Opening Day

Jiang Feng spent the evening admiring Wang Hao's long promotional post. The phrasing was so nauseatingly saccharine and the flattery so blatant that Jiang Feng was embarrassed to even like it.

In the end, his finger slipped and he gave it a like.

Jiang Jiankang had already arranged suppliers for vegetables and poultry. They had originally planned to open the day after tomorrow, but everything was going smoothly, so they could begin regular business at noon tomorrow.

After some thought, Jiang Feng edited a post for WeChat Moments.

Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant on East Food Street was opening tomorrow with special offers. A University students could get 10% off their food bill by showing their student ID.

He turned off his phone and went to sleep.

There was still a hard battle to fight tomorrow.

On a new restaurant's opening day, customer traffic was usually high.

Jiang Jiankang personally hung up the bright red signboard, successfully ruining more than half of Jiang Zaide's interior design.

Whether out of curiosity or for the opening discounts, new customers would step into the new restaurant.

Early the next morning, Jiang Feng went to the restaurant to help wash and chop vegetables. Wang Hao knew Jiang Feng's family had not hired anyone and feared they would be too busy, so he came to help for free as well.

Prices in A City were high, and Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant's dishes were not cheap either. Ordinary dishes cost thirty percent more than those at nearby small eateries, while major dishes like braised pork knuckle were priced the same as at regular restaurants.

Comrade Jiang Jiankang had never expected anyone to order big dishes on the first day. The family bustled about in the kitchen, preparing ingredients commonly used for stir-fries and rice bowls.

Comrade Wang Xiulian washed the vegetables, while Wang Hao assisted her. Jiang Feng and Jiang Jiankang handled the chopping, each with a clear division of labor.

Scallions were cut into sections, spring onions into minced garnish, garlic cloves peeled and smashed, carrots julienned, cucumbers cut into strips, white radishes sliced, green chilies minced...

Different dishes required different knives. Vegetables and meat could not share knives, nor could ingredients whose flavors clashed. That was the Jiang family's habit when chopping. An ordinary chef only needed one or two comfortable knives, but Jiang Jiankang had more than a dozen, while Jiang Weiguo even had a whole dedicated knife rack.

In Jiang Feng's grandmother's words, they were just being absurdly particular.

They really were being absurdly particular, but to an amateur like Wang Hao, it looked like the bearing of masters.

Jiang Feng handled the vegetables while Jiang Jiankang cut the meat. Father and son came from the same school of knife work, and though their techniques each had their own merits, Wang Hao thought they looked exactly the same: steady, precise, fast. Chop chop chop chop chop. Before long, the plates beside their cutting boards were piled with ingredients like little mountains.

Wang Hao took out his phone, recorded a video, and posted it to WeChat Moments as one final promotional push before opening.

In Jiang Feng's mind, the game notifications kept ringing.

"Ding, gained 1 point of Blade Work Proficiency."

"Ding, gained 1 point of Blade Work Proficiency."

"Ding, gained 1 point of Blade Work Proficiency."

If this had been a game interface, the words Proficiency +1 +1 +1 would definitely have been floating endlessly over Jiang Feng's head.

At ten o'clock, they officially opened for business.

Jiang Feng placed a sign at the entrance: New restaurant opening. Every customer received a complimentary cup of Sour Plum Drink.

Comrade Jiang Jiankang had brewed the Sour Plum Drink the previous night. The smoked plums, hawthorn, dried tangerine peel, licorice, and osmanthus were all top-quality ingredients. Chilled in the refrigerator overnight, it was especially refreshing and cooling.

The first table of customers was made up of students from Jiang Feng's club.

Only four members of Jiang Feng's Chess Club had returned to school early, and all four came without exception. Two of them had even eaten the Shredded Cucumber Salad Jiang Feng made yesterday.

The four deliberately chose a four-person table near the entrance so people outside could see that the restaurant had customers.

The menu was posted on the wall, with the prices listed after each dish. Looking at the menu and prices, the four hesitated somewhat.

The prices were honestly a little high.

"Brother Feng." Qiu Chen was closest to Jiang Feng and had fewer reservations when speaking. "Even if Uncle and Aunt borrowed a lot of money to open this place, setting the prices this high might..."

"With Uncle Jiang's cooking skills, these prices are cheap enough." Wang Hao brought four cups of Sour Plum Drink out from the kitchen. They had just been taken from the refrigerator and still gave off a chill.

In the transparent glass cups, the Sour Plum Drink was an exceptionally rich brown. It looked enticing just sitting there.

There was still some Sour Plum Drink at the corner of Wang Hao's mouth that he had not wiped clean.

Knowing he must have been sneaking drinks while guarding them, Jiang Feng asked, "How many cups did you drink?"

"Not many, just two." Wang Hao grinned as he set the four cups on the table. "I only wanted a taste at first, but I couldn't control myself."

"Drink less. It just came out of the refrigerator, so be careful not to upset your stomach," Jiang Feng reminded him.

The four who had come to show their support all picked up their Sour Plum Drinks and took a sip.

It was cool and refreshing, with a faint smoky flavor. The sweet and sour balance was perfect, not a trace too much or too little.

The four gulped it down, quickly emptying their cups. They had initially been somewhat dissatisfied with the food prices, but as the Sour Plum Drink slid down their throats and into their stomachs, that dissatisfaction vanished without a trace.

A mere beverage like the Sour Plum Drink was already this delicious. What about the other dishes?

"Brother Feng, how much is a cup of this Sour Plum Drink? Another cup!" Jiang Feng's junior, Liu Zixuan, asked impatiently.

"Fifteen yuan a cup." Afraid Liu Zixuan would find it expensive, Jiang Feng explained, "My dad simmered it for over two hours last night. He'd be heartbroken if we sold it too cheaply."

"Not expensive, not expensive." Liu Zixuan shook his head like a rattle drum.

The other three finished the Sour Plum Drink in their hands and also asked for refills.

Selling four cups of Sour Plum Drink before anything else on opening day was something Jiang Feng had never expected.

The four ordered four dishes. Besides the Kung Pao Chicken Jiang Feng recommended, Qiu Chen ordered Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin, Liu Zixuan ordered Pan-fried Tofu, and after some discussion, the other two ordered Stir-fried Pork with Chili.

The four dishes came to 120 yuan. Rice was free, and with the Sour Plum Drinks, the total was 180 yuan—an astronomical price near A University.

With the Sour Plum Drink setting such a high standard, the four had no complaints at all. They cradled their drinks like treasures, taking tiny sips.

Jiang Feng would only sell them two cups each, so every one of them treasured it immensely. Every sip meant one less sip.

Jiang Feng went to help in the kitchen, while Wang Hao stayed behind to chat with them, describing how delicious last night's dishes had been: how flavorful the Lion's Head Meatballs were, how soft and tender the braised pork knuckle had been. The four listened until they were drooling, regretting that they had not been more generous when ordering.

Wait, the Lion's Head Meatballs seemed to be sold individually.

Qiu Chen darted over to the menu board and found the listing for Lion's Head Meatballs.

Twenty yuan each.

The four lavishly added another four Lion's Head Meatballs.

A few minutes later, Jiang Feng emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of Kung Pao Chicken prepared at Jiang Jiankang's usual standard.

All four pairs of chopsticks reached for the Kung Pao Chicken at once.

Before long, everyone abandoned the Sour Plum Drink and made the Kung Pao Chicken their new favorite.

Not long after, a young couple who had wandered in by mistake entered the restaurant.

When they looked at the menu board, the girl could not help exclaiming softly, "So expensive!"

The boy did not look too pleased either. He asked in a low voice, "Should we go?"

"Let's go, let's go." The girl tugged at her boyfriend's sleeve and was about to leave.

Qiu Chen and the other three were seated right by the entrance. As the young couple passed by, the boy suddenly caught the scent of the food.

It smelled so good.

And somewhat sweet.

The boy turned his head and saw the four eating a single plate of food with great enthusiasm.

"Classmates, what are you eating?" the boy asked.

"Kung Pao Chicken." Qiu Chen answered indistinctly, his mouth stuffed with meat.

"Is it good?" The boy swallowed involuntarily.

Qiu Chen had no time to answer. Facing these three animals, every extra word meant one less bite for himself, so he could only nod perfunctorily.

Their actions had already said it all.

"How about we just order one Kung Pao Chicken?" The boy's resolve began to waver.

The girl was not interested in Kung Pao Chicken, but since her boyfriend wanted it, she did not stop him. She nodded reluctantly.

Just then, Jiang Feng emerged carrying the Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin.

The pork had been fried golden, coated in a carefully thickened sweet-and-sour sauce, then topped with a ladleful of richly prepared stock from Jiang Jiankang. Its aroma was intense.

Gulp. The girl swallowed.

"Add one Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin too." The girl sat down by the window and made the final decision.

Good news! Good news! Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant was now open! Dear readers, show your saved bookmark, recommendation, or comment to receive 15% off your bill!