Chapter 382: The Eighty's Gourmet System (20)

Xue Lihua has no love for Zhang Li.

Marrying him back then was purely to avoid being sent down to the countryside.

Now that she has fulfilled her wish to marry her former lover, she does not even want to hear about her ex-husband's family.

Including the two sons.

In her view, they are not the crystallization of love.

On the contrary, seeing them reminds her of her past helplessness and that history with Zhang Li, leaving her feeling guilty toward her former lover.

But the neighborhood office suddenly notified her that her ex-husband and ex-mother-in-law had died in an accident, and the two children were now living with their stepmother, hoping that she, as their biological mother, would show them more concern.

After her parents found out, they worried about others gossiping and also urged her to go and take the two children in.

At the time, she was quite resistant internally.

She was working hard to prepare for pregnancy, wanting to have a crystallization of love with her husband.

If she brought her ex-husband's two children to her side, how would her husband and in-laws view her?

She just played dead and did not respond.

Dragging it out for as many days as she could.

Until this day, when her mother told her in private, if you really don't want to raise those two children, after you take them in, find an opportunity to send them to the countryside.

There is a relative in their hometown who has been married for five or six years and hasn't been able to conceive, and wants to adopt a healthy young boy.

Musheng is only two and doesn't remember much yet, so sending him for adoption is most appropriate.

Xue Lihua was initially impatient to do these things, but after thinking about it, her mother's precautionary worry was correct.

As long as they still live in the city, even if they live with their stepmother, if anything happens in the future, the neighborhood office will still come looking for her, their biological mother.

For the sake of a peaceful life in the future, and to avoid the neighborhood office constantly coming to her about the two children, Xue Lihua agreed to the adoption.

And she was even more "thorough" than her mother had thought—she directly negotiated a price with the distant relative, buying out the mother-son bond to avoid entanglements later on.

It was fortunate there was this "buyout fee," otherwise she would have had to pay out of her own pocket.

Xue Lihua suppressed the displeasure in her heart and counted out fifty yuan for Xie Yang.

Xie Yang took the money and called Shuisheng to the inner room to pack their things.

Once inside the room, she gave the money to Shuisheng: "Keep this money safe. If she skimps on your meals, take the money and go outside to buy food. I will also come to see you when I have time."

"Mom..."

Shuisheng's eyes were filled with tears, his mouth pouting in a way that showed he wanted to cry but was trying his best to hold it back.

"Listen." Xie Yang sat on the edge of the bed, holding Shuisheng's thin arms and said in a low voice, "Just treat it as taking your younger brother to visit relatives; eat when you should, sleep when you should, and don't worry about anything else. Once I'm done with this busy period, I will bring you back."

Hearing this, Shuisheng's eyes brightened: "We can still come back?"

"Of course, it's just going for a visit." Xie Yang smiled and nodded, "This is your home. Once my Snack Bar is decorated, I still need to invite you to warm up the place!"

With these words from Xie Yang, when Shuisheng packed his bundle, his eyes were bright and the corners of his mouth were turned up.

He packed his bundle himself, not taking all his clothes, just two sets for the current season.

He did, however, bring along the small toys that Musheng liked.

The stepmother is busy with the Snack Bar lately, and he and Musheng cannot hold her back, otherwise they would truly become burdens.

Thus, the sensible Shuisheng carried two bundles and walked out the door.

"Mom—Mom—"

Musheng was crying and refusing to leave, and was picked up by an impatient Xue Lihua.

"Wah—"

Musheng cried even louder, pulling at Xue Lihua's hair while crying.

Xue Lihua's scalp hurt from being pulled.

If it weren't for the Women's Director and some nosy neighbors watching, she would have really wanted to throw this little beast away.

But for the sake of long-term plans, she had to squeeze out a stiff smile to coax him: "Musheng, be good, don't cry, Mommy will buy you candy."

"Candy! Want a big one." Musheng blew a snot bubble and hiccuped while making his request.

"Alright, alright, alright."

Xue Lihua replied perfunctorily.

"Want three!"

Before Musheng had finished speaking, he held up his fingers to count the few numbers he had just learned from the Yuhong Class:

"1, 2, 3! Musheng wants three! One for Mom! One for Brother! One for Musheng!"

Xue Lihua: "..."

Xie Yang was in an excellent mood.

See, she said that preschool education for children entering primary school was still very necessary.

After only being sent for a few days, little Musheng had already learned to count.

Shuisheng could use literary language to express his love for her.

Such sensible and cute children, she couldn't let them be truly bullied.

So, after Xue Lihua left with the two children, Xie Yang went out right after.

She first found Xiao Rong to discuss the decoration style of the Snack Bar.

For this, she had prepared a renovation blueprint in advance, which she had drawn herself based on the layout of the Canteen.

Xiao Rong's eyes widened as he looked at it: "Sister Xie, do you really want to renovate like this? That will take quite some time."

Xie Yang: "It won't take long, half a month should be enough."

Xiao Rong clicked his tongue: "Half a month is already long enough. Master Fan and the others didn't even do a paint job; they opened for business as soon as they got the contract, just for fear of delaying making money."

Xie Yang: "Sharpening the knife doesn't delay the woodcutting. Believe me, what is lost in this half month can be earned back twofold later."

That's for sure!

Xiao Rong was still quite confident in her culinary skills.

It was just that there were a few places on the blueprint he didn't quite understand:

"Sister Xie, this is a wall, right? We're going to chisel away half of it? How will that keep thieves out?"

"I'll install glass later."

"!!!"

Installing glass on half of an entire wall? How much would that cost?

"And this—this is the Courtyard, right? Why are we covering up this half? To use as a storage room?"

"No, I'm planning to build a hanging oven here. Have you ever had roast duck?"

Xiao Rong was confused: "Isn't roast duck cooked in a pot? How do you roast it by hanging it up?"

Xie Yang enlightened him: "What's cooked in a pot isn't actually called roast duck; it's braised duck. Hanging Oven Roast Duck is the authentic roast duck."

Not only did she add a hanging oven room between the back kitchen and the Courtyard, but she also planned to build a small baking kiln to bake some simple snacks.

The doorway chiseled into the outer wall of the Courtyard was similar to a takeout window from later generations; selling braised dishes, roasted items, or fried goods to the residents would also be a source of income.

"In short, the renovation project is up to you. I drew the blueprints clearly enough; the workers should be able to understand them. If there's really anything they don't understand, come find me at my house during dinner time. Don't come during the day; I probably won't be home."

"What are you busy with?" Xiao Rong asked out of curiosity.

Xie Yang said solemnly: "I'm going to other streets to hand out flyers and promote our Snack Bar."

"..."

After Xie Yang finished explaining the important matters and prepared to leave, Xiao Rong remembered another important thing:

"Wait! Sister Xie, do we need to come up with a name for our Snack Bar? Or should we just call it the Gad Steel Factory Snack Bar? But I heard there's a window over at the Third Canteen that goes by that name; won't people get them mixed up?"

"Then let's come up with a name that's catchy and easy to remember." Xie Yang waved her hand, "The naming Task is up to you! Let me know once you've come up with one, and I'll go order the sign."

After saying that, she left.

She was in a rush to save the cute little princes captured by the wicked witch!

Xiao Rong: "..."

Was Sister Xie being too trusting of him?

Since she trusted him so much, he absolutely had to come up with a catchy and resonant name for the Snack Bar!