Siheyuan, a comfortable life under Zhengyang Gate

February 4, 1993, the thirteenth day of the first lunar month in the Year of the Rooster, is the first of the twenty-four solar terms, the Beginning of Spring.

The first store of Zhiweilou hotpot chain under Zhiweilou Catering Company of Zhiweilou Group officially opened for business in Sijiu City.

That afternoon, Yang Yukun and Xu Jingping invited their relatives and friends to go to Zhiweilou Hotpot Restaurant to eat hotpot. There were more than 60 people, young and old.

"Oh my god, there are so many people."

“Is the business so good that we have to queue up to eat?”

"With such a long period of advertising and the Zhiweilou brand, it's no surprise that so many people came on the first day of opening."

"What flavor do you want to eat?"

"I also can."

“How about Chongqing style beef hotpot?”

“The Guizhou-style sour soup hotpot seems pretty good too.”

"Then the whole dango pot, half with Chongqing-style beef oil and half with Guizhou-style sour soup."

"Order, order. What do you want to eat?"

"Tripe, yellow throat, duck intestines, beef, mutton..."

"What to drink?"

"Coconut juice."

"I drink Coke."

"Give me a bottle of Arctic Ocean."

"What kind of drink? Of course, alcohol."

"Here is the dipping sauce. The store has a special dipping sauce area for each major flavor. We are eating the Chongqing-style and Guizhou-style simmered hot pot, so we can get a Chongqing-style oil sauce and a Guizhou-style dipping sauce dish."

"The pot is boiling, brothers and sisters, come on, take action."

"Wow, it's hot."

"It's hot, numbing and spicy."

“This Guizhou-style hot pot with beef in sour soup is delicious.”

"It's comfortable. I'm sweating."

"Come, drink."

"Another helping of tripe."

"I want two more servings of beef, too. The beef in the Guizhou-style sour soup is absolutely delicious."

“Boiled fish fillet is also delicious.”

"Dear elders, brothers and sisters, little ones, eat and drink well."

Yang Yukun picked up his wine glass and went to other tables to toast. After a round, he returned to his own table.

I glanced around the store and saw that every seat was filled with diners.

The restaurant was packed on the first day of opening, with many people waiting in the lounge area.

"Are you full? Do you want more food?"

"No need to add more, guys are already full."

"Old Yang, there are still two pieces of meat for you to eat, don't waste it."

"If I eat any more, I'll vomit."

"Xiaojun, you eat. We'll each have one."

"Burp... OK."

"Then let's leave. There are still so many people waiting behind us. Don't delay their meals."

"Chunming, help me, I'm so full."

"Who told you to eat so much?"

"too delicious."

"Walk slower, I'm exhausted."

"Brothers, do you have any other plans later? Do you want to go sing some songs?"

"No, I just want to go home and lie down now."

"Then let's go back to our own homes?"

"Come on, go home."

After the master and other relatives and friends left, Yang Yukun took Xiao Zongzi, Pingping and Xiao Yumi to the rest area and waited for Xu Jingping for a while.

"Mom is here."

"Let's go home." Xu Jingping went to find the manager of the Zhiweilou hotpot chain store to learn about the situation in the store.

The store manager told her that the ingredients prepared for today were almost used up and the business hours would end early.

On the first day of opening, business was indeed much better than expected.

In a few days, the second and third stores of Zhiweilou Hotpot chain will open one after another.

In addition to the old city, the brand will also be rolled out to other districts and counties of the imperial capital, and then enter foreign markets, opening Zhiweilou hotpot chain stores all over the country.

“Ding ding ding ding ding….”

"Who's calling?" Xu Jingping answered the phone: "Hello, Mom, Xiaokun and I are on our way back and will be home soon."

"Why did Mom call?" Yang Yukun asked.

My father-in-law and mother-in-law had just returned from the store after having dinner. They had only been separated for less than half an hour, so why did they call me again?

"Natalia is back from the Great Mao Country and is now at our house." "I called her this afternoon but no one answered. When did she come back?"

“Maybe he just arrived.”

"I guess so."

The hot pot restaurant opened today, and Yang Yukun invited relatives and friends to come over to eat hot pot. He also called Natalia.

He called Natalia's school dormitory, but the call went through but no one answered.

After the winter vacation, Natalia returned to the Five Seas Port in the Great Mao Kingdom to visit her family. He thought Natalia had not returned yet.

It is estimated that when he called, Natalia was still on the plane from the Five Seas Port of the Great Mao Kingdom to the Imperial Capital.

Ten minutes later, Yang Yukun and Xu Jingping brought Xiao Zongzi, Pingping and Xiao Yumi back home. Natalia was chatting with her father-in-law and mother-in-law.

"Aunt Natalia!"

"Aunt Natalia, you're back!"

"Little Zongzi, Pingping, Little Corn, these are the gifts I brought for you."

"Thank you Aunt Natalia."

Yang Yukun said: "I called you to have dinner, but no one answered the phone. I thought you were not back from Wuhai Port yet."

"I just arrived and haven't even been back to school." Natalia got off the plane an hour ago, took a taxi at the airport and went straight to Qianmenlouzi.

Xu Huizhen said: "We just came back less than 20 minutes ago and Natalia came."

Xu Jingping said: "Natalia, why didn't you call us when you came back? We will pick you up at the airport."

"It takes nearly two hours to go to the airport and back. It takes the same amount of time if I take a taxi here."

"So you haven't had dinner yet?"

"Didn't eat."

"Come on, I'll take you to my restaurant to eat hotpot." Knowing that Natalia had not had dinner yet, Xu Jingping took her to Zhiweilou Hotpot Restaurant.

Two hours later, Xu Jingping and Natalia returned from the hot pot restaurant.

"I brought you some presents. This one is for you, this one is for the Marquis, and some of them are prepared for you by my brother and Pollock and Natasha."

"Are your brothers all right?"

"Very good. I will let you visit the Five Seas Port some time. Then he will take you to hunt brown bears."

"When I have time, I'll go to Five Seas Port to have a drink with him."

"Then I will go to the Marquis's house first and deliver the things to him."

Xu Jingping said: "Natalia, I will go with you."

"It's so heavy, give it to me." Yang Yukun picked up the thing.

Natalia brought a lot of things with her, and this big bag probably weighed about 40 to 50 kilograms.

The three of them walked and talked, and after about ten minutes they arrived at the master's house.

"You've locked the door so early, Master. Knock knock knock..."

"Why are you here, kid? I was ready to go to bed."

Hearing someone knocking on the door, it was his disciple, and Hou Paolan opened the door.

"Master Hou."

"Natalia, when did you come back?"

"I arrived in the imperial capital three hours ago and brought you some gifts."

"Come inside quickly."

Yang Yukun put his things down and said, "Master, it's only seven o'clock now, are you ready to rest?"

"I didn't sleep well last night, and I'm sleepy now." Hou Polan went to bed very late yesterday, and now he's sleepy, he plans to go to bed early.

If his disciples hadn't come over, he would have fallen asleep.

Natalia smiled and said, "My Lord, we won't disturb your rest then."

"Leaving now?"

"Master Niu, you should take a rest. We will leave first."

"Come over for dinner tomorrow."

"Row."

"Master, then you should rest early, and we will withdraw first."

After delivering the gift that Natalia brought from the Damao Country to the master, Yang Yukun, Xu Jingping and Natalia left after staying for a few minutes.

After returning home, Xu Jingping went to make the bed in the room. Natalia would stay at their house tonight.

The next afternoon, Master invited Natalia to dinner. Yang Yukun and Xu Jingping also brought little Zongzi, Pingping and little Yumi to eat at Master's house.

After dinner, Xu Jingping sent Natalia back to the Imperial Capital University of Foreign Languages.

Two days later, after the Lantern Festival, the school officially started recruiting students. Yang Yukun and Xu Jingping sent Xiao Zongzi, Pingping and Xiao Yumi to school to register for admission.

Xiao Zongzi is in the second semester of the first grade of primary school, while Pingping and Xiao Yumi continue to go to kindergarten.

After the children enrolled in school, Xu Jingping also set off to other places to inspect the construction progress of the food company's six major production plants. Yang Yukun accompanied her to travel around.

The food company's six major production plants are located in Guizhou, Chongqing, Sichuan, Shanxi, Fujian, and Shandong, producing hot pot bases, various stews, bean paste, soybean paste, chili sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, oyster sauce and other condiments.

The first stop was Qi and Lu, then to Shanxi, Yuzhou, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Fujian.

When they returned to the imperial capital, it was already a month and a half later. (End of this chapter)