That day, Wen Rugui only stayed at home for a day before returning to the base. As soon as he returned, he immediately called back.
After that, he would call back at least two to three times a day. Every time he hung up, she could feel his reluctance to part.
Tong Xuelu understood his excitement of being a father for the first time, but he was too clingy.
Ever since she got pregnant, her family treated her as if she was made of porcelain and needed to be protected everywhere. They wanted her to lie in bed 24 hours a day without moving. She did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Later, she had to ask Grandma Shen to help her persuade a house full of inexperienced men to give her a lesson. Only then did she regain her freedom.
Tong Xuelu knew her own body well. She planned to continue operating the Braised Cuisine Shop and the restaurant according to her plan.
The Braised Cuisine Shop had already started to make a profit. As long as nothing went wrong, she could leave the rest to Guo Chunyu.
Next, she would place her focus on the restaurant. If she was not feeling well, she would put her health first and leave the restaurant to Deng Hong to manage. She could also suspend the business temporarily.
If there was nothing wrong with her body, she planned to continue operating the shop. She was just pregnant. It was not that delicate.
When she woke up that morning, she ate the breakfast that Uncle Zong made for her. It was a cup of soy milk, two meat buns, an apple, and a portion of nuts.
She was the one who suggested eating the nuts. Nuts were very nutritious and were very useful for both adults and the child in her belly.
After breakfast, she took a car to the Braised Cuisine Shop for an inspection.
As the business of the Braised Cuisine Shop was doing well, many people saw a business opportunity. They also saw the purchasing power of the students. A few shops next to the shop were currently under renovation.
When Guo Chunyu saw her, he reported the business and customer feedback for the past few days to her. He said worriedly, "Manager Tong, I have asked around. The shops next to us are all going to do food and beverage business. If they do, will it affect our business?"
Tong Xuelu smiled and said, "It will definitely affect us in the beginning. But in the long run, it will be a good thing."
Guo Chunyu looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Tong Xuelu explained, "If our shop is the only shop on this street, even if our reputation spreads, the number of people who come here will be limited. However, if this street becomes a food street one day, and the entire street sells delicious food, then more and more people will be attracted here."
Guo Chunyu thought for a while and nodded. "Manager Tong, you have great foresight. I can only see what's in front of me."
Tong Xuelu smiled. "What do you think of the five people who came to help?"
Guo Chunyu said, "Manager Tong has a good eye. The five of them are very capable and hardworking. They didn't refuse when I asked them to work. But if we have to talk about the most outstanding and capable one, it has to be the young man named Jiang Junli."
Jiang Junli was Jiang Baihui's distant relative. In terms of seniority, he should be Jiang Baihui's cousin.
Tong Xuelu raised his eyebrows. "Oh? What did he do?"
Guo Chunyu said, "That day, a student came over and said that our braised food wasn't fresh. He had diarrhea after eating it and wanted us to apologize and compensate him in front of everyone. He also said that he was not allowed to open our shop again."
"At that time, I went out. There was only him and my silly brother in the shop. Weiping was so scared that he couldn't speak. Jiang Junli was the one who kept calm. He said that he wanted to send the student to the hospital for a check-up and then report it to the police. When the student heard that he wanted to go to the hospital and report it to the police, he was terrified."
Tong Xuelu asked, "Are you sure he's a student?" She suspected that someone saw that her shop was doing well and deliberately came to cause trouble.
As for the suspect, she thought of Qian Caixin.
Guo Chunyu shook his head. "When I came back, the student had already squeezed into the crowd and ran away. We were afraid that things would get out of hand, so we didn't chase after him. Manager Tong, did we do something wrong?"
Tong Xuelu comforted him. "It's okay. You did a good job. Don't be afraid when you encounter trouble. You don't have to reason with them. Just report it to the police."
Jiang Junli's calmness and steadiness in handling things was beyond her expectations. She would observe him in the future. If there were no problems, she could nurture him into a core member.
Guo Chunyu nodded. "Oh right, Manager Tong. The weather is getting colder every day. I'm afraid that our braised food business will drop."
Malatang was boiling hot. The colder the weather, the better the business. However, the braised food was frozen like a popsicle. No one would want to buy it.
Tong Xuelu praised him. "That's a good suggestion. When the weather gets colder, I have new dishes to offer. You don't have to worry."
When the time came, the braised food supply would decrease. They could start barbecuing. When the weather got colder, the business of other shops would also pick up. By then, more and more people would know that this street was selling delicacies.
Guo Chunyu looked at Tong Xuelu's confident expression and was full of admiration.
Sure enough, there was a huge gap between people. Although Manager Tong was young, she was very capable. Her cooking was top-notch and she was very experienced in dealing with people. She was also the top student in the city.
She could not be compared to her.
After leaving Braised Food House, Tong Xuelu went to the state-run hotel where Deng Hong worked. Deng Hong said that he had two chefs that he could introduce to her.
When she arrived at the state-run hotel, Jiang Danhong was also there.
"Don't you have classes today?" Tong Xuelu asked.
"I don't have classes today. I heard that you were hiring chefs, so I came to take a look."
Jiang Danhong said as she poured her a cup of winter melon skin tea.
"I'll just drink plain water."
Tong Xuelu knew that she had good intentions. If she was the only woman in a room full of men, there would be gossip if word got out.
Jiang Danhong asked curiously, "Don't you usually like to drink winter melon skin tea? Why aren't you drinking it today? "
Tong Xuelu looked down at her belly and said with a smile, "I'm pregnant."
Jiang Danhong was stunned. "Really? How could you be so fast? Congratulations! "
Tong Xuelu said, "Yeah, I didn't expect it to be so soon."
"It should be one month, right?
"Yes, it's exactly one month. Winter melon skin tea is cooling, so you shouldn't drink it during your monthly period. If you drink too much, I'm afraid that your body will be cold and suffer from menstrual cramps."
Jiang Danhong was shocked. "Is that so? I like to drink it, especially in summer. I drink it almost every day. No wonder I suffer from menstrual cramps during summer. It seems that I should drink less in the future. "
While they were talking, Deng Hong came in with a middle-aged man.
Deng Hong saw Tong Xuelu and greeted him with a smile. "Comrade Tong, you're here so early?"
Tong Xuelu said, "Yes, these two should be the chefs you want to introduce to me?"
Deng Hong nodded and pointed to the man with the buzz cut. "This is Master Huang Dakai. He has 15 years of cooking experience."
Then he pointed to the tall and thin middle-aged man and said, "This is Master Song Weijun. He has 17 years of cooking experience. Both of them used to work in state-run restaurants in other provinces. Recently, their families came to Beijing to make a living, so they came with them but couldn't find any work."
After that, he said to the two men, "This woman is the owner of the restaurant."
The two chefs hurriedly said, "Hello, Manager Tong."
Tong Xuelu smiled and said, "You don't have to be so polite. Tell me what dishes you're good at cooking."
Huang Dakai spoke with his plastic Mandarin. "I'm from Guangyue Silver. I'm good at cooking Cantonese dishes and desserts."
Song Weijun said concisely, "I'm from Sichuan. I'm good at cooking Sichuan dishes."
Deng Hong smiled and said, "Why don't you let the two chefs cook two dishes for everyone to try?"
Tong Xuelu agreed.
Therefore, Deng Hong brought the two chefs to the kitchen to cook.
"Sister Danhong, what do you plan to do after graduation?"
Tong Xuelu took out some snacks from he4 bag and ate with Jiang Danhong.
Her appetite had become very good these few days. She always got hungry easily.
Jiang Danhong said, "I want to take the postgraduate exam. If possible, I want to be a teacher in a university."
"That's not a problem. Being a university teacher is much easier than being a primary school teacher."
The main point was that the treatment and social status were different. Moreover, Jiang Danhong's personality was more suitable for her to stay in school.
More than an hour later, the two chefs brought out their best dishes.
Master Huang Dakai made crispy barbecued pork and a dessert, Flowing Sand Bun.
The crispy barbecued pork was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The skin was crispy and the meat underneath was smooth and tender. The taste was not strong, and it left a sweet taste in the mouth. It was a typical Cantonese cooking method.
Tong Xuelu picked up a piece with his chopsticks and commented, "Master Huang, this crispy barbecued pork is very good. However, it would be better if the skin of the barbecued pork was a bit more golden."
Master Huang Dakai nodded vigorously. "Manager Tong, you are indeed a first-class chef. There are not many people who can make this crispy barbecued pork better than me. However, I can't control the skin well, causing the skin to turn black."
Tong Xuelu said, "This has something to do with your control of the heat. I will make it once for you to see."
Master Huang Dakai was stunned for a moment. Then, he beamed with joy. "Manager Tong, do you mean that I have been hired?"
Tong Xuelu nodded and picked up the Flowing Sand Bun he made.
The skin of the Flowing Sand Bun was soft and tender. After biting into it, the golden fillings flowed out like golden sand. The fillings were sweet and salty, and the taste was very fresh and tender.
Tong Xuelu ate the whole bun. She had not eaten authentic Flowing Sand Bun for a long time and missed it very much.
Master Song Weijun made Mapo Tofu and Kung Pao Chicken.
The Mapo Tofu was spicy and tender, while the Kung Pao Chicken was spicy and rich. The meat was smooth and crispy, and the more one chewed, the more fragrant it became.
Tong Xuelu also acknowledged Master Song Weijun's cooking skills and pointed out that his Mapo Tofu was a little overcooked. However, she still hired him in the end.
However, there was still half a month before her restaurant opened. Tong Xuelu asked the two of them to report to the restaurant in advance.
After leaving the state-run restaurant, she originally wanted to go to the department store to buy some things. However, she did not know if it was because of her pregnancy, but she felt a little tired even though she was usually very energetic.
Therefore, she dismissed the idea of going to the department store and took the bus home.
After waiting for half an hour for the bus to arrive, Tong Xuelu decided that the first thing she would do after she earned some money was to buy a car.
As soon as she entered the house, Mooncake pounced on her. However, it suddenly stopped halfway and circled around her stomach to smell it.
Tong Xuelu had heard that animals were very intelligent. When they sensed that their owners were pregnant, they would automatically stop pouncing on them.
She rubbed Mooncake's head. "Mooncake, do you know that I am pregnant?"
Mooncake barked softly at her. It was completely different from its usual valiant and heroic appearance.
At that moment, the wooden door was suddenly pushed open. Wen Rugui walked in with a head full of sweat. "Where have you been? I went to the braised food shop but couldn't find you. "
Tong Xuelu stood up and asked curiously, "I went to the braised food shop and then went to the state-run restaurant where I worked as Manager Deng. Why did you suddenly come back?"
Wen Rugui walked over and checked her body. When he found that she was fine, he replied, "I bought you a cassette recorder. My friend's dog just gave birth. It is a month old, so I brought it along with me."
When Tong Xuelu heard that there was a puppy, she asked curiously, "Where is the puppy?"
Wen Rugui held her hand and walked over to look at the puppy.
The puppy was a type of wolfdog. As it was still young, it looked a little naive. It looked at Tong Xuelu with a pair of big, watery eyes.
Tong Xuelu fell in love with the puppy immediately. She rubbed the puppy's head and asked, "What name should I call you?"
"Woof woof!"
The puppy barked twice.
Then, she heard Wen Rugui say, "Why don't we call you Green Turtle?"
The corners of Tong Xuelu's mouth twitched violently. "..."
She didn't expect Wen Rugui to still remember the name after so long. She immediately rejected the idea and named the puppy Celebrity Sandbag.
Because the sandbag she had just eaten tasted very good, she felt that she could eat another three or four. Therefore, she named the puppy Celebrity Sandbag.
Wen Rugui felt that it was a pity that the puppy couldn't be named Green Turtle.
At night, after washing up, she leaned into Wen Rugui's arms.
Wen Rugui gently stroked her flat stomach and said, "Tell our family where you go in the future so that they don't worry about you."
Tong Xuelu hooked her arms around his neck and bit his chin. "Okay, I'll listen to you. I'll tell Uncle Zong when I go out in the future."
Wen Rugui's body trembled when she bit him. He put some distance between them and said, "Bear with it. I've asked the doctor. It'll take three or four months before you can ..."
Tong Xuelu was speechless. "..."
Oh my god, he made it sound like she was very thirsty.
Wen Rugui saw that she didn't speak and thought that she was angry. "I'll come back more often to accompany you and the child."
Tong Xuelu saw that he was so obedient and didn't have the heart to tease him.
The key point was that she wasn't as energetic as before. She was already feeling tired.
Wen Rugui saw that she kept yawning, so he helped her lie down and said, "Since you're tired, let's sleep."
He got up and turned off the lights. Tong Xuelu hugged his waist and soon fell asleep.
She didn't know how long she slept, but she was woken up in a daze by a voice.
She opened her eyes and saw Wen Rugui sitting by the bed. He said to the empty chair, "Did you really ask your father to arrange a woman to get close to Shi Xiuneng?"