After the wedding, the honeymoon and the Spring Festival arrived one after another.
During this time, they flew to the Southern Hemisphere to see the world's largest coral reef system, admired the magnificent colors of the giant monolith under the twilight, witnessed the massive fjords formed by glacial erosion, and visited a lonely church under the clear Milky Way at night.
They also experienced scuba diving, seeing colorful corals and schools of tropical fish. They witnessed the shocking spectacle of tens of millions of red crabs migrating and killer whales breaching the ocean surface.
After a joyful trip, they returned to the wintery Northern Hemisphere, where the country was already bustling with the festive atmosphere of the upcoming New Year.
On New Year's Eve, Xu Yanxia, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lu family, led her husband Lu Jingming, her sister-in-law Lu Jingxi, and her brother-in-law Lu Jingyao to work together, presenting a sumptuous New Year's Eve feast for their parents.
"The Eight-Treasure Gourd Duck and the Stir-fried Tripe with Coriander were made by my sister-in-law; the Sweet and Sour Fish and the Teppanyaki Wagyu Beef were made by my oldest brother; the Steamed Lobster with Garlic and the Pan-fried Mushrooms were made by me; my sister just made a mixed salad and sugared tomatoes."
Seeing that all the dishes were served and the whole family was seated at the dining table, the third child, Lu Jingyao, took the initiative to introduce the dishes to their parents.
"What do you mean by that? Are you complaining about the dishes I made?"
Lu Jingxi snorted, "I also made dumplings with Baby Xia! The sea urchin filling is so fresh, don't you dare eat any later!"
"Hey, why are you bickering during the New Year,"
Father Lu immediately smiled and acted as a peacemaker between the two. "Everyone contributed today, so you are all doing great. Besides, as a boy, the third child can show off his cooking skills when he goes to his future mother-in-law's house!"
"Exactly!"
Lu Jingxi hummed proudly, "Look at our eldest brother, he even knows how to make sweet and sour fish. You just steamed a lobster and fried some mushrooms, what's there to be proud of!"
"You should talk less too!"
Mother Shen quickly spoke up to scold her, "How many times have I told you, why are you still calling your sister-in-law Baby Xia? You have no manners at all."
"Exactly!"
A chorus of agreement immediately came from the dining table. Except for Xu Yanxia, her father, brother, and younger brother all frowned at her.
"Oh, you guys don't understand!"
Lu Jingxi also frowned, "Calling her sister-in-law is too formal! Calling her Baby Xia is much more affectionate!!! Baby Xia and I are the closest best friends."
"Nonsense!"
Ms. Shen immediately retorted, "Calling her sister-in-law means she's family. Can't you tell the difference between a best friend and family? What would outsiders think if they heard you?"
"Well, I've never called her Baby Xia in front of outsiders..."
Lu Jingxi still wanted to argue back, but seeing that everyone except her Baby Xia looked serious, she had to give in. "Okay, okay, okay, I'll call her sister-in-law in front of you guys from now on, alright?"
Hmph, she would just wait until it was only the two of them to call her Baby Xia!
As her voice fell, Xu Yanxia was amused and had to quickly greet the family, "Mom, Dad, let's eat. Dumplings taste best when they are hot."
"Let's eat, let's eat!"
"Come on, cheers to our family's first New Year's Eve dinner!"
Following Father Lu's proposal, everyone raised their wine glasses and clinked them together.
Outside the window, someone in the city lit fireworks, and a huge curtain of flowers bloomed in the night sky, festive and perfect.
...
After spending the first and second days of the New Year with her in-laws in Rong City, Xu Yanxia took her husband back to her hometown, Qingcheng, early on the morning of the third day, to spend a few days with her grandparents.
When the holidays ended, the two returned to their jobs in Rong City on time.
There was no helping it; counting their pre-New Year honeymoon, they had already rested for quite a while, and now both of them carried heavy responsibilities on their shoulders.
Holidays are truly precious, but striving hard is equally important.
...
By the time the news of Decui Restaurant's bankruptcy liquidation arrived, the first month of the lunar year had already passed.
Early in the morning, as soon as Xu Yanxia arrived at the office, she saw Ye Shu rushing over excitedly with some documents. "Good news, President Xia! Decui Restaurant has finally been forced into liquidation! The auction will be held next week, and this is the current starting price."
Xu Yanxia glanced at the price on the document and couldn't help but frown. "It still costs over 600 million?"
Ye Shu quickly said, "This is already a reduced price. Before the New Year, when Yayen was trying to sell it, they asked for a billion!"
"That's exactly why it didn't sell,"
Xu Yanxia smiled and said, "Wasn't there trending news about employees demanding unpaid wages before the New Year? Their reputation is completely ruined. Let alone a billion, even at 500 million, no one would take it over. Be patient and wait a bit longer; the price will definitely drop again in half a month."
"That makes sense."
Ye Shu immediately nodded, "Then I'll keep observing in secret and we'll talk when they lower the price again."
"Mhm."
Xu Yanxia nodded.
Everything went exactly as she predicted. The first auction of Decui Restaurant was unsuccessful.
Half a month later, the relevant departments held a second auction, and the price had dropped to 510 million.
But Xu Yanxia was busy with the opening of their new brand, Taihe Restaurant, and still ignored it.
It wasn't until the third auction, another half a month later, that she acquired Decui Restaurant for 380 million.
Their new brand, Taihe Restaurant, was already on track. By the time this newly acquired restaurant was revamped and reintroduced to the public, it was already early summer.
In early May, Jingbei was already covered in green, and the faint fragrance of locust flowers could be smelled everywhere in the air.
Xu Yanxia replaced the previous luxurious palace style, changing the restaurant into a low-key and minimalist aesthetic. The lobby and private rooms no longer displayed European-style famous paintings; instead, they were replaced by old photographs of Jingbei City, showing people what the restaurant originally looked like.
She also gave the restaurant a new name: 1953 Restaurant.
That's right, that was the exact year this time-honored restaurant first opened.
On the day the 1953 Restaurant reopened, she invited her grandfather, as well as a group of old folks who had worked there back in the day and were still alive, to the scene.
The ninety-something-year-old Elder Li also made a rare appearance, attending together with his daughter, Mrs. He.
It should be known that she was cooperating with Aunt Xiaohua on this restaurant. When it came to funding, the Lu family contributed the majority, and they were also responsible for management and operations. Aunt Xiaohua only needed to collect her share of the profits and dividends every year.
The dishes in the restaurant returned to the simple, pure, and authentic style of the past, focusing entirely on the flavor of traditional Shandong cuisine.
Leveraging Aunt Xiaohua's connections and the rising popularity of the Lu family's catering business, the customer flow at the 1953 Restaurant was highly ideal.
Xu Yanxia stayed in Jingbei for over a week, only feeling relieved enough to return to Rong City after confirming that the new store had withstood the test.
It was only 4:00 PM when she landed at the airport. Lu Jingming had specifically rushed his work to come and pick her up personally.
After putting away the luggage and getting into the car, Xu Yanxia took out a bag and handed it to him.
Lu Jingming took it with a smile and asked her, "You even brought a gift for your husband? What is it?"
Not to mention, it didn't feel very heavy in his hands.
"Just open it and you'll see,"
Xu Yanxia also said with a smile, "See if it's to your liking."
"It definitely will be!"
As Lu Jingming spoke, he opened the bag, and a delicate fragrance instantly wafted through the air.
It turned out to be a bag full of pristine white locust flowers.
Judging by their freshness, they must have been picked just this morning.
"Babe," he looked up at her and said, "you remembered all this time?"
Xu Yanxia gave a soft murmur of agreement. "I finally managed to catch them while they're fresh. I'll make dumplings for you when we get back."
"We'll make them together."
Smiling, he started the car and drove them all the way back to their home.
