Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

In Fujian Province, braised pork trotters rice is quite common, and there is actually a shop selling braised pork trotters rice near Zhongshan Street.

"Would you like some garlic cloves? They can help cut through the richness."

The diner shook his head and said, "No need, I've had that stuff a few times, and I don't really like the taste."

When the braised pork knuckle rice was served, the diners first took a deep sniff, then pursed their lips and nodded, clearly somewhat intoxicated by the aroma.

Then, after picking at the meat with his chopsticks, he remarked, "The portions at restaurants are still so generous. There are so many side dishes too. It feels like the braised pork knuckle rice I used to eat was a fake!"

"What is this small lump of sauce made with bok choy, pickled cabbage, and dried radish?"

As he spoke, the diner gently touched the chopsticks with his chopsticks and then licked them.

"Ouch~ It's a bit spicy, it must be chopped chili sauce."

The diner took a sip of the water provided by the restaurant, said nothing more, and began to eat.

But after taking just the first bite, he suddenly looked up, his face full of happiness.

I wanted to say something, but then I realized I was all alone and didn't have any friends to share with.

If you could pair it with a plate of Sichuan peppercorn chicken or sliced ​​beef and tripe in chili sauce, it would be heavenly!

Braised pork trotters rice is a well-known dish in Fujian Province, and with everyone knowing Zhou Wen's culinary skills, sales were quite good that morning.

……

As closing time approached, a tricycle appeared in front of the restaurant, which Zhou Wen recognized as Li Juncheng's vehicle.

Since the addition of beverages to the restaurant, Li Juncheng has been sending drinks to the restaurant more and more often, and has long since become one of the loyal customers of Zhouji Restaurant.

I had a meal at the restaurant last night, and as an old acquaintance, Zhou Wen naturally gave me a plate of pork knuckle.

This time, she brought her own child along.

She was a little girl, about four or five years old, who resembled her father, Lee Seung-jun, in build—somewhat dark-skinned and rather sturdy—and wore a small double ponytail.

"You even brought your daughter along?" Zhou Wen asked with a smile, looking at the chubby little girl.

"I told my wife about your pork knuckle yesterday, and this kid overheard and kept asking for it all night, so I brought it here. It shouldn't be closed yet, right?"

Zhou Wen smiled and said, "You're right on time. Any later and the shop would probably be closed. What would you like to eat?"

"Any new products?"

Zhou Wen nodded and said, "Braised pork trotters rice."

Lee Seung-jun found a spot close to the air conditioner, sat down, and said, "Then I'll have a bowl of braised pork knuckle rice."

"Would you like some garlic cloves? They can help cut through the richness."

"Okay, just get me a few petals."

Zhou Wen helped by getting a small bowl, which also contained pork trotter rice, but the portion was smaller, clearly intended for Li Chengjun's daughter.

Lee Seung-jun was naturally aware of this, so he thanked Zhou Wen.

Lee Seung-jun's daughter wasn't shy or bashful like most children.

In that childish voice, he said confidently, "Thank you, Uncle."

Upon hearing the girl's address, Zhou Wen's lips twitched, and he wondered if he was that old.

Lee Seung-jun also smiled as he corrected his daughter.

Of course, everyone just listened to the kids' words for fun, and no one took them too seriously.

Zhou Wen did not disturb the two's mealtime too much.

Lee Seung-jun's daughter held a soup spoon and ate mouthfuls of rice without her father feeding her.

"Is it delicious?" Lee Seung-jun asked, looking at his precious daughter.

The little girl's mouth was stuffed full; she didn't speak, but just nodded emphatically.

After taking six or seven bites, he put down the spoon, clearly unable to eat any more.

Upon hearing the cat meowing outside the door, he jumped off the chair and went to the door.

Lee Seung-jun, the father, glanced at it briefly, said a few words, and then looked away.

Then she poured all the leftovers from her daughter into her own bowl. She ate quite a lot of the meat, but the rest was mostly side dishes and rice.

After all, most children prefer to eat more meat and will avoid vegetables if possible.

After finishing his meal, Lee Seung-jun wiped his mouth with a tissue. He was incredibly satisfied after finishing a large bowl of pork trotter rice, and still felt a little unsatisfied.

Eating a bite of meat with a bite of garlic is incredibly satisfying.

To be honest, Boss Zhou's food is indeed exceptionally delicious. Take the pork knuckle, the core ingredient of this braised pork knuckle rice, for example. The moment you put it in your mouth, you're greeted by the aroma of meat with a hint of sweetness. If you savor it slowly, you can also detect a subtle fragrance of dried tangerine peel.

Then there's the pig's foreleg, which is soft, tender, and flavorful, with tendons and skin—it tastes completely different from pig's shank.

"Business is good right now, how about we stock up on some drinks?" After finishing his meal, Lee Seung-jun sat in the store, enjoying the air conditioning and taking a break.

It's always like this whenever you come to the restaurant in the afternoon. There's air conditioning, and the environment is quite nice. It's incredibly comfortable to relax here on such a hot day.

Zhou Wen shook his head and said, "If the guests need drinks, they will bring their own. Each person usually brings one or two bottles of beer, but sometimes if there are more people, they may bring a little more."

"Business is not as good as before. We haven't reached the point where we need to serve drinks yet. We also don't have enough staff. Sometimes when the customers get too drunk, it's a hassle to clean up afterwards."

However, time is running out, and it will soon be July or August. The number of customers in the store may increase significantly at that time.

With this in mind, Zhou Wen began to look forward to July and August.

Liu Chengjun didn't ask these questions for any particular reason. After chatting with Zhou Wen for a while, he left the restaurant with the girl.

However, when it was time to leave, the little girl became a bit restless and didn't want to go.

Everyone understood that they were reluctant to part with the rice ball and wanted to play with it a little longer.

Li Juncheng also ordered two roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), made with baiji buns.

After everyone left, Zhou Wen tidied up the area briefly before closing the shop for a break.

……

In the afternoon, after a short rest, Zhou Wen went to the kitchen and continued to braise pork knuckles and pork forelegs.

In the morning, some of the pork knuckles and forelegs were braised.

Zhou Wen felt that if the pork hock was stewed too soft, the taste and texture might be a little off; it would be best if it had some firmness.

Cold dishes like sliced ​​beef and tripe in chili sauce and Sichuan peppercorn chicken don't require attention to the temperature of the ingredients; the only thing to focus on is proper storage.

The restaurant, which already had a certain reputation for its braised pork trotters, sold nearly 500 yuan worth of pork trotters on its first day, thanks to the restaurant's booming business.

Back when the Fuqi Feipian (a type of Sichuan-style beef and tripe dish) was still around, the store's daily turnover was consistently around 1,000 yuan, which was already considered a stable small to medium-sized business.

With steady business growth these days, we're about to break the 2,000 yuan mark, and I still feel a bit excited whenever I think of Zhou Wen.

……