It was lunchtime, and the noodle shop wasn't crowded. Xiao Liu was right; this was a high-end commercial street filled with luxury boutiques and Western restaurants. Opening a noodle shop here, even with flyers, wouldn't be very effective. It would be better to build a reputation slowly through word-of-mouth.
With few customers, the staff were relatively idle. However, the best among the waiters, Xiao Zhang and his colleagues, proactively went outside to drum up business. Seeing this, Zhang Guizhi and her husband were immensely impressed with the staff's work ethic at Gong Shixiong's Hot Pot. With such dedicated employees, how could the noodle shop fail?
"Handsome guy, want some noodles? Our family's secret recipe, they're delicious!"
"Beautiful lady, want some noodles? Pure handmade noodles, chewy and smooth."
...
They enthusiastically invited passersby to come in, but the effect was minimal. Only two or three people entered in over ten minutes. Zhang Guizhi and her husband also went into the kitchen to busy themselves.
Just then, a couple wearing masks approached the noodle shop. Xiao Zhang quickly went to greet them with a smile.
"Handsome guy, beautiful lady, want some noodles? It's our family's secret recipe!" After saying this, he looked at them, finding them oddly familiar.
"Heh, two bowls of beef noodles, please. One without vegetables."
The couple, hand in hand, walked into the noodle shop.
"Not bad. The decor is simple, but the layout is very thoughtful. It's clear a professional team did this," the young man commented, glancing around the shop.
"Heh heh, the customer has a keen eye! We hired a professional designer for our shop's renovation," Xiao Zhang said, leading them to a table with great foresight. "Please, have a seat. The noodles will be ready shortly."
He then left.
"Su Yu, won't Auntie and Uncle be too tired without hiring any help in the kitchen?"
After Xiao Zhang left, the young woman removed her mask, revealing her stunningly beautiful face. It was Lin Yanyu, who had accompanied Su Yu to meet his parents.
"I told them too, but they feel that since it's just opened, they don't know if the shop will succeed yet, so they want to wait until business picks up before hiring," Su Yu, sitting opposite her, also removed his mask. He had also worried about his parents getting tired and had suggested his mother hire a couple of people to cook the noodles, teaching them the techniques, and letting his parents manage the business more passively.
However, Zhang Guizhi was worried the noodle shop might not take off, so she decided to do the cooking herself for now. She wasn't afraid of being overwhelmed by busy business. She had been cooking noodles for decades, and she could manage a shop of this size alone, with Su Zhengguo helping, it shouldn't be a problem. Su Yu could only go along with his parents' wishes.
In the kitchen.
"Boss, that customer wanted no greens in his bowl..." Xiao Zhang said helplessly, looking at the bowl filled with green vegetables. He had relayed the customer's request when he came in. The boss had even specifically gone out to glance at the couple, but still added greens to their bowls.
"It's fine. You take this bowl, I'll take theirs." Zhang Guizhi smiled, cooked the noodles for the other customers, and handed them to Xiao Zhang.
"Boss, customers are like gods. When running a business, we must meet their demands, not just your preferences..." Xiao Zhang was still trying to persuade her.
"Xiao Zhang, if he's God, then I'm God's mother! If I want him to eat greens, he must eat them!" Zhang Guizhi declared, picking up two bowls of noodles generously topped with beef and heading towards Su Yu's table.
"That's right, I'm God's father," Su Zhengguo chuckled and followed her out.
Xiao Zhang stood frozen, utterly confused. What was going on? Could it be... that handsome guy was the boss's son? He suddenly realized. It seemed he had spoken out of turn...
...
"Mom! I don't want greens!" a wail echoed through the noodle shop, instantly silencing the place.
"Eat them whether you want to or not!" Zhang Guizhi thrust the chopsticks towards Su Yu, speaking with unquestionable authority. He had no choice but to accept them. His mother's noodles were indeed delicious, but he detested greens, yet his mother always put a lot in his bowl.
"Yanyu, you eat quickly too. The flavors are prepared according to your old preferences, no MSG. It's this late, you must be hungry." Zhang Guizhi, who had been stern moments ago, suddenly became warm and amiable. Her speed in changing her demeanor could be considered exceptional. Su Yu rolled his eyes at this. I'm your real son! This is such blatant favoritism!
"Thank you, Auntie, thank you, Uncle." Although Lin Yanyu had met Su Yu's mother before, this was the first time she was meeting his parents as his girlfriend, and she couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
"Heh heh, we're family, no need for thanks. Eat up," Su Zhengguo beamed.
"That's right, don't be nervous. We're all family. You have Auntie's authority. If Su Yu bullies you in the future, tell Auntie, and I'll deal with him." Zhang Guizhi also said warmly.
"Okay, if he bullies me, I'll come and complain to you." Lin Yanyu smiled sweetly, glancing at Su Yu.
"Mom, how could I possibly bully her? She's a black belt in Taekwondo." Su Yu protested from the side. Although Lin Yanyu was a girl, if it came to a fight, an ordinary person would likely not last a few moves against her.
...
At this moment, the cashier, Xiao Liu, looked over. She had nothing to do and had heard from Xiao Zhang that the boss's son had arrived. She was curious. When she clearly saw Su Yu, she frowned. So handsome! And she felt like she had seen him somewhere before. She then shifted her gaze to Lin Yanyu beside him. Upon seeing Lin Yanyu's appearance, she froze.
"Lin Yanyu!" she exclaimed subconsciously. By the time she realized what she had done, she quickly covered her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Lin Yanyu?"
"What Lin Yanyu? Where?"
"Why are you calling out our goddess's name?"
...
Her exclamation caused the diners in the shop to look up. Xiao Liu knew she had accidentally caused trouble and looked distressed. Just then, someone spotted Lin Yanyu.
"Wow! It really is Lin Yanyu!"
"Goddess, I'm your fan! Can you give me an autograph?"
"Ah! Ah! Ah! I can't believe I'm meeting the goddess while eating noodles!"
A crowd surged towards her. Su Zhengguo and his wife were startled. However, Lin Yanyu was clearly accustomed to such situations. Without any panic, she smiled and greeted her fans, then took photos and signed autographs.
"Alright, alright, don't disturb my daughter-in-law while she's eating!" Su Zhengguo said urgently after the diners had their autographs.
"Boss, if you had said earlier that your son was Su Yu, we wouldn't have made fun of you."
"So that's how your noodle shop got its name."
"Boss, your son Su Yu is much more amazing than Ting Yu. Although Ting Yu can write songs, he doesn't have such a beautiful girlfriend! Haha..."
"Haha, exactly! We are all fans of the 'Ting Yu' pairing." The diners teased with laughter after Su Zhengguo's comment, then returned to their seats, content. Su Zhengguo considered mentioning that his son was Ting Yu himself, but decided against it. If he argued with them, Lin Yanyu wouldn't be able to eat for a while.
"Yanyu, eat quickly. More people might come soon and you won't be able to," Zhang Guizhi urged, then used her body to shield Lin Yanyu. This was the first time she had seen such a scene, and it had almost frightened her.
"Mhm, thank you, Auntie." Lin Yanyu's heart warmed, and she nodded with a smile. This was her first time meeting Su Yu's parents, and they were both so protective of her. That was enough.