Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

Shi Ling nodded and first served a bowl of pork tripe and chicken soup.

After tasting it, I was completely won over by the flavor of this pork tripe and chicken soup.

The ingredients had no fishy or strange smells, and their flavors were well integrated into the soup.

I've eaten at my own boss's place before; it's not bad, but it's not particularly delicious either—just ordinary home-cooked meals.

But today, judging from the restaurant's cleanliness, it's completely different from before.

Moreover, the owner's cooking skills have improved so much compared to before, isn't this really the Zhouji Restaurant I remember?

As Shi Ling pondered this, she began to sample the other dishes.

"What's this dish called?" Shi Ling asked Shi Ying, pointing to the sliced ​​beef and tripe in chili sauce.

"Sister, I'd like some sliced ​​beef and tripe in chili sauce."

"Husband and Wife Lung Slices?" Shi Ling repeated, wondering why there was such a strange name for the dish.

Although I had already seen it on the menu, I still couldn't help but complain when I heard Shi Ying say that.

Shi Ying also introduced the dish from the side: "This is a Sichuan-style cold dish, and it includes beef, beef tongue, beef tripe, and beef heart."

Shi Ling nodded, and without much hesitation, picked up a piece of food, which was covered in red oil, though she didn't know exactly what it was.

"It smells so good." Shi Ling took a small bite and gave her opinion.

"Sister, try this one too, this is pork knuckle." As she spoke, Shi Ying picked up a piece of pork knuckle and put it into Shi Ling's bowl.

This pork knuckle even has a slightly refreshing aroma.

"And this roujiamo (Chinese hamburger)..."

Shi Ling quickly stopped her, saying, "Okay, okay. I can get whatever I want to eat myself."

"Eat your noodles quickly, or they'll get soggy," Zhou Wen said at the opportune moment.

Shi Ling nodded. The aroma of the shrimp and mushroom noodles in front of her was much less appealing compared to the other dishes. She wondered how it would taste.

Shi Ling picked up a mouthful of noodles, blew on it, and then put it in her mouth.

Even Shi Ling let out a soft "Hmm~" for a moment.

Realizing that he had lost his composure, he covered his mouth with his hand.

This bowl of noodles is so fresh and sweet, it's exactly what Shi Ling wanted.

"Boss, did you make all of this?" Shi Ling couldn't help but ask.

Zhou Wen smiled and said, "There's no one else in the kitchen besides me. It couldn't have been someone else who made it, could it?"

That seems to be true.

After that, no one spoke at the table, and everyone focused on eating.

Shi Ling ate the last bowl of shrimp and mushroom noodles until only some soup remained.

Shi Ling didn't know how she finished such a big bowl of noodles; logically speaking, she shouldn't have been able to finish it.

In fact, Shi Ling had many questions she wanted to ask Zhou Wen.

For example, what happened to the restaurant after it suspended operations?

What exactly happened after the business reopened?

And the boss has changed so much since then, not only in terms of cooking skills but also in his interpersonal skills.

However, Shi Ling still didn't ask these questions.

"Sis, let me tell you, there are lots of other delicious things in the shop, like hot and sour noodles and rice bowls. Especially the hot and sour noodles, it's just a shame you can't handle spicy food very well."

Although we are all from Jiangxi Province, not everyone can eat spicy food.

After everyone finished eating and put down their chopsticks, Zhou Wen looked at Shi Ling and asked:

"The food should taste alright, right?"

The taste of this dish is not just good, it's absolutely delicious.

I haven't eaten this comfortably in a long time.

Shi Ling touched her lips with a tissue and nodded.

"It's delicious."

When I was working at the factory, I only ate whatever was available each day because I was busy with work.

Aside from when I went home for Chinese New Year, I haven't had such a sumptuous meal in the past few months.

The group sat down to rest for a while and chatted.

Because it was getting late, we didn't chat for very long.

"Boss, we'll be going now," Shi Ling said.

"You can come back often when you have time, just to visit and have a meal."

"it is good."

……

The rest of June passed as usual, with nothing else happening and the restaurant not introducing any new dishes.

As for why Zhou Wen didn't release any new products in the following period, it was mainly because he was planning to release a game-changing product in July.

Time flew by and it was now July 1st.

Shi Ying was really looking forward to today.

The restaurant hasn't introduced any new dishes for almost ten days, which is agonizing not only for the diners but also for Shi Ling, an employee.

Not knowing what kind of food the boss would choose to make, Shi Ying quickened her pace as she walked along the road.

Once inside the shop, Shi Ying asked, "Boss, what kind of food are you making today?"

"Have you ever eaten crayfish?" This time, Zhou Wen didn't keep her in suspense, knowing that Shi Ying had been looking forward to it for several days.

"Crayfish?" Shi Ying shook her head. She had never heard of crayfish, let alone eaten them.

In 07, crayfish were very popular in Hubei Province, but it would take another year or two for them to truly become a hit.

In Fujian Province, it is in the initial stage.

Some street food stalls might have it, but it's far less popular than dishes like stir-fried snails and boiled fish.

"I'll take you to see it later."

"Okay!" Shi Ying nodded emphatically, also eager to see what this crayfish was all about.

Upon arriving at the market, Zhou Wen first bought all the vegetables he needed and placed them on Sister Ming's stall.

Then he took Shi Ying to look around the market and they came to the seafood section.

There are very few stalls selling crayfish; probably only a quarter of the stalls in the entire seafood market sell crayfish.

"Shi Ying, those are crayfish," Zhou Wen said, pointing to the crayfish on the stall.

Shi Ying moved closer to observe the crayfish Zhou Wen was talking about.

It's quite different from regular shrimp; it's much larger and has two small pincers in front of it.

Upon seeing a customer arrive, the stall owner hurriedly asked, "What would you like, boss?"

"Let's take a look first," Zhou Wen said.

"Okay, take your time. Just let me know if you need anything."

After scanning the stall, Zhou Wen asked, "Boss, how much are your crayfish?"

"Twelve yuan a pound," the stall owner said.

"Buy more and get a discount," Zhou Wen said, picking up a crayfish and examining it closely.

The stall owner's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "How much do you want, sir?"

"It definitely weighs several kilograms," Zhou Wen said.

"Boss, I'll give you an even bigger discount then."

Shi Ying followed Zhou Wen's example and picked up a crayfish to examine it closely.

It just feels dirty.