Chapter 384: Chapter 385

The time for the foreign language competition arrived, and instead of going with her school, Xu Ying was taken to Shanghai by Huo Chen in his car.

The shop was left in the hands of Wang Fucheng and Zhang Hongxia.

Driving didn’t compare to taking the train, but they still made it by evening.

As soon as they pulled up to the Zhou family’s doorstep and turned off the engine, Old Man Zhou and Old Lady Zhou supported each other as they came out. Their eyes lit up at the sight of their grandchildren, “Chen, Yingying, your room is all ready for you, hurry back home.”

After she finished speaking, Old Lady Zhou realized it was so late, and driving the car, they must not have had dinner, so she called Aunt Zhou, “Eldest Son’s wife, make a bowl of noodles for Chen and Yingying to eat.”

Aunt Zhou responded quickly and dashed to the kitchen.

Huo Chen and Xu Ying followed the elderly couple into the courtyard.

Third Aunt Zhou took one look at Huo Chen, a flash of surprise in her eyes, but quickly she approached with a smile, “So this is Huo Chen, isn’t it? Last time Third Aunt Zhou had to leave early and didn’t get a chance to see you. Just seeing you now makes me feel particularly close.”

Huo Chen gave Third Aunt Zhou a cold glance and nodded at her. His wife had shared with him the issues regarding Third Aunt Zhou that evening, and he didn’t appreciate people who found fault with his wife.

Seeing Huo Chen’s cold demeanor, Third Aunt Zhou’s face flashed a moment of embarrassment, and she dropped her fake smile, turning to go back inside the house.

Annoyed, she complained, “I’m just wasting my warmth on a cold backside. I greet him politely, and he just gives me a nod. He doesn’t even call me ‘auntie.’ He must look down on me as Third Aunt Zhou and you as Third Uncle too.”

As soon as her words fell, Huo Chen entered the room with Xu Ying, and upon seeing Zhou San, he called out, “Third Uncle.”

Zhou San’s face lit up with joy.

But Third Aunt Zhou’s eyes widened in anger; she was certain the damn kid did it on purpose.

Xu Ying barely held back a laugh and nudged the man in his waist, “What are you doing?”

“Taking revenge for you, can’t let her bully you,” Huo Chen said with a hooked lip.

Xu Ying felt secretly delighted.

Uncle Zhou’s wife quickly prepared two bowls of noodles and brought them out, “Hurry up and eat. Yingying, do you have an exam tomorrow? Eat quickly and rest early so you won’t be delayed by the exam tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Aunt Zhou,” Xu Ying thanked her and couldn’t wait to start eating. Not to mention, Aunt Zhou’s cooking skills were genuinely good. The noodles may have been simple, but they were fragrant.

Watching Xu Ying eat the noodles, Aunt Zhou couldn’t help but ask, “How do they taste?”

Xu Ying praised without stopping, “Delicious, especially fragrant.”

Aunt Zhou was overwhelmed with joy upon hearing this. To tell the truth, since moving back to the city, she had found happiness.

But with the return to city life came new troubles. Previously, in the countryside, she had only been concerned about filling their bellies and staying healthy. Now that life was better, they faced new challenges. The whole family couldn’t just sit around depleting their resources; they needed to come up with a way to make money.

Aunt Zhou’s family used to be in business, and now they wanted to go back to their roots, continue in business. Ever since she’d tasted the food cooked by Xu Ying, she had witnessed what truly good cooking skills were.

Thus, she wanted to unabashedly learn some cooking skills from her niece-in-law.

“Yingying, do you think there’s anything about Aunt Zhou’s noodles that needs improvement?” Aunt Zhou asked curiously.

Second Aunt Zhou and Third Aunt Zhou sat nearby, watching intently.

Xu Ying tasted a mouthful and smiled, “The noodles could be chewier. You could try using some lard, and the scallions could be fried a bit better as the heat control seems a bit off.”

Hearing her comments, Aunt Zhou’s eyes sparkled, “Okay, I’ll work on improving it. You really are a great chef; you know so much more.”

Third Aunt Zhou, sitting to the side, made a face with disdain, “It’s just a bowl of noodles. Is it necessary to be so particular? As long as it’s edible, that’s good enough.”

Xu Ying ignored her and looked up at Aunt Zhou with curiosity, “Aunt Zhou, are you planning to open a restaurant?”

Aunt Zhou smiled and nodded, “Your Uncle Zhou and I are getting older, and it’s not easy to find jobs out there. It would be better to stick with our old trade. The Zhou family has been in business for generations, and we’re thinking of continuing with that.”

At those words, Third Aunt Zhou’s face was full of disdain, “Big sister, no offense, but doing business and showing your face in public is just too undignified. Otherwise, let me ask my niece’s family. They all work in state-owned factories. It’s quite easy to find a decent job.”

“Why is doing business undignified for the third sister-in-law? We earn our bread with our own hands. Isn’t it enough not to rely on our parents?” Aunt Zhou deliberately raised her voice.

The Third Son’s wife had shallow eyelids; the moment her parents returned, she was all about their old couple’s money, which looked terribly unseemly.

Xu Ying supported Aunt Zhou, “Aunt Zhou, we earn our keep with our abilities, not relying on anyone. What’s wrong with making clean money?”

Aunt Zhou scoffed, “Exactly.”

She finished and turned to Xu Ying with a sincere smile, “Yingying, I’ve taken over five storefronts, and I plan to turn them into restaurants.”

Xu Ying nearly choked on her noodles, “Aunt Zhou, did you lease five storefronts at once in Shanghai? For how many years?”

“Not leased, bought. They were quite cheap, not expensive at all, only fifty thousand yuan for one store. Luckily, your Uncle Zhou and I had some hidden assets. Otherwise, we would have come back to nothing but air to eat.”

“So cheap?” Xu Ying was utterly astonished. Fifty thousand yuan per store was really not expensive, especially in a bustling place like Shanghai. In the future, that could be worth a fortune.

But it was true that the Zhou family was capable. Even their hidden savings came to several hundred thousand yuan, enough to buy houses and still needed for future business ventures.

Since Aunt Zhou dared to make the move, she must still have a considerable amount in savings.

“It’s okay, a friend of your Uncle Zhou’s gave us a significant discount. Yingying, would you like to invest? With your cooking skills, if we worked together, we would definitely make money. Aunt Zhou won’t cheat you. When we make profit, we’ll split it fifty-fifty. You provide the cooking skills, and I’ll cover the cost of the storefronts, labor, and various other expenses.” Aunt Zhou looked hopeful; if Yingying agreed, it was sure to be a profitable venture.

Xu Ying hesitated for a moment; she was still in school, so she might not have time to teach cooking.

“Aunt Zhou, I’m in school and don’t have time to teach cooking,” Xu Ying blinked, not because she was unwilling.

“That’s easy to solve. I can set up a chef training class near your school. After school each day, I’ll have someone learn a little bit at a time. Once they’ve learned, they can come back to work.” Aunt Zhou, feeling thirsty after speaking, turned to get some water, only to be startled by Third Aunt Zhou’s looming face, causing her to shudder and scold angrily, “Third sister-in-law, what are you doing? Don’t you know it’s scary to sneak up on people like that? With your big face, are you trying to frighten me to death?”

Third Aunt Zhou was listening intently and let out a cheeky laugh before asking out of curiosity, “Does opening a restaurant make good money?”