Daddy's Gourmet Shop-Chapter 239 - 231: Soulful Artist

It’s after 7 PM.

The sky is getting darker, and the moon adorns the deep sky. The rows of streetlights along the street have already lit up, dressing the whole earth while silently providing light to the passing pedestrians.

The customers at the Delicious Restaurant gradually dispersed as the ingredients ran out.

The evening business hours also came to an imperfect close.

"Xuanxuan..."

Huang Tao, who was finally free, walked over to the table where Xuanxuan was sitting and softly called her.

While he was busy cooking for customers, Xuanxuan had taken her colored pens and a blank sketchbook and sat there drawing away.

She had been drawing for nearly two hours!

Upon hearing her dad’s voice, Xuanxuan quickly lifted her little head, her eyes curving with joy, and her voice was sweet as she called, "Daddy~"

"Yes!"

He bent down and gently patted Xuanxuan’s little head, then looked up at her sketchbook, curiously asking, "Xuanxuan, what are you drawing? Can you show Daddy?"

Xuanxuan generously handed her sketchbook to her dad and pointed at a few little figures on the page, saying, "I’m drawing Daddy, Uncle Haozi, Brother Zifeng, and Auntie Suqin."

"Oh my, am I in there too?"

Ding Suqin, who was busy mopping the floor nearby, heard her name and curiously leaned over, asking with a smile, "Xuanxuan, can Auntie Suqin have a look too?"

Xuanxuan nodded: "Sure!"

Ding Suqin took the sketchbook from Xuanxuan’s hands, looked at it, and immediately burst into laughter.

"Oh my, Xuanxuan, this is really good..."

She covered her mouth, laughing softly: "Especially your Uncle Haozi, it’s spot-on."

This remark reached Xu Hao’s ears, filling him with curiosity.

Out of curiosity.

He and Lin Zifeng both leaned over simultaneously to take a look.

He excitedly asked, "Really, it really looks like me?"

When they looked...

Lin Zifeng nearly laughed out loud.

Xuanxuan’s drawing skill could be described as that of a soulful artist.

As for the style, it could definitely be called "the soul’s soul style."

She was drawing the evening scene at the Delicious Restaurant, not only including Huang Tao, Xu Hao, Lin Zifeng, and Ding Suqin but also sketching the customers with her childish strokes.

The figures were all twisted and distorted.

However, despite the distortions, you could still easily distinguish the heads, bodies, and limbs.

It was quite funny and yet full of childlike innocence.

The most vividly drawn figure was undoubtedly Xu Hao.

You could tell at a glance without guessing.

A skinny body, a long head with short, distinct black hair, matchstick limbs, large round eyes, and a wide mouth like a watermelon slice, with a captivating pose of chopping meat with a knife—it was enough to make anyone laugh.

Adding the skin color shaded with a brown pen, it perfectly captured Xu Hao’s features of being dark, thin, and having a buzz cut.

Lin Zifeng laughed and praised, "Suqin is right, this is truly well-drawn! Amazing."

So, what could Xu Hao do about it?

He could only silently look up at the light bulb at a 45-degree angle, as two streams of tears silently flowed in his heart.

"My handsome image..."

Huang Tao smiled slightly, took the sketchbook that Ding Suqin handed back to him, and placed it on Xuanxuan’s table.

Xuanxuan glanced at the drawing, tilted her little head, fluttered her long eyelashes, and asked, "Daddy, do you think I did well?"

Compared to the praise from Ding Suqin and Lin Zifeng, she hoped more to receive praise from her dad.

Huang Tao leaned down and lifted her into his arms, his eyes full of affection as he said, "Auntie Suqin and Brother Zifeng are right, Xuanxuan, you did an excellent job!"

Although the figures in Xuanxuan’s drawings were slightly exaggerated, the important thing was that she captured the defining features of each person, like how her dad was the tallest, Xu Hao was dark and thin, and Ding Suqin was female...

For a child who just entered preschool, grasping these features was commendable.

Moreover, her use of color was quite straightforward and vivid. The simple and naive blocks of color clashed to create rhythm and depth, making the overall image striking and eye-catching, demonstrating creativity in its purest form.

What is talent?

This is talent!

So his praise for Xuanxuan was not just flattery borne out of love but a genuine acknowledgment and encouragement for her.

Receiving her dad’s praise, a happy smile spread across Xuanxuan’s little face, with a dash of pride.

Smooch~

Huang Tao gave her a kiss on her pink cheek as a reward.

Xuanxuan giggled and said, "Daddy, I want to draw a Barbie doll too."

"Sure!"

Huang Tao put her back in the dining chair.

The little one opened a new sheet of paper and started drawing.

Huang Tao sat down on the chair next to her, keeping her company.

Soon after, Xu Hao and the others finished tidying up and left after saying goodbye to him.

He glanced at the clock on the wall.

It was already past 7:30.

He took out his phone from his pocket, found the phone number he had saved earlier that day, and walked to the side to dial the number.

No mistake.

He was about to call Mrs. Lin.

After a moment.

The call connected.

The other end was a frank and cheerful auntie.

Once he stated his purpose, Mrs. Lin quickly responded that Chen Wenli had already called her this afternoon.

After roughly understanding the other party’s concerns, Huang Tao expressed his interest in renting the house and explained how he intended to renovate the two-story building.

"If you are willing to rent the first floor to me, you can lock the second floor in advance. As for the first floor, I would like to knock through the walls to renovate it into a unified restaurant, which would involve significant changes..."

Huang Tao didn’t hide his intentions. Although he wanted to rent the adjacent unit, if it caused conflicts and further troubles due to renovations, it would be unnecessary.

Showing enough sincerity now was also a form of respect for the other party.

Besides, when he initially rented his current storefront, he had mentioned the transformation plans, including wall demolitions, and the landlord had agreed.

Moreover, it was also specified in their contract.

There was no need for another call to the landlord; an explanation to Mrs. Lin would suffice.

But it was clear that the other end fell silent.

A minute later, Huang Tao heard a sigh from the other end, saying, "Boss Huang, you are indeed sincere. The rent of eight thousand a month is quite tempting, but this two-story building holds sentimental value for me. I’m unwilling to undergo major renovations on the first floor, so I hope you understand, and I apologize."

The eight thousand monthly rent was very tempting.

Properties on West City Old Street also rented out to some migrant workers for over a thousand per room, with a small kitchen included for cooking.

Now, just the ground floor alone was eight thousand, nearly equivalent to her son’s monthly salary.

But Mrs. Lin’s family life was quite comfortable.

Money!

As long as it’s enough.

She wanted to keep this two-story old building for sentimental reasons, and the rent of eight thousand wasn’t enough to sway her.

To be honest, if Chen Wenli hadn’t specifically called in the afternoon to bring this up, and with Huang Tao’s sincerity, Mrs. Lin might have straightforwardly expressed her unwillingness upon Huang Tao’s first mention of his intentions. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Huang Tao, who had already anticipated the outcome, wasn’t exactly disappointed.

He still smiled and said, "Alright, Mrs. Lin, if you ever change your mind, you can contact me through this phone number at any time. Thank you for taking the time to listen to me. Sorry for the disturbance."

The call ended.

He returned to Xuanxuan’s table, sitting down beside her.

Xuanxuan turned her head to look at her dad and noticed his slightly furrowed brows. Concerned, she asked, "Daddy, did you encounter something unhappy?"

"It’s nothing, focus on your drawing!"

He smiled, not explaining the situation to Xuanxuan.

He didn’t want the little girl to worry unnecessarily.

Xuanxuan blinked, lowered her head, and continued drawing, although it was clear her mind wasn’t fully on it.

Huang Tao opened the rental software.

On it, he could see the houses and commercial spaces available for rent nearby.

No choice!

Mrs. Lin next door had already rejected him; naturally, he had to look elsewhere.

He carefully browsed through the options.

Not until she called out to him, saying she was done drawing and wanted to go home, did he come back to reality.

"Alright, let’s go home!"

He closed up shop with Xuanxuan, got on the electric scooter, and rode home with her as the night fell.