With the atmosphere of more practice, the Spring Festival is getting closer.
Restaurants like Huang Ji, which have good business, don’t follow the rule of closing for Chinese New Year. In fact, very few restaurants take a break during Chinese New Year; among all holidays, the New Year is undoubtedly the best time for business.
The boss keeps the restaurant running to make money. To ensure employees work diligently without making mistakes, additional bonuses are often given on top of triple pay.
The bonus at Huang Ji is undoubtedly generous.
Huang Shengli gives out one, Zheng Da gives out one, and Mr. Gong adds another.
As Dong Shi says, ever since he became the closed-door disciple of Huang Shengli, he hasn’t had a chance to eat New Year’s Eve dinner at home. If he can return home to eat a meal by the seventh day of the new year, it is considered a good schedule arrangement, with his senior brothers taking care of him and his brother and letting them go home early for the New Year.
Dong Shi and Dong Li are young and single, without the pressure of dating or the worries of family, so they aren’t in a hurry to take a holiday as long as the red envelopes are thick enough. The precious New Year holiday before the seventh day is reserved for colleagues with families, and single people don’t get prioritized.
Every New Year’s Eve, Dong Shi happily counts red envelope after red envelope, finishing his own and then counting his brother’s, thereafter realizing his brother’s total is higher than his. Feeling sad and disappointed, he turns his grief into motivation, resolves to diligently practice cooking the following year to get more red envelopes than Dong Li, only to end up idly gossiping on the first day of the new year.
Everyone at Huang Ji knows that this year’s red envelopes will surely be thicker than those of previous years.
No other reason, business is just too good.
On an ordinary Thursday, the weather is so-so, quite cold, yet Huang Ji’s business remains booming, with customers for snacks and dining-in forming long queues as usual.
The Spring Festival atmosphere is already strong on the street. Plenty of businesses have hung festive red lanterns and posted notices of price increases for the holiday. Many citizens donning red scarves and gloves stumble onto the street; numerous guests who succeeded in online reservations bike to Huang Ji, with their first act upon entering being to remove their thick red scarves.
Even Huang An Yao, without needing anyone to remind him, has voluntarily purchased a batch of festive decorations, couplets, and "Fu" characters, planning to plaster them on every window of Huang Ji in a few days. However, a staff member with aesthetic inclinations deems this proposal too ugly and vulgar, and Huang An Yao ends up merely hanging decorations in every corner of Huang Ji instead.
He bought so many "Fu" characters that Huang An Yao gave everyone on the staff two each, even Qin Huai got two, showing the sheer size of Huang An Yao’s purchase.
Because Huang An Yao gave everyone two "Fu" characters, the talk that day naturally turned to Chinese New Year.
Though every year the New Year at Huang Ji follows the same pattern—from Little New Year all the way to the full month, then vacation scheduling...
But there are some things worth mentioning, like the red envelopes, like the New Year’s Eve dinner.
Every New Year’s Eve, Huang Shengli personally makes a super large New Year’s Eve dinner, a feast for all employees at Huang Ji. On that day, Huang Ji doesn’t extend operating hours, and those needing to return home can clock off on time to catch both the vigil and the second half of the Spring Festival Gala, while those staying home dine together at Huang Ji to welcome the New Year.
In previous years some activities were organized, but the initiatives by Huang An Yao didn’t resonate well, and everyone felt it was needless, so they simply canceled them.
No matter how busy the business gets, one must eat well during the New Year.
Dong Shi is excitedly chattering about the New Year’s Eve dinner.
"The last couple of years, New Year’s Eve dinner was so lively, Master cooking, Junior Master Zheng making pastries and snacks, Mr. Gong in a good mood would give out red envelopes with 1000 yuan each without skipping anyone."
"But last year it was a bit quiet, too much work on New Year’s Eve, Master got somewhat exhausted, then later had a relapse of back pain, and everyone thinks it was because of getting hurt on New Year’s Eve."
"At that time, nobody was in the mood to eat, the senior brother wanted to take Master to the hospital, but Master said there was no need to go to the hospital during the New Year. Because of this, the senior brother almost got into a fight with Master in the kitchen, and later Mr. Gong eased the atmosphere by giving out red envelopes for five minutes."
"But this New Year will be better, it’s definitely going to be livelier. Hey, Qin Huai, when do you plan to go home?"
Qin Huai calmly wrapped glutinuous rice dumplings, without lifting his head he responded: "On the 6th, leaving on the 29th day of the month."
"The tickets have already been bought."
Dong Shi appeared a bit disappointed: "So early, doesn’t that mean you’ll miss out on Master’s, Junior Master’s, and Mr. Gong’s red envelopes? We don’t give them out until New Year’s Eve."
Qin Huai paused his wrapping, raised his head to look at Dong Shi with some frustration: "Is that the point?"
"Also," Qin Huai’s voice was clear and indifferent, his gaze swept over the people around, "is talking about holiday and vacation during New Year some gossip worthy of interest? Why are you all gathered around me?"
Tan Wei’an, Huang An Yao, Huang Jia, Dong Li and other onlookers all showed an embarrassed yet awkward smile, but didn’t move, staying in place.
On the opposite side, Zheng Siyuan calmly chopped the meat filling, his expression unchanged.
In contrast, Guli, practicing quietly nearby like a background board, froze in his movements briefly, resumed his work on snacks stealthily continuing to eavesdrop.
Qin Huai was rather helpless.
It’s not like he’s making Four Happiness dumplings for the first time; if considered carefully, since the day he decided to begin practicing them, he’s spent more time making Four Happiness dumplings than Crab Dumplings.