Business Boomed

Under the bright Mid-Autumn Moon, Haiqin Restaurant was bustling with activity.

Not everyone goes home for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Many people who work in other Yinghai, students who don't go home for the festival, and workers at nearby construction sites will likely choose to have a small meal at a restaurant tonight.

The Mid-Autumn Festival may not be a time for family reunions, but even if we are thousands of miles apart, it is still good to be able to enjoy the same full moon together.

The restaurant was bustling with noise.

Song Wenqin was in charge of the bar. Although the restaurant had hired several chefs, given the situation tonight, Zhang Zhaohai naturally had to personally help out in the kitchen.

The restaurant was bustling with staff, both upstairs and downstairs, all working diligently.

"If our business were like this every day of the year, we'd probably be rolling in money," Zhang Zhaohai said, walking out of the kitchen and leaning close to Song Wenqin.

"You're dreaming!" Song Wenqin chuckled. "If all businesses were like this, we'd have to open a branch by the end of the year, and at least a few more next year. Within three years, it wouldn't be impossible to open ten or eight. Keep dreaming!"

"That's true. If we had ten or eight restaurants, we'd be really impressive," Zhang Zhaohai clicked his tongue.

"Aren't we living a good life already?!" Song Wenqin's eyes widened. "Don't be so greedy."

"In the end, it all comes down to my son." Zhang Zhaohai sighed inexplicably.

He hadn't provided his son with any good conditions by middle age, and in the end, all the changes in the family were brought about by his son.

He was certainly happy, but also a little disappointed.

Old Zhang, too, longs to continue his work even in his old age!

However, tonight's business is exceptionally good; many customers who just came in to take a look decided to eat as soon as they entered.

Almost no customers come in and then leave.

A thought inexplicably flashed through Zhang Zhaohai's mind, but he didn't take it seriously.

··

At that moment, outside the restaurant, an SUV with out-of-town license plates slowly pulled up at the entrance.

"It's Mid-Autumn Festival today. We've all been working hard lately, so let's get together and take a break." Liu Cheng turned around and looked at the members of the directing team in the car.

They were members of the directing team for a food documentary series called "[The Flavors of the Human World]" on Penguin Video's documentary channel.

Each episode of the show has a theme, and each theme is handled by a different directing team.

Their group was responsible for the episode "[Home]".

"Boss, how about we take a full day off? Everyone's been working non-stop lately, and we're all a bit tired," muttered Xiao Ye, a recent graduate and newcomer to the directing team.

"I never imagined I'd be spending my first Mid-Autumn Festival away from home."

"You're already complaining about being tired?" Liu Cheng chuckled. "How about this place, Old Zhao? Is that alright?"

He looked at Lao Zhao, the food consultant, in the passenger seat.

Yes, their group of three consisted of him as the head of the directing team, Xiao Ye as a team member, and Lao Zhao, the food consultant, who came down first to find materials.

"Sure, just grab something to eat," Old Zhao nodded, seemingly unconcerned.

He has extremely picky tastes and is very demanding when it comes to food. For him, apart from those restaurants that are really famous, it doesn't matter where he eats.

Because... they're all just mediocre, merely filling their stomachs.

A moment later, the three of them got out of the car and headed straight for the restaurant called Haiqin Restaurant.

As soon as I entered the restaurant.

"Huh?" Looking at the brightly lit and bustling scene, Liu Cheng felt a strange sense of familiarity and warmth.

It's like... like coming home.

They're clearly in a foreign land right now!

"That's strange, this restaurant actually feels quite welcoming," Old Zhao remarked after a casual glance around.

On Mid-Autumn Festival night, any decent restaurant will generally have a decent business.

Take this kind of restaurant for example. The food isn't exactly delicious, but it has a great atmosphere and lots of regulars. It's fine for a casual meal.

"Let's go see if we can get a private room."

The three of them went inside and headed straight for the front desk.

At this moment, Song Wenqin was busy, but she was organized and efficient, handling both checkout and customer service simultaneously.

"Madam, are there any private rooms available?" Liu Cheng asked as he came up.

"I'm sorry, all the private rooms are full right now, but we can still accommodate you in the main hall." Song Wenqin smiled and came out to greet you. "Shall I take you there now?"

"No private rooms?" Liu Cheng wasn't surprised, but he half-jokingly said, "You didn't give us private rooms because there are only a few of us, did you? Don't underestimate us just because there are few of us; we can all eat a lot."

"Impossible, come this way, please," Song Wenqin said with a smile.

A moment later, they were led to a spot in the hall and settled in to sit down.

Song Wenqin called the aunt over to greet them, and then hurried to the bar.

"Hey, Lao Zhao, you're the expert, you order." Liu Cheng handed the menu to Lao Zhao, entrusting him with the important task of taking orders.

"Why are you giving me this? Just order what you want. It's not like it's a Michelin restaurant." Old Zhao shook his head and smiled, but still took the menu. "What's with all the fuss?"

A startled cry suddenly came from not far away.

"It's so delicious! I've been away from home for so many years! I've wanted to taste my grandma's fried rice countless times, but sadly, I've never had the chance again! I never expected to find it here..."

The three people at the table looked over in surprise.

At a table not far away, a travel-worn man ordered only a plate of fried rice with eggs, yet he ate it alone with tears welling up in his eyes.

"Huh?" Xiao Ye from the production team, seeing this, said inexplicably, "Maybe they're just homesick on Mid-Autumn Festival?"

Old Zhao withdrew his gaze, shook his head and smiled, and was about to order food.

From the next table, another sigh escaped.

"I can't go home for the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, and work is a complete mess. I never thought I could eat the taste of home here. It's worth it!" This was a young man who looked like a white-collar worker, who was burying his head and talking to himself.

Around the table, many diners seemed to be in a strange state. Some were silently eating, savoring their food, while others were exclaiming in amazement and disbelief.

The various scenes unfolding around them were utterly perplexing to the three directors.

"No... maybe it's because it's Mid-Autumn Festival today, and everyone's unable to go home for a reunion dinner." Liu Cheng echoed Xiao Ye's sentiment.

People are all prone to being moved by what they see and hear.

"Is it really that mysterious?" Old Zhao chuckled. "Look at me, I haven't been home for so many years. Let alone Mid-Autumn Festival, I rarely even go back for Spring Festival. Just wait and see if I'll end up crying my eyes out! It's really strange!"

He was completely unmoved by their behavior; in fact, he even felt a little amused.

We're all adults; why would we be so emotionally affected by something we see while eating? How fragile must we be?

As he thought this, he glanced down at the menu... Hmm, it's a nostalgic feeling, isn't it? Coincidentally, there's a dish from his hometown on the menu.

He wanted to see just how he could move people.

A moment later, he ordered a few dishes and handed the menu to Xiao Ye.

"Xiao Ye, you're spending your first year working away from home for the holidays, right? You need to get used to this kind of work life. Be strong, don't be like those people around you, eating a meal with such fervor and tears in their eyes, it's really not that serious," Old Zhao said, adopting the air of an older brother.

"Okay, okay." Xiao Ye nodded obediently, then took the menu and randomly picked out a few dishes that looked good.

Those who come out to make documentaries about delicious food are not the kind of people who are petty and greedy.

They all have to be foodies at the very least.

The three people ordered a variety of dishes, enough for four or five people.

While waiting for their food, the group chatted and made plans for the future, reviewing several ingredient stores they had visited.

"The theme of this episode is home, so the restaurants we choose have to be down-to-earth, preferably located in other places and treasured by many students and tourists living away from home. To put it bluntly, they are the taste of home found in a foreign land," Liu Cheng said.

"Eating this food feels like coming home."

"Yes, that's the direction. The few we found before were pretty good." Xiao Ye nodded quickly, "But..."

"But what?" The other two looked at Xiao Ye at the same time.

This put a lot of pressure on her.

"However... I feel that although our documentary is about food, its core essence is humanity, so simply talking about how delicious the restaurant is isn't enough. We also need something that touches the soul," Xiao Ye said timidly.

"I'm not saying the previous line of thought was bad, it's just... it's just..."

"I understand, you're right." Liu Cheng nodded. "To put it bluntly, it's still lacking something that can resonate with people immediately and touch their hearts. I'm still considering that."

Old Zhao doesn't care about any of that. He's just a food consultant. Other things like humanistic ideas and how to touch people's hearts are not within his scope of consideration.

A moment later, the dishes were served.

The first dishes served were ordered by Liu Cheng and Xiao Ye; they were all home-style dishes that they often eat.

There are braised prawns, stir-fried chicken, and a country-style soup.

"Eat up, Lao Zhao," Liu Cheng urged. "While it's hot, look at the color of this braised prawns, it looks perfectly cooked."

Xiao Ye stood up with a smile and ladled out a bowl of soup to warm her stomach first.

"You guys eat first, I'm not in a hurry." Old Zhao smiled, poured some tea, then lowered his head to pick up his phone and reply to a few messages.

Liu Cheng and Xiao Ye had already started eating.

"I'm starving." Xiao Ye picked up a soup spoon and started drinking the soup. As she drank, her eyes widened and she quickly drank several more mouthfuls.

That's... that's the taste.

It's the soup her mom made herself, something she's been craving for a long time!

This tastes exactly the same!

"Are you alright?" Liu Cheng looked at Xiao Ye, who looked extremely hungry, and slowly picked out a large shrimp, peeled it with his hands, and ate the shrimp meat.

Why··

The bouncy shrimp meat bursts in your mouth, releasing a rich aroma.

There was a very familiar scent in this fragrance.

When he closed his eyes, it felt like he was back in his hometown, the same taste his uncle had always made for him since he was a child.

Open your eyes and return to reality.

This is not my hometown, but just a restaurant in a foreign land.

"It's so delicious." Liu Cheng lowered his head, said nothing more, and just buried himself in his food, his eyes moist.

He misses his uncle.

Old Zhao, who had finally finished replying to the message, looked up and prepared to eat, but suddenly noticed something strange on the table.

The two people in front of me were engrossed in eating.

He ate while reminiscing, his eyes filled with deep thought.

"No, are you all starving?" Old Zhao said incredulously. "We ate a simple lunch, but you all ate quite a bit, didn't you?"

"It's so delicious, it's really so delicious!" Xiao Ye ate one bite after another, gesturing with her hand, then grabbed a tissue to wipe her runny nose and eyes. It was unclear whether it was from eating something hot or something else.

Old Zhao opened his mouth, then looked at Liu Cheng.

"You?"

"It's windy, it got in my eyes." Liu Cheng silently wiped the corner of his eye and blinked.

"Are you all possessed?" Old Zhao found it utterly absurd. "Seriously, is it necessary to act like this over a simple hometown dish? I'm not exaggerating, but even if my mother were really in front of me cooking a meal, I wouldn't react like you guys, okay?"

His mother passed away early, ten years ago.

Just then, the waiter brought over another dish of Hunan-style stir-fried pork.

"This dish looks alright, but it's not quite the authentic stir-fried pork from my hometown. For example, the chili peppers aren't quite right, and the pork might not be tender enough; it's been overcooked." Old Zhao, acting as the food consultant, picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.

Before even eating, they gave a rather sharp critique of the meal.

"Let me try some more." With that, Old Zhao put the stir-fried pork into his mouth, his expression quite nonchalant.

Then he chewed twice, and then chewed twice more.

"This··"

His expression froze, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Even though the chili peppers weren't authentic and the meat wasn't cooked enough, the taste was surprisingly similar to the flavor he remembered from afar. Even the slightly charred aroma from the hot oil and intense heat was exactly the same.

That was the stir-fried pork his elderly mother used to make for him all the time!

He hadn't tasted this flavor for over ten years!

"I... I... I..." he stammered as he ate, his lips trembling, completely losing his composure.

His old face was covered in tears and snot, quite an unsightly sight.

"Hey, Lao Zhao, are you alright?" Liu Cheng was terrified when he saw Lao Zhao's condition. He quickly took out some tissues and handed them to Lao Zhao. "Here, wipe yourself off."

Xiao Ye also looked at Lao Zhao with a strange expression.

Old Zhao is usually very picky about food, and he can always give a long list of comments after every meal.

He's certainly professional, but he comes across as overly pretentious and verbose.

Why did he lose his composure today?

After a long while, Lao Zhao finally calmed down. He just buried his head and pressed his nose with a tissue. Then, he started shoveling rice into his mouth, eating the stir-fried pork one bite at a time, as if he wanted to eat his fill today, as if he wanted to make up for the regret of not tasting this flavor for more than ten years.

Yes, Lao Zhao admitted that he was being stubborn.

Countless times, whenever he woke up in the middle of the night, he longed to eat his mother's stir-fried pork again; he dreamed of it constantly.

Unexpectedly, today, I tasted the flavor I had longed for countless nights in a restaurant.

Each of the three had their own feelings and insights.

The table full of food was eaten clean.