“All right, Kaikai’s meal is ready. Take it out and eat together with him.”
Right as Tong Yuexin was lost in thought, Zhou Qianshan shoved a plate of food into her hands.
Instead of taking it, Tong Yuexin pushed Zhou Qianshan back toward the dining area. “Mom, go eat with Kaikai first. I’ll handle things here. Once you’re done, you can come back and swap with me.”
Seeing Zhou Qianshan open her mouth to protest, Tong Yuexin immediately put on a stern expression and said firmly, “Go eat!”
Left completely speechless and amused, Zhou Qianshan had no choice but to give in. Before stepping out of the kitchen, she heard Tong Yuexin call out, “Kaikai, help Mommy keep an eye on Grandma. Make sure she chews her food slowly and doesn’t rush!”
From outside, Tong Mingkai immediately chirped in agreement, promising he would successfully complete his mission.
Stifling a laugh, Zhou Qianshan sat down with Kaikai to enjoy her meal leisurely, listening to him chatter happily about everything that had happened at kindergarten that day.
Once the evening rush finally quieted down, Tong Zhitian arrived at the restaurant. After expertly helping the waitress deliver a final plate of food to a customer, he scooped Tong Mingkai up for a quick kiss, then headed straight to the kitchen to check on the two women.
“Wife, Xinxin, how’s everything going in here?” he asked warmly.
Unable to contain her pride, Zhou Qianshan immediately started bragging to Tong Zhitian. “Xinxin has been a massive help today. In fact, two of the dishes served tonight were cooked entirely by her—even our regular customers couldn’t tell the difference!”
Tong Yuexin had just finished wiping down her wok when she heard her mother praising her. With a helpless smile, she quickly wiped her hands, handed off the finished dish, and said, “Dad, you should take Kaikai home now. It’s getting late, and he must be sleepy.”
“Right.”
The moment the word left Tong Zhitian’s mouth, a loud, rumbling growl echoed from his stomach.
Tong Yuexin and Zhou Qianshan burst out laughing.
Zhou Qianshan waved a hand. “Alright, why don’t you eat something here at the shop first before heading back.”
Rubbing the back of his head with an embarrassed grin, Tong Zhitian chuckled sheepishly and went over to sit down for a meal.
Their restaurant’s signature dishes were only served until seven o’clock every evening. Once seven rolled around, the mother-daughter duo could finally close up and head home.
Instead of resting when she got back, however, Tong Yuexin marched straight into the kitchen.
Holding Tong Mingkai as he listened to a bedtime story, Tong Zhitian watched her disappear into the kitchen and asked his wife with mild curiosity, “What’s our daughter up to now?”
Shaking her head with a soft smile, Zhou Qianshan whispered, “She says she wants to expand her repertoire instead of just sticking to those two dishes. So she’s back in there practicing.”
Tong Zhitian nodded in understanding.
Once Zhou Qianshan finished her meal, she joined Tong Yuexin in the kitchen to offer tips and feedback.
The two of them spent the entire evening tinkering and cooking away. By the time it was, even when Kaikai needed to go to sleep, Tong Zhitian was the one who went in to read him a bedtime story.
After getting Kaikai safely tucked in and fast asleep, Tong Zhitian tiptoed over to the kitchen.
Peeking through the doorway, he spotted them packing something into a lunchbox and asked, “What are you two up to?”
“You’re in for a treat tomorrow,” Zhou Qianshan said with a smile as she secured the lid. “This is food your daughter made for you. I’m packing it up in a lunchbox so you can take it straight to your shop tomorrow morning. Just heat it up when you’re ready to eat.”
Since they had cooked up a generous batch of dishes that evening, they set aside a portion for the next morning’s breakfast and packed the rest into a container for Tong Zhitian.
Tong Yuexin remembered how, in her past life, Tong Zhitian had frequently complained that the boxed meals available at his workplace were utterly tasteless.
Hearing this, Tong Zhitian beamed from ear to ear. “That’s fantastic! I’ve been sick of eating takeout for ages. Let me see what delicious things she made.”
Shooting him an exasperated look, Zhou Qianshan chided, “You’re a grown man, why are you acting like such an impatient kid?”
Despite her teasing, she opened the aluminum lunchbox so he could inspect the contents inside.
Tong Zhitian grinned wider with every second, his mouth practically splitting to his ears. “Of course I’m curious—this was made by my own eldest daughter, that’s completely different! It looks amazing, I’m going to eat every single bite tomorrow!”
Tong Yuexin sighed good-naturedly. “If you have any feedback or suggestions after eating it, make sure to let me know.”
Tong Zhitian readily agreed.
The next day around noon, the staff at Tong Zhitian’s workplace noticed that their boss was acting a bit unusual. He kept anxiously checking the clock, as if he were waiting for something urgent.
The second lunch break finally arrived, a delighted Tong Zhitian whipped out his aluminum lunchbox, eagerly popping the lid open.
He looked precisely like a child on a field trip struggling to contain his excitement.
His employee couldn’t help smiling at the sight. Glancing at the lunchbox, he guessed what was going on and asked, “Did the boss bring his own lunch today?”
“You bet I did!” Tong Zhitian puffed out his chest with immense pride. As soon as the lunchbox opened, a rich, mouthwatering aroma drifted through the air.
The employee swallowed hard, peering over with wide, hopeful eyes. “Whoa, that actually looks incredible.”
Feeling generous since his daughter had packed him plenty—and knowing he’d never finish it all by himself—Tong Zhitian waved him over. “Here, have a bite and see how her cooking is.”
Never expecting to share in such a treat, the employee thanked him profusely and eagerly sampled a piece.
After just a single bite, his eyes lit up and he started praising it nonstop. “Delicious! This is insanely good! Boss, your wife’s cooking is out of this world—you’re a lucky man!”
Bathed in the compliments, Tong Zhitian felt like he was floating on air. He puffed out his chest even more and fished for compliments, teasing, “Good, right? Does it taste like it was made by a veteran chef with decades of experience?”
“Definitely!” Knowing his boss ran a restaurant on the side, the employee readily agreed. “No wonder your wife’s restaurant does so well! Boss, I’m tempted to go eat there myself!”
“Hold on, my wife didn’t make this one.”
Tong Zhitian practically had the word “bragging” stamped across his forehead as he announced smugly, “Let me tell you, my daughter made this! She’s currently practicing her culinary skills, so she packed this up for me to try. Good, right? My daughter is just so considerate of her mom…”
The employee couldn’t help a dry chuckle. Their boss had plenty of great qualities, but whenever he started talking about his wife and kids, there was simply no stopping him.
Realizing he didn’t even need to reply, the employee obediently lowered his head to shovel down his rice while letting his boss ramble on.
Mid-sentence, the sound of the shop door opening alerted them to an incoming customer.
Since the employee was on the clock and his boss was in the middle of lunch, he naturally put his bowl down to step forward and handle the customer.
“Comrade, what can I help you find today?”
“I’m just looking to—” The man started to reply, but before he could finish, a wave of rich food aromas hit him square in the face.
Having skipped breakfast and lunch, the irresistible scent made him involuntarily draw a deep breath. His train of thought completely derailed, and he blurted out instead, “Damn, what is that smelling so good? Where did you guys buy that food? We haven’t eaten yet, and honestly, we want some of whatever that is.”
“Smells good, right?”
Tong Zhitian, who had been eating in the back, instantly perked up. He marched right over with a bright grin. “We didn’t buy it—this is home-cooked food from the restaurant my wife runs. That dish right there is one of her signature recipes; you won’t find it anywhere else. If you’re hungry, you should go check her place out.”
Seeing Tong Zhitian beam with pride as he talked about his wife, the man chuckled. “Alright, give me the address, Big Brother. I’ll go check it out right after this! That aroma is killing me, I’m starving.”
Tong Zhitian eagerly scribbled down the restaurant’s address on a scrap of paper, patting his chest with absolute confidence. “Comrade, when you get there, just mention that I sent you. I’ll have my wife give you a discount.”
The man laughed heartily. “Can’t tell, Big Brother—you definitely hold the upper hand at home, don’t you?”
Feeling a sudden wave of bashful pride, Tong Zhitian rubbed the back of his neck and flashed a sheepish grin.
Joking aside, the customer still had business to take care of. After promising to check out the restaurant later, they moved on to the main agenda.
Instead of Tong Zhitian, the employee stepped in to introduce the electric fans on display.
The customer turned out to be quite decisive; once he made his selection, he immediately ordered three identical electric fans.
By the time he finished paying, Tong Zhitian had polished off his lunch. Standing up, he offered to help carry the items out to the vehicle, asking, “Comrade, is your vehicle parked outside?”
The man nodded with a smile. “Yeah, right out front. I’d appreciate the help, Big Brother.”
“No problem at all, happy to help.”
Between the two of them, they carried the three electric fans outside and loaded them right into the truck bed of a parked pickup.
Ordinarily, Lu Tingfeng wouldn’t have paid any attention to a customer’s business, but catching a glimpse of a man in military uniform standing by the vehicle made him do a double take.
And that single glance almost made him trip.
For a terrifying second, he thought he was looking at his future grandson all grown up!
Well, what do you know, he thought. That military officer actually looks a bit like my adorable little grandson!