I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 288: Chapter 272: Boss, Isn’t It Time to Launch the Longjing Shrimp?

After each of them had eaten several figs, they’d had their fill and were completely satisfied.

At that moment, Chu Yiwei said, ”At our school, there’s a snack called ’fig’ that costs one yuan a bag. The kids all love to buy it.”

Li You was a bit surprised. ”They still sell those? That’s a snack from back when we were in school.”

Chu Yiwei said, ”They do. They’ve always had them.”

Li You said, ”That snack really has some staying power. But it’s true, a lot of people like it. I liked it when I was a kid, too. Back then, I really thought they were threads made from actual figs. It wasn’t until later I learned they’re just shredded radish.”

Chu Yiwei smiled. ”Everyone used to think they were made from real figs. Even now, a lot of kids still believe that.”

Li You said, ”They’ll find out they’re actually shredded radish one day. But that’s not important. It doesn’t matter what they’re made of, as long as they taste good.”

”That’s true,” Chu Yiwei agreed.

The three of them chatted as they walked out of the Hundred Fruit Garden.

”Boss, I’d like to order a Mapo Tofu for around 11:30,” Chu Yiwei said.

”Teacher Chu,” Li You said, ”why don’t you let me treat you to lunch today?”

”Oh?” Chu Yiwei said. ”Is this because I gave you those two soursops? Boss, it’s going to look like I brought them over just to freeload a meal.”

Li You laughed. ”Don’t say ’freeload.’ You gave me a gift, so I’m treating you to a meal. It’s called returning the favor.”

Chu Yiwei hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, ”In that case, thank you, Boss.”

”Don’t be so formal, Teacher Chu,” Li You said. ”You and Miss Ye can go upstairs and rest for a bit. We’ll eat around 12.”

”Would that be alright? I wouldn’t be intruding?” Chu Yiwei asked.

”Not at all,” Li You said. ”There’s a living room upstairs, and it’s meant for entertaining guests.”

’Of course, he only entertained pretty female guests.’

He just wouldn’t say that out loud.

He didn’t say it, but Ye Shengge was thinking, ’You only entertain pretty female guests, don’t you?’

She rolled her eyes, then said to Chu Yiwei, ”Teacher Chu, let’s head upstairs.”

Chu Yiwei nodded. ”Alright then.”

The two of them went upstairs.

Li You went into the kitchen and started making some simple preparations for the upcoming rush.

At the same time, he got the five-jin portion of spicy crayfish ready for Lin Xiao.

On the way back home with Lin Xiao yesterday, he had asked her to stop by today on her way to town. He wanted to give her a five-jin portion of spicy crayfish to take back to school.

It was just a small gesture.

Five jin was about the right amount. Any more would be difficult for Lin Xiao to carry.

After some prep work, the first wave of lunch customers arrived.

In between cooking for his customers, Li You also prepared the dishes for his own lunch with the two women.

Since Chu Yiwei had mentioned wanting Mapo Tofu, he prepared that, along with three orders of Chopped Pepper Fish Head and a tomato and egg soup.

This was more than enough food for the three of them.

...

Upstairs.

It was Chu Yiwei’s first time upstairs, and she was surprised to find it was much more spacious than she had imagined.

The furnishings and general condition were also far better than she’d expected.

In fact, they were excellent. ’It must be very comfortable living here,’ she thought.

There were five rooms in total.

Ye Shengge explained, ”Aside from the boss’s own room, Miss Xiaoru and I are each renting one. That leaves two empty rooms.”

”How much is the rent per month?” Chu Yiwei asked.

”1,000 yuan.”

”1,000?” Chu Yiwei nodded. ”That’s not cheap. But with such a nice environment and good conditions, it’s definitely worth the price.”

For a moment, Chu Yiwei had considered renting a room herself, but 1,000 yuan a month was too expensive for her.

Her monthly salary was a little over 3,000 yuan, so she couldn’t justify spending 1,000 of it on rent.

’I’d better just stay in the free school dormitory. Besides, living at the school is more convenient anyway.’

Afterwards, the two of them sat on the sofa, each scrolling through their phone.

...

「12:00 PM.」

Li You called Ye Shengge and Chu Yiwei down for lunch.

When the two women came downstairs and saw the Mapo Tofu, Chu Yiwei was delighted. ”Thank you, Boss!”

Of course, the Chopped Pepper Fish Head and the tomato and egg soup made her just as happy.

The three of them began to eat.

After a leisurely meal, Chu Yiwei said her goodbyes and left. She had classes that afternoon.

...

「1:00 PM.」

Lin Xiao and Lin Zhonghai arrived.

Li You handed the packaged five-jin portion of spicy crayfish to Lin Xiao. ”Take this back to school with you. The container is really well-insulated, so it’ll still be warm when you eat it tonight.”

The container was a reward from the System. Not only was it exceptionally sanitary and safe, but its insulation was also fantastic, making it perfect for customers who needed to travel a long way.

Lin Xiao was surprised and thrilled, saying over and over, ”Thank you, Boss! Boss, you’re the best!”

Lin Xiao really wanted to add two more words: ”Love you!”

But in the end, she was too embarrassed to say it out loud.

Lin Zhonghai also expressed his thanks repeatedly. ”Xiaoyou, you’re too good to this girl! We don’t know how we can ever thank you.”

Li You said, ”Elder Lin, you’re being too formal again. It’s just a few jin of spicy crayfish, nothing valuable. It’s tough for Xiaoxiao to be studying all by herself in the county town. She likes spicy crayfish, so I gave her some. It’s no big deal.”

”This is already very generous,” Lin Zhonghai said. ”Xiaoyou, you’re so thoughtful!”

Li You again insisted that it was nothing to be so formal about.

Afterwards, Li You walked Lin Zhonghai and Lin Xiao to the parking lot.

Lin Xiao needed to get to town to catch the 2:00 PM bus to the county seat. Even though it was only a little after one, it was better to be early.

Lin Zhonghai was taking her on his electric tricycle.

The two of them got on.

”Boss, I’m heading off. See you in a month!” Lin Xiao said, waving.

Li You smiled. ”Alright. I’ll be waiting for your return.”

”Okay!”

With another round of goodbyes, Lin Zhonghai drove the tricycle away.

Li You returned to the shop and got back to work.

There were still many customers eating in the restaurant.

”Oh, right, Boss. When are you going to add the Longjing Shrimp to the menu? We’re all waiting for it.”

”Yeah, Boss! During your competition with Master Yu Hong, I had bad luck and wasn’t picked as a judge. I never got to taste the Longjing Shrimp you two made, and I’ve been dying to try it ever since.”

”Boss, you should really put it on the menu soon.”

”...”

The customers all chimed in.

The customers had never forgotten about the Longjing Shrimp and were eagerly anticipating it.

Of course, Li You hadn’t forgotten either. He just hadn’t had an opportunity to source high-quality Longjing Tea.

Li You said, ”Everyone, please be patient. I’m currently sourcing the ingredients for the Longjing Shrimp. As soon as I have everything I need, I’ll put it on the menu immediately. As you all know, I have very high standards for my ingredients, so getting everything ready isn’t easy. But I can promise you all this: the Longjing Shrimp I officially release will be even more delicious than the one I made during the competition with Master Yu. The ingredients I had to use last time were subpar due to time constraints and other issues. I refuse to use ingredients of that quality. So, I must ask you all to please wait patiently for a few more days.”

The customers all nodded in understanding. Everyone knew about Li You’s high standards when it came to ingredients.

And this was clearly a good thing. Not only would the food taste better, but they could also eat with complete peace of mind.

This was one of the main reasons everyone loved eating here.

As long as Li You hadn’t forgotten his promise to add Longjing Shrimp to the menu, they were happy to wait. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

...