Chapter 43: Goji Berry and Chrysanthemum Pork Rib Soup, Fried Shrimp with Stuffed Beans...
Over the next two days, Gu Qingqiu paid attention to the store's revenue. Whether looking at the revenue for the whole day or separately for noon and evening, it was basically the same as before. Even if there was a decrease, it was no more than one or two hundred yuan, which was within the normal fluctuation range.
She also paid attention to the comments under the apology statement on Xiaohongshu and Weibo official accounts, and most netizens' comments were relatively "peaceful".
[Spring Flowers and Autumn Moon: Ah, when I saw the menu this morning, the meat, vegetable, and soup dishes all looked pretty good. Why can't the stir-fried crab with scallions and ginger be eaten with the Four-Ingredient Black Chicken Soup?]
[Little Mouth Baba: I never expected Gu's Private Kitchen to have such a food incompatibility issue on its menu! Although it might cause stomach discomfort, which sounds like a minor problem, it's still worth taking seriously! I must say, Gu's Private Kitchen's daily menu updates are something to look forward to. Hopefully, similar problems won't occur again in the future (please bless)]
[Want some pizza: I was a bit shocked to see this apology statement. Actually, many people probably wouldn't know about Gu's Private Kitchen if they hadn't mentioned it, but their willingness to admit it is commendable. They also offered customers a free meal and will cover their medical expenses if necessary. Keep it up! I hope Gu's Private Kitchen gets better and better!]
[Face: I was one of the customers who ordered both stir-fried crab with scallions and ginger and black chicken soup with four herbs that noon. There were a total of six tables of customers who ordered these two dishes. Actually, I was quite angry when the staff told me about it; it was a serious mistake on the restaurant's part. However, since the restaurant took the initiative to address the issue and offered to compensate the entire table by waiving their meal, and even offered to cover medical expenses if the customers experienced stomach discomfort, my friends and I accepted the apology.]
To be honest, Gu's Private Kitchen was very nice and provided good compensation. Later, we ate the stir-fried crab with scallions and ginger separately, and packed the leftover Four-Ingredient Black Chicken Soup to take home. The restaurant didn't charge us for the takeout containers.
And I must say, the Siwu Black Chicken Soup, even after being heated up in the evening, was still delicious and felt very nourishing.
This was indeed a mistake by Gu's Private Kitchen, but the restaurant has already provided compensation, and there should only have been six tables of customers eating there, so it was discovered in time.
My friend and I have been feeling fine for two days now. I don't know how other customers are doing, but I hope everyone will continue to trust Gu's Private Kitchen, because their meat dishes are truly delicious! We will definitely continue to eat there!
[After the rain: I was probably the only customer that day who ordered both stir-fried crab with scallions and ginger and black chicken soup with four herbs (?). At my daughter's request, I went to Gu's Private Kitchen to order meat dishes for the first time. They were indeed delicious, and my daughter and I both enjoyed them.]
I just happened to see this statement, so I thought I'd say something. Even though I ordered takeout meat dishes, Gu's Private Kitchen was very considerate in contacting me and giving me a full refund. Although there was a mistake in the menu, the fragrant and tempting meat dishes were truly delicious, and the restaurant's service was excellent. My whole family will definitely eat there again.
Besides these, there were also some more strongly worded comments, such as "I knew this kind of restaurant that suddenly becomes popular would collapse," "I'm glad I didn't eat there, the restaurant owner actually caused this kind of problem," and "I've blocked them and will never follow them again..."
Gu Qingqiu didn't take it to heart after reading it. Her own restaurant wasn't a banknote; it couldn't please everyone. This incident would definitely cause her to lose some potential customers, but overall, things should be better than expected.
Just then, she received a detailed test report on the meat and vegetables from the Food and Drug Administration.
After quickly glancing at the report's title, introduction, test subjects, and testing methods, Gu Qingqiu focused on the test results and data analysis discussion.
In addition to the fact that no harmful substances were announced on-site that day, and that there were no pathogens, food additives, or heavy metals in the microbial test, the sensory evaluation showed that the morphology, color, taste, texture, and texture were all highly rated, and the impurity evaluation showed that there were no foreign objects.
The bacteria that should be present in the sample are all within the acceptable range, and there are no bacteria that should not be present. In addition, there are no pesticide residues or chemical residues.
Next, there is a nutritional analysis table. The nutritional content of each meat dish and various raw ingredients is very high, and in addition to the specific values, they are all given a "high quality" rating.
In addition to textual analysis, the data analysis section also includes chart analysis. Upon closer inspection, it is similar to the test results above, except that it has more theoretical support.
Following the conclusion are the sampling information, the signatures of the testing personnel, and the official seal for the test report.
Gu Qingqiu smiled after reading it, took a split-screen screenshot of the electronic report, and immediately opened Xiaohongshu to edit and publish a new note to tell everyone about the good result.
At the same time, copy and paste the text to Weibo, add the test report image, and post it.
When Gu Qingqiu clicked into Xiaohongshu again, the newly posted notes had received many more likes, favorites, and replies.
[Staying up with breakfast: Wow! Finally, the final test report from the Food and Drug Administration is here! I can't be more relieved! As expected of Gu's Private Kitchen, the nutritional analysis in this report is top-notch!]
[No temper tantrum: Oh my god, I knew every dish at Gu's Private Kitchen was so delicious! Besides the chef's excellent skills, the ingredients are also of exceptional quality. Now that I've seen the test report, I'm going to go and eat at Gu's Private Kitchen like crazy!]
[Xiangsi Cheap: LOL! I was a couple of days ago seeing reports about a restaurant's menu being wrong, and I was hesitant to eat there. But now, seeing this test report, I only have one thought in my mind: I have to eat there! I absolutely have to!]
[Red High Heels: Hehehe, as expected of my favorite Gu's Private Kitchen, it's so high-quality! So authoritative! Now I feel even more confident recommending it to my family and friends. I'll just throw the test report in her face—come eat at Gu's Private Kitchen with me, or you'll regret it for the rest of your life!]
Gu Qingqiu couldn't help but laugh as she read on.
The response has been quite positive. The release of the test report this time is a good opportunity to showcase the high quality of the restaurant's dishes, completely quell the previous controversy and skepticism, and also reassure customers who felt better after eating the meat dishes at the restaurant but were worried that the restaurant had added high technology.
As a new day dawns, Surrey Street comes alive again, yet it feels somewhat different from usual.
It's raining today. The rain is pattering down. Looking out the window, pedestrians are hurrying past, holding their umbrellas and avoiding the wet puddles. Occasionally, someone wearing a raincoat rides by on a bicycle, splashing raindrops. Some people are standing in front of shops to take shelter from the rain, talking quite loudly, probably complaining about how changeable the weather is, that it starts raining so suddenly.
The rain is still quite heavy. Gu Qingqiu checked the weather forecast on her phone, which showed that the rain would stop in an hour.
She didn't rush to wash up. Instead, she sat at her desk looking at the notes she had written the night before, preparing to call and order groceries first.
I used to think that I would only cook five or six dishes every day. I would roughly decide on the menu in my mind and then go to the market to buy the ingredients. Or, when I got to the market, I would see some fresh ingredients and then decide on a dish based on my mood.
Ever since that menu-making mistake, Gu Qingqiu has been writing down the general menu ideas on a sticky note the night before before going to bed, making sure there are no conflicts between the ingredients.
If you see fresh ingredients at the market that you'd like to add to your dishes, then you can confirm that later.
She picked up her phone and called Boss Zhu to order twelve pounds of pork ribs and eight pounds of pork leg meat with a fat-to-lean ratio of 3:7.
Then I called Mr. Chen and ordered twenty chickens, and then I called Mr. Wang and ordered twenty ducks, and we agreed to have them delivered to the restaurant at 9:30.
Gu Qingqiu then went to wash up and make breakfast.
After she finished eating breakfast and washing the dishes, she went downstairs and opened the wooden door to check the situation outside.
The rain has mostly stopped; the weather forecast was pretty reliable this time. Occasionally, the wind blows through the peach tree next to the door, and raindrops fall softly, splashing in the puddles.
Gu Qingqiu grabbed an umbrella, pulled a shopping cart, went outside to get her keys, locked the wooden door, and headed to the market.
As she walked along the road, she noticed that there were quite a few raindrops falling from the trees along the way, and it seemed that it was still drizzling intermittently, not completely stopping.
She simply opened her umbrella and pulled her cart all the way to the market. Once inside, she folded up the umbrella and began shopping for groceries.
Lin and his wife have been quite busy with work lately, but they still occasionally go to Gu's Private Kitchen for a meal.
Tasting those fresh and delicious meals seemed to relieve the fatigue of work and the resentment of working overtime, making me feel much happier.
On the other hand, Huo Youjin's sleep improved significantly after regularly eating meat dishes from Gu's Private Kitchen.
Even now, even if he hasn't eaten at Gu's Private Kitchen for a while, he feels that his ability to fall asleep and the quality of his sleep are better than before he had eaten at Gu's Private Kitchen.
Moreover, whenever he felt his sleep quality was deteriorating, he would promptly take time to have a meal at Gu's Private Kitchen with his wife, which would satisfy his cravings and help him sleep.
One weekend, the couple invited both sets of parents to Gu's Private Kitchen for a family dinner.
Whether it was his parents or his in-laws, they all praised Gu's Private Kitchen after eating there, laughing and saying that the young people really knew how to eat, finding such a delicious restaurant and saying they could come here to eat often in the future.
My mother-in-law, who is quite fashionable, immediately took out her phone, opened Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), searched for Gu's Private Kitchen, and followed the restaurant after hearing that Gu's Private Kitchen would post the daily menu on its official account.
His mother, Ms. Huo, was not to be outdone. She immediately took out her phone and used her mobile data to download Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book). Then she registered an account with her phone number and followed the official account of Gu's Private Kitchen as her first account.
Today is Tuesday. Huo Youjin is back from his business trip and has a day off. It just so happens that Lin Guoran is going out to attend and evaluate classes in the morning, which ends at 10:30. Huo Youjin simply arrives at the school gate right on time to wait for him.
After finishing the lesson evaluation, Lin exchanged a few pleasantries with his colleagues. After the meeting, he hurried to the school gate. After walking a dozen meters, he saw a car parked by the roadside, walked over, opened the door, and got in.
"Phew, it's so much more comfortable with the air conditioning in the car." Lin Guoran pulled over his seatbelt, fastened it, and let out a soft sigh.
"Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Lin. You're off work now." Huo Youjin started the car, turned the steering wheel, and the car merged into the road.
Lin smiled and said, "Yes, but we have to go back to school after lunch. We have classes in the afternoon. Our school is ridiculous. I asked other teachers and they all have the afternoon off. Today is like a business trip."
Huo Youjin, keeping an eye on the road ahead, said, "Your school is a top-tier city school, so the requirements for students and teachers are high. Don't they say that school won't give us a holiday unless the earth explodes?"
Lin laughed out loud upon hearing this, nodding in agreement: "That's absolutely right, a wise saying."
She took out her phone from her bag, opened Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), and clicked to see today's menu for Gu's Private Kitchen.
Gu's Private Kitchen usually releases the day's menu at 10 o'clock. Lin Guoran almost always takes out her phone to check what dishes are available whenever she doesn't have class at that time, regardless of whether she goes to eat there or not.
I was in the meeting room evaluating lessons at 10:00 AM today, so I didn't have time to watch it.
"Have you looked at today's menu?" she asked casually before looking down at it.
Huo Youjin nodded: "I've seen it. Take a look and see what you'd like to eat. The dishes are pretty good today."
Lin readily agreed and began to carefully examine today's menu.
Gu's Private Kitchen posts daily notes with greetings and interactive messages before releasing the menu.
She skipped over the text and started looking at the menu.
Today's menu:
Braised chicken with whelks, 58 yuan;
Beer duck, 58 yuan;
Pan-fried shrimp stuffed tofu, 38 yuan;
Chicken and Mushroom Stir-fry (28 yuan)
Goji berry and chrysanthemum pork rib soup, 58 yuan.
Stir-fried chicken mushroom with king oyster mushrooms should be considered a green vegetable dish, and the wolfberry and chrysanthemum pork rib soup sounds a little strange, but it should be quite refreshing and cooling. These two dishes are definitely must-orders.
Lin asked the person focused on driving, "Which would you like to eat, the braised chicken with whelks or the beer duck? I think the pan-fried tofu with shrimp should taste pretty good, so I'll order that."
"Okay, whatever you say." Huo Youjin smiled and said, "I think the whelk-baked chicken should taste pretty good, how about we order that?"
"We've had beer-braised duck at other restaurants before. If any of the other tables around us have it and it smells delicious, we'll order more. If we can't finish it, we'll pack it up and eat it at night."
Lin agreed to his plan: "Okay, it's settled then."
The couple chatted all the way, with Huo Youjin driving and Lin Guoran scrolling through his phone.
She has been following Gu's Private Kitchen closely and knew about the food incompatibilities issue a few days ago. She shares the same attitude as most netizens.
The restaurant's apology and free meal offer were commendable, and the timely intervention and apology statement will likely make them more cautious in creating their menu in the future. I'll just go there as usual.
Even her mother and mother-in-law sent messages to ask about this. Without Lin Guoran having to explain, the two elders trusted her and said that after this incident, they were still willing to believe in Gu's Private Kitchen and would go eat there again when they had time.
Moreover, Gu's Private Kitchen released a test report issued by the Food and Drug Administration yesterday, showing that the dishes and ingredients were so healthy and hygienic that it was astonishing.
Even though Lin Guoran and his wife had previously taken samples and had them tested by Lao Wu, and had seen a more detailed test report, they were still very happy to see the official report this time, and felt more at ease going to the restaurant to eat.
I'm sure many customers share the same sentiment, as you can tell just by looking at the comments.
Lin then clicked on the message bar and saw a red dot notification for a comment. He raised his eyebrows and clicked on it, and sure enough, it was the same people.
When she was browsing Xiaohongshu recently, the big data probably knew that she often looked at content related to Gu's Private Kitchen, and that she didn't even want to miss the delicious photos and notes posted by customers on days when she didn't go out to eat, so it recommended some related content to her.
Then she saw a negative review of Gu's Private Kitchen. Lin clicked on it and read it. It included screenshots of group chat records, before-and-after photos of faces, and text complaints. Surprisingly, eating more meat and vegetables from Gu's Private Kitchen could actually help fade acne scars.
This blogger clearly doesn't believe in and dislikes Gu's Private Kitchen. Some netizens who also suffer from acne in the comments section were hit where it hurt, and they joined forces to condemn Gu's Private Kitchen. Many more netizens, or rather, Gu's Private Kitchen fans, spoke up to defend it.
Because her husband's sleep quality improved after eating Gu's Private Kitchen dishes, and there were test results from Lao Wu's organization to prove it, Lin indeed believed that Gu's Private Kitchen dishes were good for human health, so it's not surprising that they could fade acne scars.
When she mentioned this to Huo Youjin, Huo Youjin, who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa playing games, shrugged and replied.
"It's normal. Acne is probably caused by hormonal imbalance, oil-water imbalance, or facial inflammation. The meat and vegetables in Gu's Private Kitchen are fresh and nutritious, and the cooking process brings out the characteristics of the ingredients, so it's normal for them to fade acne scars."
"However, it is clear that only a few people know that Gu's private kitchen is good for people's health. Some people are afraid that they will not be able to eat it if Gu's private kitchen becomes popular, so they will not speak up. Some people are willing to speak up, but no one believes them or they are even questioned. It is all quite normal."
"However, there will definitely be some people in this acne group who will be willing to try it. Once two or three more people report that it can really fade acne scars, more and more people will believe it, and this negative review will turn into a reverse advertisement."
"I can already foresee that Gu's Private Kitchen will definitely become even more popular. We should take advantage of the time before the restaurant becomes too popular and go there to eat a few more meals."
Huo Youjin didn't even look up, his eyes glued to his phone as he alternated between his left and right hands, attacking, defending, advancing, conquering territory. The phone emitted a series of attack sounds and victory celebration sounds, and he was still able to multitask and say quite a bit.
Lin nodded: "You're right. Once more people prove that eating Gu's Private Kitchen can really fade acne scars, those who are suffering from acne will definitely flock to Gu's Private Kitchen if they have the chance. The restaurant will become very popular."
Let's eat out more often during this time.
She couldn't help but comment on this post to defend Gu's Private Kitchen.
[As expected: I can't confirm whether it will fade acne scars, but my husband's sleep quality has definitely improved and he takes shorter time to fall asleep after eating Gu's Private Kitchen dishes for a while.]
That evening, she was harassed by the blogger and some netizens, who said that it was yet another shill hired by Gu's Private Kitchen, and this time they had changed their advertising excuse, saying that it would improve sleep quality instead of fading acne scars.
Lin was indeed not someone to be trifled with. She got into an argument with several people, and dozens of comments piled up under her comment.
After arguing until they were exhausted, they went to rest and sleep. In the following days, they would argue back and forth from time to time.
The new reply also came from that blogger. Lin was in a good mood today, thinking that she would be able to eat Gu's private dishes later, and she was too lazy to confront this netizen.
At 11:10, the couple parked their car near Surrey Street and walked quickly inside.
Huo Youjin had long legs and walked with a steady gait, while Lin Guoran was practically jogging, yet he seemed to enjoy it immensely.
Even though they knew that Gu's Private Kitchen was probably not full yet, they still wanted to get there as quickly as possible; nobody wanted to wait in line.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, they found three tables occupied by customers. The couple went inside and found a small table to sit down. Lin was indeed breathing heavily.
The air conditioning in the store was on full blast, and it felt very comfortable as soon as I entered, with every pore on my body opening up and releasing a sense of relaxation.
Lin Guoran said, "Luckily it rained this morning and the weather wasn't too hot, otherwise I would have been sweating a lot walking here."
"Take a break, you can't even breathe properly," Huo Youjin said.
He called over a waiter to order the dishes they had agreed on earlier. After the dishes and utensils were brought out, he first rinsed the water cups and poured a cup of Tieguanyin tea for Lin Guoran, saying, "Have some tea first."
The Tieguanyin tea was freshly brewed and stored in the kettle. It was still steaming when poured into the cup. But tea cools down quickly anyway, so drinking hot tea is the most suitable. Lin thanked them and picked up the cup to take a small sip. Only after finding the temperature to his liking did he drink it in large gulps.
After catching her breath, she looked around and saw that there were five other tables of customers besides hers, and each table was quite full. It was only a little past eleven o'clock, so she could foresee that business would be booming again later.
She smiled and said, "It seems that Gu's Private Kitchen is still doing quite well and hasn't been affected much by what happened before."
Huo Youjin washed the dishes and placed one set on Lin Guoran's plate opposite him, then poured himself a cup of Tieguanyin tea.
He laughed upon hearing this, saying, "This shows that most people are still the most rational. They still trust Gu's Private Kitchen and are reluctant to give up such delicious meat dishes."
Lin nodded, smelling the aroma wafting from what was probably the first table that had arrived and was already enjoying their food: "Indeed."
The couple waited for about eight minutes before the staff came and served them a soup with goji berries, chrysanthemum, and pork ribs.
This is a very light soup. Evenly distributed pieces of pork ribs with meat are sunk in the soup bowl, with some large slices of ginger mixed in. Chrysanthemum and goji berries float in the air, and the overall soup is a light yellow color with a clear appearance.
Huo Youjin picked up a soup ladle and ladled a bowl of soup for each of them, adding some pork ribs, goji berries, and chrysanthemum petals to the bowl.
Lin immediately picked up the bowl and drank the soup.
The soup was pretty much what I expected, with a rich aroma and a hint of sweetness from goji berries and chrysanthemums, like brewed goji berry and chrysanthemum water, plus the meaty flavor of pork ribs.
After taking a few more sips, Lin realized that this soup was different from the goji berry and chrysanthemum tea that was simply brewed. The flavor was richer and more mellow, with a sweet aftertaste. The fat from the ribs had seeped into the soup during the cooking process, giving it an enticing meaty aroma.
She drank half a bowl of soup before picking up the ribs with her chopsticks to eat.
The pork ribs this time are a little different from those in the winter melon and barley pork rib soup.
Both are good spare ribs, but they should be pan-fried in oil before being used in soup. The edges of the meat pieces should be slightly browned. After long cooking, the meat will be tender and juicy, with the unique aroma of pork and no fishy smell.
There's no need to dip it in any sauce. The ribs in this soup are quite flavorful on their own. They've absorbed some of the broth, and when you bite into them, you get a sweet taste from the chrysanthemum and goji berries. It's a really nice dish.
Lin ate the pork ribs while drinking the soup, and couldn't help but nod: "I didn't expect that cooking pork ribs with goji berries and chrysanthemums would taste so good. We can cook it like this at home sometime."
Huo Youjin also quite liked the soup. At first, he thought it was a bit strange to have goji berry and chrysanthemum tea with pork ribs. But after he changed his mind and realized that he was drinking soup, he found it easier to accept the taste.
The soup is mellow, fragrant, and sweet, and the pork ribs are tender and juicy, also with a subtle sweetness. Everything goes together perfectly.
Hearing Lin Guoran's words, he nodded: "Okay, this soup should be easy to make, and the ingredients are not complicated. I'll try making it when I have time. I must say, the restaurant is quite ingenious. We never thought of making this soup before. It should be quite good for clearing heat and detoxifying."
Lin agreed: "The boss really put a lot of thought and skill into setting the menu. We customers enjoy opening blind boxes every day."
After the couple finished a bowl of soup and ate the meat at the bottom, Lin ate the goji berries, picked out the chrysanthemum petals and put them aside, then filled another half bowl with soup and drank it.
Huo Youjin doesn't like goji berries or chrysanthemums, but he didn't pick them out, leaving them at the bottom of the bowl. Since no other dishes had been served yet, he simply ate another half bowl of soup.
Soon, the pan-fried shrimp stuffed tofu was also served. Two rows of eight pieces of stuffed tofu were neatly arranged on the white porcelain plate, with thick, dark brown sauce flowing over them. Each tofu piece was covered with a thick piece of minced meat. You could guess that the minced meat contained not only minced pork but also minced shrimp. It looked like some chopped shiitake mushrooms had also been added, and it was garnished with chopped green onions.
Lin had just finished drinking the soup in his bowl, and quickly reached out with his chopsticks to pick up a piece of stuffed tofu and put it in his own bowl.
The stuffed tofu was quite large. Even after being pan-fried or braised, tofu is still relatively easy to break. She carefully controlled the force with which she picked up the tofu with her chopsticks, afraid that it would break and fall onto the table. Fortunately, it landed safely in the bowl without any major incident.
When she picked it up from the bowl again, Lin was much more casual in her bite. Fortunately, the stuffed tofu was firm enough and didn't break. She lowered her head and took a small bite. The tofu was delicate and smooth, and the aroma of soybeans spread in her mouth.
The most enjoyable way to eat it is to eat it along with the meat filling stuffed inside the tofu. The minced meat is savory and fragrant, the shrimp paste is sweet and slightly bouncy, the shiitake mushrooms have a unique tender and savory flavor, and the equally thick and savory sauce adds a touch of smoothness, making it a particularly rich and flavorful dish.
She chewed and savored the flavor, and after swallowing, she quickly took a big bite of the stuffed tofu.
The aroma of tofu blends almost perfectly with the fragrance of minced meat, shrimp, and mushrooms. The crumbly tofu neutralizes the grainy texture of the minced meat, and the thick, savory sauce seems to be everywhere, adding a lot of umami flavor.
Lin took four bites in a row before finishing a piece of fried shrimp stuffed tofu. The sweetness of the shrimp paste and the salty aroma of the shiitake mushrooms lingered in his mouth, and he couldn't help but savor the taste.
She praised, "The meat filling made by mixing minced meat, shrimp paste, and shiitake mushrooms together is quite fragrant, with a perfect balance of salty, savory, and sweet flavors. It's absolutely perfect for stuffing tofu."
Unlike Lin Guoran, who would sometimes eat heartily and sometimes savor the food slowly, Huo Youjin would open his mouth wide each time to eat as much fresh shrimp and stuffed tofu as possible, finishing a piece in just two bites.
The savory flavor of the thick sauce lingers in your mouth. As the sauce permeates the stuffed tofu, the aroma of the tofu, the sweetness of the minced meat and shrimp, and the mushroom fragrance all blend into the sauce. It's quite refreshing to drink this sauce on its own.
He nodded: "It's really good. The flavor is much richer than stuffed tofu with minced pork alone. It goes well with rice. I'll have a bowl of rice, do you want some?"
"Okay, I'll have a bowl too." Lin thought the thick, salty sauce was perfect for mixing with rice.
Huo Youjin called for two bowls of rice from the waiter. After the rice was served, he immediately used a spoon to scoop the thick, salty sauce from the stuffed tofu plate and poured it over the white rice. The plump rice grains instantly glistened with the dark brown oil.
He then picked up a piece of fried shrimp stuffed tofu and ate it with rice.
Lin was equally impressive, taking a bite of shrimp-stuffed tofu and a bite of white rice. Compared to the previous meat and bean aromas, the rice added a fragrance, making the texture particularly good and turning the meal into a wonderful enjoyment.
While they were engrossed in enjoying the food, the last empty table was filled with customers.
Lin Zhongxuan has been busy with a very important collaboration within his department recently. From the initial agreement between the two parties to the signing of the cooperation agreement and the subsequent communication and coordination to advance the project, the project is now nearing its end. A leader from the partner company, along with two colleagues, came to Jiang City for a final round of communication and confirmation.
After completing their work tasks, the partner's leader and two colleagues expressed their desire to spend a few days in Jiang City to experience its local customs and culture.
So their department has to treat these three partners to good food and drinks every day. If this collaboration goes well, there may be several more projects to work on in the future.
The leader of our partner company is known for his love of all kinds of food, and the other two colleagues also said that since we've come all the way to Jiang City, we should really enjoy the local food culture.
Lin Zhongxuan and another colleague accompanied them to various famous teahouses, restaurants, and time-honored establishments in Jiang City for lunch and dinner every day. After three days, their bellies had become a bit rounder.
As a result, the leader of the partner said that he was getting tired of always eating at teahouses, restaurants and time-honored brands, and wanted to try some delicious meat dishes hidden in small streets.
Lin Zhongxuan immediately thought of Gu's Private Kitchen.
In fact, when he learned that he was going to treat the three partners to Jiang City's specialty meat dishes, the first thing that popped into his mind was Gu's Private Kitchen, but then he shook his head and dismissed the idea.
Gu's Private Kitchen is a bit small and doesn't have private rooms, so it's not suitable for entertaining business partners.
But now that the partner's leader had said so, Lin Zhongxuan suggested that perhaps Gu's Private Kitchen was a good place to go. After telling his colleagues about it, they hesitated. After reporting to their leader, the leader asked them to compile some information about the restaurant and ask the partner if they would be willing to eat there.
The partner replied quickly, sounding excited, saying they could give it a try.
Lin Zhongxuan knew that there would be a queue at Gu's Private Kitchen if he went a little late. After coordinating the dining time with his partner, he didn't have time to go to Suli Street, so he called his parents to ask them to reserve a large table at Gu's Private Kitchen.
Since I arrived at around 11:20, Gu's Private Kitchen agreed.
Around 10 a.m., Lin Zhongxuan and another colleague, Zhang Ge, went to the hotel where their partner was staying to pick up the three of them, and then drove over to Suli Street.
As we walked into Suli Street, Mr. Wu, the leader of our partner company, nodded repeatedly: "Indeed, the old streets have a unique charm, just as I imagined."
Evan, one of the partners, laughed and said, "This old street looks quite like Jiang City. These buildings are a bit old, but the surrounding shops look quite new and very clean, unlike the dirty and messy old street."
"Brother Lin picked a great place. I hope the meat dishes will taste as good as they say online," said Yu Yuanhang, the young partner.
Lin Zhongxuan smiled and said, "I'm glad Mr. Wu likes it. This old street used to be the residential area of the Jiang City Brewery. With the policy of relocating the brewery to the outskirts of Jiang City, the residential area was also relocated. Some new Jiang City residents have moved here one after another."
“In recent years, some old villages nearby have been demolished and new office buildings and commercial plazas have been built. Suli Street has been preserved and is one of the few old streets in Yunjiang District. It still has a lot of local life.”
"The Gu Family Private Kitchen we're going to eat at later has been open on Suli Street for decades. It's now run by the founder's granddaughter, and the meat and dishes are delicious. My parents eat there every two or three days. It's also recently become popular online, and many netizens have come here specifically to try it."
"I hope the taste of her meat dishes later will not disappoint you, Mr. Wu."
Mr. Wu nodded: "Now that you mention it, I'm even more looking forward to it."
Evan seemed quite interested in the history of the old street: "Hey, the old brewery moved away, what's the site now?"
Lin Zhongxuan explained, "Walk out at the end of Suli Street and you'll find the former brewery site, which has now become an industrial creative park. Some of the old industrial sites have been well preserved, and some businesses, restaurants, and even cinemas have been introduced. If you're interested, you can walk over and take a look after dinner."
Evan smiled and said, "That depends on whether Mr. Wu is interested."
Yu Yuanhang chimed in, "Yes, Mr. Wu, would you like to go?"
Mr. Wu nodded upon hearing this: "We can go and take a look."
Lin Zhongxuan and his colleague exchanged a glance, then nodded with a smile: "Let's go take a look after we finish eating."
As they walked to the middle of Suli Street, Mr. Wu and his two companions remarked on the restaurant's pleasant ambiance and the vibrant peach tree. Lin Zhongxuan noticed an empty large table and quickly went inside to reserve a seat, inviting Mr. Wu, his two companions, and Zhang Ge to sit down.
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