The blush that appeared on her brother-in-law’s face made Lu Xinyi laugh again. She knew something had happened between her cousin and Shen Xue, but neither of them wanted to tell what it was so she was left guessing what it could be.
Shen Xue coughed violently on his hand before glaring at his Big Sis.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!”
“I’m just joking, Xue. Why are you upset?”
“I’m not!” Shen Xue denied her claim.
Lu Xinyi shrugged, knowing she already got the reaction she wanted from him.
“Yi, aren’t you afraid Xue will grow old alone?” she asked her husband, curious to see how he’d react to it.
“Didn’t he say his hand is already enough for him?”
Huang Shenghao choked on his laughter and collapsed from his own seat upon hearing what Shen Yi said.
“Help, Lingyu. I-I can’t breathe.” He held into Tian Lingyu’s leg, but the latter kicked him away.
Huang Shenghao held his stomach and curled on the floor. It was a good thing that most of the diners had left, leaving only their group inside the Oriental Bliss.
“Go die, you idiot.” Tian Lingyu was starting to regret bringing his friend with him.
“Shut up, Big Sis! Don’t say anymore.” Shen Xue begged his sister-in-law. He couldn’t believe that she was as bad as his brother.
Lu Xinyi sighed, feigning disappointment on Shen Xue. It’s a pity he and Xiulan hadn’t met since their wedding. It would be easy to matchmake the two if Lu Xiulan was around.
“When our next baby arrives, I hope you aren’t alone by then.”
“Babies,” Shen Yi corrected her.
“Babies it is.” She nodded her affirmation.
As they finished the last desserts, Lu Xinyi was too full to move.
“So what do you think about these dishes? Which one is passable?” she asked her brother and Huang Shenghao. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
The two were silent for a while, thinking hard which one left a deep impression on their taste buds.
“They have a couple of good appetizers that I think should be left on their menu like that Chilled Black Fungus in Peppercorn Vinaigrette, the Egg Loaf, and the Lettuce Roll with Sesame Sauce. They stood up from the rest of the appetizers.” Huang Shenghao took a serious turn and said his opinion.
“Yes, I’ll agree with Shenghao’s observation. For the soups, the Double Boiled Chicken Soup and the Spicy Seafood Soup were spectacular although the other soups didn’t fall far behind,” Tian Lingyu added.
“Oh, so this is why we’re eating out.” Shen Xue finally understood why they were here. Trying to remember which one was his favorite from the rest of the dishes, he also said his piece. “The deep-fried Garlic Pork Ribs was delicious, and all of their steamed buns.”
Lu Xinyi had been silent as the three continued to discuss which one of the steamed buns they preferred and how the dim sum was lacking flavor.
“What do you think, Xinxin?” Shen Yi asked when he noticed that she’d been silent.
“I’ve already crossed out the dishes that didn’t pass. I’m just thinking about how to fix the menu, given that they have so many steamed buns to offer,” she said truthfully.
“Why don’t you offer a set consisting of each one of them?” Shen Yi suggested. Not only it would save them the trouble on adjusting the menu, but it would also give the restaurant a chance to have a signature dish to offer.
“Good idea. Why I didn’t think of that?! You’re a genius, darling!” Lu Xinyi leaned forward and gave him a kiss on his cheek.
Shen Yi diverted his gaze, not used to having his wife being affectionate in public. “It’s nothing.”
Lu Xinyi took again the menu and discussed the dishes with her brother while the twins pulled Shen Yi and Shen Xue out of the restaurant to find ice cream nearby. Shen Yi hesitated since he wasn’t in disguise, but his brother was.
“What? Chickening out?” Shen Xue chuckled when he saw that his brother didn’t move. “Don’t worry, I brought some bodyguards with us. I’ll leave a few here while we buy these kiddos some ice cream.”
“Darling, don’t forget to buy some, too!” Lu Xinyi lifted her head from their table to remind her husband.
Shen Yi allowed the twins to lead the way while he and Shen Xue followed behind them.
Once they were gone, the three top students of Silver Leaf Academy summoned the Old Man Ji and Ji Mingqian from the kitchen to discuss the problems of their menus and how they could improve the quality of their recipe.
“This…” the old man hesitated to agree with Tian Lingyu’s suggestion to centralize their dishes and to offer a signature dish that customers could easily associate with Oriental Bliss.
“Old Man, I know most of your recipes are passed from generation to generation, but you should also know how to adapt. You’ve been offering the same thing for years. It’s time to revamp your menu and your place.”
“I’ve been telling him the same thing for months; now, look at what happened to our restaurant.” Ji Mingqian was confused and desperate. She didn’t want to see the restaurant she grew up with go into bankruptcy and close its doors. Ever since the la Reverie opened, their patrons weren’t as many as before.
They were busy talking to each other when a loud laugh was heard at the entrance of the restaurant. A bald man with a bulging stomach that could seem like it would pop out from his dress shirt arrived with three men behind him.
“Old Man Ji, I see that you haven’t closed down your restaurant yet.”
His voice was so irritating to hear one would want to smack his face right away. Lu Xinyi and Tian Lingyu knew that this man was up to no good. Was he the reason why Old Man Ji wanted to sell his family restaurant to Shen Yi?
