CH 39

Bonus 5/6

Thanks to Qi Xiaoyu’s sly marketing tactic, their first dinner after arriving in the new country not only cost them nothing, but they also made a net profit of 400 yuan.

Everyone was in a very good mood after eating and drinking well and earning their first profit. The fatigue from continuous flying and recording shows was reduced by half.

It’s especially so for Zheng Peizu and Gu Meiling. They immediately had a different view of Qi Xiaoyu.

During the last season, because they spent too much money on the first day and didn’t make any income, they had to eat instant noodles for three miserable days. Gu Meiling even suspected that she was here to participate in Metamorphosis.

Therefore, both of them silently identified Qi Xiaoyu, who could cook and make money, as their group favorite.

On the other hand, the people from the program team were very happy to pay for the noodles. After taking a bite, they exclaimed, “It tastes really good.” It was much better than their usual work meals. They all asked Qi Xiaoyu how to cook the noodles, which are so delicious and fragrant. Even a big bowl isn’t enough.

Someone else chimed in, “Nowadays, the guests we invite are becoming more and more sophisticated, and even our money is being stolen.”

The director was also laughing. He was previously dissatisfied with Orange Juice Entertainment for crowding in so many people, but now he felt that he had found a treasure. Jiang Sicheng could contribute as a comedic effect, and Qi Xiaoyu could hold up the scene.

He had watched the scene where Qi Xiaoyu was cooking just now. The young man had slender fingers, a fair and slender neck when he lowered his head, and his jawline was clearly visible. His eyes were focused and full of energy. Most importantly, his knife skills were proficient and delicate. If this were broadcast, it would definitely bring a lot of fans to the program.

Hearing everyone’s teasing and compliments, Qi Xiaoyu smiled obediently, neither talking much nor stealing the spotlight. Although he was in the limelight as soon as he arrived, he didn’t take any credit or show off, and he stood silently at the back.

Zheng Peizu placed his hand on Qi Xiaoyu’s shoulder and pulled the person to the front of the camera with a somewhat protective posture. “From now on, don’t covet whatever delicious food Xiaoyu makes. I won’t sell it to you even if the price doubles.”

Gu Meiling wiped her mouth gracefully and said with a smile, “Look, Zheng Peizu was bought over with just a bowl of noodles.”

Jiang Sicheng didn’t hear Gu Meiling’s irony and echoed in a low voice, “That’s right, you were bribed with just a bowl of noodles.”

Lu Tongtong immediately scolded him, “Then don’t eat it. Go and eat what you made yourself.”

The others also kept up with the rhythm and started to criticize Jiang Sicheng: “That’s right, you can eat your own noodles. Look at how much money you waste.”

Although it’s winter in China, it’s midsummer in the country across an ocean.

Everyone gathered around the dining table in the pavilion by the water, eating noodles and chatting. The cool evening breeze blew from the lake, not to mention how comfortable it was.

In a “hahaha” atmosphere, the first day of recording ended perfectly.

*****

In order to seize the time to make money and complete the tasks assigned by the program team, everyone got up and started working at seven o’clock the next morning.

The new country’s summer mornings have just recently awakened from the darkness of the night, and animals like squirrels, bunnies, and alpacas are out in force next to the restaurant.

Under Zheng Peizu’s arrangement, he, Gu Meiling, and Lu Tongtong were responsible for tidying up the restaurant; Qi Xiaoyu made breakfast; and Xue Qingchu helped tidy up the kitchen. Jiang Sicheng was kicked out and went to set up signboards on several main roads outside the restaurant to attract customers.

After these things were done, the restaurant was tidied up, with tableware and flowers placed on every seat. After finishing the egg-fried rice made by Qi Xiaoyu, everyone went to a nearby supermarket to purchase ingredients.

This purchase was different from last night’s impromptu purchase; last night they were buying for themselves in small quantities, so a few at the neighborhood mini-mart would suffice.

This time they wanted to buy all the ingredients that would be used in the restaurant for a while, so they went to the hypermarket.

The hypermarket is about ten kilometers away from the restaurant, and it takes more than 20 minutes to drive one way.

According to Zheng Peizu’s plan, this time he will buy all the ingredients that will be used in the restaurant in the following week.

After all, the restaurant is too far away from the hypermarket, and it takes too long. If they don’t buy more at once, it would be embarrassing if they couldn’t make a dish because they’re temporarily short of this or that.

But after arriving at the hypermarket, everyone was a little confused when faced with the endless stacks of shelves and the dazzling array of various products.

Even veteran members Zheng Peizu and Gu Meiling, who had participated in the last season, were a bit dumbfounded. This store is too big. A single floor has an area of tens of thousands.

They recorded last season in Europe. Although it was also a foreign country, the population was much denser than that of New Zealand, and the supermarkets weren’t as big.

Several people stood at the door in confusion for a while. Gu Meiling said, “I’m going to ask for directions and see where the fresh food area is.”

Although Gu Meiling is a little bit princess-like and her suitcase is the largest and heaviest when she comes to record the show this time, she has strong communication skills and speaks fluent English. She quickly asked the salesperson for the location of the fresh food area and led the group there.

The fresh food area is not small, with more than a dozen containers plus refrigerators.

Lu Tongtong, who has the least experience in life, was the first to ask, “There are so many vegetables, but we only have a thousand yuan1140.77USD; what do we need to buy?”

Gu Meiling said calmly, “It’s okay. We just buy commonly used vegetables. For meat, we’ll buy pork or beef. That’s all.”

In the last season, there was no one who was particularly good at cooking. When everyone went to the vegetable market, they bought whatever they saw and knew how to cook. After buying it, they figured out how to make it, and they pieced together things to keep the restaurant going.

From experience, Gu Meiling thinks it’s best to follow the above.

Zheng Peizu is even simpler: “Pick the cheapest to buy. Beef is the cheapest here; let’s buy more beef.”

Young Master Jiang’s eyes fell on all kinds of cooked food and snacks. “Can we buy some salmon and potato chips?”

He was immediately rejected by the store manager, Zheng Peizu. “No.”

It was very much the posture of a head teacher reprimanding a bad student.

Jiang Sicheng pursed his lips and returned to the cart pitifully.

Qi Xiaoyu took out a piece of paper and showed it to Zheng Peizu. “Teacher Zheng, I thought about what dishes the restaurant could sell last night. This is the list I made. Can you look at it and see if it’s okay?”

Zheng Peizu didn’t expect that Qi Xiaoyu and Jiang Sicheng were of the same age. Qi Xiaoyu was not only good at cooking but also thoughtful. He couldn’t help but praise the kid first before looking at the list.

The menu is full of classic Chinese dishes, such as scrambled eggs with tomatoes, sweet and sour pork, diced chicken with chili sauce, mapo tofu, braised pork, shrimp fried rice, dried flat string beans, and noodles with mixed sauce.

After Zheng Peizu read it, he nodded with satisfaction and said, “Yes, as long as you can do this.”

Qi Xiaoyu nodded. “Yes, I can make all of them.”

Once the menu was finalized, the process of sourcing ingredients went much smoother. Just follow the menu.

Zheng Peizu is responsible for checking the price. When others put something in the cart, he writes it down on his phone and resolutely controls the budget within 1,000 yuan.

Gu Meiling is responsible for asking for directions and helping everyone find the specific location of each ingredient.

Xue Qingchu and Lu Tongtong were responsible for putting the ingredients into the cart.

Jiang Sicheng, as the young laborer who could neither be the chef nor manage the finances, rightfully took on the job of pushing the cart and carrying things.

After all the ingredients were purchased, they passed by the cake and dessert section on their way to the cash register.

A sweet aroma of bread and chocolate wafted over and instantly hooked a few ladies who couldn’t walk away.

Although the egg-fried rice made by Qi Xiaoyu this morning tastes very good, they have been busy for several hours since early morning and are already hungry again.

Not to mention that girls are naturally unable to resist the temptation of sweet cakes.

Looking at the rich and smooth chocolate and the cream as soft and delicate as snow on the glass counter, Gu Meiling said in a coquettish voice, “Old Zheng, how much money do you have there? Is it enough to buy a cake?”

Although Gu Meiling is 37 years old, she is known to have princess syndrome, and sometimes she is more spoiled than Xue Qingchu and Lu Tongtong. However, because of her good acting skills and her consistent “pretentiousness” for more than ten years, there are many people who hate her, but also many people who like her, and the princess syndrome doesn’t affect her reputation.

Zheng Peizu was a little more polite than he was to Jiang Sicheng just now, but his tone was still firm: “No, the remaining money must be kept for later use.”

Gu Meiling repeated, “But I want to eat cake,” and then took a few steps towards the cake counter.

Lu Tongtong also said, “Teacher Zheng, just buy a small cake. I want to eat it too, and the cakes here are quite cheap. It’s less than a hundred yuan.”

Although Xue Qingchu didn’t say anything, looking at her expression, she was also inclined to buy a cake to cushion her stomach.

Zheng Peizu was engrossed in settling accounts and didn’t fully understand the feelings of the three ladies. He shook his head mechanically and said, “No.”

Gu Meiling frowned. “Old Zheng, you can’t do this. This is everyone’s money. It should be decided by vote. The three of us want to eat the cake.” She turned to Jiang Sicheng and said, “Xiao Cheng, you must be on Qingqing’s side, right?”

Jiang Sicheng immediately pushed the cart and stood behind Xue Qingchu.

After Gu Meiling finished speaking and doing this series of actions, Zheng Peizu, who was settling accounts, suddenly put his cell phone aside, looked at Gu Meiling, and said, “Meiling, you have also been a guest in the first season; why are you still so willful?”

Gu Meiling immediately retorted, “How am I being willful? A cake costs less than a hundred yuan. And everyone wants to eat it.”

Zheng Peizu, “Have you forgotten the previous sentence about us being so poor that we eat instant noodles?”

Gu Meiling, “But don’t we have Xiaoyu this time? We already earned 400 yuan yesterday. Xiaoyu, come on, say whether you’ll buy a cake for your sister or not?”

Zheng Peizu didn’t speak, but his expression had changed a little.

Seeing that the atmosphere became more subtle, Qi Xiaoyu asked with a smile, “Which cake does Sister Meiling like to eat?”

Gu Meiling’s eyes curved in delight. “Well, let’s have a chocolate cake.”

Zheng Peizu’s eyes glazed over, and he looked at Qi Xiaoyu a bit anxiously.

Qi Xiaoyu pointed to the grains and cereals area next to the dessert area and asked with a smile, “Sister Meiling, let’s buy some flour and chocolate powder. I’ll go back and bake a cake for everyone, ok?”

Then he said to Zheng Peizu, “Teacher Zheng, flour is cheap. I remember there being an oven in the kitchen. I can make a few more at a time, slice the rest, and sell them as desserts after cooking. It just makes up for the fact that we don’t have desserts.”

Gu Meiling immediately became happy: “Okay, okay, the cake made by Xiaoyu must be delicious.”

Lu Tongtong also clapped her hands and said, “This is a good idea. We can eat it ourselves, and we can also sell it to make money. Xiaoyu, you’re very clever.”

Qi Xiaoyu’s intervention was equivalent to giving both sides a step back. Zheng Peizu’s expression softened a little. “Okay, let’s listen to Xiaoyu and buy some flour.”

No wonder the poor and needy wives are saddened by everything. Without money, even buying food could get ugly.

Fortunately, after they bought the groceries and went back, things went much smoother.

Everyone split up and started to prepare for the official opening and reception in the afternoon.

The main dishes of the restaurant are the ones on Qi Xiaoyu’s menu, including staple dishes, meat and vegetables, and desserts.

In addition, Xue Qingchu also contributed two home-cooked dishes: seaweed and egg soup and steamed eggs with clams.

There is Qi Xiaoyu working as the chef, Xue Qingchu carefully shuttles between the kitchen and the lobby, Jiang Sicheng soliciting customers outside, Gu Meiling and Lu Tongtong warmly greeting guests, and Zheng Peizu responsible for collecting money.

At the end of the day, they actually made more than 3,000 yuan. Although it did not meet the program team’s target, it was still a considerable amount since it was only open for half a day.

It had been a busy day, and everyone was collectively paralyzed with exhaustion.

In the evening, when Zheng Peizu was counting money behind the counter, Jiang Sicheng and others were so tired that their backs arched and they lay on the table to rest regardless of their image.

Jiang Sicheng lay on the table like a “大” character and said, “I’m so tired. It’s not easy to make money. Can we raise the price tomorrow? My service can’t be so cheap.”

“Keep dreaming. At this price, if it weren’t for Xiaoyu’s delicious food, people would probably not be willing to pay for it.” Gu Meiling’s sitting posture was quite elegant, but she couldn’t help kneading her waist. “Last season, there was no business to worry about. This season, the business is so good that I’m worried my waist is going to break.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Sister Meiling. Do you want to try the freshly baked chocolate cake?”

While everyone was complaining, they suddenly saw Qi Xiaoyu walking out of the kitchen behind Gu Meiling, holding a fragrant and tempting chocolate cake.

Today was too busy, and no desserts were added to the menu. Everyone thought that Qi Xiaoyu would not start preparing the cake until tomorrow or the day after. Unexpectedly, he even baked a cake despite having his hands full.

Even the cameraman who was following them was so excited that he quickly picked up the camera again and worked hard.

Gu Meiling looked at the cake that unexpectedly appeared behind her, as well as the young man holding the cake, wearing a chef’s hat, and speaking to her in a gentle voice. She couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh my god, my heart actually fluttered for the boy who’s a dozen years younger than me.”

Qi Xiaoyu laughed and didn’t take it seriously. He invited Lu Tongtong and Xue Qingchu to taste the cake together.

In the harmonious and lively atmosphere, someone said something, “I was not too comfortable thinking that I would have to record the program right before New Year, but it was such a blessing to meet you guys.”

Qi Xiaoyu had a smile on his face, but his hand holding the cake plate paused slightly. The New Year is coming soon…

He remembered Butler Cheng’s mention that Xun Qian’s sister seemed to have died just before the New Year.

*****

On the same day, S. City, suburban cemetery.

The sky in late winter is a bit gloomy, and the silent cemetery seems to stretch to the end of the horizon.

Xun Qian bent down and placed a bunch of fresh daisies in front of the tombstone.

The cold wind of late winter blew past him, blowing his inky black hair and his white, almost bloodless face hidden in the fur collar.

After putting down the daisies, he sat there silently until dusk fell over the fields and small snowflakes began to float in the sky.

Many scenes flashed through his mind, from the age of seven until now, from his sister to Qi Xiaoyu.

There are also those rumors and insults from Qin Xueyin, who say that he was ill-fated and brought misfortune to everyone around him.

He lowered his eyes and showed a sarcastic smile.

Butler Chen gently moved his stiff legs, shook off the snowflakes on his body, took a step forward, and said softly, “It’s time, Third Master. Let’s go home.”

“You go to the car and wait for me. I want to stay a little longer.”

“Sigh…yes.”

Butler Cheng walked farther and farther away, and Xun Qian seemed to be the only one left in the world.

He was a little tired and a little somber. The snow fell on the back of his hand and on the wheelchair, unmelting for a long time.

“Buzz buzz—” In the dead silence, someone actually dared to call this number.