Chapter 187

“Did you draw these yourselves?” Someone held up a reservation ticket, looking at it again and again, amazed. “So, did you also draw the promotional flyers yourselves?”

Fantuan nodded. “Yes, we did. There are also murals in the store that we painted ourselves. This is the only place you can see these arts. You won’t find them anywhere else. And the spring couplets above your heads were written by us too. If anyone dares to use fake tickets to eat here, we’ll report them to the police.”

The idea of monthly passes was something Fantuan came up with on the spot and hadn’t discussed with his mother, Su Xiaoxiao, yet. If customers came frequently, it would be simpler to print monthly cards for billing. School was about to start, and he wouldn’t have as much time to handle reception. However, since the store’s reception capacity was limited, if they were to issue monthly cards, they could only be limited in quantity, combining them with reservations.

The person gave Fantuan a thumbs-up and said, “Little boss, you’re really amazing!”

“Little Boss?” Fantuan likes this title! He beamed with pride, hands behind his back, nodding slightly. “Thank you, thank you.”

As soon as Su Xiaoxiao returned, she saw her eldest son’s smug appearance, and she smiled to tease him. “How’s business today, little boss?”

As soon as Fantuan saw his mother, he instantly reverted to being the little Fantuan, running over to hug her. “Mom, you’re finally back. I was so busy I almost got dizzy!”

Su Xiaoxiao rubbed her eldest son’s head, her dimples showing. “Thank you for your hard work, little boss.”

The senior who had taken Mu Xiaocao to register happened to be there too. He said incredulously, “Classmate, is this store yours? Is this your son? Your biological son? You look about the same age as us.”

Classmate? The owner of this little store was a fellow student at Peking University. Everyone’s eyes immediately focused on Su Xiaoxiao.

Su Xiaoxiao smiled and said lightly, “Of course, he’s my biological son. I can’t help looking young.”

It was common for people in rural areas to marry young, and having children at eighteen or nineteen was normal. But Su Xiaoxiao didn’t look like a girl who came from the countryside, and this child seemed to be about twelve or thirteen. Su Xiaoxiao didn’t look older than twenty-five. How could she have such an older child?

Fantuan also smiled and said, “I grew up fast. Are you here to eat or to pry into other people’s privacy?”

The senior brother smiled shyly and said, “Sorry, I don’t mean anything else; I’m just a little curious.”

Su Xiaoxiao didn’t take this little episode to heart. Those who wanted to eat went in to eat, and those who wanted to make reservations did so. Soon, the “Sold Out” sign was up again.

First-time visitors to the restaurant were invariably drawn to the “Three Meals, Four Seasons” mural, but as soon as the food was served, they couldn’t focus on anything else because it was so delicious! “Mom, I want to make this my dining hall!”

Having heard Su Xiaoxiao mention monthly cards, students with decent family conditions immediately asked if they could get one, afraid that if they reserved too late, they wouldn’t get to eat that day.

Su Xiaoxiao said, “We’ve only planned this week’s menu. Next week might change. We don’t accept reservations for the whole month right now. You can look at this week’s menu and reserve if it suits you. For the first month at school, you can try the cafeteria first to see if you like their food. There are also many places to eat nearby. You can try them all first.”

The student said, “I’m a local. I ate at the cafeteria yesterday, and it didn’t suit me. I’ve eaten at all the big and small restaurants in the city. There’s nothing good around here. I was planning to have my family deliver meals every day. It’s rare to find a place that suits my taste and offers something different every day. This is perfect.”

As he spoke, he took out several big bills. “Here’s the money for the meals. I don’t need a monthly card. I’ll come for lunch and dinner every day. Just deduct it from the account.”

Su Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and asked Fantuan to bring another blank notebook. She quickly drew a table in it and handed it to the student.

“Please write down your name and amount you have deposited, as well as the dining schedule, and sign on it every time you come for a meal. If you don’t have enough money, you can renew it. For example, your daily meal is at noon, so it’s okay to arrive half an hour early. If you arrive too early, you may have to wait a bit. If you’re more than half an hour late, we might take new customers, and you might not get to eat. Is that okay? Of course, you can set your meal time to one o’clock. Basically, this one hour is reserved for you. If you don’t set a time, you might have to wait when you come.”

The student wrote down his name, “Zhou Qilin,” in a flamboyant manner. This person not only had a bold name but also a sharp mind. “Then I’ll set my meal times at three in the afternoon and eight in the evening. I’ll come to eat no matter how late.”

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head. “Sorry, we don’t serve customers after two in the afternoon or eight in the evening. If you don’t arrive by 1:30 or 7:30, we’ll sell the meals to other customers in the last half hour. We’ll prepare a few extra portions, but we can’t guarantee there will be any left after your reserved time.”

Zhou Qilin glanced sideways at Su Xiaoxiao and said, “How do you know that the guests you received in advance can finish their meal within half an hour? What if I waited for half an hour and the guests you received in advance haven’t finished their meal?”

Su Xiaoxiao said, “I can only guarantee controllable factors. For uncontrollable factors, we can only ask you to bear more responsibility. If you don’t want to, it’s okay. We can refund the balance to you at any time.”

Zhou Qilin pinched his chin and looked at Su Xiaoxiao: “I have to say, Madam Boss, running a food business to this extent is quite something. If I remember correctly, you’ve only been open for two days, right? Where does your confidence come from? Aren’t you afraid of driving away customers?”

Su Xiaoxiao said, “Good wine needs no bush. Without rules, nothing can be accomplished. We’re a small business with limited capacity, only two or three people working in this restaurant. We’re not in it for the money, just to make sure our child has a safe place to eat. The only thing we can guarantee is the quality of our food. For everything else, we ask for your understanding.” ^[1]Good wine needs no bush means there is no need to advertise or boast about something of good quality, as people will always discover its merits.) Zhou Qilin nodded incessantly, pushing the bills … Continue reading

Fan Chiguang asked, “Why, why?”

Xiao Doubao said, “Because my younger brother won’t like you.” With the name ‘eating all the food,’ how could Xiao Roubao possibly like him? Just hearing his name made him want to leave.

“Ah?” Fan Chi Guang couldn’t figure it out: What does my friendship with you have to do with your little brother?”

Xiao Doubao didn’t respond and continued walking. Fan Chiguang grabbed his sleeve in desperation.

Fantuan, who was passing by during break time to check on his brother’s adjustment to school, saw Little Fatty “bullying” Xiao Doubao. Angered, Fantuan rushed over and pulled Little Fatty away. “Are you looking for trouble? How dare you bully my little brother!”

Xiao Doubao was bullied on the first day of school, and he might be afraid of going to school in the future. What should he do? He really can’t bear it!

Fan Chiguang was confused. He hadn’t bullied anyone. Then he looked up at this big brother, who had pulled his arm, and blurted out, “Brother, you’re so pretty too!”

Fantuan’s eyebrows could’ve caught flies. Was this little fatty a fool?

Xiao Doubao pulled his brother’s clothes and said, “He didn’t bully me.”

Fantuan let go of Little Fatty and examined his brother. Everything seemed normal. “If someone bullies you, you must tell me immediately, understand?”

Xiao Doubao nodded and said, “But he really didn’t bully me.”

Fantuan looked at Little Fatty and said, “Little Fatty, tell your classmates not to bully my younger brother; otherwise, they’ll be in trouble. Got it?”

Fan Chiguang nodded blankly and said, “I know, I know. We won’t bully him.”

“What’s your name?” Fantuan asked again.

“Fan Chiguang.”

Fantuan laughed and said, “Have you eaten all the food?”

Xiao Doubao wrinkled his nose. “I told you Xiao Roubao wouldn’t like him, so I won’t be friends with him. But he insisted on being friends with me.”

Fantuan shook his head. “No, I think Xiao Roubao might like him and be friends with him. He looks like he enjoys eating.”

Fan Chiguang said, “Pretty brother, how do you know? I can eat three bowls of rice in one meal. My mom always says she can’t afford to feed me!”

The class bell rings.

Fantuan said, “Big brother, you can see it. Alright, go back to class quickly. Brother has given you a task. If someone bullies my little brother, you must help him and come to Class 6-1 as soon as possible to report to Big Brother. Do you understand?”

Fan Chiguang nodded uncontrollably and said, “I know, big brother. Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone bully my pretty brother!”

Xiao Doubao wrinkled his little nose and said, “I’m not your younger brother; my name is Han Kang.” His mom said to use his full name at school.

Fan Chiguang nodded and said, “Kang Kang, it sounds great!”

It was the first time someone called Xiao Doubao by that name, and he was momentarily surprised.

Fantuan didn’t expect to find a little bodyguard for Xiao Doubao so quickly. He took out a candy from his pocket and handed it to Fan Chiguang. “Hurry back to class and take care of my brother.”

Fan Chiguang took the candy, nodding his head vigorously like a chick pecking at rice. “Yes, sir!”

Fantuan rubbed Xiao Doubao’s head. “After school, wait for your brother to pick up Xiao Roubao and Xiao Tangyuan and go back to the store for dinner together.”

Xiao Doubao obediently nodded. “Okay.”

…