Chapter 79 The enthusiasm of netizens.

After chatting for a while, they learned that there were still many customers waiting in line outside, and their eagerness was probably just as strong as theirs. Putting themselves in their shoes, the three decided to head back home and talk some more.

Xu Shiren and Feng Jianguo tacitly took out lunchboxes from their respective canvas bags to pack their food.

Xu Shiren looked at his old boss: "Old Zhao, shall we each take one item of these takeout dishes back? Just have a staff member bring a takeout box over."

Feng Jianguo nodded: "Yes, we can pack it up and take it home, then heat it up and eat it tonight."

Although Zhao Yongnian was tempted and was looking forward to having Gu's Private Kitchen's food tonight, he still shook his head: "No need, you two can pack it up and take it home to eat, so you don't have to go get a takeout box. Next time I come to eat with you, I'll bring a lunchbox to pack it up too."

There's not much meat and vegetables left, so let's avoid the hassle.

Xu Shiren and Feng Jianguo understood what he meant: he wanted to invite them to eat together again, and he also wanted to join their ranks of frugal (stingy) elderly people by bringing their own lunchboxes to pack food.

Xu Shiren nodded and smiled, "Okay, then next time you bring a lunchbox, Lao Zhao, we'll pack some more to take back and eat."

Feng Jianguo laughed and said, "Anyway, we don't need to make a special appointment for any particular day. Whenever we want to eat here or if we see today's menu posted by Gu's Private Kitchen and are interested, we can all get together and eat here with just one phone call."

Zhao Yongnian said happily, "Sure, sure. I have an idea. Didn't Xiao Yang and Lao Xu agree to come over to the restaurant for dinner this weekend? I haven't seen Xiao Yang in a long time, so we can get together and have a meal. Lao Xu, what do you think? Would you like to bring us along?"

"What's there to ask? As long as you want to come, Lao Zhao, I'm naturally welcome. I'll treat you to a meal then," Xu Shiren readily agreed.

Zhao Yongnian laughed heartily: "Alright, then it's settled."

Feng Jianguo chuckled: "Then we'll come along too. We can't let you, Lao Xu, miss out on eating Gu's private cuisine."

Xu Shiren waved his hand generously: "No problem, no problem. It's settled then. I'll confirm the time with Xiaoyang later."

He was already thinking that if it were just the grandfather and grandson eating, Xiao Yang would pay, but now that Old Zhao and Old Feng were also there, he'd have to pay. Yunyang would be ecstatic if he knew.

Then the three of them talked about how even if they had booked to come over for the weekend, it was only Monday today and there were still several days until the weekend. They told each other to call whenever they wanted to eat there. They even created a trendy three-person group on the spot, called "Sunset Red Rice Group (3)".

Xu Shiren grinned as he looked at the names he had come up with: "These names look so festive! Aren't we old folks who are still going strong just like the golden years?"

Zhao Yongnian nodded in satisfaction: "This is a good name. We can arrange to have a meal here anytime."

Feng Jianguo grinned and said, "I'm living the life that Xiaoshan's generation has to live now. I can just shout in the group chat and you guys will come out to eat."

The three of them burst into laughter.

While they were chatting and laughing, they didn't stop packing. After discussing it, Feng Jianguo packed the steamed pork belly with perilla and winter melon and the mushroom and scrambled eggs, while Xu Shiren packed the cold beef salad with cucumber and the scallion oil crab.

Customers dining nearby saw them packing meat and vegetables in their own lunchboxes and exclaimed in surprise to their companions, "Look, they're so thoughtful! They even brought their own lunchboxes to pack up. I'll bring one next time too!"

My companion laughed and said, "Come on, with your goldfish-like memory, it's a miracle you even remember to bring your keys when you go out. You're bringing a lunchbox to pack food? Let's be more realistic."

The customer retorted, "You think I have a bad memory? I'm telling you, I'll definitely remember next time!"

Xu Shiren closed the lid of his lunchbox and turned to talk to the people at the next table: "We only bring our own lunchboxes when we come to eat here every now and then, trying to save money wherever we can. If you suddenly decide to come and eat here, it's definitely more troublesome to bring your own lunchboxes. It's simpler and more convenient to just grab a takeout box here."

My companion at the next table agreed wholeheartedly: "That's right, the old man is absolutely right."

The customer smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed that he had been overheard talking to the other person. Although he hadn't said anything unpleasant, he nodded and said, "Okay, thank you for the advice, sir."

Xu Shiren smiled and said, "It's alright. If you're going to come here often, it's definitely more cost-effective to bring your own lunchboxes to pack up the leftovers."

The customer laughed out loud: "Okay, sir, then we'll try to come and eat here more often in the future."

It's not that I'm unwilling to spend more money on the takeout box, it's just that I saw the old men bringing their own lunch boxes to pack their food and I found it novel, so I really wanted to try it too.

Zhao Yongnian and Feng Jianguo had been listening without interrupting, but after Lao Xu finished speaking to the other person, they got up, waved, and left.

Zhao Yongnian paid for the meal. Xu Shiren and Feng Jianguo wanted to pay, but he stopped them, saying, "You two, don't fight over it. I'm treating today. It's not reasonable for you to bring me here to eat and then expect me to pay. We'll be coming here often in the future, and we can take turns treating each other. There will be times when you pay."

Since their longtime friends had spoken to him about this, Xu Shiren and Feng Jianguo readily agreed and stepped aside to let him scan the code to pay.

The three of them walked out of the restaurant with smiles on their faces, and could still hear the lively sounds of people dining inside. Customers whose numbers had been called were delighted, saying that they had been smelling the aroma for so long and were finally able to eat. The lively conversation was so pleasant to hear that it was hard to leave such a wonderful restaurant.

However, they quickly recovered from this feeling of reluctance, since they could always come back for another meal. The three of them walked out of Suli Street, hailed a taxi on the other side of the street, and took a ride back to the prosecutor's family compound.

There were quite a few customers dining at Lao Wang's Home-Style Restaurant on the street. Of course, business wasn't as booming as Gu's Private Kitchen, where there was a long line of people at the door. There were seven or eight tables occupied by customers, which looked pretty good.

Wang Zhiguo, wearing a chef's hat and apron, walked out of the kitchen, wiped the sweat dripping from his face with a towel, took a deep breath, and saw the customers sitting in the restaurant eating. Occasionally, they would praise the food, and he would smile contentedly.

During this period, the restaurant has been introducing two or three new dishes every week, and customers have given positive feedback that they find them quite novel and the taste is also very good. Wang Zhiguo is very satisfied and proud of this.

He didn't have the skill to cook such delicious dishes like the Gu family girl, nor could he change the menu every day. He could only try his best to learn more new dishes and introduce them to the menu, while also increasing the wages of the restaurant's chefs so that they could learn more dishes and cook more fresh ones.

This way, he doesn't have to be busy in the kitchen all the time, and he can occasionally come out for some fresh air and check on the situation in the dining area.

Now, when Wang Zhiguo reviews the restaurant's revenue every week and sees that it's 20% higher than before, he's completely satisfied and no longer complains about Gu's Private Kitchen taking away his business.

To be honest, many customers who come to Gu's Private Kitchen come specifically for this restaurant, some even traveling from other provinces. They are not potential customers of the restaurant, so there is no question of them stealing business from us.

However, Wang Zhiguo is still closely observing Gu's Private Kitchen. In the past, it was called "knowing yourself and your enemy to win every battle." Now, it's called "paying attention to your peers and learning from them to improve the quality of your own restaurant's meat dishes."

He specifically downloaded Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) and followed Gu's Private Kitchen to see what dishes were on the daily menu. Just looking wasn't enough; he had to taste them to appreciate the essence and difference. So, he would occasionally give Xiao Chong money to go to that restaurant and bring back half of the food for him to try.

It has to be admitted that every dish was delicious. Wang Zhiguo now dares to openly admit to his son that he just loves Gu's Private Kitchen and enjoys eating it.

Of course, when faced with his son's words, "If you like it, then eat it freely. Come with me to the restaurant. It's so much tastier when it's served fresh and hot. It tastes even better than this. You always ask me to pack some to bring back for you to eat."

Wang Zhiguo hadn't gotten past this hurdle yet. He was speechless after hearing his unfilial son's words, so he had to resort to his trump card: "If you say another word, I won't give you any money to go eat. Do you think I don't need to cook and run a business in the shop?"

"Fine, fine, if you don't want to go, then don't go. I'll pack some back for you to eat. Don't threaten me with this all the time." Wang Chong waved his hand and said, his tone a mix of compromise and disdain, but also affection. He was much better than his usual hot temper and rebellious nature, which used to lead to arguments at the slightest provocation.

Wang Zhiguo was secretly very pleased with this change in his son. He felt a little grateful to Gu's Private Kitchen. It not only inspired him to learn more dishes and develop new recipes to attract business, but also made his good-for-nothing son more normal. His temper improved a lot, and his daily routine became more regular. Unlike before, when he would sometimes wake up in the morning and not know whether the person was awake or not, with a 99% probability that it was the latter.

It's much better now, and it's much more pleasing to the eye.

Seeing that the customers in the dining area were enjoying their meal and there was nothing he needed to do for the time being, Wang Zhiguo went to the door to get some fresh air.

As people walked out of the inner street one after another, the unfamiliar faces were most likely customers who had just finished eating and drinking at Gu's Private Kitchen, and the joy on their faces was hard to hide.

Of course, some customers have eaten at Gu's Private Kitchen so many times that they've become familiar to him through his casual observation.

Wang Zhiguo chuckled and shook his head at the thought.

"Boss, could you please add another dish of steamed beef with loofah?"

Wang Zhiguo turned and walked back to the dining room: "Alright, coming right away!"

Gu's Private Kitchen is thriving. All seven tables inside are full, with waves of customers coming and going, and there are also customers queuing outside.

Around 12:30, a wooden sign saying "Ingredients sold out" was hung at the restaurant entrance, and they stopped handing out slips of paper to customers who arrived later.

Perhaps because the restaurant was closed for three days, the customers' pent-up enthusiasm and desire erupted at this moment, making Monday's business even better than sometimes on weekends.

Unfortunately, the restaurant had a limited supply of ingredients and could only serve a limited number of customers, so it was first-come, first-served.

She was busy until about 1 p.m., when Sister Zhou saw off the last table of customers, put the bowls, chopsticks and plates in the kitchen sink and then rushed over to the dining area to eat.

Since lunch was a bit late today and there weren't many customers left in the dining area, Gu Qingqiu simply asked Sister Tang to bring the prepared meat and vegetables over here so she could eat more comfortably.

Seeing Sister Zhou come over and sit down, she smiled and said, "You've worked hard. Business was so good today. I'm finally able to take a break."

Sister Zhou replied, "We're happy when business is good. It's okay to eat a little later."

Sister Tang brought over two bowls of rice and said with a smile, "Everyone has waited three days. Our restaurant is finally open, so you have to come and eat right away."

She looked at Gu Qingqiu, "Boss, are you really not going to eat a bowl of rice? You'll get hungry easily later."

She went to get rice, and the owner told her to get two bowls, saying she wouldn't eat rice for lunch.

Gu Qingqiu nodded: "I won't eat rice anymore. I'm quite full from drinking sugar water."

She hadn't had sweet soup in a long time, and she was really looking forward to it. At noon, when she was cooking taro fritters in the kitchen, the sweet aroma made her mouth water.

Besides, on such a hot and humid day, after working in the kitchen for so long, I don't really have much of an appetite. I might as well have some sugar water.

She cooked three bowls of sweet soup in total. She scooped one bowl out for herself, and there were two bowls left in the pot, which she could share with Sister Zhou and Sister Tang later.

"Alright, you must be starving, hurry up and eat," Gu Qingqiu said, then picked up a spoon and scooped up a spoonful of sugar water to drink.

The rich, milky white syrup is instantly cool and refreshing when it hits your mouth. Then, the sweetness spreads in your mouth in wisps. The aroma of taro, milk, and coconut milk blend together to create a new, mellow fragrance. It's very refreshing to drink, and the fatigue and restlessness are instantly relieved, leaving you feeling refreshed.

Gu Qingqiu then took two or three spoonfuls of the sugar water and drank it. She felt her whole head become sweet, but it wasn't cloying.

The syrup you scoop up contains some small sago pearls. It's slippery when you suck it into your mouth, and it's chewy and bouncy. You can swallow it after just a couple of bites.

She then scooped up a piece of taro to eat. The taro was cooked until it was soft and glutinous, with a rich aroma. When eaten with the sugar water, it wasn't dry at all, and it even added a touch of sweetness.

After eating two pieces of taro, she scooped up three spoonfuls of sugar water to drink, which temporarily satisfied her craving for this taro snack.

Of all the dishes today, besides the taro fritters, Gu Qingqiu was most looking forward to this steamed pork belly with perilla and winter melon. It looked light, but it smelled savory and fragrant, and it should taste even better.

She picked up a piece of pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat with her chopsticks and took a bite. The oil seeped out and moistened her tongue. It was fatty but not greasy, lean but not dry, tender and fragrant, with the aroma of perilla and a perfect touch of saltiness.

The pork belly in her mouth was very soft and tender. After taking two or three bites to savor the salty and savory flavor and the fragrance of perilla, she swallowed it. Gu Qingqiu then picked up two more slices of pork belly to eat.

She felt that her dish was steamed quite well. The pork belly had been marinated in advance and was flavorful enough, and a lot of oil seeped out during the steaming process, so she didn't feel greasy even after eating several slices of pork belly.

Of course, the winter melon, which had absorbed a lot of oil and was placed under the pork belly, would be even more fragrant. Gu Qingqiu picked up a piece of winter melon and ate it.

The winter melon slices are cut to the perfect thickness, so that when you bite into them, you can instantly taste the soft, tender flesh and the sweet juice. The winter melon flesh and juice also have the aroma of pork belly fat and saltiness.

Gu Qingqiu couldn't help but share: "I feel that this winter melon is even more fragrant and flavorful than pork belly."

Sister Zhou and Sister Tang ate first. While the boss was drinking sweet soup and eating taro, the two of them had already tried the steamed pork belly with perilla and winter melon and the cold beef and cucumber salad.

Sister Zhou nodded in agreement: "Indeed, I feel that winter melon is more flavorful than pork belly. When you bite into it, you can taste the sweet juice and the aroma of perilla."

Sister Tang swallowed the winter melon in her mouth and said, "This winter melon is infused with the aroma of pork belly, and it tastes very good, oily and delicious. But the pork belly is also very fragrant, and the perilla leaves are also quite tasty to chew."

Gu Qingqiu had just eaten a perilla leaf, and the unique fragrance still lingered in her mouth. She nodded and said, "It's really good. You should eat more."

After eating several more pieces of winter melon, she chewed on a piece of perilla leaf and swallowed it.

After the lingering fragrance in her mouth had mostly dissipated, Gu Qingqiu turned to eat the cold beef and cucumber salad.

The beef is tender and juicy with a slight chewiness. The mild spiciness is mixed with the savory flavor, making it increasingly addictive. You can also taste a refreshing hint of cucumber.

Even when you eat the cucumber chunks cut into large pieces, you can still taste a hint of beef flavor. They're crisp and refreshing when you bite into them, and you can also taste the sweet juice that overflows.

Gu Qingqiu usually eats cucumber, occasionally a few slices of beef. Once, she ate cucumber mixed with beef, the crispness and tenderness intertwined, the sweetness and saltiness blended, and the spiciness covered everything. The taste was quite good.

They ate lunch by themselves and didn't make scallion oil crab. They thought that two meat dishes and a bowl of taro fritters for each person would be enough. Making it would be too much trouble and they wouldn't be able to finish it anyway, so they decided to save the scallion oil crab and mushroom scrambled eggs for dinner.

Gu Qingqiu had almost finished eating, so she put down her chopsticks and stopped picking up meat. Instead, she picked up her spoon again and drank the remaining half bowl of sweet soup.

Sister Zhou and Sister Tang had just gone to the kitchen and each brought out a bowl of taro fritters, laughing and saying that just looking at this sweet soup made them feel happy, and of course, eating it made them feel even happier.

Sister Zhou exclaimed, "Boss, your sweet soup is so rich in ingredients! It looks like it only has taro and sago, but it actually contains two kinds of milk. It's so creamy and sweet!"

She went into the kitchen around 10 a.m. and saw many boxes of milk and several large boxes of coconut milk in the food preparation area, all of which were good brands.

Sister Tang nodded: "This taro fritter is sweet but not greasy, which is great. The sago is chewy and the taro is soft, sweet and powdery. It's better than any sweet soup I've ever had before."

She smiled and said, "I felt a little full just now, but now that I'm drinking this bowl of sweet soup, I feel like I could drink it all without any problem."

Sister Zhou remembered what Fangfang had said when she begged her to buy her some sweet soup on her way to school: "Isn't it said that girls have two stomachs, one for three meals a day and one for sweet soup and desserts? Sister Tang, you can eat without worry."

"Yes, Sister Tang, this taro fritters taste really good. It's also refreshingly cool, so I could easily finish a bowl," Gu Qingqiu replied with a smile.

After they finished eating, Sister Tang cleared the dishes and utensils to the sink to soak while she put on gloves to start washing the dishes. Sister Zhou went to get a rag to wipe the seven tables in the dining area, and after wiping them clean, she went to get a mop and a bucket to mop the floor.

Gu Qingqiu went to the restaurant entrance to stand for a while to get some fresh air, then turned back to the dining area and found a table near the door to sit down. The wooden door was open, so there was a little breeze, but the main cooling effect came from the air conditioning.

She was so busy all morning that she hadn't checked her phone. Now, she picked it up, opened WeChat, and saw that there were no messages to reply to before exiting and opening Xiaohongshu.

Gu Qingqiu clicked directly into "My Notes" to see the new notes posted today. The number of likes and favorites was much better than previous notes, and the comment section was also more active than usual. It seemed that netizens and fans were about to unleash all the enthusiasm they had been holding back for three days.

[Looking forward to winter: Ahhh, God knows how comforting it is to suddenly see your "Today's Menu" during the most painful time of Monday at work! I'm so glad I didn't give up~]

[Black tea milk tea is the best: I've never had a weekend this unbearable. I planned to go out to eat, but I couldn't go and the other restaurants' menus didn't appeal to me, so I just stayed home and waited. Thank goodness you're back, boss! I'll go to the restaurant tonight!]

[Want a Home: Just between you and me, when the boss said he was going on vacation, I was genuinely worried he'd run away! Even though business was so good there was no reason for him to leave, I still couldn't sleep soundly for the past three days. As compensation, and to celebrate your return to business, I've decided to eat my fill this week—at least five meals at the restaurant!]

[Traditional Chinese medicine tastes so bitter: I envy those Jiang City residents upstairs who can eat at Gu's Private Kitchen anytime. We out-of-towners working here can only watch. But for some reason, even if I can't go to the restaurant, just seeing their daily menu posted at 10 am gives me a sense of reassurance. Just imagining the menu makes my mouth water. I'll come back to the comments section at noon to see the beautiful photos!]

These comments were pushed to the top because they received a lot of likes. Judging from the time, they were posted before noon and before any customers posted photos of their food. Following them were photos of food posted by customers who had dined at the restaurant, which also received a lot of likes. The comments section was even more active.

[Want to take a commemorative photo album: Hehehe, I feel so at ease and happy eating Gu's Private Kitchen at the restaurant.]

Today's dishes were also quite good. The steamed pork belly with perilla and winter melon looked light, but it was actually quite flavorful. The pork belly was tender and not greasy, savory and delicious, while the winter melon was sweet, juicy, and soaked up the meat's aroma. The fragrance of perilla lingered in every slice of pork belly and winter melon, leaving a lingering aftertaste. Of course, the perilla leaves were also very fragrant to chew on their own. The cold beef and cucumber salad was also very good. The beef was tender with a slight chewiness, and the cucumber was crisp and juicy. This dish had a slight spiciness, but it was to a manageable level; it wasn't too spicy. I recommend it to anyone who can handle a little spice—you'll really get hooked!

Since it was just the two of us eating today, we were worried about ordering too much and not being able to finish it. We figured we could just pack the leftovers and come back for another meal later, so we didn't order the scallion oil crab or the mushroom and scrambled eggs. We did order the 15-yuan bowl of taro soup, though. This sweet soup was rich and flavorful, icy cold and sweet, and the addition of milk and coconut milk made it especially fragrant. The sago pearls were chewy, and the taro was soft and glutinous; eating it all together was simply heavenly.

Steamed pork belly with perilla and winter melon.jpg; cold beef and cucumber salad.jpg; taro salad.jpg

[Early to bed and early to rise makes me happy: Hehe, I finally got to eat at Gu's Private Kitchen! I've been looking forward to it for three days, and everything tastes delicious today!]

The steamed pork belly with perilla and winter melon was delicious; the pork belly was tender and not greasy, and the winter melon was even better than the pork belly, oily and sweet. The cold beef and cucumber salad was excellent; the beef was tender and the cucumber crisp, and the spiciness made it even more flavorful. The scallion oil crab was also very plump and tender, with plenty of roe—a true culinary delight. The mushroom and scrambled egg dish looked light, but it tasted surprisingly good; the mushrooms were tender, the scrambled eggs delicate, and the flavor was savory and delicious. The taro and sago dessert was the best of the day; I hadn't had such a sweet and refreshing dessert in a long time. You could tell it was made with high-quality milk; the taro was soft and creamy, and the sago was chewy and bouncy. A bowl of this after the meal was incredibly satisfying.

Steamed pork belly with perilla and winter melon.jpg; cold beef and cucumber salad.jpg; crab with scallion oil.jpg; scrambled eggs with mushrooms.jpg; taro salad.jpg

Happy Retirement, Lao Zhao: I was so happy today that I forgot to take pictures while eating, but I still can't help but say a few words. My friend kindly took me to Gu's Private Kitchen. At first, I didn't think much of it, but after eating two or three dishes, I found that the food at this restaurant was really delicious and the ingredients were very fresh!

I won't go into too much detail about the taste of the meat dishes; the descriptions from other netizens with even better writing have made my mouth water. Anyway, I'll definitely be a regular customer from now on. (Thank you with clasped hands.gif)