Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

Thanks to Liao Zheng's culinary skills, Ruyi Restaurant's business has been booming these days.

During his stay at Ruyi Hotel, Liao Zheng learned some things from their daily conversations, including the existence of Zhou's Restaurant.

Liao Zheng, the chef, also became interested in Zhouji Restaurant, though only somewhat.

Having worked as a chef for three or four decades, Liao Zheng naturally wouldn't be too concerned about a small restaurant; he possessed his own kind of pride.

Although business at Ruyi Restaurant was improving, Liu Fengru still had some worries in her heart.

In the week or two since Zhouji Restaurant reopened, there has been some discussion on Zhongshan Street about how delicious the food and how great the service are.

Even now, these discussions continue unabated, and the level of discussion about Zhouji Restaurant is only increasing.

These words were particularly grating to Liu Fengru's ears. Why didn't anyone say such things about our restaurant?

At the same time, I was also a little puzzled. It was as if the owner of Zhouji Restaurant had become a completely different person during the closure period. It was really strange!

Some time ago, after Chef Liao joined the restaurant, the neighborhood started talking about Ruyi Restaurant. However, it seems that what everyone was concerned about was not Ruyi Restaurant itself, but Chef Liao.

Some people say that Chef Liao's culinary skills are superb, and that he is no ordinary chef but a truly famous one, but no one talks about how good the service is at Ruyi Restaurant.

Even so, Chef Liao was still a member of Ruyi Restaurant. Although he was dissatisfied, it was better than having his limelight stolen by Zhou's Restaurant.

A few days ago, Zhouji Restaurant introduced a dish with a strange name: "Husband and Wife Lung Slices".

Ironically, this "Husband and Wife Lung Slices" dish, despite its strange name, stole the show.

Everything has a sense of novelty. As time went by, everyone got used to Chef Liao's arrival, but every time Zhouji Restaurant launched a new dish, it seemed to generate quite a bit of discussion.

"Chef Liao, do you have any signature dishes or cuisines that you are particularly good at?" Liu Fengru asked.

Liao Zheng said, "Some dishes take a lot of time to prepare, so it's not suitable to make them in the restaurant. These dishes are about all we have left."

Liu Fengru wanted to have a proper talk with Liao Zheng, but Chef Liao didn't seem to want to talk much and continued with his work.

Seeing this, Liu Fengru secretly rolled her eyes, her lips twitched downwards, revealing a speechless expression.

……

night.

"Liao Zheng is always like this, acting like someone owes him money," Liu Fengru said indignantly.

Ma Xianling patted Liu Fengru on the back: "Calm down. That's just how Chef Liao is. Besides, if we're really going to make a new cuisine, right now, only Chef Liao can help."

These days, Ma Xianling has been in an exceptionally good mood.

Firstly, the restaurant was doing well. Secondly, I learned a lot from working with Liao Zheng in the kitchen every day, and he would sometimes give me some pointers.

Liu Fengru was furious when she saw her husband siding with someone else.

"What do you mean, Ma Xianling?"

Seeing that his wife was upset, Ma Xianling quickly tried to appease her, saying, "Alright, alright. Chef Liao usually gives me some pointers, and besides, the restaurant's business is getting better and better, which is indeed thanks to Chef Liao."

"Of course, you also deserve credit. Without your dedicated management, the restaurant would obviously not be what it is today."

Liu Fengru pursed her lips, but she was still quite pleased with Ma Xianling's words, so she didn't say anything more.

……

"Boss, is that cat by the door yours? It's quite cute."

More and more diners have started to notice the calico cat at the entrance of the restaurant.

Almost everyone who comes to the restaurant will play with the cats at the entrance before going inside.

Previously, Zhou Wen might only see the calico cat once every few days, but these days, perhaps because he feeds it every day, he can see the calico cat whenever he goes out for some fresh air or has a smoke.

The calico cat, which was initially unfamiliar with Zhou Wen, now even comes to his feet and rubs against his trouser leg.

Because he also needs to cook every day, Zhou Wen only nudges the cat with his foot when it shows affection; he has never touched it.

The calico cat wasn't annoyed; instead, it treated each time as a game.

I guess so.

With fresh blood joining the shop, Zhou Wen was naturally happy, as it would also keep him company and help him pass the time.

"What's the name of the cat, boss?"

Shi Ying usually calls him "Xiao Mi, Xiao Mi," but he doesn't really have a name yet. Zhou Wen thought for a while and said, "Rice Ball."

There wasn't any particular intention behind it; I just thought it sounded good and pleasant to the ear.

After hearing Zhou Wen's reply, the diners in the restaurant thought of calling out, so they looked towards the door, but the rice ball was nowhere to be found amidst their conversation.

Strangely enough, I don't know if it's because it's lunchtime, but rice balls appeared at the restaurant entrance.

Shi Ying also symbolically called out a few times: "Rice ball".

Whether the rice ball truly understood or knew someone was calling it, it actually moved closer to Shi Ying's feet, then flipped over, exposing its belly.

Seeing this, Zhou Wen smiled and leaned against the wall, lost in thought.

The dish "Husband and Wife Lung Slices" has been around for a while now, and restaurants could definitely prepare more appetizing cold dishes, especially since the weather is so hot.

Moreover, with the successful precedent of "Husband and Wife Lung Slices," Zhou Wen wanted to strike while the iron was hot.

Of course, if it's a cold dish, it can only be a meat-based cold dish.

Hand-shredded Sichuan peppercorn chicken seems pretty good, Zhou Wen thought to himself.

Zhou Wen's eyes flickered, as if he was wondering if tearing the Sichuan peppercorn chicken by hand was feasible.

……

The next day, Zhou Wen went to the market to check the price of chicken legs.

Chicken legs in the market cost 6.6 yuan per jin (500g), and almost all of them are priced around that.

After looking around, I went to a stall to pick out chicken legs.

Zhou Wen selected chicken legs with white-yellow skin and a hint of pink, as these were considered fresh. Those that were blackish and had some blood seeping inside were not very fresh.

Because Zhou Wen bought a large quantity, the shopkeeper ended up giving him a discount of a few cents.

These days, Zhou Wen comes to the market empty-handed, then returns to the restaurant with bags full of things. Because of the hot weather and the amount of stuff he has, he always comes back covered in sweat.

Looks like I'll have to ride a bicycle from now on, otherwise this awful weather is really unbearable. Even just a few pedal strokes count as exercise.