I Bacame the Mother of His Child-Chapter 98 - 97: Big Sister Wants to Open a Shop

"Xiuxiu, I heard from our second sister that she occasionally contacts you, and she said you’re doing pretty well in Z city? Seems like you even opened a restaurant, right? Tell your elder sister, does your restaurant make money? Can you make several hundred dollars a month?" Lunch had just started, and Xu Fangfang remembered why she returned home. Initially feeling a bit embarrassed to ask, seeing the expensive coat Xu Xiuxiu wore that made her look just like a city dweller, Xu Fangfang couldn’t help starting to carefully probe.

She’d never even worn a coat in her entire life!

"The restaurant business is okay, it earns just hundreds of dollars! Because the initial investment for the restaurant was quite substantial, it has only recently started breaking even, despite being fairly stable right now. Plus, I have to provide food and accommodation for the staff, and the cost of living and rent in Z city aren’t cheap either, so there’s actually not much money left over for me!" Xu Xiuxiu didn’t know what Xu Fangfang was plotting, naturally responding vaguely and, while answering, mischievously picked up a small piece of green pepper from the stir-fried pork to let Song Chengguang have a taste. It wasn’t very spicy, but the little guy still scrunched up his face and shrank his neck, which was amusing.

"Really that much? Can you make several hundred a month?" Xu Fangfang’s eyes almost popped out, clutching her chopsticks in disbelief. She thought the second sister was showing off to annoy her. Could it be that Xiuxiu was really making a decent amount of money? It was indeed possible, otherwise, who would spend so much on a coat. Looking at her nephew who clearly wore no cheap clothes, Xu Fangfang’s eyes reddened with envy, then turned to her son who couldn’t stop stuffing his mouth with the delicious food on the table, feeling suddenly distressed. Why was her son so captivated by the good food? If not for poverty, he wouldn’t be this hungry for meat he hadn’t tasted for months, and now he couldn’t stop eating once he had the chance!

Xu Fangfang’s excitement was too obvious, causing Xu Xiuxiu’s eyebrows to instinctively furrow, "The costs of running a restaurant in Z city are numerous, and while several hundred might sound like a lot, there’s not much left once everything is settled at the end of the month. For Z city, that’s just average, and living expenses there subtract a lot from the earnings." In fact, the monthly profits from Sichuan Pavilion had already exceeded Xu Xiuxiu’s expectations, and she had already become a bit of a wealthy woman. In the early ’80s, she was one of the very few who could be considered a ten thousand yuan household.

However, seeing how keen her elder sister Xu Fangfang was in asking, Xu Xiuxiu naturally had no intention of revealing the whole truth, even deliberately downplaying her earnings. Little did she expect that this would still pique Xu Fangfang’s interest.

"Xiuxiu, you know your elder sister isn’t very capable, and unlike you and Si Ya, I haven’t had an education, and your elder brother-in-law isn’t very skilled either. Now Doudou is growing up, and we’ve got a pile of debt as well as his schooling to pay for, you see? Could you help your elder sister out? During this period, I want to raise several hundred yuan to go to Z city and open a large restaurant. Your elder brother-in-law is good at cooking, isn’t he? He’s often called upon in the village to cook for weddings and funerals, so I think we wouldn’t lack customers. You’re talented and have experience in this area, could you give me some advice? Help your elder sister find a place in Z city, how about that?" Xu Fangfang set down her utensils and asked Xu Xiuxiu for help.

Xu Fangfang wants to open a restaurant in Z city too? And she wants my help to find a location?

"How much money can you put together, elder sister?" Xu Xiuxiu saw Xu Fangfang speaking cautiously, but she still couldn’t hide that superior attitude of ’I am your older sister, so it’s only natural for you as the younger sister to help out.’

Honestly, Xu Xiuxiu didn’t want to agree, but they were sisters after all, and this was their family home! When Elder Sister Xu Fangfang brought up the request for help at this juncture, it was really just a ploy to win sympathy from the elderly parents of the Xu Family. Mr. Xu and Mrs. Xu had always felt guilty towards their eldest daughter Xu Fangfang, and now that she was asking Xu Xiuxiu for help, they would certainly try to put in a good word. novelbuddy.cσ๓

Xu Fangfang’s plan was quite calculating. She thought that Xu Xiuxiu would agree because it would be difficult to refuse, but the more Xu Fangfang planned, the less Xu Xiuxiu wanted to help. She didn’t like her elder sister using such scheming tactics to get her help, all while maintaining an attitude that she was owed this help.

"300 yuan! That’s what your elder brother-in-law and I managed to borrow after going around. It should be enough to start a restaurant in Z city, right?" Xu Fangfang’s eyes flitted, having heard from her second younger sister about the restaurant she had opened in Z city, and she was somewhat tempted. That’s why before returning to her family home, she had made a point of specifically inquiring about some small restaurants in the county. The monthly rent for a small restaurant in the county was only tens of yuan, and although Z city was bigger than the county, 300 yuan should still be enough to start a small restaurant, right?

Xu Fangfang thought well and had done some preliminary research, but she clearly didn’t understand the disparity between municipal and county levels. That 300 yuan was practically useless in Z city now. Back when Sichuan Pavilion was just starting, it was because Chen Hualong rented it to Xu Xiuxiu at a cheap rate, otherwise, with a thousand or so yuan, one couldn’t even dream of establishing a Sichuan Pavilion. The construction team and such were only possible thanks to Song Yuanhuan’s connections and favors, barely managing to open for business. But now, Xu Fangfang was considering 300 yuan a significant amount of money and was directly asking her for help to find a premises to open a shop. Xu Xiuxiu knew she was not capable of that.

"Elder sister, rental fees for shops in Z city are very high, 300 yuan I’m afraid won’t cover even two months’ rent," Xu Xiuxiu didn’t want to dash Xu Fangfang’s dreams of getting rich, but she also didn’t want to bring trouble upon herself. This elder sister had never been easy to deal with. And now, without any pressing matters, she was visiting home – if just bringing two bottles of wine seemed insincere, there needed to be an excuse to diminish her intentions and to play the sympathy card in front of their parents, claiming how unlike Sanya and Si Ya who are educated and capable, she had no such advantage. Was she not implying that Xu Xiuxiu wasn’t well-educated? Xu Xiuxiu chose not to take issue with this, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t feel Xu Fangfang’s malice.

"Are you trying to bluff your elder sister, Xiuxiu?" Xu Fangfang obviously didn’t believe it and looked sarcastically at Xu Xiuxiu with a dark expression, thinking Xu Xiuxiu was making up excuses because she didn’t want to help.

"There’s nothing I can do if Elder Sister doesn’t believe me. The rental prices for shops in Z city really are that expensive," Xu Xiuxiu shrugged and didn’t plan to say more. She dropped her gaze and continued to feed Song Chengguang, occasionally adding some vegetables for the little guy, who hesitantly grabbed them with his chopsticks but still managed to eat them all up.

Xu Fangfang stared at Xu Xiuxiu in silence for a moment, and the atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly turned awkward. Mr. Xu and Mrs. Xu exchanged glances, just about to speak up to persuade their third daughter. These were all sisters – when one family member is in trouble, the others should help. The third daughter is somewhat capable now, so there’s no harm in giving the eldest daughter a lift. The elders were about to speak when Xu Fangfang addressed Xu Xiuxiu again.