Chapter 1269 Cai Xiaoli borrows money, Han Chunming visits
1975, early summer.

Qianmen Building, in front of a state-owned dumpling shop.

Su Mingzhe, wearing a white chef's uniform and a tall hat, walked out of the store and saw a graceful girl pacing back and forth with an anxious look on her face. He couldn't help but smile:
"Cai Xiaoli, what wind brings you here?"

……

This time he traveled to the dimension of "Under the Zhengyang Gate" and became the distant cousin of the heroine Su Meng.

She once went to the countryside to work as educated youth with the male protagonist Han Chunming, as well as Cai Xiaoli, Cheng Jianjun, Li Hongbo, Yu Xiaomin, Yang Huajian and others.

In Su Mingzhe's memory, Cai Xiaoli had a good relationship with Cheng Jianjun, but an average relationship with himself, and they usually had nothing to talk about.

In the half month since I traveled through time, I have neither met her nor had any interaction with her.

……

Cai Xiaoli looked at the young man in front of her, and a hint of surprise flashed in her anxious eyes.

They haven't seen each other since three months ago when the educated youth returned to the capital and pursued their own careers.

In Cai Xiaoli's original impression, Su Mingzhe was a tall, thin, weak scholar who spoke and acted in a gentle and refined manner, and was more feminine than Su Meng, Cai Xiaoli, and Yu Xiaomin.

Although Su Mingzhe is now wearing a very loose chef's uniform, he still looks vigorous and dignified as he stands there.

I didn’t expect that there could be such a big difference between a person having a job and not having a job!

Cai Xiaoli was a little dazzled for a moment.

Fortunately, she still remembered why she came, and quickly opened her mouth and explained her purpose:

"Lao Su, my dad has appendicitis and is now in the hospital, waiting for surgery. The doctor said that the various expenses will cost about ten yuan, but my family is starving right now..."

"Is ten dollars enough?"

Su Mingzhe felt relieved when he heard Cai Xiaoli stammering and telling him the reason why she came to see him.

Fortunately, it was just a loan. He was really afraid that this woman would say she wanted to pursue him.

In the TV series, Cai Xiaoli pursued Han Chunming, but was unable to get his love. In a fit of anger, she turned her love into hate and married Han Chunming's enemy Cheng Jianjun, and then continued to help Cheng Jianjun deal with Han Chunming.

Therefore, if he had to choose among several women in the play, Su Mingzhe would rather choose Guan Xiaoguan, the fierce girl, than to mess with Cai Xiaoli.

"That's enough, that's enough. The surgery only costs five dollars, but I also need anesthesia and other things, so the total cost is ten dollars..."

Cai Xiaoli looked at the man anxiously.

Before she came to find Su Mingzhe, she had already gone to find Cheng Jianjun and Han Chunming, with whom she had a good relationship.

However, neither of them found a job, and even if they pooled their money together, they could not make even a dollar.

It was Cheng Jianjun who told him that Su Mingzhe was a successful cook here and asked him to give it a try.

"Wait a minute!"

Although Su Mingzhe has only traveled here for half a month, the original owner has already worked here for more than a month and has been paid once.

Su Mingzhe felt his trouser pocket and took it out. He saw that there was only three dollars and fifty-five cents. His face immediately turned red. He turned around and went into the dumpling restaurant and found the manager of the dumpling restaurant:
"Manager, do you have any money? Lend me ten dollars. I'll pay you back after I get my salary!"

Manager Ma Dayong smiled and said when he saw Su Mingzhe speak:

"Why do you bring so much money with you when you go to work?"

Even though Ma Dayong is the manager of the dumpling shop, he actually only makes 50 yuan a month, which is only a dozen yuan more than Su Mingzhe, the "chef".

"Manager, how much money do you have? Give it to me first, and I'll return it to you later."

As the "chef" of the dumpling restaurant, Su Mingzhe has the identity and confidence to speak.

Seeing this, Ma Dayong just smiled and said:
"Xiao Su, this ten dollars is too much. Even if we add up all the money in our store, it's impossible to give you this ten dollars. However, if you are really in a hurry, you can get an advance on your salary at the counter. Just write an IOU first, and I'll ask Accountant Xu to get you ten dollars!" "Thank you, manager. I'll treat you to a meal after I get your salary the next day!"

Su Mingzhe quickly wrote an IOU, waited for the manager to sign it, and then gave it to the accountant Xu Na, and took an advance of ten dollars from the counter.

After leaving the dumpling restaurant, Su Mingzhe immediately took out the ten yuan he had paid in advance and the three yuan in his pocket:
"The money is all here. If you still need it, I'll be in the store before 8 o'clock. Just come find me. If it's after 8 o'clock, go find Han Chunming. Chunming knows where my home is!"

"Thank you, Lao Su!"

Cai Xiaoli also didn't expect that Su Mingzhe was really willing to lend her money.

She took the seven or eight pieces of change in her hand, held them in her palm without counting them, and bowed deeply to the man.

For her family, these ten dollars can not only save her father's life, but also save their entire family!

"Let's go to the hospital!"

Su Mingzhe waved his hand and did not help Cai Xiaoli, who was wearing a short-sleeved shirt.

Having just traveled across from the dimensions of "Myth" and "Startling by Each Step", he has always kept in mind the rule that men and women should not touch each other.

After Cai Xiaoli left, Su Mingzhe was about to go back to the kitchen to work, but manager Ma Dayong came out and handed him a Daqianmen without a filter, and said with a smile:
"Xiao Su, are you free the day after tomorrow?"

Su Mingzhe took the cigarette, took out a match and lit it for himself and the manager, then smiled and said:

"Manager, if you have something to say, just tell me. We are all family, why are you being so polite?"

"Xiao Su, what you said, I dare not be a bureaucrat!"

When Ma Dayong heard Su Mingzhe say this, he was polite for a moment and then smiled and said:

"It's like this, my cousin's son is getting married this weekend, and he's planning to hire a chef to cook a few tables of food."

"Manager, where is the woman from? Does she have any requirements for the cuisine? Does she have any dietary restrictions?"

Su Mingzhe's cooking skills have long been superb. It's just a matter of preparing a few tables of food. Not to mention the cuisine, even domestic and foreign ones are no problem for him.

However, since the manager is the middleman, Su Mingzhe should ask clearly in advance to avoid any taboos.

"I'm really not sure about this. How about this? I'll go back and ask today and I'll give you a definite answer tomorrow?"

"Okay, I'll wait for your news tomorrow!"

Su Mingzhe smoked a cigarette with the manager, then went into the kitchen and started to get busy.

The original dumpling restaurant business could only be said to be barely sustaining.

Sometimes, employees' wages have to be 'offset with goods'.

In order to support their families, several kitchen helpers would sew shoe soles and knit sweaters when there were no customers, barely supplementing the family income.

Ever since Su Mingzhe traveled through time and applied to be a chef, he added cooking and drinks to the main business of dumplings, and the dumpling restaurant took off immediately.

Nowadays, dumpling restaurants are open from around 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with basically no breaks.

Although everyone was very busy, they were all happy.

If the dumpling restaurant makes money, they can get wages, even overtime pay and bonuses!

On the other side, Qianmen Hospital.

Cai Xiaoli has already paid her father's hospital bills and is chatting with her father who has received a painkiller injection.

Boom boom boom!
There was a knock on the door, and Han Chunming poked his head out, holding a bag of fruit in his hand, and walked in:

"Cai Xiaoli, is uncle feeling better?"

(End of this chapter)