NOVPUBAfter eating the stewed duck necks, duck hearts, and the vegetable dish of lotus root, edamame, and kelp knots that Li Mei Juan had made, Zhong Wenqing felt even more confident in her entrepreneurial endeavor.
Before coming to Hong Kong, her father had called her into his study for a talk, handed her a bank book with 380,000 yuan in it, and said to her with deep earnestness, "This is your dowry from now on."
Zhong Wenqing understood her father’s implication, which was nothing more than telling her that the family’s wealth was meant for her younger brother, and he did not wish for any quarrels over the inheritance to arise between them when the time came.
Fittingly, she had never counted on her father’s modest estate. Being a university graduate of the 90s from a prestigious university, she still had her pride.
Zhong Wenqing gladly accepted her father’s money. With her own savings from two years of work, it totaled up to exactly 500,000—neither more nor less.
After freeloading at home for a year, the pressure was heavy on her. On the one hand, her family was pushing her to go on blind dates and get married, and on the other hand, there were the occasional cold jeers from relatives and friends, "No way! A top-notch graduate from a prestigious university can’t find a job?"
She had no desire to marry early and settle for a mediocre life, nor to take off her gown and do menial work. Since she was already at rock bottom, any move would be a step up. That’s why she agreed so readily to Xu Qingfan’s proposal when she heard it.
On the day she left Yanjing, Zhong Wenqing silently recited the great man’s verse in her heart: "A child sets out beyond his home town, vowing not to return until he achieves great learning!"
...
"Mmm~"
As they sat at the convenience store entrance, enjoying the pork cutlets that Li Mei Juan had just fried, Zhong Wenqing’s pupils dilated after just one bite, and she exclaimed with amazement.
"Teachers, please eat, Yu’er caused you trouble when she was in Yanjing," Li Mei Juan said as she brought out the freshly fried vegetables and chicken legs and placed them on the table.
"Thank you, Sis, your fried skewers are exceptionally good!" Zhong Wenqing said, giving a thumbs up.
"Hehe~ as long as you like it that’s good. Eat more, I won’t charge you!" Li Mei Juan said warmly, chuckling as she returned to the store.
Since her family’s situation had improved, Li Mei Juan seemed to have shed ten years, radiating vitality once more.
Getting enough sleep and not feeling as worn out as before, and heeding Yao Jiping’s advice, she had cut her slightly graying hair short and dyed it black. She now had a vibrant presence, somewhat like the top seller gurus you would see in the past on WeChat friends’ circles.
"We can’t not pay," Zhong Wenqing quickly protested, and to avoid giving Li Mei Juan a chance to respond, she quickly added, "Mei Juan, do you have a moment? There’s something I need your help with."
Distracted by the changing subject, Li Mei Juan paused her return to the store and asked, "Teacher, what is it? There aren’t many customers right now." She thought Zhong Wenqing was a teacher from Experimental Primary School, hence the address.
"Mei Juan, please have a seat first. Let’s talk it over," Zhong Wenqing said as she stood up and moved a red plastic stool from the opposite table, motioning Li Mei Juan to sit and talk.
"Oh, okay. Yu, go back and watch the stall for me," she said after sitting down.
"Got it, Mom!" Wu Lingyu obediently nodded, got up, and headed back to the store.
Wu Lingyu, despite being only in the second grade, had mastered the art of frying skewers from often helping her mother in the store, especially when Li Mei Juan was cooking.
Xu Qingfan considerately poured Li Mei Juan a glass of cola.
"It’s like this, Mei Juan…" Zhong Wenqing started to explain her plan to partner up and open a duck neck shop, and everyone around listened quietly.
After a while, once Zhong Wenqing had stopped talking, Li Mei Juan commented, "No problem, you can just take the recipe and use it for your shop, but I did try selling it for a while, and business was not very good."
"How could that be, Mei Juan, your stewed duck necks are so delicious!" Zhong Wenqing found it hard to believe.
Li Mei Juan spread her hands helplessly, "Teaching you how to make duck necks is not a problem, but all of these were learned from my grandfather. I’m not capable of being the kind of food research developer you mentioned."
"Grandfather is?"
"It’s my husband’s father. The fried skewers you’re eating were also something grandfather figured out on his own," Li Mei Juan explained.
Zhong Wenqing’s eyes lit up, "I wonder where Grandpa is right now, could I ask him to come and help out at the shop?"
"Grandfather is currently cooking in a big pot at a construction site in Hong Kong. To be frank with you, teacher, my husband has been suffering from nephritis for several years and needs care, so it’s unlikely Grandfather could leave," she explained.
"Ah?" Guan Biyue and Zhong Wenqing both showed surprised expressions.
"Mei Juan, I’m sorry, I didn’t know about your husband’s condition…"
"It’s alright, I’m already very content with what we have now." Li Mei Juan said with a liberated smile.
"Qingqing, if you set up your duck neck shop in Hong Kong, you could then ask Yu’s grandpa for help!" Xu Qingfan chimed in.
"Right!" Zhong Wenqing nodded vigorously. "Mei Juan, please talk to Grandpa about it. If we use your family’s recipe for the shop, we will definitely share the profits with you, and Grandpa’s salary will surely be higher than what he earns at the construction site!"
Li Mei Juan, a woman with only an elementary school education, had no idea what shares were and was too embarrassed to ask in front of the children, so she replied to the previous statement: "Then I’ll talk to him later on the phone."
Li Mei Juan immediately called Grandpa Yu’s workplace on the construction site’s landline phone. It happened to be cooking time, so Wu Dahuo was quickly called over to take the call.
After learning it was to help Yu’er’s teacher, Wu Dahuo agreed without hesitation. He hadn’t yet had the chance to express his gratitude for the extra money that appeared in the apple during his last hospital visit, so his fondness for Yu’er’s teacher had increased.
