Chapter 66: Chapter 066: Please be reasonable, the two of you! Sales reached forty-three thousand! [Seeking Monthly Ticket]
Shen Jiayue gazed at the Sour Plum Soup before her, her face alight with pleasant surprise.
The rose-red liquid filled the crystal-clear glass. Glistening with ice cubes, it looked exquisite under the lights. A sprig of mint at the rim added a touch of vibrant green, lending an air of vitality to the Sour Plum Soup. Just looking at it was enough to make one feel refreshed.
It’s so beautiful, I can hardly bear to drink it!
"Wow! This is absolutely delicious! So cool and refreshing, with a delicate osmanthus fragrance. Drinking it makes you feel invigorated... Yueyue, if you’re not going to drink yours, pass it over to me." Chen Yan took a large gulp through her straw.
She instantly fell in love with the taste of this Sour Plum Soup.
Compared to what my brother-in-law makes, the stuff sold outside can hardly be called Sour Plum Soup—it’s more like dishwater!
The moment Shen Jiayue heard her cousin eyeing her drink, she quickly snatched it up. Taking a sip through the straw, her eyes crinkled into joyful crescents.
"It’s so delicious! Can I have this every day?"
"Of course, you can!"
Lin Xu returned the remaining crushed ice to the freezer. Noticing the viewers in the live stream asking about the price, he said with a smile, "These servings are a special internal batch, Perfect Level quality. We don’t sell these, haha. The Sour Plum Soup we sell in the store is more down-to-earth, not this fancy or complicated..."
As he spoke, he picked up a nearby beverage cup. "The ones we sell in the store come in this type of cup, eight yuan each. For larger groups, you can also choose a jug. One jug holds four cups and costs twenty-eight yuan, making each cup one yuan cheaper."
After this explanation, he announced it was time for the staff meal.
"Help yourselves to the Sour Plum Soup. There’s ice in the freezer, so add more if it’s not cold enough for you."
Lin Xu brought his portion of Spicy Blood Stew, a serving of Tiger Skin Chicken Feet, and one of Ginger Lotus Root to the table. He then picked up the rice the waiter had brought and started eating with Shen Jiayue, Chen Yan, and Old Gao.
Old Gao tried two mouthfuls of the Spicy Blood Stew and once again affirmed Lin Xu’s talent. "To achieve this level after watching just once yesterday, your talent is truly impeccable."
Lin Xu placed some beef tripe into Yueyue’s bowl with his chopsticks. "It’s all thanks to Master’s excellent teaching."
Just as he put the tripe in her bowl, Yueyue reciprocated by picking out a slice of luncheon meat and offering it to him. Seeing this, Chen Yan, who was busy shoveling rice into her mouth nearby, felt a pang of envy.
Flaunting their love even while eating. Seriously, you two, get a room!
This blatant public display of affection greatly displeased Chen Yan, but she couldn’t bring herself to lash out. Instead, she channeled all her frustration into the Spicy Blood Stew.
She normally disliked overly greasy foods.
But today, she couldn’t stop eating.
The duck blood was smooth, the luncheon meat tender, the pork intestines rich and savory, and the tripe perfectly crisp. Even the usually bland squid rings absorbed the Red Oil, becoming spicy and delectable.
When her mouth tingled from the spice, a gulp of the cool, refreshing Sour Plum Soup brought a wave of comfort from the inside out, as if every pore in her body had been soothed.
"Brother-in-law, your cooking skills are truly incredible! Let me know next time you make this kind of staff meal; I’ll come freeload again."
"Stop trying to freeload! What if you eat us out of house and home?" Proprietress Shen Jiayue firmly vetoed her cousin’s attempt to freeload.
This remark made Chen Yan chuckle despite herself. "You’re not even married yet, and it’s already ’our house.’ Yueyue, your husband-doting is truly hopeless..."
At another table.
Since the boss and proprietress weren’t eating with them, the employees felt quite relaxed.
They savored the aromatic and spicy Spicy Blood Stew.
And drank the cool, thirst-quenching Sour Plum Soup.
This staff meal was incredibly satisfying and enjoyable.
Xu Xinhua took a couple of mouthfuls of rice and then quietly asked the waiter, "Has the staff meal in our restaurant always been this generous?"
"Yes, ever since my first day here, we eat whatever is sold. Many dishes are tried by the staff before they’re even added to the menu. The boss says it helps us describe them to customers."
These words stirred a wave of emotion in Xu Xinhua.
In the restaurants he had worked at before, the bosses never allowed employees to eat like this. Want to try the dishes? Sure, wait for the customers to leave and eat the leftovers. Some restaurants wouldn’t even let employees touch the leftovers; anything salvageable would be sent back to the kitchen, reprocessed, and served to the next wave of unsuspecting customers.
Our boss is truly an anomaly in the culinary world, Xu Xinhua thought with a sigh.
But he had to admit, the atmosphere in the restaurant was very friendly. There was no underhanded competition among the staff. Everyone worked diligently, afraid of losing such a good job.
And the customers got along with everyone as if they were friends. No one was condescending or arrogant.
When the waiters were swamped during peak hours, customers would even offer to clear tables.
After the meal, customers began to arrive one after another, and everyone got busy.
"Agh! I’m stuffed again..." Shen Jiayue said, rubbing her flat stomach, to Chen Yan, who was doing the same beside her. "What’s the plan? Want to find a place to burn off some calories? My parents have a dinner party today, so I won’t be able to sell Chicken Feet later."
"Okay, I’ll let Wu Kexin know. Let’s go play tennis. I’ll drop you home afterward."
The two of them informed Wu Kexin and then drove off.
"Sour Plum Soup is on the menu now, right? We’ll start with two cups."
"I want three cups of Sour Plum Soup, three small bowls of braised pork rice, and six Chicken Feet."
"I want a pot of Sour Plum Soup, four large bowls of Tomato Cubes Noodles, and a portion of Steamed Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce."
"I’d like a portion of Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce and a bowl of rice, plus another cup of Sour Plum Soup."
"..."
Every customer who came in today ordered a cup of Sour Plum Soup to try.
Although eight yuan a cup was considered expensive on Yingchun Street, the higher price only made people more curious to taste it.
"Wow, this is amazing!"
"It really is delicious! This Sour Plum Soup is incredible!"
"I’m really looking forward to the Spicy Blood Stew now. Panda Brother said today that Spicy Blood Stew with Sour Plum Soup is an unbeatable combination."
"I wonder when it will be on the menu. I can’t wait!"
The customers were very positive about the Sour Plum Soup. However, once they saw the Spicy Blood Stew Lin Xu had made, the soup quickly lost its spotlight. Everyone was eager to taste just how delicious the Spicy Blood Stew was.
「At eight o’clock in the evening.」
The restaurant officially closed for the day.
As Song Tiantian was totaling up the day’s accounts, Lin Xu walked over.
"How much was today’s turnover?" he asked.
Song Tiantian checked the figures on the cash register’s computer. "The total is 43,758 yuan. That’s three consecutive days over forty thousand! Business is really booming, Boss."
Forty-three thousand? Still several thousand short of fifty thousand. I really want to complete the main quest soon so I can get three more Perfect Level dishes. Although not all the dishes I know have been added to the menu yet, who would complain about mastering too many? These Perfect Level dishes are like cards in my hand; the more I have, the more confident I feel.
To complete the quest sooner, Lin Xu set himself a small goal: once Xu Xinhua had settled in over the next couple of days, he would stock up on more ingredients and aim for a turnover exceeding fifty thousand yuan, hoping to finally complete the main quest.
Just as he was mulling over his plan, his Senior Brother, Xie Baomin, suddenly called. "Master just called to chew me out! Said your restaurant is so busy, and here I am, your Senior Brother, not even lending a hand... Little Junior Brother, I have the weekend off. I’ll come help you then!"
Lin Xu’s eyes lit up. What perfect timing!
Since his Senior Brother was coming to help on the weekend, that would be the perfect day to aim for the fifty-thousand-yuan turnover!