It wasn't that Yuan Doudou was all-powerful. When she first came to Ping'an Town to sell oyster mushrooms, she also went to Zuixianlou Restaurant. Through the introduction of the manager, she met the head chef, Huang Daxian, who rejected her after only one glance at the oyster mushrooms.
"It's too ugly, who would eat this?" That disgust was ingrained in their bones.
Yuan Doudou was also learning for the first time that food can be categorized as beautiful or ugly, thus concluding that Huang Daxian was the kind of person who was obsessed with appearances.
As he spoke, his men curiously came over to look, wanting to know what the ugly vegetables their master was talking about actually looked like. Yuan Doudou then realized that his apprentices were all ugly in their own unique ways. He was someone who judged vegetables by their appearance, yet his apprentices were so ugly. Did he not want to take on good-looking apprentices? Probably not. There was only one possibility: he hadn't met any good-looking people.
Ping'an Town isn't very big, and most of the people coming and going on the streets are of average appearance, which is naturally incomparable to the abundance of good-looking men and women in Kyoto.
Huang Daxian had spent sixteen or seventeen years in Kyoto, where he had seen countless handsome men and beautiful women. When he returned to Ping'an Town and saw this scene, his heart sank to the ground.
For this reason, Yuan Doudou was certain that Huang Daxian couldn't refuse a handsome man as his apprentice, and Lu Xi was tailor-made for him.
"No wonder he looked like he wanted to devour me when he saw me." Just thinking about that look in his eyes made An Rong feel a chill run down her spine, and her hair stood on end. She felt extremely uncomfortable.
This time, Yuan Doudou didn't cover her mouth, but laughed openly. When she heard her own sudden laughter, she quickly covered her mouth again, afraid of waking Anji.
Angie was having a sweet dream and couldn't hear a sound at all.
An Rong's neck thickened, and he scolded playfully, "You're still laughing."
“DouDou, I’m worried about Lu Xi’s safety with someone like that.” An Rong voiced another concern. Huang Daxian was eyeing him covetously, and Lu Xi was still a child. If he harbored ill intentions, they would regret it.
Yuan Doudou was astonished. Good heavens, were people in ancient times so open-minded? Huang Daxian just liked good-looking people. He couldn't possibly be so psychologically disturbed as to want to molest children. People like them came from humble backgrounds, and on the contrary, they valued their reputation more.
Huang Daxian is already over fifty years old and is about to retire and enjoy his old age. But now he has gone astray and ruined his reputation in his later years. He probably won't be able to stay in Ping'an Town anymore, since Ping'an Town is such a small place.
However, An Rong's worries were not unfounded. Yuan Doudou took it to heart and planned to prepare some self-defense items for Lu Xi.
The next day, Yuan Doudou called Lu Xi over and told him about it.
Lu Xi was stunned and didn't react for a moment. Sister Doudou wanted him to become an apprentice at Zuixianlou? Was he too tired these past few days and was hallucinating?
It wasn't until Yuan Doudou repeated it again, her gaze gentle yet firm, a smile playing on her lips, and spoke to him earnestly, that he believed it was true.
"Sister Dou Dou, I don't want to go." After a moment of silence, Lu Xi made her decision.
It was obvious that his decision was against his will. Who was Yuan Doudou? A self-proclaimed psychologist; you could tell he was lying just by looking into his eyes. Perhaps the previous failure had a negative impact on him, and he was convincing himself to give up on external expansion. Or perhaps he was worried about the business at the shop and didn't feel comfortable leaving.
Regardless of the reason, Yuan Doudou was willing to help him.
“Lu Xi, look at me, ask your heart what it really thinks, and tell me your true thoughts, not just what you think after weighing the pros and cons.” At this moment, she was like a psychologist, her tone as gentle as flowing water, touching people’s hearts.
Lu Xi's tense nerves gradually relaxed, and his thoughts drifted away with the flowing water. Of course he wanted to go. Zuixianlou and Haoqinglai were the most popular restaurants in town. If he couldn't go to Haoqinglai, he could go to Zuixianlou. His heart was filled with excitement.
Perhaps due to excitement, Lu Xi's face flushed and his eyes shone, as if he were looking forward to a bright future. He stood in the kitchen, looking down from above, directing everything in an orderly manner, as if he were in charge of the kitchen.
Lu Xi remained silent for a long time, struggling countless times, but finally followed her heart and gave the answer.
"I do." Three words, worth a fortune.
Yuan Doudou smiled. Everything was as she had expected. It was a good thing that Lu Xi could stay true to her original intentions.
If a person decides to do something but gives up at the first sign of setback, that person will only live a mediocre life.
"But, Sister Dou Dou, I'm worried about the shop." This wasn't just polite talk; the tavern's business was getting better and better, and if he left, Brother An Rong and the others would probably be too busy to manage.
Yuan Doudou knew he was a good kid. Since coming here, he always volunteered to do any work he could, and he did it very well, almost never making a mistake.
His departure will leave the store without a capable assistant, increasing the pressure on all aspects of the business.
But it only increased, not to the point of being unbearable. At least Huang Rong was there. She was lively, had no problems dealing with people, was steady and reliable, and not pretentious. She could do both rough and fine work.
Yuan Doudou also discovered that she was smarter and had a better memory than her. On her third day at the store, she had memorized all the ingredients for the cold dishes and was able to cook the dishes according to the recipes she had written.
For example, the hot pot idea was first proposed by Huang Rong. She had lived in the modern world for over twenty years and had eaten hot pot and spicy hot pot many times, but she never thought of making these seasonal dishes in a tavern.
God knows, when Yuan Doudou heard her idea, her heart was like a boundless sea, with a sudden gust of wind and surging waves.
As if her meridians had been opened, Yuan Doudou suddenly realized that there were many other delicious foods she could make, and she shouldn't be limited to the rule that taverns only sell alcohol.
Thinking of Huang Rong, Yuan Doudou's smile deepened.
"Lu Xi, what do you think of Rongrong's performance?" Yuan Doudou asked in return.
Lu Xi replied without hesitation: "Sister Rongrong is amazing. I've always admired her."
His sheer audacity left him far behind; he dared to say and do anything.
“Yes, with your sister Rongrong here, what are you worried about?” Yuan Doudou said with a smile.
Lu Xi felt relieved. That's right, with Sister Rongrong around, she can take care of the living room and help in the kitchen. She is also a woman, so it will be very convenient for her to help Sister Doudou take care of her during her postpartum period.
In comparison, he was not as good as Huang Rong.
“You’re very capable. Everyone will be busier without you in the shop, which is normal. But you need to learn skills; we can’t teach you those skills here.” It wasn’t that she was being modest. An Rong could cook some home-style dishes without any problem, and she could manage to make some snacks, but when it came to making something that would be served at a high-end restaurant, neither of them could do it.
If someone were to volunteer to be Lu Xi's master, that would be shameless and overestimating their abilities.
Yuan Doudou has this much self-awareness.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
