Rebirth of a Village Girl

Chapter 592: 169: Restaurant Officially Opens! (19 updates)_1

Shangguan Dehui shook his head, “No need, I usually live at the school alone. A sudden phone call home would only make them worry.”

Ni Dahai nodded, then asked, “Big brother, how many children do you have?”

“A son and a daughter,” Shangguan Dehui answered.

Ni Dahai said enviously, “Then big brother, you’re really blessed. I have just one son and want another daughter, but my wife disagrees, fearing we might have another boy.”

Shangguan Dehui smiled and said, “Actually, no matter the gender, having two children means they have each other’s company, which is better than just one!”

“You’re absolutely right, big brother!” Ni Dahai slapped his thigh enthusiastically as though he’d found a kindred spirit, “By the way big brother, you mentioned you live at the school. Are you a teacher?”

“Mhm!” Shangguan Dehui nodded his head.

“A scholar, that’s good. I just haven’t read enough books in my life,” Ni Dahai continued, “You said you live alone at the school, so your wife isn’t a teacher?”

Shangguan Dehui was silent for a moment before responding, “My wife passed away in childbirth.”

Ni Dahai said with an apologetic look, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, big brother…”

“It’s okay, it’s been many years now.”

Early the next morning, just as dawn broke, Shangguan Dehui got up.

The clothes he washed the previous night had dried. He changed into his own clothes and, after saying goodbye to Ni Dahai, he went to say farewell to Ni Cuihua at the Ni Family home.

When he arrived, the Ni Family was just about to have breakfast.

Ni Cuihua greeted him with a smile, “Mr. Shangguan is here. Please, sit down and join us for the meal.”

Shangguan Dehui replied, “I won’t eat, I disturbed you yesterday, and I should be heading back now.”

He planned to go back, organize his things, and then come over to properly thank Ni Cuihua.

Ni Cuihua said, “It wasn’t prepared just for you; we have to eat anyway, so you might as well join us. It’s not easy to find the way to the city bus station from here. Ni Yang and I will be going to the city in a while, so we can go together.”

Ni Yang told Shangguan Dehui, “Uncle Shangguan, please don’t be polite with us. Sit down and eat with us.”

After some persuasion, Shangguan Dehui finally sat down to have breakfast together.

The breakfast was a glass of milk, an egg, and buns with pickles—simple yet exuding a faint warmth.

Little Ni Yun was just over a year old but could already feed himself, spoon by spoon. Although a bit messy, there wasn’t porridge smeared all over his face, which was quite an accomplishment for a child.

“Fufu, peel!” Little Ni Yun handed the egg to Shangguan Dehui.

Ni Cuihua reached out to Little Ni Yun, “Don’t trouble your Uncle Shangguan. Mommy will peel it for you.”

“No!” Little Ni Yun pulled his little hand back, “Want, fufu, peel!”

Ni Yang looked at Little Ni Yun with a smile, “Then, can sister peel it for you?”

Little Ni Yun lifted his chin, “No!”

Ni Yang playfully pretended to be disgusted, “Ugh, who wants to peel it for you anyway?”

“Fufu!” Little Ni Yun offered the egg to Shangguan Dehui again.

“Alright, uncle will peel it for you.” Shangguan Dehui smiled and took the egg.

This small courtyard, filled with the scent of flowers, lively and adorable children, and a delicious breakfast, was the first time in many years that Shangguan Dehui had felt such a warm moment.

Moreover, he always felt an inexplicable familiarity with Ni Cuihua but couldn’t recall where he had seen her before.

After eating, the three adults and one child took the car to the city together.

When boarding the bus, due to an injury on Shangguan Dehui’s foot, he nearly fell, but fortunately, Ni Cuihua was quick to lend a hand. This moment seemed to overlap with one from half a year ago, on the tram.

The feeling of familiarity grew stronger.

“Yangyang’s mom, may I presumptuously ask you a question?” inquired Shangguan Dehui.

“Go ahead,” she replied.

Shangguan Dehui continued, “What is your full name?”

“My name is Ni Cuihua,” she answered, “Ni with the ‘person’ radical, the cui of ‘jade,’ and the hua of ‘flower.'”

A very common name.

Even more so than Daya.

Shangguan Dehui’s eyes flickered with a hint of disappointment. Perhaps he thought the reason why Ni Cuihua seemed familiar to him was that they had met on the tram half a year ago.

The tram jolted and stopped, finally arriving in the city after an hour.

Shangguan Dehui got off at Qinghua University.

Ni Yang and Ni Cuihua alighted near the restaurant’s stop, having risen early—it was only nine-thirty in the morning.

The restaurant’s opening was scheduled for 11:18 a.m., which was why Ni Yang arrived so early.

She chose to open now because September was just around the corner.

Come September, she would need to register at the school and study there for a week before classes started, leaving her no suitable time to prepare for the opening.

There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening, but Ni Yang did not plan to be personally involved.

Instead, she had poached talent for the ribbon-cutting, having spent a significant sum to hire Gu Lanzhi from a state-owned big restaurant—a thirty-two-year-old graduate from a prestigious college.

Where she had been earning 88 yuan a month before, Ni Yang offered her a salary of 308 yuan.

To retain the talent, Ni Yang did not only provide a high salary but also rented an apartment for her near the restaurant.

At 11:18 a.m., accompanied by the sound of two strings of firecrackers, two golden-maned lions emerged from the smoke, swaying and leaping, almost as if on cue. They clawed up onto a metal frame, kicked off from the ground with their hind legs, and with an impressive leap into the air, tore down the red cloth covering the restaurant’s sign.

Revealed to the air were the four grand and imposing characters “National Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance,” which immediately struck onlookers as spectacular.

The lion dance team’s exquisite performance captivated many pedestrians, who stopped to watch and applauded.

Nearby, two waiters dressed in traditional Han attire distributed flyers.

On the restaurant’s first day of business, not only were all the dishes half-priced, but a complimentary dessert was also offered after the meal. Coupled with the beautiful interior decoration, it wasn’t long before a multitude of customers were drawn inside.

Although China in the 1980s was not affluent, this was after all Beijing, the heart of the capital, which never lacked rich people!

Once inside, guests were treated like gods.

First came the tea pouring, then the serving of sunflower seeds.

This was a service not found in other restaurants, and even Western restaurants did not exhibit such a strong sense of service.

The dining experience concluded with smiling service and waiters wearing beautiful Han attire, keeping the customers in a happy mood from the moment they entered the restaurant.

Most importantly, not only did the dishes look appealing, but their taste was also top-grade.

A young couple couldn’t stop praising the food. “Excellent! The flavor is just too good! We’ve never had such delicious chicken wings before!”

The young man laughed, “This place calls it ‘Dapeng Spreading Wings.’ Could it be the same as the chicken wings we usually eat?”

The young man was named Cai Xiaoqiang, and the girl was Li Qin.@@novelbin@@

Both were second-year college students and only children in their respective homes. Their parents were high-ranking officials—by modern terms, they would be called “rich second generation” and money was no object.

They chose this place firstly because of its nice ambiance and charm, and secondly, they were attracted by the Han attire worn by the staff.

After they entered, they realized they had indeed chosen well.

No sooner had they finished their meal than a waiter brought out a visually appealing dessert.

“Excuse me for a moment, but this is a complimentary dessert from our restaurant following your meal.”

“Wow! You even offer a dessert?” Li Qin said, surprised.

“Yes, it’s called a mousse cake with matcha flavor. Please, enjoy your dessert at your leisure.”

Mousse cake, a delicacy that would originate in later times, did not exist in 1980s Beijing. However, Ni Yang, having returned from the future, had specifically taught her pastry chefs how to make mousse cakes during training.

A restaurant needed to offer something unique to retain its customers.

The mousse cake, a combination of ice cream and cake, had an incredibly smooth texture—fine, soft, and melt-in-your-mouth, a hundred times more delicious than old-fashioned ice cream—quickly conquering people’s taste buds.

After finishing the mousse cake, Li Qin was left wanting more. Women have an irresistible weakness for tasty desserts. “Can we get another mousse cake?”

The waiter apologetically said, “I’m sorry, comrade, but our mousse cakes are limited to one per table due to limited quantities. If you like it, you may purchase another.”

This was actually a marketing strategy; only after tasting it would people know whether they liked it or not, otherwise, there’s always a lack of courage to try something new.

Li Qin asked, “How much is one?”

“It’s three yuan each,” the waiter replied.

Without hesitation, Li Qin spoke up, “I’ll have another, please.”