In his past life, Xiao Ming owned an estate on the island of Sicily and often drank, fished, or played golf with the local family godfathers. His Italian wasn't standard, but it was imbued with a Sicilian dialect.
And the owner and chef of this restaurant just happened to be Sicilian.
Never expecting to hear his hometown dialect in a foreign land, the owner was excited. He came forward to shake hands with Xiao Ming and after exchanging pleasantries, said, "I'm sorry, but I didn't quite understand what Mr. Xiao just said."
Previously, Xiao Ming had only spoken two words, which translated to "one million."
So he said, "I like your restaurant, one million Hua Currency, are you willing to sell it?"
The owner was stunned, then his expression became serious, "First of all, thank you for your appreciation, sir. But I'm very sorry, I've put a lot of heart into this place and I don't want to..."
"One and a half million, plus ten percent of the shares!"
Xiao Ming interrupted him, "If you agree, you can still work here as the chef and manager. Everything will remain the same. I will just send an accountant at the end of each month to review the bill records.𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Mr. Colombo, my wife and I are very fond of the sausage pizza here. We wish to own it, yet we do not want it to change too much.
Therefore, this is a very sincere offer. Please consider it carefully.
By the way, is Lord Gambino still worried about his little daughter's romance with the postman?"
Foreigners don't understand the philosophy of conversation of the Eastern people, so when chatting with them, one should not be too polite or too indirect; being straightforward is most appropriate.
Indeed, the owner became excited, especially after hearing the name "Lord Gambino;" his face turned pale, and he immediately agreed to Xiao Ming's offer.
Subsequently, they confirmed the time for signing the contract that afternoon and payment and change registration for the following day. Xiao Ming then glanced tentatively at Zheng Yanan and pointed at the sausage pizza on the table.
"If I'm not mistaken, this pizza should be the only one personally made by Mr. Colombo."
A proud smile of a craftsman appeared on Colombo's face: "You have good taste, sir! Only the Italian sausage pizza can truly be called a real pizza."
Implicitly, pizzas with other toppings were heresies, mere compromises made for earning money abroad.
Xiao Ming expressed surprise, "Really? But your manager just told me personally that this pizza is the cheapest in the store and only those who are poor can afford it."
Understanding Italian, Zheng Yanan's face turned ashen, as she vehemently denied, "Mr. Colombo, don't listen to his nonsense. I have never said that."
"Manager Zheng, I need to remind you," Colombo said coldly, "that this gentleman is now your boss. Or rather, he's our boss."
"Ah! Mr. Colombo, until the change of registration, this place is still yours," Xiao Ming said.
Though foreigners may not be adept at the Eastern art of subtlety, they are not completely ignorant of social niceties.
Hearing Xiao Ming's words, Colombo immediately said seriously to Zheng Yanan, "Ms. Zheng, considering that you have severely affected our customers' dining experience and lack sufficient appreciation for the products sold here,
I believe you are no longer qualified to continue as the service manager.
Please go and settle this month's salary with finance and then leave. Thank you!"
Zheng Yanan panicked completely. As a single mother who was struggling to raise her child alone, losing her job would be devastating. How would she survive?
In her desperation, she knelt on the ground with a thud, crying, "Jiang... Xue, Mr. Xiao, I was wrong. I was snobbish! Please be magnanimous and spare me this once..."
Jiang Xue had no idea what her husband had just discussed with the restaurant owner, and she was startled by his actions and demeanor. For a moment, she stood there frozen, at a loss for what to do.
"Manager Zheng always has such an interesting way of speaking," Xiao Ming chuckled, "Just now I actually scolded you, you could have called the police.
According to the law, in the end, whether I'm your boss or not, I would definitely have to apologize to you."
"No, the one who should apologize is me! I... I..."
Zheng Yanan glanced at Mr. Wang, who had already retreated with her son in her arms, and lowered her voice to continue, "That person is my son's class teacher, she holds my child's future in her hands, I'm afraid of offending her by not serving her well, so I...
I'm sorry! I know I was wrong. Please, for the sake of a single mother raising her child alone, don't drive me away, I really can't lose this job..."
The more she spoke, the more heartbroken she became, tears and snot mixing together, making Jiang Xue feel unbearable sympathy.
She thought about how if Xiao Ming hadn't changed and was still a gambling addict, she would certainly have to taste the bitterness of being a single mother.
With a light sigh, she said, "Ming, let's just forget about it, shall we? In the end, we didn't suffer any harm, it's just a little frustration that's already in the past."
"You always have such a soft heart. If our child were a daughter, we couldn't allow her to take after you."
Xiao Ming shook his head and turned his stern gaze to Mr. Wang's face, asking seriously, "Which school are you a teacher at?"
Although Mrs. Wang did not understand Italian, she had eyes.
Xiao Ming could converse fluently with an Italian and even made a foreigner bow in respect, now with Zheng Yanan kneeling begging for mercy, it was clear he was a figure of importance.
No matter how significant, he was definitely more so than her.
After hesitating for a moment, she counter-asked, "You... Do you need something?"
Xiao Ming sneered, "If you're unwilling to say, forget it, it's very easy to find out. Let me change the question then: it's easy for me to have Zheng Yanan lose her job, and it wouldn't be hard for me to make you lose your teaching qualification either, do you believe that?"
Mr. Wang was shocked and her color drained.
She was just a powerless elementary school teacher, only able to 'use the child to command the parents' occasionally. Outside of school, she was nothing.
"Sir, why? I haven't offended you!"
"You haven't offended me, but the things you said in front of us just now, and the way you educate your own son, which part of it fits the phrase 'a model for others'? Others are willing to share a table with you out of kindness, you didn't even say thank you, instead, you complain about others being dirty, what the hell kind of thoughts and attitude should a teacher have?"
Xiao Ming's tone became more severe as he spoke, and in the end, he even let out a curse word, frightening Mrs. Wang so much that she trembled, and immediately after, her eyes reddened with tears spilling down.
Her husband was probably a honest man too, only knowing to protect his son, his head bowed in silence.
Xiao Ming exhaled and then said, "I hope you remember today's experience. Zheng Yanan will continue to work here, we will see each other often, understand?"
Without waiting for Mrs. Wang's reaction, he stood up, reached out to Jiang Xue with a smile, "Let's go, my dear wife, I'll take you to the company."
Zheng Yanan never expected the situation to take such a bright turn — not only did she keep her job, but she also didn't have to worry about her child facing retaliation from the teacher later on. Her heart pounding with surprise, she carefully saw the couple out of the store, incessantly expressing her thanks.
Once they got into the taxi, Jiang Xue looked back at Zheng Yanan, who was still standing by the roadside, and couldn't help but lean on Xiao Ming's shoulder, sighing with emotion, "The heart of a parent is truly pitiful!"