Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

"Okay, first find a relatively conspicuous shop nearby, or one with a good reputation. Don't hang up the phone yet, let me know when you find one."

"OK."

A few minutes later, Shan Wei's voice came through the phone again.

"Boss, the area around the construction site is a bit deserted, so I don't dare to go too far. Right now, I'm in front of a convenience store called 'Number One'."

"Okay, I'll hang up now. Wait for my call."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Wen served the dishes and said, "Find a phone number that starts with the surname Ding."

"Okay." Ren Xuan nodded, and then looked for the name Zhou Wen had mentioned.

Then I helped Zhou Wen make the call.

After the call was connected, Zhou Wen explained the general situation.

Because they are construction workers, they ordered takeout from the restaurant because they had eaten there before.

In addition, knowing what happened a few days ago, I understand that these are extraordinary times.

Finally, they expressed their understanding and said they would come to pick up the food.

Dan Wei was squatting at the entrance of the convenience store, with his electric scooter parked to the side.

He picked up his phone and looked at it again and again, hoping his boss would call back.

After that incident, Shan Wei no longer parks his car at the main gate when delivering food to the construction site, unlike before.

Because it was conspicuous, they changed locations after something happened.

It could be next to a fence with an opening at the construction site, or it could be near some back gates.

But for some reason, there were people at several of the places I visited this time.

At first, Shan Wei thought it was a coworker.

Because it was nighttime and the sky was somewhat dark, I couldn't see clearly for a moment.

It wasn't until the person walked in that they realized he was a complete stranger and not wearing a construction site uniform.

Dan Wei squinted and looked closely before realizing that the person looked familiar; it seemed like he was with the cafeteria owner last time.

Seeing this, he immediately got on his electric scooter and sped away.

Dan Wei stood up, bent his knees slightly, and stretched his body while waiting for someone to come and collect his food.

……

The call was answered quickly.

"Boss, the food has been delivered."

"It's fine once it's delivered," Zhou Wen said.

Zhou Wen sighed silently; it was still easier to deliver orders from internet cafes.

Internet cafes are indeed much more convenient than construction sites. The internet cafe managers are all young people who help the bosses look after the internet cafes and receive a fixed salary every month.

Every time Zhou Wen went to the internet cafe to deliver food, he would ask Shan Wei to bring some extra food for the internet cafe managers.

Need I say more about the food at that restaurant? Not to mention the other forum members, even the internet cafe administrator has become a loyal customer.

So now when Shan Wei goes to the internet cafe, the managers treat him like a brother.

They would either offer Shan Wei a cigarette or greet him warmly.

It's worth noting that most network administrators are actually women.

Those canteens on the construction site couldn't be opened without connections; they also had a vested interest in the construction site.

These workers ordering restaurant delivery services are indeed competing with the construction site canteen for business.

But there's nothing we can do about it; it was the workers' own choice.

When Shan Wei returned to the restaurant, Zhou Wen briefly explained the solution to him.

"From now on, we can just wait in front of that convenience store and let the workers come out and get it themselves."

"How long is it from the construction site to that convenience store?" Zhou Wen asked.

After thinking for a moment, Shan Wei said, "It will probably take a few minutes to get out."

"If you're ever in a rush, just leave the delivery with the convenience store owner for safekeeping."

"If you need to pay anything, just come back and I'll reimburse you. You can also buy things like water there from time to time."

"Understood," Shan Wei nodded.

If you can't afford to mess with them, then just stay away. The restaurant is quite busy every day, and Zhou Wen didn't have time to go with Shan Wei to check on the situation.

But even if he went there himself, it would be of no use, a fact that Zhou Wen was well aware of.

When delivering meals to the construction site afterwards, Zhou Wen explained the situation simply and clearly, informing them that they needed to go to a nearby convenience store to pick up their meals.

The workers had no objections and accepted it readily.

Although this method is more troublesome than doing it yourself, it is truly the safest approach.

……

And so, it came to the end of September.

Summer vacation has just ended a month ago, and October, which is also National Day, is just around the corner.

There are only a few days left.

In recent days, Jiang Zhiyu has been calling less frequently, almost only once every two or three days.

The restaurant's renovation is about 80% complete, but they still haven't hired any staff.

Jiang Zhiyu was also busy with the final touches at the restaurant.

The monthly guidance fee was also transferred in mid-September.

Zhou Wen was unaware of this matter, as many things had happened in the past month, and he hadn't paid much attention to it.

It was only when Jiang Zhiyu mentioned it on the phone that I remembered it.

There haven't been any problems with food delivery in the last few days.

Zhou Wen had already decided on the last dish for September.

That's lemon chicken feet.

Lemon chicken feet and fried chicken skin can both be considered typical modern internet-famous foods.

However, Zhou Wen was torn about whether to make the lemon chicken feet boneless or leave them whole.

Boneless chicken feet actually absorb flavor faster and taste better.

However, most diners who come to the restaurant prefer dishes with bones.

It's chewy and delicious, perfect for nibbling on slowly while enjoying it with a beer.

It's like a big bone for stewing soup; there's not much meat, just a bone, but many street food lovers especially enjoy it.

After thinking it over, Zhou Wen still felt it was better not to remove the bones. First of all, it was too much work, and secondly, the price would be much higher if the bones were removed.

Besides, none of us have tried lemon chicken feet before, so just focus on the taste and make sure it's delicious.

This dish could be considered a small snack, so Zhou Wen made it the next morning.

Remove all the tips of the chicken feet, and then cut each chicken foot into three sections so that it is easier to marinate.

Making lemon chicken feet is relatively simple; you just need to boil the chicken feet to remove the fishy smell.

Making one more sauce will suffice.

The lemon peel is quite bitter, so you need to use a knife to scrape it off.

As for the sauce, Zhou Wen added some Sprite to it.

After finishing, I picked up my chopsticks and started tasting it.

It's sour and spicy, with a hint of sweetness, but the sourness is dominant.

It's roughly seven parts sour, two parts spicy, and one part sweet.

Boneless chicken feet are indeed a good choice; you can simply stuff a whole chicken foot into your mouth and eat it.

When Zhou Wen brought out the cooked chicken feet, everyone was a little stunned.

I've never seen anything like this before.