By the time the first round of teaching concluded, the sky was already getting dark. Although everyone had been tasting the drinks, they were just filling their stomachs with liquid.
Hearing a faint GRUMBLE from Dong’s stomach beside him, Li Xiao slapped his forehead as realization finally dawned on him. Everyone had been so absorbed in their practice that no one had even thought about lunch. It was already nearing five-thirty; if they didn’t eat soon, they would be starving.
Li Xiao quickly clapped his hands to grab the attention of the group, who were still earnestly practicing. "Alright, it’s getting late, and everyone has worked very hard today," he announced.
"But it’s already five-thirty. If we don’t eat now, our bodies won’t be able to handle it.
"Everyone, put down what you’re doing. Since this is my first time meeting you all and I didn’t bring any gifts, how about I treat you all to a good meal?"
Hearing that they were going to get a good meal, many of the kids’ faces lit up with joy. Some of the more food-motivated ones even clapped their hands happily.
Li Xiao then turned to Huang Cuilian and Wenchu People, offering a polite invitation. "You two should come along as well. After all, I can’t look after this many kids by myself."
Of course, he only said that to prevent them from politely declining out of courtesy. Having spent the whole day with the children, Li Xiao had grown familiar with them. While they had some cognitive disabilities, their overall mental capacity was around that of a seven- or eight-year-old. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to handle the work at the shop.
Hearing Li Xiao’s invitation and seeing the hopeful looks in the children’s eyes, the two women had no intention of refusing. After all, they had seen with their own eyes the bank balance of over ten million that Li Xiao had displayed earlier.
After a moment of thought, Wenchu People spoke up first. "Alright, if Big Boss Li is treating, I certainly can’t refuse."
Having busied themselves all day, everyone was actually starving, but they hadn’t noticed because they were too focused on practicing. Now that it was brought up, they immediately felt their stomachs GROWLING.
With everyone pitching in, the shop was tidied up in no time. Taking advantage of this brief window, Li Xiao called a seven-seater Didi ride. Although he had driven here, his car was only a five-seater, making it impossible to take everyone. Wenchu People also contacted the children’s families one by one, making sure to inform them that the new boss was taking the kids out for dinner.
After loading Wenchu People’s scooter into the trunk, the two cars soon headed toward their destination.
Twenty minutes later, the two vehicles pulled over by the side of the road. Looking at the antique-style building in front of her, Wenchu People was taken aback. Although she had never been here, she had heard her friends mention it in passing.
"Jiuhe Garden? Li Xiao, won’t this place be too expensive?" she asked. "How about we change to a different restaurant?"
She knew Li Xiao was wealthy, but she also knew this private kitchen was notoriously pricey. She had assumed his idea of a "good meal" meant going to a nice restaurant that cost two or three hundred yuan per person. She never expected that it meant coming to a high-end private kitchen where the average cost was over a thousand yuan per head.
However, a moment later, realization dawned on her. A meal costing two to three hundred yuan per person was indeed nice—but only for an ordinary working-class person like herself. Li Xiao was someone who casually kept ten million in a single bank account. He probably wouldn’t even bat an eye at those moderately priced restaurants on a normal day, let alone consider them a "good meal."
Understanding this, a sudden wave of disappointment crept into Wenchu People’s heart. She didn’t know why she felt let down. It just seemed to her that the distance between her and this bright-smiling, amiable young man had suddenly widened into a vast gulf.
Li Xiao waved his hand dismissively. "I’m quite familiar with the head chef of this restaurant.
"I’ve already ordered our meal with him. Even if we change places now, I can’t get a refund."
He specifically lowered his voice before continuing, "Besides, the service at this private kitchen is excellent.
"I’ve already told them about the kids’ condition. If we eat here, they definitely won’t be treated any differently."
Hearing this, Wenchu People swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue. She had taken the children out before. Even though the servers and owners of those restaurants hadn’t said anything explicitly, their disdainful looks and expressions made it clear they didn’t want to serve these poor kids.
Thinking of this, Wenchu People nodded. "Alright then. I’ll thank Boss Li on behalf of the children!"
Li Xiao waved his hand again. "If you see me as a friend, there’s no need to be so polite.
"Just call me by my name."
Chatting and laughing, the two led the children to the entrance. Because they had been notified in advance, there were four hostesses standing at the door this time instead of the usual two. Hostesses were the face of a restaurant, and those at a high-end private kitchen like Jiuhe Garden were naturally well-trained. The four women politely welcomed the group and escorted them to their reserved private dining room.
After confirming that no one had any dietary restrictions, Li Xiao quickly finalized their order.
The food and service at Jiuhe Garden were as impressive as ever. There were no unpleasant surprises this time; the quality of every single dish was beyond excellent.
Eating such delicious food and experiencing the attentive care of the hostesses, the group of children was clearly overjoyed. None of them had ever been to such an upscale private kitchen before, much less tasted anything this good. But most importantly, the pretty ladies were all extremely kind to them. Even though the children had cognitive defects, they could perfectly distinguish whether someone was treating them well or not.
The meal was a resounding success for both host and guests. Seeing the satisfied expressions on the children’s faces, Li Xiao felt incredibly happy too.
After dropping the children off at their respective homes one by one, Li Xiao finally returned to the university. It wasn’t until he had washed up to relieve his fatigue that he took out his phone to plan his upcoming work.
It would take at least a few more days before the Xihan’er Milk Tea Shop could resume operations. After all, the children’s learning pace was relatively slow. Li Xiao figured that mastering the preparation of all the drinks within a week would already be considered fast for them.
He didn’t waste this downtime either. Regardless of the fact that it was already ten o’clock at night, he sent a message directly to Zhou Shishi.
"You used to work at an advertising and PR firm. Do you know anyone who makes physical menus and billboards? Oh, and I also need someone who can develop a WeChat Mini Program."
On the other end, Zhou Shishi, dressed in pink bear pajamas, was originally wrapped in her blanket on the bed, scrolling through short videos. But upon seeing her boss’s message, she immediately sprang out of bed.
Even though it was already ten o’clock—technically well past a normal employee’s working hours—Zhou Shishi didn’t feel like her boss was exploiting her at all.