Chapter 24: A Three-Character Reply

In Qinglian County, market days fall on the 2nd, 5th, and 8th of each month. So, a few days later, Su Taotao headed to the county town again.

However, this time she didn’t bring Chenchen along.

Actually, Chenchen didn’t want to go with her. The little guy was quite smart and probably realized that his presence would affect his mother’s work, or maybe he just didn’t find the county town fun. So, when Su Taotao asked for his opinion in the morning, he decisively chose to go to school with his younger uncle.

Su Taotao raised Chenchen democratically and naturally wouldn’t interfere with his choice.

Chef Xu had been anxiously waiting, pacing between the entrance and the kitchen, as if afraid that Su Taotao might change her mind and not come.

For the nth time, he ran to the entrance and finally saw that lovely figure: “Ms. Su, you have finally come.Quick, the braising liquid in the kitchen has a problem.”

It was just after 7 a.m., and already, outside the small shophouse, people had formed several layers of lines.

“What’s going on with these people?” Su Taotao asked.

Chef Xu’s grin was impossible to suppress: “It’s because our braised delicacies are so delicious, and we only supply limited quantities each day. These retired folks are worried they won’t be able to buy any, so they rushed to queue up early in the morning.”

Su Taotao raised an eyebrow: “Did they really need to come so early? The braised items are supplied at lunchtime, not available until after 11 a.m. What time is it now?”

Mentioning this made Chef Xu straighten his back even more: “Exactly! The word-of-mouth was too good on the first day. On the second day, people started lining up before 11 a.m., and half of them couldn’t buy any. On the third day, people started queuing around 9 a.m., and two-thirds of them went home empty-handed. Today is the fourth day, and people started queuing before 7 a.m.”

Chef Xu’s lips were curved up the whole time he spoke.

His family members used to make excuses when invited for a meal, and some even asked if it could be hosted at another restaurant.

Chef Xu was almost ready to explode.

Now, the tables had turned. In just a few days, relatives begging him to reserve some braised items were almost breaking down his door.

Who did he think he was? A person who would use a minor authority for personal gain? No way! He was a fair chef. Would he give special treatment? Absolutely not! If you want to buy the braised items, you’ll have to queue up at the restaurant like everyone else.

The feeling of vindication was indescribable.

Su Taotao wasn’t too surprised. Everything’s exciting when it’s new. People in every era crave novelty. Once everyone has had a taste, such a frenzy wouldn’t happen again.

Su Taotao shared this view with Chef Xu and added, “That’s why I release a new dish every month. If the braised items can maintain their popularity for a month, they’ll become a regular signature dish. Then, by introducing new dishes, we’ll keep getting repeat customers.”

Chef Xu nodded: “I understand.”

Su Taotao continued, “Have the waiters write some numbered tickets later. We can make only 30 portions today, so give out 30 numbered tickets. There’s no need for the rest to queue in vain.”

Chef Xu was stunned for a moment but then nodded: “Good idea. I’ll inform the manager about it.”

After a while, Chef Xu suggested, “Should we braise more then?”

Su Taotao shook her head: “No need. Limited availability creates desire. The fewer people can get, the more they’ll want it. Those who can’t buy it today will just have to try again the day after tomorrow. They’ll eventually get to taste it.”

Chef Xu had been on the battlefield, witnessed real gunfire, and experienced the ups and downs of life for decades. He had seen the warmth and coldness of human relationships and encountered all kinds of strange creatures, but he had never met a young woman like Su Taotao, who possessed such insight.

Chef Xu sighed, “I really wonder what kind of family could raise a daughter like you.”

Su Taotao smiled without answering.

In her heart, she thought, no matter what kind of family, they couldn’t raise a daughter like me. But in the future, in the 21st century, such women would be everywhere.

It turned out that the braising liquid hadn’t been fully boiled before the heat was turned off yesterday, so by this morning, it had gone bad.

On days like this, Su Taotao reiterated, “The braising liquid must be completely boiled before the end of the workday. It needs to be thoroughly sterilized to prevent spoilage. We should change this pot today anyway, so it’s fine, but we must pay attention next time.”

The second chef hung his head, admitted his mistake, and guaranteed there would be no next time. Su Taotao didn’t say anything more.

After Su Taotao prepared today’s braising liquid, Chef Xu led her to the rest area and gave her two contracts.

“Sign them if there are no issues. These are the best conditions I could negotiate.”

Su Taotao took a look and saw that the position was as a consultant with a monthly salary of forty yuan.

These days, an ordinary worker earns around thirty to forty yuan for a full month’s work. If people found out that Su Taotao only needed to work ten mornings a month and still received forty yuan, along with all employee benefits, many would be envious.

She knew these were indeed the best benefits Chef Xu had fought for on her behalf.

Without a second word, Su Taotao signed the contracts and handed them back to Chef Xu. “Thank you, Chef Xu. Rest assured, no matter how many months I work, I will definitely prepare twelve menus for the restaurant.”

Chenchen’s father might come back to pick them up at any time, so Su Taotao wasn’t sure how long she could work at the restaurant.

Therefore, there was a clause in the contract that Su Taotao added to protect the restaurant’s rights: if she resigned within three months, she would unconditionally gift the braising liquid recipe to Chef Xu and additionally provide twelve menus.

This was one of the reasons the leadership agreed to keep Su Taotao after trying the braised platter. Chef Xu had said that buying a menu of this caliber would cost more than a year’s salary.

What Chef Xu didn’t tell Su Taotao was that the restaurant originally planned to offer her a maximum salary of twenty yuan, given that she only worked about ten days a month and wasn’t strictly managed. Chef Xu fought hard and made a bold promise to at least double the revenue within a month, securing an extra ten yuan and all employee benefits for her. The additional ten yuan came out of his own salary; he voluntarily took ten yuan less each month and transferred ten yuan from his wages to Su Taotao, resulting in this “huge” salary of forty yuan.

After handling matters at the restaurant, Su Taotao helped Chef Xu test some dishes and had the employee meal before rushing to the photography studio.

The photos had been developed, and the photographer had paid out of pocket to make an extra set, which he still took out from time to time to admire, cherishing them.

Seeing Su Taotao come in with the order form, he greeted her with a smile. “Ms. Su, you and your son are naturals in front of the camera. In all my decades of holding a camera, I’ve never seen anyone who looks better on camera.”

Su Taotao picked up the photos and was very satisfied.

She knew that as long as the photographer didn’t make mistakes and she didn’t accidentally close her eyes, the results would generally be quite good. After all, both she and Chenchen were quite striking in appearance.

“I made an extra set as a keepsake. I hope you don’t mind,” the photographer said, worried that Su Taotao might think he had other intentions. He quickly took out his private collection album. “If you’re unwilling, you can take this set back. It’s on the house.”

The photographer was straightforward. If he hadn’t mentioned it, Su Taotao would never have known that he had made extra copies. He not only refrained from doing so but also challenged human nature. Any normal person would agree that getting extra photos for free is a no-brainer.

Su Taotao couldn’t quite figure out what the photographer was thinking, but perhaps artists have different thought processes from normal people.

Well, she wasn’t exactly normal either.

Because her choice was—

“You can keep the photos, but it’s best not to show them to others.”

The photographer was overjoyed. “Rest assured, I have professional ethics and won’t show them to others. It’s purely for personal collection.”

Su Taotao saw from the page he opened that there was a photo resembling Chenchen. It was a small, yellowed ID photo of a boy about ten years old with impeccable features. There was an aura of someone who looked like they belonged in a fairy tale but temporarily descended to earth for trials. At first glance, Su Taotao had the bizarre thought that perhaps Chenchen would look like that at ten years old.

But since she had just said not to disclose her privacy, it would be hypocritical to ask about or inquire into the privacy of his other photos, so she didn’t ask further.

Su Taotao was very satisfied with the photos, so she left the negatives and asked the photographer to make two more sets before heading to the post office to write a letter to Fu Zhengtu.

She wasn’t petty enough not to send photos to Fu Zhengtu. Instead, she generously put all four photos into the envelope.

As for the reply, Su Taotao sneered. Wasn’t he a man of few words but great resolve? Who couldn’t do the same?

A few days later, Fu Zhengtu, busy to the point of exhaustion at the base, received a letter from his beloved wife at home. It was just three words—

My son.

Not even a single punctuation mark.

Fu Zhengtu, who was drinking water, choked so badly that he nearly coughed his lungs out when he saw the photos and the three words.

His colleagues, who had worked with him for years, were even more shocked. What kind of letter could rattle someone as composed as Fu, who never flinches even when the sky is falling?

When Fu Zhengtu finally caught his breath, his face—once a masterpiece—turned from red to green, and then darker than the bottom of a wok.

In just over two years of being away, his so-called wife had apparently moved on so much that she even had a child with another man.

He had been cuckolded so thoroughly that it felt like a whole new world had sprung up on his head. His “loving” wife had not only moved on but actually had a kid with someone else!