Xiao Rui originally wanted to continue her performance, but her stomach started to ache again.
The piercing pain made beads of sweat break out on her forehead.
Despite her reluctance, she had no choice but to rush off, clutching her stomach.
Before she ran away, she didn't forget to glare at her father.
She was now firmly convinced that her stomachache was caused by eating bad ice cream.
Seeing his daughter run off holding her stomach, Xiao Rui's father couldn't bother with anything else and quickly called out to chase after her.
Shen Zizhen had not spoken a word, but he saw all these silent actions.
Shen Zizhen shook his head helplessly.
This father and daughter were truly bizarre.
How could people who were completely unrelated cause so much trouble?
Having lived for so many years, he had never met such people.
Shen Zizhen had no idea.
This matter, to put it simply, was a case of beauty causing trouble.
Xiao Rui, that young girl, was instantly captivated by Chi Yiyuan's handsome looks, wishing she could go directly to Chi Yiyuan's house.
Su Xiaotian didn't intend to focus too much on irrelevant people. She slightly lifted the box she was holding.
"Let's go home. I bought ice cream for the others at home too."
Shen Zizhen looked at the ice cream in his hand, then at the ice cream in everyone else's hands, and silently calculated how much money Su Xiaotian had spent.
He had some idea of the price of ice cream.
These were probably five yuan each. For the seven of them, that was thirty-five yuan.
Su Xiaotian said she bought some for everyone at home, and there were definitely quite a few in this box.
Thinking of this, Shen Zizhen's gaze towards Su Xiaotian shifted slightly.
This child actually carried over a hundred yuan with her?
The Su family was truly at ease letting a child carry so much money.
After the group returned, Su Xiaotian indeed took out ice cream for everyone.
Grandma Su chided Su Xiaotian for spending money carelessly, but it was only a few words of complaint.
Su Shouwen and the others had lived in the capital for over a year, but they were reluctant to spend money, so this was their first time eating ice cream.
Su Ciliang held the ice cream in his hand, reluctant to take a bite.
Seeing him like this, Su Cong couldn't help but ask curiously, "Second Brother, you're holding it and looking at it, can you see a flower?"
He had already eaten half of his.
He couldn't help it; it was too fragrant, too sweet, cool, and truly delicious.
He had never eaten anything so delicious in his life.
"It's too beautiful, I can't bear to bite into it," Su Ciliang still held it in his hand and looked at it repeatedly. "I wonder how these flowers are made."
Su Xiaotian smiled.
"Second Brother, eat it quickly, or it will melt."
Su Ciliang finally realized that ice cream, like popsicles, would melt if left out for too long.
"Second Brother, the flowers on the birthday cake are much more beautiful than these on the ice cream. We'll buy a birthday cake another day, and you can look at it carefully then."
As Su Xiaotian said this, she actually felt a little sorry for her brothers.
Not for this life, but for the previous life that existed in her memory.
In her past life, her brothers doted on her and loved her, but they were unwilling to eat or wear things themselves. Her second brother only ate a small piece of birthday cake for the first time when he was over thirty.
At that time, his expression was something she couldn't forget even after two lifetimes.
Thinking of this, Su Xiaotian felt a pang of sadness.
Fortunately, fortunately, everything was developing in a good direction.
Her second brother was now attending university, majoring in fine arts, and heard that his grades were very good.
In the future, her second brother must continue his studies and learning. She believed that her second brother would become someone who would bring beauty and love to the world!
Su Ciliang was unaware of Su Xiaotian's thoughts.
But he knew that the birthday cake Su Xiaotian mentioned was very expensive.
A classmate in their class was from the capital, and for his birthday, he bought a birthday cake and spent a lot of money.
Their family was from the countryside, and their income was too little to afford a birthday cake.
"Xiaotian, I don't want a birthday cake. Didn't you forget what your second brother does? Your second brother draws. What beautiful things are there not under his brush?"
Su Xiaotian's heart ached even more at Su Ciliang's words.
This was her brother, her good brother!
No matter how difficult things were, her brothers had always doted on her, their sister, without fail.
In both her past and present lives, it had never changed!
Shen Zizhen was originally wondering how much money Su Xiaotian had.
But seeing that everyone in the Su family looked so calm, as if this was completely normal, he didn't ask further, assuming that the Su family really gave Su Xiaotian so much money.
Shen Zizhen had no idea that the Su family members weren't reacting much because they didn't know how expensive ice cream was, only thinking it was similar to popsicles.
Moreover, Grandma Su had blind faith in Su Xiaotian!
************
By the time Su Xiaotian and the others finished their exams, it was already mid-August. In about ten days, school would start.
Their exam results would be released on the first day of school, and then they would be admitted based on their exam scores!
Meanwhile, Yiming Xuan had been renovated according to Su Xiaotian's original design.
Su Xiaotian also persuaded Liang Xiu and Grandma Su to hire four waiters and two kitchen staff.
At the beginning of the opening, these few people should be enough.
Grandma Su was very distressed.
"Our family is enough, why do we need to hire people? The wages are so high, I don't know if this restaurant can earn back this money."
"What if all the money earned goes to the waiters, and I've worked for nothing?"
Listening to Grandma Su's rambling words, Su Xiaotian couldn't help but laugh. "Grandma, this isn't a small restaurant, it's a stylish restaurant. We definitely can't rely on you and Mom to be busy in and out."
Su Manxiu nodded in agreement with Su Xiaotian's words. "Mother, just listen to Xiaotian, this child makes sense."
"Exactly, we need to look forward. I'll train these waiters," Yu Ruiyuan immediately took on the task.
"What kind of training is needed? Isn't it just serving dishes? Don't they know how to do it without training?" Grandma Su asked with wide eyes, puzzled.
Yu Ruiyuan smiled.
"Oh, Auntie, let me tell you, serving dishes is different from serving dishes." Su Taohua couldn't help but smile too.
Su Manxiu nodded. "Mother, it is different. I saw it when I was in the south. Those waiters wore uniforms and moved gracefully, which was a pleasure to behold."
"People come to a restaurant to eat, not to look at people!" Grandma Su still felt that this was unreliable.
In a nice restaurant, having some flashy people serve dishes, were guests supposed to look at people or eat?
Su Xiaotian laughed heartily.
"Grandma, the ancients said that beautiful sights can be eaten. If our waiters are high-class, it will make our Yiming Xuan high-class. It's our facade, just like the plaque Grandpa Chi hung outside."
Grandma Su didn't understand and still felt it was unnecessary. Her ideal restaurant was for her to cook in the kitchen, her husband to peel onions and garlic and wash vegetables, and Liang Xiu to be busy serving and clearing plates, as well as wiping tables.
Yes, it was like this, the family busily working together to get by.
But now, why had it become like this?
Finally, after some discussion, they took Grandma Su to eat Peking duck.
After witnessing it, Grandma Su was so shocked she couldn't believe her eyes.
So, there really were restaurants like they said.
Even though Grandma Su was still somewhat resistant, she still hired a few tall and slender waitresses according to everyone else's wishes.
These waitresses, under Yu Ruiyuan's skilled guidance, were very different from their initial appearance, their image and temperament improving.
These waitresses wore shirts and short skirts, the clothes made by Su Taohua.
Su Taohua's tailoring skills were quite good. Su Xiaotian described the style she had in mind and gestured, and Su Taohua actually made it.
However, Grandma Su had an opinion again.
What was it like for good young girls to wear short skirts with their bare legs showing?
This time, she didn't say it in front of everyone, but quietly pulled Su Xiaotian into the room to talk.
"Xiaotian, the clothes you made are not very good. We are doing legitimate business, don't let people think that we opened this restaurant to sell ourselves!"
Su Xiaotian almost choked when she heard Grandma Su's words.
What did Grandma mean by selling themselves?
Then, Su Xiaotian understood what Grandma Su meant.
"Grandma, our clothes are very normal."
The skirts were not short; although they were short skirts, they reached the knees.
"What's normal about it? When have you ever seen a good family's daughter dressed like this?" Grandma Su said disdainfully.
If it weren't for Su Xiaotian's design, Grandma Su would have scolded her.
Su Xiaotian suddenly felt that communication with her grandmother seemed to be problematic since coming to the capital.
"Grandma, don't we see many people wearing skirts on the street?"
"That's different. Besides, people on the street wearing skirts are different from us. We are a business establishment."
Grandma Su still held her stubborn opinion.
Su Xiaotian could only patiently persuade her and guarantee that anyone who saw it would not think that this was a place for improper business.
Grandma Su always doted on Su Xiaotian, and when facing Su Xiaotian, she could only compromise again and again.
This time was no different.
But Su Xiaotian also realized that her grandmother's ingrained thinking needed to be changed through subtle influence.
She began to find ways to show Grandma Su some different things.
At the same time, Su Xiaotian also told Grandma Su about several dishes she learned from the book "Mountain Dwelling Offerings" and asked Grandma Su to try making them.
To be honest, Grandma Su indeed had a talent for cooking. After trying three or four times according to the recipes Su Xiaotian provided, a dish with perfect color, aroma, and taste was successfully made.
"Grandma, you're amazing! You were wasted all these years in Hongxin Brigade!" Su Xiaotian couldn't help but flatter her.
Grandma Su glared at Su Xiaotian reproachfully.
"You child, when did you become a flatterer!"
"Grandma, I'm telling the truth. Tell me, with your cooking skills, aren't they better than the dishes at the Peking duck restaurant?"
When they went to the Peking duck restaurant, they also ordered several dishes. Grandma Su said after returning home that the taste of those dishes could be even better.
Therefore, Su Xiaotian brought it up now.
Grandma Su said confidently, "I've tried those dishes too. With simple adjustments, the taste can be much better."
"Grandma, why are you so good at cooking?" Su Xiaotian sighed.
Grandma Su was silent for a moment and said, "When I was young, my father taught me how to cook, and I learned it after watching. My father also said I had talent and that if it weren't for what happened, with my talent, I would have had a great future."
This was the first time Grandma Su had mentioned her past.
For so many years, Grandma Su seemed to have no relatives at all. In any case, Su Xiaotian had never seen Grandma Su's relatives.
"Grandma, what kind of person was Great-Grandfather?" Su Xiaotian asked curiously.
"I don't know. When my father passed away, I was only in my teens. When I reached Hongxin Brigade, oh, it wasn't called Hongxin Brigade then, it was called Sujiawan. Anyway, when I got here, he fell ill, and I don't know how he and your Great-Grandfather discussed it, but after he left, I stayed in Sujiawan. Later, I married your grandfather and lived most of my life!"
Grandma Su recalled slightly, but couldn't remember much.
Su Xiaotian clearly hadn't expected such a story. This meant that Grandma wasn't from here, and Great-Grandfather was skilled in cooking.
This was no wonder Grandma's cooking skills were so good.
"Grandma, didn't Great-Grandfather leave you any recipe books?" Su Xiaotian couldn't help but be curious again.
If it was family heirloom cooking skills, shouldn't there be secret recipe books?
Grandma Su smiled reproachfully and said, "What are you thinking, child? Where would such things be? I still remember when I was a child, my father said that all recipes are not limited by form. How to pair them, how to bring out the original flavor of the ingredients, depends on the cook's careful experience."
Su Xiaotian nodded. "What Great-Grandfather said is true. Even with the same recipe, two people will make dishes that taste different!"
"For all these years, we couldn't even afford to eat, so I didn't think about making any good dishes. Fortunately, things have gotten better in the last two years, otherwise my cooking skills would have really been wasted!"
Liang Xiu was listening from the side.
She sank deep into inferiority.
Her mother-in-law was capable, and her daughter was smart. She felt useless in between.
Forget it, as her daughter said, diligence can make up for lack of talent. She wasn't smart, but learning diligently from her mother-in-law was fine.
Liang Xiu didn't have much talent in cooking, but fortunately, she was hardworking and had a strong spirit of learning.
Following Grandma Su, she had learned several very impressive dishes in these days.
Su Xiaotian didn't know what cuisine Grandma Su's dishes belonged to, but they tasted good, and that was enough.
In the blink of an eye, it was the day Su family's Yiming Xuan opened.
When the restaurant was first planned, it was scheduled to open at the same time as the students started school.
However, later, after privately consulting a master, the master said that it would be best to set the date three days before school started, as this date was very auspicious. Otherwise, it could be set seven days after school started, which was also a good date.
Ultimately, because everything went smoothly and many preparations were completed in advance, the family discussed and decided to set the opening date for this day.
Grandma Su regretted that her eldest son, second son, eldest daughter-in-law, and second daughter-in-law had not come to the capital to participate in the major event of opening a family restaurant.
Fortunately, the children from both families were present, which made Grandma Su feel a little better.
Although Grandma Su doted on Su Xiaotian, it was only in small matters. In important matters, Grandma Su was always a sensible old lady and would not do things unfairly.
It was also because of Grandma Su's consistent style that the Su family had maintained unity and friendship for so many years.
【Author's Note】
It was too late last night, so I couldn't add an extra update. I'll make up for it this morning! Babies, Happy Lantern Festival!