Food Supplements - Chapter 17

Spring was in full bloom by May. Everywhere was awash in brilliant colors, and the weather had grown warmer and more pleasant. The bright sunlight felt comfortably warm on the skin without yet carrying summer’s scorching intensity, making it the perfect season for strolling outdoors.

So as Qin Cheng walked slowly through the bustling streets under the sunshine, her expression was relaxed and content.

Like an unhurried bird circling in search of a nesting place, she wandered around carefully, looking for the perfect spot to build a home of her own.

As expected, her plan to open a shop received everyone’s approval. Mother Qin had already been considering something similar, and even the landlady, after overhearing the discussion, voiced her support. She believed that a drink shop emphasizing health would appeal to modern customers. Besides, the fruit supplied through Qin Cheng’s source was genuinely sweet and excellent.

Once ingredients were processed into finished products, their selling price naturally increased. The profit from selling fruit directly could not compare with that from selling juice and beverages. So as long as the location was suitable, even if the shop did not become wildly profitable, its prospects were still worth looking forward to.

After hearing the landlady’s analysis, Mother Qin nodded repeatedly with a cheerful smile, as though she had swallowed a pill of reassurance. She encouraged Qin Cheng to proceed boldly.

Qin Cheng naturally agreed without hesitation. Aside from the advantages they had mentioned openly, she had calculations of her own.

First, even if it did not make a fortune, the shop’s prospects were actually far better than the landlady imagined. After all, Qin Cheng herself was the primary supplier. Even if she purchased some ordinary fruit to avoid attracting suspicion, her net profit would still be far higher than that of a normal shop.

Second, even if the lakeside crops contained anything suspicious, they would be cut into pieces or pressed into juice after processing. Even if one of the drinks occasionally fell into the hands of an expert or scholar, they would probably be unable to identify anything unusual.

This way, she could ensure safety while reassuring her mother. It was already a solution that satisfied both sides.

More importantly, however, there was another fundamental task and purpose behind the plan.

That was also why she insisted on choosing the location alone.

As a lifelong local resident, the landlady had enthusiastically recommended several areas. None were especially famous, but they all received solid foot traffic.

Qin Cheng politely declined every one of them.

Her ideal shop did not need to be large or occupy a particularly good location. Even higher rent would not matter.

There was only one absolute requirement.

It had to be within walking distance of a certain company.

Delivery services were highly developed now, but Jiang Rong generally preferred to handle important errands herself just in case. That made the location especially important.

Those nearest the water enjoyed the moonlight first.

Except Qin Cheng was not trying to secretly receive anything.

She wanted to quietly give.

After that condition was satisfied, she could think about whether the shop earned money.

Ideally, it still needed to make at least a little profit. Otherwise, her mother would not feel reassured.

For these purposes, and for those two people, even if she had to use the several hundred thousand yuan as start-up capital, she would accept being shameless.

After considering everything and spending roughly five or six days searching, Qin Cheng finally selected a relatively ideal location.

It stood between a cluster of office buildings and a commercial street, near the food street she often visited.

The district itself was lively, but the shop did not directly face the street. It was tucked inside a small lane behind a Western restaurant, around seven or eight meters from the main road.

The lane was clean and tidy, with flower beds along the sides that gave it a touch of elegance.

Seven or eight meters was not far, but whether a shop directly faced the street made an enormous difference to business.

The twenty-something-square-meter unit had originally been a noodle shop offering affordable meals. It had actually been quite decent, but there were too many alternatives nearby. Shops hidden away from the street were often the easiest to overlook.

After holding on for several years, the noodle shop eventually closed.

Qin Cheng had eaten there several times and had sighed when she saw the notice that it was shutting down and available for lease.

Now, however, it entered her shortlist.

After repeatedly comparing it with several other options, she decided that it had the highest overall score. She copied down the owner’s contact information and prepared to negotiate further.

The negotiations went smoothly.

Unexpectedly, the main person responsible for bargaining was neither Qin Cheng nor Mother Qin.

The landlady volunteered to accompany them and fully displayed both her shrewd calculating nature and her advantage as a local.

She chatted, persuaded, haggled, and wore down the shop owner until the original monthly rent of ten thousand yuan was reduced to eight thousand.

The current month would also be free, with rent beginning only from the following month.

Even though the shop did not directly face the street, it was still in a prosperous area beside a commercial district. These terms were already excellent.

The two sides reached an agreement on the spot, drafted the contract, paid three months’ rent with one month’s deposit, and signed a two-year lease.

Two years did not sound very long, but it was long enough for the world to change.

As Qin Cheng put pen to paper, she felt slightly dazed.

At the beginning of April, she never could have imagined that by early May, she would be signing a contract containing plans for the next two years of her life.

Once the arrow was loosed, there was no turning back.

She could only hope everything went smoothly.

At the very least, she hoped her family and that woman would both be well.

After securing the shop, there followed an endless series of tedious preparations.

Although no rent was due for the current month, the shop could not earn money yet either. Planning the renovation and purchasing equipment alone made opening by the following month a tight schedule.

On top of that, there were various licenses, applications, and health certificates to handle.

Speaking of the health certificate, Qin Cheng had initially felt uncertain.

She truly was ill, after all.

Only after looking into the requirements and learning that the certificate generally focused on contagious and acute conditions did she relax somewhat, though she still felt uneasy.

Unexpectedly, the actual process was easier than she imagined.

The landlady took charge of the various licenses and certificates as well.

In a society built on personal connections, such matters were indeed easier for a deeply rooted local resident to handle.

The applications were approved one after another with surprising smoothness, far less troublesome than expected.

To be honest, the landlady’s enthusiasm seemed slightly suspicious.

At least Qin Cheng found it suspicious.

But she had no time to think about it because she personally supervised the shop’s renovation. Even with hired workers, she needed to keep a constant eye on everything.

A shop of more than twenty square meters should have been more than sufficient for a drink business, especially since it did not require the kind of kitchen used by a noodle shop.

Yet under Qin Cheng’s personal design, it not only had a kitchen but also a partitioned restroom.

After accounting for the preparation counter and service counter, the only remaining space for customers was a single long table against the opposite wall, rather like a narrow bar.

Mother Qin thought the design was inappropriate at one point.

The working area was certainly spacious and comfortable, but customers had nowhere to sit face-to-face.

Qin Cheng confidently argued that a drink shop did not need so many seats. Naturally, priority should be given to the comfort of those working inside all day.

At the very least, they should not have to run to a public restroom outside whenever nature called.

The daughter ultimately won the debate because the landlady, who came after hearing the discussion, sided entirely with her and expressed one hundred and twenty percent approval of the design.

One hundred and twenty percent approval, indeed.

At the same time, however, Qin Cheng noticed that the older woman seemed to be holding something back.

Whatever it was, the landlady did not say, so Qin Cheng did not ask.

The landlady remained hesitant and silent.

Mother Qin, on the other hand, soon had something to say.

Because Qin Cheng had to supervise the renovation and purchase equipment, she traveled back and forth almost every day.

Taking taxis repeatedly was impractical, so she relied on public transportation.

Her current residence and the shop were far apart. The round trip took around three hours.

Even an ordinary person would find it tiring. For someone like Qin Cheng, the drain was far greater.

Over the following days, the small amount of flesh she had painstakingly gained gradually disappeared from her face again.

Naturally, her mother became anxious.

So when, more than ten days later, Mother Qin pulled her aside and asked whether there were any inexpensive rental rooms near the shop, Qin Cheng had already expected the question.

“If I move out, what are you planning to do?” she asked with a smile. “Will you move there with me, or stay here?”

“I…”

Mother Qin hesitated.

“As for me, I don’t mind traveling between both places. I can go over occasionally to help you.”

This answer was also almost exactly what Qin Cheng expected.

Her mother worried about her daughter, but she could not abandon the promise she had made to help cook for the landlady’s daughter.

Only a month had passed. She would never feel comfortable moving away herself.

But allowing Qin Cheng to live closer to the shop was acceptable.

In truth, this arrangement also suited Qin Cheng perfectly.

A new shop was unlikely to be overwhelmed with customers at first, so she could probably manage it alone.

And if she lived by herself, her efficiency in every area would increase enormously.

At the very least, she could safely spend eight hours of sleep beside the lake each day.

With the time difference, eight hours would be nothing.

She could sleep for a full twelve hours without worrying about being late and complete every preparation at a leisurely pace.

How comfortable that would be.

She could think this way, but she could not suggest it herself.

She did not want her mother to become suspicious or feel torn.

It was far better for Mother Qin to reach the decision independently.

All Qin Cheng needed to do was naturally agree.

Once mother and daughter reached an understanding, the only remaining matter was informing the landlady.

Qin Cheng had assumed the older woman would be unhappy.

Even if only Qin Cheng moved away, it meant Mother Qin’s attention would be divided, and the house would no longer be as lively as before.

For someone who desperately wanted her daughter to interact with more people, this was hardly good news.

Yet when Qin Cheng privately explained the arrangement, the landlady merely froze for a moment, asked a few additional questions, then readily agreed without the slightest reluctance.

However, after agreeing, she once again displayed that subtle expression of wanting to say something but holding back.

“Auntie, is something bothering you?” Qin Cheng asked this time instead of remaining silent, smiling encouragingly.

“Go ahead and tell me. Let me guess—does it have something to do with Nuonuo?”

Honestly, the only person who could make such a shrewd and capable mother hesitate repeatedly was probably the daughter who consumed all her concern and effort.

Once Qin Cheng pointed it out, the landlady stopped wavering and directly revealed what she wanted.

As expected, it concerned Nuonuo.

She wanted to ask whether her daughter could try helping at Qin Cheng’s shop.

“To be honest, Auntie has observed that shop. It’s peaceful despite being in a lively area. That might not be ideal for business, but for someone afraid of noise, it’s quite suitable. And you’ll be there. We know you well, and Nuonuo trusts you…”

Once the landlady began speaking, she could not stop, as though countless thoughts were tangled inside her.

“Auntie, wait a moment. Have you discussed this with Nuonuo? Is she willing?” Qin Cheng patted the older woman’s hand reassuringly. “And she… does have a condition, doesn’t she? Would this be suitable?”

“When she was young, her autism was actually very mild. She could go outside and communicate with people a little… until later, when she witnessed what happened to her father with her own eyes…”

The usually cheerful landlady choked up at this point.

After taking a moment to steady herself, she continued.

“Since meeting you and your mother, she’s gradually improved. When I took her for a checkup last time, the doctor said her condition was quite good. Then you happened to say you wanted to open a shop, so I started thinking…”

“In the end, no matter how much I worry, I can’t stay with her forever. If she could communicate normally with people, or even enter society, then I would…”

“Don’t worry. We only need to try. I’ll pay her wages myself. Since Auntie has helped you a little, could you—”

“Auntie, what are you saying?” Qin Cheng put on a stern face before smiling.

“Either I don’t hire an assistant, or if I do, they’ll be a proper employee. I’m not interested in pretending.”

“So whether she can do it will depend on training and assessment first. What do you think?”

Naturally, the first stage of assessment was for the shop owner and potential employee to meet and discuss whether she wanted the job.

In this case, however, the owner took the initiative to approach the employee.

Qin Cheng did not say much.

She showed Nuonuo several photographs of the nearly finished shop and asked whether she was willing to help there and what kinds of tasks she might do.

“Your mother will take you there and bring you home. Business may not be good at the beginning, so you’ll mostly help me pass things, watch the shop, or deal with customers at the counter.”

“You can ask what they want, give it to them, and collect payment.”

“It’s all right if you don’t understand. I’ll teach you slowly.”

“The important question is: do you dare to do it?”

Qin Cheng spoke casually.

She neither encouraged nor pressured her.

From beginning to end, she did not mention the landlady’s wishes.

After a long while, the eighteen-year-old young woman looked out the window and gently nodded.

“All right. Starting today, you’ll begin training, and I’m Qin Cheng, the boss responsible for training you.”

Qin Cheng extended her hand and waited.

It was the formal kind of handshake seen on television.

The young woman hesitated, then timidly placed her hand in hers.

“Boss… Qin?” she called uncertainly.

Qin Cheng burst out laughing.

“Forget it. You should just call me Sister Qin.”

Faced with the girl’s confused gaze, she struggled to suppress her laughter and maintain the seriousness of the moment.

Then she asked, “What’s your full name, anyway? I’ve never heard it. It can’t actually be Ruan Nuonuo, can it?”

“Huh? My surname isn’t Ruan… I-I’m Zhou Nuonuo.”

“Zhou Nuonuo? Zhou as in porridge?”

“Zhou from ‘Zhou, Wu, Zheng, Wang.’ Zhou.”

Through the question and answer, their conversation gradually became smoother and more natural.

And so, the little shop that would carry plans for the next two years came to hold another person’s hope and wish as well.