Chapter 192: Consider a New Model
“The takeout doesn’t taste bad, but it’s not as fragrant as the food you guys make… Children are just gluttony, so he refuses to eat the takeout.”
“No worries.” Xu Zhexian made an inviting gesture and said, “It’s fine. Let’s sit down and eat together. Our family won’t be able to finish an entire sheep’s leg.”
“How can I do that? I’ll pay according to the market price…” The man was about to take out his phone to pay, but Xu Zhexian stopped him.
Xu Le crossed his arms and said, “There’s no need to be so polite. The charcoal will burn out soon. It won’t taste good when the cold air blows on it later.”
The roasted sheep’s leg was covered in a layer of golden fragrance. The meat was delicate and chewy. Once it was torn open, the texture inside was fresh and tender. The fragrance of the chili was just right, and one could not stop eating it.
The group of them sat cross-legged on the lawn eating roasted the sheep’s leg. All of them were eating heartily and were extremely satisfied.
Beside them, the puppy’s tail was almost wagging off, as if it was on a mechanical motor.
Xu Tian tasted the unique flavor of the charred skin, so she carefully tore it off with her hand and fed it to her mother. Shen Hui’s heart melted from this action and she quickly sucked it carefully.
“Thank you, my dear Tiantian. Daddy and Mommy promise you that we’ll come back every year. Really!”
After saying that, she stretched out her pinky and hooked it with hers. Xu Tian smiled brightly and said in a childish voice, “Okay!”
A refreshing wind blew past his face. Xu Zhexian’s alcohol tolerance was ridiculously low. Two small glasses of beer made his face turn red like a ripe prawn. Then, he looked up at the sky and admired the moon in a daze.
“Woof, woof!”
The puppy suddenly jumped up and grabbed something with its mouth. Lu Yuxi looked over and saw many fireflies flashing in the night. Everyone looked over and was stunned.
The fireflies that had disappeared from the city for many years flapped their wings as if to make up for the lack of stars in the night sky. They fluttered their wings and moved around. Xu Tian reached out excitedly with an amazed expression.
“Brother, what is this!”
One firefly stopped on Xu Tian’s collar. She was expectant and afraid, not daring to reach out to touch it. She widened her eyes to observe its flickering tail.
Lu Yuxi shook her head and said, “How pitiful. In the city here, even the moon is covered by clouds at night. Fireflies are very common at my hometown.”
With that, she leaned forward and raised her eyebrows at Xu Le. “When you’re free, come to my house to play?”
“Hmph.” Xu Le deliberately said, “While you’re at it, sweep your dead husband’s grave.”
After the two of them learnt about each other’s identity, they tacitly never mentioned this matter. However, it was not a good idea to keep hiding. After Xu Le said it, Lu Yuxi did not have as big a reaction as he had imagined. She only nodded slightly.
However, he was sharp. When Lu Yuxi tilted her head to look at the fireflies flying in the sky, her soft and delicate earlobe was so red that it looked like it was about to drip blood.
After happily sharing the sheep’s leg with everyone, they planned to pack up and go home. The people who came to taste previously felt grateful and spontaneously helped them clean up the trash.
After taking a bite of the roasted sheep’s leg that was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the barbecue they ordered was naturally despised. He felt that the enoki mushrooms were difficult to chew, the corn was too old, the pork belly was too cold and greasy, and the kidneys were fishy and smelly. In short, the roasted takeaway was packed and stuffed into the trash can.
The day after they returned, when Xu Le woke up, the house seemed much emptier. His parents had left again.
However, with the promise from the night before, Tiantian was only disappointed for a moment before she returned to her usual soft and cute self. She hugged Lu Yuxi’s thigh and let her braid her hair.
After sending his sister to school, Xu Le went to the shop. Although Li Qing was usually a little conceited and irritable, he was young and just. Soon, he got along well with the apprentices in the shop.
Xu Le looked at the business turnover that had been made into a form. Ever since the variety show was broadcasted and the complete victory in the competition, the popularity of his shop had risen. Regardless of whether it was meal time or not, it was filled with people.
Coupled with the high- class fresh ingredients given by the system, he had saved on a lot of expenses. Therefore, he had earned seven figures in the past few months and did not have any financial concerns for the time being.
He scrolled down and saw that the monthly fixed income on the form was from the business with Giant Crab.
Xu Le looked for Li Qing to discuss his next plan.
“I was quite stubborn before. I always felt that if fresh food were packaged for sale, it would be no different from an instant packet with a lot of preservatives. But after tasting the fried chop rice cake that Lu Yuxi handled herself, my opinion changed a little.”
“Look at these.”
Xu Le enlarged the form and handed it to him. He continued, “At that time, I discussed with Zhang Heng to invest 10% of the shares in the Imitation Crab. In other words, I would get 10% of the profits every month. This is already the amount I am receiving from that. From what I see, many dishes, such as braised pork and sesame oil chicken, can be packaged in vacuum. They’re less likely to spoil and doesn’t need to be added with too much preservatives. As for heating, putting it in the microwave, or steaming, boiling, and stewing, they’re all very easy to handle and convenient.”
“I’m fine with anything.” Li Qing leaned back and said casually, “Let’s do as you say, Master. I feel that it’s pretty good. If we can concoct all the secret formulas according to the ratio, it’s not a bad idea to produce them on the assembly line.”
Xu Le had this thought, but he did not think about it for that long. As for the assembly line industry, he planned to talk to Zhang Heng. It would be best if they could cooperate.
“By the way, a lot of things have been selling well recently. Why don’t you serve a few new dishes?”
Li Qing pursed his lips. “I’m already very busy. If there are too many dishes, I won’t be able to sell them all. You can choose the new dishes as you see fit. Don’t make it too difficult. It’s best to choose the ones that are easiest to teach.”
“Sure.”
The shop opposite that had a robot as the head chef had benefited a lot from Xu Le. In addition, the price of the same dish was generally a few yuan lower than that of the eight-year-old canteen, causing an endless stream of customers to feel curious and form a long line in front of their store.
Therefore, the Chen family started to join the alliance. Suddenly, the Master Chef’s shop appeared like bamboo shoots after a rain.
Although it did not affect Xu Le’s reputation and profits, the two stores would always be compared by customers after meals. The argument on the Internet was even more intense.
Half a month later, one night, Xu Le was studying new dishes in the kitchen when suddenly, Lu Yuxi, who was curled up on the sofa, let out an excited scream.
“What’s wrong?”
“Look!”
Lu Yuxi didn’t even bother to put on her shoes. She rushed in front of him and gloated, “Chen Yeqi’s business had flopped. Their robot malfunctioned. When it was making knife-cut noodles, the knife flew out and almost hit a customer. This matter became a hot topic.”