Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 281 Anji Starts Operations

Chen Xiao waved his hand and said, "Don't yell at a pregnant woman. If you're so capable, come and help. If not, hurry up and cook. It's already five o'clock, and it's dark outside."

Xiao Hong chuckled, poured out the water from the basin, put the basin away, and hung the towel to dry.

Xiao Wei stood up and said, "I don't believe it. If I don't dare to touch you, I won't dare to touch him." He went into the room, grabbed Chen Hui who was lying on the bed, and dragged him out by the ear. Chen Hui followed along, his face turned to the side and his head held high, shouting, "Brother, brother, I was wrong, it hurts! Just say what's wrong, why did you have to hit me? Hey, hey, I fell off!"

Xiaowei pulled Chen Hui into the kitchen, let go of his hand, and said, "Wash and chop the vegetables. You'll cook tonight."

Chen Xiao came out and said, "Forget it, just let him wash and chop it. His cooking is terrible."

Chen Hui turned his head and said, "Wife, where did you take your side? Why are you talking about our family matters to outsiders? Don't you know you're making your husband proud?"

Chen Xiao looked at Chen Hui pitifully and said, "I was wrong. But what am I supposed to do when the food my own men cook is so terrible?"

Xiao Wei asked Chen Hui, "I remember you said you could cook, right? You said you could make a lot of dishes."

Chen Hui nodded and said, "Oh, I know how to do it. What's up?"

Chen Xiao said, "It just tastes awful."

Chen Hui said, "I think it's alright, my dad even praised me."

Chen Xiao reached out and patted Chen Hui on the shoulder, saying, "I believe that Uncle praised him with tears in his eyes. His feelings were quite complicated, and he was very emotional."

Chen Hui looked around, picked up the vegetables, sat down on a small stool to tidy up, and said, "I don't believe it. I'll cook today. Xiao Wei, you and Xiao Hong can try it later and see if it's really that bad."

Chen Xiao nodded and said, "Yes, it's really awful. Please, men, let Xiao Wei cook it. Even if it's not for me, you have to think about our son. What if I'm in a bad mood and I throw up? Won't that affect him?"

Xiao Hong leaned against Xiao Wei and laughed, saying, "You two are making this sound like a comedy routine. Is it really that bad?"

Xiao Wei said, "We'll know once we try it tonight. But I still trust Xiao Xiao, so I'll make some more dishes. Xiao Hui, you can make one. Xiao Hui, make one of your best dishes."

Chen Hui said, "No problem, just watch, I'll eat your tongue whole."

Chen Xiao said, "They must have been so confused from vomiting that they vomited it upside down."

Chen Hui glared at Chen Xiao: "You spendthrift woman, do you need a beating? Getting cocky, huh?"

Chen Xiao swayed forward, her pregnant belly protruding, and said, "Come on, real men, come this way."

Xiao Wei asked, "What's your best dish?"

Chen Xiao said, "Stewed eggplant is a family recipe, and you have to add some celery leaves." People in Northeast China usually pick off and throw away the celery leaves when they eat celery, and very, very few people eat them.

They bickered as they prepared dinner, and the four of them sat down to eat. Xiao Hong tasted the eggplant stewed by Chen Hui, then silently went to eat the dishes Xiao Wei had made with Chen Xiao. Xiao Wei glanced at the expressionless Xiao Hong, then took a bite with his chopsticks and said, "Xiao Hui, have you ever seen anyone put sugar in stewed eggplant? Not only sugar, but also vinegar? What are you doing with the vinegar? And you even added soybean paste? There's laundry detergent in the kitchen, didn't you add some? That's even bubbling."

Xiao Hong and Chen Xiao burst into laughter.

……

The next morning, Xiaohong went downstairs for breakfast and then went to school to register. Xiaowei accompanied Xiaohong for breakfast and then bought some things to take upstairs.

Xiao Wei sat in a chair, deep in thought, while heating the breakfast he had bought in a pot.

At eight o'clock, Chen Hui got up, while Chen Xiao was still asleep.

After Chen Hui washed up and ate his meal, the two of them went downstairs together and drove towards Sanhao Street, where the restaurants were opening for business today.

The boards and timber used in the house have been processed and are being delivered one after another. Master Gong and the others also arrived in Fengtian with Lao Xu last night.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Lao Xu and Master Gong were already there, discussing the construction steps. Lao Xu was explaining with gestures while holding up several blueprints. Chen Hui and Xiao Wei entered the room from the back.

"What I mean is to start from the main gate and work outwards to both sides. First, erect the gate tower and screen wall. There will definitely be some error in the dimensions. It will be easier to handle leaving the tail at the very back later."

Master Gong, hands behind his back, checked the calculations and asked, "Should we work on the top first or the bottom?"

Old Xu said, "Let's work on the ground first. Once the ground is done, the location will be set. Then we can work on the top to make the location more accurate. The top is also made up of pieces, and it won't look good if it's off-center from the ground."

Xiao Wei interjected, "Brother Xu, Master Gong, how do we build the scaffolding on top after the ground is already done? Won't the things already built on the ground get in the way?"

Master Gong said to Old Xu, "That's right, if the ground is done, how do you do the top? This isn't flat."

Xiao Wei said, "Actually, it doesn't matter what's inside. Nobody will measure it with a ruler. As long as the overall atmosphere is right, that's fine. The key is the entrance. Whether it's the design, dimensions, location, lighting, or lettering, nothing can be off. And the stairs—absolutely, absolutely no mistakes are allowed."

Old Xu nodded slowly and said, "The stairs are definitely fine, there are steps blocking them. Old Gong, we still need to work on the entrance first. Once this is done, we can work on the sides, starting with the top."

Old Gong held the blueprints and looked at them, nodding and saying, "Okay, I have no problem with that. By the way, young boss, the electricity, the electrician, there will be a lot of wires running up and down this room. The electrician needs to do a good job so that I can get things done properly, otherwise I won't be able to run the wires through. Also, this place is all wood, so you need to make sure the fireproofing is done well."

Chen Hui said, "No problem. When do you need it? I'll call someone over."

Master Gong said, "Is it okay now? I'd better discuss some things with them first."

Chen Hui said, "Okay, we're all on the same side, just say what you want, I guarantee there won't be any problems. Xiao Wei, you're here, I'll go get a few electricians."

Xiao Wei nodded, and Chen Hui turned and left. Xiao Wei asked Master Gong, "Master Gong, should we have the bed made or buy one?"

Master Gong smiled and pointed at Old Xu, saying, "You have to talk to him about this. What's the use of talking to me? I can't do anything without the materials."

Old Xu nodded and said, "Yes, it's ready. The multi-person rooms are like the dormitory-style rooms in Longcheng, with two floors. The smaller rooms are beds. They're all ready; we just need to assemble them."

Xiao Wei said, "Let's get started then. The sooner we finish, the more work we'll have to do later."

Old Xu asked, "What's wrong? Are you in such a hurry to go back?"

Xiao Wei said, "Of course, there's a ton of stuff going on in Longcheng."

Master Gong stood up and said, "That's right, you really have a lot to do, the scale is too big. Come on, Lao Xu, take another look at the materials and see if there are any mistakes. Lao San, come on, let's get started and build the screen wall first."

Several carpenters agreed and came over. They took out their tools and began to mark the positions with chalk lines. Old Xu checked the materials one by one. They were all custom-made parts. If the workers made a mistake in one place, the whole thing would have to stop and wait, which was no small matter.

Two large pillars form a gatehouse, with a wooden wall in the middle. The custom-made parts were positioned and installed quite quickly. By the time Chen Hui returned with the electrician, the screen wall was almost finished and they were taking final measurements.

Chen Hui walked over, looked around, and nodded, saying, "Beautiful."

(End of this chapter)