Chapter 41 Preparing to Open the Shop 2
  Fang Qing ran back to her room and pulled out a long menu. Fang's mother took it and looked at it. "What are these dishes? I've never heard of any of them!"

  Fang Qing slapped her forehead. How could she have forgotten all this?

  These dishes were all about to appear over a decade later, and were currently only available in large restaurants. She wrote them down from memory and then went to the library to research numerous recipes before finally finalizing the recipes.

  Explaining this to her mother proved cumbersome, so Fang Qing simply claimed he'd learned them from books. However, Fang's mother remained unconvinced. She took the menu and took her aunt to the market to buy a bunch of vegetables. After tinkering with the dishes at home for several days, she finally gained confidence.

  Daya took a bite of the Longmen eggplant with her chopsticks, her mouth full of oil. "Delicious! This eggplant is even more fragrant than meat. Auntie, you cook it so well!"

  Fang's mother, buoyed by the compliment, took Fang Qing and began to think about the dish combinations again.

  March is approaching, and the Fang family's new house has been renovated. The restaurant has also been cleaned, and they are just waiting for the staff and equipment to arrive before they can open the store.

  Fang's father found an old man, calculated a good day, and moved the family there. The uncle and the younger brother-in-law also came to help carry the furniture. The family was busy all day, and finally moved everything there before dark.

  The uncle stood in front of the spacious and bright new house with a face full of envy, "Brother, your house is great! The last time you brought me to see it, it was still shabby, but in just one month, it has become like a new house! Brother, how much did it cost you? You can't live like this?"

  Fang's father looked at the renovated house in front of him with his hands behind his back and breathed a sigh of relief. For the first time in such a long time, he felt that it was right to listen to his daughter's advice and completely renovate the house.

  "You don't understand. Your sister-in-law and I have been married for so many years, and we've never complained about anything, even if we don't own jewelry, a house, or decent furniture. This is our first house, so of course we have to make it great. We have to live our lives, but this house also has to be comfortable. Let's go inside and take a look. Qingqing hired a master to design the interior. I guarantee there's no other house in Jingtan County with a decor like mine."

  The old uncle seemed unconvinced and strode into the house. As the double wooden doors at the front entrance swung open, Fang Deli was stunned.

  In the spacious room, two rows of cream-colored fabric sofas sat in the center, a wooden tea table in the middle, two large-leafed green plants in the back, and a row of wooden bookcases lined the wall, already filled with books.

  Warm marble floors covered the entire room, while the walls were pristine white. A simple ceiling light punctuated the stepped ceiling. The sun was shining brightly, filtering through the thin curtains and instantly warming the room.

  Aside from the boiler room, the other rooms shared the same decor, with floor-to-ceiling wooden sliding doors creating a sense of airiness. Even the kitchen was fitted with marble countertops, topped with a brand new gas stove and the latest range hood…

  The older uncle was increasingly amazed and envious as he looked at it. “Second brother, do you have any spare rooms? I’d love to live with you guys. Can I pay the rent?”

  Fang’s father smiled and handed over a cigarette. “Ask your sister-in-law. If she agrees, I’ll have no objection. But you can’t be like before, constantly bringing those scoundrels home. Watch out, your sister-in-law will smack you with a broom.”

  Fang Deli quickly waved his hand. “That can’t be done. The past was the past. Who would be willing to waste such a nice house?”

  For the first meal in the new home, Fang’s mother showed off her cooking skills, cooking a large table of delicious dishes to entertain the friends and family who came to help with the move. It was also a good opportunity to spread the news of the store opening, hoping they would come and support it.

  Everyone was amazed by the colorful dishes on the table.

  "Sister-in-law, where did you learn to cook? I've only seen these dishes at wedding banquets at the county guesthouse. I didn't realize you were such a great chef!"

  Fang's mother was a little embarrassed. "No way, if my cooking isn't good, please don't despise me."

  Everyone drank their wine, marveling at each other, but each had their own plans.

  ...

  Sandagou Village, Jingtan County.

  In a house at the east end of the village, a middle-aged woman with a bandage on her head was lying on the kang, wrapped in a torn quilt. Perhaps because of the pain from the head injury, the woman couldn't sleep well and groaned from time to time.

  Suddenly, there was a rapid knock on the door, startling the woman on the kang and making her sit up.

  "Who, who is it?"

  But before she could ask who was outside, the broken wooden door of the yard was kicked open, and several men with dark faces walked in.

  "Sister-in-law Wang Er, why are you back...? You didn't even say hello to us?"

  A bald man walked in through the crowd with a cigarette in his mouth. Seeing the sick woman on the kang, he twisted his mouth and said, "Oh, it seems that this job is not easy. Sister-in-law Wang Er even has a wound on her head?"

  The middle-aged woman called Sister-in-law Wang Er turned pale as if she had seen a ghost when she saw the bald man. She shivered, lifted the quilt, and quickly got off the bed, holding the edge of the kang. Then she knelt and crawled forward a few steps, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

  "Boss Cheng, it's not that I didn't tell you, it's just that I didn't get the goods this time. You are a magnanimous person. Can you give me some more time for my diligence in the past? I will definitely deliver the goods as soon as possible..."

  Baldy Cheng squinted his eyes and scratched his shiny head, "Didn't get the goods? Didn't you say you had everything ready? How could you fail? Hiss~ah! This is not like your style..."

  Mrs. Wang Er on the ground raised her head aggrievedly, "Indeed, everything was ready, and we took the goods away as planned, but who would have thought that something went wrong during the retreat...

  I "We ran into this idiot who chased me for two miles straight! My old bones are almost falling apart! I thought I'd be fine once I crossed the river, but she kept following me. Not only did she steal the goods, she also knocked me unconscious with a rock... Look at this injury, it's still not fully healed. If I hadn't been quick-witted, I'd be in the hands of the cops!"

  Baldy Cheng rolled his eyes at the old woman on the ground and took a deep breath. "You useless thing! Even such a detailed plan failed. I don't think you want this month's medicine!"

  Hearing the word "medicine", the old woman immediately crawled over on her knees as if she had been injected with chicken blood, grabbed Cheng Baldy's pants and begged non-stop.

  "Boss Cheng, please, I really tried my best. No one knew this would happen. Please, give me another chance. This time I promise to deliver the goods on time! Boss Cheng, please don't withhold my medicine... I can't live without medicine..."

  Cheng Baldy looked at Wang Er's wife lying on the ground in a mess, and took a few steps back in disgust. "It's not impossible to give you medicine, but you have to bring back two this time, otherwise, don't blame me for turning my back on you!"

  Then he took out a small brown paper bag from his arms and threw it at his feet.

  "Remember your words."

  Wang Er's wife rushed over and grabbed the paper bag, her eyes full of crazy laughter...

  (End of this chapter)