Chapter 59 Beef Offal Stew
He An, standing to the side, only had a passion for food in his eyes. He had been impatient when he first came to the restaurant, but now he had adapted well and was eating two meals a day without missing a meal.
I filled a bowl to the brim with rice and vegetables, exclaiming, "The owner's cooking is absolutely amazing!"
Praise comes out of his mouth easily.
Song Man couldn't help but laugh, "Your lips have been coated with honey lately!"
He Anxin spoke frankly: "Anyway, I'll only tell the truth."
He recalled the day he first arrived, when his mother dragged him out of bed, scolding and urging him to hurry up and go to work.
He was completely listless and didn't want to say a word.
As we got to know each other better, we found the restaurant had a great atmosphere and the owner was very approachable.
She remembered exactly what dishes were served at the first meal she ate there again, and it tasted especially delicious.
"Xiaoyu, eat more, you need to grow," He An said, glancing at Xiaoyu, a very cute and sensible child.
"Big brother eats too."
Tang Yiyi smiled and said, "Everyone, eat! There's plenty of food. Eat your fill."
Two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a soup were enough for the four of them, with some leftovers.
He An didn't hold back at all, chewing the slices of meat with gusto. The meat in this sweet and sour pork with pineapple was really tender and smooth, and after being stir-fried, it had a bit more sweet and sour flavor, making it unforgettable.
"This is the taste! Absolutely amazing!" He An was so engrossed that he couldn't stop eating, clearly captivated by the owner's culinary skills.
The sliced meat was golden and crispy, very tempting. The pineapple chunks were brightly colored, and the addition of green and red peppers created a visual contrast of yellow, red, and spicy colors, making the meat look crystal clear and very appetizing. It was also well-arranged.
It's delicious. He An delivers hundreds of takeout orders every day, so he gets hungry easily. He eats heartily to replenish his energy.
Tang Yiyi felt a little dazed, as if she had returned to her past life when she and her parents went to the orphanage to cook meals for the children. They were cooking when they turned around and found many little kids peeking at them from the doorway.
The children's eyes were pure and innocent. They had come over to cook a meal for free, and when it was time to leave, the children were very reluctant to part and many shed tears...
"Sister Yi Yi..." Song Man's call brought Tang Yi Yi back to her senses.
Xiao Yu, who was standing to the side, also stared at her with wide eyes.
Tang Yiyi lowered her eyes and looked at the rice in her bowl. "Eat your rice."
I wonder what happened to my adoptive parents in my past life.
"Sister, would you like some soup?" Xiaoyu suddenly asked.
This morning, Tang Yiyi made radish and pork rib soup. It's radish season now, and it's nourishing and appetizing.
"Sister, drink it later."
He An was engrossed in his meal when he heard there was soup. "What kind of soup?"
The soup at the restaurant may be free, but it's made with plenty of ingredients, boiled with bones, and is very nutritious.
He Dong, who originally didn't like drinking soup, now enjoys having a bowl of soup after every meal.
"Radish soup," Song Man said, describing the fresh, tender white radishes paired with pork ribs, resulting in a rich and flavorful broth.
He Dong wiped his mouth, his eyes shining. "Radish soup? I want to drink it!" It must taste good.
Song Man nodded. Who wouldn't want to drink it? The only soups served in her university cafeteria were seaweed soup and tomato and egg soup. The problem was that there were very few ingredients, so it was more like drinking water, and the soup base was very bland.
Watching them chatter away, Tang Yiyi smiled slightly, thinking that being able to eat was a blessing.
Busy with the restaurant, Tang Yiyi has a very fulfilling day.
The dumpling shop is quietly undergoing renovations, preparing to replace its signboard with a new one.
He Dong had mixed feelings. "Wife, is what we're doing really okay?" There was a small restaurant next door, and they, like them, also made rice bowls.
"The most important thing in business is making a lot of money!" the wife rolled her eyes. Her husband was just too stubborn. If others could make a fortune selling rice bowls, couldn't they learn from them?
The renovation was quite noisy; the restaurant staff could hear it too.
"Sister Yi, what's that noise next door?" Song Man asked.
"I don't know, it looks a bit like they're doing renovations."
The afternoon always seemed to drag on, and the two sat chatting.
"Why don't I go take a look?"
Tang Yiyi stood up. "Let's go take a look together."
"Mainly selling rice bowls and dumplings?" Song Man's eyes widened. A dumpling shop that doesn't sell dumplings, why is it selling rice bowls?
"Sister Yi, isn't this stealing our business?" Song Man was very angry.
Seeing that Tang Yiyi's expression was relatively calm, He Dong felt very awkward and silently pulled his wife to go into the store.
His wife flung his hand away and swayed over to Tang Yiyi. "Yiyi, from now on, our shop will be selling rice bowls. Everyone needs to make money, right?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Yiyi remained silent. It seemed the dumpling shop wanted to imitate them and sell rice bowls, perhaps seeing the restaurant's success.
The other party's store was even undergoing renovations, clearly indicating that they had made ample preparations.
Tang Yiyi really had nothing to say. It was their own business what they did, but it was indeed a bit unreasonable.
"Mr. Tang, actually we..." Suddenly, He Dong wanted to explain.
“I haven’t finished dealing with my restaurant business yet, Mr. He, so let’s not talk about it anymore,” Tang Yiyi said at the right moment.
"Boss, this is too much!" Song Man complained as she walked towards the restaurant.
Seeing that she wasn't angry, Song Man asked in return, "Boss, why aren't you angry? Don't you think the couple at the dumpling shop next door went too far?"
In fact, Tang Yiyi had seen even worse things in her past life. Imitating other people's stores was a minor matter; for the sake of business, they would stop at nothing to frame their competitors.
Tang Yiyi didn't want to recall unpleasant things, so she said, "We sell rice bowls, and they also come to eat rice bowls. Which one will the customers choose? Of course, they'll choose the one with better taste and service. We don't need to worry too much; we just need to do our own thing."
"Yes, Sister Yi."
He An returned to the restaurant after delivering the takeout, his embarrassment was palpable.
When Song Man saw He An, she glared at him. He was the nephew of He Dong, who ran the rice and dumpling shop next door.
Could this person be in Cao Cao's camp but with their heart in Han?
Especially since his uncle has started selling rice bowls now.
"Xiaoman, just focus on your own thing," Tang Yiyi noticed the awkward atmosphere between the two.
Although He An is He Dong's nephew, he has not made any mistakes and is capable of working. She would not pick on him for no reason and fire him.
Hearing this, He An was touched, but even more curious as to why his aunt and uncle had suddenly started selling rice bowls. Wasn't this blatantly stealing their business?
"Boss, I will work hard!" He An assured Tang Yiyi.
The restaurant mainly focuses on food delivery, and the number of orders on food delivery platforms has decreased significantly.
Tang Yiyi was a little worried. She didn't earn much from each takeout order, but during good times, takeout revenue could break even with dine-in revenue.
These past two days have only brought in two or three hundred yuan.
In addition, restaurants have to spend a portion of their budget on promotion each month; otherwise, food delivery platforms will not promote your restaurant, and customers will have difficulty finding your restaurant to place orders.
He An switched to the takeout store's backend and found that the number of takeout orders had been declining sharply in the past few days, while negative reviews had increased. No wonder the boss was worried.
"Boss, our restaurant is clean and hygienic, and the food tastes good. It's not like our takeout orders are dropping that much. Could it be that our competitors are trying to sabotage us?"
Upon hearing the name of the rival, Song Man got angry. Wasn't her uncle just that kind of person?
"Boss, what do you suggest we do?"
Tang Yiyi was also thinking, but had no ideas. She could cook food that satisfied customers, but she had no idea how to get customers to place orders and dine in the restaurant.
He An suddenly stood up, "Boss, I know what to do!"
Despite his introverted and lazy personality, He An is very intelligent when it comes to thinking.
“I have a friend who is a big food blogger on Xiaochengshu with millions of followers. If we invite him to be a customer, eat at our restaurant, film the meal, and upload the video to the platform, his fans and friends will definitely come and support the restaurant’s business.”
He An became more and more excited as he spoke, and felt that it was feasible.
"Can you really get him to come and film a video?" Tang Yiyi asked rhetorically.
Why not pay an advertising fee to invite such a big blogger?
The next second, He An patted his chest and said confidently, "Boss, I have a good relationship with him."
"Alright, I'll leave this to you."
Tang Yiyi's opinion of He An has changed somewhat. She didn't realize that he was such a thoughtful person; she had previously thought he was just a typical introverted guy.
The next day, He An said to Tang Yiyi, "Boss, my buddy is willing to come and film tomorrow at noon, acting as a passerby to explore the restaurant. If we perform well, it will definitely attract a wave of diners."
"Okay, I understand."
That evening, Tang Yiyi prepared the menu for tomorrow. She had already decided which dishes to make. First, the dishes had to look appealing so that they would look appetizing in photos. Second, the dishes had to be acceptable to the general public.
The next day, Tang Yiyi got up early and made two pancakes and two fried eggs, which was her and Xiaoyu's breakfast.
Did Xiaoyu sleep well last night?
Xiaoyu nodded energetically, "Xiaoyu slept for more than seven hours and isn't sleepy at all."
After dropping Xiaoyu off at school, Tang Yiyi rode her bicycle towards the market.
The morning air was cool and exceptionally fresh.
As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the market, the aroma of steamed buns wafted into my nose.
Tang Yiyi wanted to buy some white radishes, beef brisket, tripe, and offal, add some spices, and make a beef offal stew.
The shop owner recognized her immediately. "Young lady, you've come to buy beef. Thank you for patronizing my business."
"I want to make beef offal stew today. Boss, could you help me choose the best cut of brisket? Also,..."
"Oh, I see, young boss. This piece..." The boss was very confident in the quality of his beef and recommended it.
Tang Yiyi turned a corner and went to a dried goods store to buy spices such as star anise, cinnamon, and cardamom. A big-name livestreamer was coming to visit the store today, so she needed to be prepared.
Back at the restaurant, Tang Yiyi prepared the white radish, and then blanched the beef brisket and tripe after washing them.
Tang Yiyi washed the clay pot she had brought and used it to stew beef offal. It would be more atmospheric to eat it when the weather was colder.
Beef offal stew needs to be simmered for a longer time, so let it simmer while Tang Yiyi went to do other things.
He Anxing came over excitedly, "Boss, my buddy will be here soon, should I let you know?"
"No, you go deliver food, I'll just do my own thing."
If you ask someone else to film the video and discuss it beforehand, fans will be able to tell from the footage that it doesn't look real.
If netizens think the restaurant is just buying marketing, it will backfire and that won't be good!
Tang Yiyi prepared the ingredients as usual, and soon the kitchen was filled with the aroma of cooking.
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