Chapter 8

Based on Madam Zhou’s usual personality, there was no way she would have thought about opening a restaurant herself. But now, inexplicably, she was confident—suddenly daring to think and do anything.

Old Master Song frowned and said, “What’s gotten into everyone? Buying all these things, how much silver will it cost? What is all this? Hurry up and return it.”

Madam Zhou snorted, “What do you know? This is what my precious granddaughter wants, and it’s definitely going to make a lot of money.”

Fourth Son Song Futian also believed that his little daughter must be a little goddess descended from heaven. Otherwise, how could such a little girl speak so confidently? Naturally, what she said had to be true.

Song Futian said, “Father, since this is what Little Sweetheart said, then let Mother try it.”

Old Master Song…

Here we go again, another bout of excitement.

Madam Zhou knew Old Master Song didn’t believe her, so she said, “You stubborn old man, if you don’t believe it now, wait until after the confinement period. Then you can see for yourself. Don’t mind what this old man says, we’ll do what we need to do.”

Those who had heard Little Sweetheart’s heartfelt voice naturally believed Madam Zhou, but those who hadn’t still doubted inside, though no one would go against Madam Zhou’s wishes.

Old Master Song was extremely speechless. But since the family had been waiting for a little girl for many years, it was normal to be happy. He’d calm down in a few days.

He threw his sleeves and went inside, while Madam Zhou, along with her daughters-in-law, started experimenting with the dishes taught by Little Sweetheart.

First, the grilled fish: a plump grouper was cleaned and fried until both sides were golden and crispy. Then they prepared side dishes like sliced beans, bean sprouts, potatoes, and wood ear mushrooms.

The most important part was the seasoning. They bought hot pot base seasoning from a Southern traveling vendor, along with dried chili peppers, peanuts, and sesame seeds.

Following Little Sweetheart’s method, they stir-fried the seasoning, added water to boil, then added the side ingredients. Finally, they served it with the fried grouper.

The aroma immediately filled the air. Not only did it smell delicious, but it also looked extremely appetizing.

“Mom, it really smells great. Our family has never made fish this delicious before,” said the second daughter-in-law Zhang quickly.

Madam Zhou also nodded, “Yes, even though we usually skimp on oil and salt, it’s never been this bad before. This fragrance… I bet only the imperial palace could enjoy something like this.”

Since they lived by the sea, the Song family usually ate fish either stewed or steamed. At first, it was fresh and tasty, but after eating it often, they felt it was nothing special.

But now, this fish was made spicy, fragrant, and numbing. The Song family, who rarely had rich food, felt it was an incredible delicacy.

The eldest daughter-in-law Zhu and the third daughter-in-law Zou didn’t believe their mother-in-law at first, but seeing the grilled fish in front of them, they were about 70% convinced.

They had never seen such delicious food or heard of this cooking method. There was no way their mother-in-law knew, unless it really was what Little Sweetheart’s heartfelt voice had said.

“Stop staring, bring it up. I want to try if this tastes good and if we can sell the recipe. Looks like there’s no problem. We’ll prepare it tomorrow and sell it.”

Madam Zhou was excited to see such a perfect result. She didn’t expect that at her age, she’d still want to start a business.

Second daughter-in-law Zhang was very happy inside. Little Sweetheart was amazing—she brought good luck to the family since birth, and now she was helping them make money. From now on, they would definitely cherish this little girl even more.

Zhang said, “I think it’s fine. I’ll ask my father if he’s ever eaten this.”

Old Master Song had worked in the town when he was young, driving carts and traveling with shopkeepers, eating many good foods. He was considered the most knowledgeable person in the family.

But when the fish was served, Old Master Song was dumbfounded.

The old lady was really generous today. He didn’t know how much oil was used to fry the fish like this. The red color looked like chili oil, and the side dishes were things they usually couldn’t afford.

But truth be told, the taste and appearance looked very delicious. Having traveled far and wide and eaten at good restaurants, even with deep-fried food, the oil used was usually more than at home, but the flavor didn’t seem as good as this.

“Father, quickly try it. What do you think of this fish recipe Little Sweetheart said?” Zhang said eagerly.

Everyone looked at Old Master Song. Suddenly he felt maybe it wasn’t the old lady who was crazy with joy; maybe they really had heard Little Sweetheart’s heartfelt voice.

Though the whole thing was too strange, thinking about Little Sweetheart’s birth, and how the chickens, ducks, and geese were always plentiful, and the fish always abundant—it was all very strange.

The fish had a spicy, numbing flavor. Madam Zhou served Old Master Song a bowl of brown rice to go with it.

Old Master Song picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of the fish. The meat was fragrant, with a numbing and spicy taste that stimulated the palate. The fish was a bit dry and chewy but very tasty.

Then he tried the side dishes. Cooked in the chili oil, they were spicy, numbing, and fragrant. Used to plain meals, eating such stimulating food occasionally felt incredibly delicious.

“Delicious, really delicious. Come on, everyone try it.”

Old Master Song nodded repeatedly, admitting it was truly tasty.

Madam Zhou smiled proudly, “If we can get this old man to say it’s delicious, that’s not easy. When our Little Sweetheart grows up, who knows how amazing she’ll be?”

Third son Song Fugui didn’t believe that his mother heard Little Sweetheart’s heartfelt voice, but after tasting the grilled fish, he was somewhat convinced.

He had eaten his mother’s cooking all his life and knew well what her cooking was like—it definitely wouldn’t be this delicious.

Everyone ate, nodding and praising. Although the meal cost quite a bit, it was more satisfying than even a New Year’s feast.

Madam Zhou felt even more confident. Such delicious food could definitely be sold in town.

“This uses way too much oil. Look, it’s all red oil on top,” Old Master Song said.

Madam Zhou replied, “This is the hot pot base seasoning I bought from the Southern traveling vendor, a penny a piece. The red oil inside, I don’t know what it’s made from, but it’s tasty and cheap. Next time, get more. From now on, I’m taking all the Southern vendor’s stuff.”

A penny a piece was arranged by Song Tian’er; the space material was unlimited. This hot pot seasoning was as much as they wanted.

Hearing how cheap it was, Old Master Song nodded repeatedly, “If it’s this cheap, then it’s okay.”

Madam Zhou said, “Little Sweetheart (Xiao Tianbao) said we can mark up this seasoning and sell it. We can also sell the grilled fish recipe. From now on, the fish for the restaurant will come from us. Because of Little Sweetheart (Xiao Tianbao), our family is going to get rich.”