Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

"Nothing much, a customer called to order crayfish."

Actually, Zhou Wen was a little surprised that a customer would call to order crayfish.

The restaurant used to offer delivery service, which meant you could order food by phone and have it delivered to your door according to the address.

Or you could call and reserve a seat.

However, Zhou Wen did not agree. After all, the number of crayfish in the store is limited every day. If everyone calls to make a reservation, wouldn't the customers who come to the store be wasting their time?

Upon hearing this, Shi Ling's facial expression changed. She had been hearing Shi Ying talk about crayfish for the past two days.

The restaurant's booming business now is probably inseparable from the crayfish.

Shi Ying also looked at her sister and said, "Sis, let me tell you, these crayfish are so delicious! They've sold out in just over an hour these past two nights."

In fact, Shi Ying had said this to Shi Ling countless times.

"We're going to be launching a new flavor today. I'll make it for you guys to try when we close this afternoon," Zhou Wen revealed in advance.

Besides the spicy flavor, there's also a garlic flavor of crayfish, which is excellent and not much worse than the spicy flavor.

Shi Ying's eyes lit up; she hadn't expected crayfish to come in other flavors.

When Shan Wei arrived at the store, he was somewhat bewildered to see Shi Ling in her work uniform.

I still remember Shi Ling and Shan Wei; they are Shi Ying's older sisters and former employees of the restaurant.

However, he quickly realized what was happening, nodded, and greeted them.

Shi Ling greeted Shan Wei in return.

"Shan Wei".

"Boss, what's up?"

"From now on, you can come to the kitchen and help me out. You can leave the front-of-house work to Shi Ying and Shi Ling."

"Oh, okay." Shan Wei didn't say anything more, just nodded.

Previously, Shan Wei would run between the kitchen and the front of the house, going wherever he was needed.

Although Shi Ying and Zhou Wen were responsible for the major tasks in the front hall and kitchen, they still had to keep running back and forth between the two places.

If I were just helping Zhou Wen in the kitchen, it would definitely be easier than before.

After that, they waited for the restaurant to open. During this time, Shi Ling kept communicating with Shi Ying, clearly preparing for the opening.

After the restaurant opened, Shi Ling had an extra menu and a small notebook in her hands.

The first table of guests at the restaurant was served by Shi Ying, while Shi Ling simply stood aside and watched silently, memorizing the entire process.

When the next table of guests entered the restaurant, Shi Ling was the one who served them.

Although it had been several months since she had worked in a restaurant, Shi Ling quickly adapted and got into the swing of things.

Zhou Wen, who was in the kitchen, looked at Shi Ying and Shi Ling in the front hall and nodded in satisfaction.

It has to be said that these two sisters are really reassuring.

Shan Wei, who was helping out in the kitchen, was secretly astonished.

The two people in the front hall were completely at ease. Although there were two of them, they were not the same as when I was there.

Working as an assistant in the kitchen is indeed much easier than before; it involves washing and preparing the necessary ingredients for Zhou Wen.

Or, when you're busy, chop the side dishes.

The knife skills might be a bit lacking, but they're still passable.

The restaurant wasn't a Michelin-starred restaurant or a high-end establishment, and it didn't have particularly high requirements for knife skills; the most important thing was the taste.

"Don't cut the vegetables too quickly, safety first," Zhou Wen reminded him.

"Okay." Shan Wei wiped the sweat from his forehead. The only downside was that the kitchen was a bit hotter than outside.

However, because the restaurant's curtains were drawn and there was an air conditioner in that spot, cold water could still be blown into the kitchen.

Zhou Wen also prepared some ice cubes and then used a fan to blow them on, which worked quite well.

"Sis, if you're tired, just let me know and take a short rest over here," Shi Ying said when she had a moment.

Shi Ling waved her hand gently, clearly indicating to Shi Ying that she was fine and didn't need to worry about her.

As a former employee, Shi Ling was quite surprised that many of the restaurant's regulars recognized her.

Shi Ying also felt much more relaxed than before.

After closing, Shi Ying and Shi Ling cleaned up the front of the store, while Shan Wei helped Zhou Wen with the kitchen.

Because Shi Ying was worried that her sister was overworked, she took on the heavy work herself.

Seeing this, Shi Ling didn't even think about resting; she turned around and went straight to the kitchen.

Then he said to Shan Wei, "Go and rest. You can leave the kitchen to me."

Dan Wei felt a little embarrassed and wanted to go to the front hall to rest, but he just couldn't bring himself to take the step.

He only left the kitchen after Zhou Wen gave his tacit permission.

To be fair, girls are indeed much more meticulous and attentive when doing things. Many things that Zhou Wen didn't notice were noticed by Shi Ling, who then cleaned them up.

With Shi Ling around, cleaning time is much faster, and the cleanliness is also much better.

After cleaning the shop, Zhou Wen prepared to make garlic crayfish.

The specific steps are actually not much different.

Place the peeled garlic cloves on the cutting board, then gently tap them with the side of a knife to mince them.

Next, chop the minced garlic with a knife, then use a slotted spoon to scoop it up and rinse it in clean water.

This step is essential. If you don't wash the garlic, it will taste bitter when you cook it. Washing it will also make the garlic whiter.

After rinsing it once or twice, it should be almost done. Then, squeeze out the excess water from the minced garlic.

The garlic water should be kept.

Add the chopped chili peppers to the minced garlic.

The crayfish are deep-fried at high temperature, then taken out and the previously prepared minced garlic is added to the pot and stir-fried until cooked and fragrant.

The crayfish that had just been fried could be added back into the pot, and Zhou Wen stirred them a couple of times to coat them with minced garlic.

The next step is the same as making spicy crayfish: add a spoonful of garlic water.

Just before it's done cooking, add a handful of raw garlic, stir-fry briefly, and it's ready to serve.

Shan Wei, who was in the front hall, also smelled a strong garlic aroma, sniffed, and said, "Such a strong garlic smell."

As soon as Shan Wei finished speaking, Zhou Wen brought out a plate of garlic crayfish.

"Let's eat first."

After finishing his sentence, Zhou Wen went into the kitchen to prepare other food.

"Sister, you should try it."

Shi Ying picked one up for Shi Ling.

Then he explained to Shi Ling how to eat it.

"Sister, suck on the shell first to taste the flavor, then peel off the shell and eat the meat."

Shi Ling nodded and began to taste it as Shi Ying had suggested.

He savored the flavor, his eyebrows involuntarily rising, clearly amazed.