Haidilao

"Xia, has something good happened? You seem especially happy today." Yu Zhihui had likely guessed why Hyuga Natsu was in such high spirits.

It was probably because Hyuga Gen had made up with her.

"Is that so? Brother Dongyi said he'd treat us to Haidilao after class, so I'm happy," Hyuga Natsu said, her face flushing slightly. Of course, that was one reason, but it wasn't the real one.

Recalling what Hyuga Gen had whispered in her ear that morning, her heart began to race uncontrollably.

On the way to school, they hadn't gone far when Hyuga Gen stopped. Just as Hyuga Natsu was feeling puzzled, Hyuga Gen pulled her into a hug and whispered in her ear.

"Xia, don't worry. I will never leave you. I will always stay by your side. Even if one day you grow to hate me or stop liking me, I will still protect you."

Suddenly embraced by Hyuga Gen, Hyuga Natsu froze for a moment. Then, hearing those sincere and gentle words, her heart hammered against her ribs, and her earlobes turned a deep shade of red.

"By the way, Zhihui, how many shops does your family have now?" To shift her focus and prevent Yu Zhihui from noticing her unusual behavior, Hyuga Natsu asked hurriedly.

"Twelve in total," Yu Zhihui rolled her eyes. My family owns how many shops, and you don't know? You've been to all of them, alright.

"Don't you plan on opening more? It seems like it's been over a year since you opened a new one," Hyuga Natsu continued.

"Yeah, well, I'm following your husband's arrangements. He doesn't plan on opening any new locations in Konoha for the time being. Actually, what we have now is pretty much enough," Yu Zhihui replied, not forgetting to tease Hyuga Natsu.

"Zhihui, you—you!" Hyuga Natsu knew exactly who Yu Zhihui meant by "your husband," and her face couldn't help but turn red.

"Haha, Xia, you look so cute like this," Yu Zhihui said with a laugh as she watched Hyuga Natsu's reaction.

"Oh, you're asking for it, Zhihui! Today I'll show you what I'm capable of. Let's see if you dare to tease me again!" With that, Hyuga Natsu pounced on Yu Zhihui.

After school that evening, the group arrived at the Haidilao hot pot restaurant. That's right, Haidilao. When the time came to name the restaurant, that was the first name that popped into Hyuga Gen's head.

The group went straight to a private room—the best one in the house. No sooner had they sat down than a waiter brought out various dishes. Shortly after, Yu Zhihui's mother arrived.

"Young Master, you've arrived," Shuishu Ling greeted Hyuga Gen with a smile. As she spoke, she began to move the dishes and cook the food herself.

The waiter who had just delivered the food began to doubt his own eyes. What was he seeing? Their great proprietress was actually doing the work of a server.

He could hardly believe it. Every one of them admired their boss; she was a woman who had built a massive business and opened several shops in such a short time.

According to what he knew, all the shops she opened were booming. It seemed there were six hot pot restaurants, four barbecue joints, and two ice cream parlors.

The items sold in the shops were always popular and highly sought after. Take this hot pot, for example; it wasn't actually difficult to make, but no one else had thought of it before, so they could only watch their boss rake in the money.

The boss's brilliance didn't stop there. Many important figures often came to dine, and even the Hokage had visited before, offering nothing but praise for the Haidilao hot pot and the owner herself.

Yet, such a boss was acting as a server today, and she even respectfully addressed that person as "Young Master." How could he not be shocked?

"You can leave once the food is served. Without my permission, no one is to enter," Shuishu Ling said with a hint of authority.

"Yes," the waiter replied. Not daring to look any further, he slowly backed out of the room and closed the door.

Hyuga Gen could only shake his head helplessly regarding Shuishu Ling calling him "Young Master." She used to call him Dongyi, but over the past few years, after witnessing his various peculiar traits, her awe and reverence for him had only grown.

She had later started calling him "Lord Dongyi," but Hyuga Gen really disliked the title "Lord," so she eventually settled for "Young Master" as a compromise.

In this world, "Lord" was a very common honorific, such as Lord Hokage or Lord Hiashi. Generally, those of lower status would attach the title to those of higher status.

The abnormal one was him—Hyuga Gen.

"Aunt Ling, why don't you sit and eat with us? Zhihui is here too; it feels awkward for us to start eating without you," Hyuga Gen said.

"Then, thank you, Young Master." Shuishu Ling sat down, though her hands didn't remain idle.

Watching Shuishu Ling in her purple kimono, Hyuga Gen couldn't help but admire her. Her movements were gentle, and even the way she picked up food appeared intellectual and elegant.

It really is better to be a bit more mature. Hiss—

"What's wrong, Brother Dongyi?" Hyuga Natsu asked, blinking her eyes.

Looking at Hyuga Natsu's nonchalant expression, Hyuga Gen's mouth twitched. He really wanted to say, "Xia, could you please take your hand off my waist?"

"Oh, it's nothing, nothing at all," Hyuga Gen forced a smile and said.

"Young Master, you haven't even picked up your chopsticks yet, why are you moving?" Suddenly, Shuishu Ling clamped down on the chopsticks Yu Zhihui was using to reach for food.

"Mother, am I even your biological daughter? Brother Dongyi didn't say anything," Yu Zhihui pouted. She felt her mother had changed; she was becoming stricter with her.

Hearing Yu Zhihui bring up Hyuga Gen, Shuishu Ling had no choice but to helplessly release her daughter's chopsticks.

"Aunt Ling, just treat this like home. We don't need to be so formal," Hyuga Gen said quickly. He felt a bit helpless himself; he remembered the first time he visited Zhihui's home, it had been quite relaxed. But as time passed, he noticed Shuishu Ling becoming increasingly respectful and reserved toward him.

Hyuga Gen didn't like it, yet sometimes he enjoyed the feeling. He felt quite conflicted.

Hearing Hyuga Gen say this, Yu Zhihui made a triumphant face at her mother.

Hyuga Gen found it amusing. Yu Zhihui only ever showed this side of herself in front of her mother; it was clear that the bond between mother and daughter was truly strong.

"By the way, Aunt Ling, how is the construction of the farm going?" Hyuga Gen asked quickly.

"The progress at the farm is quite smooth. We should be able to supply most of our own ingredients by next year, and by the year after, we should achieve full self-sufficiency," Shuishu Ling said.

"That's good. It's better to keep things in our own hands," Hyuga Gen said with a smile. He didn't want to experience the incident from last time ever again.

They had earned quite a bit over the years, but Hyuga Gen had never taken a single cent for himself. Of course, his share was set aside for him, but he had instructed Shuishu Ling to invest the majority of his assets into the new farm.

Hyuga Gen wanted to vigorously develop agriculture so that more people could afford to eat and eat well. Naturally, this was also to prepare for his own future business developments.

The other portion was invested in building a product research and development department to study how to increase agricultural yields and launch new commodities. He wanted to replicate things from his previous world in this one, so an R&D department was essential.

Of course, he couldn't take steps that were too large at the beginning; he had to take it slow and then develop and grow step by step.

He believed that before long—perhaps in the next decade—this world would undergo even greater changes because of him.