◎ What Can I Do for You, Mr. Ling? ◎
Of course, Tian Miaomiao knew she was good-looking. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to get into the front office department of a five-star hotel, let alone be on the verge of being promoted to assistant manager.
…Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. If she kept thinking about it, she’d have a heart attack.
She glanced at the business card in Ling Chuang’s hand and gave him an elegant yet polite smile. “Don’t tell me you and that lady just now were working together? Specifically trying to trick beautiful young girls like me into going down the wrong path.”
“…” Ling Chuang fell silent for a moment before tossing the business card into the trash can beside him. “Not bad. You’ve got quite a strong sense of caution.”
After saying that, he went back to cooking fried rice for the customers waiting in line. Tian Miaomiao gave him another glance before turning around and leaving with her fried rice.
After returning home, she sat on the sofa, opened the container of fried rice, and took a look. The fried rice had a nice color and looked appetizing. Each grain of rice was separate, plump, and full. Apart from the pickled vegetables cut into small pieces, there were also eggs, wood ear mushrooms, and shredded lettuce stems.
Tian Miaomiao picked up a spoon and took a bite. Her eyes brightened slightly.
Although the fried rice had already cooled a little, it actually tasted quite good. It seemed this handsome guy wasn’t just a pretty face after all.
She hadn’t been particularly hungry after eating barbecue earlier, but now she felt she could finish the entire bowl of fried rice.
She’d made a point of checking the fried rice prices earlier. Everything ranged from twelve to eighteen yuan, which was quite reasonable considering the cost of living in City A.
Could that handsome guy really earn enough to afford a villa and luxury cars just by selling fried rice? No matter how she thought about it, it seemed highly unlikely.
Tian Miaomiao took another bite of fried rice, thinking that he either had another side business or had simply been talking nonsense.
However, seeing how good business was at North Gate Night Market had made Tian Miaomiao even more eager to give it a try. She simply brought her laptop out of the bedroom and logged onto an online shopping website.
Earlier, she’d taken a fancy to a food truck but hadn’t had time to make an inquiry. Now was the perfect opportunity to chat with customer service.
She sent a quick “Hello,” and the customer service representative on the other end replied almost instantly.
“Hello, Customer Service Representative No. 008 at your service. How may I help you?”
Miao: Can this model of food truck be used to sell barbecue?
No. 008: Yes, it can. You only need to choose the vehicle model, and the interior design can be fully customized to your specifications. We have a professional design team. The exact price will also depend on your chosen configuration.
After explaining, the customer service representative sent her a list of optional equipment.
Tian Miaomiao looked through it and found that the selection was quite comprehensive. Everything she needed was available.
When she’d bought fried rice earlier, she’d noticed that the owner had installed an oil fume purifier inside his food truck. It worked quite well, and there was barely any noticeable cooking smoke at the stall.
Like fried rice, barbecue also produced a considerable amount of cooking fumes, so professional oil fume purification equipment was essential.
Considering how hot the summer could get, she specifically chose to have air conditioning installed as well.
After she finished filling out the equipment selection form, the customer service representative gave her an estimated price.
It wasn’t cheap, but it was still within Tian Miaomiao’s acceptable budget.
After asking a few more questions about shipping, Tian Miaomiao placed her order online.
Since the food truck was custom-made, it would take some time to manufacture. Tian Miaomiao decided to use that time to obtain the registration card required for operating a street stall in City A.
While she was busy planning her little stall, Ling Chuang had already closed up his stall and returned home.
His fried rice business had always been good, but he only prepared a fixed amount of ingredients each day. Once everything sold out, he closed up for the night.
After taking a shower, Ling Chuang walked out, drying his hair with a towel while picking up his phone to make a call.
The phone had barely rung twice before someone answered.
Ling Chuang chuckled and said, “Lawyer Qin, still working overtime, just as I expected?”
“…” Qin Yan fell silent for a moment before replying with a smile, “As long as the universe doesn’t explode, we don’t get off work. What can I do for you, Mr. Ling?”
The corners of Ling Chuang’s lips curved upward slightly as he said, “Someone posted another video of me online. Help me contact them and get it taken down.”
This was already a routine task for Qin Yan.
He clicked his tongue and said to Ling Chuang, “I think you might as well start your own video account and debut as an internet celebrity. Instead of letting other people make money off you, wouldn’t it be better to earn that money yourself?”
Ling Chuang continued drying his hair as he replied, “Not only am I letting them make money now, I’m also letting you make money. Isn’t it nice to have an extra source of income?”
“…” He made it sound as though Qin Yan didn’t have to do any work. “Which platform?”
“Don’t know. Anyway, it’s probably one of the usual few.”
“…Fine. I’ll contact you once it’s taken care of.”
“Mm. Then I won’t disturb you while you’re working overtime.”
Qin Yan: “…”
After hanging up on Qin Yan, Ling Chuang didn’t go to bed either. Instead, he sat down in front of his computer and began watching the US stock market.
Early the next morning, Tian Miaomiao’s internal clock woke her up right on time. She groggily climbed out of bed and went to wash up. It wasn’t until she stood in front of the mirror that she suddenly remembered she was unemployed. 🙂
Tian Miaomiao paused in the middle of tying up her hair. Then she simply let her long hair fall loose again, returned to bed, and went back to sleep.
At nine o’clock, she got up again, preparing to head out to take care of the necessary paperwork.
According to City A’s regulations, a small street vendor like her only needed to obtain a food vendor registration card. The required documents were simple, too. She just needed to bring her ID card and health certificate.
Since Tian Miaomiao had previously worked at a hotel, she already had a health certificate, which saved her quite a bit of trouble.
After obtaining her registration card, Tian Miaomiao spent some more time visiting markets and finally reached agreements with suppliers who would provide her with meat and vegetables. As for the oak charcoal she’d need for barbecuing, she simply ordered it online.
Now everything was ready except for the final piece. Once her food truck arrived, she could officially open for business!
However, preparing barbecue was rather troublesome. She had to cut the vegetables, thread the ingredients onto skewers, prepare the seasonings, and grill everything. If she had to handle all of it by herself, she definitely wouldn’t be able to keep up.
Should she hire someone to help?
With a ding, the elevator doors opened, and Tian Miaomiao stepped out carrying the vegetables and meat she’d bought.
Maybe she’d wait and see how things went first. If business wasn’t good, she might have plenty of free time even working alone.
“Sis! You’re back?”
Tian Doudou was holding his phone, about to send Tian Miaomiao a message asking for the code to her door’s electronic lock, when he saw her return.
Tian Miaomiao froze for a moment and looked at Tian Doudou, who was standing outside her apartment, in surprise.
“What are you doing here?”
Tian Doudou put away his phone and pointed at the large suitcase beside him. “I’ve come to stay with you!”
Tian Miaomiao: “…”
You really couldn’t have picked a better time.
“You’re not working today? Is it your day off?”
“…” Tian Miaomiao unlocked the door and pulled it open. “Come inside first. We’ll talk.”
“Alright!”
Tian Doudou picked up his suitcase and went inside.
Tian Miaomiao didn’t have any slippers for men at home, so she could only temporarily give Tian Doudou a pair of her old slippers that she no longer wanted. When he put them on, his heels stuck out completely.
Tian Doudou didn’t mind, though. The first thing he did was take an interest in the vegetables she’d bought.
“You bought so many vegetables today! Don’t tell me you knew I was coming?”
“Ha ha.” Tian Miaomiao let out a dry laugh before standing to the side and asking him, “Weren’t you helping out at the inn? Why did you suddenly come to City A?”
Tian Doudou was her younger brother, three years her junior. His grades hadn’t been as good as Tian Miaomiao’s, so he’d only attended an ordinary vocational college. After graduating, he’d returned to the family inn, where he helped Father Tian in the kitchen.
Hearing her question, Tian Doudou cleared his throat lightly before speaking.
“I’ve decided not to stay at the inn anymore. I want to come to City A and make my way in the world, just like you!”
“…” Tian Miaomiao fell silent for a moment before smiling at him. “Don’t tell me Mom and Dad kicked you out?”
“Of course not! I came to City A to find a job on my own!”
“Why?”
“…What do you mean, why? Aren’t you working in City A too?” Tian Doudou answered vaguely.
Tian Miaomiao narrowed her eyes. Based on her understanding of Tian Doudou, there had to be some reason he’d suddenly come all the way to City A.
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll throw you out right now.”
“…” Tian Doudou didn’t doubt for a second that she was capable of throwing him out. His ears turned slightly red as he admitted, “It’s just that… I’ve fallen for a girl from City A.”
“…” The corner of Tian Miaomiao’s mouth twitched. “Don’t tell me it’s an online romance?”
“No, it’s not. We met at the inn. She stayed there for a while before.” At the mention of the girl he liked, Tian Doudou’s expression grew noticeably bashful. “After she returned to City A, I realized that my heart had followed her here too.”
Tian Miaomiao: “…”
She really should just throw him out after all.
Author’s Note:
There’s no need to find a job for the younger brother anymore. A ready-made laborer has delivered himself right to her doorstep.