"By the way, Madam, should I prepare a late-night snack for Chairman Lu?"
Xu Yanxia asked again.
"No need," Madam Lu waved her hand. "He drank so much tonight, he's already full. There's no room left for a midnight snack. Once you're done tidying up the kitchen, you can clock out. It's not safe for a young lady to be out too late."
"Thank you, Madam."
Xu Yanxia was actually hoping to leave early—not because she was worried about safety, but because she wanted to check out the night market nearby.
After all, although the issue with the ingredients had been resolved today, she feared it was only the beginning.
At eight in the evening, the Lu family mother and son had finished dinner, and Xu Yanxia had cleaned up the kitchen.
She opened the fridge and took stock of the remaining ingredients. She spotted the boxed meal she had put in earlier that afternoon and suddenly remembered something.
So she left the kitchen to find President Lu.
But just as she reached the third floor, she heard voices coming from a room, as if a video conference was underway. She decided to go back downstairs.
Seeing her, Butler Zhang asked, "Xiao Xu, are you looking for President Lu?"
Xu Yanxia nodded. "I went to the company cafeteria around noon and wanted to report some issues to President Lu, but it seems he’s been in meetings lately."
"Then just wait and tell him later."
Butler Zhang also reminded her, "It’s getting late. Want Old Li to give you a ride?"
"No, thanks," Xu Yanxia smiled and waved her off. "I’ll just take a taxi."
With that, she went back to her dorm to pack a few things and stepped out the front gate.
Half an hour later, she arrived at the intersection of Xiahe Street, right in the middle of the busiest time at Xu’s Teppanyaki.
The restaurant was packed with customers. Sister Jiajia was busy taking orders, handling payments, and clearing tables. Her brother’s friend Wang Gang was rushing around serving dishes.
Her brother, Xu Zhanpeng, was tirelessly flipping the wok by the stove, while a mountain of prepped ingredients piled up nearby. Many hungry diners were eagerly waiting.
Xu Yanxia set down her bag, washed her hands, tied on an apron, and fired up another burner.
"Xia, what are you doing here?" Xu Zhanpeng looked surprised to see her.
"Tomorrow's my day off. I came early to check things out," Xu Yanxia said.
Xu Zhanpeng felt a pang of concern for his sister. "You just got off work. Don’t push yourself. I can handle it. Go take a rest first."
"I’ll help until this rush is over," she replied.
She grabbed a large iron wok and placed it on the flame.
All the ingredients were prepped and labeled with their seasoning. Once the wok was hot, they could start cooking. There wasn’t much secret to street food—just the wok’s heat and aroma.
She heated the oil, frying the aromatics until fragrant, then quickly tossed in the ingredients. As they neared doneness, she added the secret sauce, stirred everything evenly, and plated the sizzling dish onto a hot iron tray. The crackling sound and the steaming heat elevated the flavors to another level.
With Xu Yanxia’s help, their efficiency soared. The siblings worked two burners nonstop for an hour, finally getting through the dinner rush smoothly.
By nearly ten o’clock, empty tables began appearing, and most dishes had been served. Jiajia quickly urged Xu Yanxia, "There aren’t as many customers now. Take a break."
Xu Zhanpeng also encouraged his sister, "Rest for a bit. There are only five or six dishes left. I can handle it."
"Alright then," she agreed.
Xu Yanxia took off her apron and found an empty table to sit down. Luo Jiajia went to the freezer and brought her a cup of their homemade smoked plum juice. She took a big gulp, finally feeling a bit cooler.
“Have you found out what happened today? Who exactly is causing trouble?”
“It’s none other than that place...”
Luo Jiajia pointed toward a restaurant across the street, its neon sign glowing brightly. The huge sign above the entrance read “Jiu Zhen Zhi Shan.”
This was a well-known upscale restaurant in Rong City, with an average spending of over three hundred yuan per person according to a popular review website.
Xu Yanxia frowned slightly. “Are you sure? Our customer base is totally different from theirs.”
“How could I not be sure? Old He, the beef seller, told your brother himself.”
Luo Jiajia said angrily, “Ever since our business picked up, they’ve been looking for trouble. Customers park by the roadside, and they report us to the traffic police. Just a few days ago, they spread rumors online that our ingredients aren’t clean. I was so mad I lost sleep for several nights arguing back.”
“Is it really them?”
Xu Yanxia couldn’t help but knit her brows.
Back when she first came to Rong City for school, “Jiu Shan” was at its peak—ads for it were everywhere on the streets, and even among classmates, it was a joke of pride to say, ‘Who’s taking whom to Jiu Shan for dinner?’
She never imagined that one day, they would secretly sabotage a night market stall.
But come to think of it, ever since they started their stall, she hadn’t seen their restaurant busy even once. Night after night, the elegant crystal chandeliers shone over half-empty tables.
Xu Yanxia was speechless. “If their business is bad, they should look inward. Even if they manage to drive us away, their customers won’t come back.”
“Exactly!”
Luo Jiajia was equally indignant. “They’re always bullying others, not focusing on doing things right. How can such a place succeed?”
Just then, their customers’ dishes were all served. Xu Zhanpeng and their friend Wang Gang, who was helping out, sat down to rest.
Xu Yanxia took the opportunity to discuss with the group. “They probably won’t stop tomorrow. The ingredients we have today are pretty good. From now on, let’s get supplies from Brother Zhao. If we place regular orders, not only will they deliver, but we’ll also get better discounts.”
Xu Zhanpeng nodded. “I’m thinking the same. No need to work with those who don’t keep their word.”
Xu Yanxia then asked Luo Jiajia, “How many people are in our customer groups now?”
“The fifth group is full, and I just opened the sixth.”
Luo Jiajia said, “But our followers on Douyin aren’t many yet.”
Xu Yanxia offered a suggestion, “Post our Douyin ID in the WeChat groups. Fans who follow us can get a five-yuan discount. Once we have more followers, we can consider live streaming. Since they’re spreading rumors, we can just show everyone the truth—facts speak louder than words.”
“If we have the energy, we can also film the prep process and make videos.”
Wang Gang was a bit worried. “Won’t that let people steal our secret recipes?”
Xu Zhanpeng laughed outright. “The secret recipe is in my sister’s hands. If anyone can learn it, they’re welcome to try.”
Wang Gang relaxed and patted his chest confidently. "Then let's all create accounts! Who knows, maybe we'll become internet celebrities!"
"Sounds great!"
Everyone burst into laughter together.
Suddenly, a sleek silver luxury car pulled up by the roadside. The young man driving rolled down the window and asked, "Are there any seats available now?"
"Yes, yes,"
Wang Gang quickly replied.
Luo Jiajia hurriedly waved them over. "How many of you are there?"
The guy inside glanced back and said, "About six or seven."
"No problem,"
Luo Jiajia said, pointing ahead. "The parking lot is about thirty meters up ahead. Please park there—there’s a no-parking camera on this stretch."
The driver gave an OK sign and drove toward the parking lot, followed by another luxury car.
A few minutes later, six or seven young men and women entered the venue, all dressed stylishly and adorned in designer brands from head to toe.
One of the guys with permed hair walked up to Xu Yanxia and greeted her, "Hey, beautiful sister, remember me? We met last time at Jing Yao’s place."
