Chapter 79: Fortune Bears

The remaining townsfolk of Xiangshui Town still trusted Liu Heming very much. After all, they didn’t have much to do at the moment, and they owed him for this year’s bountiful harvest.

Bowls of Dumplings were brought out, and one by one, Rougamo were served to the tables. Everyone reacted quite positively. Especially since the Rougamo now were a lighter, improved version that Liu Heming had tweaked after taking suggestions. The rich aroma of meat mixed with the fresh scent of green peppers made everyone fall in love with them instantly.

Relatively speaking, they felt that this Chinese Hamburger better suited their usual eating habits. The Dumplings actually tasted great too, but they were a bit more effort to eat. Almost everyone finished a second Rougamo, and those with bigger appetites even managed a third.

“Dexter, don’t worry. With everyone cheering you on today, your Dumplings and Chinese Hamburger are sure to become even more popular,” George said as he approached Liu Heming.

“I hope it turns out as you say, but right now I’m more concerned about why no one placed any orders yesterday,” Liu Heming said with a bitter smile.

There was definitely no issue with the taste—even his own daughter couldn’t put her chopsticks down. The only thing puzzling him was why people hadn’t been brave enough to try them. Even if they hadn’t seen Rougamo before, they must have seen Dumplings at some point.

“Dexter, perk up! It looks like we have customers,” George said, giving Liu Heming a firm pat on the shoulder and nodding toward the Restaurant entrance.

Liu Heming looked toward the door with anticipation, but his expression turned somewhat frustrated. It wasn’t people coming to eat; it was a young couple admiring the Bear Cubs who had slipped outside at some point. Those two must have seen everyone eating without getting any themselves, gotten upset, and run out to play.

Liu Heming shook his head helplessly. It was no wonder—the two were already adorable, and now, dressed in their little chef outfits, they were even cuter, so it was only natural they’d catch the attention of passersby.

“Dexter, we should invite them in. Have you ever considered that keeping the Little Bears outside could help attract customers?” George mused, stroking his chin.

Liu Heming thought about it and realized George was right. If they could get ten cars to stop, surely at least a couple of people would come in to rest, right?

However, Liu Heming didn’t rush out immediately. Instead, he quickly prepared some Dumplings for the Bear Cubs, boiled them while the young couple was taking photos with the bears, and then brought the food out.

The young couple was having a great time, and the Bear Kids were now quite accustomed to—and even somewhat fond of—being photographed. At home, they often struck poses when taking pictures with Alex.

When Liu Heming brought out their Food Bowls, it was obvious from their furry faces that they were happy. But the two Bear Cubs were feeling a bit stubborn—since he hadn’t given them food earlier, they weren’t going to eat now. So, even when Liu Heming placed the bowls right in front of them and they were drooling with anticipation, they still didn’t make a move.

“Excuse me, may I ask what’s wrong with them?” the young woman asked curiously, watching the Bear Kids’ behavior.

“I’m the Chef at this Restaurant, and I sell some Chinese-style food. Earlier, there were too many customers, and I didn’t have time to take care of them, so now they’re sulking,” Liu Heming explained with a shrug, telling a little white lie.

“If you don’t eat now, I’ll give these to Alex instead,” Liu Heming said, crouching down and patting the two Bear Cubs on their heads.

But this time, the Bear Kids were genuinely upset, and Liu Heming’s threat had no effect—other than making them drool even more.

Frustrated by the uncooperative Bear Cubs, Liu Heming pretended to take the Food Bowls away.

At that, the two Bear Cubs immediately protested, using their pudgy paws to protect the bowls firmly. They were clever enough to know the Dumplings were still too hot to eat comfortably.

“Wow, they’re so adorable!” the young woman exclaimed, completely won over by the Bear Kids’ antics.

“Are they dangerous at all?” she asked nervously.

“Would you like to take photos with them? It’s fine—go ahead. They’re very well-behaved, just a little mischievous,” Liu Heming said with a smile.

The Bear Kids did indeed have a knack for attracting customers, but even if people were drawn in, their attention would likely stay on the bears rather than on trying the Dumplings or Rougamo.

Although the young woman really wanted a photo with the Bear Cubs, she still lacked the courage, so she settled for taking pictures of them from the side as they used their paws to scoop up Dumplings to eat.

“If you’re interested, you could give the food I cook a try,” Liu Heming said, mustering his courage even though he felt a little embarrassed.

“Seeing them eat makes it look really tasty. Could you watch over them so Emma can take a photo with them?” the young man, who had been quiet until now, asked with a smile.

“Haha, they’re really not dangerous at all. I’ve raised them since they were small, and to them, humans are actually friends,” Liu Heming replied with a laugh.

It seemed the young man really doted on his girlfriend; he knew she wanted a photo with the Bear Cubs and was asking for help. Watching the couple, Liu Heming decided that even if they didn’t order anything, he wouldn’t mind.

“Xiong Da, reach out your paw so the young lady can pet you. I’ll reward you with a Rougamo later,” Liu Heming said, patting Xiong Da on the head.

To his surprise, not only Xiong Da, but even Xiong Er stretched out both of their little paws.

“Oh my, can they understand what you’re saying?” Emma asked in amazement.

“We’ve lived together for a long time, so they understand many simple phrases. Of course, most of those are related to food. You can play with them here; I’ll go inside to fulfill my promise to them,” Liu Heming said with a nod and a smile.

The power of cute creatures was strong. The young woman who had been afraid earlier was now huddled close to the Bear Kids, having her boyfriend take endless photos with his Mobile Phone, all before Liu Heming had even started making the Rougamo inside.

“Dexter, how did it go?” George asked with concern when Liu Heming came back in.

“They were just passersby attracted by the Bear Kids, but I’ll give each of them a free Chinese Hamburger,” Liu Heming said with a smile.

After all, he wasn’t expecting to sell much today. Since the Bear Kids were working so hard as Fortune Bears, giving away a couple of burgers was no big deal.