Chapter 117 My strength has really increased!

Mid-Autumn Festival has passed in the blink of an eye. The business revenue on that day can be said to be the peak of the entire month of September. Even though September is not over yet, it can be said with certainty that there will never be another day that can suddenly rise to the top and surpass it.

Gu Qingqiu estimates that the only day in the near future to surpass the sales volume of Mid-Autumn Festival will be National Day in October, and that would only be if the same amount of purchases were increased.

During the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, business was booming on the first day, and the second and third days were also better than usual.

Many customers, having accumulated experience, arrived early to queue before the restaurant opened. Unfortunately, there were too many clever customers, and for a while, it was no different from usual. Except for the first seven groups of lucky customers who were able to enter the restaurant as soon as the wooden doors opened, other customers still had to take a number and continue queuing.

Although the latter still had to queue, at least they had a number, which meant that even if the waiting time was longer, they were guaranteed to be able to eat Gu's private dishes, which immediately put their minds at ease.

Many elderly people on Suli Street are also loyal customers of Gu's Private Kitchen. The thing they are most proud of in the past six months is that they live on Suli Street and it is only a short walk from their doorstep to eat at Gu's Private Kitchen. This gives them a huge advantage over customers who come all the way from other provinces.

They eat whatever they want; whenever they feel like having a meal, they head to Gu's Private Kitchen.

However, as Gu's Private Kitchen became more and more popular, people had to queue if they arrived even a little late. The elderly folks were fed up with this. No one could beat them in terms of time, so whenever they decided to eat at Gu's Private Kitchen, they would simply arrive early and wait. It was so prestigious to be seated at the first table!

On Mid-Autumn Festival, some of them invited their families to Gu's Private Kitchen for a reunion dinner. The queue for a table was really tough, but there was no denying that sitting in the restaurant and eating the sumptuous and delicious dishes, and enjoying the fresh, fragrant, and perfectly sweet Osmanthus Tea Jelly, made it all worthwhile.

The elderly folks are all shrewd, and some are loyal customers of Gu's Private Kitchen. They have a sense of pride and inclusiveness as locals of Jiang City. The first day was special because of the Mid-Autumn Festival, so they had to eat it. But for the next two days, they won't join in the fun, leaving the opportunity to customers who have come all the way from out of town just to enjoy Gu's Private Kitchen.

So, during the remaining two days of the holiday, Zhou Jie, who was serving customers, didn't see any of the familiar elderly men and women from Suli Street. She had noticed them, but she only mentioned it casually to the owner during the meal and then forgot about it.

Gu Qingqiu didn't think about it too much after she found out, since it wasn't a big deal anyway.

The three-day holiday was a time for customers to relax and have double the fun. She was so busy in the kitchen that her feet barely touched the ground. She could swing the wok so fast that it left afterimages. Whenever she had a break, she could only lie there, not wanting to use her body or her mind.

The three-day holiday is over, and everyone online is lamenting that the holiday seems to have passed in the blink of an eye, with many suffering from post-holiday syndrome and fear of going back to work. Gu Qingqiu, however, can finally breathe a sigh of relief and relax.

After closing on Monday, she would turn off her alarm for the next day before going to bed, intending to catch up on sleep until she naturally woke up. Then, she would spend the entire Tuesday day doing nothing, relying on takeout for all three meals, and spending her time playing on her phone and sleeping, aiming for complete relaxation.

Of course, before going to bed at night, Gu Qingqiu still sat at her desk responsibly, flipping through some cookbooks she had bought, and combining them with some dish inspirations she had seen in short videos during the day, she quickly decided on tomorrow's menu: four dishes and a soup, as usual, no dessert.

She also made a list of the ingredients she needed to order by phone the next morning on the sticky note, followed by all the ingredients she needed to buy at the market. Once everything was ready, she lay back down on the bed, played on her phone for a while, and then fell asleep when she got sleepy.

The next morning, Gu Qingqiu woke up feeling refreshed and fully recharged, ready to start another busy day.

Before we knew it, it was almost the end of September, and I could clearly feel people's hearts were in turmoil. Whether I was browsing Xiaohongshu and Weibo online or occasionally coming out of the kitchen to get some fresh air at the restaurant entrance, I could hear everyone talking about where to go for the upcoming National Day holiday. Various relaxation and entertainment plans were popping up frequently, just waiting to be discussed and confirmed.

Gu Qingqiu was also making plans for National Day, including the menu for National Day itself and the daily menu for the seven days of the holiday.

She is looking forward to the National Day holiday, which is the short holiday with the largest flow of people and the highest spending power in the year, except for the Spring Festival. She hopes that the restaurant can prepare more ingredients and that the monthly revenue can break the highest record since the store opened and reach a new peak.

At the same time, I was a little worried about the restaurant's capacity and whether the three of us, including Sister Zhou, could handle it. It wouldn't be worth it to exhaust myself for this.

As a result, when she asked Sister Zhou and the other two, she received their expectations, which was both expected and somewhat unexpected.

Sister Zhou was one of the first employees to work at Gu's Private Kitchen. She got along well with the boss and had a deep understanding of his personality.

He then spoke frankly: "Boss, we're not afraid of hard work. We've long been prepared for even better business during the National Day holiday. We'll be happy if the restaurant does well! Besides, this is the last chance this year to earn triple wages, so of course we have to seize it. We can't wait to make the most of it!"

The restaurant offered truly generous wages and benefits. She had talked to Sister Tang and Wang Meiyu privately, and they said that even the big restaurants couldn't offer such treatment.

Yes, big restaurants may offer higher wages, but the workload increases by a factor of two, practically making one person do the work of three, not to mention triple pay. Working overtime on holidays is taken for granted.

In comparison, the triple pay offered by restaurants during holidays is a better benefit than that of some state-owned enterprises.

Doing the same work might be busier on holidays than on weekdays, but getting triple pay is like getting it for free—who wouldn't love that?

To be honest, all three of them, including Sister Zhou, loved the surprise of opening blind boxes when they received their monthly salaries. The salaries were often higher than they expected, which made them incredibly happy.

After Sister Zhou finished speaking, Sister Tang and Wang Meiyu nodded in agreement, indicating that they shared the same thought and were ready to welcome National Day.

Gu Qingqiu smiled and nodded, "Okay, then I'm relieved. Next, I'll start by making the menu for the National Day holiday. Some of the dishes from previous years might be making a comeback."

Upon hearing this, Sister Zhou and the other two became excited. Judging from the boss's smiling face and the fact that there was a long holiday like National Day, they were sure he would be making a big splash. They wondered what dishes would be making a comeback.

If you ask them for suggestions, they really can't think of any dishes they particularly like or want to eat in a short time. It's just that every dish at their own restaurant has always been delicious and memorable, and they can't really distinguish which one is better.

One day in late September, at 11 a.m. sharp, Gu's Private Kitchen opened its doors to welcome guests.

Customers who had been queuing at the door earlier entered the store to dine in order. By the time the eighth group of customers arrived, they had to reluctantly go to the staff to get a number.

Although I already knew this after I started queuing, I still couldn't help feeling disappointed. It was just a little bit short. Why didn't that dead leg think to come a little earlier?

The ninth group of customers behind them, who had just taken their numbers, saw the other person's expression and couldn't help but comfort them, saying, "Cheer up! Think about it from another perspective: you were the first group of customers among us in line to get in and eat, besides those seven tables inside. How lucky you are! We all had to wait a little longer than you!"

The slightest difference might be the most upsetting. The ninth group of customers was also upset, but they weren't as upset because there was a table of customers ahead of them. They were more accepting of it, so they were able to comfort the customers at the table in front of them.

The eighth group of customers were all men. Hearing what the middle-aged man said, they forced a smile and said, "Thank you. We're just having a hard time accepting the sudden change. It'll be fine in a bit."

The other boys nodded and thanked him in turn. One of them laughed heartily and said, "Yes, thank you, Uncle. Hearing you say that makes us feel much better. We really should think that way. Being able to eat Gu's private cuisine is a happy thing, and we should be happy."

Seeing this, the middle-aged man waved his hand and said, "Hey, no need to be polite. We all like Gu's private kitchen, so we're kindred spirits!"

The customers who were initially somewhat disappointed after hearing the conversation between the middle-aged man and the young men changed their minds and started smiling as they scrolled through their phones or chatted with friends and family.

Wang Bai came to Gu's Private Kitchen today to buy groceries on behalf of others. He arrived early, so he was able to register and place his order smoothly with Sister Zhou, following the queue order.

He often runs over here to buy groceries, and occasionally when he has a break, he will treat himself and his family to a meal here. After talking to each other for a while, he naturally learned that the cashier who serves customers in the restaurant is surnamed Zhou, so he affectionately calls her Sister Zhou.

Holding two order forms, Wang Bai saw Sister Zhou take the other two forms to the glass window to hold them down before going on to serve customers dining in. He wisely went to find a shady spot near the entrance to wait.

He leaned against the wall, scrolling through the delivery platform orders on his phone, weighing which orders he could accept.

Taking orders is a skill, especially for those who take errands. The customer's time is the most important factor. They have to be responsive to the employer's needs, and most orders cannot be delayed.

At this point, you need to plan whether the routes and times for running these orders are suitable, and it's best to choose routes that are convenient and on the way.

Wang Bai has been in the industry for four or five years now. At the beginning, he was in a hurry and was prone to making mistakes. Now, he basically gets only positive reviews and has won the monthly top seller award several times.

While he was picking and choosing orders, he saw an order for Gu's Private Kitchen, which looked like a good price and even included a tip. Unfortunately, he couldn't take it now and could only wait for another guy to pick it up.

Orders for Gu's Private Kitchen are relatively easy to place. The customers who place the orders are generally easy to talk to, probably because they are in a good mood after enjoying the delicious food. They are happy to give a five-star review after signing for the delivery.

As restaurants become increasingly busy and long queues form, sometimes even preventing customers from getting a number if they arrive late, many employers have switched to making reservations and adding tips to encourage customers to arrive early and queue before the restaurants open.

Wang Bai and many other delivery riders who frequently take orders from Gu's Private Kitchen were overjoyed. The time spent waiting for these orders in advance was about the same as waiting in line at the store, plus they received a tip. How great was that?

Furthermore, it would be even better if you could receive two or three orders for delivery to locations that are relatively close to your destination. You can earn two or three delivery fees and tips by spending the time queuing once, which is extremely cost-effective.

In other words, Gu's Private Kitchen has made a rule regarding this matter: each delivery rider can only place a maximum of two orders for the full range of dishes when they come to make purchases. Otherwise, it's hard to say whether they could take four or five orders at once.

Because the restaurant is so popular, there are often long queues, and the number of queue numbers issued is limited, so you can only queue once. It's impossible to wait until you finish delivering the order you have to queue again.

Therefore, the best arrangement is to take two orders the night before, arrive at Gu's Private Kitchen around 10 a.m. to queue up, and then place your order in order after the restaurant opens.

Wang Bai was very lucky today; the two appointment orders he received in advance last night were both for sending to the Jiangxi Provincial Occupational Injury Rehabilitation Hospital.

Well, that saves him the trouble of making two trips. He can earn the delivery fee and tip for two orders in one trip. Thinking this, Wang Bai hummed a song happily.

He scrolled through his phone and took three more orders in the afternoon, finally getting some real leisure time.

One after another, delivery riders wearing yellow or blue uniforms came to stand nearby and wait to pick up their meals. They all became familiar with each other and greeted each other with smiles, chatting about the orders they had on hand.

"I was lucky last night, I got two orders for Gu's Private Kitchen, and they were both in the same district, so it was convenient to deliver them. I was planning to come early to queue up, but the customer from the previous order called and didn't answer for a long time. They told me to wait a bit, and they would be right there. I waited for more than twenty minutes, and that's when I was late. You know, my heart sank. I was afraid that if I rushed over to queue up late, I wouldn't be able to get a number. I practically pedaled my wheels like crazy the whole way! Luckily, I arrived in time, and I managed to place my order without any problems. Otherwise, I would have been too embarrassed to reply to the customers who placed those orders."

"Hey, I was also delayed because of a car accident on the route I was on to place my order. Luckily, I managed to place the order smoothly. I wasn't as lucky as you guys who got two orders, but the tips from this solo seedling were pretty good. Hehe, I got the equivalent of two orders for one."

"Wow! You must have delivered to the Yungang New City area to give such a generous tip. I'm so envious! I only took one order today, and the customer gave me an extra tip to remind me to come and queue up early. I was only around the fourteenth or fifteenth table in line. Luckily, I didn't let him down. I feel perfectly justified in taking this tip, hahaha!"

"I love taking orders from Gu's Private Kitchen now. The pay is good, there's little hassle, and I get good reviews. Plus, I can enjoy the delicious aroma of meat and vegetables while waiting to pick up my food, which makes me want to eat more later. I can't wait! I absolutely have to come to Gu's Private Kitchen for a meal when I have time off. It's so hard not to be tempted by the smells every day I come here to order. Heaven knows how much I crave it!"

Wang Baigang listened with a smile, and when he heard this, he couldn't help but reply, "Yes, I was also planning to bring my family here for a big meal after I had some time off. I've been craving it ever since I ate here a few times. Not to mention we often come here to buy things for others, so we know exactly what dishes are available and how they taste. We're so hungry for it that we can hardly go on living."

Another rider in blue chuckled, "Yeah, I never used to buy food from these restaurants when I was running errands, especially since the prices for buying from high-end restaurants are ridiculously high. If I craved everything, how would I earn enough to live on? But I just can't resist Gu's Private Kitchen. Running errands here every day, I know how delicious their food is, how fresh and healthy their ingredients are, and how clean and hygienic the restaurant is. So many customers line up to eat here, and so many employers order from them, which tells me that Gu's Private Kitchen lives up to its name. Ever since I bought a plate of stir-fried beef noodles for a customer last time, I've become addicted. I often order an extra meat dish and a bowl of rice, and I'm full. It gives me so much more energy to run errands!"

The others chimed in, laughing and saying that they felt the same way. They thought that the food at Gu's Private Kitchen was so delicious that the price wasn't really that expensive, and they could afford to eat there occasionally.

So why not treat yourself occasionally, accumulate some happiness and motivation in life, and then go on to earn money to support your family?

The delivery riders leaned against the wall to the right of the restaurant entrance, chatting amongst themselves, creating a pleasant atmosphere. Meanwhile, the customers in the long queue also formed their own groups, laughing and talking. The two groups seemed distinct, but in reality, they had all come together because of Gu's Private Kitchen. Even passing by each other was a kind of fate.

Upon hearing the clerk call out his number, Wang Bai glanced down at the two order slips in his hand, greeted his colleagues, and hurried to the cashier.

Sister Zhou instructed: "All three bags are tied together in one order, so please don't deliver them to the wrong place! I'll issue you an invoice right away."

"Okay, thank you, Sister Zhou." Wang Bai replied with a smile, picking up two bags of meat and vegetables in each hand and glancing at the order list on them to determine which order belonged to which customer.

Both orders included all dishes from Gu's Private Kitchen. However, today's apple and lean pork soup, like the previous ginseng and lean pork soup, was priced per bowl. One order had four bowls of soup, while the other had six, which made the difference.

After Sister Zhou finished issuing the invoices, Wang Bai took photos of the invoices and the dishes and sent them to the corresponding employers. Then he put the invoices and order slips into bags, carried them in his left and right hands, walked out of the restaurant to find his electric scooter, put everything into the insulated box, and drove straight to Jiangxi Provincial Occupational Injury Rehabilitation Hospital.

Suli Street is in Yunjiang District, and Jiangxi Provincial Occupational Injury Rehabilitation Hospital is in Yunbai District. They are quite far apart. Wang Bai rode his electric scooter at high speed, speeding along.

Two errands with high fees and tips, and both going to the same destination, couldn't be more convenient.

Of course, he drove fast and obeyed traffic rules, stopping at red lights and going at green lights. He didn't treat his precious life as a joke, as long as he could deliver the goods on time.

Forty minutes later, Wang Bai rode his electric scooter to the gate opposite the outpatient department of Jiangxi Provincial Occupational Injury Rehabilitation Hospital, waiting for the two employers who had called to come down and pick up the takeout while he was waiting at the last traffic light.

He would glance at anyone who came out. If the person ignored him, that was fine. But if they made eye contact, he would give them the last few digits of their phone number to confirm if they were the employer who came to pick up the goods.

Soon a woman in her thirties came to pick up a meal consisting of six bowls of soup. Then a middle-aged woman who looked to be in her fifties or sixties with short hair came to pick up the three bags of takeout meat and vegetables that contained the remaining four bowls of soup.

Wang Bai smiled and rode away. He planned to get a 15-yuan boxed lunch nearby for lunch before heading off to his next order.

Grandma Li happily carried three bags of meat and vegetables back to the inpatient department, humming, "Today is a good day!"

During the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, we ate at Gu's Private Kitchen. When I asked Lele about it, she just said that eating wasn't tiring and playing for an afternoon wasn't tiring either, and she felt quite comfortable.

When we got home and took the child for rehabilitation exercises again, we noticed some differences.

For example, the movement of turning from a supine position to a sitting position, which is something a normal person can do while lying down, is something Lele cannot do.

Normally, Lele can lie down with the help of a 30-degree wedge-shaped mat. He can lift his head by using his elbows to support himself on his side, but Grandma Li has to help support his elbows to prevent him from slipping down because he doesn't have enough strength. With a little help, the child can then use his left and right hands to support his whole body.

This time, Grandma Li helped Lele, who was lying on the wedge-shaped mat, to sit up as usual. She found that the child was very relaxed throughout the process, without blushing or panting, unlike before when he would sit up with his cheeks flushed and sweating profusely.

Lele even offered, "Grandma, I feel pretty strong right now. Let's do it again later. Don't help me. Let me see if I can get up by myself."

After saying that, a look of eager anticipation appeared on his face. Despite his young age, he already knew he was sick, which was why he was different from his kindergarten friends. He also longed to recover soon and be able to perform some of the things he couldn't do before.

Grandma Li was pleased to hear this. She also felt that Lele was in a great mood today. Since the child was willing to try the advanced exercises, she naturally took the lead. However, she said, "Lele, would you like to rest for a while and then do it again?"

In the words of doctors and rehabilitation therapists, SMA children may have less strength and even less endurance. During rehabilitation, they can easily exhaust their strength by doing some movements. What's amazing is that they can recover most of their strength and continue exercising after just a short rest.

Of course, when children were hospitalized, rehabilitation therapists would also guide and train their endurance, and this point would be emphasized when instructing parents to take their children for home rehabilitation.

Grandma Li used to coax Lele into doing some more activities despite her weak body, trying to challenge and improve her endurance.

This was the first time her grandson had wanted to exercise on his own initiative. She suggested that he rest for a bit first, mainly because she wanted Lele to save up some energy to succeed in one go. That way, the child would be happy, and she would be happy too.

Lele shook her head: "No need, I don't feel tired now, I still have the energy to try."

"Okay, then Grandma won't help you this time. Lele, try your best to sit up yourself," Grandma Li said with a smile.

Lele agreed, lay back on the 30-degree wedge-shaped mat, her eyes bright with expectation and determination, and began to move the next second.

He had more strength in his right hand, so he immediately turned to his right, braced his right elbow on the wedge-shaped mat, lifted his head first, and then tried to use his core strength to lift his body up. At the same time, he also reached over with his left hand to try to help him lift up.

He managed to support himself with his left hand, but failed to lift his body and leaned back onto the wedge mat. He took a deep breath and tried again.

This time, he successfully lifted his head by supporting himself with his right elbow, and used both hands to support his body, almost sitting up.

Grandma Li was so excited that she took out her phone and started recording the moment long before her grandson even began.

On the phone screen, Lele's left and right hands began to push inwards alternately. The speed was not fast, but you could see his upper body constantly pushing up until he was fully seated. He then released his hands, turned back to the normal position, and showed a bright smile to the phone camera.

"Grandma, I managed to sit up!"

Grandma Li was so happy that she went over and hugged him, her voice trembling: "Lele, you're so great! You managed to sit up all by yourself!"

Lele squinted with joy, not only because she was happy that she had successfully completed the action, but also because she was happy that her grandmother had affirmed her.

Grandma Li rewarded him, saying, "How about I make your favorite Orleans chicken wings tonight?"

Lele's eyes lit up: "Yay! I love chicken wings!"

Grandma Li hugged her grandson, smiled, and patted his little head: "Lele made progress today, this is a reward. When your parents come back, they will give you another reward."

Lele nodded excitedly: "Yes, yes, when Mom and Dad come back, I'll do it again for them, and then they'll reward me!"

Grandma Li smiled and agreed. She was already thinking that Lele had successfully sat up on the 30-degree wedge mat today. She would practice it for a while to make it more stable, then switch to the 15-degree wedge mat, and then practice lying flat. Sooner or later, she would be able to master this movement, and then Lele would be able to sit up on her own from lying flat.

She made sure to share the video in the family group chat so her son and daughter-in-law could see it.

The news naturally caused a sensation. Li Chengan and Zheng Fanyan were both surprised and delighted, and a little incredulous. After confirming that it was true, they repeatedly praised Lele for being so great and wanted to reward her.

Lele was overjoyed to hear the voice messages from her parents on her grandma's phone.

The small change caused a huge uproar in the Li family, bringing them endless surprises.

The following week was a process of constantly discovering surprises. Lele's hand and foot strength increased, her four-point support was more stable than before, she could squat with her hands on the ground and lift them higher, and she could kneel for longer...

Zheng Fanyan, Li Chengan, and Grandma Li were overjoyed, feeling that life was getting better and better, knowing that Gu's private kitchen really did have magical effects. Regardless of the principle behind it, as long as it was harmless and effective for Lele, that was enough.

Grandma Li even suggested taking Lele to rent a place in Jiang City to eat more of Gu's Private Kitchen dishes, or to be hospitalized and rehabilitated at the Jiang City Work Injury Rehabilitation Hospital, so that they could also eat at the restaurant or have a delivery person bring the food to the hospital.

Zheng Fanyan and Li Chengan hesitated at first, mainly because they were worried that the old lady would be too old to take her grandson to another province for rehabilitation and it would be too tiring. At least at home, they could lend a hand to take care of Lele.

But in the end, they couldn't resist the old lady's persuasion and their desire for Lele's recovery, so they agreed and began to plan the matter.

Lele is still in kindergarten, and she can ask for leave whenever she needs to be hospitalized for rehabilitation, which the kindergarten understands.

After completing the referral and packing all their belongings, Li Chengan and Zheng Fanyan brought Grandma Li and Lele to the work injury rehabilitation hospital one weekend to complete the admission process. They stayed with them for a day before returning to their residence to go to work.

Grandma Li has brought Lele here for hospitalization and rehabilitation, and Lele has adapted very well. There are quite a few children with SMA hospitalized and rehabilitating here, and Lele has also made a few good friends.

Moreover, the parents here have experienced the delicious food at Gu's Private Kitchen and love to order Gu's Private Kitchen food to be delivered to them. Grandma Li has learned a lot from watching them and can now cook and order delivery services herself.

She carried three bags of takeout food and took the elevator to the second-floor sports therapy hall to pick up Lele, who had just finished another treatment. She hung the takeout bags on the wheelchair handle and pushed Lele, who was in a wheelchair, back to the eighth-floor ward in the elevator.