Chapter 26 Grand Opening

Li Xi casually said a few words before busily attending to the customers. "Shopkeeper, is this ginger tea? It tastes a little different from the usual one." Meng Zhelan explained, "Sir, this is my specially prepared ginger tea. It not only warms you up but also refreshes and stimulates your appetite." "That's wonderful! I'll have a couple more cups. It tastes great. Do you have any specialties?" The waiter brought up the menu for the customers to take their orders.

"Your menu is wonderful! Fish porridge, Yiqiao rice noodles, braised pork intestine noodles, pickled fish rice..." The two waiters and Li Xi were busy running around, while Ling'er and Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang in the kitchen were working hard, with laughter and cheerful conversation filling the air.

Li Xi managed to steal a few moments to chat with Shen Xu. Qin Xiaolin watched the two talk, slowly sipping his ginger tea, his gaze lingering on Li Xi, a deep, enigmatic smile playing on his lips. Li Xi, fearing she might have slighted Qin Xiaolin, stepped forward and filled his cup with ginger tea. "Please forgive me, Young Master Qin, for any shortcomings in our hospitality today. I will host another banquet for you another day."

The private rooms on the second floor are still under renovation. Fearing that they might miss this auspicious day, they are opening for business now and will continue to renovate the rest of the space gradually.

"It's alright. You must be very busy today since it's your opening. You can go ahead and do your work. Shen Xu and I will call the staff if we need anything," Qin Xiaolin said with a smile. Li Xi thought to herself that this guy was quite handsome, but before she could think any further, someone called her.

"Sister...Big Brother, congratulations! I'm here to help you." It turned out to be Li Yi. Li Xi was almost scared to death by the "sister" in the video. She didn't have any plans to return to her female form yet. "Xiao Yi, no need. We can manage. Quickly take your classmates over there to sit down. Eat whatever you like. It's on me today. Young brothers, thank you all for taking care of Xiao Yi." Li Xi pulled the group to their seats.

"Brother Li, Li Yi has always helped us. He is more knowledgeable than us and has taught us a lot. We should be the ones thanking him. We are bothering you again today," the group said, bowing to Li Xi.

"You're too modest. Come on, don't be shy. It's my treat today, order whatever you like," Li Xi said, handing them the recipe. The group was amazed by its exquisite design. "Brother Li, who made this recipe? It's so unique!" "Ahem, it's just some small things, you flatter me," Li Xi said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. He felt embarrassed by the young man's praise.

"Brother Li is too modest," the group chatted for a few more minutes, and after ordering, Li Xi took the food to the kitchen. In the kitchen, Ling'er was working feverishly, her body drenched in sweat, but her smile remained unchanged. "Xi'er, how's the situation outside?" Right now, she was most concerned about everyone's opinions.

"Ling'er, with your cooking skills, do you still need to doubt yourself? Everyone raves about your cooking; I saw they all looked so satisfied, there was almost nothing left." "Really? That's wonderful, Xi. I was so afraid of messing it up," Ling'er said with a look of pure satisfaction. "Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang, you've worked so hard too." "Oh, it's what we should do," Aunt Wang replied warmly, her hands moving swiftly and steadily.

While washing the dirty dishes, Tian Tian was being taught martial arts techniques by Li Xi whenever she had time. She could now control her strength, finishing in less than half an hour what others could do in an hour. "Tian Tian, ​​are you tired? If you're hungry, go eat something before you continue." "It's alright, Miss Xi'er, this is nothing." Sun Tian Tian lifted a wooden basin that was at least three feet wide, filled with clean pots and pans. Li Xi and the others had struck gold! Tian Tian was doing the work of three people; they needed to find her a martial arts teacher next time. Such talent needed to be nurtured; she would surely be able to shoulder great responsibilities in the future.

Seeing that the kitchen was manageable, Li Xi returned to the shop. As a responsible waitress, she reminded customers to refill their tea whenever it was empty, and frequently asked for their feedback. In the service industry, customers are paramount; they must be respected and valued. Their opinions are crucial to their success. She used a homemade notebook and charcoal sticks to record the various comments from the customers.

Not far away, Qin Xiaolin saw Li Xi listening and writing, and an inscrutable emotion flashed in his eyes. It was unclear what he was thinking. Seeing this, Shen Xu said, "Well, Brother Qin, I told you it was delicious. I ate a lot of it the other day and have been craving it ever since. I brought you here today. I didn't make a mistake in introducing it to you, did I? You're totally stunned."

"Indeed, Brother Shen, judging from your experience of eating your way through Kyoto, what you can't forget is truly top-quality food." Li Xi came over and saw that the two had already finished eating. Seeing the empty plates in front of them, Li Xi felt proud. Ling'er is indeed a genius.

"Brother Chen, why don't we go to the main hall in the back courtyard for some tea to help with our digestion and cut through the greasiness?" "Alright, Brother Li, we're actually a bit stuffed." Li Xi led the two to the main hall in the back and brewed a pot of digestive tea, which Lan'er had prepared. At least so far, most of the people she had encountered since transmigrating had been kind and helpful, and her face was full of smiles.

Shen Xu was stunned by Li Xi's smile. When she smiled slightly, her rosy lips were as radiant as a burst of color. "I'm sorry, Brother Shen, Brother Qin, I have to go help out at the front. Please have some tea and rest here. I'll come back to talk to you after I finish serving the food."

“Brother Li, please go ahead. Brother Qin and I will take care of ourselves,” Shen Xu nodded.

After Li Xi left, Qin Xiaolin looked at Shen Xuxi with amusement and smiled, "What, Brother Shen, are you reluctant to part with him? I didn't know you had this kind of taste." "What are you talking about? I just admire Young Master Li. You haven't witnessed him cleverly capturing more than a dozen bandits. His skill in binding bandits is also unique. Without him, my little sister would have... My little sister is afraid of being found out and hasn't dared to go out these days. Don't mind her, she was rescued by Young Master Li and is safe and sound."

"It's alright, let's not talk about it now that it's over," Qin Xiaolin said calmly as he sipped his tea, which tasted quite good.

When Li Xi returned to the shop, Li Yi and the others had almost finished eating. "Xiao Yi, if you're full, why don't you go to the back and rest for a bit, and then go back after dinner?" "Brother, no need. I'm going to the library with my companions later. You go ahead with your work. I'll come back next time I have a day off." Li Yi led his companions back, and Li Xi insisted on giving him a food box, "Take this back and add some dishes."

After two hours of hard work, the group finally saw off the last guest, their backs aching from exhaustion. "Ling'er, Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang, bring out whatever you have in the kitchen for lunch. Everyone has worked so hard this morning, let's have a proper meal tonight," Meng Zhelan said, holding an abacus.

Everyone agreed, so they sat on the benches to rest. After eating a little something, they went home. The lunch market was over, and they would come back to work in an hour.

"Lan'er, how was business this morning?" Ling'er asked with concern. "It was pretty good. Aside from the rest, there was still some profit, and most of the customers gave positive feedback. The prospects are promising," Meng Zhelan nodded in satisfaction. The "battlefield" would be dealt with in the afternoon.

Li Xi hurried to the back hall and saw Shen Xu and Qin Xiaolin sitting calmly drinking tea. She felt relieved, as she was afraid of offending the two big shots.

"Brother Shen, Brother Qin, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I'm relieved to have you two lead the way in today. I was worried that no one would like this kind of food."

"Brother Li, you flatter us. We'd just sit and chat wherever we go. Your place is quite nice," Shen Xu said, noting that although the room wasn't large, the layout was indeed pleasing to the eye. The unique tables and chairs, the vibrant potted plants—all revealed the owner's love of life.

“Yes, Brother Li, please come here to sit sometime in the future. Enjoying good food is one of the most important things in life,” Qin Xiaolin said, unusually speaking more than usual. Li Xi bowed to him and thanked him, “Young Master Qin, you’re too kind. You are welcome to come anytime. We look forward to your presence.” Qin Xiaolin gestured for Li Xi to sit down.

Li Xi sat down to stretch her limbs; after walking all morning, her legs were a bit numb. Being a waitress wasn't easy; it seemed she needed to find something else to do. Working as a waitress here every day wasn't a long-term solution.

The three chatted for the time it takes to drink two cups of tea before Shen Xu and Qin Xiaolin returned home. After seeing them off, Li Xi went back to her room, lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed), and couldn't get up. She fell asleep soon after…