Chapter 302 - 286: Just Some Home-Style Dishes Will Be Fine

Chapter 302: Chapter 286: Just Some Home-Style Dishes Will Be Fine

Ling Xiaoru wanted to eat Longjing Shrimp, and of course, that was no problem.

However, it was still early. They would wait until all the customers had left, then go upstairs to eat while watching TV.

Ling Xiaoru thought so too. "I’ll go upstairs and wait for you then," she said.

Li You nodded. "Okay."

Ling Xiaoru went upstairs, and Li You returned to the kitchen to keep working. He decided to prepare their own meal as well, so they could start eating the moment the last customer left.

Two orders of Longjing Shrimp, five pounds of spicy crawfish, and a bowl of tomato and egg soup.

’I’ll make some extra food,’ he thought. ’We can have a few drinks later.’

’On such a wonderful evening, you have to have a few drinks, right?’

Time slowly passed. By eight in the evening, the last group of customers had finished their meals and left. Li You’s own food was ready as well.

It was time to close up shop, head upstairs, and have dinner and drinks.

He closed the shop’s front door and carried the dishes upstairs.

Ling Xiaoru was sitting on the sofa, watching a show.

"Have all the customers left?" Ling Xiaoru asked.

Li You nodded. "Want to have a bowl?"

"Of course," Ling Xiaoru said. "I’m sleeping here tonight anyway, so it doesn’t matter if I have a little too much."

"Let’s have three bowls, then."

"Three bowls? I’ll definitely be tipsy after three bowls."

"If you get tipsy, you can just go to sleep."

"Alright, then."

As it turned out, Ling Xiaoru did get drunk. She was so unsteady she could barely walk.

Li You had no choice but to carry Ling Xiaoru back to her room.

After laying Ling Xiaoru down on the bed... he turned and left the room.

He was a good guy, after all. He couldn’t possibly take advantage of her while she was drunk.

...

「The next morning.」

Li You was the first to wake up. After washing up, he went downstairs to open the restaurant for the day.

A little while later, Ling Xiaoru came downstairs as well.

"Still feeling dizzy?" Li You asked.

Ling Xiaoru shook her head. "Not at all. Your liquor is the kind you sober up from quickly, with no hangover or headache afterward."

"That’s true," Li You said. "Do you want noodles, or fermented rice soup with a poached egg?"

"The fermented rice soup with poached egg, please," Ling Xiaoru said.

Li You nodded. "Alright."

He then made two servings of the fermented rice soup with poached eggs. He decided he’d have the same.

After finishing her meal, Ling Xiaoru said goodbye and left for work.

Li You went into the kitchen and started steaming some salted pork belly.

’It’s been a while since I made salted pork belly. I’ll steam some to sell today.’

The main reason was that Luo Yunlin was bringing guests to the restaurant for lunch, and there might be some elderly people in the group.

’Steamed salted pork belly is something the elderly are sure to enjoy.’

After some prep work, dozens of bowls of salted pork belly went into the steamer all at once.

’If I’m going to steam some, I might as well make a big batch. The other customers love salted pork belly too. I won’t have to worry about leftovers.’

...

「Noon arrived quickly.」

Just before noon, Luo Yunlin arrived with his family and the relatives who were visiting his home for the day.

There were sixteen relatives in total: a mix of adults in their prime, elders, and children. None of them were from Wenxian Town; they had come from two neighboring townships.

So, for all the relatives, it was their first time visiting this place.

Although they had all visited Luo Yunlin’s home before, they had never been to the restaurant.

The relatives looked at Li You’s restaurant, all of them rather surprised.

"Yunlin," one of them said, "people actually open restaurants in a place like this?"

Luo Yunlin laughed. "Don’t be fooled by the remote location. His business is excellent. It’s packed every day."

"Really?" The relatives were skeptical. "Why would a business do well in a location like this?"

"Because the food is incredible!" Luo Yunlin said. "The owner, Li You, makes unbelievably delicious food. People come all the way from the county seat and even the city just to eat here. I brought you all here because the food is just that good. I want you to experience what truly delicious tastes like!"

"Is that so? Well then, we’ll have to give it a proper try. Let’s see just how good it is," the relatives all said.

"By all means, get your hopes up," Luo Yunlin said.

Just then, Li You saw that Luo Yunlin’s group had arrived and came out of the restaurant to greet them with a smile. "Brother Luo, welcome! And a warm welcome to all the uncles, aunts, and children!"

’Looks like there are some elderly folks in Luo Yunlin’s group after all,’ Li You thought. ’It was the right call to make the salted pork belly today.’

Luo Yunlin was delighted to see Li You and grinned. "Boss Xiao Li, long time no see!"

Then, he turned to his relatives and said, "This is the owner I was telling you about, Li You. He makes every single dish in the restaurant himself."

All the relatives turned to look at Li You.

’He’s so young! And handsome, too. A young, good-looking man like him doesn’t look like a chef!’

Though this was what the relatives were thinking, they didn’t say it aloud, simply exchanging greetings with Li You.

After a round of lively pleasantries, Li You invited everyone inside.

The group followed Li You into the restaurant.

There were already several tables of customers eating inside.

When Luo Yunlin’s relatives saw this, they couldn’t help but think, ’The business here actually seems pretty good. It’s not even the peak lunch hour, yet there are already so many people here.’

"Uncles, aunts, and children, please, have a seat, have a seat," Li You said, showing everyone to their tables.

The party took up two large tables.

Next, it was time to order.

When the relatives saw the menu, they were shocked. One of them whispered to Luo Yunlin, "Yunlin, the food here is so expensive! 568 yuan for one dish, 88 for another... how can we afford this?"

Luo Yunlin said, "Don’t just stare at those two! There are cheaper dishes further down! They’re all priced similarly to what you’d find at any other restaurant. Besides, that Boiled Cabbage in Supreme Broth and the Longjing Shrimp might seem expensive just looking at the price tag, but let me tell you, Li You is actually selling them for a bargain. In a fancy hotel, that cabbage dish would cost at least several hundred, maybe even over a thousand yuan a serving. And the taste wouldn’t even come close to what Li You makes."

The truth was, Luo Yunlin had never actually tried the Boiled Cabbage in Supreme Broth at Li You’s restaurant himself.

However, he’d been to Li You’s restaurant many times and had often overheard other customers talking about the Boiled Cabbage in Supreme Broth, so he knew just how special it was.

But his relatives didn’t know that.

So, they were all completely astonished. "Cabbage boiled in water for several hundred yuan, even a thousand yuan a serving?" they exclaimed. "How is that possible? Is the cabbage plated with gold or something?"

"See? This is what I mean about you all being out of the loop," Luo Yunlin said. "His ’Boiled Cabbage’ isn’t just cabbage boiled in water. It’s made with a supreme broth prepared through an incredibly complex process. It’s unbelievably delicious. How about we order some to try? One serving for each table."

Ordinarily, Luo Yunlin would never be willing to splurge on the Boiled Cabbage in Supreme Broth.

But now that he was hosting and treating his relatives, it was something he could consider.

He was already expecting to spend eight or nine hundred yuan per table anyway, which was about the same price as a set-menu banquet at a hotel.

In that case, ordering the 568-yuan Boiled Cabbage in Supreme Broth wasn’t out of the question.

That was Luo Yunlin’s line of thinking. His relatives, however, all insisted there was no need to order something so expensive. The regular, home-style dishes listed below would be perfectly fine.

...