Chapter 98 North and South Apricot Pig Lung Soup.
On the day of the dumpling feast, business was much better than expected. Thanks to the influx of customers including Yang Shuyi, business was booming during the evening hours.
Sister Zhou and Sister Tang were busy serving customers in the dining area, their feet barely touching the ground.
At 6:30, Gu Qingqiu and Wang Meiyu were quickly making dumplings in the kitchen while also taking care of boiling, steaming, and frying them on the stove.
"Boss, come here for a moment, I have something to tell you."
Hearing the sound, Gu Qingqiu turned around and saw Sister Zhou waving at her from the glass window. She wrapped the dumplings she was holding and put them on a large iron plate. After washing her hands, she walked over to the glass window and asked, "What's wrong?"
Sister Zhou hurriedly said, "Boss, there are so many customers coming in to eat. We've already given out twenty-eight numbers. I wanted to ask if the kitchen has enough dumplings prepared, and if we can give out more numbers?"
The restaurant prepares half of the ingredients and half of the food. The number of tables that can be served at noon and in the evening is roughly the same. Therefore, Sister Zhou always controls the number of numbers released in the evening based on the number of numbers released at noon.
It was only 6:30, but they had already prepared the same amount as at noon, so she hurriedly came to ask for instructions.
Otherwise, if customers take a number and wait patiently at the door for so long, only to find that the restaurant has run out of ingredients and cannot serve them, it would not only be unfair to the customers, but also damage their goodwill towards the restaurant.
After considering for a couple of seconds, Gu Qingqiu replied, "We're not issuing any more numbers. The orders in the dining area are almost all served. If we count the remaining twenty-eight tables, the dumplings left in the kitchen will barely be enough to serve them. Go and hang up the sign outside, and then reassure the customers. Thank you for your hard work."
"Okay, boss, I understand." Sister Zhou nodded in agreement.
She turned and went to the cashier to get a wooden sign that read "Ingredients Sold Out," which she hung up at the restaurant entrance. Then she loudly apologized to the first few groups of customers who had just arrived, explaining that the restaurant had very limited ingredients and could no longer serve them, and that she was truly sorry.
These groups of customers included regulars of Gu's Private Kitchen. They arrived at the same time as usual, but were surprised to be told that there were already 28 tables ahead of them and the restaurant had no more ingredients to serve them. They were quite frustrated and complained, "How could this happen? It's already hard enough to queue at restaurants. We tried to come early, but we still didn't get a number."
"Yeah, usually the wooden sign isn't hung up until after 7 o'clock, so why is it up before 6:30 today?"
Before Sister Zhou could answer, a group of customers who had come out of curiosity because of today's trending topic couldn't help but say, "Do you guys know Yang Shuyi? She was photographed eating at this restaurant at noon today, and it even made the trending topics. I bet a lot of people are curious like me and want to come and try the food. With so many people coming, they're taking numbers quickly, so of course they've sold out of ingredients and can't issue any more numbers, right?"
She sighed after saying that, "I just wanted to see how good these dumplings were, but I ended up coming back empty-handed. I should have known better than to come here. There are so many other places I could have gone to eat!"
Hearing this, the customer who had been complaining earlier became unhappy again: "You can't say that. Even if you can't eat here today, you can tell from how busy the restaurant is that the dumplings must taste amazing. You can come back tomorrow or at another free time. I guarantee that all the dishes at this restaurant are delicious, and Gu's Private Kitchen updates the menu every day based on the ingredients they buy, just like opening a blind box, it's really interesting."
The customer, who had just sighed in regret, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "I know that. I've seen it on Weibo. Do they really update the menu every day? And the food is always delicious?"
The complaining customer nodded vigorously: "Yes, it's usually five dishes, four of which are vegetables and a soup. I've eaten here seven or eight times, and every time all the dishes are incredibly fresh and delicious. They've never disappointed us. If you don't get to eat dumplings today, consider it a good opportunity to familiarize yourself with the place. Come back earlier another time when you have more time. It seems like this restaurant is getting more and more popular, and it's getting harder and harder to get in line. You have to come very early."
"Yeah, that's how it is at most popular restaurants; it's hard to get a queue. Alright, since you've praised this restaurant so much, we'll see if we can come back tomorrow to try it out." The customer who had sighed said with a smile, his frustration at not having a number earlier dissipating considerably, and his anticipation for Gu's Private Kitchen rekindled.
The customer who had just been complaining smiled and agreed, "Sure, you can never go wrong with me!"
He was initially a bit annoyed, having come here hoping to eat dumplings but not even getting a number and having to order the same thing as usual. But as soon as the maintenance team started recommending Gu's Private Kitchen, his annoyance disappeared. He figured he could just come earlier another day.
The two got along very well as they talked. Since they couldn't eat at Gu's Private Kitchen anyway, the customer who had just been complaining said, "Let's go, how about we have a meal together? I know there's a Wang's Home-Style Restaurant up ahead of the street that's pretty good, it's just a little worse than Gu's Private Kitchen."
The person in the group chimed in, "Yes, it's fate that we met. Let's go have a meal together."
The customer who had been sighing now beamed with joy: "Great! Let's have a meal together. Let's try Old Wang's Home-Style Cuisine."
So the two groups joined together, greeted the shop assistants with smiles, and then walked towards the street.
Sister Zhou found it rather amusing. She hadn't even had a chance to explain herself, yet the two groups of customers were already chatting back and forth, and the previously unpleasant expressions on everyone's faces gradually eased.
She had a good impression of the customer who spoke up for her restaurant, and when she saw them agreeing to eat at Old Wang's Home-Style Restaurant on the street, she smiled and waved, saying, "Take care, and welcome back next time!"
Other customers had also overheard the conversation between the two. Initially, they were just gossiping, but they were inexplicably persuaded to leave. Now, without needing any explanation from the staff, they all laughed and discussed where to eat next, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
Sister Zhou breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief, smiled as she saw the customers off, reassured the customers who had taken numbers and were still waiting, and then went on to serve the customers in the shop, serving dumplings and other dishes.
Gu's Private Kitchen's dumplings were indeed delicious, not disappointing Yang Shuyi's fans and netizens who came out of curiosity after seeing the trending topic. Regular customers also enjoyed their meal, and there were constant praises throughout the restaurant.
"These dumplings are so delicious! They're better than any dumplings I've ever had before! The wrappers are so thin, and the filling is so fresh, savory, and flavorful. Each type of dumpling in the 'Family Portrait' dish has its own unique deliciousness. I'm usually happy eating all kinds of dishes, but having dumplings like these occasionally makes me so happy. Oh wait, I mean, I could eat these delicious dumplings for days on end without getting tired of them!"
"These dumplings smell so good! I didn't expect them to be so flavorful after being steamed with garlic sauce. The shiitake mushroom and pork dumplings are so tender, and the cabbage and pork dumplings are incredibly juicy and sweet. No wonder Shuyi came all this way to eat these dumplings, they're just so delicious! Hehe, I finally got to eat the same dumplings as my goddess, and I even sat in the same spot she sat in! I'm so happy!"
"Ah, after a busy day, coming to this restaurant for dumplings is so satisfying. The dumplings have thin skins and generous fillings. The best ones are the pan-fried chive and pork dumplings, with a crispy outer skin and a tender, juicy filling. I saw on the trending topics today that Yang Shuyi ate here. It was the first time I'd ever heard of this restaurant. I searched it online and found out it's so famous and many people rave about it. Coming here to try my luck was definitely the right decision!"
"It's unbelievable that even such ordinary dumplings are so delicious. I can only imagine how delicious their regular dishes must be! I'm drooling over all those food photos in the comments section of the restaurant's previous posts on Weibo! I'll have to find a chance to come back and have a big feast of their dishes sometime!"
"..."
The restaurant closed much earlier than usual tonight. Around 7:15 p.m., all the customers finished eating, paid their bills, and left. Gu Qingqiu and Sister Zhou also started to rest and eat.
Like those customers, Gu Qingqiu also felt that the dumplings she made at home were especially delicious, whether steamed, boiled, or fried, and she wouldn't get tired of eating them for several days in a row.
What's more, I only had it for lunch, so it still tasted delicious when I ate it again in the evening.
Gu Qingqiu is very tired from being busy since 4 o'clock. Tonight, she ate "Family Reunion Dumplings".
The dumplings are soaked in noodle soup. When you pick one up and take a bite, you can feel the rich, fragrant juices bursting out and filling your mouth, which is very refreshing.
The dumpling wrappers, along with the savory and flavorful meat filling, are moist and chewy, without diminishing the original aroma of the dumplings. They are far more delicious than steamed or fried dumplings, especially when you're feeling very tired.
Zhou Jie and the other two mainly ate boiled dumplings. Of course, there were also plates of steamed and pan-fried dumplings on the table for everyone to eat together. Occasionally, when they got tired of boiled dumplings, they would switch to steamed or pan-fried dumplings.
After a hearty meal, the fatigue dissipated considerably, and I felt extremely relaxed while eating dumplings.
Sister Zhou and Sister Tang went back to their own business. Wang Meiyu said goodbye and left for the day. Gu Qingqiu stood at the restaurant entrance for a while, enjoying the cool breeze and playing on her phone.
Around 8:10, Sister Zhou and Sister Tang finished their work. Even though it wasn't their usual agreed-upon time to leave work, Gu Qingqiu said to them, "You've all worked hard today. Go home and rest early."
Working hours are fixed, but people are flexible. Restaurant operating hours vary depending on business conditions, and Sister Zhou and Sister Tang both completed their assigned tasks.
Sister Zhou smiled and nodded in agreement: "Then we'll head back first. Boss, you should get some rest too."
Sister Tang also said, "Yes, boss, you've worked hard too. Get a good night's sleep tonight."
Gu Qingqiu smiled and replied, "I know, I'll go to sleep after I take a shower. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
After the two women left, Gu Qingqiu closed and locked the doors and windows on the first floor. She went up to the second floor, turned on the air conditioner, and then took her clothes to wash her hair and take a shower.
After rinsing with hot water, Gu Qing felt refreshed all over. With the air conditioning on in the room for a while, it was cool enough, and she felt extremely comfortable.
After drying her hair, she lay down on the bed, opened Weibo, checked her follower count on her homepage, and a bright smile bloomed on her face the next second.
Compared to around 3 PM, the number of followers has increased by more than 10,000, and the total number of followers is about to break the 130,000 mark.
She clicked into the trending topics list and refreshed it to find that the topic of Yang Shuyi eating at her own restaurant had dropped off the list, but it was still at the bottom of the local trending topics list.
In other words, there will be another wave of traffic exposure, continuously attracting customers to click on the homepage of the restaurant's official account, with a high probability of converting them into followers.
Gu Qingqiu felt a surge of joy at the thought.
After she logged out of Weibo, she went to Xiaohongshu to check my profile, and I gained more than 6,000 followers there as well. It's like double happiness!
She clicked on the messages section, then clicked on the 99+ comments, and saw the curiosity, praise, and expectations of many new ID users. She was encouraged and full of energy.
After scrolling through the comments for a while, Gu Qingqiu didn't reply to anyone, secretly amused.
Resisting the urge to keep scrolling, she exited Xiaohongshu and opened WeChat. She just wanted to see if there were any messages she needed to reply to, since she didn't usually contact anyone. To her surprise, there were indeed red dots on her WeChat.
She received voice messages from her aunt and uncle, as well as a message from her cousin Gu Shaocheng. They were all amazed that a big star would come to a restaurant to eat dumplings. They said this was a huge boost in popularity and that the business would definitely be booming. They also told her to keep up the good work and take care of herself.
Lan Jingcheng also sent a message in the evening, saying that she heard from a colleague who often orders Gu's Private Kitchen to make errands that actress Yang Shuyi had dined at the restaurant, and that it had even become a trending topic. She congratulated her and wished her a thriving career and booming business.
Gu Qingqiu replied to each one with a smile, feeling wonderful to be cared for by those around her.
Since no one was looking at their phones or replying to new messages, Gu Qingqiu simply put down her phone, got up with her newly regained energy, sat down at her desk, and began to plan tomorrow's menu.
The next morning, Gu Qingqiu woke up feeling refreshed and full of energy.
After turning off the air conditioner, she got up, walked to the window, lifted the curtains, and opened the window to breathe in some fresh air.
A while later, Gu Qingqiu went to get her phone and stood back by the window to call and order ingredients.
She instructed Boss Zhu to send over forty catties of beautiful pork belly later, and also ordered twenty catties of pig lungs.
Gu Qingqiu asked, "Boss Zhu, do you offer cleaning services for these pig lungs? I'm willing to pay extra."
Cleaning pig lungs is quite laborious and time-consuming; they need to be cleaned until they turn white and shiny. It would be best if Boss Zhu could help with that; otherwise, she and Wang Meiyu will have to do it themselves.
The pig farmer on the other end of the phone laughed heartily, "Mr. Gu, to be honest, we usually help customers with one or two orders. If a restaurant orders a lot, they just take it home and process it themselves. But Mr. Gu, you're a regular customer of ours, buying from us every day. Processing these twenty pounds of pig lungs for you is a piece of cake, and you won't have to pay extra. Don't worry, I guarantee it will be delivered to your restaurant before nine o'clock this morning."
Gu Qingqiu smiled and thanked him, "Oh, thank you very much, Boss Zhu. You've really helped me a lot."
"You're welcome, but I don't have that much pig lung here. You'll have to find it at my brother's stall or some other stalls that buy pigs at the slaughterhouse," Mr. Zhu explained.
Gu Qingqiu nodded in agreement: "Okay, no problem. As long as it's delivered by you, Boss Zhu, it's guaranteed."
Boss Zhu laughed heartily upon hearing this: "Thank you for your trust, Boss Gu. We won't chat any longer. I'll go and contact them to send over the pig lungs."
"Okay, goodbye."
After hanging up the phone, Gu Qingqiu made another call to contact the corresponding boss to send over thirty chickens.
After confirming all the ingredients that could be ordered by phone, Gu Qingqiu changed her clothes, went to the bathroom to wash up, made a simple breakfast, and then went to the market with Wang Meiyu with a shopping cart to buy groceries.
A little after nine o'clock, after tidying up the pork and chicken ordered by phone, as well as the glutinous rice, regular rice, apricot kernels, and candied dates that they had asked the grocery store to deliver, Gu Qingqiu and Wang Meiyu began preparing the dishes for today in the kitchen.
Today's tasks are heavy. For example, the processing of fried rice flour for the steamed pork takes time, and the pork belly slices also need to be marinated in advance. After that, the ground fried rice is evenly coated onto the marinated pork belly slices, and then it needs to be steamed for two hours before it can be taken out of the pot.
Abalone, fish maw, and chicken soup also require a considerable amount of time to cook. Similarly, since the ingredients are from both the north and south, they must first be blended into almond juice using a high-speed blender before being added to the pork lung soup for simmering.
Fortunately, there were some joys even in the busy times.
Gu Qingqiu used to prepare and cook food alone in the kitchen. She would do these things quietly, and if she got really bored, she would play some music on her phone.
Now that Wang Meiyu is helping out in the kitchen, her job is much easier, and she also has someone to talk to.
Just after ten o'clock, Sister Zhou came to work and came into the kitchen to say hello, and also brought some news.
"Boss, Meiyu, do you know what's going on? That lottery shop on the street is really popular right now. It usually opens at 9:30, and there are usually only one or two people buying lottery tickets or scratch-off tickets occasionally. But when I came here today, there were so many people, everyone was scrambling to buy scratch-off tickets, it was so lively."
“I overheard them talking and heard that there were even more people last night. There were our old neighbors from Suli Street, and quite a few people who came to our restaurant for dinner. Before and after their meal, they went out and bought a scratch-off lottery ticket.”
"The celebrity effect is really powerful! So many people came to our restaurant after seeing the trending topic, and some even wanted to visit the lottery shop that Yang Shuyi and her friends went to and buy the scratch-off lottery ticket they bought."
"You didn't see it, the lottery shop owner's mouth was all crooked from smiling!"
Wang Meiyu was surprised: "Is it really that exaggerated? The lottery shop wasn't open when I came, so I didn't see this."
She recalled, "But when I got off work last night, I think I saw that there were quite a lot of people in the lottery shop."
Sister Zhou nodded: "Last night when my cousin and I went home, we saw that there were quite a lot of people in the lottery shop, but we didn't pay much attention at the time. We only found out when we heard the older women chatting today."
Wang Meiyu nodded to indicate that she understood, but still found the whole thing rather exaggerated.
This is a great opportunity for exposure for the restaurant, the lottery shop, and Suli Street, bringing them into the public eye. Judging from the current situation of the restaurant, it should be a good thing.
Gu Qingqiu smiled and said, "This is actually quite normal. Many restaurants, tourist spots, and niche attractions gain popularity because celebrities, internet influencers, or other well-known figures visit them. Driven by curiosity and herd mentality, fans and netizens will follow suit for a period of time."
"However, how many of these fans and netizens who come here because of its reputation can be converted in the end depends on the ability of each restaurant and scenic spot."
"I think our restaurant is pretty good. Everyone works together to provide customers with delicious food and sincere and enthusiastic service. All of our past efforts are presented on our official accounts on Xiaohongshu and Weibo. If customers like what they see, they will follow us and become our restaurant's fans, which means they will be potential customers in the future."
Gu Qingqiu happily shared the increase in followers on Weibo and Xiaohongshu platforms since yesterday afternoon, sharing her joy with them.
Sister Zhou and Wang Meiyu were indeed quite happy.
Sister Zhou clasped her hands together and prayed towards the direction of the dining area: "God bless us, I hope our restaurant business will get better and better!"
Wang Meiyu nodded, also very excited: "I hope more and more people will know about our restaurant, and strive to become famous in Jiang City and even the whole country!"
Gu Qingqiu smiled after hearing this, not thinking the goal was too ambitious. She encouraged them, "Thank you both for your blessings. Let's work hard together!"
Sister Zhou and Wang Meiyu nodded in agreement, feeling greatly encouraged.
After chatting, they buried themselves in their work. Gu Qingqiu and Wang Meiyu were busy in the kitchen, while Sister Zhou went to clean the main hall.
When Sister Tang comes to work a little later, she will help Sister Zhou at the shop.
Today happens to be Saturday. Liao Xiaolu and Qian Lezhan agreed to meet at the subway station at 10 o'clock. After that, they took the subway and then a bus to Suli Street, where they got off and walked all the way to the entrance of Gu's Private Kitchen.
Seeing that the restaurant doors were not yet open to customers, Liao Xiaolu breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank goodness, we arrived early enough. We should be able to get the seats we want later."
"I told you there was no need to be nervous, there's definitely plenty of time," Qian Lezhan said.
Liao Xiaolu took his arm and swayed it gently, saying coquettishly, "Oh dear, I was in such a hurry. I was afraid that if I came late, I wouldn't be able to get the seat I wanted and wouldn't be able to eat. I saw a lot of people come last night and leave disappointed because they couldn't get dumplings. This restaurant is so popular."
Remembering something, she smiled proudly, "No wonder our Shuyi baby came here especially for this restaurant."
Qian Lezhan smiled helplessly and could only comfort himself, thankfully his girlfriend liked female celebrities, otherwise he couldn't stand her calling a male celebrity "baby" every day.
Before the two could exchange more than a few words, the restaurant's wooden door opened, and several groups of customers were clearly coming over to dine. Liao Xiaolu quickly pulled Qian Lezhan inside and they sat down at the table furthest inside.
The staff quickly came over to take our order.
Liao Xiaolu said smoothly, "I'll order everything on the menu, including a pitcher of iced lemonade, please."
She did a lot of research online before coming.
Sister Zhou nodded: "Okay, I understand. Please wait a moment."
When the staff brought over the bowls, chopsticks, teaware, and rinsing tools, Qian Lezhan started rinsing the bowls and pouring iced lemon water.
Liao Xiaolu took a sip of iced lemon water, feeling much refreshed and happy. She then instructed Qian Lezhan to take a picture of her eating at the same restaurant as Yang Shuyi.
Qian Lezhan obediently did as he was told, and the photos that were taken pleased Liao Xiaolu, who even praised him a few times.
Qian Lezhan was pleased to be praised, as his photography skills were developed after he started dating Liao Xiaolu.
Before the two could say anything more, the waiter came over and served a soup with apricot kernels and pork lung.
The large white porcelain soup bowl was filled with a rich, milky white broth. With a gentle stir of the spoon, you could see the dark brown pieces of pork lung floating on the surface, along with figs, jujubes, dried tangerine peel, and ginger slices.
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