Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

At noon, Liu Neng arrived at Zhou's Restaurant to scout out the location and prepare for the evening's operation.

Upon entering the restaurant, Liu Neng was quickly led to his seat by Shi Ying.

Because we arrived right at the time when people were leaving get off work, most of the seats in the store were already occupied.

"Miss, could you help me change seats?" Liu Neng asked.

"Where would you like to go?" Shi Ying glanced around the restaurant and found that most of the seats were occupied.

Liu Neng looked at the seats closer to the kitchen and pointed, asking, "Can I sit over there?"

Shi Ying looked in the direction her finger was pointing and saw that the place was almost full of customers; if she wanted to sit down, she would have to share a table.

Shi Ying understands the request to change seats. When there are no customers in the restaurant, or after the previous table of diners has left, those seats that are more easily exposed to the fan or air conditioning are more popular.

However, there was neither air conditioning nor a fan in the area near the kitchen, and the heat and fumes from the kitchen would occasionally drift out, which was something Shi Ying couldn't understand.

However, since they were guests, Shi Ying replied, "If you want to sit over there, you may have to wait a while."

Perhaps to avoid arousing suspicion, Liu Neng nodded slightly, then smacked his lips and said, "This will do."

Liu Neng didn't insist anymore. He figured he could try the taste first, since he was just there to scout things out anyway.

"I need a bowl of shredded pork with garlic sauce over rice."

After ordering, Shi Ying went to serve the other diners.

Liu Neng then began to observe the environment of the front hall, his gaze settling on the area closer to the kitchen.

I need to come early in the evening, otherwise I won't be able to explain myself properly.

Liu Neng silently made plans in his mind, and time gradually passed.

"Hello. Your shredded pork with garlic sauce rice bowl is hot, please be careful," Shi Ying reminded him.

As soon as the rice bowl arrived, Liu Neng's stomach rumbled loudly after smelling the aroma.

Wow! No wonder Brother Ma sent me here to learn this. This smells really good, Liu Neng thought to himself.

The moment Liu Neng put a mouthful of rice in his mouth, he instantly forgot all about what he was supposed to do.

"Hey beautiful, could you get me another bottle of soda?"

……

Stepping out of the restaurant, Liu Neng patted his slightly protruding belly with a satisfied expression.

Hey! I have to say, this Zhouji Restaurant is really good!

Thinking about it, Liu Neng nodded in satisfaction, and even whistled leisurely.

But after walking a few steps, he suddenly remembered something.

"Damn it, I suddenly forgot what I'm supposed to be doing!"

Liu Neng slapped his face in regret, but there was clearly no way to go back; he could only wait until nightfall.

Fortunately, he had observed it all quite well, Liu Neng comforted himself.

……

night.

Long before Zhouji Restaurant opened, Liu Neng was squatting in a shop outside Zhouji Restaurant, quietly waiting for the opening and preparing to find a good location after the opening.

Because of some conversations at noon, Shi Ying still had some impression of this diner.

"I'll just sit here."

After sitting down, Liu Neng frowned, pretending to be having some trouble deciding, and said, "Let me think about it some more. The shredded pork with garlic sauce at noon was pretty good. I'm going to try some other things."

Looking at the slippery Liu Neng, and considering what happened at noon, Shi Ying felt that this guest had some ill intentions.

When most of the people had come up, Liu Neng leaned to the side and tried to look into the kitchen.

That's when I saw Zhou Wen cooking inside.

Shi Ying quickly noticed this strange appearance and then stood in front of it.

As a guest, Shi Ying didn't feel comfortable saying too much, but her tone was already somewhat cold as she asked, "Guest, have you decided what you'd like to eat?"

Liu Neng said as if nothing had happened, "Our family's shredded pork with garlic sauce rice is really good. After thinking about it, I think I'll have it again."

Shi Ying nodded and went to the kitchen: "Boss, there's someone acting suspiciously over there. I have a feeling he's up to no good."

Diners could see into the kitchen, and Zhou Wen could naturally also see outside; he also noticed the person Shi Ying was talking about.

"He came by once around noon, and something seemed off then. He kept trying to sit in a seat closer to the kitchen."

"I suspect they're here to steal knowledge. Should we lower the curtain?"

Zhou Wen didn't seem to care much, and smiled, saying, "It's not a big deal. This isn't some exclusive recipe. Let him learn it if he wants."

Learning a recipe by stealing it isn't an easy thing. Zhou Wen didn't think he was a professional; he probably didn't even know which seasonings he was using.

Furthermore, the dosage is also crucial. Since I always face away from the outside when I'm seasoning, this can only be a guess.

"Oh...that person wants a bowl of shredded pork with garlic sauce over rice."

"He also ordered shredded pork with garlic sauce rice for lunch," Shi Ying added.

Zhou Wen nodded and continued to focus on the task at hand.

Shi Ying was still a little worried and asked again, "Boss, are you sure you don't need to worry about this?"

Zhou Wen smiled and shook his head: "Since they've come to dine in our restaurant, they're guests. It's normal for guests to be curious and want to know how to make it at home; just let them be."

Since her boss had said so, Shi Ying didn't say anything more.

However, Shi Ying still kept a close eye on Liu Neng, fearing that he might do something even more outrageous, so that she could stop him immediately.

Liu Neng also toned down a bit, unlike at the beginning when he was mostly sideways.

Now he moved the chair out a little and propped his head up to look inside.

However, Zhou Wen cooked very quickly, which made Liu Neng feel a little dizzy for a moment. It was really difficult for Liu Neng to remember what seasonings Zhou Wen used.

Furthermore, the restaurant doesn't only offer shredded pork with garlic sauce over rice; it may also include fried rice or hot and sour noodles.

By the time Liu Neng realized what was happening, he was already cursing in his mind.

"No wonder you need so many seasonings, turns out you're already making fried rice."

Liu Neng widened his eyes and stared intently inside, but soon his eyes started to ache from straining too much, so he had to rub them.

"You're only showing me half of it, how am I supposed to see what's being used?"

"How much was added? Just noting a few spoonfuls shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Liu Neng silently kept it in mind.

In just seven or eight minutes, Shi Ying placed the prepared shredded pork with garlic sauce rice bowl in front of Liu Neng.

"Hey..." Liu Neng was engrossed in remembering something when suddenly someone blocked his view.

He was about to speak when he realized it was Shi Ying, so he swallowed his words and gave a sheepish smile.