Chapter 202: Mandengdeng Restaurant

After arriving in Shunde, Li Xiao and Zhou Shishi went to Mandengdeng Restaurant for a meal.

Before getting out of the car, Li Xiao had already started the live stream on his phone.

In less than a minute, hundreds of people had already flooded into the stream.

“Isn’t that Mandengdeng? How did the streamer even find a local haunt like this?”

“Damn, did the streamer just drop out of school?”

“Dude above me, why would you think a rich kid like the streamer needs to go to school?”

“I went to the streamer’s milk tea shop yesterday. Most of the staff there are really kids with intellectual disabilities. I’m just a humble wage earner and can’t do much, but I bought a few cups of milk tea to show my support.”

“I’m crying! I’m literally crying! I’m so sorry, Brother Li. When I got the gift before, I called you a dumb spendthrift. I’m the worst, I really am!”

“Does the streamer’s milk tea shop support franchising? I have a relative with an intellectual disability, and his parents have been trying to find a path for him. The streamer’s shop seems like an amazing idea.”

As he got out of the car, Li Xiao chatted with his viewers and immediately noticed their requests.

He understood that outside of Yangcheng, there were indeed many other Xihuan’Er who needed help.

However, the Xihan’er Milk Tea Shop was still in its initial phase. Rashly taking on too many trainees was not a wise choice.

After thinking for a moment, he offered a compromise.

“I don’t deserve all this praise. I’m just doing what I can, what I feel I should be doing.”

“But if it means you guys will call me a dumb spendthrift a little less often, then I’m already very happy.”

After a couple of jokes, he got straight to the point.

“We do intend to expand the Xihan’er Milk Tea Shop nationwide, but now isn’t the best time.”

“The Xihan’er Milk Tea Shop is still in its startup phase and isn’t ready for large-scale expansion.”

“But I completely understand everyone’s eagerness and thoughts on the matter.”

“The milk tea shop is not, and never will be, a for-profit business. So, if you’re looking to make money from it, you don’t need to contact me.”

“As for the viewers who have family members with disabilities, you can leave me a private message, and I’ll have my assistant contact you.”

“Although the shop can’t expand rapidly, a related training center will be completed in about half a month. Those in need can come to Yangcheng to learn and see how it works then.”

Li Xiao briefly explained the situation on stream and then moved on.

He had never intended to use the Xihan’er Milk Tea Shop charity project to build some kind of public image for himself.

In his view, you never needed others’ approval to do good deeds.

If he hadn’t considered that the Xihuan’er Milk Tea shop would expand rapidly and needed some initial hype and publicity, he wouldn’t have even promoted it on his stream.

After answering his viewers’ questions, Li Xiao looked up at the restaurant before him.

This restaurant was famous for its authentic Shunde cuisine. The decor was rather retro—to be precise, the style was from thirty or forty years ago and hadn’t been renovated recently.

Entering the restaurant, the two chose a table by the window, where they could enjoy their meal while looking out at the street scene.

Once they were both seated, Zhou Shishi began to explain:

“This place doesn’t show up on any of those influencer recommendation lists, but it’s a restaurant that the locals really love. It’s been open for almost 40 years now.”

“If I didn’t have a friend who’s a local here in Shunde, I probably would have never found this place.”

Li Xiao picked up a menu with a slightly yellowed surface. The plastic laminate covering it was mottled and worn; it was obvious the menu had been in use for a long time.

As he flipped through the menu, he asked:

“Did your friend mention any must-try dishes here?”

Zhou Shishi had clearly done her homework. Without even looking at her notes, she rattled off the dishes her friend had recommended:

“Sand Ginger Boneless Pork Knuckle, BBQ Pork Buns, Eel Clay Pot Rice, Steamed Pond Herring with Oil and Salt, and Steamed Pork Ribs with Pumpkin are all excellent. He strongly recommended we have to order the Eel Clay Pot Rice.”

After listening to Zhou Shishi’s suggestions, Li Xiao turned to the waitress beside them.

“We’ll have those five dishes she just mentioned.”

The waitress praised them as she typed the order into her handheld device:

“You two really know how to eat. You’ve ordered all of our signature dishes.”

“The Eel Clay Pot Rice is made to order, so it will take a bit longer, about 25 to 35 minutes. I just wanted to let you know ahead of time.”

The waitress carefully double-checked the order, then left.

When a beautiful stranger appeared on camera, many viewers in the stream cried out in surprise.

“Oh my god, it’s a beautiful woman!”

“There’s actually a beautiful woman in the streamer’s chatroom! That’s more unbelievable than the sun rising in the west.”

“Is that the streamer’s girlfriend?”

“The streamer is handsome, rich, and a good person. Isn’t it normal for him to have a girlfriend?”

“Wow, she’s gorgeous! Do you have a boyfriend? If so, would you mind having another one?”

“*Licks screen* Sis has such an amazing figure.”

…

Since Li Xiao was streaming, Zhou Shishi, as his assistant, had naturally logged into the stream with her moderator account.

Her face immediately flushed red when she saw the viewers’ comments.

Li Xiao, a bit slow on the uptake, finally realized that this was indeed the first time a beautiful woman had appeared on his stream.

Seeing Zhou Shishi across from him, her face beet-red with a mix of anger and embarrassment, Li Xiao quickly explained to his stream:

“Don’t misunderstand, everyone! The lovely lady across from me isn’t my girlfriend. My old fans should know that my stream has moderators. This is my moderator and assistant, Egg and Pork Week.”

Hearing Li Xiao’s denial, the secret delight in Zhou Shishi’s heart vanished.

However, she quickly composed herself, put on an enthusiastic smile, and waved at the camera.

“Hi, everyone! I’m Brother Li’s assistant, Egg and Pork Week. Please don’t say anything out of line, or I’ll have to hand out a ban-combo.”

Although Zhou Shishi had issued a warning, the viewers in the stream were all seasoned veterans. They were used to making all sorts of wild comments, so there was no way they’d back down from such a mild reminder.

Hearing that she was Li Xiao’s assistant only made them more excited.

“Since she’s not the streamer’s girlfriend, that means I still have a good chance!”

“Moderator Sis, I’m 180, 18, 18. Can you consider me first?”

“180 must be his height. 18 is his age… but what’s the last 18? Is it 18 seconds?”

“Isn’t an assistant just a secretary?”

“No wonder the streamer wasn’t tempted at all by the private photos I sent him. Turns out he has such a beauty right beside him.”