Chapter 106: Help Me Out, Director

Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Help Me Out, Director

"Honey, I’m here!"

Old Zhang fought his way through the crowded restaurant and finally found the table where Xiao Li and Qiqi were sitting.

He looked like he had run all the way, drenched in sweat and panting nonstop.

Xiao Li gave an awkward little cough.

"Ah, you’re here. Let’s order a couple more dishes."

Old Zhang pulled out the chair next to Xiao Li and sat down, looking at the four plates on the table.

"Whoa, you ate all this? You guys have quite the appetite today!"

Grinning foolishly, he still had no idea what had happened.

Xiao Li’s meager conscience was pricked.

To maintain a good marital relationship, she painstakingly scooped the last bit of the savory pork and bamboo shoot soup into a bowl and slowly pushed it in front of Old Zhang.

"There’s a little left. Have some. I heard they’re already sold out of this soup."

Old Zhang didn’t think much of it.

"Thanks, honey! You’re the best! But wow, this place is doing great business. Sold out and it’s just after twelve..."

He casually brought the bowl to his lips and took a big gulp.

There wasn’t much soup to begin with, and with one gulp from Old Zhang, only a little was left at the bottom of the bowl.

But Old Zhang’s expression shifted from nonchalance to astonishment, and then to pure bliss.

"This! This! This!"

Xiao Li was a little smug.

"It’s good, isn’t it?"

Old Zhang nodded mechanically, then looked at the bottom of his bowl, then at the spotlessly empty clay pot.

Thick, comical tears began to stream down his face.

"Is it really sold out? There’s none left at all?"

’I’m such an idiot!’ he thought. ’Why did I open my mouth so wide! Why did I drink so much in one go!’

’A divine delicacy like this should be savored slowly!’

Xiao Li decisively passed the blame.

"Well, who told you to drink it so fast!"

Old Zhang didn’t dare voice his anger. He silently savored every last drop of soup at the bottom of the bowl, then proceeded to polish off the leftovers on the table.

The more he ate, the more he regretted it, until finally he declared:

"Are you guys open tonight? Let’s come back tonight!"

...Becoming a repeat customer at Nan Family’s Small Restaurant was, in fact, an exceedingly common occurrence.

It wasn’t just Old Zhang, Xiao Li, and Qiqi who had fallen for the place; many others dining there couldn’t help but be won over on the spot.

The line outside grew longer and longer, and inside, people kept ordering more and more food.

Dinner party tonight? Let’s go to Nan Family’s Small Restaurant.

Meeting a friend for lunch tomorrow? Let’s go to Nan Family’s Small Restaurant.

Hosting a banquet for family and friends on the weekend? Let’s go to Nan Family’s Small Restaurant.

—It was all about Nan Family’s Small Restaurant, from start to finish, and everything in between!

[A lot of the time I get the illusion that I’m watching a documentary about opening a restaurant. It’s too real!]

[This show reminds me of my old days working in a restaurant. It’s just as hard!]

[Who would’ve thought celebrities opening a restaurant could be like this? I thought they’d do online reservations and have people line up by number like other shows...]

[That’s what makes it so authentic! The production team hasn’t interfered with the situation at all! It’s all about that raw, unfiltered experience! I love it, this is great!]

[Everyone looks so tired. They barely have a chance to talk or chat. Don’t tell me... have they forgotten they’re filming a variety show?]

...

The live commenters were right. Nan Zhi and the others had truly forgotten about the cameras.

At first, they were mindful of the live stream and the audience, talking to the camera while they worked.

Or they would bring out their usual variety show energy, cracking jokes and dropping witty one-liners.

In short, they couldn’t let the atmosphere get dull!

Gradually, the frantic busyness and exhaustion from the booming business completely eclipsed their "filming a show" mentality.

Fu Chao and Qi Pei’er seemed to have become real members of the waitstaff.

Nan Zhi and Xie Yu also seemed to have become real chefs.

Even the four little cubs—Nan Yi, Qing Xi, Xie An’an, and Qi Zhang—rushed to help wherever it was busiest.

And it seemed they had found a different kind of fun in it.

The other three cubs were having the time of their lives, as if they were playing house, their energy more boundless than ever.

As for Nan Yi, he was treating it like a real job.

He was so focused and hardworking that Nan Zhi couldn’t bear to watch anymore. Using the excuse that the kitchen chores were done, she told Nan Yi to go take a walk.

In reality, she just wanted him to take a break.

However, it seemed the word "rest" didn’t exist in Nan Yi’s vocabulary.

When there was nothing left to do in the kitchen, he ran out to wander around the dining hall.

He really couldn’t stop for a moment!

Finally!

The lunch service was over!

The diners in the restaurant left reluctantly;

the customers waiting in line at the door wrung their hands in regret, lingering and constantly asking about the evening’s opening hours;

the dining hall gradually went from bustling and noisy to cold and quiet, with only the messy aftermath on the tables left behind...

Even someone as experienced and unflappable as Nan Zhi couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief!

"...We can’t go on like this."

she said.

The others, who had been working numbly, all turned to look at Nan Zhi.

They all heard her, but they didn’t quite understand.

Unless they actually implemented a reservation system and limited the number of customers, what else could they possibly do?

Nan Zhi didn’t explain further, simply asking the camera to have the director’s team come over for a discussion.

[Huh? So sudden?]

[Wow, it’s all happening right before my eyes. This is kind of exciting!]

[I thought they would do this away from the audience, but they’re broadcasting the whole thing?]

[Interesting, interesting!]

...

Even the audience was getting hyped up, eager to hear what kind of constructive suggestions Nan Zhi would offer.

Soon, the staff members rushed over after hearing the summons.

The one in the lead was surprisingly the head director, Xu Lin, himself!

Xu Lin was a little nervous as he walked in.

’No matter what suggestion Nan Zhi makes,’ he thought, ’we have to deliberate on it for a while.’

’Otherwise, it’ll make our production team look useless and like pushovers!’

But then...

"Well, if it isn’t Director Xu!"

Qi Pei’er popped out of nowhere and was the first to grab Xu Lin’s sleeve.

Xu Lin had a bad feeling and desperately wanted to pull away and leave.

But with the cameras on him, he had no choice but to force himself to look calm.

"Yes? What is it?"

Qi Pei’er chuckled slyly.

"Perfect timing! Just perfect!"

As she spoke, she THWACKED a rag into Xu Lin’s hand.

Xu Lin: ?

The staff: ??

The live stream viewers: ???

Qi Pei’er smiled sweetly as she roped everyone in.

"Come on, since you’re all here anyway, why not lend a hand before you go!"

Xu Lin cleared his throat.

"This is a variety show..."

"But didn’t Director Xu personally say before we started filming that the cast and crew are one big family?"

Qi Pei’er asked with an innocent look.

Xu Lin: ...

’Those were just empty pleasantries! You actually believed them!’

Whether Qi Pei’er truly believed him or not, she genuinely wanted some help.

This urgency must have been contagious, as Qi Zhang jumped out too, cupping his fists together like a character in a historical drama.

"Please help us, Director!"

Wherever there was excitement, there was Qing Xi.

"Yeah, help us out, Uncle Director!"

Xie An’an, feeling like she couldn’t be left out, chimed in:

"We’ll have to trouble you, Uncle Director!"

Nan Yi reluctantly followed suit.

"Would you?"

Faced with four pairs of innocent, childlike eyes.

Even someone with a heart of stone like Xu Lin couldn’t bring himself to utter a cold refusal.

"...Alright."

he sighed.

Then he led the staff behind him and joined the cleanup crew.