Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

When Zhou Wen looked at Xiao Jie, he also noticed another problem.

"How did you get to the restaurant this morning?"

"I walked here," Xiao Jie replied.

"How long will it take?" Zhou Wen looked at the sun outside the restaurant, his lips curving downwards.

"About half an hour," Xiao Jie said.

"Not even an umbrella?"

Xiao Jie shook her head.

"Didn't your aunt say she was coming to pick you up?"

"No, Auntie has to go to work too," Xiao Jie said, standing to the side.

That's true, it's good enough to have a place to stay for now.

On such a hot day, Zhou Wen naturally couldn't let Xiao Jie walk alone again.

"Let's go, I'll take you home," Zhou Wen said.

"Brother, I can walk back by myself," Xiao Jie said, shaking her head, clearly not wanting to trouble Zhou Wen any further.

Looking at Xiao Jie's rather thin figure, Zhou Wen thought that in this sweltering heat, walking back would probably cause her to suffer from heatstroke, or at least peel off a layer of skin.

"Come on up."

Seeing that Xiao Jie hadn't moved for a while, Zhou Wen said, "It won't take long, we can drive here very quickly."

Seeing this, Xiao Jie also sat down behind Zhou Wen.

"Are you seated?"

"Um."

When Zhou Wen took the person back, he realized that the route didn't make sense at all. Normally, it would take him at least forty minutes if he were relaxed.

"Is this the place?"

Xiao Jie nodded and said, "This is it, thank you, brother."

"Don't walk over by yourself this afternoon, I'll come pick you up."

"I usually go for a drive anyway, so this was just a side trip," Zhou Wen casually offered.

"Then please tell me your contact information."

Xiao Jie doesn't have a cell phone; she still uses a PHS (Personal Handyphone System).

"Alright, let's go back and get some rest," Zhou Wen said.

"Thank you, brother."

Zhou Wen waved his hand dismissively and watched Xiao Jie go up the stairs before leaving.

Because of the small battery, the round trip only took about ten minutes, which didn't take much time.

When Zhou Wen got home, he picked up his phone and saw a missed call from his mother.

Because he was driving, Zhou Wen didn't notice and immediately called back.

Zhang Mo called because of Xiao Jie's matter.

The gist of it was that Zhou Wen should take good care of Xiao Jie, since they were from the same village, their families knew each other, and Xiao Jie had visited their home before.

The situation at home is also not very good.

Zhou Wen quite liked this little sister; she was obedient and well-behaved.

It was around 3 p.m., when the sun was a little weaker.

Zhou Wen then called Xiao Jie.

The call was connected quickly, and a time was agreed upon.

Zhou Wen told Xiao Jie to wait at home until the local authorities called before coming down.

However, when Zhou Wen arrived, Xiao Jie was already waiting downstairs.

Fortunately, the girl knew to find a shady spot to sit and wait.

"How long have we been waiting?" Zhou Wen asked.

"Not long after."

Zhou Wen nodded: "Come on up."

"Brother," Xiao Jie said, spreading her hands out.

There were a few candies lying in my palm, their wrappings a little crumpled, indicating that they had been in my hand for some time.

Zhou Wen didn't take more, just one, saying, "Keep the rest safe, we'll share them with the older brothers and sisters at the restaurant later."

Without even thinking of putting it in his pocket, Zhou Wen simply tore open the packaging and put the candy in his mouth; it tasted pretty good.

"it is good."

When they returned, Zhou Wen bought some snacks to fill their stomachs. Ren Xuan and Shan Wei, who arrived late, usually brought their own biscuits or something to eat.

Or perhaps Zhou Wen bought too much food, and there might be some leftovers because everyone couldn't finish it.

"Is the taste alright?" Zhou Wen asked, watching Xiao Jie take small bites of food.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Jie replied without hesitation, "It's not as good as the food my brother makes."

Hearing Xiao Jie say that, Zhou Wen smiled silently. To be honest, it was quite nice to be praised by a child like that.

In the evening, they also launched a new dish called Guo Bao Rou (Sweet and Sour Pork). A serving of Guo Bao Rou costs eighteen yuan and is about eight liang (approximately 400 grams).

This time, the sweet and sour pork has once again sparked discussion.

It's been several dozen days since the last time I had sour fish soup, plus Zhouji Restaurant was closed for a few days.

Many diners speculated that the restaurant's three-day closure meant Zhou Wen had gone somewhere to study again.

Guo Bao Rou (Sweet and Sour Pork) is indeed a strange name, and diners have hardly ever heard of it, after all, Northeast China is very far from Fujian Province.

When the first customer who ordered the sweet and sour pork saw it, he exclaimed, "The color of this sweet and sour pork is really beautiful!"

"This looks a bit like the local fried pork belly."

"How is it similar? Fried pork belly doesn't come in such a big piece. Besides, the color is better, okay? Putting aside everything else, the taste is definitely different."

After diners tried it, they found that the sweet and sour taste was really good. The whole outer shell was very crispy, but the inside was not dry at all, and was soft and juicy.

There were many more diners in the evening than at noon, and the restaurant was bustling with activity.

In the past, when a new product was launched, it might sell more than twenty servings in one night, but today, every table of customers ordered the sweet and sour pork.

He might be a little tired, but Zhou Wen was also quite happy that the diners were enjoying their meal.

By 10 o'clock, the restaurant's hustle and bustle had finally subsided, and there were no more customers ordering food.

Zhou Wen could finally breathe a sigh of relief and relax outside the restaurant.

Unfortunately, Xiao Jie happened to pass by a seat where customers were eating.

The plate falling startled the guests at the table.

Upon hearing the noise, Zhou Wen quickly tossed the cigarette butt aside, stomped it out, and returned to the front hall.

"Brother, I'm sorry." Xiao Jie's face turned completely red, and her ears looked like they could bleed.

"Are you alright?" Zhou Wen asked.

Xiao Jie lowered her head, not daring to look at Zhou Wen, her neck was red, and she shook her head.

"Boss, is this your sister?" asked one of the diners at the other table, who had been disturbed.

Zhou Wen smiled and nodded.

The guests at that table didn't scold her; they simply said, "How can a young girl carry so many plates at once?"

Zhou Wen smiled and nodded, accepting the diners' criticism.

Shi Ying and Shi Ling have already started tidying up.

Xiao Jie stood to the side, seemingly at a loss.

Seeing this, Zhou Wen also shouted.

When Xiao Jie heard Zhou Wen call her name, she was momentarily dazed and stood there for a moment before she came to her senses.

Then she quickly went to Zhou Wen's side, her head bowed low, her mouth trembling slightly, and her hands behind her back.

Seeing this, Zhou Wen said, "Go to the door and keep an eye on the rice balls for me."

"Okay..." Xiao Jie's voice was very soft, and if they weren't so close, Zhou Wen would have almost not heard her.

Zhou Wen could also see Xiao Jie's current state. Today was her first day at the restaurant, and she seemed particularly nervous, with her whole body tense.

Especially at work, they might be worried that they won't do things well.