Courtyard House: Inheriting the Restaurant, the Jia Family Wants to Get It for Free

Inside the house, Cheng Dashan's wife quickly served Cheng Shuhai and Cheng Ling'er steaming hot sweet potato water.

Cheng Shuhai opened the cloth bag he had brought and took out pastries and a large bag of fruit candies that he had specially bought in the city, and placed them on the table.

"Uncle, Aunt, this is just a small token of our appreciation, for our younger siblings to have a taste."

"Oh dear, you silly child, you're back already, but why did you bring all that stuff? You're just wasting money!"

Cheng Dashan's wife complained, but she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

She picked up a piece of osmanthus cake, carefully broke it open, and the sweet aroma made the little ones next to her almost drool.

Looking at these exquisite dishes that could only be found in the city, Cheng Dashan became even more convinced.

If you're really not doing well, where would you find the spare money to buy these things?

He took a drag of his pipe to calm his agitated emotions before looking at Cheng Shuhai again and asking solemnly, "Shuhai, were you serious about hiring help earlier?"

"Uncle, it's more real than real gold."

"My restaurant is now run by me alone. I'm the chef and the waiter, and I don't even have anyone to wash the dishes. Ling'er is still too young to be of much help."

"If this continues, I'll collapse from exhaustion. So the reason I came back this time is to find two relatives who are quick and honest to come and work with me. As for wages, for the first three months, I'll pay each of them 200,000 a month, with room and board included. Once they've learned their skills and can work independently, I'll raise their wages."

Cheng Shuhai nodded.

Two hundred thousand a month! Room and board included!

Upon hearing this condition, Cheng Dashan and his family gasped in shock once again.

What does 200,000 mean?

Cheng Dashan worked himself to the bone in the village for a year, but in the end, he didn't earn this much money.

Cheng Shuhai's nephew offered an apprentice a monthly salary of 200,000 yuan right off the bat. What a huge sum of money!

Cheng Dashan's sons stared wide-eyed, their breathing becoming heavy.

This isn't going to help, it's practically picking up money!

Cheng Dashan's wife was even more excited. She glanced at her eager sons, then at Cheng Shuhai, rubbed her hands together, and said somewhat shyly, "Shuhai, which of your younger brothers do you think would be suitable to go with you?"

Cheng Shuhai looked around.

My cousin Cheng Shujun is tall and strong. He looks honest and hardworking. He would be a great waiter or cleaner at a restaurant.

As for the other one... he looked at Cheng Dashan's eldest daughter, Cheng Shufei.

The girl was sixteen or seventeen years old. She was very poised and had bright, lively eyes; she was clearly intelligent and quick-witted.

"Uncle, Aunt, this is what I'm thinking," Cheng Shuhai said. "I want Shujun to come with me. He's strong and can do the work. Also, I want Shufei to come along. Girls are more meticulous and often cook at home. I can have her help me wash vegetables, chop and prepare food, and do other chores. She's better than a man."

"Should we send Shufei too?" Cheng Dashan was taken aback.

He originally thought Cheng Shuhai would only take a male offspring with him.

"That's right." Cheng Shuhai nodded. "In a restaurant, it's easier to work with a mix of men and women, inside and out."

Cheng Shufei, who had been looking down, suddenly raised her head upon hearing her name, her eyes filled with surprise and disbelief.

She can go? She can go to Beijing?

Cheng Dashan's wife was overjoyed when she heard this.

"Our son and daughter can go to the city and make big money! This is fantastic news!" She quickly nudged her husband, "Honey, what are you waiting for? Shuhai has spoken up; this is great news!"

Cheng Dashan pondered for a moment. It wasn't that he disagreed, but rather that he was weighing the options.

"Shuhai, I don't object to letting them go with you."

"Shujun is tough and hardworking. Shufei is sensible and obedient. But I have to be upfront: if they go to your place and misbehave, or try to cheat or shirk their duties, don't hesitate to scold or even beat them if necessary!"

"If it really doesn't work out, just send them back to me. I'll deal with them myself!"

Cheng Dashan looked at Cheng Shuhai and said seriously.

"Uncle, what are you saying?" Cheng Shuhai laughed. "They're all family. I trust Shujun and Shufei's character. Besides, they're going to help me and make money, not to be my slaves. I'll definitely treat them well."

Hearing Cheng Shuhai's words, Cheng Dashan was finally relieved.

He nodded vigorously: "Alright! It's settled then! Shujun, Shufei, you two, from now on, you'd better work hard for your big brother, you hear me! If you dare to embarrass your big brother, I'll break your legs when I get back!"

"Father, don't worry!"

"Yes, Father!"

Cheng Shujun and Cheng Shufei immediately stood up and responded loudly, their faces filled with barely suppressed excitement and exhilaration.

And that's how it was settled.

The Cheng family was overjoyed. Cheng Dashan's wife even made arrangements to kill a chicken and have a proper welcome dinner for Cheng Shuhai at noon.

Cheng Shuhai stopped her, smiling and saying there was no rush.

He turned to Cheng Dashan and said, "Uncle, besides the recruitment matter, there's something else I'd like to ask you for help with."

"Tell me! If it's something I can do, I'll do it without hesitation!"

Cheng Dashan patted his chest and guaranteed it.

"Here's the thing, a friend from Beijing wants to buy a few piglets, a few lambs, and some rabbits, anything is fine."

"In addition, if anyone hunts live game, such as pheasants or deer, I will buy it at a high price as long as it is alive."

Cheng Shuhai then revealed his second objective.

He wants to expand the species in his blessed land to lay the foundation for the restaurant's future supply of top-quality ingredients.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Dashan thought it was a trivial matter.

Some people in the village raise pigs and sheep, and everyone would be happy to exchange them for some money.

As for prey, the village hunters often have a good catch.

"Okay! Leave it to me!" Cheng Dashan readily agreed. "I'll go ask around for you right now!"

Cheng Dashan originally wanted to decline the gift that Cheng Shuhai had bought, thinking it was too expensive, but when he heard that his nephew had something to ask of him, he no longer stood on ceremony and accepted it generously.

For the next two days, Cheng Shuhai stayed at his cousin's house.

Cheng Dashan was very efficient and quickly helped him contact the farmers and hunters in the village.

Cheng Shuhai was generous, offering prices much higher than the market rate, so the villagers were eager to sell.

In less than two days, he acquired three plump piglets (one male and two females), four lively little goats (one male and three females), and eight fluffy rabbits.

To his even greater surprise, the village's old hunter actually managed to catch a pair of live wild deer. Although they were still small, they were still rare. Without hesitation, Cheng Shuhai bought them at an extremely high price.

In addition to these live animals, he also collected a lot of excellent seeds from his uncle's house, including peanuts, soybeans, and all kinds of vegetable seeds, filling a whole bag.

Once everything was collected, the next problem was how to move it.

Of course, Cheng Shuhai couldn't possibly make these things disappear in front of the whole village.

He claimed that he had arranged for a truck in the city to come and pick up the goods at the village entrance.

Then, under the cover of night, he quietly transferred all the pigs, sheep, rabbits, and wild deer, along with the seeds, into the blessed land space using his mind.