Chapter 23
The next morning, Chen Kangle arrived at the braised food shop at the agreed time. The owner of the shop was a middle-aged man with a handsome and dignified appearance.
"Come in and take a look around. Everything here is quite new."
The owner of the braised food store is Tan Zongliang. He started a braised food store a year ago. Due to the slow business, he transferred the store to a boss who was planning to open a fruit store. Therefore, he urgently needed to get rid of the tables, chairs and some equipment in the store. Otherwise, Tan Zongliang would not be willing to reduce the price.
Chen Kangle took a look at the tables and chairs in the store. They did look new, with no obvious scratches. The food display cabinet was also intact and clean.
"Although our braised food shop has been open for a year, the things in the store are all quite new, almost as if they were newly bought." Tan Zongliang felt a little sad after saying this. The reason why these things can be kept brand new, in addition to the fact that he usually pays attention to maintenance, is partly because business is slow and with few customers, the things are naturally new.
After looking around, Chen Kangle was generally satisfied. "Boss, I'll pay you according to the price we agreed on yesterday."
"Okay, do you need a truck? I know a truck driver and I can give you a cheaper price." Tan Zongliang's cousin drives a truck.
The quote given by Tan Zongliang was indeed a little cheaper than the truck she found online yesterday, so Chen Kangle asked Tan Zongliang to call the truck over.
The dining tables, chairs and food warming display cabinets were all loaded onto the truck. When Chen Kangle and the others were about to leave, Tan Zongliang suddenly asked, "Girl, aren't you afraid of losing money by opening a restaurant in such a remote suburb?"
Tan Zongliang has worked in the catering industry himself and knows that it is not easy to run a catering business now. Last year, he knew several catering businesses in the same industry, five of which closed down within a year, leaving only one that was barely holding on.
They couldn't even survive in the bustling city, let alone in the underdeveloped suburbs. Tan Zongliang was worried about the future of this little girl. The most important thing for opening a restaurant is the flow of people. It was simply unthinkable to open a restaurant in a remote suburb.
Tan Zongliang thought that the girl might be too young and didn't know how to do business, so he asked kindly.
Chen Kangle: "There are many construction sites in our suburbs, so business is pretty good."
"It's indeed possible that there is a construction site nearby..." Tan Zongliang hesitated to speak.
A fellow villager he knew had opened a restaurant near the construction site. The flow of people near the construction site was indeed good, but the workers' consumption level was low, so the price had to be low. Low prices meant low profits, and low profits plus rent and other expenses meant that he worked so hard but ultimately didn't make any money.
"Young girl, you need to be flexible when doing business. If you find that the business is not going well, cut your losses in time. Don't force yourself to hold on. It's useless to force yourself to hold on!"
This is the experience that Tan Zongliang gained through blood and tears. Half a year ago, someone told him that if the business was not doing well, he should close the store and transfer it to avoid further losses.
But at that time he thought that if he could hold on for a few more months, the business might improve. As a result, he suffered losses for another six months. Fortunately, he woke up in time, otherwise he would have suffered even greater losses.
"Thank you for your reminder!" No matter what, Chen Kangle felt that Tan Zongliang meant well.
After the things were delivered home, Chen Kangle asked the truck driver to move them to the corner first and put them out after everything was packed up.
Lin Huiling looked at the pile of things and said, "Kangle, so many things must cost a lot of money!"
Even though she didn't set up a stall today, Lin Huiling still reported to Chen Kangle's house, because Chen Kangle was going to open a box lunch restaurant, so she came to help clean up.
"It's okay. We don't have a lot of money." Chen Kangle was very satisfied. When the tables and chairs were put out, it would look like a restaurant.
Chen Kangle plans to place the food warmer display cabinet next to the bedroom door. The bedroom will be used as a kitchen, which will make it more convenient to serve the food.
The food warming display cabinet I bought has 6 compartments with 18 small boxes, which can only hold 18 dishes at most. Chen Kangle has already thought about it. When the boxed food restaurant opens and makes money, he will sell a larger food warming display cabinet so that the dishes can be much richer.
In the afternoon, Chen Kangle drove to the city again. This time he was going to the wholesale market to buy tableware for the store. In order to buy cheap and good tableware, Chen Kangle kept bargaining with the boss. Now Chen Kangle is getting more and more adept at bargaining.
When some relatives and neighbors heard that Chen Kangle was going to open a box rice restaurant, they all came to help. Aunt Chunxia came to help with the cleaning, Uncle Er came to help install the kitchen equipment, and Uncle Yuan came to help connect the water pipes.
Chen Kangle was busy here, while the workers at the construction site were almost turning gray with worry.
Normally, when it is almost time to get off work, the workers are extremely excited and everyone is preparing to go out and eat lunch.
When it was time to get off work today, there was no smile on anyone's face, and everyone looked bitter and resentful.
Someone in the group asked: [Where are you going to eat after work? ]
Wang Guiyang: [Whatever. Besides Boss Chen’s lunch box, the other lunch boxes are all pretty much the same.]
Yang Zeguang: [The first day without Boss Chen’s lunch box, I felt empty inside, as if I had lost all hope.]
Liu Yonghe: [This is only the first day. Days like this will last for several days. Can Monday come sooner!!!]
When it was time to get off work, the workers walked out of the construction site and saw that the place where Chen Kangle usually set up his stall was empty, and sadness welled up in their hearts.
When eating in a restaurant, everyone frowned and looked at the food in the bowl with all kinds of dislike. The pork was not tender enough, the chicken was not tasty enough, the taste was too salty, the texture was too hard...
Then everyone found that since eating Chen Kangle’s lunch boxes, they have become picky.
Liu Yonghe: [I used to think that eating was enough to fill my stomach, but now I start to complain that this is too oily, that is too salty, and nothing tastes good.]
Hu Guangkun: [Alas, when I was eating out just now, no matter what dish I ate, I couldn't help but compare it with the food made by Boss Chen, and I found that everything was not as good as Boss Chen's.]
Zhang Ningyu: [The thing I said most while eating today was, "Hey, you're so embarrassed to pay 17 yuan for this flavor. Our boss Chen only charges 14 yuan for such delicious food."]
At this time, Guo Shujie was also having dinner at a high-end restaurant newly opened by a friend.
A group of them went over to show their support, and the friend asked them to help taste the food.
"Dear brothers, please eat and drink to your heart's content. If you are not satisfied with anything after eating, please tell us." An Haiming entertained them warmly.
An Haiming was very confident that his friends would be very satisfied with the food in the restaurant. After all, the chefs he invited were all top chefs in the country, and today he would let these brothers taste the skills of top chefs.
He prepared a large table of delicious food for his brothers, all of which were the chef's specialties, including gold medal roast chicken, steamed fish head with double peppers, sizzling abalone sauce tofu, tender veal, health-preserving meatball soup, stir-fried pork intestines, and organic cauliflower.
Guo Shujie first ate the gold medal roast chicken in front of him. The roast chicken had crispy skin and tender meat, which was indeed very good.
Then he ate another piece of beef. The beef was tender, juicy, smooth and tasty. It was worthy of the craftsmanship of a top chef and tasted better than that in many restaurants.
The meal was well received and all the friends present applauded.
"Brother Ming, the chefs hired at high prices are just the same. The dishes they cook are incomparable to those in ordinary restaurants."
"Brother Haiming, all the dishes on this table are delicious. Your restaurant will definitely be very popular!"
"Delicious! I like the golden roast chicken the most. The skin is golden and crispy. So delicious! And the stir-fried pork intestines are crispy and fragrant. So delicious."
When he heard someone say that the dry-fried pork intestines were delicious, Guo Shujie noticed that there was a dish of dry-fried pork intestines on the table. He instantly became interested and wanted to try whether the dry-fried pork intestines made by a top chef or by Chen Kangle were better.
Guo Shujie picked up a piece of pork intestine and put it into his mouth. The pork intestine was extremely crispy and had a strong aroma. It was a pretty good stir-fried pork intestine dish.
If Guo Shujie had not eaten the fried pork intestines made by Chen Kangle, he might have given it 95 points, but if compared with the fried pork intestines made by Chen Kangle, this dish could only get 80 points at most.
The difference between this dry-fried pork intestine and the dry-fried pork intestine made by Chen Kangle is that the fat inside this dry-fried pork intestine is too thin. All the oil has been forced out after dry-frying, so when you eat it, you can't feel the surprise of the fragrance and oil bursting in your mouth at the same time.
The other dishes are not available at Chen Kangle’s lunch stall, so it’s hard to compare, but this stir-fried pork intestines is indeed not as delicious as Chen Kangle’s.
After eating the stir-fried pork intestines, Guo Shujie missed Chen Kangle’s boxed lunch even more.
The dish received positive reviews from all his friends and An Haiming was very happy. While he was smiling, he saw Guo Shujie tasting the stir-fried pork intestines seriously.
"Brother Jie, I heard that you are a food lover and you have tried almost all the delicious food in Haishi. Brother Jie, who is well-informed, can you help review the dishes in our restaurant? Or, how about the taste of this stir-fried pork intestines you are eating now?"
An Haiming firmly believes that Guo Shujie will definitely like this dry-fried pork intestines. Guo Shujie likes to eat pork intestines just like him. He himself likes this dry-fried pork intestines very much. It is fragrant and crispy, and so delicious that people can't stop eating it.
Guo Shujie finished chewing the pig intestines in his mouth, looked up at An Haiming and said, "Brother Ming, you know me well. I always say whatever I want to say. Are you sure you want me to comment?"
An Haiming: "It's okay, Brother Jie, just say whatever you want to say. We are all brothers, don't be so formal."
Guo Shujie put down his chopsticks, sat up straight, and began to say: "This dry-fried pig intestine is fragrant, and the taste is indeed better than many restaurants outside. But I think it is not good enough. Although it tastes very crispy, it is a little dry because there is not enough fat in the pig intestine. Dry-fried pig intestine needs a little fat to moisten it and taste more fragrant. It is plump and fragrant when chewed."
Although Guo Shujie's evaluation was not very good, An Haiming was not angry. He listened carefully and expressed his thoughts after listening: "Brother Jie, you said that there is not enough fat inside our dry-fried pig intestines. But if there is too much fat, it will feel greasy after eating a few pieces."
"It won't be greasy. As long as the fat is not too thick, there should be a layer of fat that is neither thin nor thick. After dry-frying, it should be neither dry nor oily, and the taste should be just right." When Guo Shujie said this, his mind was full of the dry-fried pork intestines made by Chen Kangle.
An Haiming: "I can understand what you mean by finding a middle value, but can anyone really do it?"
An Haiming has eaten dry-fried pig intestines in many restaurants before. He has eaten dry-fried pig intestines with thin fat inside and thick fat inside. If the fat inside is too thin, the taste will be a bit dry after dry-frying. If the fat inside is thick, the feeling of the fat bursting in the mouth is indeed very pleasant, but you will feel greasy immediately.
After eating so many stir-fried pork intestines, An Haiming still thinks the one made by the chef in his restaurant is the best. Although it is indeed a little dry, it is only a little bit, and it tastes much better than that in other restaurants.
As for the dry-fried pork intestines that Guo Shujie mentioned, with the fat being neither too thin nor too thick, and not dry nor greasy, he has never tasted it. He thinks that is just an ideal dry-fried pork intestines, and no one can make it at all.
Other friends present were also listening carefully to their conversation, and they also felt that Guo Shujie was too idealistic.
"Brother Jie, you said that this kind of dry-fried pork intestines only exists in theory. I think Brother Ming's dry-fried pork intestines are quite delicious."
"I also think that Brother Haiming's stir-fried pork intestines are very delicious, crispy and chewy, and the more you eat, the more delicious it becomes."
"Brother Jie, the dry-fried pork intestines you mentioned are so perfect, have you ever eaten such perfect dry-fried pork intestines yourself?"
Kuo Shu-jie replied with a proud look on his face: "I have tried it, it is really delicious. If you have tried it, you will definitely find it delicious too."
"Have you really eaten it? Which restaurant did you eat this kind of stir-fried pork intestines?" a friend asked curiously.
Guo Shujie: "This store hasn't opened yet. When it opens, I can take you to taste it. In addition to the dry-fried pork intestines, there are many other delicious dishes."
Today is the opening day of An Haiming's new restaurant, but Guo Shujie was promoting other restaurants in An Haiming's restaurant, and the atmosphere suddenly froze.
To avoid embarrassment, a friend came out to change the subject, "Everyone, don't stop, the food at Brother Ming's restaurant is so delicious, everyone, eat more! You can drink this meatball soup, it's fresh and sweet."
An Haiming also acted as if nothing had happened and continued to greet everyone warmly: "Everyone eat more, you can order more when you are done, as much as you want!"
Guo Shujie also realized that he had said the wrong thing, but he definitely did not mean it. He just answered casually because someone asked him.
After the dinner, Guo Shujie missed Chen Kangle's boxed lunch even more after he came out of An Haiming's high-end restaurant. He was looking forward to the day when Chen Kangle's boxed lunch restaurant opened, with a fixed storefront, so that he could go there to eat whenever he wanted. He wouldn't have to be like now, with nothing to eat when he wanted.
——
On the third day when Chen Kangle did not set up his stall, everyone's longing for boxed lunches was like a surging river, endless.
Many netizens have been talking about it under the Weibo post of "Hai Shi Mei Shi Jun" for three days.
Friday's Carnival: [On the third day without Boss Chen's boxed lunch, I was diagnosed with boxed lunch deficiency syndrome, a disease that can only be cured by eating boxed lunches. ]
Wrong turn, wrong way: [Life is becoming more and more boring. I just want to have a box lunch, not the moon in the sky. Why is it so difficult? ]
Summer is not summer, autumn is not autumn: [Why does time pass so slowly? It feels like so many days have passed, but it’s not Monday yet. ]
While netizens were crying out, Chen Kangle was still busy opening a restaurant. There are many documents required to open a restaurant, including business license, food business license, tax registration certificate, health certificate...
Chen Kangle looked up information online, prepared all the information required, and then went to the relevant department to handle it.
Chen Kangle has been very busy during this period. In addition to **, he is also busy renovating the kitchen and cleaning the store.
Chen Kangle has already chosen a name for her box-food restaurant. At first, the name she chose was very simple and clear, "Xiao Chen Box-food Restaurant". Unfortunately, there was a restaurant with the same name, so she changed it to "Kangle Box-food Restaurant".
The most basic thing for a store is to have a sign. Chen Kangle spent a few hundred yuan to make a simple sign. After the sign was hung up, it finally looked like a store.
"Kangle Box Food Restaurant." Looking at the five conspicuous characters on the sign, Chen Kangle didn't expect that she would own her own box food restaurant so soon. She was very much looking forward to the day of its official opening.
After being busy for several days in a row, Monday is finally here.
The urban management officer had told her before that their patrol in the suburbs would end on Sunday, and they would probably not come to patrol again in the next few days.
The relevant documents for the box-eating rice restaurant have not been completed yet, so Chen Kangle plans to continue setting up a stall in front of the construction site for a few days and promote his box-eating rice restaurant while setting up the stall.
Chen Kangle printed a flyer for the Hey Restaurant and pasted it on the van. The flyer had a map showing the exact location of the Hey Restaurant. Chen Kangle planned to add the opening time to the flyer after the Hey Restaurant confirmed its opening time, and then print more to give to customers.
After a few days of reopening his stall, Chen Kangle decided to make a new dish: tiger skin chicken feet.
Soak the chicken feet in clean water, squeeze out the blood from the chicken feet, and then wash them clean to remove the fishy smell. Use scissors to cut off the nails of the chicken feet, and then chop the chicken feet into two halves to make it easier to taste when making.
Put the processed chicken feet into clean water and boil over high heat. Add maltose and white vinegar to the water to make it easier to fry the chicken feet. Cook for about 10 minutes, then pour out the chicken feet and drain the water.
Pour a proper amount of oil into the pot, heat it over high heat until the oil starts to bubble, add the chicken feet, and quickly cover the lid. Fry for about 10 minutes, open the lid and turn the chicken feet over, fry until the surface is golden, and remove from the oil.
Leave a little oil in the pot, add ginger slices, garlic slices and spices and stir-fry until fragrant, pour in water and various seasonings, bring to a boil, then add the fried chicken feet, add appropriate amount of salt and pepper to season, turn to low heat and continue cooking, turn off the heat and soak for about 15 minutes.
After preparing all the dishes, Chen Kangle and Lin Huiling drove to the construction site.
Returning to the place where he set up his stall again, Chen Kangle felt familiar yet unfamiliar.
"Boss Chen, you are finally here. We have been waiting for you for a while. Please open the stall quickly. We haven't eaten your lunch boxes for several days. We miss you so much."
"Beautiful boss, it's been a long time since we last met. You've become more beautiful again."
The worker in the front row saw the flyer that Chen Kangle had posted on the van and asked, "Boss Chen, are you planning to open a Heya restaurant?"
Chen Kangle: "Well, the opening time has not been determined yet. I will notify everyone when it is confirmed."
Everyone looked at the address of the Heya Restaurant on the flyer and was very happy.
“The Hezi Restaurant is very close to us. It only takes a short time to get there by electric bike. It’s very convenient.”
"It's good to open a box lunch restaurant. I won't have to go without box lunches for a few days because of the city management inspections."
"Boss, please let us know when the business opens. We will definitely go there to show our support."
As they were talking, everyone had already lined up. Chen Kangle put the items in place and started selling lunch boxes.
After not making lunch boxes for a few days, Chen Kangle felt that his speed had slowed down. After making several in a row, he started to become more and more proficient.
After selling for about 10 minutes, someone in the queue suddenly shouted, "Boss Chen, the urban management is here again!"
Chen Kangle was not in a hurry. She remembered that Li Zhaogao told her that no urban management would come on Monday. Li Zhaogao looked like an upright person and would not lie to her. Chen Kangle walked out and looked at the end of the line. She saw a familiar figure, Li Zhaogao.
Li Zhaogao was wearing casual clothes and there was no urban management vehicle in sight, so he didn't look like he was out on patrol.
Li Zhaogao and Gu Huaicong stood at the end of the line, and the guests in line recognized him.
"Why are you here again? Didn't you say you wouldn't come on Monday? We finally waited until the day when we can have boxed lunches. Can you please let us go?"
"Did you deliberately wear plain clothes in order to launch a surprise attack?"
Gu Huaicong stood behind Li Zhaogao and whispered in Li Zhaogao's ear: "Old Li, they are so fierce, it feels like they want to eat us both!"
"The last time I came down alone, they looked at me like this. Let me let you feel it this time too." Li Zhaogao said with a smile.
Then, he said to the customers who were queuing, "Don't get excited, we are not here to work today, but to buy lunch boxes like you."
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