Chapter 107 Takeout
"Oh my!" Zou Xiaoguang exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Xinran, you're a chef at this braised pork shop! So the braised pork rice I've always loved is made by you. What a coincidence! I've never seen you before, and my mom recognized you today!"
Zou Xiaoguang lives nearby. The braised pork rice at Lu Fang shop is moderately priced, but tastes really good. When Zou Xiaoguang used to work on construction sites, he would come here to eat with his coworkers after work.
However, they also earn their money through hard work. Compared to braised pork rice, there are cheaper boxed meals on the construction site. When Zou Xiaoguang doesn't eat braised pork rice, he basically eats boxed meals.
However, this person always had a craving for food, especially after tasting braised pork rice, other foods always seemed to lack flavor. But Zou Xiaoguang was still very restrained and didn't come to eat every day, as he still had a big plan to save money in mind.
Today, his mother came to the city to visit him and brought him some things. Zou Xiaoguang thought about taking his mother out for a nice meal. After thinking it over, he realized that his mother would definitely not go to a fancy restaurant because she was worried about the cost. If he chose a small restaurant, then braised pork rice had to be in the top tier. So Zou Xiaoguang came here and unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance.
Upon closer inspection, it actually looked quite familiar.
When Zou Xiaoguang saw Shi Hui, he also said "Hey, hey" a few times, but he was a little suspicious. He recognized that Shi Hui was the one who was busy in the kitchen of the braised food shop. Logically speaking, the chef should be Shi Hui.
Shi Hui could tell from Zou Xiaoguang's expression that he had misunderstood, so he quickly explained, "Chef Song is a specially hired chef that our big boss hired at a high salary. She only comes to the store once a week to cook the braising liquid and guide the taste. Our store has developed to what it is today entirely thanks to Chef Song's guidance. If it weren't for her, who could make this taste!"
Shi Hui's thinking was simple: he wanted to flatter Song Xinran.
Put yourself in their shoes. If you were to achieve great success one day and run into a familiar fellow villager at your workplace, receiving a lot of praise from your colleagues, you would definitely feel incredibly happy.
So Shi Hui used every flattering word he could think of to describe Song Xinran, completely unaware of Wei Dong's increasingly dark face and Song Xinran's uncomfortable expression.
Finally, Song Xinran interrupted, saying, "I dare not take credit. It's usually Manager Wei and the two of you who are busy at the store."
Wei Dong's expression softened slightly, and he said with a smile, "Since you're from the same hometown as Chef Song, this meal is on me."
Zou Xiaoguang quickly said no, no, but Wei Dong said yes, yes.
Song Xinran stood aside and watched them politely decline each other's advances, engaging in quite a social interaction. Even though Zou Xiaoguang looked to be only in his early twenties, he was quite adept at social etiquette.
Aunt Deng then pulled Song Xinran to sit down: "Xinran, I heard from your sister that you own a shop in the city."
Song Xinran smiled slightly: "I work as a chef here."
Aunt Deng looked slightly disappointed, but still said, "Being a chef is good. You have a skill and you won't lose your job. Unlike Xiao Guang, who can't find another job after one project ends. Now he's in a rented room and has to pay for food and water."
Zou Xiaoguang finally finished socializing with Wei Dong, sat down opposite Aunt Deng, picked up his cup and took a big gulp of water: "Mom, I'm looking for a job right now. Don't worry, as long as you work hard, you'll definitely find one. Take good care of yourself at home, and I'll bring you to the city to enjoy life when I've earned some money."
Aunt Deng was delighted by these words, but she still complained, "You should learn from your sister Xinran. We grew up together in the village, and now your sister Xinran has a proper job."
Song Xinran remained silent...
Thinking that the older generation probably just likes to say these things, belittling their own children to elevate others, she could only follow typical Chinese social norms and be modest. Zou Xiaoguang spoke first: "Xinran was different when she was little. She dug up the most sweet potatoes back then. I still remember things from my childhood. After the autumn harvest, we kids would go to the fields in groups to dig up the fallen sweet potatoes. We were so happy to find one, and then we'd throw it in the fire to roast it. The taste was amazing!"
Zou Xiaoguang's eyes crinkled with laughter as he recalled the past: "Back then, Sister Xinran even gave me half a sweet potato."
Song Xinran smiled. She didn't find these things interesting, but they did sound amusing.
Aunt Deng laughed beside her, and then asked about Song Yu and inquired about Song Xinran's current life. It was the same old conversation. Song Xinran concealed some things and answered some unimportant ones. They finally parted ways after having breakfast.
When they parted, Aunt Deng said, "It's not easy to meet someone in such a big city. Xinran, if you need anything in the future, just call Xiaoguang. Although he doesn't have any special skills, he's quite strong. He can move things and change light bulbs."
After mentioning that she had heard about Song Xinran opening a shop, Aunt Deng never brought it up again, and neither did Zou Xiaoguang. However, Song Xinran knew that Zou Xiaoguang must have heard about her in the city as well.
Song Xinran once heard a saying that the simplest way to judge whether a person is kind is to look at how they ask for something that puts the other person in a difficult position. A kind person will choose to let it go, while a bad person will choose to do something that puts the other person in a difficult position.
Song Xinran wholeheartedly agreed, and from this perspective, both Aunt Deng and Zou Xiaoguang were kind people.
During her afternoon break, Song Xinran called Song Xinwen and asked directly, "Sister, do you still remember Aunt Deng and Zou Xiaoguang from our hometown?"
"I remember, what's wrong?" Song Xinwen said, "Could it be that they came looking for you?"
Song Xinwen was quite surprised: "I didn't expect them to come to you first. What did they say?"
Song Xinran briefly recounted what had happened that day; she hadn't specifically sought him out, but rather they had met by chance.
Song Xinwen said, "Aunt Deng is a nice person. When I was a child, my dad would work away from home and not come back. Aunt Deng would invite us to her house for dinner. Her family was quite well-off before."
"What's wrong, Xinran? Are you hiring again?" Song Xinwen guessed what was going on from Song Xinran's tone.
Song Xinran hummed in agreement: "I'd like to find two deliverymen."
This was the first time Song Xinwen had ever heard the term "food delivery," so he couldn't help but ask, "What is food delivery?"
Song Xinran explained it again; simply put, it means bringing the food to the customer who placed the order and delivering it to them.
Song Xinwen immediately understood and laughed, "Xinran, your business is so good that there's no room left in the shop!"
"It's alright." Song Xinran did a quick mental calculation. In terms of the number of people served, it was actually less than the number of customers served by a mala tang shop on a market day. However, the customers eating in the shop ate more slowly, and they were more concerned about eating well than filling their stomachs.
However, the average order value is very high, and profits are also rising sharply.
"By the way, sis, how are you and your husband doing now?"
Upon hearing this, Song Xinwen burst into laughter: "Great, absolutely great!"
"Xinran, this is the first time I've felt what it's like to have money in my hands. Even after you get married, you can't give up your shop. You still have to make money..." Song Xinwen was filled with emotion and had so much to say. He not only chatted with Ge Xia in the shop, but he also had to tell his younger sister the lessons he had learned from his own experience.
Song Xinran felt slightly embarrassed, wondering why Song Xinwen kept talking about her married life; she hadn't even thought about that yet.
"Sister, I have something to take care of at the shop, I have to go." Song Xinran made up an excuse.
"Okay, go quickly, don't delay your work!" Song Xinwen was happy to see Song Xinran working hard, but after hanging up the phone and thinking about it carefully, it seemed that Song Xinran had always been like this. On the contrary, she herself used to be timid and hesitant, and was used to staying in the countryside. She was a little timid when she suddenly came out.
But now, everything is alright.
After hanging up the phone, Song Xinran stood there for a few seconds, then couldn't help but laugh. Just imagining Cai Yongde as described by Song Xinwen made her laugh.
After thinking for a moment, she called Zou Xiaoguang again.
"Xiao Guang, can you ride a motorcycle? I have a job for you, and you can only do it if you can ride a motorcycle."
Author's Note: My darlings, I was too busy today, so I didn't update much. I promise I'll update more tomorrow! [Please!]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com