After the divorce, he took care of his child and sold fried rice; his ex-wife was filled with regret

Lin Fan resealed the sky-blue porcelain jar, a hint of approval appearing in his eyes.

These three dishes are not only quick to prepare and serve, but also, in this cold winter month, their appeal is no less than that of pan-fried buns and mutton hot pot at the morning market.

More importantly, they are not picky about the social class of diners.

For restaurant owners, this dish can cleanse their stomachs of the burden of rich, meaty meals; for ordinary locals and young people, it warms the stomach and keeps them full. This is the core category that truly sustains a restaurant.

But right now, even with the best recipes and the finest ingredients, it's still impossible to open the door to business in the short term.

Although Officer Zhang had already classified the case at the police station.

For the online world outside, which is completely dominated by algorithms and emotions, rumors have already spread throughout the city.

The short video Da Peng posted yesterday, which accused others, has already received over a million likes.

Hundreds of thousands of uninformed onlookers and various marketing accounts are angrily accusing Lin's shop of being a "privileged black shop" and "arresting people to silence them."

Before the official announcements from the Public Security Bureau and the Cyberspace Administration of China were officially issued, the online storm not only did not stop, but continued to escalate.

If he loses his composure now, thinking everything is fine just because the villains have been arrested, and hurriedly opens the doors to start business, then the people flooding into Jin Street will definitely not be ordinary diners who want to eat in peace.

What will rush in will only be a large group of internet celebrities who come to live stream and grab attention because of the hype, gossip reporters carrying telephoto lenses to find fault everywhere, and extreme onlookers who have been stirred up with hatred and who claim to be righteous and come to "check in and boycott".

At that time, the lobby will be filled with selfie sticks, cameras will be pointed at the stove, and dozens of people will scrutinize every bite of noodles with magnifying glasses. There is no guarantee that no one will take the risk for traffic and try to create new sensational moments.

When you open a business, you want your customers and yourself to be happy, and you want a peaceful and down-to-earth state of mind.

Putting yourself and your daughter in the midst of chaos and danger on the streets just to grab a few days' worth of revenue is putting the cart before the horse.

Having figured all this out, Lin Fan turned around, pushed open the door to the storage room, and walked back to the living room on the second floor.

The living room was warm and cozy.

Su Xiaoxiao had just put the empty bowls and chopsticks into the sink to rinse them clean and was drying her hands with a towel.

Hearing Lin Fan come out, Su Xiaoxiao turned around, rubbed her still slightly red eyes, and asked hesitantly:

"Brother Lin, Zhao San'er and Goatbeard have both been detained by the police station. Should our shop... open for business at the morning market tomorrow?"

Su Xiaoxiao paused for a moment, then glanced at her phone on the bar with some concern:

"I just checked the local forum, and a lot of people are still complaining. There are also many regular customers in the foodie group asking if we can get breakfast tomorrow."

Lin Fan walked to the water dispenser, filled a half-cup with warm water, and drank it slowly, his expression perfectly calm.

"Not open. Continue the closed-door vacation."

Su Xiaoxiao was taken aback: "Not opening?"

"Open the door now, or you'll make things difficult for yourself."

Lin Fan put down his water glass and said bluntly, "Although the police station has determined the nature of the incident, the online viewers have no idea that they deliberately came to cause trouble."

Lin Fan pointed out the window: "The alleys of Jin Street are narrow. As soon as we open the door, those little streamers who are still squatting at the intersection will swarm over like flies."

"When that time comes, the lobby will be too crowded, the roads outside will be blocked, and you won't even be able to get a good night's sleep."

Su Xiaoxiao carefully considered Lin Fan's words, and her initial anxiety completely subsided. She nodded vigorously.

"Brother Lin, you're right. I lost my temper. These online trolls are just bored and have nothing better to do. We really don't need to go out and become targets at this time."

Su Xiaoxiao let out a breath, and her previously tense shoulders completely relaxed.

Lin Fan placed the empty glass of water on the edge of the table, his expression calm: "Keep a calm mindset. We have the pot and pan, and the skills we possess."

"No matter how loudly they shout outside, no one will pay attention to them. They'll have to disperse when they've shouted themselves hoarse."

"I ate a full lunch today, so I should read some books this afternoon and stay home peacefully."

"Okay, I got it," Su Xiaoxiao replied crisply, then turned to wash her teacups by the sink.

The shop's door was tightly shut, secured with a heavy cast iron bolt.

The house was warm and cozy, and the little girl was having a great time playing with the orange cat on the carpet. The whole building felt like a safe haven from the storms.

……

In the bedroom on the second floor, the curtains were drawn tightly.

Tuantuan buried her face in the soft pillow, hugging the clean little teddy bear in her arms, her breathing steady and even.

The orange cat, Dumpling, curled up on the plush blanket spread out at the foot of the bed, its tail occasionally twitching slowly, and a very low purring sound coming from its throat.

Lin Fan walked quietly to the bedside, tucked the corner of the blanket that his daughter had kicked off, then turned and left the room, gently closing the wooden door behind him.

After descending the solid wood staircase to the first floor, the lobby was very quiet.

The heavy cast iron bolts locked the two doors tightly. Outside, the dry, cold north wind, which was below minus ten degrees Celsius, swept across Jin Street and slapped against the thick door panels, making a dull scraping sound.

Occasionally, the light footsteps of passersby could be heard on the street, but they sounded particularly faint through the solid wood gate.

Su Xiaoxiao was sitting inside the bar, with her Jiangcheng University textbooks spread out on the table, a black ballpoint pen in her hand, and silently taking notes.

Hearing the noise at the bottom of the stairs, she looked up: "Brother Lin, is Tuantuan asleep?"

"Um."

Lin Fan walked to the sink next to the bar, turned on the tap, washed his hands, dried them with a towel, and casually took a faded dark cloth apron from the hook on the wall and tied it around his waist.

Su Xiaoxiao closed her textbook, stood up, and put her pen back in the pen holder: "Brother Lin, what are you going to do now?"

"Try cooking the pickled cabbage and sweet potato noodles that Aunt Wang brought," Lin Fan said, rolling up his sleeves.

"Since the main gate is locked today and no one will bother us, we can take this opportunity to test out some new winter dishes and finalize the taste and serving process."

"Okay, I'll go help you." Su Xiaoxiao quickly tied on a floral apron and tied her loose hair behind her head with a hair tie.

The two entered the kitchen one after the other.

The shelves in the small storeroom were neatly stacked with the things that had been moved back from Aunt Wang's house that morning.

Through the system's spiritual enhancement, the originally rough and grayish farmhouse earthenware jar has been transformed into two sealed porcelain jars with a matte sky-blue luster.

The two bundles of sweet potato starch in the basin had also turned into an ivory-colored, semi-transparent color.

Lin Fan stepped forward, held the base of one of the celadon jars with both hands, and steadily placed it on the spacious countertop in the back kitchen.