in2ebook Chapter 421 - 419: Eating Out
Chapter 421 - 419: Eating Out
Lin Lan stood at the door, watching Dandan sobbing his heart out in the old woman’s arms and Little Douzi sitting beside them with red-rimmed eyes. She said to the old woman, "It’s good for him to cry it out."
The old woman smiled and nodded.
When Little Douzi saw her approach, he ran over and grabbed her hand. "Dandan agreed to go to a restaurant with us." Then he turned back. "Dandan, my mom’s here! Let’s go eat out."
Dandan looked up and glanced at Lin Lan, embarrassed. "I’ll go after I wash my face."
"Okay." Lin Lan looked at the old woman. "Grand-aunt, would you like to come with us?"
The old woman smiled and waved her hand dismissively. "You all go ahead. I’m getting old; greasy food gives me indigestion." Restaurant food was oily and heavily seasoned; something lighter was better for her.
Lin Lan took Dandan and Little Douzi outside, where Old Li was already waiting at the door with his bicycle. Little Douzi climbed onto Old Li’s bike while Dandan sat behind Lin Lan on hers. The two adults then rode with the children to Limin Road.
When He Li saw them, she said with a grin, "Uncle Li, ma’am, Brother Xiangyang went to the ’Not Bad’ Restaurant to order."
Old Li said to Dandan and Little Douzi, "Come on, let’s go over and order a couple of things we like."
"Okay!" The two little ones held hands and ran down the street toward the ’Not Bad’ Restaurant.
Lin Lan parked her bike, walked into the shop, and looked around. "How’s business been these past few days?"
He Li smiled and nodded. "Business has been pretty good. Wall clocks and watches are selling well, and we’ve sold a few radio cassette recorders too. Uncle Da came looking for Brother Xiangyang yesterday. He said he’s making a trip to Yangcheng City and asked if he wanted to go."
Lin Lan recalled how last time, they had just wired money and let the wholesaler in Yangcheng City send the goods. ’Some of the products are never as good as when we pick them out ourselves,’ she thought. "We should go," she said. "First, make a list of the items we’re out of. We’ll make a decision after talking to Uncle Da."
"Okay! I’ve already written down everything that’s sold out. There are some other things we’re getting low on, too. I’ll check after we close up."
"Alright, I’m going to check on the shops across the street first. When it’s about time, you can close up and come over."
Lin Lan went to the clothing and shoe stores across the street and took a look around. Their stock was also running low. She told Little Xue and her sister, along with Sister Xiang, to get a list of needed items together, then walked toward the restaurant diagonally across the street.
It was prime dinner time. This restaurant’s food was delicious and the portions were generous, so business had been booming since it opened. The restaurant was also a customer of their local products shop, requiring a delivery of seasonings every few days.
Lin Lan went inside and saw that the main dining hall was already full of customers.
The proprietress told her Li Xiangyang and the others were in a private room in the back courtyard. When Lin Lan went over, she saw Little Douzi and Dandan standing in front of a large water urn planted with water lilies, watching the koi fish inside.
Lin Lan went into the private room and told Li Xiangyang what had happened to Xie Tian. She also relayed the old woman’s worries and told him to go to Yucai Road to talk to Yang Dingbang after dinner.
After hearing the news, Li Xiangyang was so surprised he was speechless. After a moment, he blurted out, "I always said she was too much drama. I can’t believe she finally went and got herself killed."
Hearing this, Lin Lan thought, ’She really is the perfect example of "play stupid games, win stupid prizes."’
"What are your thoughts on what Uncle Da said about going to Yangcheng City?"
Li Xiangyang nodded. "He Li told me about it. I think we should make the trip. The weather’s getting warmer, so it’s a good time to go check things out and get some new products."
Lin Lan said, "I was thinking the same thing. You should go find Uncle Da tomorrow and see when they’re leaving."
Old Li, remembering the heavy rains of the past few days, said, "It’s been raining a lot lately, so be careful on the road. When you get to Yangcheng City, find a couple more reputable merchants who can ship goods to us after we wire the money. That way, you can make fewer trips a year."
Li Xiangyang thought for a moment and said, "The goods from Boss Peng’s company are decent, but I always feel like there’s something missing from the other two. Little Xue and her sister also say the products we don’t pick out ourselves don’t sell as fast. If we’re really going to have them ship to us, we need to carefully choose a couple of truly reputable suppliers."
"That’s true," Lin Lan said. "The two places are so far apart. People in different regions naturally have different tastes in styles and colors."
Just then, a waiter from the restaurant started bringing in the dishes. Old Li went to the door to call the two children in to eat.
Lin Lan asked Li Xiangyang, "Are Qiaohui and the others coming?"
Li Xiangyang nodded. "Yes, I told them to close up early. Sister Yuezhen said she didn’t want to be a bother, so she isn’t coming."
The words had barely left his mouth when Qiaohui and Tong Xinglan walked in with Old Li.
As soon as Tong Xinglan saw Lin Lan, she said happily, "Cousin, the Municipal Kindergarten wants to order our cookies for their snacks now!"
Lin Lan was also very happy. The purchasing manager for the Municipal Kindergarten was notoriously picky. Getting an order from them proved they were doing a good job. "That’s great! How are the other pastries selling?"
Qiaohui said with a smile, "The bean rolls and mung bean cakes are selling better than before. Sales for the fried fava beans have dropped a bit, but the pumpkin cakes and small bread rolls are still doing well..."
Just then, the waiter announced that all their dishes had been served and asked when they should deliver the meal for the people back at the shop.
Li Xiangyang told them to send it over now. The waiter acknowledged and left.
Old Li laughed. "Sit down and eat. We can talk business after we’ve had our fill."
Lin Lan smiled and nodded. "Okay, let’s eat first."
Old Li passed the sweet-skinned duck legs to Little Douzi and Dandan. "You two each get a duck leg!"
"Thank you, Grandpa Li!" The two little ones took the legs, took a big bite, and nodded with their cheeks puffed out. "Delicious!"
Li Xiangyang smiled. "There’s also fish-fragrant shredded pork, your favorite."
Old Li watched them with a loving gaze. "Don’t rush. One thing at a time."
Little Douzi swallowed his duck meat and picked up some fish-fragrant shredded pork with his chopsticks. "Dandan, I can eat two bowls of rice with this!"
Dandan nodded. "Me too!"
The fish-fragrant shredded pork was made with stir-fried pork tenderloin, shredded celtuce, wood ear mushrooms, pickled ginger, pickled chili peppers, garlic, and a sweet and sour sauce. It combined salty, sour, spicy, sweet, and savory flavors that went perfectly with rice.
’No matter how I make it,’ Lin Lan thought, ’it never tastes as good as the restaurant’s version.’
After the meal, Little Douzi and Dandan had eaten so much their bellies were sticking out and they could barely walk.
Lin Lan chuckled and rubbed each of their bellies in turn. "Go take a walk back with Grandpa."
Old Li always went for a stroll after eating, so it was perfect for the three of them to walk back slowly together.
Old Li smiled and held out his hands to them. "Come on. A hundred steps after a meal, and you’ll live to ninety-nine."
Dandan looked at him and asked curiously, "Grandpa Li, Peng Zu lived to be nine hundred and ninety. What was his secret?"
"HAHAHA..." Old Li burst out laughing. "How would Grandpa know? Study hard, and you can ask your teacher in the future."
"Dandan, let me tell you something," Little Douzi said, pulling on Dandan’s arm. "Whenever grown-ups don’t know the answer, they just tell us to study hard and ask our teacher later."
Old Li chuckled and ruffled his hair. "You little smarty-pants..."
Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang exchanged a look, shaking their heads with a laugh.
After seeing Old Li and the two little ones off, Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang rode their bikes toward Yucai Road. She told Li Xiangyang to buy two more sets of pastry equipment on his trip to Yangcheng City so they could open the shop next to the department store in the second half of the year.