Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

All night long, oil-splashed noodles seemed to be associated with roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).

A bowl of oil-splashed noodles alone isn't quite enough, but if you add a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), it's just right, and even a bit too much.

And so, the five-yuan bowl of oil-splashed noodles became the shop's most popular item.

Five yuan a bowl, what more could you want?

Furthermore, Zhou Wen discovered that some diners were actually putting oil-splashed noodles into roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).

Previously, the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) was soaked in hot and sour noodles; now, oil-splashed noodles are added inside the roujiamo.

It has to be said that these diners have a high level of culinary acumen, which Zhou Wen truly admires.

Some customers have also asked if we can add some toppings.

Zhou Wen believes that adding toppings might affect the original flavor of the oil-splashed noodles and prevent the dish from showcasing its true taste.

During his afternoon break, Zhou Wen went to the supermarket to buy some items.

Previously, there were some condiments and such on the tables in the store, but Zhou Wen threw them all away when he cleaned up on the first day.

The items purchased were mostly bottles and jars, and condiments like sweet chili sauce.

When they returned to the store, Zhou Wen first rinsed the bottles and jars they had bought with Shi Ying, and then washed and dried them.

"The boss has wiped it all clean."

Zhou Wen glanced at it and said, "Put all the white pepper powder into that tin can, and put the sweet chili sauce in another can."

Zhou Wen casually wiped the water from his hands onto his pants.

Then he prepared to stir-fry a chili pepper. Zhou Wen didn't buy the chili pepper at the market, thinking that the ones from the market would not taste as good, and that it would be more fragrant to stir-fry one himself.

Stir-frying chili peppers is quite simple; in just a few moments, the kitchen is filled with the aroma of chili peppers.

"Boss, are you stir-frying chili peppers?"

Zhou Wen coughed a few times, then nodded.

"Hmm, you guys in Jiangxi province must really like spicy food, right?"

Shi Ying nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice: "Can I try some?"

"It'll be ready soon, take a look and see if it's flavorful enough," Zhou Wen said with a smile.

Shi Ying's eyes lit up and she said, "Okay!"

Once the chili peppers were cooked, Shi Ying dipped them in her chopsticks and then put them in her mouth to savor them.

Then, pouting, she said, "Boss, I don't think it's spicy enough."

Zhou Wen knew Shi Ying could handle spicy food exceptionally well, so he shook his head and laughed, "If it's too spicy for you, how can the other diners eat it?"

Shi Ying felt quite disappointed. The aroma of the chili peppers stir-fried by the boss was definitely strong enough, almost identical to the chili peppers she used to eat, except that they were a little less spicy.

After the chili peppers are stir-fried, they need to be left to cool. Once cooled, they can be stored in glass jars.

"Shi Ying, remember to put a small iron spoon in this jar later," Zhou Wen reminded her.

"it is good."

After finishing everything, Shi Ying went to the kitchen and said, "Boss, everything is set up. Please take a look and see if it's okay."

When Zhou Wen arrived at the front hall, all the condiments were already neatly arranged on the table.

Shi Ying has always been someone Zhou Wen can trust.

The condiments, toothpicks, and tissues were all there, and Zhou Wen nodded in satisfaction.

Previously, the desktop looked rather empty.

The store doesn't provide toothpicks, only tissues. The tissues are placed in a fixed location, and you have to go and get them if you need them.

It is indeed inconvenient at times.

Speaking of seasonings, some people just like to eat stronger flavors, such as white pepper powder, which can be added to pork tripe and chicken soup to enhance the taste.

Chili peppers can be added to fried rice noodles or fried noodles. Adding a spoonful of chili sauce to fried rice or fried noodles can indeed provide a different taste experience.

……

After the store opened in the afternoon, customers who entered noticed the change on the tables, as several bottles and jars had suddenly appeared on the previously empty tables.

The diners who sat down all took these bottles and jars from the wall to their front, removed the lids and looked inside, and some even took a sniff.

Back in 07, almost no one had this awareness of using serving spoons and chopsticks, or rather, they weren't very aware of it.

Zhou Wen also specifically instructed Shi Ying and Shan Wei to pay special attention to the guests' behavior.

However, Shan Wei, being a young man, just stood aside and watched, wanting to go up and say something, but he was too embarrassed.

However, Shi Ying naturally wouldn't just stand by and do nothing. She stepped forward and said, "These are the seasonings prepared by the shop, including sugar and pepper. And this is the chili oil that the shop fries itself."

"If needed, there are public soup spoons provided inside; you can just use these public soup spoons to scoop the soup."

Shi Ying didn't comment on the diners' behavior; she simply explained the situation to them and mentioned that a communal soup spoon could be used.

The diner nodded and then put the condiments back in their original positions.

Shi Ying also kept a close eye on things, and if some diners were not available for a while, she would go up and remind them.

These seasonings are also popular with diners.

A bowl of fried rice or noodles, with a spoonful of chili sauce that Zhou Wen made himself, suddenly tastes a little different.

As for pork tripe and chicken soup, its original flavor is light and fresh, but some diners prefer a stronger flavor. In this case, if you add some white pepper powder to the soup, the flavor will indeed be different.

The diners were quite satisfied with it.

……

……

A week has passed since the oil-splashed noodles were introduced, and it's now June.

Nothing particularly noteworthy happened this week.

Since his last late arrival, Shan Wei has demonstrated a good work attitude for the past two weeks.

However, things gradually returned to how they were at the beginning.

It was almost payday for the new month, and Zhou Wen adjusted Shi Ying's pay date to be the same as Shan Wei's.

Zhou Wen also asked Shi Ying if she was alright, and Shi Ying naturally had no objection.

May also saw the emergence of many delicious foods, and Zhou Wen plans to continue this trend in June.

After more than two months, the restaurant's menu has expanded from just fried rice and fried noodles to nearly ten dishes. The soup that came with the fried rice and fried noodles has also been served at the restaurant, with several different soups served in rotation.

These past few days, Zhou Wen has been pondering what to make as the first dish of June.

As it's the beginning of a new month, it's natural to want to start with something auspicious.

Although I initially planned to focus more on noodles, I decided to do something different.

Zhou Wen planned to make appetizers like hand-shredded Sichuan peppercorn chicken and sliced ​​beef and tripe in chili sauce, since the launch of the sliced ​​beef and tripe in chili sauce was indeed quite successful.