Chapter 43: The Great Aunt's Ambition
  On the fourth day, the "Youth Restaurant" reopened, this time with a brand new sign proclaiming "New Product, Today's Special."

  Coupled with Fang Qing and Wen Ling's promotional efforts in class, scores of students flocked to the restaurant after lunch to try this mysterious new product.

  The braised noodles were an instant hit. The chewy noodles, mingled with the aroma of beans and meat, drizzled with chili and garlic sauce, instantly captivated the students. Students rushed to reserve dinner, and the restaurant became bustling again.

  Surrounding businesses gnashed their teeth at the sight, but it was the other party's responsibility to introduce new products and attract customers; they could only watch helplessly.

  Several shop owners decided that since the new product was so good, they would copy it.

  Soon, other shops followed suit. While they still lost some customers, the Fang family's braised noodles were still good, so their business remained respectable.

  But my aunt couldn't stand the disgusting faces around her, and she lost all motivation to work. A few days later, she took leave to return home to farm.

  With my aunt gone, Fang's mother was left alone in the shop. Seeing her mother tapping her shoulder with exhaustion after class, Fang Qing felt deeply distressed. She decided to change the shop's hours, limiting them to just five hours a day, from noon to 5 p.m., to give her more time to rest.

  Seeing her move, Fang's mother immediately stopped her. "Qingqing, our shop's business is just picking up, why are you suddenly shortening your hours? You're just sabotaging yourself!"

  Fang Qing remembered a term she'd read in a book called hunger marketing. She whispered the principle into her mother's ear and assured her that she'd better prepare more braised noodles tomorrow.

  Although skeptical, Fang's mother still prepared fifty extra boxes. When the doors opened at noon, the students lining up outside rushed in, each buying two or three boxes. By the time the students had left, only a dozen or so boxes were left.

  Fang's mother was both tired and excited. "This is really weird! How come even though I'm hungry, more people are buying things? Oh, I don't understand, they're just hungry people..."

  The braised noodles made Qingchun Restaurant famous. No matter how the surrounding shops tried to attract customers, the line outside the Qingchun Restaurant kept growing.

  One day, after getting off work, my aunt Wang Huizheng was passing by the street near No. 1 Middle School after buying vegetables at the market. She saw a long line outside a restaurant from a distance. Out of curiosity, my aunt Wang Huizheng stopped the car and stood behind the line, asking people around while waiting in line.

  "Hey, sir, what are you selling? Why are there so many people lining up?"

  The aunt pointed inside with an aluminum basin in her hand. "This restaurant is new. Their braised noodles and rice bowls are great, but they're owned by just one person, so they only serve them for a limited time each day. If you're late, they'll be gone! You're here today, but you won't be able to buy them after the students get out of class!"

  The aunt lost interest when she heard what kind of rice and braised noodles they were. She might be interested in other things, but when it comes to braised noodles, she only admires the cooking skills of her second brother's wife. Although the two of them don't get along, the cooking skills of her second brother's wife are indeed superb.

  Wang Huizheng felt it was boring and was about to turn around and leave, but suddenly he saw a group of students running over from a distance, led by his niece Fang Qing.

  Wang Huizheng curled his lips. This girl really spends money recklessly. Her family is so poor that they are starving, but she is still willing to go out to eat! What a spendthrift.

  But as Wang Huizheng was watching, Fang Qing skillfully pulled the side door open and went in. Then, while putting on clean gloves, aprons and hats, she greeted the people in line to get numbers to get braised noodles.

  Wang Huizheng felt a little relieved. This was right. She studied hard and worked to supplement the family income. It seemed that this girl had made some progress.

  Just as she was condescendingly imagining the second wife's miserable future, Fang's mother suddenly emerged from inside. "Qingqing, we're out of vinegar! Go buy two bottles!"

  Wang Huizheng was stunned. She rushed over, pushing through the queue and trying to squeeze in. "Liu Chunxia! It's you?"

  But before she could even take a step inside, several people queuing at the door forcefully pushed her out. "Go to the back of the line! Who are you? You look so respectable, why are you cutting in line?"

  Wang Huizheng was pointed at and jeered at by the people around her. She was stunned for a moment before she realized that the second wife's plan to open a restaurant was true, and they had actually opened one! Business was booming!

  How could this be possible? Didn't they say they had already carried so many pickles? How could they still afford a restaurant?

  They must have been stashing money!

  Wang Huizheng gritted her teeth as she stared at the bustling shop, her face twisted with jealousy.

  Want to make money and turn your life around? Want to live a good life away from us? Humph! Just wait and see!

  Wang Huizheng grabbed the bag from the ground, hopped on his bike, and quickly returned home. He exaggerated everything he had seen today and told Mrs. Fang all at once.

  "Mom, didn't you see the line? It stretched all the way to the central square! They're doing so well, they must be making a lot of money! Mom, even though we've split up the family business, you're still their mother. How can they keep the shop all to themselves? You should at least get a share..."

  Mrs. Fang lay in her rocking chair, her eyes closed, listening to her eldest daughter-in-law's complaints without taking them to heart.

  "Hui Zheng, you should always examine yourself and look for problems within yourself instead of always focusing on other people's little piece of land! What others do is their freedom. I'm just an old lady and I can't control so much. You should also save yourself the trouble!"

  Wang Hui Zheng didn't expect the old lady to say that. His eyes suddenly turned a little aggrieved. "Mom, am I doing this for myself? I'm doing this for your consideration! The second son's family bought a house without saying a word. I heard from the third son that the house and the land are very beautiful. How much did it cost? That's not all. Now they've opened a restaurant. With the money they borrowed, can they do so many things?
  I don't believe it! They must have been secretly saving money before, just waiting for the family division to get rid of you so that they can live a luxurious life!"

  Seeing that the old lady seemed touched, she immediately became excited, "Mom, think about it, you only ask them for thirty yuan a month, and now they are big bosses, isn't thirty too little? You should give you at least one hundred a month..."

  One hundred?
  The old lady finally opened her eyes, and the Buddhist beads in her circus stopped spinning. She slowly sat up and stretched out her hand to her eldest daughter-in-law, "What you said does make some sense. However, the second son's monthly salary is only a few dozen yuan, and it suddenly increased to one hundred. Is this... appropriate?"

  "It's appropriate, of course! You are their mother, and it is their duty to respect their parents! Not to mention one hundred a month, even two hundred a month, they can afford it!"

  The old lady stood up, looked out the window for a long time without saying a word, and finally sighed.

  "I'll do as you say!"

  (End of this chapter)