CH 38

Jun 08 2023

Wanting You to See the Better Side of Me

The next morning, Mi Ge’er came to buy Guandong Zhu skewers and liangpi. Yu Qingze gave him four mooncakes.

“Mi Ge’er, we made a new pastry yesterday. Take it back and let your old master and young master taste it to see if it suits their taste buds.”

Mi Ge’er’s eyes lit up, and he immediately took the mooncakes. “New pastries? Great, great.” The old master and young master of the Cai family were loyal customers of Boss Yu, and Mi Ge’er was instructed to buy any new food items promptly.

Yu Qingze nodded. “Yes, we made them yesterday. After the old master and young master try them, especially after the young master, can you come and tell me their reaction this afternoon?”

“Sure,” Mi Ge’er replied with a smile. He opened the wax paper wrapping and looked inside. “What’s the name of this pastry? It smells really good.”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“It’s called mooncake. These ones have red bean paste filling. Here’s another one. You can taste it first and see how it tastes,” Yu Qingze said, handing another mooncake to Mi Ge’er.

Mi Ge’er looked at it, deftly wrapped the mooncake he was holding, and accepted the mooncake from Yu Qingze with a smile. “Thank you, Boss Yu.”

Without hesitation, he started eating. He took a bite and immediately reached the red bean paste filling in the center. He paused for a moment; the pastry shell was so thin.

The filled pastries they usually bought only had a small amount of filling in the center, with most of it being the pastry shell that couldn’t be tasted with several bites. This mooncake, on the other hand, had a majority of filling, which was a pleasant surprise!

The pastry shell had a slightly crispy texture, while the sweet red bean paste inside was delicate, soft, and didn’t require much chewing.

Mi Ge’er nodded in approval while eating. He loved sweets, and this mooncake suited his taste perfectly!

“It’s delicious! I love sweet treats! And there’s so much filling in here!”

Having also tasted the pastries from this side, Yu Qingze knew what their filled pastries were like and smiled. “Really? Isn’t it too sweet?”

Mi Ge’er vigorously shook his head. “Not at all, not at all. How can someone who loves sweets find it too sweet? I’m just afraid there won’t be enough!”

After finishing the mooncake, Mi Ge’er clapped his hands in satisfaction. Then, while taking out his money pouch, he asked Yu Qingze, “Boss Yu, how much for these pastries?”

Yu Qingze smiled. “No need for money. Just let the old master and young master taste them. If they like the taste, we will officially launch them in a couple of days.”

Upon hearing this, Mi Ge’er blinked and didn’t bother to be polite with Yu Qingze. He smiled and said, “Oh, I see. Then let me thank Boss Yu on behalf of the young master. I’ll come back this afternoon to tell you their reaction after they’ve tried them.”

“Okay, thank you for your hard work.”

Yesterday, they made ten mooncakes. They ate four of them, gave five to Mi Ge’er and had one left. After Mi Ge’er left, Yu Qingze gave it directly to Brother Chang to taste.

Brother Chang was happy but with many customers now, he set the mooncake aside to eat later when he had free time.

After Mi Ge’er left, Boss Liu came to find Yu Qingze.

“How did it go, Boss Liu?” Yu Qingze asked.

Boss Liu smiled, a rare occurrence, and replied, “Business was really good yesterday. The customers had a positive reaction to the food. It’s all thanks to you.”

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “It will only get better in the future.”

Boss Liu nodded, took out a dedicated ledger from his pocket, and then handed Yu Qingze a money pouch filled with a good amount of copper coins. He said, “This is the account book for yesterday’s sales of fried noodles and mixed noodles. This is your twenty percent share.”

Yu Qingze took the account book and glanced at it in surprise. “There’s so much?”

Boss Liu answered, “It was relatively average during lunchtime, but suddenly got busy during dinner time and stayed that way until closing.”

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “The initial days tend to be busier, but it will gradually stabilize after a while. When that happens, you can introduce new varieties to attract customers to keep coming back.”

Boss Liu nodded and said, “Good, I understand. This is your share, take it.”

Yu Qingze took the money pouch without counting it and put it directly into his pocket.

Boss Liu stared at him and said, “Aren’t you going to count it? What if it’s less?”

Yu Qingze smiled and replied, “I trust you.”

Not believing it doesn’t change anything. Yu Qingze had no way to personally verify how much the fried noodles and mixed noodles sold for, so he could only trust what was recorded in the account book. And the money in the pouch would definitely not be less.

However, based on Boss Liu’s character, Yu Qingze still believed in him.

Boss Liu: …Why am I feeling a bit touched?!

“Ahem, well, I’ll go back and continue working. You stay busy.”

As it was almost lunchtime, his own restaurant was also busy, so Boss Liu didn’t say much and went back.

After Boss Liu left, Yu Qingze touched the money pouch in his pocket. In addition to the copper coins, there were two broken silver pieces, estimated to be worth around 300 copper coins each. So in total, there were probably seven to eight hundred copper coins in the pouch.

And that’s only twenty percent. It seemed that having a shop would indeed make it easier to earn money.

In Liu’s Noodle House, it was the busy time, and the three men from the Liu family were busy in the kitchen.

Suddenly, a waiter entered the kitchen and approached Boss Liu, whispering, “Boss, one of the workers from Wang’s place is here. He’s the one who helps them in the kitchen. He ordered a plate of fried noodles, a plate of mixed noodles, and a plate of fried sauce noodles, saying he wants to take them to eat elsewhere.”

Boss Liu didn’t even turn his head and replied, “Tell him we don’t provide takeaways. If he wants to eat, he can eat here!”

The waiter immediately left after hearing the instructions.

Boss Liu’s eldest son said, “Father, Wang’s place must have seen what we’re doing, they’re probably going to copy it again.”

Liu’s second son added, “That fatty Wang didn’t have the face to come himself, so he sent a worker. Hmph!”

Boss Liu responded, “Focus on your own work. It’s their business how they want to do things. We can’t stop them. Just excel in your own craftsmanship, and we won’t fear anyone.”

“Yes, father.”

“Got it, father.”

The two brothers glanced at each other. When business was good and father was in a good mood, he wouldn’t yell at them anymore.

Thank you, Boss Yu!

In the front hall, the waiter from Wang’s place was assigned to do this thankless task. After receiving the news that takeaways were not allowed, he immediately returned.

Boss Wang angrily said, “What? Not allowed to take away? That surname Liu! How shameless! And you, didn’t you taste the food before coming back?”

The waiter had a mournful face.

This time he ordered a plate of fried sauce noodles. Unlike the fried noodles and mixed noodles, where he could tell the ingredients by looking at other people’s tables, the fried sauce noodles were dark and couldn’t be identified just by appearance. He had to taste them himself.

After finishing the noodles, the waiter returned with a satisfied expression. He had a delicious plate of fried sauce noodles without using his own money. Even if he was scolded, it was worth it.

Of course, he couldn’t show his happiness when he went back.

He returned with a serious expression.

Boss Wang, with his chubby belly, anxiously asked, “How was it? What did it taste like? How was it made?”

The waiter earnestly replied, “I didn’t order the fried noodles or mixed noodles, but I could see the ingredients. The fried noodles had vegetables, eggs, and shredded meat, which were probably stir-fried with the noodles. As for the mixed noodles, there were noodles at the bottom, and on top were stir-fried vegetables, like our soup noodles without the soup. And then, I ordered the fried sauce noodles. It had minced meat, cucumber, carrots, and beans, and there was also chili. But the beans didn’t taste like the ones we usually eat. They were salty and a bit sweet. I don’t know how they made it, but the taste was really good, it’s especially appetizing.”

Boss Wang listened, looking puzzled, and asked, “Just like that?”

The waiter nodded, “Just like that. The main thing is that I’ve never tasted that flavor before, so I don’t know how to describe it.”

Boss Wang glared at him and asked, “Can you replicate it?”

The waiter said with a pained expression, “Boss, I can’t replicate it. Maybe you should go and taste it yourself?”

Boss Want paced around with his hands behind his back, feeling extremely agitated.

He had been fighting with that surname Liu for so many years. Now asking him to go to Liu’s noodle shop to eat? That would be a laughingstock. Liu’s restaurant was not just any ordinary stall that he could visit. This was his arch-nemesis. How could he let his arch-nemesis see him being ridiculed?

“Forget it, forget it, you can go. I’ll think of a solution.”

Boss Wang racked his brains.

At Yu’s stall, when the lunch rush was over and there weren’t as many customers, Brother Chang happily approached Chang Le, who was washing dishes. He sat on a small stool, eating mooncakes and chatting with Chang Le.

“Mmm, it’s so delicious. It’s much better than our Tuan Yuan Bing.” Brother Chang broke off a small piece and ate it, finding it delicious. Then he broke off another piece and fed it to Chang Le, saying, “Brother Le, open your mouth.”

Chang Le turned his head and opened his mouth to eat it.

After working together for this period of time, the bond between the two gers had grown closer. Although their relationship was already good before, they weren’t together every day like now. They were just ordinary good friends. But now that they were together every day, their relationship quickly transformed from ordinary friends to “close friends.”

“Here, have another piece.”

Chang Le shook his head, indicating for Brother Chang to eat it himself. He had already eaten some yesterday.

While Brother Chang was eating, he suddenly bumped his shoulder against Chang Le’s and whispered, “Hey, Brother Le, Boss Yu is really talented, and your judgment is good!”

Upon hearing this, the bowl in Chang Le’s hand slipped out and fell directly into the water, splashing a large splash.

How did Brother Chang know…

Chang Le looked at Brother Chang in shock, his face turning red. He wanted to deny it, but he didn’t have the habit of lying to appease others. He could only blush and stare at Brother Chang blankly.

Brother Chang chuckled at Chang Le’s expression, glanced at him sideways, and said, “What? Did you think I hadn’t figured it out? I could tell from the first day I came to work that you two had great chemistry in your interactions. You were still trying to hide it from me, hm…”

Chang Le awkwardly shifted his gaze and futilely gestured with his hand, trying to convey that it wasn’t what Brother Chang thought.

Brother Chang understood half of it, but he could also guess what Chang Le was saying. He said, “Well, this is a good thing. You should be happy. Why do you look so guilty?”

Chang Le pursed his lips and blinked. He knew the truth, but having others know about it still made him feel embarrassed.

“Are you feeling embarrassed? Your face is turning so red.”

Chang Le nodded, feeling very embarrassed in the first place.

Brother Chang encouraged him, saying, “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You like him, and he likes you. It’s a mutual attraction, how wonderful is that? I want to find someone I like, but I haven’t found them yet.”

Chang Le gestured, indicating that Brother Chang would surely find someone too.

“I believe I’ll find someone too,” Brother Chang confidently said.

Chang Le looked at Brother Changr’s confident appearance and felt extremely envious.

Brother Chang had a great personality—cheerful, lively, and sincere. He was truly an amazing person. Many people came to propose to him, some with excellent conditions, but he had turned them all down, wanting to find someone he genuinely liked. Later, he even convinced his father not to rush him and insisted on meeting each suitor in person.

This courage was something Chang Le couldn’t imagine. He deeply admired Brother Chang for this.

“Oh, enough about that. My bangs have grown long. I saw a few guys with really nice-looking bangs on the street the other day. Can you cut mine when we get back?” Brother Chang asked.

Chang Le smiled and nodded.

Brother Chang continued, “They look really good. When we get back, I’ll cut yours too, with a new style. I think it’ll suit you particularly well, and it can also cover the scar on your forehead, so you don’t have to worry. Don’t think I’m finding fault with you. Your unchanging bangs make you look like an old bachelor.”

Upon hearing that, Chang Le smiled and shook his head, indicating that he didn’t want to cut his hair.

Brother Chang had anticipated his response and playfully bumped his shoulder, whispering in a slightly flirtatious tone, “Don’t you want Boss Yu to see you looking handsome?”

Chang Le’s eyes flickered at the thought of Brother Yu seeing him looking handsome…

Seeing Chang Le’s reaction, Brother Chang added fuel to the fire, saying, “Let me tell you, men like to see their partners looking good every day. This is the experience I heard from an old ger. His husband especially loved him, and their relationship remained strong for decades. Plus, it could also give Boss Yu a pleasant surprise. What do you think?”

Chang Le clenched the dishcloth tightly in his hand, feeling very, very tempted…

As a few more customers approached the counter, Brother Chang quickly said, “Think about it carefully. I’ll practice cutting tonight so I don’t mess it up. I’ll come find you tomorrow evening.”

After speaking, Brother Chang stood up and went to attend to the customers in front.

Chang Le stared blankly at the dishes in the basin for a while, then started washing them while pondering over Brother Chang’s words.

It was natural for men to like good-looking partners, and he knew this very well. That’s why his forehead scar had frightened away so many men in the past.

Brother Yu must also like good-looking gers. Although he claims not to mind his own scar, wouldn’t he be happy if he could become more attractive?

Brother Chang said that the new hairstyle would not only look good but also cover his scar…

He really wants to become more good-looking. If he does, would brother Yu like him even more?

As Chang Le kept thinking, his cheeks couldn’t help but blush again.

Thingyan: OK how bad is this scar that even scared away people?