flstandardbreds Chapter 128 Restaurant Opening
Chapter 128 Restaurant Opening
"Your second uncle's family has already separated and they don't usually come here to eat, so I didn't invite them over." Li Dajiang didn't dare to say this before, but now he dares to say it, because he is a juren now.
"Oh, so that's it." Zhang Wenbin was a little embarrassed, but did not ask them to come over.
Old Mrs. Li couldn't understand the meaning of their words. When she heard Zhang Wenbin mention the second brother's family, she curled her lips in displeasure.
A few days ago, she and Jiang went to the county town to show off to the second son, but instead of showing off, they lost dozens of coins. She was so angry that she wanted to vomit blood when she thought about it. She got nothing for the dozens of coins and just threw them away in vain.
"The second son's family does business in the county town and only comes back at night. Now that they are capable, what can they do to make tofu? This black-hearted family has been selling tofu for so long, but his mother didn't get to eat a single bite, and they even extorted dozens of dollars from me."
When Zhang Wenbin heard that Li Xiaoxiao was doing business in the county town, he immediately became interested.
"My second uncle's family seems to be quite kind. Is there any misunderstanding?"
"What a misunderstanding. Li Xiaoxiao is so evil-minded that he only bullies me, an old woman."
"Brother-in-law, you don't know that Li Xiaoxiao is good at hunting and doing business. Now that he has money, he doesn't take our Li family seriously and bullies us." Li Chengcai drank a glass of wine, sparing no effort to discredit Li Xiaoxiao.
"Oh, there's this as well."
"Of course. I grew up with Li Xiaoxiao. She is cruel, treacherous, and vindictive. We don't know how much our family has suffered at her hands." What Li Chengcai said at the end was true.
"Okay, that's enough. When you become successful, you must pay attention to your words and actions and never lose your identity." Li Dajiang frowned and scolded.
"Yes, Dad, I'll remember it." Li Chengcai immediately looked pleased.
Seeing this, Zhang Wenbin had no choice but to hold back the questions he was about to ask.
During the free time at noon, Zhang Wenbin still called Li Chengcai out and continued to ask him about Li Xiaoxiao's shop opening in the county town.
Li Chengcai was idle all day long. He knew a lot about Li Xiaoxiao's affairs, and even knew about the lawsuit between him and the manager Liu of Yuelai Restaurant.
When Li Dajiang was not yet a juren, Li Chengcai always called him Young Master Zhang Wenbin. Now that his father is a juren and is about to become an official, his status is the same as Zhang Wenbin's, so naturally he changed his address to brother-in-law.
"Chengcai, tell me about Li Xiaoxiao's matter. Why did she suddenly go to the county town to open a shop?" Zhang Wenbin's attitude towards him was naturally different from before. He understood that when the tide rises, the boats rise.
"About this matter?" Li Chengcai only said this one sentence and did not say anything else.
How could Zhang Wenbin not know about his little thoughts? He leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Tell me everything about Li Xiaoxiao, and I'll treat you to a drink at Yihonglou."
"Brother-in-law, considering our relationship, you are too polite." Li Chengcai said with a sly smile: "This is what happened..."
After a long while, Li Chengcai told the whole story, and at the end he added: "Li Xiaoxiao is very cruel. Yesterday, my grandmother went to her store and told them that my father passed the imperial examination. Li Xiaoxiao blackmailed her for eighty cents."
In the afternoon, Zhang Wenbin and Li Jiaojiao left. Old Mrs. Li looked through the things they brought one by one. The exquisite vase with emerald green patterns all over it was obviously top-quality porcelain. Old Mrs. Li simply couldn't let it go.
The fabric was of high-quality, with a smooth and delicate surface and bright colors. The old woman had never worn such good fabric in her life. Her eyes were wide open. It had to be her eldest son. Among her sons, he was the only one who earned so many good things.
Liu looked at her hopeless appearance from the side, wanting to say something but not daring to, and finally said: "Mother, this is just the beginning, there will be plenty of these things in the future, just wait and enjoy them."
Old Mrs. Li liked to hear this and she kept trying the fabric on her body.
In order to get more information about Li Xiaoxiao, Zhang Wenbin went to a brothel with Li Chengcai after returning home in the afternoon.
Before the scientific expedition, Zhang Wenbin suffered a great loss at the hands of Li Xiaoxiao, and he was determined to take revenge. Li Chengcai was the same as him, and the two had a common goal, so they hit it off immediately.
Li Xiaoxiao's restaurant opened. On the opening day, the business was packed. The restaurant she opened was different from other restaurants. It had a special dish, which was hot pot.
The reason for opening a hotpot restaurant is that all the restaurants in the county are similar and there is nothing new. If you open another one, it will just depend on the chef's skills.
It’s different in hot pot restaurants. Customers can order whatever they want, both meat and vegetarian. The soup bases come in different flavors: spicy, slightly spicy, clear soup, mushroom soup, and tomato.
The guests were eager to try this new way of eating and called three or five friends to come together. Li Xiaoxiao put a lot of effort into the taste and it received unanimous praise after tasting, especially the spicy hot pot, which was loved by customers.
Even though the weather is hot in summer, it cannot stop the guests’ love for hotpot. Everyone eats with their mouths drooling. They come with interest and leave with satisfaction.
As for the pot, Li Xiaoxiao had a completely customized double-flavored pot made of pure copper with exquisite workmanship. The charcoal box was made into a drawer-style box with a round hole on it. The pot could be placed directly on it. When the guests had finished eating, they would take the pot away and then cover the hole with the lid and take it out to dump it out. This way, the room could be kept clean.
This place was packed with people, while Yuelai Restaurant had only one table. Manager Liu ran to the door from time to time, looking at the people coming and going in Li Xiaoxiao's restaurant. He was so angry that he gritted his teeth, but he could do nothing about it.
He used silver to suppress the lawsuit between him and Li Xiaoxiao, so the main store in Beijing didn't know what happened on his side and made a plaque and hung it up overnight.
The issue of the plaque could be settled with money, but ever since that incident, the store's business has become increasingly deserted, with long-time customers coming less and less frequently, and some even not coming at all.
This matter had already made Manager Liu very anxious, and today when he saw that the business across the street was so good, it was like adding fuel to the fire, making him feel uneasy.
This is the scene that Li Chengcai and Zhang Wenbin saw when they arrived. Li Xiaoxiao was standing at the door of the store to greet customers. Because it was the first day of opening, Li Xiaoxiao wore new clothes. The pink clothes and the confident smile on her face made Zhang Wenbin stare at her in a daze.
"Ahem." Li Chengcai coughed twice when he saw his look, and Zhang Wenbin came back to his senses. She was really beautiful, but she was also very evil-minded. He was destined to not be able to control such a woman.
"Brother-in-law, you are fascinated again."