Chapter 597: The Imperial Kitchen
Chapter 597: The Imperial Kitchen
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Pi was no longer depressed. It vigorously kept refreshing the Qidian website's author platform. Pi giggled as it watched the number of readers who'd added its novel to their libraries skyrocket. Although Zhang Zian was also very happy for Pi, he reminded it not to keep refreshing the page and to instead start writing the new chapters for that day. The earlier Pi finished writing, the earlier it could go to bed in the evening. It shouldn't stay up late every night.
Pi nodded. It switched the page back to the Word document and wrote a few words. However, it couldn't help but go back and refresh the website again.
Seeing Pi act like this, Zhang Zian laughed and shook his head. This was just like when he'd gotten paid for the first time. He couldn't help but repeatedly check how much money was in his bank account and think about how he should spend it.
He didn't stop it from refreshing the page anymore. Pi would cool down once it got used to such popularity.
His cell phone rang. It was Lu Yiyun, asking him to go downstairs and greet his guests.
He glanced outside through the window on the second floor and saw that Liu Sanlang's BMW was parked outside the shop.
"I'm going out now, but I'll be back later," Zhang Zian said to Pi. He grabbed Xiao La, the Labrador, from the storage room and went downstairs.
"How's Xiao La doing?" Liu Sanlang asked as soon as he saw Zhang Zian. It was Zhang Zian who'd called Liu Sanlang to tell him that Xiao La had already been trained.
Zhang Zian motioned for Xiao La to sit down. "I think it's pretty much well-trained and you can bring it home now. But you can't spoil it anymore. Otherwise, it'll quickly become just as naughty and disobedient as it was before. Just like the old saying goes, it's easy for the frugal to become extravagant, but it's incredibly difficult to reverse the process."
"Is this really Xiao La? It's not another dog?"
Liu Sanlang couldn't believe that this obedient dog in front of him was his own demonic and troublemaking Xiao La.
Sticking out its tongue and sitting on the floor, Xiao La didn't bark or run around. Although its eyes showed that it recognized its owner, it didn't happily throw itself into Liu Sanlang's arms and lick him as it did before. If it weren't wearing the Elizabeth collar given to it from Shi Shi, he wouldn't be certain that this dog was actually Xiao La.
"Manager Zhang, how did you do it? This is amazing!" Liu Sanlang rubbed Xiao La's head. It narrowed its eyes with delight but didn't loudly bark as before.
"Actually, the secret to training dogs is very simple. As long as the commands and restrictions are strictly enforced, and the criteria for rewards and punishments are perfectly clear, any dog owner can train their dogs well. Although pet dogs may not be as skilled as police dogs, at least well-trained pet dogs won't bother or harm other people," he told Liu Sanlang truthfully. But he also knew it was easier said than done. People who liked dogs but didn't have training experience would easily give up on their own rules for puppies who wiggled their tails to beg for food. Unknowingly, the dogs would start to train the humans instead.
Liu Sanlang mentally noted everything Zhang Zian said. After he got back home, no matter what Shi Shi said, they wouldn't spoil Xiao La anymore. They couldn't stand their neighbor's complaints, and Liu Sanlang could get sued one day if Xiao La jumped on an elderly person or child.
Liu Sanlang asked Zhang Zian to give him another novice dog trainer guide because he'd lost his previous copy. Then, he paid the full dog training fee amount and left with Xiao La.
"Manager Zhang, the renovations are almost finished. Come and check it out."
Not long after Liu Sanlang left, another person had knocked on the door. It was the head of the construction team, who was responsible for the renovation of the shoe store.
The construction team had been working diligently these days. The workers wanted to deliver a satisfying product before they got their payment and went home to enjoy the Spring Festival. Both the construction progress and the renovation quality were impressive.
Zhang Zian followed the man into the shoe store next door. Now, the shoe store could be a new branch of his pet store.
Besides from the brand new tiles, beige latex-painted walls, and brown skirting boards, there was nothing else on the first floor. It looked clean and bright, and had good natural lighting. He couldn't decide what he would do with the first floor for the time being, but he told the renovation workers to install more electricity outlets on the walls, in case he needed to use them in the future. Recently, with the increasing number of electric appliances and the few plug outlets he had on pet store walls, he had to use many cord extensions, and it compromised the layout of his store.
He followed the person in charge to the second floor. Previously, the second floor of the shoe store had also been a living area like it was in his pet shop. Based on Zhang Zian's requirements, the second floor of the shoe store had now been transformed into smaller compartments with soundproof materials and pest control measures. This way, the Abyssinian cats would have a dark and quiet environment to give birth to their kittens. The interior doors were custom-made. With wide-angle glass windows that were installed on each door, people could clearly see what was happening inside without having to enter the rooms. They wouldn't have to disturb the female cats in labor.
On the second floor, besides the delivery and nursery room, there were still half of the rooms of which he hadn't decided what to do with. They might be used as a warehouse.
After careful examination, he felt satisfied with the construction team's quality, who had been introduced by Guo Dongyue.
The only thing that made Zhang Zian worry was the decoration materials. Because the Abyssinian cats would move into the shoe store almost immediately after the renovation was completed, there was no time for ventilation. The person responsible for this patted Zhang Zian's chest to assure him that there wouldn't be any problems. Before handing over the completed project, the construction team would show him the inspection report from the authorities. In the report, the formaldehyde, ammonia, benzene, and other harmful gases wouldn't ever go beyond the given standards. If Zhang Zian had any doubts about the inspection report, he could request another inspection from a third party. If any problems occurred, the construction team would fix the project free of charge.
Zhang Zian was relieved after he got this guarantee. No matter what, the health conditions of the Abyssinian cats must be taken care of. He exchanged a few more words with the construction leader. After getting an expected date of completion, Zhang Zian left the shoe store.
As soon as he entered the door to the pet shop, Zhang Zian saw Richard flutter its wings and fly from Lu Yiyun's shoulder to a higher spot, as if it had done something wrong.
"Richard, go play if you have nothing else to do. Don't disturb Yiyun while she's drawing," warned Zhang Zian.
"It's all right, Richard is being very helpful with my drawings!" Lu Yiyun hurriedly clarified. "Mr. Manager, don't blame it. It's helped me through a lot of interesting plots!"
Zhang Zian looked at Richard suspiciously. He didn't believe that this wicked bird would do a good deed with good intentions. Was it playing a prank on Lu Yiyun?
Richard calmly combed its feathers with its beak. "Quack! What are you looking at? You may be a bad person, but I'm a noble bird!"
Zhang Zian wasn't in the mood to bicker with it. He might as well just hang Richard upside down that night.
When he entered the inner area of the pet shop, he saw that Fina was yawning lazily. He said, "Fina, come visit somewhere with me."
"I'm not going," refused Fina decisively.
"Don't you at least want to know where the place is?" he asked helplessly.
"Why would I want to know? Nowhere else is as warm as my Sacred Palace." Fina slowly looked outside. "In such cold weather, do you want me to freeze to death and then try to take my treasures? By the way, you should change the heating pad in this cushion."
"Meow! Your Majesty, you're absolutely right! This bad man is up to no good, you mustn't fall into his traps! " said Snowy Lionet. "Your Majesty, if you're feeling cold, I can warm you up with my body!"
"I'll change it later. And actually, I wanted to talk about a problem regarding your Imperial Kitchen." Zhang Zian casually made up an excuse.
Fina, who was about to yawn for a second time, blinked and showed a flicker of interest. "My Imperial Kitchen?"
Zhang Zian knew that the flamboyant Fina would be interested in this subject. In Fina's perspective, every place in the world belonged to cats, and every human being was the cats' servant. Since the pet shop was Fina's Sacred Palace, there had to be a matching Imperial Kitchen.
"Of course!" he said seriously. "Don't you know that the grilled chicken breast that you eat everyday is sent from your Imperial Kitchen?"
Fina tilted its head and thought about this. Indeed, all it did everyday was eat and sleep. It had never paid attention to Uncle Li's existence. For Fina, Uncle Li was a mere mortal man. It would have never of thought that the man was actually the master chef who prepared its food.
"Well, you're right," Fina wouldn't deny that it had an Imperial Kitchen. The more humans that served it, the better. It nodded reservedly. "What about my Imperial Kitchen?"
"Here's the thing," Zhang Zian cleared his throat and began to talk nonsense with a serious expression, something at which he excelled at. "Because of the recent economic downturn in the Great Cat Sacred Kingdom, the business of your Imperial Kitchen isn't doing very good."
"Wait! The Great Cat Sacred Kingdom?" Fina's eyes widened in surprise. It didn't look sleepy anymore.
"Yes, we're currently in the Great Cat Sacred Kingdom. The Sacred Palace and the Great Cat Sacred Kingdom exists all because of you." Zhang Zian spared no efforts in order to flatter Fina.
Fina was delighted by such flatteries, but it immediately frowned. "My Imperial Kitchen only needs to serve me. Why is it also serving food to the public?"
"To better serve you, the Imperial Kitchen has tried not to use the budget of the Sacred Palace. The master chefs have decided to operate independently and to take on responsibility for their own profits and losses," explained Zhang Zian.
When Fina heard that it didn't need to use its own money, it said happily, "That's very nice!"
Zhang Zian continued deceiving Fina. "But, recently, as they told me, their business has been slow, and they've lost money. So, I figured that there are two solutions to help them. The first one is that this Sacred Palace offers them money to recoup their loss."
"No!" Fina resolutely refused. It roughly said. "My treasures belong to me, and no one can take them away!"
Zhang Zian had expected Fina's reaction and he put forward his real purpose. "The second option is that you go visit the Imperial Kitchen in person and find out what their problems are, and then help the chefs make better profits. The chefs will be forever grateful to you and will never forget your kindness. In ancient China, such a journey is when 'the emperor personally led his soldiers in a military operation' or 'the emperor traveled incognito', which is especially popular in TV dramas."
Fina proudly raised its head. "That's for sure. I can solve any problem."
Zhang Zian chuckled to himself. That book friend's comment had been really accurate. Fina was complacent and self-righteous, and truly believed that it owned the entire world.
"Should we set off now?" he asked Fina.
"Well, since I haven't been to the Imperial Kitchen yet, this is a good chance for me to look at it." Fina arrogantly jumped off the cat tree.
"Meow! Your Majesty, I'll follow you!" Snowy Lionet chased after Fina.
Zhang Zian asked Lu Yiyun to take care of the shop and then headed out with Fina and Snowy Lionet.
When he walked outside the store, he looked back and saw that Richard had flown back to the cash register, wearing a disgusting smile. Something Richard said made Lu Yiyun flush, but instead of showing aversion, she was nodding in agreeance.
"Hey! It's so cold!" Getting blown by the cold wind, Fina immediately shuddered and complained. "Why is this place so cold? Where's my carriage?"
Snowy Lionet approached Fina cheekily. "Meow! Your Majesty, you can ride on my back and use me as a cushion. I guarantee that I can provide you with more heat than a heating pad!"
"Forget about it. The Imperial Kitchen is in walking distance," said Zhang Zian quickly. Indeed, Uncle Li's restaurant was only a couple of hundred meters away.
Snowy Lionet walked up ahead to block the wind for Fina. With its long fur that could hide eggs, Snowy Lionet wasn't afraid of the chill. However, Zhang Zian thought that Snowy Lionet might get uncomfortable in the summer.
Both Fina and Snowy Lionet were attractive. Fina seemed mighty while Snowy Lionet looked lovely, and they were extremely eye-catching as they walked down the road. A few young girls gathered around them, trying to stroke their fur. Intimated by Snowy Lionet's threatening expressions, the girls dared not to get too close to them. Even so, they took out their cell phones and tried to take pictures of the two cats. Unfortunately, Fina and Snowy Lionet refused to cooperate, and they turned their faces somewhere else.
The girls refused to give up. Following Zhang Zian and the two cats, they arrived at Uncle Li's restaurant.
The tricycle was parked by the door. After delivering the cats, Wang Qian and Li Kun stayed to help Uncle Li refurbish.
Before, the dining tables in the restaurant had been evenly distributed throughout the dining area, just like any ordinary restaurant. Since it was going to be changed into a cat cafe, the tables couldn't be placed that way any longer. There had to be some room for the cats to wander around. The number of tables needed to decrease. Since the restaurant had opened, not once had the customers completely occupied all of the dining tables at the same time. What was the use of having so many tables?
Zhang Zian pushed open the door and entered the building after Fina and Snowy Lionet. The other young girls hesitated slightly. It was an ordinary restaurant, so they eventually just followed Zhang Zian inside.
Uncle Li walked over to Zhang Zian with a new sign and unsurely asked, "Master Zhang, are we really using this name?"
According to Zhang Zian, the featureless name of "Li's Snack Bar" had to be changed to the unusual, fancy, and cool name, "Li's Supreme Snack Bar for Cat Fanciers," which made the conventional Uncle Li and Aunt Li feel uneasy.
"Rest assured. The name of a business is very important. When people see this name, they'll be curious enough to come in and check it out." Zhang Zian said this to cheer them up.
At the sight of this unusual sign, the young girls curiously asked, "How does this Snack Bar for Cat Fanciers work?"
Zhang Zian winked at Uncle Li. Told you! It's already attracting customers!