Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

"Boss, this was definitely reported by Ruyi Hotel!" Shi Ying said angrily, puffing out her cheeks.

Zhou Wen could guess what was going on. Such surprise inspections were indeed prone to accidents. Fortunately, he and Shi Ying had cleaned the house thoroughly every day.

It wasn't really a crisis, but we managed to get through it relatively smoothly.

Zhou Wen sat down and began to think about how to retaliate.

Although Zhou Wen did not respond to the previous digging into his past or the attempts to steal his cooking recipes, he was certainly displeased.

The main purpose was to dig up the restaurant's dark history, which everyone knew about the past troubles of Zhou's Restaurant. As for stealing the recipes, Zhou Wen knew without a doubt that they wouldn't be able to do it properly, so he didn't bother with it.

However, the malicious reports made today are truly disgusting.

……

The next day, at noon.

"Shi Ying, get ready, we're going out to eat today," Zhou Wen said, straightening his collar.

"Eat out?" Shi Ying was a little confused. She had planned to have a bowl of sour and spicy noodles for lunch today.

Zhou Wen nodded and said with a smile, "Let's go to Ruyi Restaurant for a meal."

The attacks started a week ago, with people coming to the restaurant to steal recipes after the introduction of Yu Xiang Rou Si (shredded pork with garlic sauce) and even complaining about the restaurant's hygiene.

If Zhou Wen doesn't take action soon, the restaurant might as well close down and be given away.

Shi Ying blinked, then asked excitedly, "Boss, are we going to settle scores?"

Zhou Wen smiled and corrected him, "It's not about finding fault, it's about learning."

In less than ten minutes, Zhou Wen and his companion arrived at the entrance of Ruyi Hotel.

"The renovation looks pretty decent," Zhou Wen said after glancing at it briefly.

Zhouji Restaurant usually closes at 2 PM, and Ruyi Restaurant also has almost no customers at that time.

Upon entering the Ruyi Hotel, Liu Fengru immediately went to greet the guests.

Upon seeing that the visitor was Zhou Wen, he panicked and felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy.

Just across the street, and being in the same industry, how could they not recognize Zhou Wen?

But she quickly regained her composure and asked warily, "What are you doing here?"

Zhou Wen smiled and said in a harmless manner, "The proprietress is just a fellow professional; she's only here to learn."

What are the signs for the restaurant owned by the proprietress?

Ma Xianling also heard the news in the kitchen and came to the front hall.

"What are you doing?"

Liu Fengru whispered to her husband, "They said they came here to learn."

"Are they here to learn?" Ma Xianling was a little confused. After thinking for a moment, he said, "There are other guests in the restaurant right now. If they really are here to learn, then help them order food. Otherwise, it won't be good if people gossip about it."

Liu Fengru had no other good options. She had indeed done something wrong, so she could only take it one step at a time.

"Boss lady, do you have any signature dishes?" Zhou Wen asked again, his voice a little louder.

Liu Fengru rolled her eyes and reluctantly pointed to a few dishes on the menu.

Zhou Wen nodded and said, "Then bring us a black pepper beef, a shredded pork with garlic sauce, a stir-fried water spinach, and a pork tripe and chicken soup. That should be about it."

After Liu Fengru finished writing in her notebook, she secretly glanced at Zhou Wen.

I thought they would order some dishes that weren't on the menu and then take the opportunity to make things difficult for me and embarrass me.

As it turned out, Zhou Wen actually ordered several signature dishes. Was he really here to learn?

For a moment, I felt a little smug. What's so great about Zhouji Restaurant? They still have to come to our restaurant to learn.

"Is nothing wrong?" Ma Xianling asked Liu Fengru, who came to the kitchen to report the dishes.

Liu Fengru shook her head and instructed, "It seems you really came here to learn. Make sure the food tastes good. Don't start making a fuss and complaining about how bad it tastes after only a few bites."

Ma Xianling nodded and said, "Understood."

While ordering food, Zhou and Wen chatted.

"The decor is pretty good, and the environment is alright too."

Shi Ying also glanced around, then pouted and said, "It's not as clean as our shop."

Liu Fengru watched the two chatting away, and she was a little curious about what they were talking about.

So he called over one of the waiters: "Xiao Yang, when the food is served, listen to what they're saying."

The person delivering the food was no longer Liu Fengru, but a kitchen helper.

Liu Fengru sat at the cashier, her eyes fixed on Zhou Wen and his companion, afraid they might cause some trouble.

Zhou Wen looked at the food on the table and nodded.

It smells quite nice, and the color is decent, but we'll have to taste it to know how it tastes.

"Try it." After saying that, he picked up his chopsticks and took a slice of beef covered in sauce.

The taste was so-so, the sauce was a bit too strong.

Having tasted the shredded pork with garlic sauce, Shi Ying covered her mouth with her hand and whispered, "The boss's is nowhere near as good as yours, and it's so expensive too."

Zhou Wen smiled without saying a word. The food at Ruyi Restaurant wasn't particularly good, but it wasn't bad either; it was just the kind of food you'd expect from a typical restaurant.

However, the price is indeed a bit high, which may be related to the store's decor.

After taking a sip of the pork tripe and chicken soup, Zhou Wen nodded inwardly. After all, it was a famous brand, and the taste was indeed quite good.

Pork tripe and chicken soup is a traditional local dish in Guangdong Province, belonging to the Hakka cuisine, and is very popular in many parts of the region.

"Try this soup, it tastes pretty good," Zhou Wen recommended, and then served Shi Ying a bowl of soup as well.

Shi Ying smacked her lips, somewhat reluctantly saying, "It's actually not bad."

After tasting the soup, they began to enjoy the pork tripe and chicken.

The soup tasted alright, but there were some issues with the ingredients.

The ingredients were fresh, but the pork tripe was overcooked and lacked chewiness, and the chicken wasn't particularly impressive either.

"What are Xiao Zhou and the others talking about?"

"It seems like we were just talking about pretty ordinary things."

Liu Fengru nodded, then waved her hand, signaling Xiao Yang to go about his work.

With four dishes for two people, it was impossible to finish them all. They ate about 70-80% of the food, and Zhou Wen, adhering to the principle of not wasting food, packed up the rest to take home.

As Zhou Wen was leaving, he looked at Liu Fengru and said, "Boss lady, our soup tastes pretty good."

This meal cost nearly ninety yuan, which Zhou Wen certainly didn't think was worth it.

Zhou Wen certainly didn't simply go to Ruyi Restaurant, order a few signature dishes, and then specially taste and learn from them; that would be no different from giving money away to someone else.

Zhou Wen's counterattack was simple: since pork tripe and chicken soup was the signature dish of Ruyi Restaurant, he would make pork tripe and chicken soup himself and see who could make it better.

As for why it's pork tripe and chicken soup, the restaurant is just starting out, so if it were to serve dishes, that would be the only option. It's meant to be eaten with rice bowls while sitting together.

Although the restaurant offers soup, it's made with pork bones and contains almost no meat, only side dishes.