Watching his younger sister, Wang Lan, eat without any regard for her image, Wang Hao felt a sense of satisfaction; for a chef, seeing diners so engrossed in their food that they forget to speak is perhaps the greatest respect.
After serving two portions of rice, Wang Hao quickly joined her, and after they both devoured their meals, they leaned back in their chairs, thoroughly content.
They gazed at the ceiling, immersed in the pleasant daze that follows a satisfying meal, savoring the lingering taste of the dishes they had just eaten.
When ancient people described beautiful music, they often used the phrase “lingering for three days around the beams”; now, the dishes Wang Hao made seemed to have achieved a similar effect.
The siblings savored the flavors, and Wang Lan, usually so lively, became quiet and serene, no longer chattering, her heart marveling at her older brother’s transformation; it seemed that in her absence, he had diligently improved himself, and the meal before her was a testament to his efforts, causing her eyes to curve into a happy arc as she looked at Wang Hao!
Wang Hao was also experiencing the feelings his Cooking brought him; the feeling wasn't as strong when he was only eating fried noodles, but now that he was formally Cooking other dishes, he truly felt how powerful his improved Cooking Skill was.
Different exclamations rose in both siblings’ hearts, and then Wang Hao broke the silence, asking about his sister’s recent situation: “Xiao Lan, how have things been at school lately? After this summer vacation, you’ll be a senior; have you decided where you want to intern yet?”
As Wang Hao spoke, he stood up and began clearing the aftermath of their meal.
Wang Lan, snapping out of her daze, also got up to help clean, replying as she tidied: “Many students in my year at school have started discussing this, and my teachers have recommended a few places where my senior classmates are working for me to look into. Once I confirm, they’ll help me get an introduction after school starts. I’m still deliberating.”
For university students who do not plan to pursue postgraduate studies, their senior year is typically spent in internships.
Wang Hao had previously discussed this with Wang Lan, and she had expressed that she did not want to pursue a master’s degree.
Mainly, she didn’t want to burden her family; the school scholarships were a drop in the bucket, and she needed Wang Hao’s support for tuition and living expenses every year. She wanted to start working early so she could help the family sooner.
Wang Hao, of course, understood Wang Lan’s thoughts, so at the time, based on the realistic situation, he didn’t try too hard to persuade his sister to consider postgraduate studies.
But now Wang Hao had a cheat; Wang Hao felt that, as a man with a cheat, letting his sister delay her future because of a little money was truly not worth it.
“Then, should we consider continuing with postgraduate studies? You’ve seen that with your older brother’s current skill, we’ll only get better and better in the future. I think you can continue your advanced studies; then, when you return to the village, our parents will have more prestige,” Wang Hao said to his sister with a serious expression.
With the progress of the times, university students are no longer uncommon in rural areas, but postgraduates are still relatively rare. Scarcity makes things valuable, and people are no different.
When Wang Lan heard Wang Hao’s idea about postgraduate studies, she was initially a bit nonchalant. Although she was very interested in postgraduate studies, the practical circumstances were there, leaving her no choice, and hearing her brother say this, she instinctively wanted to refuse.
However, looking up and seeing Wang Hao’s serious attitude, she couldn’t directly refuse, so she tactfully said: “Brother, although the food you make now is indeed delicious, setting up a street stall doesn’t earn as much as a big hotel, and it’s quite tiring.
If I start working sooner, wouldn’t you be able to relax a bit?”
Wang Hao felt very touched after hearing her words. Seeing that his sister’s intention was quite firm, he didn’t continue the topic but smiled slightly and said: “How about this, tomorrow you come with me to set up the stall, and then decide whether you want to seriously consider my suggestion.” After speaking, Wang Hao ruffled Wang Lan’s hair.
Wang Lan looked at her brother’s inscrutable expression, feeling a bit bewildered, but she nodded. As they tidied up, Wang Lan vividly shared her school experiences with Wang Hao.
Listening to the interesting stories from his sister’s school, Wang Hao couldn’t help but feel nostalgic for his younger days.
Once everything was tidied up, Wang Hao walked towards the bedroom, saying, “It’s truly rare to be able to go to bed early tonight. I’m going to sleep now!
You absolutely must not stay up late; staying up late is bad for your health, and we have to get up early tomorrow. Get some rest soon!”
Wang Lan readily agreed; she had experience with early mornings from when she used to help out.
Early the next morning, even before the alarm clock rang, Wang Hao’s internal clock went off. As he was getting ready, his sister, Wang Lan, emerged from her room, rubbing her eyes and yawning, saying, “Brother, I can go get the supplies today. I’m familiar with the place and the prices. You can go back to sleep.”
“I know you care about me, but not today. Today’s supply volume is a bit large, you can’t do it alone,” Wang Hao said, looking at his sister with affection.
Yesterday’s net profit had already reached nearly six hundred, and that was even with closing the stall quite early. Wang Hao was very confident about today’s results.
He had already planned last night to double the inventory. In such a situation, it was clearly unrealistic for Wang Lan to go acquire such a large quantity of goods alone.
After they quickly finished a simple breakfast, they immediately left to purchase ingredients.
Along the way, the two chatted and laughed, and Wang Hao was in an exceptionally good mood. Before his sister arrived, he did everything alone: buying groceries alone, setting up the stall alone, eating alone.
Over time, he had grown accustomed to this life, but occasionally he would feel lonely. Now that his sister was here, the loneliness naturally disappeared.
Upon arriving at the market, they began carefully selecting various fresh ingredients. After a thorough comparison and selection, they finally completed the purchase of all the necessary ingredients.
During this process, they constantly haggled with the vendors, and with their tacit cooperation, they successfully completed the purchasing task without expending too much effort.
This purchase totaled approximately eight hundred yuan, enough for about two hundred portions.
Wang Lan looked at the large quantity of items and asked Wang Hao with some concern, “Brother, the amount we bought today is almost four times what we usually get, isn’t it? Can we really sell all of this? What if we can’t sell it all and too much spoils, leaving us with a loss?”
Wang Hao laughed heartily and said, “Actions speak louder than words, little sister. Just you watch.”
The two chatted and laughed all the way home. They processed some of the ingredients and prepared the seasonings, and before they knew it, it was nearly eleven in the morning.
Seeing that they were almost ready, they didn't linger. They pushed the cart to their usual stall location and found that Brother Li, who sold fried chicken, had already been there for a while.
They greeted him and began setting up their equipment.
Perhaps Wang Hao’s fried noodles from yesterday had made a name for themselves; not long after they set up the stall, two regular customers came to order. “Boss, two to eat here, two for takeout, with less chili.”
After scanning to pay for four portions, the two sat down at a small table, muttering things like, “The fried noodles here taste just right,” and “They must have changed the recipe, it’s better than before.”
Wang Hao also focused on Cooking, paying no mind to anything else, his strong arms beginning to swing. Wang Lan deftly arranged the tableware nearby and prepared the convenient takeout boxes.
Her movements were skilled and natural, clearly indicating her familiarity with the work of a server. And such a scene was already all too familiar to the siblings—for a long time, this had been their perfectly coordinated working model.
Before Wang Hao had even finished the first portion of fried noodles, two more customers arrived to order, and two payment notifications immediately sounded.
Wang Lan saw that six portions had already been sold in such a short time, and her movements couldn't help but quicken. Her current state was completely different from the relaxed feeling she had when she previously came to help.
Wang Lan initially thought this was just a temporary rush, but she didn’t expect that she was still too young, too young, too little!