novelraw Chapter 72 Let's open a hot pot restaurant!
Chapter 72 Let's open a hot pot restaurant!
Looking at the original owner's renovation in front of me.
The room is decorated in a sophisticated European style, with a dark brown leather sofa, a walnut coffee table, and several ink paintings hanging on the wall.
Is this the kind of style that Li Mingyao has been liking lately, but with some softer details?
A hand-woven blanket was draped over the sofa, fresh white roses were placed on the coffee table, and a faint citrus scent filled the air.
Li Shuo's lips curled up slightly; this was clearly not something his father could have done.
In the direction of the open kitchen, a figure was bending over and tidying something up.
The person must have heard the door open, because they straightened up.
She looked to be in her late twenties, but Li Shuo knew she was actually over thirty.
The woman wore a beige knitted cardigan over a simple black dress, with a thin leather belt around her waist.
Her hair was loosely tied back, revealing a section of her fair neck.
She has the delicate features of a girl from a modest family, with smiling, curved eyebrows and eyes, but the corners of her eyes are slightly upturned, giving her an inner charm mixed with a touch of competence.
You know what, their demeanor and height difference... actually make them quite a good match for her dad, Li Mingyao, who's 1.9 meters tall and has a rather domineering presence.
She was holding a rag in her hand, clearly cleaning carefully.
Hearing the door open, I thought to myself, "Didn't you say you were going to pick up your son?"
She turned around with a playful smile and saw Li Shuo!
For a moment, her movements froze.
"Xiao Shuo is here..." Her voice sounded a little unnatural, and she subconsciously hid the rag in her hand behind her back.
"Xiao Shuo, don't misunderstand. This is to help you prepare for moving in and clean the house. Brother Mingyao... why didn't you tell me beforehand? Did you tell Xiao Shuo in advance?"
She was speaking to Li Mingyao, but she didn't dare look at him. She just glanced around the living room in a flustered manner, and finally her eyes landed on the bag on the coffee table.
"I...I just came to check if the house is missing anything...I'll be leaving now, you two should get some rest..."
As she spoke, she quickly walked to the sofa, picked up a classic CF bag from the coffee table, and seemed to be in a hurry to leave.
Li Mingyao stood at the door, unsure of what to say, and could only look at his son.
Li Shuo didn't move; he just stood in the entryway, watching the flustered woman.
Qin Yu.
Back when my father was setting up his "vegetable market" business all over the country, I was a factory worker from Chongqing working in a small factory in Guangdong.
Because the food at the factory was so bad... she showed off her excellent cooking skills honed since childhood, offering to pay for the groceries so she could cook for her colleagues after finishing her own work and earn some extra living expenses.
However, because of her good looks, she was harassed by thugs in the vegetable market... but Li Mingyao, who was there to discuss business opportunities, helped her out.
After a while, she quit her job and then insisted on joining Li Mingyao's team.
Later, she followed her father to run the market and build channels, transforming from a clueless little girl into a capable assistant who could stand on her own.
Three years ago, I started my own business and opened several mid-to-high-end restaurants around the cities my father had set up. I heard the business is doing well.
She stayed by her father's side throughout the years he fell ill.
After her father passed away, she would visit his grave every year during the Qingming Festival and would occasionally send messages to Li Shuo to inquire about his well-being.
But he didn't reply to any of them.
However, this year, she will be implicated in a wild animal smuggling case and get into trouble...
But she preferred to sell several of her best-performing stores to settle the matter without telling her father.
"Alright, Aunt Qin."
Li Shuo spoke, his voice quite calm.
Qin Yu's hand paused on the bag strap.
"The food in first class on American airplanes is terrible, I'm starving."
Li Shuo casually changed into slippers and walked inside. As he passed the coffee table, he picked up an apple and weighed it in his hand.
"I remember you made me a few Sichuan and Chongqing stir-fries back in Beijing, but I didn't appreciate them then. Now I really love that flavor. Would you mind making something simple for me today? It wouldn't be too much trouble, would it?"
Qin Yu was stunned.
She stood there, still clutching the bag strap, her eyes wide, looking at Li Shuo and then at Li Mingyao, as if she hadn't understood what he meant.
Li Mingyao was also stunned for a moment, but quickly realized what was going on.
He grinned and waved to Qin Yu.
"What are you standing there for! Go cook!"
Qin Yu exclaimed "Ah!" before snapping out of her daze.
She loosened her grip, tossing the Chanel bag aside, and her local accent returned: "Alright! It'll be done soon. Xiao Shuo, you and your dad rest for a bit, that'll be perfect!"
As she spoke, she turned and went into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator, taking out vegetables, and washing pots. Her movements were so quick and efficient that she didn't seem like a sophisticated female boss with a modest net worth, someone who should be cooking for herself.
Li Shuo sat down on the sofa, and Li Mingyao handed him an orange.
"Want some?"
"Um."
The father and son sat there, watching the figure bustling about in the kitchen.
In less than forty minutes, three dishes and a soup were served.
This was only after Li Shuo stopped him and said he had said enough.
A plate of stir-fried pork, with thinly and evenly sliced pork, coated with the vibrant green garlic sprouts in the red oil of fermented bean paste.
A plate of Mapo Tofu, the tofu is tender yet firm, generously sprinkled with Sichuan peppercorn powder, steaming hot and fragrant.
A plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, vibrant green and fresh.
Finally, there was a bowl of egg drop tomato soup with who knows how many eggs on it...
Qin Yu took off her apron, stood by the table, and looked at Li Shuo with some anticipation.
"The vegetables in the fridge are all from my grocery shopping today. I have most of the ingredients. I wanted to cook a few more, but I was worried you'd have to wait too long... Try them, and if you like them, I'll cook some more of my signature dishes tomorrow..."
Li Shuo picked up his chopsticks and took a slice of twice-cooked pork.
The moment the slice of meat entered his mouth, Qin Yu stared intently at him.
His eyes looked as nervous as a student waiting for their grades.
Li Shuo chewed twice.
Then, he picked up the bowl and began to frequently pick up food and shovel rice into his mouth.
"Mmm~" He smiled at Qin Yu with his mouth full and nodded vigorously.
Qin Yu's eyes lit up immediately. She turned to look at Li Mingyao, her eyes crinkling with laughter.
Li Mingyao laughed, thinking of picking up a piece of twice-cooked pork, but the woman slapped his hand and glared at him.
"Xiao Shuo, eat more, eat more!"
Qin Yu even pushed the twice-cooked pork towards Li Shuo.
Li Shuo ate in silence.
It's not an act.
This dish is really well made; the cooking time and seasoning are just right, much better than those restaurants outside.
No wonder... One of the essential elements for running a restaurant business is either knowing how to eat or knowing how to cook!
When Li Mingyao was about to get more rice from the empty bowl, Qin Yu snatched the bowl from him.
"You sit down, you sit down, I'll do it!"
Li Shuo didn't stop him, and with Qin Yutian's second bowl of rice, he finished off most of the three dishes.
Finally, after putting down the bowl and chopsticks, a glass of water was conveniently available nearby.
He picked it up and took a sip; it was just the right temperature, neither too hot nor too cold.
He put down the cup before noticing that Qin Yu was about to start tidying up.
Li Shuo put the cup down.
"Aunt Qin, don't rush to pack up, I want to discuss something with you."
Qin Yu was taken aback for a moment: "Huh?"
"Your plan for the mid-to-high-end restaurant business is quite good, but you should stop doing the wild game business."
Qin Yu paused, her hand holding the soup bowl still.
Somewhat confused, he asked, "Why are you suddenly bringing this up... Is there something wrong?"
Upon hearing this, Li Mingyao's expression changed, and he became somewhat angry!
"I told you that's 'inappropriate' stuff, you can't touch it! Are you still taking orders for that kind of thing in your shop? It'll cause trouble sooner or later, stop immediately!"
Qin Yu felt a little guilty... and pursed her lips.
"Okay~ Xiao Shuo already said it, I'll tell the marketing and purchasing departments to stop selling wild game tomorrow."
Li Shuo then spoke up again, proposing an arrangement he had recently thought of that he could work on.
"Aunt Qin, I'd like to partner with you to open a hot pot restaurant nationwide."
Qin Yu put down the empty plate of food she had just picked up, blinked, and blinked again.
Li Mingyao also turned to look at his son, equally puzzled.
You're an artist, aren't you? How come you're suddenly interested in the restaurant industry?
Qin Yu's expression changed from confusion to seriousness.
She looked at Li Shuo, the woman who had been so nervous just moments before, now had clear and bright eyes.
"Making hot pot?"
She didn't act like a seasoned veteran and start by saying, "You're too young to do business, you don't understand," but instead thought about it very seriously.
"What model? What's the positioning? How much investment is involved?"
Li Shuo smiled.
This is the Qin Yu who could fight alongside his father to build an empire.
"Yes, let's make hot pot. I'm sure the broth recipe won't be a problem for you, Aunt Qin. I already have the business model, and I've even thought of a name."
He paused, looking into Qin Yu's eyes.
"Let's call it... 'Haidilao'."