Chapter 223

Su Xiaoxiao brought Fantuan and Xiao Bao to the driving practice field. Only after arriving did she realize why she had brought these two rascals along for the ride.

‘No, what did Fantuan say this morning? He wanted to see how Mom learns to drive so it’ll be easier for them when they’re taking their tests. ’

Fantuan is only twelve years old this year, and it will be six years before he can take the driver’s license exam. Why was he so curious about this now?

Su Xiaoxiao looked at the two giant cubs warily and said, “Fantuan, Xiao Bao, let me tell you guys, you absolutely can’t touch the steering wheel before you turn eighteen; do you understand?”

Fantuan was still distracted, looking for an “amle mosquito.” Suddenly hearing his mom’s warning, he absentmindedly responded, “Huh?”

Seeing Fantuan staring absentmindedly at passing cars only strengthened her resolve. She walked in front of him, hands on her hips, and looked him in the eye.

Fantuan withdrew his gaze and looked at her mother, who was smaller than him and who really needed his protection. He hugged her shoulder and asked, “What’s wrong, Mom?”

“Mom said that, no matter what you think, never touch the steering wheel before the age of eighteen! And you too, Xiao Bao, got it?”

Xiao Bao said, “Auntie, when would I even get a chance to touch a steering wheel? I haven’t even had a chance to touch Dad’s tractor yet, and He’s just watching it all day like a hawk, afraid it might run away.”

Fantuan blinked, finding his mom particularly adorable. “Mom, did you think we came here to learn how to drive?”

Su Xiaoxiao mimicked his blinking. “Isn’t that why you’re here? Otherwise, why didn’t you go play instead of coming with Mom?”

Fantuan explained, “Mom, it’s actually Dad who’s worried about you. He said all the instructors here are men, so he sent us to protect you. He even said we shouldn’t let a single ‘male mosquito’ near you.”

Han Cheng, who was far away in the university laboratory, suddenly sneezed. 

He was puzzled. Why had he suddenly sneezed on such a hot day?

Fantuan didn’t feel any guilt revealing his dad’s concerns. In front of his dear mom, Dad’s worries were just passing clouds.

Su Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment before coming to her senses. When she saw Han Cheng going to work as usual in the morning, she thought her beauty trap had succeeded. However, she hadn’t expected that he would send two little “spies” over, but fortunately, they were both on her side.

Su Xiaoxiao held their hands and said, “Boys, whatever you see today, don’t tell Comrade Han Cheng, okay?”

Yesterday, the stern-faced instructor parked the car in front of them and stood outside, muttering many things beyond Fantuan and Xiao Bao’s understanding. They couldn’t comprehend any of it, but Su Xiaoxiao kept nodding along. Then, they watched as Su Xiaoxiao got into the car steadily and drove away, finding a few spots to park the car in various directions. She then smoothly maneuvered it in multiple ways, like playing a game, driving in a loop up a slight slope, bringing the car back, parking it, turning off the engine, pulling the handbrake, and getting out. She faced the instructor with a complex expression and asked, “Coach Li, like this?”

Coach Li’s face grew even darker. Her driving skills were better than his. What else could he say or teach? He could only nitpick, “Have you completed the paperwork at the Vehicle Management Office? Have you been on duty on the main road with the police?”

Yes, these days, getting a driver’s license requires not just passing the written test but also getting approval from one’s workplace, passing a political review, handling paperwork at the Vehicle Management Office, and spending time on the main road with police to learn traffic rules thoroughly before coming to driving school. Su Xiaoxiao had already completed her road duty before registering at the driving school.

She was a bit speechless and looked at Coach Li with a smile. “Coach Li, the comrades in charge of registration are very responsible. If the procedures were not completed, they wouldn’t have accepted me as a student. They were even worried that a lady like me wouldn’t be able to learn and tried to dissuade me.”

What more could Coach Li say?

“Now that your husband has taught you everything, there’s nothing for me to teach you here. Go to the office and confirm your exam date. After that, there’s a road test. Let’s talk about that after you pass this one.”

Su Xiaoxiao blinked. It had been so long since she had touched a steering wheel. Couldn’t they let her practice a few more times?

Coach Li said with a dark face, “Are you staying here to take my place as an instructor?”

After saying this, Coach Li got into his car and drove off loudly.

Su Xiaoxiao went to the office to confirm the exam date, which was set for three days later.

From entering to leaving the training ground, it had been about half an hour.

Fantuan and Xiao Bao looked at each other, full of doubt about life. They hadn’t seen many people, yet all they saw from the instructor was a brief scolding, then Su Xiaoxiao took a spin and went off to take her test?

“Mom, isn’t this driving practice too much of a joke? Wait, didn’t the stern uncle say Dad taught you? When did he teach you? Why didn’t I know?” Fantuan’s sharp mind was already overwhelmed.

Xiao Bao said, “Auntie, you’re amazing. Even the stern instructor says there’s nothing left to teach you, and that you could become an instructor yourself.”

Su Xiaoxiao raised her index finger to her lips and whispered, “This is a secret. We agreed not to tell Comrade Han Cheng. I want to say I worked hard today and did very well. Let’s take a walk, I’ll take you to eat something delicious.”

The two cubs have always listened to Su Xiaoxiao’s words since they were young, and naturally, they never doubted her words.

Su Xiaoxiao had initially planned to reward them with McDonald’s, KFC, or pizza, but these foods would make their way to China in the mid to late 1980s. Once Gu Zhanwang’s food court opened, she could suggest that small stalls within the court sell fried chicken and pizza.

When these Western fast-food chains entered the market back then, they swept through China’s food market like a tornado, capturing a significant market share. No one knew how much money they had made. If she could capture a portion of the market before they arrive here in China, she could earn a lot of money.

After all, no child doesn’t like to eat fried chicken, pizza, hamburgers, and fries. Forget the children. Even adults love to eat them. Su Xiaoxiao might not have proposed buying these things with her partner, but Mr. Gu, who returned to the West, might have agreed with her thoughts.

In the end, the three of them found a small shop selling roasted chicken and had a big meal. They thought the taste was good and even packed two to bring home.

Su Xiaoxiao took the roast chicken to “Three Meals Four Seasons” for Bai Lan and Old Yang.

After trying the roast chicken, Uncle Lao Yang said, “Xiao Xiao, this roast chicken is easy to make. I think we can sell it. We don’t have anything to do in the evening, so we might as well set up a barbecue grill and sell roasted chicken.”

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head and said, “It’s too much trouble for now; there’s no need for that at the moment. In the future, I will open a shop specializing in roast chicken. If you don’t mind the hard work and want to get some practice, you can do that too. However, that would be your side income and can’t be counted in the company’s accounts. It can only go into your own pockets, or I’m afraid I have to disagree.”’

Bai Lan and Uncle Yang exchanged glances, feeling helpless. Su Xiaoxiao seemed like someone other than a boss. She opened this shop to solve the children’s food problem, but the children don’t eat every meal in the shop. Fantuan and Zhuzi sometimes take the other children out for a change of taste.

They all received salaries, but only Su Xiaoxiao did not take one. Recently, with a few more children coming to eat, she would quietly use her own money to buy a lot of things, ensuring not a single extra penny came from the company’s funds. The store’s profits were also divided according to the previously agreed-upon shares. Any extra change she took and gave to Grandma Tian Tian as an additional bonus. How could there be such a kind person in the world?

Bai Lan said, “Xiaoxiao, you’re too kind. If you continue like this outside, you’ll end up suffering a big loss. Even if you don’t agree, we’ll still do it. The accounts will be counted under ‘Three Meals and Four Seasons,’ and if there are any losses, you’ll be responsible for covering them.”

Uncle Yang nodded and said, “Yes, either we don’t do it, or it’s just the store’s revenue.”

Su Xiaoxiao chuckled at her words. She thought to herself that, setting aside the excellent reputation of “Three Meals and Four Seasons,” which still had more customers than they could handle every day, the roast chicken was so enticing. During the hot summer, everyone liked to enjoy the cool air outside. If they set up a few small tables in the evening, people with spare cash would be willing to buy a roast chicken to share with friends, have a couple of drinks, and chat. It was impossible for them to incur losses; the only problem would be being overwhelmed.

Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t argue with them and could only say, “But it should be limited in quantity. At most, roast ten or eight chickens to pass the time. Don’t overwork yourselves. After all, health is the foundation of everything.”

Bai Lan said, “We know that our customers are quite time-conscious. Basically, by seven o’clock, the shop is closed, and there’s nothing to do. Given our age and the little sleep we get, selling a few roast chickens during this time and closing up at ten would be just right.”

Everyone was fond of Xiao Roubao and left him a drumstick. Xiao Roubao, nibbling on the oily, juicy chicken leg, kept nodding his little head and said, “Roast chicken is so delicious; everyone must love it. I agree with selling roast chicken!”

Su Xiaoxiao squatted down to wipe the oil from her son’s mouth and said, “You know, roast chicken can’t be eaten every day; it’s for everyone to enjoy.”

Xiao Roubao nodded and said, “I know, but if Uncle Yang and Aunt Lan cared about me and left a chicken leg for me every day, that would be the best.”

Su Xiaoxiao: “Roast chickens are sold whole; there are no leftover drumsticks.”

Xiao Roubao, not giving up, asked, “But roast chicken is just too delicious. Mom, can I use my pocket money to buy a roast chicken every day or every week?”

Su Xiaoxiao, unable to handle her food-loving son, replied, “You can, but only once a week.”

Bai Lan laughed and said, “We won’t charge Xiao Roubao. He can have one roast chicken for free every week.”

Xiao Roubao, holding the chicken leg in his mouth, clapped his little hands and, after finishing his applause, took a big bite and said with his mouth full, “Yay! Thank you, Aunt Lan! Thank you, Uncle Yang! And thank you to my most, most, most beloved mommy!”

In short, the decision to sell roast chicken was settled like this, and Su Xiaoxiao and the others never imagined that packaging two roast chickens would lead to a new source of revenue.

That night, Han Cheng summoned Fantuan to study under the pretense of checking Fantuan’s homework.

Su Xiaoxiao smiled knowingly, wondering what more Han Cheng could possibly find to test Fantuan’s perfect exam scores. Comrade Han Cheng’s excuse seemed relatively transparent.

Fantuan can betray his father, but he will never betray his mother. According to the previous agreement with Su Xiaoxiao, he easily fooled his father.

The next day, the summer workers woke up early and got to work!

Boss Gu had planned it well, dispatching an assistant to wait at the Han family’s gate early. As soon as the nine kids appeared, the assistant opened the car doors for them. Thankfully, Boss Gu had anticipated this and sent the largest car, otherwise they wouldn’t have fit.

Boss Gu calculated the timing to greet them at the mall entrance. Watching each of the kids jump out of the car, he felt an inexplicable sense of pride. They were the epitome of the countless youth in our country, full of vitality and vigor. When these young people grew up to become the backbone of the nation’s development, it would be the actual rise of our country.

These kids didn’t disappoint him. When Boss Gu saw the revised character designs, he was so excited that he clenched his fists and exclaimed “Good” several times. He almost wanted to pick up Xiao Roubao, who was closest to him and hug him.

“How are you all so talented? Are you all geniuses? This is what manga should be; this is true manga!”

The original plan could have been better; considering the national conditions, there’s nothing wrong with that character image, which is also a common painting technique in China. All of Gu Zhanwang’s surprises come from the children’s painting skills and creative ideas in creating stories.

Now this is the actual manga, the surprise he has always wanted.

He had never mentioned his own ideas before, thinking that he should let children express what they wanted to convey the most, rather than imposing a particular design on them and letting them accept it. This would definitely limit their creativity, but he never thought that they would have already drawn it even if he didn’t say anything. Apart from genius, he couldn’t think of any other adjectives.

Fantuan shook his head and said, “We are not geniuses. My mother is the real genius.”

In Fantuan’s small world and in the eyes of all the kids, Su Xiaoxiao was the true genius. Su Xiaoxiao was their mentor in any field, always leading them in the best direction as they grew up.

Regarding yesterday’s driving lesson, Su Xiaoxiao had no idea that her image had grown so much taller in Fantuan and Xiao Bao’s eyes after seeing her drive.

Shocked by Fantuan’s words, Gu Zhanwang exclaimed in surprise, “Are you saying that this was Su Xiaoxiao’s drawing?”

Fantuan shook his head and said, “My mother’s level is not that bad. This is what we drew.”

Gu Zhanwang: “…” 

‘Calling this skill bad? Who are you criticizing?’

Fantuan rummaged through his bag and pulled out Su Xiaoxiao’s sketch, “This is what my mom drew.”

Gu Zhanwang opened it and was once again astonished.