Translator: Lonelytree
At that moment, Xiao Lingyu had no idea that the person she didn’t want to see in her life ever again was eating at her house.
Since she had an agreement with Gu Ziye, she teleported to the farming space to take a look. With the stock she had, she could only sell for three more days before her next harvest. She had to calculate her daily harvest so that she had enough to provide for the Gu Family. She would provide the Gu Family Hotel with 300 catties of vegetables every day and store the rest.
This was her plan. After she found a shop, she would sell her stock. Then, she would purchase some seeds and sow them. If her past experience were correct, they would bear fruits in three days.
However… Xiao Lingyu looked around and wondered. ‘How long it’ll take for a fruit tree to grow and bear fruit?’ Yes, Xiao Lingyu planned to raise some fruit trees in the farming space. Currently, she had mostly vegetables for sale. In the future, she wanted to offer more varieties of fruits. Well, there was no easier way to find the answer than to attempt it.
Xiao Lingyu exited the farming space and went to the seedling market. Xing Yin County’s geography meant that it was only suitable for fruits grown in Southern China. Fruits found in Northern China, like apples, couldn’t be farmed.
When Xiao Lingyu arrived at the seedling market, she didn’t waste time. Xiao Lingyu bought a dozen of fruit trees. They were all local fruit trees like tangerines, grapes, peaches, and so on. When she returned to her rental, she teleported to the farming space and transplanted all the fruit seedlings.
…
While Xiao Lingyu was fiddling with her fruit trees, changes were happening at the Gu Family Hospital. This started with Gu Ziye’s invitation to his good friends for a meal. When the dishes were served, the fragrance not only attracted Zheng Haiyang, Yuan Xuanhao, and Qian Yifan but also the surrounding customers.
1
“Waiter, I want a stir-fried cabbage!”
“Waiter, I want a braised eggplant!”
“Waiter, I want a tomato salad!”
“Waiter, other than these, do you have anything else to offer?”
“Yes!” The waiter made the recommendation.
After the order was made, the food fragrance wafted out of the kitchen again. Once the dishes were served, the customers couldn’t wait to dig in.
“Wow, they taste even better than they smell!”
“That’s right. I’ve never eaten such a delicious cole salad before! Waiter, I need a few more orders of this!”
“I’m sorry, Sir, but we have limited ingredients for today. Each customer can only order two servings of the same dish per table!”
“Ah, why?” Some customers immediately complained.
“I’m sorry, but we have limited ingredients.” The waiter apologized again.
“Can we order one more set? Just one more, please!”
“I’m sorry, Sir.”
“This food is delicious. Daddy, I want more!”
“Boy, we can only order two servings per table. We’ll come back tonight, okay?”
“Daddy, I want it now! I want it now!” The five-year-old was still hungry after he had the tomato salad. The father looked at the waiter and said, “Can you give me another order of the tomato salad? You wouldn’t let my son cry like this, right?” The father was actually hankering for another serving too.
The waiter hesitated. “Erm, this…”
At that moment, Gu Ziye stood up. “Dear respected guests, I am Gu Ziye, the president of this hotel.”
A guest immediately shouted, “President Gu, I haven’t visited a restaurant where the customers can only order a limited amount of food! Plus, I can see there are more than two servings of dishes on your table. This is too unfair!”
“Exactly!” Another guest echoed. “President Gu, I have heard of special dishes that need early booking, but they are definitely not for normal vegetables like cabbages and tomatoes. Are you doing this to drum up the hype?”
“Hype! Hype!” The five-year-old cheered. He quite enjoyed the rowdy room.
For the adults, they wanted to have more of these heavenly dishes. Plus, they were the customers. President Gu had the responsibility to satisfy their needs.
Gu Ziye sighed helplessly. “Respected guests, these are not common vegetables. I have to use my silver tongue to persuade the supplier to cooperate with the Gu Family Hotel. Today is our first day of cooperation. The supplier can only provide us with 100 catties of vegetables. To ensure that we have enough food for every customer, we have to limit your order limit!” At this point, he paused before adding, “But from tomorrow onwards, you can order as much as you want!”
“President Gu, that’s a promise!” Some customers laughed.
“Yes, you can hold me to it!” Gu Ziye chuckled, “But today, I will make an exception and offer this child an extra serving of tomato salad.”
“Since President Gu has said so, we’ll come back tomorrow and eat to our heart’s content!” A customer said.
“Of course. Thank you for patronizing the Gu Family Hotel!” Other than the kid, the other guests slowly left. They planned to come back that night and then tomorrow morning.
When Gu Ziye sat back down, his three friends were licking the plates. Gu Ziye rolled his eyes and mocked, “Aren’t you guys ashamed?”
“Shush!” The three said. After they finished the meals, they licked their lips and rubbed their round stomachs. Zheng Haiyang asked, “Gu Ziye, tell us the truth. Are the dishes really vegetarian? Did you sneak some meat in?”
“That’s right. How can there be such delicious vegetarian dishes?”
“They are the best vegetarian dishes I’ve had. They are better than meat!”
“I’ve decided. I’ll bring my parents here tonight to enjoy them again!”
“I have the same idea!”
“I’ll bring my grandparents! If they like it, we’ll come every day!”
Gu Ziye spoke again. “Guys, I need to inform you in advance. The dishes are vegetarian, but they are more expensive than meat. Even if I give you a 20 percent discount, you’ll think that I’m overcharging you.”
“The vegetables are so expensive?” Qian Yifan asked suspiciously.
Gu Ziye nodded. “Yes! Other than the tomatoes, the other vegetables are very expensive!”
His friends found it unbelievable. But when they thought about the taste, they realized it was acceptable.
Zheng Haiyang wanted to ask something else, but after looking around, he swallowed the question.
After the meal, the four of them went to Gu Ziye’s room. Instantly, Gu Ziye’s friends congratulated him. “Ziye, with this, you’ll definitely turn your hotel business around.” Gu Ziye thought back to the reception earlier, and he felt a burst of confidence.
Qian Yifan reminded him, “Ziye, we won’t ask you the identity of your new supplier, but you have to be careful of the Yi Family Hotel. Don’t let the same thing happen again.”
“Yes!” The other two concurred, “Zhou Huaming from the Yi Family hotel is despicable and shameless. When they find out about this, they will try their best to poach your new supplier.”
Gu Ziye nodded. “This time, I will not let Zhou Huaming stand in my way again.”
However, internally, he was uncertain. Xiao Lingyu hadn’t signed an official contract with the Gu Family Hotel. That would happen one month later. In this trial period, she promised to give them 300 to 500 catties of ingredients daily.
Gu Ziye was afraid that the Yi Family Hotel would get the news and use underhanded methods to steal Xiao Lingyu away from him.
‘No, I have to think of a way to get Xiao Lingyu to sign a contract with us as soon as possible. Then, I can feel more relaxed. It looks like I need to rely on Uncle Chen.’
…
Li Yuanhang and Gong Tianhao sat at the dining table like starving ghosts. They swept the food into their mouth. Even Gong Tianhao, who had been trained in table manners since he was young, was moving faster than usual.
“Auntie, your food is really delicious!” Li Yuanhang kept praising Mother Xiao, “This is the best food I’ve ever eaten. Auntie, how can your cooking be so good?”
Mother Xiao looked at the two young men and said with a smile, “It’s because you’re hungry. Everything tastes better when you’re hungry. I’m just an average cook.”
Li Yuanhang said, “Auntie, you’re too modest. The boy from earlier also said you’re the best cook in the village.” He swallowed and continued, “But I realize he’s wrong. You’re the best cook in the world! Your cooking is much better than some five-star chefs. Am I right, Tianhao?”
“Yes!” Gong Tianhao nodded as he ate.
Mother Xiao laughed. “You kids are exaggerating. I believe you are used to eating luxury goods, so you find these simple dishes novel and delicious. Eat your fill. I have more in the kitchen!”
Li Yuanhang’s praises were sincere. This was the first time they had such fragrant rice. Even though they were served mostly vegetarian dishes, the taste was impeccable. Even luxury ingredients like abalones couldn’t compare.
Li Yuanhang and Gong Tianhao both touched their bellies. They were starving earlier, but now they were full and satisfied.. They had never allowed themselves such gluttony before.