At an age when appetites are booming, combined with the decent ingredients An Gang provided, five young people devoured a pile of food, nearly cleaning out all the groceries Wan Chu’er had bought. The meat that An Zihao brought was also gobbled up in several rounds.
Once everyone was well-fed and watered, An Zihao, with a content tone, patted An Gang on the shoulder,
"Bro, your cooking skills are quite something. Ever thought about opening a hotpot restaurant?"
An Gang was taken aback; the idea of starting a business had never crossed his mind—his honest life consisted only of working hard for his boss.
Hearing such a proposal out of the blue, the dormant waves in his brain stirred a little, leaving him excited yet bewildered, uncertain if this distinguished An Zihao was speaking casually or seriously.
Mai Qiqi clapped her hands in praise: "Not bad at all, if An Gang opens a hot pot restaurant, I’ll definitely be a regular, plus then we could eat whenever we want."
Beside her, Jiang Xiaoxiao was smiling and did not speak.
Wan Chu’er glanced at everyone, saw An Gang’s hesitation and confusion, and chimed in to ease the tension:
"Brother An Gang, your skills are indeed remarkable. If you’re willing to open a hot pot restaurant, I’ll support you both spiritually and materially."
Hot pot is a beloved delicacy throughout the country, from the south to the north.
Thinking of several hot pot brands that would explode in popularity in the next decade, Wan Chu’er felt that if An Gang actually did it, and did it well, it would be way better than him being a programmer.
An Gang chuckled and said, "I’ve never thought about it before, let me give it some thought."
An Zihao laughed, "Considering we both share the An surname, let me give you a piece of advice: if you’re interested, money is not a problem, just come and find me."
An Zihao’s family background was not simple; as the youngest in the family, he had no pressure and had wanted to try something on his own for a long time. Now, feeling that An Gang had good culinary skills, he suddenly had this idea.
However, he wasn’t pressing the issue—investing in An Gang was also in consideration of Wan Chu’er’s feelings, plus he had enjoyed a free meal today; otherwise, he had plenty of projects to get involved with.
After eating and drinking, An Zihao complained that Wan Chu’er’s house was too cramped for five people at once and was inconvenient, so he suggested going out for some fun.
Wan Chu’er still wanted to discuss her game with An Gang; if it hadn’t been for the sudden arrival of these few, they might have finished talking by now. So, she waved them off, "You guys go out and have fun; An Gang and I have serious business to discuss."
Mai Qiqi snickered, "What serious business could you two possibly have? You wouldn’t even go out and have fun yesterday, and today you have to accompany me."
"We do have serious matters to talk about. Besides, without me there to be a third wheel, aren’t you and An Zihao free to play however you want? I definitely won’t call to interrupt you this time," she said with insinuation, causing Mai Qiqi to punch her playfully.
Jiang Xiaoxiao’s eyes flickered, thinking of her future sister-in-law being alone with An Gang. Although it seemed like the two had no such inclinations at the moment, it still wasn’t right; she had to help her brother keep an eye on them, so she also spoke up:
"Then I won’t be the third wheel for you two either. Qiqi, you go have fun with An Zihao; I’ll rest here with Chuchu."
An Zihao was immediately all smiles, thinking that these people really knew how to read the room. He grabbed Mai Qiqi’s hand and headed for the door:
"Let’s go, Qiqi, I’ll take you to a great place, let them mold away at home."
Mai Qiqi pulled away from his hand, pouting, "I don’t want to go to your ’great place.’"
Every time he took her to some ’great place’, it always ended up with her being gnawed on. She certainly didn’t want that.