The next morning, Lin Li took Lin Laosan to Causeway Bay.
Wang Sheng was already waiting at the shop entrance, holding a thick stack of documents in his hand.
"Mrs. Lin, you've finally arrived."
He opened the door solicitously, saying, "This shop used to be a high-end fashion store, and the decor is still very new. With a few minor modifications, it can be turned into a restaurant."
Lin Li walked into the shop. Sunlight streamed in through the glass door. The floor was made of fine teak, and there were still hooks on the walls for hanging clothes.
She walked to the window, looked at the bustling crowd on the street, and a satisfied smile appeared on her lips.
"This is the one," she said. "How much?"
"Two million eight hundred thousand."
Mr. Wang quickly said, "However, if Mrs. Lin is really interested, I can talk to the owner and see if we can get a lower price."
"No."
Lin Li said, "Full payment, we can sign the contract today."
She turned to look at Lin Laosan, "What do you think?"
Lin Laosan looked around and nodded: "The location is indeed good, with a large flow of people. It should be very suitable for a Cantonese restaurant."
“It’s not just the Cantonese restaurant,” Lin Li said. “We also took over the shop next door and turned it into a tea restaurant. And the one across the street, we’ll turn it into a stew shop.”
Her gaze swept around the room. "Mr. Wang, do you know the owners of these shops? Could you contact them as soon as possible?"
Wang Sheng was taken aback by Lin Li's generosity and hesitated for a moment before realizing what she meant: "Yes, I know her! I'll contact her right away! Don't worry, Mrs. Lin, I will give you a reply as soon as possible."
Lin Li nodded in satisfaction and walked out of the shop with Lin Laosan.
The sunlight shone on them, making them feel warm and cozy.
Lin Li looked at the pedestrians on the street, her heart filled with confidence.
When they got home, Lin Hu and Lin Yao were playing in the yard.
Seeing them return, Lin Hu immediately ran over and asked, "Grandma, did you go check out the shop? When will the restaurant open? I want to eat Ah Zhen's roast goose."
Lin Li smiled and patted his head: "Soon, once the restaurant opens, you can eat roast goose every day."
She looked at Lin Yao and said, "You two should learn your skills well so that you can help Grandma with more things when you grow up."
Lin Yao nodded seriously: "Okay, Grandma, I will definitely learn the skills carefully and help you when I grow up."
Lin Li looked at her two grandsons and felt a warmth in her heart.
In the afternoon, Mr. Wang called to say that the owners were all willing to transfer their shops and the price had been agreed upon.
Lin Li told him to prepare the contract as soon as possible and sign it tomorrow.
After hanging up the phone, she went to her study and opened a map of the port city.
She circled the three locations above with a red pen.
The number of red circles is increasing.
Then.
I opened the study door, went downstairs, and walked to the kitchen door.
“Ah Zhen”.
Ah Zhen paused for a moment while holding the spatula, then quickly wiped her hands with her apron and turned around.
"Madam, what brings you here?"
She looked at Lin Li's moon-white cheongsam, then at her own oil-stained cuffs, and took a half-step back.
"The kitchen is smoky, please leave now, the roast goose will be ready in ten minutes."
Lin Li walked to the kitchen counter, picked up a freshly baked wife cake, and the flaky crust crumbled between her fingertips.
"Your pastries are getting better and better. Last time Mrs. Yu came, she said they were even more authentic than those from that old shop in Kowloon City."
She took a small bite, and the aroma of sesame mixed with the sweetness of winter melon paste spread in her mouth. "Especially the layers, there must be twelve layers of skin, right?"
"Madam, you can taste it?"
Ah Zhen's eyes lit up, and a shy smile appeared on her face. "I studied with a master from my hometown of Shunde for half a year. He said that the dough has to be kneaded until it can be translucent before it's considered ready."
She turned around and lifted the lid of the clay pot next to her, and a rich aroma of herbs wafted out.
"I made you some American ginseng and black chicken soup. You must have been tired from your trip to Penang, so this will help you recover."
Lin Li looked at the black-boned chicken bubbling in the casserole, the soup as clear as amber.
Last year, she was a little girl with braided pigtails, standing timidly at the villa entrance carrying a blue cloth bundle, saying, "I can make double-skin milk pudding."
The young girl has now become the pillar of the family. Even Uncle Fu says that the kitchen would fall apart without Ah Zhen.
"Ah Zhen, I have something to tell you."
Lin Li placed the remaining wife cakes on a plate, her tone somewhat solemn, "I've leased three shops in Causeway Bay, planning to open a Cantonese restaurant, a tea restaurant, and a stew shop."
Ah Zhen's soup ladle clattered into the clay pot, the splashing soup scalding the back of her hand.
Ignoring the pain, she opened her eyes wide and looked at Lin Li: "Madam means... to open a restaurant?"
"Um."
Lin Li nodded, her gaze falling on the swollen back of her hand. She pulled her wrist and rinsed it under the tap. "To run a restaurant, you need a manager who can keep things in check."
Water trickled down between Ah Zhen's rough fingers, carrying away some of the burning sensation. "I want you to take care of it."
Ah Zhen abruptly pulled her hand back, the red mark on the back of her hand resembling an unopened flower: "Madam, I... I can't do it."
Her voice trembled slightly, "I only know how to cook, I know nothing about bookkeeping or anything like that. Last time I told Uncle Fu the price of vegetables, I even miscalculated the cost of the scallions."
“Accounting can be learned,” Lin Li said, picking up a towel to dry her hands. Her fingertips touched the thick calluses on the back of her hands, which were from years of holding a spatula. “But cooking skills are not something everyone can have.”
She walked to the window and pointed in the direction of Causeway Bay in the distance.
“The shop there is right at the subway entrance, and tens of thousands of people pass by every day. They will line up to eat your roast goose, shrimp dumplings, and boat congee. Your dim sum will be printed on the menu and spread throughout the entire port city.”
Ah Zhen's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but the surge of heat choked her throat.
Looking at the iron pot on the stove, she suddenly felt that the stove was too small to contain the thoughts that had been hidden in her heart for many years.
For example, he could send his younger brother from his hometown to Hong Kong to learn a trade, or buy a small house in Yau Ma Tei so that he wouldn't have to squeeze into the attic of a tenement building with three fellow villagers anymore.
“But Madam,” she sniffed, her voice thick with nasal congestion, “what will happen to the kitchen if I leave? Your favorite wonton noodles, Young Master Yao’s beloved boat congee, Young Master Hu’s daily craving for roast goose…”
"This is the second thing I want to tell you."
Lin Li took out a blue notebook from the kitchen counter drawer. It contained her handwritten recipes, with detailed instructions on cooking time and ingredients on each page.
“You need to bring out an apprentice to pass on your skills. He doesn’t have to be a great one, just someone who can at least ensure we can have decent meals at home.”
She turned to one of the pages, which showed the steps for marinating char siu, with a note in red pen that read, "The honey should be from Saigon and have a floral scent."
"Otherwise, our whole family would be drooling with envy."
Ah Zhen looked at the neat handwriting on the recipe and her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
She knew Lin Li's personality; she seemed gentle, but she was actually more meticulous than anyone else.
During this time, she secretly saved money to build a house in her hometown. Lin Li saw this and gave her an extra three months' wages at the end of the year as an "Outstanding Employee Award".
"lady……"
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