Cao Xi came to the Malatang shop early the next morning and looked around but didn't see Li Feng.
"Buffalo, have you seen Brother Li?"
Buffalo: "He bought a house in the town and went to the Yamen to transfer the ownership today."
Since Li Feng was not here, she could only put off what she wanted to say and focus on the work at hand first.
There were more people in the shop at lunch time. Since Li Feng was away, the pressure in the kitchen fell on Buffalo alone. Cao Xi asked Xiaochuan to help him.
Cao Xi took over the task of clearing the tables in the front hall, so he was able to keep busy, but he was a little tired.
Xiaorui would come over to help from time to time. She was very diligent, washing vegetables and washing dishes in the backyard, and I never heard a single complaint from her.
Cao Xi secretly thought about giving her more dividends at the end of the year so that the brother and sister could live in their own house.
In the afternoon, there were a lot less customers. When Qin Zhao and Qi Qige came over, there were only two customers left in the shop.
Cao Xi told Buffalo that she was going out and asked Li Feng to wait for her if Li Feng came back. She had something to tell him.
Qi Qige walked with them for about half an hour and stopped at a restaurant.
Qi Qige introduced "This is the shop" to Cao Xi
The two-story building in front of them is located in the most prosperous section of the town. It is said that the rent of the shops in this section is enough for them to sell a small house on the edge of the town.
Cao Xi opened his mouth in shock, "Are you going to do something serious?"
Qi Qige said with a smile: "This shop is not profitable. I have long wanted to change my business. It just so happens that we can open a hotpot restaurant together."
There is an endless flow of people in the restaurant. Isn’t this a bad business?
Qi Qige's stepmother took a cut of the shop's income, and the account books showed monthly losses.
Fortunately, everything was over, and a lot of things that should be taken back were brought back, and Qi Qige no longer had to go back to that home.
Now thinking about his stepmother's murderous eyes, Qi Qige couldn't help but want to laugh. It was so happy. Without her mother's dowry, would the Qi Mansion still be the same as before?
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The lobby on the first floor of the shop is spacious and bright, and the decoration is elegant. It seems that a lot of thought has been put into it. The kitchen behind the first floor does not interfere with each other. The kitchen is very large. Cold and hot dishes are made in separate areas. There is also a separate area for making pasta, and vegetables and meats are placed. It was tidy, and the kitchen didn't look like it was in a loss. Although she couldn't figure it out, Cao Xi didn't ask any more questions. Every family has its own problems, let alone Qiqige's family.
There is an atrium on the second floor, surrounded by a circle of private rooms. The entire restaurant is well planned and does not need to be renovated. Three people sat in the private room by the window and enjoyed the surrounding scenery.
Cao Xi couldn't help but admired, "This location and the decoration are so good."
"Then when will we start construction?"
Qi Qige asked. He wanted to send all the workers out of the shop. They were a bunch of people eating in and out of things.
"You don't need to decorate this shop. I'll just draw a simple pattern when I get back and we can divide the functional areas."
Cao Xi was not trying to save costs, but the decoration of the restaurant was really exquisite and elegant, and it would be a pity to ruin it.
Qi Qige: "Okay, the backyard of the restaurant is very big. It's no problem for two families to live there. How about you surrender the house and move here?"
Cao Xi has not bought a house in these years. When she got rich, she signed a five-year lease contract with the landlord in one fell swoop. There were still two years left before it expired. She thought it would not be too late to wait until Qin Zhao stabilized before buying a house.
Qin Zhao was looking out the window in a trance, and just as he was about to turn his head to let Cao Xi look, he heard Qi Qige telling them to move, and he immediately kicked him hard.
Qi Qige felt a little aggrieved, but he also wanted to help Qin Zhao out of good intentions. But as a single person, how could he know that the world of two people is much happier than a group of people living together.
Cao Xi smiled and said to Qi Qige, "No, we are used to living there. Being away from the hustle and bustle is good for Qin Zhao's studies. Just prepare a room for me and put a desk."
Cao Xi thought that in such a big restaurant, she couldn't just stand at the counter and work like a shopkeeper. Unfortunately, she thought too much, and she didn't need to stretch her hand at all in the later operations.
"Okay, I'll prepare a room for you," Qi Qige turned to ask Qin Zhao
Qin Zhao's head was filled with questions: "What are you going to do for me?"
"After school is over, you will have a place to rest when you come." Qiqige thought he was an idiot. Do you still need to ask this question?
Qin Zhao: "No, Cao Xi and I can share the same room." Why bother?
Qi Qige's disbelieving eyes wandered between Qin Zhao and Cao Xi. What did he hear? Was it what he thought?
While breathing, Qiqige made a decision in her heart: "I will leave the best room to you."
For the sake of his brothers, he supports him no matter what is right or wrong.
Cao Xi knew that Qi Qige had misunderstood, but did not explain much. His eyes indicated to Qin Zhao what he was going to say just now?
Qin Zhao: "Cao Xi, who do you think is outside?"
Cao Xi looked around and recognized Li Feng on the street. There was a young girl beside him. It was clear from their behavior that their relationship was not simple.
Li Feng bought a silk flower at the stall and put it on the girl's head. The girl shyly took Li Feng and walked forward.
Although their relationship seemed harmonious, they still felt something was strange. Cao Xi looked away.
"I can't blame him for buying a yard. He should be getting married."
Qin Zhao curled his lips. He could tell at a glance that Li Feng didn't like the girl, but his behavior and his heart were the opposite. Thanks to his strict defense against Li Feng, Cao Xi was saved from Li Feng's murderous hands.
The three of them separated after finalizing the decision. Cao Xi wanted to go back to the shop to talk to Li Feng about the hot pot, but Qin Zhao did not go home. He was dragged by Qi Qige to buy daily necessities.
Qi Qige moved out of Qi Mansion. Qin Zhao didn't ask specifically why, and Qi Qige didn't say anything either.
Qi Qige's new residence was in the backyard of this two-story building. True to his word, he gave the best room to Cao Xi, and he arranged another one next to her room.
Qin Zhao looked at the two connected rooms and thought deeply. It seemed that he had to guard Qi Qige tightly.
The conversation was divided. When Cao Xi returned to the shop, Li Feng had not returned yet. Cao Xi sorted out the work at hand. She wanted to hand over all the work.
Li Feng came back about an hour later. He had no smile on his face and looked very serious.
"Brother Li, you're back." Cao Xi was the first to say hello.
Li Feng: "Well, is the shop busy today?"
"It's okay, Brother Li, I have something to tell you." Cao Xi put down what he was doing and walked out of the counter.
"What's the matter?" Li Feng was a little confused. Recently, he was busy looking for a house and dealing with Qiu Ju, and rarely cared about things in the shop.
"Let's go to the backyard and talk." Cao Xi and Li Feng came to the stone table in the backyard.
Li Feng: "Is there anything going on in the shop?"
"Everything is fine in the shop. It's me. I plan to open a hot pot restaurant. The location has been chosen." Cao Xi felt guilty.
Li Feng was very calm after hearing this. He knew that Cao Xi would leave here sooner or later.
"Where will the shop be located?"
Cao Xi: "Zhengyangmen, East Street, the first building on the right"
Li Feng was speechless for a while, "That is indeed a good place."
"If you are interested, you can work with me, but this time I have an extra partner."
Although he knew that the possibility of his participation was low, Cao Xi still wanted to ask.
Li Feng slowly exhaled, "If you had said it a day earlier, I might have joined, but it won't be possible after today. When you plan to open the business, I will join in the fun."
Cao Xi: "It's just started. I want to hand over the Malatang job so I won't come back in the future."
Li Feng: "Okay, you can just sort it out and give it to me. From now on, I will send you a share of the shop's income on a monthly basis."
As soon as the business was finished, Cao Xi wanted to ask Li Feng if he was getting married, but he didn't know how to ask. After all, no one had ever seen the girl he was with.
Li Feng looked at Cao Xi's hesitant expression and asked with a smile: "Do you have anything to say to me?"
"I saw you and a girl on the street today." Cao Xi pursed her lips and continued, "Are you planning to get married?"
Li Feng was a little flustered. He didn't expect that he would be bumped into by Cao Xi when he was with Qiu Ju today. The words he wanted to explain were stuck in his mouth. He laughed at himself and thought about what else to explain. He lowered his head and stared at the table and said calmly. :"No"
The answer was unexpected. Judging from the closeness between the two, it didn't look like a normal relationship, and the girl didn't look like a prostitute. Cao Xi suddenly couldn't understand Li Feng.
Seeing that Cao Xi was silent for a long time, Li Feng joked, "Why are you looking at me like that? I should explode if that little brat sees me." His words reminded Cao Xi that the first time Qin Zhao made trouble unreasonably, it was because of her He glanced at Li Feng a few more times and laughed softly.
"Don't call him that. If you hear it, you'll lose your temper again."
Since Qin Zhao was admitted as a scholar, he felt that he was an adult and Cao Xi was not allowed to touch his head.
Li Feng: "He is so lucky" to have met you, unlike all the jackals he met.
A meaningless sentence, chatting to death.
Cao Xi thought how lucky Qin Zhao was. He was originally a rich young master but turned into a beggar without a father or a mother.
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When Cao Xi returned home, Qin Zhao was wearing an apron and rolling up his sleeves in the kitchen, making a leek box. People say that men who cook are the most attractive, and this is indeed true.
Seeing Cao Xi coming back, Qin Zhao quickened his movements and said, "It'll be done soon."
Cao Xi didn't reply. He leaned against the door and watched Qin Zhao roll out the cakes and bake the boxes. His movements were smooth and smooth. If it weren't for the gleam of white on his forehead, Cao Xi would have thought he was a chef.
Qin Zhao couldn't hear the reply for a long time, but when he raised his head, he saw Cao Xi staring at him with a squinting look.
Qin Zhao was angry and funny, "Look what I'm going to do? Go wash your hands and put the table down."
After Cao Xi had put all the food on the table, Qin Zhao came out with a large plate of leek boxes and a bowl of porridge for Cao Xi.
Cao Xi looked at the food on the table and said with a smile, "Did you prepare this for breakfast?"
Qin Zhao: "I saw that the leeks were fresh today, so I bought some, but I felt that just eating the leeks from the box would be spicy, so I made another small pot of porridge."
Cao Xi picked up a box of leeks and took a big bite, her mouth full of fragrance.
Cao Xi swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "Why do I think this leek box is a bit sweet?"
Cao Xi squinted his eyes and took another bite.
Qin Zhao: "Can't?"
How could it be so sweet? He didn't add any sugar. He took a suspicious bite and realized that he had been deceived by Cao Xi again.
Qin Zhao glared at Cao Xi, "full of nonsense"
Cao Xi looked at him and giggled non-stop.
Qin Zhao suppressed the smile at the corner of his mouth, put a pickle into the porridge for her, lowered his head and took a bite of the leek box. Yes, it was indeed a bit sweet.
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After the meal, the two of them sat together under the jujube tree to enjoy the cool air.
Qin Zhao: "Did you talk to Li Feng about making hot pot today?"
Cao Xi: "As I said, I also invited him to join, but he was rejected."
Upon hearing Li Feng's rejection, Qin Zhao laughed silly.
He secretly went to hold Cao Xi's hand hanging by the side, but just as he was about to touch it, Cao Xi stood up.
Cao Xi: "The evening story is cancelled. I have to draw the layout of the restaurant today." After saying this, he twisted his face and went back to the house.
Qin Zhao stretched out his hand and took it back silently. He touched his nose and decided to go back to the room to read. After all, it was not that easy to pass the exam.
