I just can't sit still. I went out to buy things these past few days and saw that the mala tang (spicy hot pot) shops are really popular. I noticed that the main attraction is the soup base. It's even simpler than opening a breakfast shop, and the profit margin is much higher. I'm tempted. I can't stand being idle like this."
“You’re too tired. Stop working. If you have nothing to do, go out and have a stroll. You don’t have many years left to live, so enjoy your retirement,” Wu Zhiqi advised.
"What's so tiring about it? I'll prepare the soup base, and then I'll hire people. I'll just collect the money. It's not tiring, I have something to do, and I can even make money. Isn't that great?" Sister Liu was determined to give it a try.
“Okay, let’s go then.” Wu Zhiqi thought it was a good idea. Sister Liu was only interested in food, and if it wasn’t tiring, she could do whatever she wanted.
The two went out, and the old lady sighed, "It's so good to be young, still able to do all sorts of things."
There's a shop near the neighborhood that sells it by yourself. It costs 15 yuan per pound, and it's Wu Zhiqi's first time trying it.
"Look at this, these vegetables, vermicelli, and meatballs are 15 yuan a pound. If they dared to sell for that much in the market, they'd be beaten to death," Sister Liu said with a smile.
Wu Zhiqi's teeth ached from looking at it; bean sprouts, cabbage, kelp, and vermicelli were only 15 yuan per jin?
The two of them mainly came to sample the food; they didn't take much, but it still cost over thirty yuan when it was weighed.
Wu Zhiqi looked back at the contents of the refrigerated display case. Most of the items were soaking in water. Two pounds of goods were half water. No wonder Sister Liu was so envious of this business.
"Aunties, please wait a moment, the soup isn't ready yet," the cashier girl said with a smile. The two aunties had just arrived when they opened the door.
"It's alright, we're not in a hurry," Sister Liu said with a smile, chatting with the cashier while glancing into the kitchen.
Twenty minutes later, a large bowl of spicy hot pot was served. Wu Zhiqi took a bite and exclaimed, "It's really delicious!"
"It tastes great, this shop is really popular now." Sister Liu sipped the soup carefully, savoring the flavors, and took out a pen and paper, writing everything down like a thief.
The two walked around for most of the day, eating at five or six popular restaurants. Wu Zhiqi witnessed how good the mala tang business was now, with queues forming even before mealtimes, and the investment was small and the returns were quick.
Ms. Liu felt it was about time, so she prepared to buy ingredients and try it at home, when the phone rang.
Looking at the unfamiliar phone number, Sister Liu figured it was probably her wayward son. She'd go buy a new phone card and wouldn't need this number anymore.
The phone had been dialed several times, and they had even switched to a different landline before Ms. Liu finally answered.
"Hello, are you Ms. Liu? This is from Chuncheng Street Police Station."
Sister Liu: "Yes, it's me."
The person on the other end said, "Where are you now? Do you need our help? Your daughter-in-law has come to report you missing."
Sister Liu: "Don't listen to her nonsense. I haven't disappeared. I just don't want to deal with them. Tell them not to look for me, and to pretend I don't exist as their mother, and that I don't exist as their son."
The other party said, "It's best to resolve family conflicts face-to-face to avoid worrying your family."
Sister Liu scoffed, saying that her concern for her was a joke. "Comrade, don't I have human rights? It's not illegal not to want to contact them, is it?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com