Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 314 A Day's Worth of Three Provincial Examinations

Chen Hui said, "That end has its own sewage pump, while this end is the municipal sewer."

Sister Jin stuck out her tongue and said, "Okay, tell them in a bit that Erhu is not here."

Xiao Wei said, "It would be troublesome if it got blocked. This is the second floor, we'd have to go down and clear it, and it could take up most of the day."

Sister Jin nodded and said, "Dinner's ready. Would you like to come downstairs to eat together, or eat upstairs?"

Xiao Wei said, "Let's go downstairs together, why bother with all that special treatment?" The three of them went downstairs together.

The waiters were already seated at two large tables, one table in the kitchen, plus Xiaowei and his group, making four tables in total. Xiaowei laughed and said, "If business isn't good, these people alone will eat us out of house and home."

Chen Xiao said, "What will happen to these people's meals once they open their business? How many tables will they still be able to sit at?"

Chen Hui said, "I'm free this morning, so I'll eat early. For dinner, I'll just get some food and find somewhere to eat, or I can go back to the dorm."

Xiao Wei said, "No need to arrange that, we'll see how it goes. Just make sure they wash their clothes frequently, otherwise they'll be running around the house with ties everywhere. Our guests are all people of some standing; it doesn't look good and makes them uncomfortable."

Chen Hui nodded and said, "I know, I already said that. After the store opens, the people at the back won't be allowed to run to the front."

Chen Xiao asked, "Do you have time to do some sightseeing in Andong? How about we go check out Phoenix Mountain?"

Xiao Wei turned to Chen Xiao with a blank expression and said, "We were originally planning to go hiking, but since you're going, the plan has been canceled. If you're going, either stay in Andong and enjoy the river view and stroll around, or stay home."

Chen Xiao pouted, looked down at her stomach, glared at Chen Hui, and said, "You haven't gotten up yet. Are you alright?"

Xiao Wei said, "Although I've never been there, I've heard people say that the mountain is very steep. There's a long section where people step on each other to climb up, and there are also several sections where the cliffs are suspended in the air. You shouldn't take that risk; that's not a responsible attitude."

Chen Xiao blinked and asked, "What does it mean when the person in front steps on the person behind? What does it mean to be suspended in mid-air?"

Xiao Wei said, "It's where the head of the person behind is right where the feet of the person in front are. It's very steep. You don't understand? There's nothing in front, behind, left, or right, just a path under your feet. Have you ever seen a cow's back? That place is called Old Cow's Back. There are deep ravines on both sides."

Chen Xiao thought for a moment, then pouted and said, "If you don't believe me, you're just trying to fool me."

Xiao Wei glanced at Chen Xiao and ignored him, then said to Chen Hui, "Hygiene is the most important thing in a restaurant. We absolutely cannot be careless. Unlike my place where 'good enough' is fine, you have to be stricter here. It's better for us to be strict ourselves than for others to say anything. Hot and cold dishes and meat must be prepared separately. I just looked at the three cutting boards above, and that's not enough. We need at least five. Separate the cold dishes and prepare them separately. Vegetables should be on one cutting board, raw and cooked meat should be separated, and seafood should be on another cutting board. Every day, you have to scald them with boiling water and clean them thoroughly. If a cutting board is cracked, you can't use it. You can reinforce it with a metal plate beforehand."

Chen Hui grinned at Xiao Wei, a little surprised. Xiao Wei said, "Think about our positioning, think about our investment. We need to make people feel that we're good from the very beginning, understand? If you don't address this from the start, the kitchen will stink and be incredibly filthy in the future, believe it or not?"

Sister Jin said from the side, "Alright, leave this to me. I'll make sure it's done exactly as you said."

Li Na said, "Why are you acting like a different person since you came back? You're so talkative." Everyone at the table laughed. Xiao Wei opened his mouth but didn't say anything. He was mainly worried about Chen Hui. He had seen through the couple; neither of them was capable of getting things done.

After dinner, everyone went about their own business. Xiao Wei, seeing that there was nothing else to do, drove home.

I went to the market and bought some seafood, beef, radish, pork ribs, tenderloin, scallions, and green beans. As I passed by, I glanced at the cake stall; sure enough, a woman was making cakes there. I wondered if she really was Xiao Wen's sister.

When I got home, I ran up and down the stairs twice to carry the things upstairs. Then I put on an apron and started tidying up. I cut the beef into strips, divided it into several portions, and put them in bags. I chopped up the ribs and divided them into several portions as well. Each portion was enough for one meal.

I stewed a pot of beef and radish on the stove, and also cooked some pork ribs to stew with green beans for dinner. Then I started cleaning the fish and seafood.

After cleaning and cutting the fish into sections, I divided them into portions and put them in the freezer. I also prepared the seafood and put it in the quick-freeze. After cleaning the house and throwing away the stinky garbage downstairs, I came back and washed the basins, knives, and other utensils to remove the fishy smell. It was already past four o'clock. I had spent the whole afternoon on this.

I checked the time, washed my hands, rinsed the rice, and started cooking. Then I washed some cilantro, peeled a few cloves of garlic, dried my hands, went to the dining room, turned on the TV, sat down, lit a cigarette, and rested for a bit. When Xiao Hong came back, we started eating.

He sat there quietly, smoking, going through everything in his mind, checking for any omissions.

A person should examine himself three times a day. First, examine himself: whether his words and actions were inappropriate. Second, examine his career: whether all matters and people were going smoothly and properly, and whether there was room for improvement. Third, examine the future: the dynamics of the times and market opportunities, and whether the direction needs to be changed or adjusted.

The saying goes that people of high status speak slowly; the more prestigious a person's position, the slower their speech and reaction speed. This is because they have more and more things to think about every day. If someone has reached a certain position and can still talk endlessly about serious matters anytime, anywhere, that's abnormal. Let's see how it ends. Ma Bao's kind of boasting doesn't count.

As she was thinking about things, the only thing she had on hand was the food factory, which wasn't quite on track yet. The products and sales were just getting by. It seemed she'd have to get to work on this when she got back. The door clicked open, and Xiao Hong entered the room.

While changing her shoes, Xiao Hong sniffed and said with a grin, "It's so much better when you're home. There's always good food when you come back." She threw down her bag, kissed Xiao Wei on the cheek, and then ran off into the bathroom.

Xiao Wei asked, "What's wrong? Did you eat something bad?"

Xiao Hong said from the toilet, "No, oh dear, you're asking even when I'm in the toilet." Xiao Wei smiled, got up, and went to the kitchen.

Xiao Hong went out and brought hot water to the toilet. Xiao Wei seasoned the stew that was almost done; stews always need to be seasoned last for the best flavor.

After Xiaohong finished getting ready and changed into her pajamas, Xiaowei had already set the table, and the two sat down to eat.

Around 9 p.m., Xiaowei and Xiaohong were getting ready for bed when Chen Hui and Chen Xiao, bundled up in the cold wind, came into the house carrying suitcases. Chen Xiao said, "Phew, finally got the old lady settled. Tomorrow we're going to Andong together, but we're not allowed to climb mountains. What's the big deal? It's just mountains, it's not like we've never climbed them before."

Xiao Wei glanced at Chen Xiao but didn't say anything. Chen Hui asked, "What's with that look? I noticed something was off about your eyes this afternoon. What does it mean?"

Xiao Wei said, "The King of Dian said to the Han envoy, 'Which is greater, Han or I?' The Marquis of Yelang did the same. Because the roads were impassable, each thought he was the ruler of a single province, unaware of the vastness of Han." Xiao Hong chuckled.

Chen Xiao looked at the three people and asked, "What do you mean?"

(End of this chapter)