The beef, lamb, stone eggs, roasted cakes, and other items Xiao Lang needed had already been packed onto the hotel's transport boat early in the morning. They were now quietly lying in the hotel's cold storage and storeroom, just waiting to be skewered and grilled.
As they walked into the hotel,
Xiao Lang stared, "Why can't I stay in 606!!"
Chen Jianhai replied helplessly, "You're a few days late. 606 is already occupied. Pick another one!"
Xiao Lang angrily walked around the 6th floor and finally chose room 612, begrudgingly saying, "6 plus 6 equals 12, so 612 barely counts as 666. I'll stay here."
Chen Jianhai was dumbfounded.
Who knew you could calculate room numbers this way?
Even the gym teacher never taught us this!
After settling in, Xiao Lang took his bag and went to sleep.
Meanwhile, the skewer guy obediently squatted in the kitchen, sitting on a small stool, guarding two large aluminum basins in front of him, skewering meat, chicken wings, and chives all afternoon.
Around 7 PM, Xiao Lang, fully rested, walked out of his room.
After having dinner with Chen Jianhai, Xiao Lang excitedly walked out of the door with his ancestral grill, with Chen Jianhai pushing the hotel cart close behind.
The cart was loaded with a dozen insulated boxes, all filled with skewered beef and lamb.
"Brother Lang, remember to save some skewers for us tonight!" the hotel staff shouted.
Xiao Lang carried his bag, "Got it! If you have free time tonight, come support my business!"
"Sure, Brother Lang, we'll definitely come!" the staff shouted back.
If it weren't dinner time and they had to serve guests, they would have run over right now to eat to their heart's content.
"Get back to work! Guard the place well!"
As they walked, Chen Jianhai suddenly paused and said to the staff, "By the way, if you have time, go sit at that coffee shop on the island."
As the two walked away, someone wondered, "Didn't the boss say not to drink coffee there before, claiming it tasted bad?"
"Why is he now asking us to support it?"
"Yeah, this is weird... Did the boss take a bribe?"
...
The night on Little Majia Island was lit by scattered street lamps.
"It'd be great if Da Bo were here. I'd grill the skewers, you'd skewer them, and Da Bo would make noodle soup. Business would be booming!"
Xiao Lang walked ahead, chest out, full of enthusiasm, the metal in his bag clanging like a bell.
Chen Jianhai looked at Xiao Lang's carefree demeanor and sighed, "You're setting up shop on Little Majia Island without a storefront, just you and your skewers. Aren't you worried?"
Xiao Lang replied, "What's there to worry about? Barbecue is simple; as long as there's a grill, I can work."
Chen Jianhai glanced at him, "But you're the owner of Xiao Lang Barbecue. You own property in Nanjiang City. Why come here to run a roadside stall?"
Xiao Lang nonchalantly said, "What's wrong with being an owner?"
"My parents started with a roadside stall, and many renowned figures in the barbecue world did too."
"Our ancestors walked this path."
Chen Jianhai rolled his eyes.
How many roadside barbecue stall owners struggle for years just to have a proper shop to shelter from the wind and rain?
But Xiao Lang, instead of thinking about expansion and opening branches, takes his grill back to the roadside.
Isn't this like going back to square one after years of hard work?
"Barbecue tastes best outdoors, no matter how good it is indoors."
Xiao Lang said nonchalantly in his flip-flops,
"The smaller the place, the more people gather, and the better the business."
"No matter how many types of barbecue there are, it all comes down to two things: flavor and atmosphere."
"Who eats properly at home?"
"Going out for barbecue is all about the smoky ambiance!"
Chen Jianhai looked at Xiao Lang with a bit of surprise, "You've got a point!"
Xiao Lang proudly shook his head, "Over the years, I've seen many barbecue shops start small, make some money, and then expand."
"They open more stores, branches, franchises, and the food ends up expensive and tasteless, ruining their reputation."
"That's called losing more than you gain!"
"In modern terms, it's forgetting your roots."
Xiao Lang picked his nose, his dark eyes shining with clarity.
"I didn't expect you to think this deeply, Brother Lang!"
Seeing Xiao Lang sweating from carrying the bag, Chen Jianhai took it and threw it on the cart, pushing it together.
Xiao Lang grabbed the cart, "So, you have to stay grounded."
"Start with a roadside stall, see what the customers like, and think about a shop once the stall is popular."
"Otherwise, if I rush into opening a store, I might end up losing money and paying rent for nothing."
Chen Jianhai said, "Impressive, Brother Lang, you have a brain for this!"
"Hah! What brain?"
Xiao Lang laughed, gripping the cart tighter, "I've seen a lot, and understood some things."
"My dad started a barbecue shop from a roadside stall, and so can I!"
"When my stall becomes popular, I'll write a book about my barbecue journey! I've already thought of the title."
Chen Jianhai was taken aback, "What's the title?"
Xiao Lang triumphantly waved his hand, "The Richest Man Started from a Barbecue Stand!"
...
Choosing the right location is crucial for business success.
No matter how good your food is, if your shop is in the middle of nowhere, no one will come!
Little Majia Island's main street was the busiest place, with a cinema, fruit shop, lottery shop, bar, and ice cream parlor. If Xiao Lang wanted to open a roadside barbecue stand, it had to be there.
But every inch of the main street was taken, with no extra space for a roadside stand.
Fortunately, Chen Jianhai found a perfect spot for Xiao Lang~
"Chen Ge!"
In front of the coffee shop, Feng Di spotted Chen Jianhai and Xiao Lang and ran over.
Feng Di looked aggrievedly at the two setting up the grill, banner, and loudspeaker, tears almost streaming down.
There was a bar just ahead, why set up a barbecue stand in front of the coffee shop!
Coffee and barbecue, do they go together??!!
They don't!
But he had no choice. Chen Jianhai invested in the coffee shop, making him half the owner.
Besides, the coffee shop had no customers at night, so when Chen Jianhai suggested this, he had to agree.
In short, it was all because of poverty.
As Feng Di watched Chen Jianhai take out a handful of lamb skewers from the insulated box,
the coffee shop's little white dog suddenly ran over, wagging its tail.
Fortunately, Feng Di quickly stopped the dog with his foot; otherwise, the lamb would have been ruined.
"These skewers... smell really good!" Feng Di swallowed.
Not only Feng Di, but many on the street were also curiously looking over, some even asking about the prices.
Gradually,
more and more people gathered in front of the island coffee shop,
and Feng Di's mind started to race.
Though he aimed to make the best coffee shop on the island, he still wanted to make money!
Maybe he could sell coffee by day,
and bring in some beer and garlic at night?