Although Yao Qianshan had spent quite a few years over in XC City, the differences in local cuisine between there and her hometown were still noticeable.
Sometimes, after going a long time without tasting the dishes from home, she would find herself missing them deeply.
So now, being able to enjoy such authentic hometown flavors was a delightful surprise.
She finally understood why this young woman in front of her, who was nearly ten years her junior, had been able to build her business from scratch to such a level.
Just from this restaurant alone, it was clear that the owner was someone who pursued perfection to an extreme degree.
The signature dishes were crafted with incredible care.
Normally, restaurants outside would prepare “di guo ji” (clay pot chicken) by using pre-made dough or semi-finished products to make potstickers quickly for efficiency’s sake.
But here, it was different—they still preserved the traditional homemade method of fermenting old dough to make the pancakes. Although it was more labor-intensive, the final taste was undeniably better and truly delicious.
Beyond the signature dish, every home-style dish that was brought out afterward was plated beautifully. Most importantly, the flavors were excellent, and the portions generous.
A restaurant like this not being popular would be a surprise.
Of course, Yao Qianshan’s main focus was still the service, driven by her instincts as a store manager.
Business was booming today; the restaurant was packed with customers. Although the waitstaff occasionally made small mistakes, mostly related to speeding up orders, it was understandable under the circumstances.
Overall, the service was quite good.
Moreover, the waitstaff gave her a familiar feeling, much like the employees at her supermarket. Each one had a sparkle in their eyes and displayed strong execution.
Only a few of the servers had a slightly unusual aura about them—so much so that if they changed into a different set of clothes, one might easily mistake them for members of society’s underworld.
In short, whether it was the food or the quality of service, this restaurant was impressive.
Sure, there were minor service flaws, but that was to be expected with a newly opened place. Once the staff got more familiar with the processes, everything would naturally improve.
Liu Yutong smiled and said, “Manager Yao, as long as you like our food, you’re welcome to come here every day once we start working together.”
Her words practically spelled it out—she was basically saying, “Come work with us; we can discuss your benefits.”
Yang Xin chimed in from the side, “I’ll be bold and say it: from now on, whenever you want to eat at Yu Yue Fang, just put it on the company tab. We’ll cover it.”
He was genuinely eager to have a capable talent like Yao Qianshan as his deputy, someone who could help share the burden on his shoulders, which explained his enthusiasm.
Hearing this, Yao Qianshan was indeed tempted. But she hadn’t resigned yet, nor had she started handing over her current responsibilities.
More importantly, there was a troublesome matter back home that remained unresolved.
If that man kept pestering her, she wouldn’t be able to focus on working in her hometown.
Yao Qianshan was actually engaged.
At her age, in this day and age, she was considered to be marrying late.
Her fiancé had been introduced through relatives. His family was well-off, and at first, she was quite satisfied with him. Eventually, they got engaged.
After their engagement, she unexpectedly discovered one thing: her fiancé had a serious gambling habit.
This was something she simply couldn’t accept, especially given her past experiences. One of her cousins’ husbands had nearly ruined their entire family because of gambling.
Because of this, she decisively decided to break off the engagement.
But her fiancé was adamantly opposed. Every time she came home, he would show up at her place, swearing up and down that he would never gamble again.
Yao Qianshan, a young woman who had been navigating the professional world for several years and had achieved some success, wasn’t as easily fooled as she had been back in her school days. She refused to believe the empty promises of a gambler.
Her cousin had also trusted her husband’s false assurances, which led to the current tragic state—her mental health severely affected, caught between humanity and despair.
So Yao Qianshan stood firm on ending the engagement.
When her fiancé realized that neither sweet words nor solemn promises would work, he grew angry and changed his approach. Not only did he demand she return the deposit, but he also insisted she pay him fifty thousand yuan as compensation for “emotional distress.”
His reasoning was that all his relatives had been informed and were waiting to celebrate their wedding with a joyous banquet. Now that she suddenly refused to marry him, he claimed he had been publicly humiliated in their hometown. If she didn’t pay up, there would be consequences.
Yao Qianshan would never agree to that. She was willing to return the engagement deposit, but paying compensation? Absolutely not.
And so, the two parties remained at an impasse for two years.
Sometimes, Yao Qianshan didn’t dare to return home even during holidays, fearing her fiancé would come looking for trouble.
This time, the reason she came back was mainly because her mother was hospitalized and in poor health. She genuinely wanted to be closer to her parents to take care of them.
For the sake of her parents, she had no choice but to consider coming back, even if it meant facing her fiancé again.
Of course, the prerequisite was that she could find a decent job here. Otherwise, it would be hard for her to make the decision to quit such a great position she had in XC.
Then she met Yang Xin. His boss was willing to offer her an even better package, which made her intentions even stronger.
Just as Yao Qianshan was about to discuss the details of her compensation with Liu Yutong, the door to the private room was pushed open from the outside.
A young waitress, dressed in elegant traditional Chinese attire, entered carrying a plate of hairy crabs. She wore a sweet smile as she said, “Sister Tong, Brother Yang, Sister Yao, I hope I’m not disturbing you. Here’s a serving of hairy crabs, specially selected: a five-tael female crab and a six-tael male crab. The kitchen steamed them with ten-year aged Huadiao wine—it’s the perfect time to enjoy them.”
Liu Yutong saw it was Yu Xin and raised her hand, inviting her to join them: “Yu Xin, thank you for your hard work. Come, have some with us.”
But Yu Xin waved her hand politely, refusing: “Sister Tong, the restaurant is so busy, I can’t just slack off and leave my post. Maybe next time.”
“I’m sure I’ll be seeing Sister Yao often from now on. There will be plenty of time to eat together.”
Seeing Yu Xin’s current demeanor, Liu Yutong felt a deep sense of comfort. She thought Yu Xin had truly grown a lot and was becoming more and more mature.
“All right then, go on and get back to work. Don’t overwork yourself—you still have classes tomorrow, so it’s best to get back to school early.”
“Thanks for your concern, Sister Tong. You all enjoy your meal.” Yu Xin said as she prepared to leave.
Suddenly, Liu Yutong remembered something and called out to her, “Wait, our restaurant doesn’t serve crabs, right? Where did these come from?”
Yu Xin smiled and explained, “On my way here, I ran into a big brother—a really kind-hearted guy. He just gave us a few hundred jin of hairy crabs as a gift.”
Hearing this, Liu Yutong immediately sensed there was more to the story. She didn’t press further but smiled and said, “That’s great. People that kind are rare these days. We should definitely support his business next time.”
“Alright, Sister Tong, I’ll get back to work now,” Yu Xin replied.
“Brother Yang, Sister Yao, I’m off to work now,” she added.
“Go ahead, don’t overwork yourself,” Liu Yutong said warmly.
Yao Qianshan, standing nearby, listened to their conversation with a puzzled expression, feeling especially surprised.
What’s going on? Has the moral standard in Bright Pearl City really improved that much? Are there really so many good and kind people now?
A few hundred jin of hairy crabs, just given away like that—how generous!
But Yang Xin saw through the hidden meaning.
There’s no doubt someone must have crossed Yu Xin and gotten themselves into trouble.
With his understanding of the Wanlong Society, he knew this was more than just compensating with crabs.
Those who offended the young lady or the Wanlong Society before—he was very clear on their fates.
At best, they had to pay hundreds of thousands in compensation or were forced to sell their restaurants at a loss; at worst, they ended up in jail or worse.
A few hundred jin of hairy crabs definitely wouldn’t satisfy the Wanlong Society’s appetite.
Taking a deep breath, Yao Qianshan spoke up, “Miss Liu, let’s talk about the terms.”
Only now did she truly make up her mind.
It wasn’t just because of the meal; it was because she saw in Liu Yutong the same kind of warmth and genuine care that her current boss showed—treating employees like family.
Even an ordinary waitress was treated with such respect and affection, even called ‘sister.’ A boss like that had to be good.
Liu Yutong smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll go over the terms. Mr. Yang Xin has probably already told you the general situation, so I won’t repeat it. The base salary is ten thousand after taxes…”
After discussing and agreeing on Yao Qianshan’s terms with Yang Xin, Yao Qianshan didn’t hesitate to accept. She even promised to handle her resignation tomorrow, complete the handover, and return to officially start work—aiming to be back before the opening of the Wanlong Supermarket at University City.
Liu Yutong was delighted to have gained another talented team member.
Just as she was about to say more, her phone suddenly rang.
It was a classmate calling.
After answering, she heard the urgent voice on the other end reporting a situation, and her expression gradually hardened.
“Tell them not to act rashly. I’m on my way right now.”
