Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

"Mmm~!" Zhang Mo nodded, clearly satisfied with the taste of the tomato and egg noodles.

Then he looked up and glanced into the kitchen, only able to vaguely see a busy figure.

"Old Zhou, try this tomato and egg noodles again."

Seeing that her husband didn't do anything, Zhang Mo didn't say anything more. After finishing the last bite of rice in her bowl, she snatched the bowl from Lao Zhou's hand.

Then add the dough inside.

"Your son's cooking skills have improved so much recently. It's obvious he's put in a lot of effort. Try to say nice things to him later, so you don't end up with a long face after just a few words, like someone owes you money."

Zhou Songyan frowned, but didn't say anything until Zhang Mo kept adding noodles to the bowl, at which point he spoke up:

"Okay, okay. Stop typing so much, it's overflowing."

Zhou Mo didn't eat much either. After eating a little more tomato and egg noodles, she stopped eating and left the rest of the food to Zhou Songyan.

Zhou Mo's attention gradually began to be drawn to Shi Ying. Watching Shi Ying working diligently, she couldn't help but nod secretly, and her eyes slowly filled with tenderness and affection.

"This girl is so hardworking, just like Xiao Shi from the shop, but she seems even more hardworking than Xiao Shi," Zhang Mo said to her husband beside her.

Zhou Songyan glanced at Shi Ying a few more times, but didn't say anything.

Zhou Wen, who was in the kitchen, felt a little uneasy for some reason.

Since I'm not too busy right now, I thought I'd take advantage of this free time to go outside and get some fresh air.

As soon as Zhou Wen stepped out of the kitchen, his gaze was drawn to the back of a man.

Because Zhou Songyan and his wife were seated in a corner and facing each other, Zhou Wen could only see Zhou Songyan's broad back.

The moment I saw it, it seemed somewhat familiar, and I was momentarily dazed.

Are people from above here?

I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was seeing things.

Whether it was the recent rebirth, the shop facing transfer, or the unsatisfactory cold noodles incident a few days ago, Zhou Wen did not feel too panicked or have any other excessive emotions.

But now I can clearly feel my heartbeat, and my scalp is tingling slightly.

After standing there stunned for a while, he quickly came to the two people's side after he came to his senses.

Upon truly recognizing the person, he felt a jolt run through his body, trembling and barely able to speak.

After a long pause, she finally spoke, "Dad, Mom, what brings you here?"

Zhou Yansong acted as if he hadn't heard, focusing on eating his fried rice. Zhang Mo's tone was now colder than when she spoke to Shi Ying: "Go do your work."

Zhou Wen felt like he'd been granted a pardon: "Okay, sure. Just tell Shi Ying if you need anything, she's a waitress in the shop. I'll get back to work now."

……

While Zhou Wen was busy in the kitchen, Shi Ying was taking care of the two elders. When their cups were empty, she would immediately go over to refill them. After serving the other guests, she would always ask if they needed anything.

Such care is something I've never experienced in my fifty-plus years of life.

Around 2 p.m., when there were hardly any customers left in the shop, Zhang Mo waved to Shi Ying.

"Auntie, is there something you need?" Shi Ying asked somewhat reservedly, her hands folded in front of her.

Having previously scolded the boss's father, it's impossible for him not to be nervous now.

Zhang Mo felt a special fondness for the diligent girl in front of her.

Noticing Shi Ying's nervousness, she softened her voice and said gently, "Don't be so nervous, Auntie just wants to chat with you. I heard from A-Wen that your name is Shi Ying, right?"

Shi Ying nodded.

"How long have you been working at the store?"

"It should have been almost a week."

Zhang Mo nodded and continued:

"How much is your monthly salary now?"

Shi Ying didn't think much of it and answered whatever was asked: "One thousand a month."

Zhang Mo seemed to be deep in thought. If she remembered correctly, Xiao Shi used to earn 800 yuan a month.

As for this thousand... Zhang Mo felt it wasn't much at all.

It's definitely worth the price.

Shi Ying felt a little uncomfortable. Although Zhang Mo was very kind, she still felt inexplicably unaccustomed to it, so she said, "Auntie, the shop is about to close. I need to go and clean up now."

Zhang Mo smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, Auntie has been a bit long-winded. You can go ahead and get busy."

Shi Ying shook her head: "Auntie, I'll go and get back to work now."

Zhang Mo remarked, "What a diligent child."

It's 2 PM, which is usually the closing time for Zhou's Restaurant, but Zhou Wen doesn't really want to rest now; he wants to keep working.

But that's clearly unlikely.

Because of the arrival of Zhou Songyan and his wife, Shi Ying did not stay at the store to wait for the staff meal after get off work today. After cleaning up, she found Zhou Wen, said hello, and then went to the front hall to greet the two elders.

After a brief period of getting to know each other, Zhang Mo was very satisfied with Shi Ying. Putting aside her appearance and other aspects, her diligence and conscientiousness alone made Zhang Mo extremely satisfied.

"Be careful on your way back," Zhang Mo reminded her.

"Okay, sure."

As Shi Ying walked out of the restaurant, she breathed a sigh of relief. The boss was a very good person, and the boss's parents were also very good people.

However, Shi Ying wasn't quite used to Zhang Mo's enthusiastic questioning.

After Shi Ying left, Zhang Mo gently scolded her husband, "If you hadn't had that stern face, would that girl have been so reserved?"

Hearing the voices of the two elders in the front hall, Zhou Wen knew that what was coming was bound to happen, and he had no choice but to bite the bullet and come out of the kitchen.

The two elders are still the same as I remember them.

From childhood to adulthood, Zhang Mo has always had a kind and approachable demeanor, and even when she gets fierce, she doesn't frighten people.

It's like telling you in advance that I'm going to swear, and then you just say, "You're such a little fool."

Old Zhou was the same as always, with a stern face, currently standing with his arms crossed, scrutinizing Zhou Wen.

Although they are in their fifties, they are not old, but the years have still left their mark on them.

Zhou Wen didn't dare to sit down, and hunched over slightly.

"What's going on at this restaurant? Why do they only have these few dishes? And where did the menu go?"

Faced with Zhang Mo's barrage of questions, Zhou Wen felt a bit overwhelmed. He scratched his head before finally saying, "Something happened."

Hearing Zhou Wen say this, Zhang Mo also got angry: "You, Zhou Wen, have you forgotten everything I taught you since you were little? You've become obsessed with money!"

"..."

After a while, Zhang Mo stopped talking and changed the subject, asking, "So, what about now?"

Zhou Wen began to recount the recent events in detail.

After listening to Zhou Wen's story, Zhang Mo issued an ultimatum: "If you do these heartless things again, don't ever come home again. I, Zhang Mo, don't have a son like you."

Zhou Wen wore a bitter smile and dared not speak.