Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

This tastes different from the usual homemade braised pork; it's not this sweet.

But I have to say, it actually feels pretty good.

I tried another piece of potato, which was stewed until very soft and the flavor had melded into it.

The diners put their chopsticks aside and picked up their spoons.

Restaurants will provide chopsticks and spoons.

Then, you have to keep stirring the potato and braised pork rice bowl in front of you.

Diners only stop stirring once the potatoes are mashed and completely blended with the rice and sauce.

I must say, the flavor of the rice bowl became more even after stirring.

Halfway through the meal, the diner added a spoonful of the restaurant's chili sauce.

After finishing the meal, there was still a small sip of soup left. After a moment, I swallowed the last sip.

After a satisfying meal, we sat in the restaurant for a while longer.

After all, it's such a hot day outside, but the restaurant has air conditioning, so it's very cool inside.

Although the price of eleven yuan might be slightly higher than you'd like, it's well worth it considering the portion size and taste.

……

And so the day passed, and everyone was quite satisfied with the taste of the braised pork and potato rice bowl, especially the sweetness, which was sweeter than most other dishes they had ever had.

However, this sweetness is not cloying, and it gives the overall flavor a unique character.

Time flew by, and a few more days passed in the blink of an eye.

Overall, the braised pork and potato rice bowl was well-received, as it's a staple food.

It might not be as good as appetizers like sliced ​​beef and tripe in chili sauce or roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), but it's still somewhere in the middle.

Everything seemed normal, nothing unusual happened...

Open for business at noon.

"Sister Shi Ying, is your phone ringing?" Shan Wei, who always had a sharp ear, pointed to Shi Ying's pocket where she was carrying her phone.

Because she was busy greeting guests, Shi Ying didn't actually hear it and was still busy with her work.

"Yeah?"

Despite saying it, Shi Ying didn't intend to take out her phone to look at it and continued to work.

Shan Wei paused for a moment and then said, "Sister Shi Ying, why don't you take a look? I think I heard your phone ringing a few minutes ago."

"It must be something important, right? Why don't you go and take care of it first? I'll hold things off here for now."

Upon hearing this, Shi Ying paused briefly, and in that pause, she heard the phone ringing in her pocket.

After hesitating for a moment, he nodded and said, "Then I'll trouble you for now. I'll be right back."

Shan Wei nodded and then took the bowls and plates from Shi Ying's hands.

Although Shan Wei is not as meticulous as Shi Ying in his work, he is still acceptable overall, except that he is a bit slow.

However, Shi Ying's departure took quite a while.

Sweating profusely from his busy work, Shan Wei began to wonder if something had really happened.

Given Shi Ying's personality, she naturally wouldn't think of taking advantage of this time to rest a little longer. It's been almost six minutes, so something must have happened.

While Shan Wei was still thinking, Shi Ying returned.

"Is Shi Ying alright?" Shan Wei, a colleague, asked with concern.

Shi Ying's eyes were somewhat dim compared to usual, then she shook her head and said, "It's nothing."

After saying that, he continued working.

Dan Wei watched Shi Ying's retreating figure, scratched his head, and didn't know what to say.

The restaurant closed in the afternoon.

Zhou Wen looked at Shi Ying, who was sitting in a daze, and called out to her twice.

"Shi Ying? Shi Ying?"

Upon hearing Zhou Wen's voice, Shi Ying was startled: "Boss, what's wrong?"

"There's still a table of dishes that hasn't been cleared over there in the corner. Help me clean it up," Zhou Wen said, pointing to the untidy table in the corner.

Shan Wei is currently in the kitchen helping Zhou Wen with the dishes and utensils.

"Okay, I'll go right away."

After Shi Ying finished speaking, she quickly went to the corner table that hadn't been cleaned.

This kind of thing had never happened before, but Zhou Wen didn't take it too seriously, since the restaurant was getting busier and busier.

Zhou Wen thought it was because Shi Ying was a little tired that she didn't react, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

However, Zhou Wen noticed something amiss during the meal.

"Shi Ying".

"Hmm? What's up, boss?"

"Don't come so early in the afternoon, get some rest," Zhou Wen said.

Shi Ying didn't say anything, she just nodded.

Although Shi Ying nodded, it didn't mean she agreed.

In the afternoon, Shi Ying arrived at the restaurant early as usual.

However, Shi Ying seemed a little out of sorts this afternoon, appearing somewhat distracted.

If something was only a little off in the morning, it was completely wrong when I arrived at the store in the afternoon.

Having been at the restaurant for so long, Zhou Wen had never seen Shi Ying in such a depressed state, and he knew without a doubt that something had happened.

Zhou Wen had always been busy in the kitchen, so he wasn't very clear about what was happening in the front of house.

All I know is that Shi Ying was delayed for a few minutes in the morning because of a phone call, and I don't know if it was because of that call.

"What happened to Shi Ying?" Zhou Wen asked.

Shi Ying probably knew that something was wrong with her condition, and she tried to adjust it.

He forced a smile and said, "It's nothing, boss."

Shi Ying was a girl whose emotions were always on her face, so Zhou Wen easily noticed her mood; her face looked like it was filled with deep sorrow.

Zhou Wen shook his head and said, "If something happens, we can talk about it. Otherwise, I'm not in the mood to work."

Shi Ying pouted, her mood low, and said, "My cousin is sick. I only received the call at noon today."

Cousin? That is, Xiao Shi?

Zhou Wen nodded, then thought for a moment and said, "Then let's suspend business for one day tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Shi Ying immediately stood up, waving her hands and saying, "Boss, it's nothing."

Zhou Wen first gave Shi Ying a look, signaling her to calm down, before slowly speaking:

"The restaurant has indeed been open for many days without a break. I was thinking a few days ago about when to take a day off, since it's almost July. Summer vacation is coming soon, and the number of customers will probably be much higher then."

"A day of rest is good for welcoming July."

After saying that, Zhou Wen smiled.

Shi Ying didn't know what to say for a moment, but finally nodded.

My cousin is sick, and I do need to go and take care of her.

"I'll go with you to take a look tomorrow," Zhou Wen said.

Shi Ying was taken aback: "Boss, are you going too?"

Zhou Wen nodded and said, "Shi Ling was also a former employee, so it's really necessary for her to go and take a look."

As a long-time employee of the restaurant, Zhou Wen, who had worked diligently every day like Shi Ying when he was working there, believed that this was still very necessary.

As for the specifics of what happened, Zhou Wen didn't ask any further questions.