Crossing Over to Yamada Love

As Mo Lan pushed the bowl forward, she kept her eyes fixed on Cui Hui's hand. When she saw Cui Hui about to catch the bowl, she suddenly let go!

The bowl rolled off Cui's hand and onto the ground, as if Cui had deliberately pushed it away.

The large bowl was quite sturdy; it didn't break even after rolling around, but the soup and other dishes spilled all over the floor.

"Oh, Auntie, if you don't want it, just say so! Why are you pushing it away?" Mo Lan was extremely aggrieved and almost cried.

Pointing to the soup on the ground, she continued angrily, "You ate so much, and I've worked all day and haven't eaten a single bite! How can you waste food like this? This is all good stuff!"

"You brat, it was you who let go before I could hold it properly, and you still blame me? Where did you learn to lie without batting an eye?" Madam Cui was so angry that her nose almost twisted.

"Lan'er, ignore her. If she doesn't want it, that's fine. We won't give it to her anymore. What are you all standing here for? Go back now." Chen Moshi pulled Mo Lan away and told Cui Shi and the others to leave.

“I’m not leaving yet, I haven’t returned the bowl. I’ll leave after I return it.” Cui insisted on returning the bowl.

"Haven't you made enough of a scene! If you're not coming back today, don't come back at all, and don't ever come back again." Mo Jin had been chatting with Mo Quan, Qiu Shi, and the others in the front. After chatting for a while, he thought he'd come over to check on his wife and daughter-in-law, worried they might say something inappropriate. But when he entered the backyard, he saw this farce, and he was furious. His elder brother's family was hosting guests today, and Changhe had invited him, the uncle. He had shamelessly come, having specifically told them not to come, but they had shown up for lunch anyway, and now they were being incredibly picky.

After he finished speaking, he turned around and stormed off.

Seeing him leave, Madam Feng pouted and muttered, "All you do is get angry all the time. Don't you ever think about who you're doing it for? Let's go! We can't afford their meatballs, so let's not bother them here."

Knowing that she wouldn't get any food if she kept arguing, Feng turned and left.

After seeing everyone off and finishing their meal, it was almost four o'clock in the afternoon. After tidying up, they chatted for a while to settle Mo Lan's maternal grandparents and two cousins ​​in. Then, the rest of the people went home.

Mr. and Mrs. Qiu were worried that the Mo Lan family wouldn't be able to handle the opening of the shop tomorrow, so they stayed to help them. Qiu Dajun would stay at Mo Lan's house from now on to help with errands, odd jobs, and greeting customers. Qiu Erjun also stayed because Mo Lan's second aunt wanted him to stay and help out, so they agreed. Anyway, they were building a lot of houses, so there would be enough room for more people.

Everyone got up early and started preparing. Today's steamed buns had a variety of fillings: beef, pork, vegetarian, zucchini and egg, bell pepper and pickled cabbage, bell pepper and eggplant. They made a little of each kind so people could choose what they wanted.

Mo Lan watched her grandmother prepare the eggs. She heated the oil in the pan and slowly poured the eggs in, stirring them with chopsticks as she poured. The result was thin, delicate egg strands, golden brown in color and smelling delicious. She paired them with zucchini to make steamed buns, which tasted very refreshing.

The steamed buns were steamed, and Mo Lan went to make her pickled vegetables. The cucumbers had been pressed overnight, and now most of the moisture had been drained. She poured them from the mesh bag into a bowl, added some sugar and chili oil, and they tasted refreshing and crisp. They were a great accompaniment to the steamed buns and porridge.

The pickled vegetables are ready, now it's time to prepare the side dishes. The Mo family's side dishes are now famous, and apart from the two stewards, the remaining craftsmen often pool their money to buy a serving in groups of four or five.

Fry some eggplant and green beans, then toss them together like a cold dish at a dog meat restaurant. Once it's mixed, leave it there, and if someone wants some, just give them a plate.

Next, we had a plate of cucumber salad with pig's ears. This dish is quite filling and everyone loves it, so Mo Lan made a large plateful.

The sight of thinly sliced, dark brown beef and delicate red chili peppers in this cold beef salad is mouthwatering. Mo Lan first ate this dish at a modern dog meat restaurant and, after liking it, started buying beef to make it herself. The method isn't difficult: first, boil the beef, let it cool slightly, then shred it by hand into thin strips. Next, sun-dry it to remove excess moisture. Finally, top it with red chili pepper strips and it's ready to eat.

After preparing a few appetizers, Mo Lan started peeling potatoes. She planned to fry a lot of potato slices today to give to the customers as a new treat, as a kind of opening bonus.

"Mother, these potato slices must be cut a little thinner, and don't wash them after cutting, otherwise they won't be crispy when fried," Mo Lan instructed Qiu Shi, who was cutting potatoes.

"You're always so talkative, Mother knows it all." Qiu glared at her daughter, but her eyes were full of affection.

It was almost noon, and two batches of steamed buns had already been made. Mo Lan couldn't resist running to the gate to check. To her surprise, she found quite a few people from the village standing there, unsure whether they were there because they hadn't prepared a meal or were just there to watch the excitement.

She smiled at everyone, and someone asked her, "Lanlan, do you get any customers at your shop? If no one comes on time, your business will go bankrupt."

"Hehe, it's not lunchtime yet, is it? I reckon some people will be here soon. Why don't you uncles and aunties come in and have something to eat?" Mo Lan replied. She noticed that there were a few older women watching the commotion, and she wondered why they weren't going home to cook and were instead watching the excitement.

"Do you need money? If not, we'll all go eat!" The old woman didn't pretend and asked directly.

“Auntie, all the money we make from opening this shop belongs to others. If we lose money in the future, we will have to pay off the debt. I don’t want your money, but if we lose money in the future, can you uncles and aunts help us pay out?” Mo Lan wasn’t angry. She asked softly, knowing that there were probably many freeloaders among these onlookers.

"Why should we pay you? You're so stingy. What's wrong with eating at your place? You treated so many people to a meal yesterday." A man muttered with a sneer. He was heartbroken that he hadn't been treated yesterday. He couldn't sleep at night because he didn't get a share of all the good food.

"How about we pay on credit? Or I can eat at your house every day and settle the bill once a year?" A man with a slight limp touched his nose with his sleeve and asked Mo Lan.

"Uncle Cripple, our shop doesn't offer credit. It's all cash. We have to give customers an account every day," Mo Lan replied with a smile, then ignored their chatter.

Soon Mo Lan saw the craftsmen coming in twos and threes. Mo Lan was very excited and hurriedly called out, "Father, Uncle, Brother Dajun, are you all ready? They're here."

As I called her name, I ran into the shop. She nodded at the clean bowls and chopsticks on the table, ran over and put some pickled vegetables into the small bowls and plates. When people came, I would put a small plate on each table.

People came in one after another, all shouting for steamed buns and soup. The men from the Mo family, along with the Qiu brothers, got busy.

Mo Lan went to the kitchen at the back and brought out a tray with four plates of potato slices on it. The plates weren't big; one large potato could probably fit on two or three plates. She stood on tiptoe and served a plate to everyone on a table, saying it was for the first day of business and she was giving them away for everyone to eat.

Who wouldn't be happy to eat something for free, especially when it's deep-fried and sprinkled with a little salt, making it crispy and crunchy?

"Lanwa, this is too little! I only ate a few pieces and then I couldn't poop. Can you give me another plate?" shouted the dark-faced man who had the conflict with the Mo Lan family last time. His name was Niu Dazhuang, and he was now a loyal customer of the Mo Lan family.

"Uncle Niu, for the first three days of opening, we've been giving away a plate of potato slices and pickled vegetables to every table. Uncle Niu, do the math, how much money am I even making?" Mo Lan's voice was crisp, and she had a smile on her face, making her look very cute.

"Haha, Lanwa'er is right. If everyone ate free food, your shop would go bankrupt. Uncle Niu, no need for that, just give me another steamed bun." Niu Dazhuang laughed heartily twice and started eating the steamed bun.

Mo Lan arranged for Steward Qin and Steward Zhang to sit in a small cubicle. Both of them nodded in satisfaction, ordered two side dishes, and began to eat.

For three consecutive days, the Mo family's business was very good. Not only did the steamed buns sell out, but the side dishes also sold well. Compared to steamed buns, the side dishes had a higher profit margin, so although they were tired every day, the Mo family was very happy to see the money they earned each day.

That day, Mo Lan had just gone to the door when she saw a carriage coming from the construction site. It looked like it belonged to the Xue brothers. Mo Lan hurriedly ran back to the kitchen to get busy.

"Lanlan, three young masters have arrived. I asked them what they wanted to eat, and they said they wanted you to arrange it. How do I arrange that?" Mo Lan, who was busy at work, heard Qiu Dajun running up to her from the front.

"Brother Dajun, just pour them some water. I'll take their food over in a bit." Mo Lan smiled and continued preparing her dishes.

Xue Lingfeng, Xue Lingyun, and the chubby Xue Linglei were sitting in a small cubicle, looking around the shop. They all nodded in approval. Although they didn't have high hopes for the shop, it was clean and bright, which was rare in this place. The bowls and chopsticks on the table were neatly arranged and very clean, which was pleasing to the eye.

Behind the counter, Mo Changhai had a fair complexion and looked approachable. Mo Changhe was upright and kind. The waiter was also clever. Although their clothes were made of ordinary material, they were all clean and tidy, which made people feel good about them.

"Fifth Brother, Seventh Brother, I heard from Steward Qin that Lanlan's family has good food. I wonder what she will serve us later? Will she just use the wild vegetables she made for us last time?" The chubby Xue Linglei was full of curiosity. Today, Fifth Brother was supposed to come and check on the progress of the courtyard, but he insisted on coming along. Seventh Brother came along since he had nothing to do. He was very curious about what the girl would prepare for them.

Xue Lingfeng glanced at him but didn't say anything, while Xue Lingyun smiled slightly and said, "Don't be impatient, Xiao Shi, you'll find out soon enough."