Chapter 185: Chapter 185: Displaying Their Unique Talents
Everyone borrowed paper and pens from the production team to start taking notes.
Gu Chi: "We definitely need to make use of the courtyard; we can place lots of tables and chairs there."
Yi Heng frowned: "What if it rains?"
Gu Chi’s smile deepened, "Each set of tables and chairs will be accompanied by an outdoor umbrella. We don’t need to worry about sunny days or light rain, and during heavy rain, we won’t have many customers, or they can dine indoors."
Seeing Yi Heng about to continue, he added, "Many restaurants at tourist attractions are set up this way."
Yi Heng closed his mouth.
Gu Ran smiled, "We could also set up some small flower beds for flowers and plants, or simply place some potted plants."
Ai Jie pointed to the semi-open garage, "Let’s not put tables and chairs there; we might as well turn it into a small stall selling easily prepared fast food."
Tuanzi raised her little paw, "We could barbecue over there and then deliver the food."
Ai Jie beamed, "That’s a great idea."
Yi Heng gently patted his brother.
Yi Kai looked a bit confused at him, "Bro?"
Yi Heng cursed him for not being productive, "Do you have any good ideas? Feel free to share."
The little boy pondered seriously, "Maybe we could set up a small stage for people to go up and sing."
Yi Heng quickly supported the idea, but the sensitive kid, Yi Kai, keenly sensed his real emotions and clammed up.
Everyone continued discussing how to set up the ground floor.
If we don’t want to alter the structure of the house—more precisely, if we want to save costs on hiring renovators—keeping the original layout would be best.
Gu Ran thought for a moment, "The living room can simply have some tables set up, and the rest of the furniture might be temporarily moved out to see how we can remodel. As for how to decorate the walls, we can think more about that. Oh, if we’re preparing this many tables and chairs in consideration of customer flow, the kitchen might not suffice."
Gu Chi nodded, "The restaurant can be renovated to connect better with the kitchen. Or we could have part of it for desserts and part for main courses."
At the mention of ’desserts,’ Tuanzi immediately perked up, eyes shining, "Hooray for desserts!"
Gu Chi laughed and patted her head, and Tuanzi immediately rubbed her cheek against his palm ingratiatingly, "Let’s make desserts then; they’re tasty and can sell well."
Yi Heng rubbed his temples, "So what will our restaurant’s theme be? High-end or down-to-earth? A music restaurant or a barbecue place?"
[Here it comes, the first wave of arguments is about to start]
[Why does Yi Heng always have to nitpick?]
[How is he nitpicking? He’s quite right; how can a restaurant operate without a theme? Even street stalls have themes; they’re quick, convenient, and tasty]
The children looked up at the adults.
The twins leaned uneasily against Ai Jie.
Ai Jie smiled, comforting them, "Probably can’t go high-end."
She raised an eyebrow, "This restaurant will eventually be run by the welfare institution, so it’s likely there will be staff, volunteers, and children coming to help. A theme as a public restaurant is more suitable. As for the food, since we’re by the sea, it should be seafood-focused, which is relatively low-cost."
Yi Heng countered, "But didn’t you originally want to turn the third floor into a quiet and refreshing restaurant?"
Ai Jie: "I just thought bookshelves as dividers were creative. Setting up tables to match the ground floor style later would be the same."
At this moment, Ai Tanbo softly said, "Actually, we can allow customers to donate old books."
Everyone looked at him.
The little boy was a bit shy but tried hard to express his idea.
"Our kindergarten did a donation drive once, donating used picture books and toys to those in need. This time we could leave the bookshelves empty, and guests can bring old books. One or several old books could be exchanged for a cup of juice or something else."
Other than Yi Heng, the parents’ eyes lit up.
"That’s a great idea. These books can be available for guests to read and can also be for the children at the welfare institution to look at."
Ai Fengyi cheerfully added, "Our teacher taught us to do crafts, and when I gave my craft projects to my mom, she was really happy. Maybe other kids could make crafts to give to guests who donate books too."
This was a wonderful idea. Instead of focusing on a high-end or music-themed restaurant, setting the theme as a way to help the children at the welfare institution was better.
Guests could donate books that others could read, while the children could return the gesture with crafts, or the restaurant could offer some drinks or snacks.
Gu Chi looked encouragingly at the children, "This is a great idea, and it can continuously help other children, but we need to let guests know in advance about the types of books."
The style for the third floor was also decided, and they turned the topic back to the second floor.
"Not wanting to spend too much money, we could make it into private rooms."
Gu Chi suggested, "The three rooms could primarily cater to group dining."
Yi Heng, sensitive to the cameras, noticed all the cameras were on Gu Chi, and hurriedly said, "Groups don’t dine all the time though."
Gu Chi glanced at him, smiling with arched brows.
"Group dining must be booked in advance, and the rest of the time, we can have tables for two or four. Larger tables will be set up only during group events. We just need to reserve a few foldable large tables."
Ai Jie and Gu Ran had already noticed that Yi Heng, a second-tier male star, was only concerned about the cameras and wasn’t genuinely involved in the renovation. Meanwhile, Gu Chi clearly was the serious one. They already had their biases.
Although they were participating in this program for many reasons, one of the purposes was indeed to broaden the children’s horizons, helping them better integrate into society.
Renovating or even managing a restaurant for the welfare institution is a meaningful endeavor. Maybe when the children grow up, they’ll gain a lot of positive energy from this experience.
Gu Ran concurred, "Then let’s do it this way. But how should we decorate the three private rooms? Hanging some paintings?"
Ai Jie sighed, "Money, it all takes money."
The paintings hung in the rooms, even simple printed artworks, are not cheap if they’re slightly larger. Currently, they have zero funds.
Tuanzi cradled her face, looked left and right, then suddenly raised her hand, "Gu Chi brother can paint, and his students can paint too."
Everyone thought Tuanzi would suggest having these people provide artworks for free.
[Isn’t this not right, isn’t it moral blackmail to get those people to provide artworks for free?]
[Such young age, not learning the good things]
[If I were a student of Gu Chi, I’d definitely dislike this kind of moral coercion]
Tuanzi gently nudged Gu Chi and, with her big eyes forming crescents, smiled, "Gu Chi brother, we’re so familiar with each other, how about giving us a discount on some paintings?"
Gu Chi couldn’t help chuckling, "I’ll donate a few paintings."
He paused for a moment, then added, "As for the students in the studio, hmm, I’ll see if I can get them to give a discount."
Tuanzi quickly faced the camera and said sweetly, "Brothers and sisters in the studio, would you like more people to appreciate your work? You can prioritize choosing our restaurant; we have huge foot traffic with everyone having top-notch appreciation skills!"
[Hahaha, no need for discounts, I’ll donate directly]
[I’ll donate too; if I had known Mr. Gu needed paintings so desperately, I would’ve sent them over directly]
[No need for money, don’t need money. As a student still participating in art exams, I wouldn’t dare to take money even if offered]
[Could the production team provide an address? I’ll send the paintings right away]
[Don’t say Miaomiao morally coerced, if there’s really a platform to showcase my paintings, I’d be too grateful]
[My amateur work isn’t worth much, just donate it to the welfare institution]
Later, a professor who came here to dine saw a painting and greatly admired the artist’s spiritual energy, contacted them through the welfare institution, and took them under his wing.
Several others later became famous, with the paintings left in the restaurant increasing in value, but the welfare institution never sold them. For the welfare institution and the children, these are all signs of support and blessings from strangers.