Chapter 89: I will never be satisfied if I don’t live longer than the old man!
Seeing that her mother's attitude was softening, Wang Xiaofeng added fuel to the fire.
She said, "Mom, Sister Xiao Ai is so good to our family! She treats you and my dad as her own parents, and treats me as her own sister.
Seeing that I was having a hard time, he pulled me into doing business without saying a word. If it weren't for Sister Xiao Ai, I would have definitely resisted and returned to the countryside long ago.
Now you have seen that Shi Laoer's family is not a human being. They want to challenge my sister Xiao Ai. If we don't help her at this time, who will? Besides our family, what other relatives does she have in Yuncheng?
Sister Xiao Ai has helped us so much, and now that she needs help the most, I can't just stand in front of her, but at least I can't shrink behind her, right?"
"I agree. You can go to the stall with Xiao Ai tomorrow! Go ask her if there's anything else we can do. If not, your mom and I will take a few days off. We can't help with anything else, but we can hold the fort!"
Uncle Wang, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.
After hearing what her husband had said, Aunt Liu naturally could not object anymore.
The daughter is her biological daughter, and it is true that she loves her daughter and cares about her a lot, but Xiao Ai's heart is also real when she loves her daughter.
She also couldn't bear to see Xiao Ai being bullied.
She immediately said, "Why are you asking for leave? It's useless. Tomorrow I'll bring a few of us sisters to support Xiao Ai! After all, her tea stall is owned by our office. We can't let her bully us!"
So, when Shi Xiaoai was still at home having a headache because of Cheng Lin's humming, Wang Xiaofeng came with Aunt Liu, full of fighting spirit.
After hearing Aunt Liu's words, Shi Xiaoai looked at Xiaofeng with admiration. She felt that although this girl didn't talk much, she was a person who worked hard from the heart.
How on earth did she manage to take down her mother in such a short time?
Shi Xiaoai was thinking about it in her heart, but she didn't dare to agree with Aunt Liu's proposal.
She comforted him, "Auntie, don't worry. This is our home turf after all. If I could be bullied right at my doorstep, I'd be too incompetent. I'd never do anything again."
"That's not the way to say it." Aunt Liu was unhappy.
"No matter how capable we are, we can't compare to someone with a dark heart! You're good at business, but I can't say you can match that family's scheming. Anyway, Xiao Ai, you have to be on guard, but don't take it too lightly."
"Okay, I'll remember that." Shi Xiaoai quickly expressed her opinion.
Hearing her say this, Aunt Liu felt a little relieved, but she still repeatedly told her to let her speak if there was anything and not to handle it alone.
He also reminded her not to forget that she was also a public servant. The office took the money she paid, so she could not back down when it was time to help.
Aunt Liu's words really gave Shi Xiaoai a reminder, and she secretly kept this matter in mind.
After seeing Aunt Liu off, Shi Xiaoai talked to the two people about their next plan.
The plan is actually very simple, which is to move the process of baking stone buns and steamed buns, which were originally done at home, to the stall.
This was something Xiao Ai came up with on the spur of the moment when she saw Shi Daxi jumping in front of his new shed just now. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that this method was feasible.
She had not previously completed this process at the tea stall, for one reason being that she was short of manpower and Xiaofeng could not stay there for a long time; and secondly, the shed was too small and could not accommodate many tables. If she put the full set of pancake-making utensils there, the shed would take up half of the space and could not accommodate many people.
Now that the weather is getting warmer, we can actually move some of the tables outside the shed during the day, so we don’t have to worry about not having enough space for guests in the shed.
Anyway, there is no prohibition on occupying the road for business now, so we will just take it one step at a time.
Moving the pancake-making process to the tea stall would have only advantages and disadvantages for Shi Xiaoai and his team, except for the fact that it would take up a lot of space. It might even become their winning weapon.
Xiao Ai is very confident about this.
After all, everything smells best when it’s freshly made, and fragrance is the best advertisement.
Shi Daxi and his men dared to set up a tent here to compete with him. Shi Xiaoai believed that they must have thought of some tricks to fight against him, and these tricks must have been thought up by Shi Xiaomei.
But no matter what they want to do, from a business perspective, they are at a disadvantage before they even start.
Just like what she had just said to Aunt Liu, this is her home ground.
The overall business environment is actually very bad now. It's just a tent with no water or electricity. The stove, tables and chairs, tableware, and kettle all have to be moved around every day. Even how to place the tables and chairs has to be carefully considered, otherwise there may not be enough space.
Their home is in the alley. No matter how troublesome it is, at least it is close to home, which is something Shi Daxi and the others can never compare to.
To put it bluntly, as a restaurant worker, he probably can't even find a place to get water to wash dishes!
Not to mention setting up a stall here and making pancakes on the spot.
This alone gives us the upper hand.
Of course, these were just Shi Xiaoai's own analysis. As for the real situation, she would have to wait and see tomorrow, so she didn't say much to the two of them.
Wang Xiaofeng had always been thinking about that pot of braised food, and now that her mother was gone, she simply asked directly.
"Sister, is this the new braised food you mentioned? How do you sell it?"
"Oh, I was just about to tell you. We're adding a new dish tomorrow: braised pork rice. Although it's called braised pork rice, this rice is divided into two types: meat and vegetables. The vegetarian version has kelp, bean curd, and radish as side dishes, while the meat version has a spoonful of braised pork on top of the vegetables. The braised eggs in the broth are sold separately, 20 cents each, the same price as tea eggs."
As Shi Xiaoai spoke, she took out two small bowls, filled each with a portion of meat and vegetable dishes, and divided them between the two of them.
Although he had just eaten, and Cheng Lin had actually tasted the braised dishes before eating, he still squinted his eyes in enjoyment when he ate them again.
My sister-in-law’s cooking is really delicious!
Even after having a meal, he can still eat two more bowls of this braised food!
Wang Xiaofeng was obviously conquered by such delicious food. She didn't even take the steamed bun handed to her by Shi Xiaoai. She just used chopsticks to eat up the braised food in the bowl bit by bit, without leaving any residue.
After eating, she sighed, and there was even a hint of melancholy in her tone.
She said, "Sister, why are the Shi Lao Er family so stubborn? They have such a good life but they insist on competing with you. They are just trying to compete with the old man for life and will not be satisfied until they die!"
Shi Xiaoai was immediately amused by her words.
So I imitated her tone and replied, "What should we do? Let's do something good and let them die quickly?"
Before he finished speaking, the three of them laughed out loud at the same time.
That night, including Cheng Yang, the four of them were busy until very late. After they finished, the entire Yunhe Lane became silent, and not even a light could be seen.
But because they were full of energy, the four of them did not feel tired, but instead had a faint feeling of excitement.
After urging Wang Xiaofeng and Cheng Lin to go back to bed, Shi Xiaoai checked the stove again, then turned off the kitchen light and walked out.
She yawned and was about to go back to the house, but when she turned around, she found Cheng Yang standing in front of her.
Shi Xiaoai stopped and patted her chest with her hands: "Why are you standing here? You scared me!"
Cheng Yang didn't say anything and followed her back to the master bedroom.
Mingxi and Mingrui were sleeping soundly in the room, head to head, and had no idea their parents had returned.
Shi Xiaoai didn't respond to him immediately. Instead, she took a towel and went to the bathroom to wash up. After returning, she looked at him and asked, "Why are you following me instead of going to bed?"
After saying that, he sat down on the edge of the bed.
"It's okay, I'll come and keep you company." Cheng Yang said as he walked over and pushed his daughter's little feet inside, then sat down next to his wife.
He put his hands on Shi Xiaoai's waist and massaged her gently.
In front of Cheng Lin and Wang Xiaofeng, Shi Xiaoai was like a beacon guiding them in the right direction, so no matter what she was thinking, she had to remain calm and appear confident.
But in front of Cheng Yang, she subconsciously took off her disguise and showed her true side.
She leaned in Cheng Yang's arms, pulled his hand and placed it on the most tired part of her waist, closed her eyes and quietly enjoyed his massage.
After a while, he suddenly said angrily, "Why are they like cockroaches? They keep hanging around in front of us unless we kill them instantly?! It's disgusting! Can't they just live their own lives? Why do they have to seek abuse?"
Cheng Yang didn't stop his hands and listened quietly to his wife's complaints.
Although Cheng Yang didn't quite understand some of what she said, such as who was that Xiaoqiang, he didn't ask, nor did he even agree.
He knew that what Xiao Ai needed now was not his advice, but an outlet to vent.
She can act omnipotent in front of outsiders, but he loves his own wife. Cheng Yang knows the pressure she is under, and he doesn't want Xiao Ai to act like this in front of him.
Sure enough, Xiao Ai complained a few times at the beginning, but then gradually became quiet.
She leaned silently in Cheng Yang's arms, put her face against his chest, and even took the initiative to put her arms around his waist, for a long time, without saying a word.
Silence returned to the room, and the two of them leaned against each other quietly. Although they didn't say a word, they seemed to draw strength from each other's bodies and felt inner peace at the same time.
Cheng Yang held Shi Xiaoai in his arms for who knows how long, until he felt her breathing had become steady, and then he carefully put her down on the bed.
He stared at the three people lying on the bed for a long time before quietly walking out of the room.
The next day, Xiao Ai got up at 5:30 as usual. What she didn't expect was that Cheng Yang had already steamed the rice by then.
"What time did you get up? Why did you get up so early? You don't need to steam this so early. It will be used at noon!" she said angrily.
Cheng Yang still smiled good-naturedly, and while loading things onto the tricycle, he said, "It's getting light now, and I couldn't sleep, so I got up and started steaming. Steam it early so you can save some work at noon. There are only a few stoves, and they can't be occupied all the time."
While they were talking, Cheng Lin came out of the room, rubbing his eyes. Seeing him, the couple almost shouted in unison, "Why are you up so early? Go back to sleep!"
Cheng Lin shook his head: "I can't sleep, so I get up and feel at ease."
After hearing what he said, neither of them said anything.
Wang Xiaofeng also came early because they had to go there to re-plan the work area today, so several people arrived at the stall before 6:30.
When they arrived, they found that the tent across the street had been set up, and two lines of large characters were sewn on the tent with red silk cloth. The larger line of characters on the top read: Lao Shi’s Snack Shop, and the slightly smaller line of characters on the bottom read: Only one store, no other branches.
The green tent with red silk cloth looks particularly eye-catching.
Looking at this line of words, the other three people all subconsciously looked at Shi Xiaoai.
At this time, Shi Xiaoai looked calm, as if she didn't feel anything at all.
Seeing this situation, the three of them immediately started doing their own things and no longer paid attention.
After they unloaded the things from the car, they started to make a fire and do various preparatory work.
Cheng Yang and Cheng Lin used the table they brought from home to separate a work area for the two of them in the shed, and then moved the tables and chairs that didn't fit inside and placed them outside the shed.
Shi Xiaoai and Wang Xiaofeng were busy in an orderly manner, one rolling out the dough and the other making steamed buns, just like they were at home.
Just when they were busy, Shi Daxi came with a group of people.
There were about ten people in the group, riding five or six bicycles, and two tricycles following behind them.
After they arrived, they first moved the things in the tricycle into the shed, and then set off a long string of firecrackers in front of the shed.
It was already seven o'clock, the time when the hospital was busiest in the morning. Such a lively scene naturally attracted many people to come and watch.
Facing the crowd's gaze, Shi Daxi seemed to be in a state of excitement.
He first had someone bring out two large placards from the shed, then pointed at the placards and shouted to the crowd, "Lao Shi's Snack Shop is opening with great luck! Big discounts! Buy two stone steamed buns, get one free! Buy more, get more! Flatbread and vegetable rolls are 20 cents a set, with a free side dish! Buy two sets, and get a free egg soup!"
When he shouted, all the onlookers were excited!
Buy two stone buns and get one free!
A set of flatbread with vegetable rolls costs only 20 cents, and comes with free side dishes and egg soup!
What kind of crazy price is this?!
Be aware that the stone buns and baked buns with vegetables at the Yunhe Tea Stall across the street are not only priced at one cent, but are also limited in quantity every day. If you go too late, you might not be able to buy them!
"It sounds cheap, but I don't know how it tastes." Someone muttered in the crowd.
A guy that Shi Daxi brought with him to help went straight into the shed and brought out a plate with stone buns broken into small pieces on it.
The waiter handed the plate to the man and said, "You can try it before you buy it. If it doesn't taste good, you don't have to pay!"
Free tasting!
This behavior once again caused a sensation among the people around.
The man tentatively picked up a piece and put it in his mouth to taste it, then nodded and said, "It tastes good, about the same as the one across the street."
As he spoke, he was about to reach out for the second piece.
The waiter brought the plate closer to him and shouted, "Is it delicious? This is authentic Lao Shi's stone steamed bun!"
He pointed towards Shi Daxi and said, "See? This is Master Shi's grandson, his true successor. Except for our old Shi's snack shop, everything else sold is fake, all knockoffs!"
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