Chapter 92 Delivery Subsidies.
The last dish was stir-fried spinach, which was also very popular with the Zhao family.
Having eaten at so many restaurants, Zhao Yongnian still felt that the vegetables at Gu's Private Kitchen were the best. No matter what kind of vegetables were stir-fried, they were always so fresh, retaining the original sweetness and crispness of the vegetables.
The stir-fried spinach we're eating right now is like this: a bright green plate with only a little bit of minced garlic to brighten it up. The spinach leaves are very crisp and tender, while the stems add a touch of crunch. Because it's been stir-fried long enough, it's also quite soft and tender, so even someone his age can chew it without much trouble.
Because of the garlic added during the stir-frying, the spinach leaves also have a garlicky aroma, which prevents them from being bland. At the same time, it does not mask the natural sweetness of the spinach. After chewing a few times and swallowing, you can still feel the lingering sweetness in your mouth, which is the unique fragrance of spinach.
Zeng Musi eats more meticulously. She pays great attention to a balanced diet. Seeing that there was a lot of stir-fried spinach on the plate, she simply took more of it into her bowl and ate it slowly.
She quite likes to eat spinach. Spinach is rich in iron, which can help replenish blood. She enjoys the crisp and tender spinach, savoring the natural sweetness of the ingredients. The garlic flavor adds a touch of taste, and the spinach is smooth from the leaves to the stems.
After eating half a bowl of vegetables, she finally spoke, "Vegetables stir-fried with lard are so fragrant. The spinach is so smooth to eat, thanks to the lard."
Upon hearing her explanation, Zhao Yongnian and Zhao Yuanzheng, a father and son who rarely cooked, suddenly realized that the spinach was stir-fried with lard. No wonder it tasted so delicious with a meaty aroma.
Zhao Yuanzheng smiled and said, "This spinach is very fresh; it tastes like vegetables grown on a farm."
Zhao Yongnian nodded: "It's really hard to say. Didn't I tell you last time that the Food and Drug Administration came to take samples and said that the ingredients at Gu's Private Kitchen were very fresh, and the tests for pesticides and such were all very clean?"
Zeng Musi smiled and agreed, saying that it was impossible to actually ask the restaurant about purchasing; as long as the stir-fried spinach was fragrant and delicious enough, that would be fine.
She looked at her son and saw him eating spinach obediently with a satisfied look on his face, which put her mind at ease.
Xuanxuan usually needs his parents to force him to eat vegetables at home. He always eats meat and white rice first, and only eats vegetables last. This is probably a common trait among children.
But this time he ate the stir-fried spinach with the same gusto as he ate the previous fragrant meat dishes. The spinach was sweet and tender, and it was slippery to eat. The garlic aroma was also surprisingly pleasant, and his mouth felt sweet after eating it.
After taking his first bite of spinach, he started to like it and continued eating.
After a couple of bites, Xuanxuan invented a new way to eat it. He had already finished the cheese chicken potato tower and the Thai crispy shrimp cake, so the only option left was the preserved vegetable and pork pie, which he also really liked.
He picked up a piece of preserved vegetable and pork patty and put it in the bowl, then ate it along with the spinach, stuffing his little mouth so full that he could barely bite it open. He kept biting until his brain ached, but he felt it was all worth it.
The sweet, garlicky, crisp, and juicy spinach blends perfectly with the sweet, savory, and salty flavor of the preserved vegetable and pork patty, creating a richer and more satisfying taste that makes it easy to swallow.
With his second bite, he knew better. He ate less of both the preserved vegetable and pork patty and the stir-fried spinach. If everything was just right, he wouldn't get a headache from biting into it, and he could better appreciate the deliciousness of eating the spinach and preserved vegetable and pork patty together.
Zhao Yongnian noticed this and exclaimed, "Xuanxuan is so clever; he knows that meat and vegetables can be eaten together."
It's easy to imagine how delicious this combination would be, but even so, he didn't pick up his chopsticks again to try eating it that way. He was just too full from all the food he had eaten along the way, and the stir-fried spinach he had just eaten had already taken up most of his stomach.
Zhao Yuanzheng said helplessly, "He often eats like this at home. If he doesn't feel like eating vegetables, he mixes them with meat and uses the deliciousness of the meat to make the vegetables taste bland."
Zeng Musi asked curiously, "Xuanxuan, didn't you just like eating stir-fried spinach?"
After all, they usually have to be urged to eat vegetables; otherwise, they won't eat them and try to get by.
Xuanxuan tilted his head back and replied, "I like it! It's different now than at home. Spinach is delicious, and it tastes even better with preserved vegetable and pork patties!"
The three of them smiled after hearing this and told him to eat more if he liked it.
Then, the child's stomach capacity is also limited. He had drunk a lot of soup and ate a lot of meat before, and ate more than half a bowl of white rice. Tonight, he has already eaten quite a lot of spinach.
The three adults chatted as they occasionally picked up some stir-fried spinach with their chopsticks, and eventually finished the whole plate of vegetables.
Seeing that everyone had finished eating, Zhao Yongnian simply took the canvas bag hanging behind the chair, took out two lunch boxes from it, and said with a smile, "It's a good thing you all ate a lot today. There's only this preserved vegetable and pork pie and yam and pork rib soup left, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to fill both lunch boxes."
Zhao Yuanzheng and Zeng Musi were both surprised. When they picked up the old man earlier, they saw him carrying a canvas bag but didn't ask any questions, assuming it was just a water bottle or umbrella. But now he actually pulled out two lunch boxes.
Xuanxuan, in his childlike innocence, asked directly, "Grandpa, why did you bring a lunchbox?"
When we eat out, we usually ask the staff for takeout containers. Xuanxuan knows this and will even insist on helping to pack up the leftovers.
Zhao Yongnian smiled and explained to his son and daughter-in-law, who were looking at him in shock, "I brought my own lunchbox to pack up the leftover meat and vegetables. I learned it from Lao Feng and Lao Xu. It's a bit wasteful to always bring takeout containers when we come here to eat. Bringing our own lunchbox is just right. Usually, we each bring a lunchbox and pack up the leftovers we want to eat to take home. We can reheat them at night. The staff here are very friendly and even praised us for being thrifty."
He waved his hand and said, "I thought we'd eat together today, so I brought two lunchboxes. I was worried they wouldn't be big enough, but it turns out we're quite capable."
Zeng Musi was amazed. Her father-in-law used to be a leader in the procuratorate, but she never expected him to be so down-to-earth.
Zhao Yuanzheng was genuinely taken aback and smiled, then chuckled: "It's fortunate that this restaurant is considerate enough to allow you to bring your own lunchboxes to pack, otherwise you would really be annoyed for no reason."
After all, restaurants can make some money selling takeout boxes, especially since the old man is coming to eat here so often, which saves him a lot of money, while the restaurant is really making less money.
Zhao Yongnian was so angry he almost glared at him. He spoke with a strong voice, showing no signs of the sickly state he had been in just one month: "I was absolutely certain the restaurant wouldn't mind before I did it! I have that much self-awareness."
He then brought up the story of how he had returned to Gu's Private Kitchen for a meal, and how a group of customers wanted to try it after seeing that they had brought their own lunchboxes, but were persuaded to leave by Lao Xu.
Zhao Yuanzheng nodded: "Uncle Xu's approach is quite good. If we only come to eat here once or twice, we can just use the restaurant's takeout containers. It's convenient."
Zeng Musi chimed in, "Yes, if everyone brings their own lunchboxes to pack food, restaurants will lose a source of income."
However, it must be said that the restaurant's service attitude is indeed very good. From the warm welcome when you enter the restaurant to the smiling faces when serving the dishes, it is very pleasant to see.
She had encountered customers who, when eating out, would ask for a plastic bag to pack up leftovers because a takeout box cost a dollar. The staff would react with utter displeasure. Hearing her father-in-law's account, Gu's Private Kitchen seemed much better in comparison.
While the adults were talking, Xuanxuan had already put his packing skills to use. He took a lunchbox that his grandfather had placed on the table, opened the lid, and used his chopsticks to put a preserved vegetable and pork patty into the lunchbox.
Actually, there was only a small piece left, which looked quite small in the lunchbox. He said, "Mom and Dad, you should pack the soup. If it doesn't fit in the lunchbox later, just put the spare ribs in this lunchbox. It's fine to put meat together."
Zeng Musi smiled and agreed, praising him, "Xuanxuan is great, he can help pack lunch boxes now."
Xuanxuan chuckled, his little face beaming with pride, then picked up the half-empty bottle of cola that he hadn't touched since drinking the soup and started drinking it again.
Seeing this, Zeng Musi shook her head helplessly, wondering where this child got such a large appetite. Anyway, she wasn't young anymore, and it was unlikely that she would continue drinking after eating until she was full, so she didn't say anything.
Zhao Yuanzheng then took the lunchbox that was placed in front of his father, opened the lid and began to pack the yam and pork rib soup, scooping up the soup and ingredients together and pouring them into the lunchbox.
This lunchbox is an oval-shaped, flat one. It's fine for holding rice, meat, and vegetables, but it's a bit small for soup. Fortunately, there wasn't much soup left. After filling it about eight-tenths full, I put the three pieces of pork ribs into the lunchbox that held the preserved vegetable and pork patty, and that was fine.
After closing the lunchbox lid, he instructed, "Dad, be careful when you carry this lunchbox in your canvas bag, so it doesn't spill later."
Xuanxuan cleverly picked up the lunchbox lid and put it on the lunchbox containing the preserved vegetable and meat pie. After fastening the four locks, he pushed it in front of his grandfather.
Zhao Yongnian said with a smile, "Take these two lunchboxes home for dinner. Eat as much as you like. Lao Feng, Lao Xu, and I come over often, so we won't miss out. If you don't have a bag, just put them in my canvas bag and take them home. You can get them back for me when you come over again."
He received this canvas bag as a gift from a retirement event organized by the union at the procuratorate. It's quite useful, and he often takes it with him when he goes out these days.
Zhao Yuanzheng didn't stand on ceremony and nodded, "Okay, then we'll take it back and heat it up to eat tonight."
Seeing that her husband had agreed, Zeng Musi didn't say anything more: "Okay, thank you, Dad."
Xuanxuan exclaimed happily, "Yay! Tonight we can have preserved vegetable and pork patties and soup again!"
The three adults burst out laughing. They had eaten and drunk their fill, and there were still many customers queuing outside the restaurant waiting for a table, so they simply got up, paid the bill, and left.
This time it was Zhao Yuanzheng's turn to exclaim, "I didn't expect that this meal would only cost 260 yuan. It's really cheap."
Zeng Musi smiled and said, "We can come here often when we have time off. The meat and vegetables here are very fresh and taste great. It's also very cost-effective."
Compared to other restaurants where a table can cost four or five hundred yuan, the dishes at Gu's Private Kitchen are more attractive and leave a lasting impression.
Zhao Yongnian smiled and nodded in agreement: "Sure, whenever you have time to tell me, I'm free to come anytime."
Xuanxuan was so happy that he skipped and hopped as he walked: "Yay! We'll come here to eat often!"
"Slow down, slow down!"
Laughter and playful sounds filled the streets of Suli, drawing the attention of passersby who smiled faintly.
The restaurant was as busy as ever, with all seven tables constantly occupied. Customers came in one after another and left satisfied.
By the time Gu Qingqiu and the others had time to eat, it was already one o'clock in the afternoon.
Since Gu Qingqiu returned from visiting her parents in her hometown, she has been quite busy. With Wang Meiyu's help in preparing the dishes, she has increased the amount of ingredients she purchases each day. With more customers to serve, the business hours have naturally been extended.
In the past, around 12:40 pm, all the dishes could be served and we could start cooking meat and vegetables for our own meals. Now, it usually takes until almost 1 pm to finish.
Fortunately, Gu Qingqiu was able to withstand hunger and was able to eat a little later. After discussing with Sister Zhou and the other two, she told them to eat more in the morning so they wouldn't go hungry, and thus continued the amount of shopping she had been doing for a while.
Customers could feel the restaurant's extended opening hours, and many enthusiastically expressed their gratitude to Sister Zhou.
"I noticed your restaurant seems to have a bit more ingredients than usual! I was thinking there was no chance of getting any today, and I was sure to see that 'sold out' sign hanging at the door. But wow, they still have some! I took a number, waited a little while, and got to eat. What a lucky day!"
"Please thank the boss for us! We've finally been able to get more ingredients and extend our business hours. Now we don't have to worry about not being able to get a meal if we get off work late!"
"Yeah, before, if I calculated that I would get to the store by 12:30, I knew it was hopeless, and I had no one to talk to about it. But now, I figured that even if it was 12:30, I could still try my best, maybe! And look, today I'm so happy!"
Sister Zhou relayed all the customers' heartfelt thanks to Gu Qingqiu.
Gu Qingqiu also saw many netizens talking about this in the notes she posted on Xiaohongshu and Weibo.
[When will it be my turn to snag a ticket? Hehe, so happy! I got to eat at Gu's Private Kitchen today! I thought my annoying boss was dragging us into a meeting that dragged us into a long, rambling discussion until past midnight, so I figured I wouldn't have a chance, but I still wanted to try Gu's Private Kitchen. Who would have thought I'd get the last number! Who can understand the relief and joy of getting a number and then seeing the staff hang up a sign at the door saying the ingredients are sold out?!]
[Disappointment still outweighs everything else in this world: I was incredibly lucky to get to eat at Gu's Private Kitchen today! By the way, has anyone else noticed that Gu's Private Kitchen has extended its opening hours recently? The owner really seems to be listening to our suggestions and trying to increase the purchase of ingredients. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten a number even after arriving at 12:40 today; in the past, I would have just left disappointed.]
[Jasmine, Jasmine: It seems like Gu's Private Kitchen has increased its ingredient supply recently! Usually, when we arrive at the restaurant, it's not too early or too late, but even though there are still customers queuing outside when we leave, the sign saying "Ingredients Sold Out" is already up. However, the last two times I went, even though some customers rushed in when I left, I was still able to get a number, and that despairing little sign hadn't been put up yet. That's great! I feel like I can be a little more relaxed about when I come to eat in the future, without worrying about not getting a table if I'm even a few minutes late.]
[Huang Pei Lv: I'm really happy to hear that Gu's Private Kitchen has increased its ingredient supply. Although we can't eat there for now, so many brothers and sisters who have been familiar with us in the comments section will be able to, right? Hehe, I'll take my kids there in August to try the delicious food. I've been looking forward to it for months, it's driving me crazy!]
Gu Qingqiu also saw many comments discussing the increased supply of ingredients and extended business hours at their restaurant, hoping for longer queues. The netizens' words revealed their happiness, which made her happy as well.
She felt this was truly a win-win situation: the customers were happy with their food, she was happy making money, and her body could still handle it. She suggested that Sister Zhou and the other two get a raise next month.
The customers who had been dining there had already paid their bills and left. They were sitting at a small table in the dining area, eating. The four of them were sitting opposite each other.
Gu Qingqiu thought to herself that it was fortunate that the meal was postponed until 1 p.m. so that they could sit down and eat properly in the dining hall. Otherwise, eating around a small table in the kitchen would have been quite cramped.
Everyone chatted and ate at the same time, mostly making chewing noises, as they were quite hungry after working all morning.
Gu Qingqiu liked all the dishes today. For lunch at home, she made steamed pork patties with preserved mustard greens, a cheese chicken and potato tower, stir-fried spinach, and yam and pork rib soup.
She was drinking the soup, which was warm and milky white with a rich flavor. The aroma of yam and the meaty fragrance of pork ribs intertwined to create the delicious taste. Because the starch of yam was incorporated into the soup during the cooking process, it was also smooth and thick.
Drinking soup is a magical enjoyment. Even on a hot day, sitting in an air-conditioned room, you still feel the lingering heat from a busy day. But drinking warm soup doesn't make you feel hot; instead, the aroma spreads from your mouth to your stomach, making you feel incredibly comfortable and refreshed.
After drinking half a bowl of soup, Gu Qingqiu put the bowl down and began to eat the ribs and yam from it.
The pork ribs are evenly distributed at both ends of the bones, and they're stewed until tender and fall off the bone with a single bite, offering a rich and flavorful taste. The yam is also cooked until very soft and glutinous, with a smooth and delicate texture, absorbing some of the meaty aroma for an even more delicious flavor.
After finishing the yam and pork ribs, she picked up her bowl to drink the soup. Only after finishing the soup did she get half a bowl of rice and come back to sit down and continue eating.
Meat patties with preserved mustard greens are undoubtedly a great accompaniment to rice. The savory aroma of minced meat and the fresh fragrance of preserved mustard greens blend together perfectly, creating a rich sweet and savory flavor. If you mix it with a mouthful of rice, it's absolutely delicious. You can easily swallow it after just a few chews without it feeling bland.
When Gu Qingqiu was preparing the meat sauce, she specially bought a hind leg meat with three parts fat and seven parts lean and asked Boss Zhu to grind it into a slightly granular mince and send it over. After adding enough of the various seasonings, she added the washed, soaked and chopped preserved mustard greens and mixed them together. She was just waiting for a customer to place an order before she would spread the preserved mustard greens and minced meat on a plate and steam it.
Looking at the preserved vegetable and pork patty on her chopsticks, she could still vaguely see the bits of fat on the patty. She put it directly into her mouth and took a bite. She quickly tasted the oil that seeped out as she chewed, which moisturized the patty, making it more flavorful and tender, and juicy without being greasy.
After eating a small bowl of rice with preserved vegetable and pork patties, Gu Qingqiu picked up a cheese chicken and potato tart and ate it.
Compared to egg tarts, the cheese chicken potato tart is more suitable as a main course meat dish. With each bite, you can taste the crispy exterior and soft interior of the potato tart, with a rich potato flavor.
If you bite into it further, you can taste the chicken with its sweet, sour, and salty flavors. The moment you bite into it, you can see the cheese stretch out in thin, milky white strands.
Besides the cheese and chicken on top, the potato tart filling also includes green and red bell peppers and onions to enrich the flavor. These bell peppers are not spicy; like the onions, they add color to the potato tart. When you eat it, you can taste a bit of spiciness without it being overpowering or burning your mouth—it's quite delicious.
After finishing one cheese chicken and potato tart, Gu Qingqiu couldn't resist picking up another one and continuing to eat.
This time, she remembered to eat the leftover rice in her bowl. And to be honest, the rich aroma of potatoes, the sweet and sour flavor of chicken, and the milky aroma of cheese mixed with the soft and sticky white rice were quite delicious, no worse than eating it with preserved vegetable and meat patties.
Sister Zhou and her two friends also praised the two dishes highly. They praised the preserved vegetable and pork patty for its sweet, salty, fragrant, tender, and juicy flavor, which was perfect with rice. They also praised the cheese chicken and potato tower for its rich flavor and the stringy cheese that smelled so good!
Stir-fried spinach is delicious, of course. When Gu Qingqiu went to the market to buy vegetables in the morning, she saw that the spinach at her grandmother's stall was the freshest. Each spinach was long, green and tender, with very little black residue.
It's called stir-fried spinach, but the oil used is lard, and minced garlic is also added to the pan and stir-fried. It tastes light but not bland.
Just now, she picked up a piece of spinach with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. It tasted incredibly crisp, tender, and sweet. The leaves were softer than the stems, and you could even taste the garlic flavor when you chewed them.
The spinach doesn't taste bitter when stir-fried. After being stir-fried with lard, both the leaves and stems are smooth to eat. The aroma of lard isn't strong, but it's very noticeable and adds a touch of meaty flavor.
Gu Qingqiu ate almost a whole bowl of spinach before putting down her chopsticks, feeling so full and satisfied.
She didn't get up immediately, but sat down to rest for a while and chatted with Sister Zhou and the others.
After they had all finished eating, Sister Tang went to wash the pots and pans, while Sister Zhou prepared to wipe down the dining table and clean the dining area. Wang Meiyu finished her morning shift, helped to collect the empty bowls and plates, said goodbye, and then went home to rest, since she had to be at the store to work before 4 p.m. because she was preparing the food.
Gu Qingqiu got up and walked to the restaurant entrance to stand back down, letting the breeze help her digestion.
Thinking about the plan she had been working on recently, she didn't include it in the morning's menu posting notes, partly to avoid diverting netizens' attention, and also because she wasn't sure about it yet.
After a busy morning and a delicious lunch, Gu Qingqiu made her decision.
She opened Xiaohongshu, first clicking into the comments section of today's notes to browse through the comments, and then picking out some of the more interesting ones to reply to.
After finishing my work, I went to the comment section of today's blog post on Weibo and repeated the same steps before returning to Xiaohongshu to edit the text. Finally, I used a photo editing app to create a simple, clear, and eye-catching picture and posted it along with the other posts.
[Gu's Private Kitchen: As mentioned in the comments section before, here is the detailed breakdown of the delivery subsidy for customer orders!]
After careful consideration, starting the day after tomorrow (July 20th), all delivered dishes will include a benefit card in the bag. Customers can follow the instructions on the benefit card to apply for a subsidy by presenting a screenshot of the order page and the invoice issued by the restaurant. The subsidy is 10 yuan for delivery fees between 15 and 30 yuan, and 15 yuan for delivery fees over 30 yuan! Thank you very much for your support and liking.
[Image: Details of delivery subsidy policy for errand runners.jpg]
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