Chapter 14: Taking Jiang Yuan to the Wholesale Market

On the table were five or six dishes and a soup. Most of the ingredients used were leftovers from today’s unsold produce—if kept until tomorrow, they wouldn’t be fresh anymore, so Chen Sheng decided to keep them for their own meal. Jiang Butong and the others had all grown up in hardship; having a hot meal was enough to content them. Even if they were leftovers, it was still far better than what most families ate—there was both meat and vegetables.

As they ate, Chen Sheng gave Jiang Butong a hearty slap on the shoulder. Jiang Butong almost choked on his food.

“Brother, we’re eating! Don’t startle me,” Jiang Butong said, taking a sip of water.

Chen Sheng burst into laughter, giving Jiang Butong a thumbs-up. “Little brother, you really have a head on your shoulders. The method you suggested this morning already has results.”

Jiang Butong wasn’t the least bit surprised, as if he had already anticipated the outcome.

“As soon as the landlord heard we were looking for another place, he hurried over himself and said the rent would be as we discussed before, and we wouldn’t have to pay rent for the first month during renovations.”

Jiang Yuan was overjoyed; this meant they could save a month’s rent.

Chen Pan’er’s eyes lit up—she hadn’t expected it would actually work.

“Good, we’ve cleared the first hurdle. Next, everyone needs to put in their best effort. Let’s strive to make this venture big and strong!” Jiang Butong raised his teacup.

For a moment, the little eatery was filled with laughter and cheer, the atmosphere lively and brimming with the vigor of ambition.

After a few rounds of drinks, Chen Sheng turned to business.

Now that they’d secured a storefront, the next big tasks were renovations, signage, tables and chairs, and a whole host of other details.

“What do you think we should call our sign?” Chen Sheng asked.

The group fell into thought.

“How about ‘Chen Family Restaurant’? Sounds quite refined,” Jiang Yuan suggested.

“‘Restaurant’ is a bit cliché, and besides, our place isn’t that big,” Chen Sheng shook his head.

“Butong, you’re the one with ideas—why don’t you come up with a name?” Jiang Dazhuang, not skilled at such mental tasks, preferred to leave it to Jiang Butong.

“Let’s call it ‘Private Kitchen’ for now. We’ll take it step by step, and once we have the money, we can open a real restaurant.”

Everyone pondered the name. ‘Private Kitchen’—it sounded fresh and elegant, with a touch of mystery.

Most importantly, none of them were adept at coming up with names, nor had they much education. Back when Chen Sheng named his first restaurant, he’d just picked something at random.

“Alright, ‘Private Kitchen’ it is!” Chen Sheng decided at once.

“Tomorrow, let’s take a day to rest—everyone’s been running themselves ragged lately. The day after, we’ll start on the renovations and the sign.”

They drank late into the night before finally dispersing.

Jiang Dazhuang had assumed Jiang Butong would stay at the restaurant for the night, but when he saw Jiang Butong preparing to leave with Chen Pan’er, he asked, “Butong, where are you sleeping?”

“I… still have something to discuss with Chen Pan’er. You guys go to bed first.”

Must I report to you if I’m going to spend the night at a woman’s place?

Jiang Yuan and Chen Sheng exchanged knowing glances, quietly pulling Jiang Dazhuang aside and signaling him not to pry.

Seeing the looks on their faces, Chen Pan’er’s cheeks flushed pink. Their relationship was perfectly innocent, but with those hints, it became even harder to explain.

Once they left Chen’s Eatery, Jiang Yuan caught up with them. “Butong, are you going out to the market tomorrow?”

Jiang Butong thought for a moment. “Yes, I am. Why—do you want to come too?”

“Take me with you. I’ve been here so long and never had a look around.”

“Alright, I’ll call you when I go tomorrow.”

After bidding Jiang Yuan farewell, Jiang Butong and Chen Pan’er headed home together.

On the way, Jiang Butong noticed Chen Pan’er’s face was still tinged with red, making her look like a bashful new bride. He couldn’t help teasing her. “Why are you blushing?”

Chen Pan’er glared at him with her almond-shaped eyes and huffed, “It was hot in there, that’s all.”

“Oh… hot, was it?” Jiang Butong drew out the words.

“You…” Chen Pan’er reached out and pinched his arm.

“Ow! That hurts!” Jiang Butong sucked in a breath.

“Hmph, I wasn’t even using any strength.” Chen Pan’er shot him a playful look.

Jiang Butong took the opportunity to grab her delicate hand—soft and smooth, fair as jade.

Chen Pan’er struggled a bit but didn’t break free, so she let him hold it.

The short walk home felt unhurried, the two of them strolling side by side. Anyone watching would have thought them a young couple deeply in love.

Back at the dormitory, Jiang Butong went to wash up while Chen Pan’er took bedding from the wardrobe and made him a place on the floor.

“I’m still sleeping on the floor tonight?” Jiang Butong asked, eyeing Chen Pan’er as she bent over, the neckline of her shirt revealing a glimpse of fair skin.

Looking up, Chen Pan’er’s eyes were gentle, and she gave him a sweet smile. “If you’re not sleeping on the floor, then who is? Letting you in at all is already me being generous.”

“How did I do last night? Wasn’t I a perfect gentleman?” Jiang Butong changed into slippers and lay on Chen Pan’er’s bed, breathing in the faint scent of osmanthus on her pillow.

Chen Pan’er snorted softly, twisting her graceful figure as she went to wash up.

The long night dragged on, sleep nowhere to be found. A man and a woman alone… sigh, couldn’t something happen?

The lights went out, and the room fell into silence, each lying in their own bed. Jiang Butong wondered—Chen Pan’er didn’t use any perfume, yet she always seemed to carry a natural fragrance. Was it her own scent?

“Do you think the cassette vendor will run off with our money?” Chen Pan’er suddenly asked, turning over to look at Jiang Butong with bright eyes.

“It’s only two hundred yuan; she probably won’t,” Jiang Butong replied, hands folded behind his head.

“But two hundred isn’t a small amount. If I had to earn that much running a stall, it would take me several days,” Chen Pan’er said, a little uneasy.

Jiang Butong reached out, taking her hand. “Don’t worry about a little money like that. I’ll help you earn countless two hundreds in the future.”

This time, Chen Pan’er didn’t resist. She asked with interest, “How many is countless?”

“At least tens of thousands of two hundreds.”

If it had been when they’d first met, Chen Pan’er would have scoffed and said, “For someone your age, you sure talk big.” But after these days together, she’d come to see that Jiang Butong was truly gifted—though tens of thousands of two hundreds would be millions. She still found it hard to believe.

Jiang Butong’s thumb traced small circles on the back of her hand. “Can I come up and sleep?”

“No!” Chen Pan’er pulled her hand away and rolled over.

Jiang Butong glanced at the bulge beneath his blanket and could only sigh inwardly, “Brother, you’ll have to put up with it.”

The next morning, Jiang Butong was woken by faint sounds. Opening his eyes a crack, he caught sight of a smooth, bare back—skin as white and tender as milk.

It was Chen Pan’er, quietly sneaking to the bathroom.

Was she not wearing anything?

What was going on?

Worried about being caught, Jiang Butong quickly closed his eyes, leaving just a narrow slit. After a while, he heard the sound of laundry—turns out, she’d taken the chance while he was asleep to change her clothes.

Forget it, better go back to sleep. Watching but not tasting was only torture.

After freshening up, Chen Pan’er changed into a new outfit. Seeing Jiang Butong still asleep, her delicate brows knit in annoyance.

“Wake up, get up already.” She stood with hands on her hips.

Jiang Butong opened his eyes and noticed today she’d learned her lesson—not a short skirt, but a light apricot dress, giving her a fresh and lovely look. Clearly, she’d grown wiser overnight.

He got up to wash, while Chen Pan’er tidied his bedding.

Yesterday, he’d promised Jiang Yuan to take him to the wholesale market, so Jiang Yuan was up especially early.

When Jiang Butong arrived at Chen’s Eatery, Chen Sheng had already left to arrange for the shop’s signage, while Jiang Dazhuang and the newly hired waiters were busy at work.

After a simple breakfast, the group headed to the wholesale market.

Jiang Butong had been once before, so he was somewhat familiar with the place. Jiang Yuan, on the other hand, was dazzled by the bustling scene.

“Butong, is running a stall profitable?” Jiang Yuan asked, watching the throngs of people, each carrying bags large or small, hurrying past.

“You’ll have to ask her,” Jiang Butong said, nodding at Chen Pan’er.

Knowing Jiang Yuan wasn’t an outsider, she explained, “It really depends on where you set up. If you get a good spot, you can make some money. If not, you’ll just be left with unsold goods.”

“Which spots are good?” Jiang Yuan asked.

Chen Pan’er hesitated. The spot she’d used a few days ago was actually quite good, but after the trouble with Blondie and Scarface’s gang, she didn’t dare go back.

“Is it inconvenient to say?” Jiang Yuan noticed her hesitation, thinking she was worried about competition.

Chen Pan’er shook her head and decided to tell him everything that had happened that day.