NOVPUBChapter 276: Chapter 276: Discussing the Way
Chapter 276 -276: Discussing the Way
After moving the stuff, Bai Xiao stuffed the lunchbox into An Zhiyuan’s hands, fetched him some chopsticks from the kitchen, and even poured a small dish of vinegar, as An Zhiyuan’s taste was similar to those in Liupan Village—a genuine vinegar lover.
“Eat up before it gets cold.”
An Zhiyuan chuckled, feeling deeply cared for by his wife. It was indescribably wonderful to have someone care about you and know your preferences—it was a kind of happiness.
“Alright!” he agreed and began eating in the kitchen.
The cafeteria master chef had scooped out some dumplings for him just before he left; they were steaming hot and very fragrant, filled with lamb—quite delicious, especially with a dip of vinegar, one could eat them in one bite.
Meanwhile, Bai Xiao was setting up beds in the living room with the others. Fortunately, the living room was spacious enough to fit four beds side by side. They laid out the bedding, and Li Haishun was already sitting on a bed, quite intrigued, since back at their place, they always slept on heated brick beds.
After finishing the dumplings, An Zhiyuan washed the lunchbox clean, rolled up his sleeves, and when he stepped back into the living room, he couldn’t help but laugh at the situation.
“Wow, you’ve all settled down, and it looks like it’s getting late. You guys go to sleep, I’m heading back now. I’ll come pick you up at eight tomorrow to check out the house.” An Zhiyuan felt it was time to leave.
It was already past eight o’clock, and after a whole day on the train, Li Haishun had already fallen asleep in the quilt. An Zhiyuan could understand how exhausted those who had never traveled far from home must be.
Bai Yue hurried to say, “Xiao, escort An, the instructor; we won’t go. Instructor An, be careful on the road. I see it’s icy and snowy everywhere, you need to be even more cautious driving.” After all, he was their future brother-in-law.
Bai Xiao put on a coat, ready to see An Zhiyuan out, but An Zhiyuan stopped him, “No need for family to keep escorting each other out, it’s cold. It could drop to minus twenty degrees today, none of you need to come out, I will head back myself. You all rest well.” He glanced at Bai Xiao.
Alright! He didn’t want her to tire herself out, so she nodded, “Okay, take care then, see you tomorrow!”
An Zhiyuan gripped her hand tightly, squeezed it firmly, and said, “See you tomorrow!” Then he left.
Bai Xiao watched from the balcony window as An Zhiyuan’s car started and left before she finally felt relieved.
The family was already too tired to stay up, they washed their feet and went to bed.
Especially the three children, who were sleeping so soundly that their snores rose and fell, amusing Bai Xiao, Bai Yue, and Wang Yan, who was also chuckling.
“Brother-in-law, let’s sleep. My sister and I are going to sleep too!” Bai Xiao turned off the lights in the living room and lay down with Bai Yue in their room.
The moment Bai Yue’s head hit the pillow, she was already drowsy, and in her half-sleep state, she didn’t forget to say, “Instructor An is a good man!”
Bai Xiao hummed in response, already hearing her sister’s faint snoring sounds, smiled, and fell asleep.
An Zhiyuan was indeed a good man.
The next morning, Bai Yue and the others got up very early. Changing locations still felt different, and even though they had slept soundly, they still woke up early.
Bai Xiao couldn’t continue sleeping either. After checking the time, she and her elder sister took two aluminum pots to the cafeteria to get food. At home, they had cooked millet porridge on the gas stove, picked up fifteen large meat buns from the cafeteria, along with six eggs, some pickles, and soy-sauce cucumbers. Seeing that there were fried dough sticks, Bai Xiao bought two pounds more, considering that the men at home should not be shortchanged at mealtime.
When they returned home, the millet porridge was ready. Wang Yan had already helped the children tidy up the beds and even stored the bedding in the cupboard! The living room was cleaned and tidy, and the three children sat quietly on the sofa waiting for them to return.
Bai Xiao smiled and set the table with Bai Yue! It was a big round folding table, which could be tucked away in a corner when not in use and easily set up when needed. The family gathered noisily for breakfast.
“Sis, since you’re here now, we should also consider what you will do next,” Bai Xiao had her own plans! But she wanted her sister and brother-in-law to be willing as well. Sometimes what you think is good for others might not be what they deem best, as everyone has their own ideas.
Bai Yue sighed, “I just arrived and my mind is still a mess; I have no clue what to do next. I was thinking that once we settle down, we would look for jobs. Neither of us is afraid of hard work or getting tired.”
Bai Xiao shook her head. Her sister was still holding on to the past notion that having a job means stability.
Wang Yan, however, had a different idea, “Xiao, to be honest, I’ve been thinking about going out to see what’s available! If there’s a business or trade that could be done, I’ve seen many people in other villages thrive by running businesses. When I was raising pigs, I also dealt with businessmen. If business is done well, providing for the family is not difficult.” He had seen the world and, of course, had his own plans.
“Exactly! Brother-in-law, I actually suggest you consider doing business. Look at our family; we have many people and hands available. Although the location is cold, if well-managed, it really has a future. I have a suggestion for you—instead of other businesses, why not go into the food business? After all, everyone has to eat, and if someone doesn’t eat here, others will. Look at our cafeteria; even though it provides meals, those small eateries at the entrance are still thriving. That’s market demand.” Bai Xiao had some experience; in her last life, after escaping from the Fang Family, although she had a special ability, she knew nothing at first and did not understand what to do with it. Therefore, when she ended up in other cities, she worked for others, and things like hotpot, skewered meat, and barbecue were incredibly popular.
In that place, hotpot was always in vogue, and the climate here made it even more suitable. Winters here were colder and lasted longer than in other places, definitely making it an excellent customer base for hotpot.
Now, she believed that hotpot had not yet become popular in many parts of the country, so if they did it well, they could establish a deeply ingrained brand. If her sister and brother-in-law weren’t afraid of hard work and did well, running a hotpot business could indeed be very profitable.
Wang Yan nodded; he hadn’t thought of what business to do, he just had an idea.
Unexpectedly, his sister-in-law brought it up.
“Here’s the thing! Brother-in-law, I have some skills myself. At night, we can eat at home! Let’s have Captain An come over and see if this food business is feasible. At least, the recipe was given to me by a friend, and I think it’s quite suitable for the general public. As long as you have the secret recipe, the culinary demands are not very high and it’s easy to learn!” This was Bai Xiao’s view, as her sister and brother-in-law were not master chefs. Hiring a chef would be impractical and would likely lead to frequent changes in personnel, making it hard to control the quality and manage effectively.
“Xiao, are you sure this will work?” Bai Yue was worried.
Bai Xiao reassured her, “Don’t worry! Let’s try it tonight. You might not believe my opinion, but An Zhiyuan, who has traveled far and wide, together we can try and see whether this business is worth pursuing!” She knew about the hotpot recipe because she had fried the base materials before, so she indeed had some authority on the matter.
Furthermore, considering the diverse developments of hotpot in the future, couldn’t she lead in flavor by a large margin?
She had witnessed the popularity of hotpot in the future. Since she had the opportunity, why not give her sister a chance to become someone who could stir up the winds of change in the future?
Her sister was definitely not lacking.
“Alright! Let’s give it a try!” Bai Yue trusted her sister unconditionally.
