The ever-smiling shopkeeper, Mr. Yu, personally came out to greet them.
He looked puzzled when he didn't see the large jar of soup he had ordered.
Ruan Meng proactively explained that the jar had been accidentally broken and she would compensate for the damage in full.
She patted the jar in her hand and said with a smile, "I won't delay what Manager Yu entrusted to me."
The waiter volunteered to tie up the donkey cart, and Manager Yu invited the Ruan family into the shop for a simple meal.
Ruan Qian clasped his hands in thanks, but declined to go inside, citing that he still needed to go out to buy supplies.
Shopkeeper Yu greeted them with a smile, saying it was early and the market wasn't open yet. He guessed that the Ruan family didn't want to trouble him, and his goodwill towards them grew even stronger.
Manager Yu explained, "Our staff always eat their fill before starting work! Only when they're full do they have the energy to work!"
The waiter tied up the donkey cart and echoed with a smile from behind, "Distinguished guests, please don't refuse. No matter how the business deal went, our He Family Restaurant and its manager will never let anyone leave our shop on an empty stomach!"
Manager Yu nodded with a smile, "What do you need to buy? Tell me, and I'll have Xiao Kai make a list. Soon, the vendors who supply the restaurant will arrive; most of them have other businesses..."
"If you don't worry, Xiao Kai will deal directly with them. The quality of the products he buys will definitely be guaranteed, and the prices will be much lower."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Qian solemnly bowed to Manager Yu.
Xiao Kai, the waiter behind him, quickly had someone lead him into the shop.
After lingering at the entrance for a while, the Ruan family went inside and found that the shop assistants were all sitting in the customer area, drinking porridge and eating steamed buns.
The steamed buns were as big as half a person's face, piled up like a small mountain on the plate.
The staff were all friendly and cheerful. When they saw the manager come in, they all smiled and nodded in greeting, but no one made a point of getting up.
The atmosphere between the staff and the manager surprised the Ruan family.
The shopkeeper went to the kitchen himself and brought out a plate of steamed buns. Ruan Meng carried the jar and followed behind the shopkeeper.
Shopkeeper Yu laughed and said, "It's alright, young lady, eat with confidence. Leave the jar to me. The staff here are all reliable; nothing will happen!"
If it were another shop, Ruan Meng might not have felt at ease, but seeing how the shopkeeper and the staff treated people, Ruan Meng smiled and handed the jar over.
The other kitchen staff carried out several bowls of porridge on trays, preparing to leave. Ruan Yi offered, "Shall I help carry them?"
The shopkeeper nodded with a smile, but Ruan Yi was very tactful and only took it from the waiter at the kitchen door.
The Ruan family members, along with Manager Yu and his assistant Xiao Kai, sat at a table and ate a simple meal. Xiao Kai then led Ruan Qian and the others to write down the purchases of supplies, but they were surprised to find that Ruan Qian took out a piece of paper from his pocket, with a clear and detailed list.
A glint of light flashed in Yu Zhangui's eyes.
He knew that the Ruan family were not ordinary people; they were all literate. A glance at their handwriting revealed that there was no one in the entire South Island who could write better.
After washing their hands, Ruan Meng and her third brother were led into the kitchen by Manager Yu.
The cooks wiped their mouths; they had all just finished eating.
Several bowls of fresh seafood were placed on the table.
Shopkeeper Yu said with a smile, "These are all freshly collected, and they're meant to be paired with the young lady's soup. Today, we're going to let customers try them."
Ruan Meng nodded, took out a pre-prepared headscarf, and tied it on her head.
Manager Yu assumed that Ruan Meng was simply trying to make it easier to tie her hair up, without thinking anything of it.
The shop uses well water from nearby. Although it is not as sweet as spring water, it is refreshingly cool and has a unique flavor.
Ruan Meng scooped out a portion of the thick sauce she had brought and poured it into the well water, stirring it well.
Ask the shopkeeper for chili peppers, scallions, ginger, and garlic, then chop them up and mix them into the broth.
The chefs originally wanted to help, but Ruan Meng declined. She demonstrated the method herself, and Manager Yu would surely understand that she would share her method without reservation.
Ruan Meng asked her third brother to help her clean the clams, octopus, shrimp, and crabs.
The restaurant does it differently. After removing the octopus and octopus's internal organs, Ruan Meng does not cut them into pieces before cooking. Instead, she cooks them and then cuts them into pieces, picks out the clam meat, ladles out a bowl of broth, and mixes the seafood meat into it.
After a quarter of an hour, Ruan Meng asked the chefs for small bowls, filled each with various seafood, and distributed them to everyone to taste.
Manager Yu's eyes lit up, as did the other chefs.
Seeing that her third brother had been craving it for a long time, Ruan Meng served him a bowl separately and tasted it herself.
After finishing the meal, the chefs looked delighted and still wanted more.
Ruan Meng smiled and said, "Everyone, please make yourselves at home. I will improve this soup base again."
The chefs were surprised, "It's already so delicious, do you still need to improve it?"
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