My restaurant connects to the demon realm, and I've become incredibly wealthy!

Chapter 9.9. Uncle Zhou and Aunt Zhou
The heated kang (a traditional heated platform bed) is very practical in some modern areas, as it is both warm and inexpensive.

Burning some firewood at home to cook a meal makes the kang (heated brick bed) warm.

"Really? That's great! If I make money from the heated kang, we'll split it between us." Old Master Gu was convinced that the heated kang would be profitable.

If a heated kang (traditional heated bed) can be built this winter, he will have work to do.

Most people don't build or renovate houses in the dead of winter, but making a living by heating a kang (a traditional heated brick bed) is a way to make money.

He's been worried about not having any business these past few days!
Bai Hu Yaoyao didn't intend to make money from this heated kang. "Grandpa Gu, you've helped my family a lot in the past, otherwise I wouldn't be alive today. It's just a blueprint, how can I take your share? I'll go draw the blueprint for you right now."

He then went upstairs.

The old man shook his head with a smile, "This child is always so impulsive."

He then started working.

After Baihu Yaoyao finished drawing the blueprints, she saw Old Master Gu leading his people in a vigorous and enthusiastic work.

After giving the blueprints to Grandpa Gu, I went to cook.

Here, you're usually provided with lunch.

She prepared the dough yesterday and planned to make large cabbage buns.

Render the pork fat you bought into lard, and then use the remaining pork fat and cabbage to make big steamed buns.

While rendering lard in the pot, I started chopping cabbage for filling.

To make more steamed buns, she chopped five cabbages at once.

To make steamed buns taste good, you need to add chopped green onions inside.

Unfortunately, there are no scallions in the seasonings here.

The few heads of garlic she used to make garlic sprouts were bought for a single copper coin when she saw someone at the pharmacy about to throw them away while she was getting medicine.

The seasonings here are pitifully scarce, no wonder the food is so bad.

Some special spices, such as ginger, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns, have been used as medicinal herbs.

"Let's go find some wild onions in the space!"

The white fox Yaoyao simply found a secluded spot and entered her spatial dimension, arriving at the mountain in an instant.

Now she knows how to use the space.

Although this space is boundless, she can go wherever she wants with just a thought.

Once you reach the mountain, you'll find fresh and tender wild vegetables everywhere.

I found a lot of wild onions and also picked a bunch of wild celery by the water.

The wild vegetables growing in the space were all incredibly fresh and tender.

Once outside the space, we arrived at the kitchen, where the lard had been rendered.

Pour the lard into a ceramic jar, mince the remaining meat and put it into the cabbage filling, then chop up some wild onions and add them in. A unique aroma will then waft out.

The buns were wrapped in no time. After the buns were proofed a second time, they were steamed. Meanwhile, I started stir-frying vegetables in another pot.

Stir-fry some hot and sour shredded potatoes, add a stir-fried pork with wild celery and garlic sprouts, slice a plate of braised pork, and add a pot of egg drop soup.

The portions she prepared were large enough for them to eat.

It was almost noon when Baihu Yaoyao called them to eat, "Grandpa Gu, the food is ready, come and eat quickly! You'll have the energy to work if you eat your fill."

The old man put down the wood he was carrying. "Oh my! You know what, I'm actually hungry! I smelled something delicious while I was working. What did Yaoyao make?"

The ancient city residents were dumbfounded when they saw the delicious-looking food on the table.

"There are still green vegetables in the middle of winter?" Gu Cheng found it unbelievable.

Their winters here are freezing cold; eating vegetables is a luxury.

Seeing such vibrant green vegetables for the first time was quite a rare sight.

Bai Hu Yaoyao smiled and said, "These are all vegetables I grow in my room. These are cabbage buns that I made. Please feel free to eat them."

She quickly changed the subject; it really wasn't easy for her to find an excuse for being a vegetable.

"Okay! I'll try it."

Grandpa Gu chuckled and took a bite of the steamed bun.

"Delicious! So delicious!" Zhu Dazhuang ate a steamed bun in two bites.

"Yaoyao, your cooking is so delicious! If you opened a restaurant, I'd eat here every day." Zhu Erzhuang was also eating with his mouth full of oil.

These are two brothers, neighbors of Grandpa Gu, who have always worked for Gu Cheng.

At first, they thought it would be too difficult for a girl to open a restaurant.

Now that I'm eating her cooking, I realize she has the confidence to run a restaurant.

I heard that Yao Yao's father made delicious food when he ran a restaurant.

There's a secret to cooking this!
Gu Cheng agreed, "That's right! If Yao Yao opens a restaurant, I'll come and eat there too, it's just so delicious."

"Okay! Come and eat when the restaurant opens."

After hearing them say the food was delicious, Baihu Yaoyao gained confidence in opening a restaurant.

It's understandable that they find her cooking delicious, given how terrible the food in this world is.

After finishing their meal, they went back to work, while the white fox Yaoyao went to the backyard.

The restaurant's backyard consists of a row of ten single-story houses and approximately fifteen acres of land.

When my father was still alive, this backyard was used to grow grains and vegetables.

The vegetables and grains grown are intended to supply the restaurant kitchens.

Later, her father died, and her mother was incapable of managing a household, so the place became a wasteland. In the dead of winter, the ground was frozen, making it difficult to grow greenhouse vegetables.

To conceal the vegetables she had taken from her space, she decided to plant some vegetables in the west room of the backyard.

She discovered that all the soil in the space was special; upon closer inspection, she could see that the soil surface shimmered with seven colors.

This is the legendary "breath soil." Just a little bit mixed into ordinary soil will guarantee that vegetables will survive.

After a busy afternoon, the soil in one room was ready, and some more soil was sprinkled on the surface.

"We're just waiting for the old man to get us the seeds."

Each box, separated by wood, was filled with soil, with only a thin layer of soil sprinkled on the surface.

This soil looks very powerful.

In order for the seeds to survive, the room also needs to be kept warm.

Two braziers were lit in the room to warm it up.

"Yaoyao, it's getting late, we'll head back now! We'll come again tomorrow," Grandpa Gu called out to the backyard.

White Fox Yaoyao came out of the room and quickly went to the front yard. "Grandpa Gu, please take care."

Those who do the work are only provided with one meal at noon; she doesn't need to worry about meals in the morning or evening.

"Hey! The world is in turmoil right now. You're just a young girl, so make sure to lock the door properly at night."

Before leaving, the old man gave her some final words of advice.

"Okay, thank you, Grandpa Gu!" White Fox Yaoyao saw them out.

Looking at the renovated areas, everything was done according to her blueprints, except for the glass.

The white fox Yaoyao rested her chin on her hand, watching the snowflakes falling outside, and wondered, "Who should we ask to make this glass?"

The materials for making glass were relatively easy to find, but no one was willing to help her make it.

"Yes! Uncle Zhou, the blacksmith, can make it for me!"

Seeing that it wasn't dark yet, the white fox Yaoyao put on her cloak, closed the door, and went to the front street.

Uncle Zhou's family has been blacksmiths for generations, and they have a large workshop. As long as you understand the glassmaking technique, making glass shouldn't be too difficult.

"Uncle Zhou, are you home?"

Bai Hu Yaoyao knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside the courtyard.

Squeak!

The door was ajar; it opened with a gentle push.

"Uncle Zhou, Aunt Zhou, are you home?"

The snow in the yard was thick, and no one had swept it; there wasn't even a footprint.

It seems that no one from Uncle Zhou's family goes out.

As soon as the white fox Yaoyao arrived at the entrance of the main room, she heard painful coughing and soft sobbing coming from inside.

"Husband, I'll go ask Yaoyao for the money right now. Her mother borrowed ten taels of silver from us and hasn't paid it back. Once we get the money back, you can go see a doctor." Aunt Zhou wiped away her tears.

The husband has been sick for a long time, and if we don't have money for treatment soon, he will die.

Uncle Zhou grabbed his wife, his voice weak and feeble, "Don't go! Brother Lu is gone, and Madam Ma has remarried. Only Yaoyao is left. We can't go and ask for money. That child has had a hard life too!"

Bai Hu Yaoyao stopped pushing the door open. The Brother Lu that Uncle Zhou mentioned should be the original owner's father.

The original owner's surname was Lu, and her name was Lu Yaoyao. Her surname was Baihu, so she was called Baihu Yaoyao.

Aunt Zhou sobbed softly, “Husband, I know that Yaoyao has had a hard time, but Ma Shi has no intention of paying back the money she borrowed from us. If you were well, I wouldn’t make things difficult for the child, but now that you are seriously ill, our business has closed down. We’ve spent all the money we had on your medical treatment, and now that your condition has worsened, how can I afford to get you medicine?”

"You're not allowed to go either."

Then came a violent coughing fit.

White Fox Yaoyao stood outside the door and sighed. Just how many people did Ma Shi borrow money from?

Besides Grandpa Gu's family, she remembered that there were two other families who owed money, and now the Zhou family has also appeared.

"Uncle Zhou, Aunt Zhou, I've come to return the money to you."

These people have all treated the original owner well; we can't let them down.

In this day and age, anyone who lends you money is a good person.

Now that she has the money, she should pay it back as soon as possible.

Upon seeing that it was Bai Hu Yaoyao, Uncle Zhou forced himself to sit up.

"Yaoyao's here! Quickly sit down and warm up! Why did you come out in this cold weather? I've been sick these past few days and haven't been able to visit you. If you're out of food, just come to our house and ask Aunt Zhou to get you some food."

"Hurry up and get Yaoyao some food," Uncle Zhou urged his wife.

White Fox Yaoyao quickly waved her hand, saying that Uncle Zhou's family was clearly struggling, so how could she take their food?

"Uncle Zhou and Aunt Zhou, no need, no need! I've come today to repay you. My mother borrowed ten taels of silver from you, and now that I have the money, I've come to pay you back."

He took out ten taels of silver and put it into Aunt Zhou's hand.

Aunt Zhou was a little embarrassed. "Yaoyao! I didn't mean to ask you for money. A few days ago I went to ask your mother for money, but she said that if I wanted money, I should just ask you. I wouldn't have asked you for money if I hadn't really had no other choice! Since you've brought the money, I'll accept it. Your Uncle Zhou still needs medicine. Wait here, I'll go get some food for you."

He then went to get the grain.

Bai Hu Yaoyao secretly rolled her eyes; her mother was truly shameless.

She didn't spend a single penny of the money she borrowed on herself, but when it came to repaying the money, they came to her.
Fortunately, she now has the money to pay it back.

If she were still the original owner, wouldn't she be forced to die again if she couldn't pay back the money?
Baihu Yaoyao quickly grabbed Aunt Zhou, "Aunt Zhou, there's no need to get food. I have money to buy grain now. I see Uncle Zhou has a cold, right? I have some medicine for colds here. Why don't you let Uncle Zhou drink it first?"

She may not be a doctor, but with ginseng fruit, curing a cold or flu is a piece of cake.
(End of this chapter)