Liu Xiaoqing immediately cowered under Yuan Tiantian's angry glare, but still stubbornly held her ground.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about! I won't give it. Who hasn't eaten steamed rice before!"
Although her mouth remained unyielding, her legs betrayed her. She took slow steps away from Sweetie's Diner and then scurried off like a shot. Yuan Tiantian and Qian Hua exchanged a helpless look as they watched her grumbling back.
"Don't take what I told you this morning to heart. Liu Xiaoqing is just a gossip. None of us believed her."
Yuan Tiantian just smiled and said nothing. She intended to settle the score with Liu Xiaoqing, but for now, she was busy with the opening. She didn't give Qian Hua a definite answer, just saying that she had it under control. Qian Hua understood what she meant and just sighed silently. Liu Xiaoqing really needed a harsh lesson to learn her lesson.
Watching Qian Hua's retreating back, Yuan Tiantian's face darkened. Liu Xiaoqing had been spreading rumors this morning that she had a chaotic private life. She said that a middle - aged man had come to her place last night and stayed for a long time. She even slandered that Xiuxiu was a child from some unknown source. Liu Xiaoqing was a gossip with a bad heart. Yuan Tiantian thought she must find a chance to teach her a good lesson.
Yuan Tiantian had arranged all the tables and chairs. After everything was ready, she bought two bunches of balloons as a substitute for firecrackers, and Sweetie's Diner officially opened.
On the opening day, Yuan Tiantian invited Aunt Qian Hua's family to have lunch. Unexpectedly, while she was busy in the back kitchen, Yuan Tiantian received some unexpected guests.
People from the Industry and Commerce Bureau.
"Sorry, it's not business hours yet. Please come back after 11 o'clock to order."
Yuan Tiantian was pulled out by Xiuxiu. She saw three neatly - dressed middle - aged men standing in the hall. She didn't think much of it at first, thinking they were here to eat. But then one of them said,
"We received a report that you're operating a restaurant without a license. We're here to check."
"Ah?"
Yuan Tiantian was a bit slow to react. The man repeated it, and this time she finally understood. She was being sabotaged on her opening day?
However, she wasn't afraid. Before opening, she had seriously asked the system. The business license, hygiene license and other restaurant operation qualifications given by the system would not be found to have any problems in the real world. In short, there was nothing illegal!
"Wait a moment."
Yuan Tiantian went upstairs and took out these qualifications for them to see. After the three men carefully checked, they nodded. "There's no problem, but since we're here, please show us the kitchen."
Yuan Tiantian led them around the kitchen. They saw that all the relevant facilities were legal. When the three men came out, they looked a bit embarrassed. "We're just following the procedure. Don't misunderstand, boss. But please display these qualifications in the hall as soon as possible so that your customers won't be confused in the future."
"Okay, I'll do it as soon as possible. You've worked hard."
After saying that, the three men were about to leave. Yuan Tiantian quickly called them back. "Three big brothers, wait a moment. It's so hot today. You must be thirsty. If you don't mind, wait a bit. I'll get you some freshly - made lemonade."
Without waiting for their response, Yuan Tiantian ran into the kitchen. She filled disposable cups with self - made lemonade and took some ice cubes from the freezer. Lemonade in summer was soulless without ice.
"Since it hasn't been refrigerated, I just added some ice cubes. It'll taste better if you refrigerate it."
Yuan Tiantian explained as she gave them three cups of lemonade. The men weren't polite. It was just lemonade. They thanked her politely. But before leaving, an older middle - aged man reminded her, "Little girl, it's important to run your business, but you should also pay attention to getting along well with your neighbors."
Even after the three men's car had driven out of sight, Yuan Tiantian still stared coldly in the direction they left. She understood what the man meant. Someone among her "good neighbors" was behind today's trouble. She only had two neighbors, Aunt Qian Hua and Liu Xiaoqing. It was obvious who it was.
Yuan Tiantian was really angry this time. Even the special lemons given by the system on the official opening day couldn't make up for her bad mood.
"Just wait."
Yuan Tiantian glanced in the direction of Liu Xiaoqing's fast - food restaurant and then walked into the kitchen to continue preparing lunch. Xiuxiu had been eating well, drinking well and sleeping well with Yuan Tiantian these days. Her face seemed to have gotten a bit rounder. She was peeling garlic in the living room now.
At around 10 o'clock, Aunt Qian Hua and her daughter - in - law came to the diner. "Is there anything we can help with?"
Aunt Qian Hua thought that it would be too much for a little girl like Yuan Tiantian to handle lunch alone, so she brought her daughter - in - law to see if they could help. But when she entered the kitchen, she knew she had worried too much.
"Auntie, how can I ask guests to help when I'm treating you to a meal?"
Yuan Tiantian filled the plate with boiled shrimp, put down the spoon, and led Aunt Qian Hua and her daughter - in - law to the living room. She poured them lemonade. "Auntie, just wait for lunch."
Aunt Qian Hua originally didn't want to drink the lemonade because she was afraid of sourness. But the strong lemon fragrance in the glass in front of her made her couldn't resist. She took a small sip. The smooth and refreshing taste made her eyes widen. It wasn't sour at all.
"Wow, Xiao Yuan, your cooking skills are really top - notch!"
Aunt Qian Hua gave her a thumbs - up. Her grandson still missed that sausage and steamed rice. Today's lemonade was also amazing. It tasted much better than the drinks in the supermarket. It wasn't just Aunt Qian Hua who thought so. Xu Xia, Aunt Qian Hua's daughter - in - law, sipped it one mouthful after another with full approval on her face. She just couldn't stop.
"It's really delicious!"
Yuan Tiantian smiled, but in her heart, she thought, no wonder it's delicious. The lemons were from the system. It was written that they were special lemons produced in the Forest World. One lemon was as big as a bowl. And the ingredients in them were five times that of the lemons produced in the current world. If the system hadn't given her 10 of them this time, she really wouldn't have been willing to use them to entertain guests.
But she couldn't tell them these things. As long as they thought it was delicious.
"Drink as much as you like. There's more in the fridge. I also put some at room temperature for the kids at noon."
Kids had weak stomachs, so it was better not to give them food taken out of the fridge. Yuan Tiantian had learned some of these little knowledge points after getting pregnant, so she knew. Hearing this, Aunt Qian Hua and Xu Xia felt even more comfortable. They thought Yuan Tiantian was really considerate.
Seeing that Yuan Tiantian was still busy, the two left after finishing their lemonade. Yuan Tiantian and Xiuxiu were left in the diner, and they got busy again. The agreed lunch time was 12 noon. There was still more than an hour to go.
However, Yuan Tiantian thought that the diner might be empty on the first day. After all, it was in a remote location. Whether there would be any customers depended on the passing buses. But then she received another special guest.
"Host, please get ready. New plane guests are about to arrive."
??
Were plane guests coming to Sweetie's Diner on its official opening day?