Chapter 105: The Culinary Tycoon

Step by step, getting closer

Boss Qin indeed cleared the shop and vacated it on time.

On the morning when Yu Qingze received the shop, he took Chang Le to see the new storefront.

The single-floor area of the new shop was similar in size to the current snack shop, and the second floor, which used to be divided into private rooms when it was a teahouse, had been cleared by Boss Qin because Yu Qingze mentioned that he wanted to renovate it. Now, the entire second floor was empty, just like the first floor.

“Brother Le, look, I want the first floor to be like the snack shop, with scattered tables. And for the second floor, I’ll create a few private rooms. Oh, private rooms are like the previous private compartments. That way, when people want to discuss business or have private conversations, there will be a more secluded space. What do you think?” Yu Qingze held Chang Le’s hand and shared his vision in the empty hall on the second floor.

Chang Le looked at the spacious area and gestured, “Can we afford to have multiple private rooms? Will it be cost-effective?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll definitely earn a good amount from the private rooms. Just think about it, who usually uses private rooms?” Yu Qingze guided Chang Le to think about it.

Chang Le thought for a moment and gestured, “People from wealthy households who don’t like sitting in the main hall with others, people discussing business matters, and those who invite guests for meals, right?”

Yu Qingze nodded, playfully flicked Chang Le’s nose, and said with a smile, “My wife is getting smarter and smarter!”

Chang Le grinned. He liked it when Yu Qingze praised him like this.

Due to his limited knowledge, Chang Le had been diligently trying to keep up with Yu Qingze’s pace. He learned arithmetic, literacy, and adopted Yu Qingze’s perspective and methods of problem-solving.

Moreover, every time there was a matter related to the business of the shop, Yu Qingze would discuss it with him. Chang Le could sense that Yu Qingze was intentionally teaching him.

This made Chang Le very happy. He was willing and eager to learn.

He wanted to step closer to his husband step by step, hoping that when his husband came up with fresh ideas, he could immediately grasp his intentions. He didn’t want to be like someone talking to a wall, unable to understand what was being conveyed.

He wanted to have a deep connection with his husband, where their hearts were in harmony.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

From a street food stall to a small eatery, Chang Le felt that he had changed a lot in this whole year. His horizons had broadened, and his mind had become more flexible. Now, when he occasionally made suggestions, Yu Qingze would also consider them. This made him extremely happy and more proactive in thinking about matters related to the shop.

“So, you see, these wealthy households, business negotiators, and people who can afford to host gatherings, don’t they all hope for a separate space?” Yu Qingze continued.

Chang Le nodded. If he wanted to discuss business with someone, he certainly wouldn’t want others to overhear.

Yu Qingze continued to explain the reasoning to Chang Le, “Moreover, these people are usually more willing to spend money. You see, when we eat out, just the two of us, we might order a couple of dishes priced at twenty or thirty copper coins each, or maybe even forty coins.”

“But these people, the wealthy households with money, they have higher food requirements and prefer more delicate and exotic dishes. And for business negotiations or hosting guests, they need to create a grand atmosphere. So, they might order dishes priced at eighty, ninety, or even two hundred copper coins per serving. If you calculate it, just the price of one dish could cover the cost of a whole meal at a regular table on the first floor. Can you imagine?” Yu Qingze explained.

Chang Le instantly brightened up, realizing that there was more to consider.

He immediately gestured and said, “I understand!”

Seeing that Chang Le understood, Yu Qingze smiled and said, “So, private rooms are a must!”

Chang Le nodded enthusiastically, fully agreeing.

Then, Yu Qingze walked around the hall, gesturing and saying, “For the large private rooms, we can have big tables seating ten to twelve people, and for the small private rooms, we can have small tables seating four to six people. If we design it well, we can probably have four large private rooms, two small private rooms, and in between, we can create a resting area.”

The two of them spent the whole morning inside, discussing and planning. Yu Qingze took out the small notebook where he had recorded everything when they first opened the street food stall. He noted down all the tasks and started preparing for them one by one.

There were many things to take care of, such as renovating the shop, ordering tables and chairs, recruiting and training staff, designing the menu, and setting prices.

This time, Yu Qingze didn’t handle everything on his own. He took Chang Le with him. In the street food stall, Tie Zhu and Erniu had been practicing for over two months and were now able to work well with Chang Le’s guidance to manage the kitchen. This allowed Chang Le to free up his hands for other tasks.

A few days later, as they returned to the street food stall from outside, Brother Chang said that Dahe had returned and brought several boxes with him.

Yu Qingze’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he hurriedly ran to the backyard. There, he saw a pile of around ten boxes under the eaves, but he didn’t see Dahe.

He ran back to the hall and asked Brother Chang, “Where’s Dahe? Why isn’t he here?”

Brother Chang was still talking to Chang Le and turned his head to answer, “He said there are still things to move, so he went to do that.”

Yu Qingze returned to the backyard and paced around the boxes. He really wanted to open them and see what was inside. But since Dahe hadn’t returned yet, it wouldn’t be right to open them without him. He was getting anxious.

As he continued pacing, he suddenly caught a whiff of a distinctive smell. It was pungent and smelled like rotten onions.

Could it be… durian? Yu Qingze approached the boxes and took a sniff. The box at the bottom indeed emitted the aroma of durian.

Yu Qingze was pleasantly surprised. He never expected that Dahe would bring back durian!

After about fifteen minutes, Dahe returned. He had a box on his shoulder and a sack in his hand. It didn’t look very heavy.

“Dahe! You’re back! Come, have some water, and tell me what you brought back!” Yu Qingze saw Dahe and quickly helped him unload the heavy box from his shoulder.

“Boss Yu, Brother Le,” Dahe greeted them, placing the sack down. He took the water that Chang Le handed to him and drank it with big gulps.

After finishing the water, Dahe began untying the ropes on the boxes and said, “I brought back several things from the southern region this time. There are two types of fruits, one type of vegetable, and three types of vegetable seeds.”

Yu Qingze also started to help with the unpacking.

“Are all these boxes for me? Did you buy anything for yourself?” Yu Qingze asked.

Dahe nodded and pointed to the two boxes on the edge, saying, “I brought two boxes for myself.”

“Did you go far this time? It seems like it took a long time,” Yu Qingze inquired.

“We went a bit further this time, and it took longer because the boss fell ill after arriving there. We had to stay for ten days due to the delay. That’s why it took me more time to find these things,” Dahe explained.

“I see.”

“This one resembles winter melon, but it’s much smaller. The locals call it ‘xiaodonggua’ or small winter melon. I haven’t seen it around here, and the locals say it can last a long time without spoiling, so I brought some back,” Dahe opened one of his boxes, and inside the dried straw, there lay a whole box of deep green small winter melons.

They were bottle gourds. Yu Qingze opened his own box, and it also contained bottle gourds. He nodded and said, “These can be stored for a long time, and they should be good for planting too.”

The two of them continued unpacking.

As soon as Yu Qingze opened the box in front of him, he smelled a refreshing fragrance. Wrapped in the straw, the box was filled with fist-sized guavas. Some were still green, while others had turned yellow-green due to overripening during transport.

“These are called Jishiguo. The locals say they can be stored for a month. When picked, they’re still unripe, but they may have become like this due to the long journey,” Dahe explained on the side.

“Jishiguo sounds quite unpleasant,” Yu Qingze smiled and picked up a slightly faded yellow guava to smell it. Surprisingly, it did have a hint of a scent resembling chicken droppings. He turned to Chang Le and called out, “Brother Le, bring two baskets here. We need to separate the ripe ones.”

(T/N: Jishiguo “鸡屎果” literally translates to “chicken poop fruit.”)

Chang Le went to fetch them as instructed.

Dahe chuckled, “Because some of the locals feel that the scent resembles chicken droppings.”

Once Chang Le arrived, Yu Qingze asked him to separate the ripe guavas from the others.

There were two boxes of guavas.

The remaining four boxes were much larger. As soon as they were opened, Yu Qingze’s eyes lit up.

Indeed, they were durians!

The moment the boxes were opened, the distinctive and pungent smell of durians filled the air.

Chang Le, sensitive to the smell, immediately covered his nose.

“What are these called again?” Dahe furrowed his brow, trying to recall.

“…Durians,” Yu Qingze added with shining eyes.

“Exactly! That’s the name! It smells bad, but it tastes delicious,” Dahe looked at the ripe durians in the box and said, “They were picked when they were still green. Now that they have turned yellow, I wonder if they have gone bad.”

“These don’t stay fresh for long. We’ll know once we try,” Yu Qingze went to the kitchen and fetched a knife. He also grabbed a wooden board to place it on, then picked up an opened durian.

As soon as it was opened, the smell became even stronger, and Chang Le immediately pinched his nose and ran to the kitchen.

Yu Qingze held it up and took a whiff, pleasantly surprised. “It’s not spoiled yet. I think it was just opened. But we should eat it quickly; otherwise, it will spoil in less than two days!”

Yu Qingze went to the kitchen and saw Chang Le. He smiled and said, “Those things are really delicious. Shall we go out and give them a try?”

Chang Le vigorously shook his head. His nose was extremely sensitive, especially to odors, and the smell was so strong that it reached the kitchen.

“Hmm, what’s that smell? It’s stinky. Brother Le, did something go bad?” Brother Chang’s mother suddenly turned around and asked.

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Uncle Mo, no, it’s a fruit that Dahe brought back. Come out and try it; it’s delicious.”

Uncle Mo looked skeptical and said, “Aren’t fruits supposed to smell good? There are fruits that smell bad?”

Yu Qingze nodded and replied, “It just smells bad, but you’ll know once you try it.”

“Is that so? Let me have a look.” Curious, Brother Chang’s mother went to the backyard.

Yu Qingze then turned to Chang Le and said, “Don’t you believe me again?” He looked a bit disappointed.

Chang Le: …

“Wasn’t the snail noodles delicious last time?” Yu Qingze asked.

Chang Le nodded apologetically.

Yu Qingze stopped talking and silently extended his hand towards Chang Le.

Chang Le looked at him and after a while, he finally placed his hand in Yu Qingze’s hand.

Outside, Dahe and Uncle Mo had already taken a piece each and started eating.

“So, Uncle Mo, how is it?” Yu Qingze asked with a smile.

Uncle Mo wrinkled his brow and said, “It doesn’t smell bad when eating it. The taste is hard to describe, it’s like overripe pumpkin?”

Dahe laughed and said, “Many locals say the same. Some people love it and find it especially delicious, like me.”

Uncle Mo smiled and replied, “Everyone has different tastes.”

Yu Qingze led Chang Le to wash his hands and then separated a piece from the fruit and handed it to him.

Chang Le gathered his courage, accepted it, and took a bite with his eyes closed.

The texture was soft and smooth, sweet, and melted in his mouth, accompanied by a unique fragrance.

Yu Qingze had been observing Chang Le’s expression the whole time. As soon as he took a bite, Chang Le’s eyes opened wide in astonishment, and he curiously looked at the yellow flesh in his hand. His eyes were filled with amazement.

“Delicious, isn’t it?” Yu Qingze asked.

Chang Le nodded and gestured with his hand, indicating that it was fragrant and sweet.

“I knew you would like it!” Yu Qingze thought to himself, even though Chang Le never believed him. But Chang Le’s taste was quite similar to his own!

After finishing one piece, Chang Le took another.

Yu Qingze reminded him, “You can only eat up to two pieces. Eating too much of this can cause excessive heat in the body.”

Chang Le nodded in response to the advice.

The durian was quite large, with plenty of flesh inside. It was divided among them, and they finished eating it.

Although there were four boxes of durian, each box could only hold about eight or nine fruits. In total, it wasn’t a large quantity.

Among the boxes, one contained guava and the other contained durian, both belonging to Dahe.

After finishing the durian and washing his hands, Dahe noticed a sack nearby. He picked it up and said to Yu Qingze, “Brother Yu, this thing is for you to repel mosquitoes. Summer is coming, so if you place this in your room, there will be fewer mosquitoes.”

“What is it? Mosquito-repellent grass?” Yu Qingze curiously asked.

“No,” Dahe opened the sack, revealing a large potted plant inside, and said, “It’s tomato.”

It was a potted plant with green leaves hanging down, bearing many round green and red fruits.

Yu Qingze:…Tomato!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: I’ve only had Durian one time before. No matter how delicious people claimed it to be, the smell was just too overwhelming, and I didn’t feel like the taste was all that. Sorry but no.