"Thank you so much, Cherry. I'm so grateful for your help these past two days, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to keep up at all."
Qin Yi parked the car and invited Cheng Yingtao to her apartment for dinner.
The two of them had been busy until now, and Qin Yi was hungry. She guessed that Cheng Yingtao must have been hungry for a long time, but she just hadn't said anything.
"I still have some lotus root balls and beef balls that I've been saving at home. Let me cook you a bowl of noodles."
When Cheng Yingtao heard that there would be dumplings to eat, she excitedly banged her head on her head.
Qin Yi rolled up her sleeves and chopped a lot of garlic.
Use a cold pan with cold oil to fry the minced garlic over low heat until it turns slightly yellow. Then turn off the heat and let it continue to fry until it turns golden brown using the residual heat of the pan, but do not let it turn black, otherwise it will taste bitter.
Next, boil an appropriate amount of water in a pot—not too much. Cut the meatballs in half and drop them into the water; this will also infuse the soup with the flavor of the meatballs.
Then add the noodles and cook until just done. Add salt, pepper, and light soy sauce to taste.
When the noodles are almost done cooking, add a few lettuce leaves to blanch them, then remove them all and place them in a bowl.
In just over ten minutes, Qin Yi's two bowls of meatball noodle soup were ready. Finally, she sprinkled the previously prepared fried garlic on top, making them look glossy, smooth, and fragrant.
"Sister, can we start eating now? I'm so hungry!" Cheng Yingtao, who usually eats dinner at five o'clock, was now starving and craving, like a hungry wolf pouncing on its prey or a hungry tiger descending from the mountain.
"Eat up, don't be shy."
After a long day, a satisfying dinner can soothe most of the fatigue.
Cheng Yingtao didn't care about anything else; filling her stomach was the most important thing.
This bowl of noodles is smooth yet chewy, and the broth mixed with meatballs is surprisingly delicious. It's just a simple bowl of noodles, but if the ingredients are combined just right, it can bring you great satisfaction.
Cheng Yingtao takes a bite of noodles, a bite of meatball brimming with broth, and a bite of crispy golden garlic—it's so delicious it makes your toes tremble.
"Oh! This is so delicious, sister. Compared to you, my mom feeds me animal feed every day."
"Then your mother, your mother,..."
Qin Yi wanted to say that her mother was right, but it seemed that this statement was also wrong;
It's like saying your mom did a great job getting you done, but it also sounds like you're mocking other girls' figures.
Before I could think of what to say, it turned into swearing.
"Sister, why are you scolding me?" Cheng Yingtao said, feeling quite aggrieved.
"Sigh, I didn't scold you. I'm just bad with words and can't remember what I wanted to say. From now on, you must never start your sentences with your mother's name..."
After eating and drinking her fill, Cheng Yingtao patted her round belly and found a tissue to wipe her mouth clean.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he hesitated, wavered, fiddled with his hair, and scratched his head.
"Girl, just say what you want to say. Don't do all these little things to try and get my attention."
"Sister, can I learn to make meatballs with you?"
"Um?"
"Don't let my appearance fool you, I can learn things that interest me very quickly."
Qin Yi thought about how quickly she learned to make the dumplings; she was indeed quite fast.
"I don't have many interests, so I've always felt lost. But recently, after eating my sister's meatballs every day, I've finally found my goal!"
"I want to become an excellent craftswoman like my sister! I hope to see customers happy after eating my food, and to bring some comfort to unhappy people after eating my food."
"I also hope to find meaning in life. If someone is willing to stand in a long line to eat my food and compete with others, I will feel a great sense of mission!"
"Sister, teach me how to make meatballs! I want to give it my all for something I love!"
"What do you want to do after you learn how to make meatballs?" Qin Yi asked.
“I want to open a shop, or I can start by setting up a stall like my sister. Once I’ve mastered the art of making meatballs and gained customer recognition, I can open a shop.”
"You can't succeed in any industry just by having a passion for it; you also need perseverance, hard work, and even a bit of luck," Qin Yi said to her earnestly.
This was the first time Cheng Yingtao had seen her sister so serious. She straightened her posture and said sincerely, "Sister, this isn't a whim. After graduating from university, I've been searching for my direction in life until I met you."
"As long as you're willing to teach me, I can do all the work when we open a shop in the future, and my sister can take half of the profits."
"50% is too outrageous."
Qin Yi sat quietly to the side, thought for a while, and then spoke.
“Listen carefully, I can teach you how to make meatballs, but I won’t teach you how to do business. I’ll contribute my skills as equity and only take a 20% share, but I have one condition.”
“If all you want to do is open a dessert shop near an elementary school, then I’m not interested.”
"If you can open a dessert shop in front of different elementary schools, middle schools, universities, or even more places, then I will agree to cooperate with you."
"And this has to be written into the contract. If you can't open three profitable dessert shops within two years, I will withdraw my technology investment, and you will have to pay me 300,000 yuan in technical guidance fees."
"300,000!" Cheng Yingtao exclaimed.
"Yes! If you want to open a shop, you have to be determined and serious about it, otherwise you'll lose a lot of money. Think it through carefully and go home to discuss it with your mom."
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"300,000 yuan for technical guidance! You're crazy if you don't invest a single penny? Where did you meet such a scammer?! How could you fool a young girl like this?"
Sure enough, this is the reaction I get whenever I tell my mom.
Remembering what her sister had said, Cheng Yingtao mustered up her courage and said to her mother, "If I can succeed and open three dessert shops within two years, I won't lose money, Mom. Don't you believe me?"
"Of course I...trust my daughter's abilities. I'm just worried you've run into a scammer!"
"Sister Qin is not a fraud. She is an excellent cook. She can make not only sweet dumplings and meatballs, but also delicious cake rolls."
"Is it the place you go to for lunch every day? The meatball shop owner recommended by Sister Zicheng?"
Cheng Yingtao nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, yes!" It turned out that her mother knew everything.
Mom was silent for a while.
"This is a good deal."
"ah?"
"If it's Mr. Qin, he not only won't lose money, he'll actually make a profit! You know, I was thinking of opening an ice cream shop a while ago, and the franchise fee alone was 350,000 yuan, not including the cost of equipment and materials later on."
“The franchise store has to purchase its raw materials from the headquarters, and the bargaining power is in the hands of others, leaving the franchisee in a very passive position.”
"What we're saying is, if Boss Qin teaches you how to make meatballs, they'll definitely be delicious! They've already been proven delicious by the market! We don't need to spend a single penny learning the technique. As long as we run the shop well, the chances of this business failing are very small. Let's do it! Let's sign! I'll go find someone to draft a contract right now, and you go find Boss Qin tomorrow to finalize this!"
Ever since I heard that it was a partnership with Sister Qin, my mother's attitude has completely changed.
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