Raising Me

Li Xiaoxuan carefully took the child out, then stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and gave Zhang Yang a cheek kiss.

"Alright, alright, let's settle in and head back as soon as possible." Zhang Yang put his arm around Li Xiaoxuan's waist.

"To be honest, your shop is still growing, so you really don't have much time to take care of the child... Once you officially have custody, hire a trustworthy nanny. Let me know if you need money."

Li Xiaoxuan pursed her lips, then suddenly spoke boldly, "Mr. Zhang, how about you support me from now on?"

Her eyes were gentle and soft, but they didn't seem to be joking.

Zhang Yang didn't say anything, but listened attentively to what she said.

"Anyway, the only thing I care about in this life is Tongtong, and I don't plan to remarry," Li Xiaoxuan said softly. "It's my blessing to have received your attention for a moment, Mr. Zhang. If you don't mind, I'd like to follow you."

"Follow me?" Zhang Yang countered.

"Xiaoxuan wouldn't dare to have any improper thoughts," Li Xiaoxuan said, biting her lip. "I just want to be by your side when you need me, even if it's just to listen to you talk."

"That's too humble of you." Zhang Yang pinched Li Xiaoxuan's fair cheek and gave a soft "hmm."

Li Xiaoxuan was stunned, thinking she had misheard.

Once she realized what was happening, she immediately rushed forward and gave Zhang Yang a hug.

"Be gentle, don't wake the child," Zhang Yang reminded Tongtong, whose eyelashes were fluttering.

"Okay." Li Xiaoxuan nodded lightly. "Then you should go back and rest early. Come visit me more often when you have time. I'll be waiting for you."

··

A moment later, Zhang Yang left first, and after thinking it over, he decided to go home.

Zhang Zhaohai and his wife have been busy opening their second store recently, and I heard that they've chosen Dongyuan Road, a food street with a variety of mid-to-high-end restaurants.

Although my parents' restaurant is currently backed up with a safety net, they can do whatever they want with it.

But as a son, I should still inquire and show concern.

"He's not back yet?" Zhang Yang muttered to himself as he looked at the empty parking space downstairs in his apartment building, then parked his car and went upstairs.

He had just returned home, washed up, and entered his room a short while ago.

A burst of laughter came from the living room outside the bedroom; it was clear the couple had returned.

"What was your sales revenue today?"

"This number..." Song Wenqin replied.

In the middle of the night, the couple's laughter suddenly rang out together.

"Mom and Dad, you're back?" Zhang Yang shook his head and chuckled as he walked out of the bedroom.

"Oh? Son, you're home."

The couple were quite surprised to see Zhang Yang at home, which was a rare occurrence for them.

"It's good to be home. Your mom and I were just discussing sales figures." Zhang Zhaohai smiled broadly. "They're climbing higher and higher... Your mom and I can't wait any longer. We're planning to open the second store before National Day. We just need to change the storefront."

He couldn't wait to bring all those eagerly waiting customers to the new store.

"So soon?" Zhang Yang asked in surprise.

"It can't really be called a formal opening yet; we're just having a trial run to see how it goes," Song Wenqin added from the side. "The housekeepers and everything else have been arranged long ago, and we've already taken a few chefs from the first shop to work."

"When exactly?" Zhang Yang asked again.

"There aren't many formalities for the trial operation; it'll be the day after tomorrow," Zhang Zhaohai said.

The success of the first store had long since made him put aside all the trivialities; all he wanted to do was open the second store as quickly as possible.

"Okay... anyway..." Zhang Yang only said half a sentence.

"Anyway what?" Zhang Zhaohai and his wife looked over at the same time.

"It's nothing, just wishing our second store continued success." Zhang Yang brushed it off with a single sentence. "It's getting late, I'm going to sleep now, you guys should get some rest too."

As he approached the bedroom, he could faintly hear his parents whispering in the living room.

"Judging from Zhang Yang's tone, it seems he doesn't care much about our restaurant, as if business is good or bad."

"Who knows? Do you know how successful our son is? It's not surprising he wouldn't look down on this little restaurant at home..."

"He smelled of a woman's perfume. I think Zhang Yang has some personal issues; he seems to be letting himself go a bit. I'll definitely talk to him about it another day..."

Zhang Yang was speechless.

Who is the one who makes the silent sacrifices? Isn't it him?

Without the system's buff to back it up, how could the family restaurant have run so smoothly? In the end, it seems like I don't care about the family restaurant at all, when I clearly had absolute confidence in it!

He shook his head, took off his clothes, and lay down to sleep.

··

Everything was calm the day before the trial operation.

Zhang Yang went to his own property, the Yinghai Four Seasons Hotel, to hear about the hotel's arrangements for the National Day holiday.

Zhang Zhaohai and Song Wenqin, a married couple, were doing the final preparations before starting the trial operation.

Haiqin Restaurant.

"Master Liu, you and a few apprentices will take over at the second branch for now. I'll arrange the rest of the staff as soon as possible." Zhang Zhaohai smiled and handed a cigarette to Chef Old Liu at the first branch of Haiqin Restaurant.

Old Liu was the first chef he hired. He's hardworking and his dishes are quite substantial.

The apprentices were essentially his students, and together they held up half the sky in the kitchen.

"Hmm..." Old Liu took the cigarette and responded in a muffled voice, "Well... Mr. Zhang... the shop has been so busy lately, shouldn't we give him a raise?"

"Didn't it just go up?" Zhang Zhaohai said with a smile.

"Other restaurants have peak and off-peak seasons. On average, it doesn't matter if they're busy during peak season. But our restaurant is busy every day. And I think you know why we're so busy, Boss Zhang. It's because our customers appreciate my skills," Old Liu said with a hint of pride.

"Okay, that's easy to do." Zhang Zhaohai didn't hesitate. "Master Liu, you go to the second store and help me stabilize it. The salary increase is definitely not a problem."

"Alright, I and my apprentices all know that you, Mr. Zhang, are generous. Let's leave it at that for now!" Old Liu nodded.

He wasn't afraid of being discarded after his usefulness was over, because he felt that the restaurant's business was so good now, and he played an irreplaceable role. Zhang Zhaohai certainly wouldn't have the idea of keeping him around and then replacing him.

After a short while, he led a few apprentices off to do their work.

Zhang Zhaohai stood there for a while, staring into the kitchen for a long time.

"Trouble."

He walked out, his mind wandering.

It's not that we're unwilling to part with the salary, but it's quite dangerous for a restaurant to rely solely on a few chefs. Ideally, no matter who the chef is, Haiqin Restaurant will still be Haiqin Restaurant.

Reputation remains unchanged, status remains unchanged.

Moreover, a person's appetite is never truly satisfied. You got a raise today, but what about next time?

This time bomb is indeed a huge hidden danger that deserves our attention.

But if we really change it... won't our restaurant's business be affected?

Although he didn't say it aloud, deep down he still felt that the reason his business was so successful was ultimately because the food was so delicious.

He dared not take any risks lightly.

··

The next morning, all preparations for the trial operation of Haiqin Restaurant on Dongyuan Road were in place.

Zhang Zhaohai and Song Wenqin arrived at Haiqin Restaurant's second branch early to check for any omissions or deficiencies. They made a thorough inspection of the entire restaurant, from the kitchen to the main hall, to ensure everything was in perfect order.

"Have all the notices been posted at the store?" Song Wenqin asked.

"We notified our regular customers in advance, and it was also mentioned in the group chat," Zhang Zhaohai said.

The first wave of customers during the trial operation will definitely be the regular customers who can't be accommodated in the first store. The daily crowds and the inability to accommodate all the diners are the reason why they are so confident in opening a second store.

Now, those who needed to be notified have been notified.

Now we're just waiting to see how things go at lunchtime.

The couple exchanged a glance, a hint of unease in their hearts. "Let's hope everything goes well."

Whether the second store on Dongyuan Road can be a success is almost certain to determine the future development of Haiqin Restaurant, and it is absolutely the most important thing at present.

The owners of several long-established shops on Dongyuan Road, who were neighbors of Haiqin Restaurant, all came out to watch the excitement.

"Is this new shop desperate to make money? Trying to steal our business? And they're in such a rush to open for trial operation?" The proprietress of the Dongyuan Family looked at Haiqin Restaurant and couldn't help but shake her head and laugh. "Who is the owner of this place?!"

"I'm not too sure, but I heard they have a new store up north that's doing really well. Oh, and last time I saw the owners driving Bentley Maybach, it was quite impressive."

"Opening a shop on Dongyuan Road isn't just about having money."

A group of people were discussing it animatedly. The reputation and strength of the long-established store gave them a kind of inexplicable confidence.

As noon approached, shops and stores began to open for business.

The parking lots in front of each store are bustling with cars coming and going. Every store has its doors wide open, welcoming customers.

At first glance, every household seemed to be doing quite well in business.

At the entrance of Haiqin Restaurant Dongyuan Road Branch:

Zhang Zhaohai and Song Wenqin, a married couple, are also preparing to open their doors to guests.

"It's lunchtime, they should be here by now, right?" Zhang Zhaohai muttered, peeking outside.

"Almost there, huh? Isn't that car coming over there?" Song Wenqin's eyes suddenly lit up as she saw the car approaching from a distance and stopping in front of her house.

Immediately afterwards, the greetings of the shop assistants at the entrance rang in my ears.

The couple immediately beamed with joy.

"Welcome, welcome."

"This way, please!"

Starting with the first car, one after another followed.

All the waiters were full of energy, and the empty hall and private rooms gradually filled up.

It's past midnight.

The second branch of Haiqin Restaurant has recaptured the glory of the first branch.

Zhang Zhaohai and Song Wenqin warmly welcomed guests from all directions, and the anxiety that had been lingering in their hearts finally subsided.

"Looks like we've secured our position."

Zhang Zhaohai muttered something to himself, his expression relaxing.

During his lunch break, he went downstairs and took a walk to see what the guests were saying.

As expected, the feedback was as good as ever.

Everyone says it tastes like home.

"Once the second store is a success, we'll be able to establish a firm foothold on Dongyuan Road," he muttered to himself.

Having established a firm foothold on this vast Dongyuan Road, Haiqin Restaurant can be considered to have truly embarked on the right track.

At this moment, the business situation of Haiqin Restaurant was naturally being watched closely by the surrounding neighbors.

Nobody wants an unknown person to suddenly rise to prominence in business.

"What's going on? Is business really that good?" The proprietress of the Dongyuan Family restaurant next door came out to take a look, even though the lunch rush had passed.

In other stores, even if this shop is still full, the new customers will be scattered.

But right now, Haiqin Restaurant is still getting a steady stream of new customers.

"Old Sun, Old Sun, come out and take a look." The proprietress frowned and pulled the shop owner, who was still leisurely strolling in the shop, out of the store.

"What's going on?" The shop owner came out and asked with a frown.

"Look at that new restaurant next door that they took over, its business is booming!" the proprietress said, somewhat agitated.

"What's the rush?" The owner went out and glanced around. "They're just having a soft opening, so some regular customers will come to support them. What's the big deal?"

"Support? In the middle of the day, past lunchtime, you still want to support us?" The proprietress raised her voice.

"I'm not trying to criticize you, but that other place was like that when it first opened. In fact, it eventually went out of business, didn't it? Take it easy, we've been around for years." The owner shook his head, turned around, and walked into the restaurant.

"Is it possible?" The proprietress stood outside the door, motionless, muttering to herself.

That evening, the second branch of Haiqin Restaurant replicated the bustling scene of noon, and it was not until 11 or 12 o'clock at night that it finally managed to close for business.

This is just the first day of business.

For the next few days, Haiqin Restaurant's business not only did not cool down at all, but instead flourished like oil being added to a fire, even attracting a large number of regular customers from several surrounding restaurants.

Immediately, many restaurant owners on Dongyuan Road became restless.

This happened before noon.

"Hey? Mr. Zhou, are you here for dinner?" The proprietress of the Dongyuan Family was already standing at the door when she suddenly spotted an old acquaintance.

"Oh? Oh, boss lady, hello, hello." Mr. Zhou parked the car.

"Please come in, how many of you are here today?" the proprietress warmly invited.

Immediately, Mr. Zhou looked a little embarrassed.

"I'm not eating here today, I'll go eat next door. My friend is treating, I'll definitely come next time..." he said, greeting everyone.

Upon hearing this, the proprietress's expression froze.

No sooner had General Manager Zhou left than another car arrived.

"Boss lady, could you please stop the car temporarily?" A middle-aged man greeted her as the car window rolled down.

"Don't stop at our place if you're not coming to eat," the landlady said somewhat impatiently.

"Please help me out, there are no parking spaces next door. I'll pay for the parking myself," the man said with a forced smile.

"If you park here, what will happen to our customers? Move it!" the proprietress said bluntly.

"Fine," the man said helplessly, and drove off.

The proprietress stood there for a long time, her expression shifting between anger and uncertainty. She looked back at the once bustling hall, now mostly empty.

Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer.

"I'd like to see why their business is so good!"

A moment later, she disguised herself and discreetly walked towards the Haiqin Restaurant next door, ready to find out more.