Chef Hua
Chapter 420: Episode 232 Start of Construction

Chapter 420: Episode 232 Start of Construction

Zheng Yakuai slapped his thigh upon hearing the words and said cheerfully, "What, sister-in-law, have you finally seen the light? I told you, buying the shop would be much more cost-effective than leasing! This will be easy. I will handle it for you perfectly and you won’t have to worry about a thing, but..."

He scratched his head, a bit puzzled, and said, "What do you need that woods behind for? That plot of land has the same owner as this shop, and when it was bought, I handled it too. If I remember correctly, it should be a little more than three acres—not small at all! I know your business is thriving and you’re not short on copper coins, but even with plenty to spare, you must spend money where it counts—not that I’m being nosy—I’m just saying this because I’m familiar with you and Brother Yuhuai, so don’t take it the wrong way."

He then chuckled twice.

After the land purchase, there would be a lot of miscellaneous tasks such as hiring craftsmen and starting construction, so Hua Xiaomai had no intention of keeping it hidden from him. She briefly talked about expanding the restaurant and said with a smile, "The forest is dense and at night, it becomes pitch black, quite frightening. If we fix it up nicely, customers would feel more comfortable, and wouldn’t my business be better off?"

"Oh my, tsk tsk tsk..."

Zheng Yakuai sighed repeatedly, "If I remember correctly, you opened this restaurant just last September. It hasn’t been long, and now you’re already planning to expand with such construction, you must have made a good profit. I’m truly envious, haha! Okay, since you trust me, there is no reason for me to refuse. I’ll handle it for you. Just one thing you should know—forest land and farmland are priced differently. Although the forest in question isn’t on any particularly auspicious ground, the trees inside are quite lush, and if sold as timber, they would be worth quite a sum. Therefore, the price of this plot is higher than that of top-quality dry land, going for about seventy or eighty taels!"

After mentally calculating the total price, which was not far off from what Meng Yuhuai had told her, Hua Xiaomai had a good idea of the cost. She nodded and smiled, "I am aware of this. Go and tell the owner that for the shop and the woods behind it, I will pay a total of one hundred taels. If he does not agree, there’s no need for you to try persuading him further. Simply tell him that I will continue to rent the shop according to the original lease, and I will return it to him in September. After all, there are many other places in the village, and by then, I will have to trouble you, Brother Zheng, to help me find another place."

She casually mentioned a hundred taels; a sum that she wouldn’t have dared to even think about when she first arrived at Fire Knife Village. Although it pained her slightly to part with such an amount, she also felt an inexplicable rush of exhilaration.

"Sure, leave it to me, no second words," Zheng Yakuai readily agreed, turned to see the four young men still standing obediently on the side, pointed at them with a smile and said, "Initially, you said you needed only one waiter, but now, with the restaurant expanding, why not keep all of them? You’re going to need help everywhere."

"That’s exactly what I was thinking," Hua Xiaomai also smiled, and turned to give the group another look.

After Zheng Yakuai left, she called the young men over, asked for their names, and negotiated their wages. Learning that they all lived near Fire Knife Village, she told the one named Qing You to start working at the small restaurant from that day and informed the other three to come to work once the forest was bought and ready for construction.

Within a couple of days, news came from Zheng Yakuai that the owner of the shop and forest had agreed to the one hundred taels price. Naturally, all the necessary procedures were, as usual, handled by him, without Hua Xiaomai having to worry about a thing.

The matter of the little restaurant in the eastern village planning an expansion and garden renovation spread quickly through the village.

Those who were close to Meng Yuhuai or Hua Xiaomai, such as Qiao Xiong, Grandfather Pan, Luo Yuejiao, and others, were naturally delighted for them, offering their help with open arms and saying to just ask if they were needed. However, in Fire Knife Village, there were always those prone to jealousy, who could not help murmuring among themselves and revealing a schadenfreude attitude, as if they would somehow benefit if the Meng family ended up investing without return.

Regardless, such matters were quite rare in this tiny village and certainly worth discussing at length. Whether during breaktimes or while working in the fields, people could not stop talking about it, and for a time, it became the biggest event in the village.