Xie Jiang couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. Although the store's renovation was complete, they had yet to settle on the kitchen equipment.
He really couldn't expect Chen Yu to dismantle the equipment from his food cart and use it in the store.
Xie Jiang smacked his head.
"Look at me, forgetting about this. I'm afraid the tables and chairs won't be ready until tomorrow, but I have a complete set of kitchen utensils that can be installed right now!"
Without hesitation, Xie Jiang called over a few workers and moved an entire set of kitchen equipment from his store.
All kinds of pots, pans, ladles, kitchen knives, and stainless steel tables and chairs specifically for kitchen use were there in their entirety.
There was even a stainless steel insulated barrel for cooking porridge.
Whether Chen Yu could use them now or not, Xie Jiang brought them all over.
"Chen, I brought one of each of my available kitchen utensils. See what you need."
Chen Yu rubbed his hands together. He currently only had two main offerings: fried cakes and vegetable turnovers.
But in the future, the system would undoubtedly provide more skills, and these kitchen utensils would surely come in handy one day.
"Xie, I'll take them all. Name your price!"
Xie Jiang hesitated for a moment. "Chen, it looks like you're really planning to expand."
As he spoke, Xie Jiang started tapping on his calculator.
"The whole set for the kitchen comes to eight thousand yuan! You can have it for six thousand seven hundred yuan."
Chen Yu examined the kitchenware. Not only was it complete, but the quality was also excellent. Eight thousand yuan was definitely a bargain.
"Xie, did you undercharge me again?"
"We're neighbors, after all, looking out for each other! These kitchen utensils don't actually cost much. All things considered, I've already made a thousand yuan in profit. Besides, I made quite a bit from the renovation as well!"
One had to say that Xie Jiang was indeed honest, telling Chen Yu everything outright.
Chen Yu wasn't the type to fuss either, and he paid the six thousand seven hundred yuan on the spot.
"Then I'll count on you for the tables and chairs tomorrow."
"Don't worry about it! I'll be off then."
Saying this, Xie Jiang called for the workers, and they all donned their raincoats and scattered.
Chen Yu stretched his limbs and began arranging the kitchen utensils in their places.
Tong Ya was ready to step forward and help when Tang Xiaowei, leaning against him, seemed on the verge of collapsing.
Painting murals was an extremely energy and labor-intensive task.
Especially since Tang Xiaowei had finished it all in one day, she was now utterly exhausted.
Upon seeing this, Chen Yu quickly went over to support Tang Xiaowei.
"Why don't you take her home first?"
Tong Ya really wanted to stay behind like she did the day before.
Although there was nothing romantic between her and Chen Yu, the warmth of feeling like family had already become addictive to her.
But with Tang Xiaowei in such a state, he couldn't help but worry.
"Alright, then, I'll be off. You should get some sleep early after you're done!"
After expressing his concern warmly, Tong Ya helped Tang Xiaowei towards the exit.
Just as they reached the doorway, she suddenly turned back.
"Oh, and say goodnight to Tuan Tuan for me."
Chen Yu wore a smile on his face. "Of course."
Around ten o'clock at night, Chen Yu finally got the kitchen sorted out.
Pleased with his work, he closed the folding door, ready to go upstairs to sleep.
But as he passed by the mural, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Indeed, the painting was a work of deep artistry, not only exquisitely done but also vivid and lifelike.
Suddenly, Chen Yu took out his phone and transferred ten thousand yuan to Tong Ya.
"Xiaowei worked hard today, this is her labor fee. Please pass it on to her."
Tong Ya and Tang Xiaowei had long since returned home, and Tang Xiaowei had already taken a nap and woken up refreshed.
When Tong Ya saw the message, she was stunned for a moment, but she did not respond to the question.
"Are you done with your work?"
Chen Yu immediately responded, "Done, getting ready to sleep."
Tong Ya, "Tired or not?"
Chen Yu, "Not too bad, how about you?"
Tong Ya, "If you're doing okay, of course I'm not tired."
Chen Yu, "Still, you should go to sleep early."
Tong Ya, "Okay, good night."
Chen Yu, "Good night."
The short conversation left Tong Ya with a girlish sensation.
Her cheeks blushing, she sat on the bed for quite a while before transferring the money to Tang Xiaowei.
Suddenly, a sharp scream came from the living room, followed by Tang Xiaowei bursting into Tong Ya's room.
"Tong Ya, what's this about? Did you strike it rich? You sent me a red packet of ten thousand in one go."
"It's from my Chen Yu, your salary. He said you shouldn't have to work so hard for nothing!"
Tong Ya's tone carried a hint of pride, implying, see how considerate my man is.
"Aiyo, you don't even avoid mentioning him in front of me now, 'my Chen Yu.' Would you dare to say it like that in front of him?"
Tong Ya, indignant and embarrassed, "Stop it, or I'll tear your mouth apart."
Just as Tong Ya stood up, a tearing pain suddenly shot through her lower abdomen.
Only then did she remember that today was the first day of her menstrual cycle.
On the first day of her period, she always felt unbearable pain, sometimes accompanied by a high fever.
Seeing her like this, Tang Xiaowei immediately understood what was happening.
"Look at you, so caught up with your male god that you forgot about yourself!"
As she spoke, Tang Xiaowei hurriedly prepared a cup of brown sugar water for Tong Ya and also gave her a thermometer.
It had been raining outside that day, and the temperature had plummeted as a result.
Giving the extra strain Tong Ya had been under lately, a fever was inevitable.
Indeed, Tong Ya's temperature had reached 37.2 degrees.
"Oh dear, that escalated quickly," Tang Xiaowei exclaimed. "Shall I call in sick for you tomorrow?"
"No!" Tong Ya stubbornly refused. "Tomorrow's the first day of his new store's opening, I need to help out, and the child needs me."
"Oh my, my lady, the child isn't even yours, why are you so invested? Moreover, you're the one in poor shape right now."
Tong Ya's eyes were resolute, and she simply wouldn't listen to reason.
"How about this, take some medicine first. If you're fine tomorrow, we'll talk then, but if the fever doesn't subside, you'd better stay home obediently!"
A hint of grievance appeared in Tong Ya's eyes. She had grown accustomed to her days with Chen Yu.
The thought of being suddenly disconnected for an entire day was distressing for her.
At 3 a.m. the next day, Chen Yu woke up from his dreams out of habit.
He washed up quietly and tiptoed downstairs.
He took a wooden sign that was left from yesterday and wrote on it with marker, "Shop relocated to the opposite side."
Then, holding an umbrella, he hung the sign on the food cart and also switched on the festoon lights on the cart.
After completing these tasks, Chen Yu moved the tables and stools from inside the cart to the shop.
Although these were just foldable and small tables and stools, they were better than nothing.
It certainly beat leaving his spacious shop bare with nothing at all.
Heating the oil, kneading the dough, preparing the filling, Chen Yu worked fluidly and diligently.
Soon, however, he felt an emptiness in his heart, as if something were missing.