Chapter 239：The Challenge (14)

After the women finished the discussion among themselves, each of them had their own outlook and opinion on the situation. Mrs. Lin thought it was a good idea that had a great chance of being successful; Mrs. Xiu still had her reservation but she had faith in her daughter, seeing how her daughter managed to handle the challenge thrown at her with such gusto, she felt nothing but an overflowing sense of pride; for Xiu Ling, even though she had confidence, she did not dare to make plans that were too ahead of herself. She knew she was not an expert at something like this so even though everything might seem perfect on paper, she understood how fragile it could be when translated into reality. Therefore, faced with uncertainty like this, Xiu Ling went ahead to consult a professional.

The professional in question was of course none other than her husband, Lin Kang. After all, the man had years of experience in this business. Naturally, Lin Kang was more than happy to help his wife. Elder Lin did say while he was forbidden from helping Xiu Ling financially, he was allowed to help her from other aspects and he'd figured giving advice was one of them.

When Xiu Ling said the business she had in mind had nothing to do with female fashion or cosmetic, Lin Kang frowned, however, when Xiu Ling revealed to him the plan that she came up with Mrs. Lin, Mrs. Xiu and Joann, the man thought about it and told her, it was not a bad idea.

He would normally advise against going into the food market, because competition was too strong with cafes and lounges popping up everywhere but Xiu Ling's venture would fill a gap that was currently lacking. A homely restaurant that specialized in home-cooked meal and target families and couples, that was really not that bad of an idea.

After he approved of the idea, Lin Kang shared with Xiu Ling the resources that he had, these included, cold chain companies where she could get fresh ingredients, workers, a professional interior designer to design the restaurant space, so on and so forth...

Xiu Ling thanked Lin Kang and she left the home office because she did not want to bother him at work anymore. However, until Xiu Ling succeeded at this challenge, Lin Kang's mind would not be able to leave her. After she left, the man kept thinking about other ways that he could contribute...

...

"Auntie Xiao, I came today for two reasons, one, I wish to thank you for your advice and two, I wish for you to take my advice," Joann told the woman whom she had always treated as her mother.

Auntie Xiao was surprised when she heard what Joann had to say but she allowed Joann to continue.

"Last time I came, you told me to fight for the thing that I deem worthwhile, I took that advice to heart and everything turned out fine in the end."

Auntie Xiao smiled, "Joann, I'm glad to hear that. I'm glad to be of use."

"However, Auntie Xiao, the advice you gave is not 100 percent correct either. After putting your advice into practice, I realized there was something missing."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Yes, it is important to fight for what we believe is valuable but the way is not to hang on stubbornly to the past. In other words, we are not supposed to resist change but instead adapt to change."

Auntie Xiao was much older than Joann so she did not take as long to come to the core of what Joann was trying to imply. She did not say anything and merely nodded. Joann sounded like she had not finished what she came to say so Auntie Xiao did not interrupt her.

Joann continued, "This is why I came today with a proposal."

...

That night, Joann and Auntie Xiao met up with Xiu Ling and Mrs. Xiu. It was Joann who spoke first, "Xiu Ling, I know it is presumptuous on my part to assume that you are willing to help us but please consider what we have to offer."

Xiu Ling was confused when she opened the door to Joann and Auntie Xiao. She invited them into the house and Mrs. Xiu was about to excuse herself when Joann asked Mrs. Xiu to stay and join them. She was going to be a crucial part of this as well.

Joann introduced Auntie Xiao to the two and when Xiu Ling heard Auntie Xiao was an expert at making Chinese traditional dessert, she could venture a guess on why they were there. While Mrs. Xiu did know a thing or two about making dessert, but her repertoire was mainly on cooking main dishes. It would be nice if their restaurant had someone who specialized in dessert, however, she could not just take on anyone, her future was hanging on the line here.

Thankfully, Auntie Xiao came prepared. She offered Xiu Ling and Mrs. Xiu some of the desserts that she brought with her. Mrs. Xiu took to them immediately, as a home-cook, she understood how much effort went into making these exquisite dishes and she appreciated someone who still practiced traditional Chinese dessert making. Those were getting increasingly rarer these days.

With the approval from her mother, Xiu Ling was already half-convinced to take on Mrs. Xiu. After hearing the history between Auntie Xiao and her best friend, she was convinced fully. Auntie Xiao was such an important fixture in her best friend's life so how could she say no?

Furthermore, Xiu Ling realized that by helping her friend, she was also helping herself. Lin Kang had told her that she needed something about her restaurant to stand out. While she had her mother to handle the home-cooking, Xiu Ling realized if she could serve traditional Chinese dessert, that would set her establishment apart from others even more. It was a win-win situation.