Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

"Then give me a price."

Zhou Wen kicked the ball back.

Jiang Zhiyu's eyes flickered as she said, "Four eights? Or five eights would also work, but with an extra decimal point."

"Four eights it is then," Zhou Wen smiled, not caring too much about this somewhat unexpected sum of money.

At the same time, he was once again impressed by Jiang Zhiyu's financial strength. This nearly 10,000 yuan was equivalent to a month's salary for a head chef in a mid-range hotel or a large restaurant.

Jiang Zhiyu, fearing Zhou Wen might change his mind, quickly nodded and said, "Okay, it's settled then. Tell me your bank card number later."

As for why Jiang Zhiyu wanted to hire Zhou Wen as a consultant, it was because after a day of contact, she made up her mind after considering various factors.

Although Zhou's Restaurant is small, it has a really different feel to it. Jiang Zhiyu thinks that if the restaurant continues to operate slowly like this, it will definitely become a local specialty restaurant in the future.

It's definitely no worse than those restaurants, provided that it can maintain this level of quality.

As for Zhou Wen, he arrived at Zhou's Restaurant at 2 PM today and left at 3:30 PM.

During that short hour and a half, Zhou Wen left a special impression on Jiang Zhiyu.

He's good-looking, his cooking skills are impeccable, and he's also humorous, interesting, and quite knowledgeable.

Furthermore, when his restaurant opens, Zhou Wen might still be able to offer some pointers.

Of course, it's not enough for a person to be interesting; Jiang Zhiyu also acknowledges Zhou Wen's culinary skills.

For example, Zhou Wen's homemade shrimp and mushroom noodles taste really good. If she opens a shop, she can improve the ingredients even more. Jiang Zhiyu is confident that this bowl of noodles will become the shop's signature dish.

And that pork knuckle, after being improved, also tastes quite good. The difference in the variety of these dishes is truly refreshing.

"I should be going to Xiamen in a few days." Jiang Zhiyu said, looking at Zhou Wen.

The meaning was clear: they wanted Zhou Wen to come along.

Zhou Wen hesitated upon hearing this.

However, this is naturally impossible. The restaurant needs to operate every day, and if we go to Xiamen, it will take at least one or two days.

Transportation in 07 was not as developed as it would be later, when you could cross two cities in just a few tens of minutes. It would take a lot of effort and time to go back and forth.

Going to Xiamen is just to help with things like getting the flavors; it doesn't really help the restaurant itself much.

When Jiang Zhiyu saw Zhou Wen hesitate, she pretty much understood the outcome.

He blinked and asked:

"Shouldn't you, as the instructor, have gone along to taste the dishes?"

Zhou Wen pursed his lips. What he said was true, but he really couldn't get away right now.

Recently, Shan Wei has practiced driving for a while and is almost ready to start implementing the delivery plan.

The restaurant is also starting to hire.

Zhou Wen also spoke frankly: "I have some things to take care of lately. I can go with you to places that are closer, but I really can't get away from these more distant places in the short term."

Jiang Zhiyu didn't force her; she was capable of handling the food tasting herself.

The main reason is that Zhou Wen did indeed find it quite enjoyable to follow along.

Jiang Zhiyu nodded and did not insist.

What's your phone number?

"15..."

"Slow down, read it again," Jiang Zhiyu said, pressing the buttons on her phone.

Zhou Wen read it aloud again, and Jiang Zhiyu also made a phone call.

When Zhou Wen's phone rang, Jiang Zhiyu hung up the phone as well.

"When are you opening your shop?" Zhou Wen asked.

Jiang Zhiyu sighed slightly and said, "The renovations might take another month, but manpower is the key."

Jiang Zhiyu was referring not to the waiters, but to the chefs.

Without a doubt, if Jiang Zhiyu were to open a restaurant, it would be unlike any ordinary restaurant.

Zhou Wen was also curious about where Jiang Zhiyu's restaurant was going to be located.

Without a doubt, they would choose first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen; other places are unlikely, given that they come from Hong Kong and Macau.

I might open a restaurant in mainland China, but going deeper into the mainland is a bit unrealistic.

As for Xiamen, Zhou Wen felt it was unlikely.

"Shenzhen or Guangzhou?"

"Guangzhou," Jiang Zhiyu replied.

How did you know it was in Guangzhou?

Zhou Wen smiled faintly and said, "There are only a few places. It's not hard to guess if you want to."

Jiang Zhiyu came to Fujian Province to find a chef, probably thinking that the local catering industry was highly competitive and that good chefs were already taken. It just so happened that the eating habits in Fujian Province were similar to those in Guangdong Province.

The various cuisines are also quite good.

Jiang Zhiyu glanced at her watch. "It's getting late, I need to go back and rest."

In fact, Zhou Wen didn't know when they would meet again after this parting, or that they might never see each other again.

"Where did you park your car?" Zhou Wen asked.

"Outside," Jiang Zhiyu replied.

When we arrived, we parked our car outside and walked in.

"Let's go." After saying that, Zhou Wen stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"Now that you've hired me as a consultant, I should definitely see you off," Zhou Wen said with a smile.

Jiang Zhiyu can now be considered Zhou Wen's boss, although she may not be able to accompany him on business trips for the time being.

But I can still do small things like helping someone along the way.

Or maybe they come here for a free meal or something.

Jiang Zhiyu also stood up and glanced at Zhou Wen: "At least you still have some conscience."

"Why is this cat so affectionate towards you?" As you walk out the door, you see Rice Ball eating nearby.

Upon seeing Zhou Wen emerge, it stopped eating and came to Zhou Wen's feet, calling out to him.

"Why are you making such a suggestive noise?" Jiang Zhiyu asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at the rice ball.

Perhaps when I saw the rice ball at noon today, it ran away rather disrespectfully.

But it was just talk.

Zhou Wen smiled silently. "Let's go."

The two chatted about everyday things along the way, and in just a few minutes they arrived at where Jiang Zhiyu's car was parked.

It was an older, silver-gray Crown.

Zhou Wen originally thought it would be some kind of high-end business vehicle.

They are indeed quite low-key.

Jiang Zhiyu quickly got into the car, then rolled down the window, smiled, and waved her hand, saying:

"I'm leaving now. Call me if you need anything."

Zhou Wen nodded, wondering what he could possibly need to contact him about.

"Also, I need to reconsider what I told you. I feel that such a small place is a waste of your talent."

Zhou Wen smiled faintly and said, "You don't need to worry about that."

Zhou Wen only looked away after the car had disappeared from sight.

In my heart, I silently bid farewell to this "rich woman Jiang".

After returning to the restaurant, Zhou Wen washed up and lay down on the bed, quickly falling asleep.

……