Chapter 186: Fawning
Translator: Lonelytree
“Lingyu, uncle, Auntie, it’s really you.” Gu Ziye, who was about to head to his own private room, saw Xiao Lingyu and the others walk in, so he went over to greet them.
Mother Xiao smiled. “Ziye!”
Gu Ziye said, “Uncle, Auntie, you’re here to eat, right? Let’s go to my private room!”
“We can’t impose on you!” Xiao Lingyu said, “We can just eat in the restaurant.”
Gu Ziye said with some dissatisfaction, “Lingyu, I’m inviting Uncle and Auntie to my private room. If you don’t want to join us, you can go to the restaurant on your own.”
Xiao Lingyu, “…”
Mother Xiao chuckled, “Okay, then. Ziye, thank you so much.”
A moment later, Gu Ziye led Xiao Lingyu and the others into the private room.
Gu Ziye said with a smile, “Uncle, Auntie, order whatever you want to eat. Don’t worry. This is my treat!”
“How… can we ask you of that?” Mother Xiao was shocked.
“Auntie, don’t worry!” Gu Ziye said sincerely, “You’ve treated us many times when we went to Taoyuan Village!”
“You are Yu ‘Er’s friend, so of course, we have to look after you.” Mother Xiao smiled.
At this moment, Gu Ziye took out a menu, “Uncle, Auntie, this is the menu. Order whatever you want to eat. It’s on the house!”
“Then, we’ll thank you for your kindness!” Mother Xiao took the menu and handed it to fourth aunt and fourth uncle, “Chunhua, Mingyang, you should see what you like.”
Gu Ziye added, “That’s right. Just order anything that catches your eyes!”
Xiao Xiaohui took the menu and asked suspiciously, “Second aunt, can we really order anything?”
“Of course!” Gu Ziye said.
“Yay!” Xiao Xiaohui happily opened the menu. When he saw the various pictures on it, he almost drooled. Then, he waved his small hand and pointed at one of the pictures, “I want a grilled fish! Grilled fish is good. What else…”
“That’s enough. Who gave you the right to make the orders?” Xiao Mingyang nudged the back of his son’s head. “Let your second uncle and aunt order first!”
“Okay!” Xiao Xiaohui reluctantly pushed the menu back to Mother Xiao and said, “Second aunt, here.”
Mother Xiao laughed. After consulting with the others, she ordered a few dishes.
Gu Ziye looked at their order and frowned. But he didn’t say anything.
After he delivered the order, he came back. He sat down and asked, “Lingyu, I heard that your shop is ready. When will you open?”
“Probably on May 20th!” Xiao Lingyu said.
“Ah, okay. I’ll definitely come over to support you then!”Gu Ziye said.
“Thank you!” Xiao Lingyu thanked him sincerely.
He knew that Xiao Lingyu opening a vegetable store might have a certain impact on his hotel business. But the impact wouldn’t be that big. After all, he couldn’t demand Xiao Lingyu to only do business with him.
Gu Ziye thought for a moment and said, “Lingyu, can we discuss something?”
“…” Xiao Lingyu said, “Of course, President Gu.”
“It’s about the hotel’s daily vegetable supply. Can you double them?” Gu Ziye asked. Now, he had 300 catties of vegetables daily, which was around 10 catties of each vegetable. It was simply unable to meet the hotel’s demand.
“Double it?” Xiao Lingyu frowned and asked, “You mean 600 catties daily?”
“That’s right!” Gu Ziye said, “A daily amount of 300 catties is simply not enough. Previously, you have promised to increase the amount after a month.”
Xiao Lingyu thought for a moment and said seriously, “President Gu, you also know that my shop is about to open. After that, many people will probably know that you bought your supply from me. Naturally, my shop might affect your hotel business. So, 600 catties…” wouldn’t it be too much?
Gu Ziye smiled and said, “Lingyu, thank you for your consideration. Yes, your shop will certainly affect my hotel business. However, this hotel serves a lot of foreign guests.
“Ever since we cooperated, we have had a lot of foreign guests. They praise your food endlessly. Then, they spread the words among the other foreigners.
“Over the past month, the hotel restaurant has been constantly full. Foreign guests account for 80 percent of our business. We already have a long waiting list.”
Xiao Lingyu really didn’t know about the hotel business. She nodded. “In that case, sure. I’ll provide the Gu Family Hotel with 600 catties of ingredients every day!”
The others at the table were shocked. So many vegetables were sold just like that?
The farmers always had problems with sales.
However, now that the Gu Family Hotel had made such a large purchase, they should have no problem selling their harvest.
The business of the Gu Family hotel was booming. Every day, it was filled with customers. This was all thanks to Xiao Lingyu. Xiao Lingyu was truly Gu Ziye’s lucky star!
Gu Ziye also knew he couldn’t offend Xiao Lingyu. He couldn’t stop Xiao Lingyu from opening her own business. So he would congratulate her wholeheartedly. This was the secret of the business world. Other than the government, no one could dominate the market.
It was unscrupulous to block others’ business. Gu Ziye asked, “Lingyu, have you prepared everything in your shop? Is there anything that you need help with? Your shop isn’t small either. It will probably be busy once it opens. Are you hiring anyone now?”
Xiao Lingyu shook her head and said, “Not at the moment. I don’t know about the business situation yet. We’ll see in the future.”
“Oh, I see!” Gu Ziye nodded and said, “Let me know if there’s anything I can help you with.”
After chatting for a while, the dishes were served one after another.
The first to be served was the grilled fish.
“Wow, it’s so beautiful!” Seeing the grilled fish, Xiao Xiaohui couldn’t help but exclaim, “It looks like a flower.”
The plate of grilled fish was adorned with purple flowers. The plate was sprinkled with red peppers, onions, and parsley. A blue flame was burning under the plate.
Xiao Xiaohui held a pair of chopsticks in one hand and his chin in the other. He asked curiously and naively, “Why is there a fire? Is the fish not cooked yet?”
“Erm…” The seemingly simple question stumped a large group of people. No one had seemed to consider this problem before. The flame was probably to make the dish look more impressive.
“It’ll make the fish more delicious!” Xiao Lingyu explained.
“Oh, okay!” Xiao Xiaohui nodded.
Then, the other dishes were served. When Xiao Lingyu saw the sea cucumber, abalone, and shark’s fin soup, she frowned. These things were expensive. She could guarantee that her parents would never order them. Therefore, the person who ordered these dishes must be Gu Ziye.
She sighed lightly and thought to herself, ‘Such is the way of the business world. O well. This shall be a treat for the family. They probably haven’t tasted any of these dishes before.’
“What are these?” Mother Xiao pointed at a plate of abalone and asked, “I don’t think I ordered this dish. I don’t think I’ve ordered any of these.” Taoyuan Village was not close to the sea, so they didn’t know the expensive seafood.
Gu Ziye smiled and said, “Auntie, this is steamed abalone, this is steamed egg with fragrant sea cucumber, this is shark fin soup, and this is scallop with garlic. These are all seafood. This is bird’s nest soup. It is good for beauty. Aunties, you have to eat more!”
Mother Xiao and Liu Chunhua’s eyes lit up. However, Mother Xiao still said politely. “They sound so expensive. Ziye, you shouldn’t spend so much on us!”
“Auntie, it’s not often for you to come to my hotel. Of course, I have to treat you well.” Gu Ziye said, “Plus, Lingyu is my friend, so this is the least I can do.”
Everyone, “….” Does this mean he is interested in Yu ‘Er?
Xiao Lingyu’s lips twitched when she heard that. Then, she noticed the strange expressions on her family. She took a breath and said, “Dad, Mom, fourth uncle, and fourth aunt, this is President Gu’s good intention. We shouldn’t disappoint him. After this, we still have to go look at the cars.”
“Lingyu, you’re going to buy another car?” Gu Ziye looked at Xiao Lingyu with some confusion. He remembered that Xiao Lingyu had already bought a car.
Xiao Lingyu nodded and said, “My fourth uncle wants to buy a small truck.”
“Oh, wonderful. I’ll accompany you to Xuanhao’s place after this.” Gu Ziye said matter-of-factly.
Everyone,”…” What is going on? Did Gu Zeyi really have a crush on Yu ‘Er?
Mother Xiao and Liu Chunhua looked at Gu Ziye with strange expressions. Gu Ziye was handsome, tall, and had a successful career. Why would a man like that fall for Yu ‘Er?
After all, Yu ‘Er was…
Xiao Lingyu saw her mom and fourth aunt’s faces, and she knew they had a misunderstanding. ‘Gu Ziye is doing this because he wants my business, not because he’s interested in me!’
But she couldn’t really point that out before the man. She went along with him and said appreciatively, “Thank you, President Gu. But is President Yuan in the shop?”
Gu Ziye nodded, “Yes! He’s usually at the dealership.”
“Ah?” Xiao Lingyu was a little surprised, “Why does he need to be there? Doesn’t he have employees to help him?”
Gu Ziye said with a laugh, “He is too free. What else can he do?”
Mother Xiao couldn’t help but ask, “Yu ‘Er, who is President Yuan?”
“Auntie, it’s Yuan Xuanhao!” Gu Ziye explained, “He’s the boss of Teng Fei Car Dealership. After this meal, we’ll go meet him.”
Mother Xiao and the others were stunned. When Gu Ziye and his friends came to Taoyuan Village, many people guessed they came from rich families. It was true. One of them was the general manager of a big hotel, and the other was the boss of a car company.
Birds of a feather flock together. That meant the other two had deep backgrounds too. They were surprised that Yu ‘Er had made such powerful friends in the town.
However, Liu Chunhua and Xiao Mingyang were not as shocked. Xiao Lingyu was knowledgeable, cultured, smart, and beautiful. Naturally, she could attract many members of the opposite sex.
The group continued eating.
“This food is so delicious!” Xiao Xiaohui’s mouth was full of oil. “I’ve never eaten such delicious food before!”
Xiao Lingyu looked at the garlic scallops in his hand, and the corner of her mouth twitched again. Then, she said, “I remember a little brat saying that his second aunt’s cooking is the best. So how come he said something totally different today?”
Xiao Xiaohui immediately understood that his first cousin was talking about him. He said righteously, “Second aunt’s cooking is the best. However,” He looked at the food on the table. “Since I can’t have these food daily, they are considered snacks. These are the best snacks I’ve tasted. And second aunt cooked the most delicious meals in the world!”
“…” Xiao Lingyu was speechless.
Xiao Xiaohui hadn’t eaten in a big hotel before, so this was all very new to him. Liu Chunhua immediately scolded, “Alright, look at you, you’re eating all over the table. Be careful, don’t get oil on your clothes.”
“Okay!” Xiao Xiaohui’s mouth didn’t stop.
The meal ended in about half an hour.
Xiao Xiaohui and the adults were impressed by the delicacies. They were really fresh and delicious. They tasted so different from what they usually had.
Of course, the adults knew the food was very expensive, and it wouldn’t be affordable for ordinary people like them.
Xiao Xiaohui was naive. When he walked out of the hotel, he raised his head and looked at Xiao Lingyu with anticipation. He asked, “Eldest cousin, can we come here to eat again in the future?”
Liu Chunhua’s face darkened, and she immediately lectured, “You’ve just finished eating! You’re already thinking about next time?”
Xiao Xiaohui stubbornly retorted, “Why can’t I? Honestly, I haven’t had enough.”
“You brat…” Liu Chunhua went to twist her son’s ear. Xiao Xiaohui quickly ran to hide behind Xiao Lingyu. He only wanted to eat the food again, so why was his mom so mad?
Xiao Lingyu stopped her fourth aunt and said, “Fourth aunt, don’t be mad. If Xiaohui likes it that much, I’ll bring him here again next time.”
Liu Chunhua said, “Yu ‘Er, you can spoil him. The dishes look so expensive. Ziye was nice to treat us today, but we can’t take further advantage of him.”
Xiao Lingyu smiled and said, “Fourth aunt, since we can afford it, why would we take advantage of him?”
“Huh?” Liu Chunhua was surprised.
