Dreaming of Lion Rock: Recipe in Hand

Chapter 289: Rivals in Everywhere in Life

The oyster mushrooms finally grew out, not very tall, only about one or two centimeters, and Chunni was very happy. She was watering the mushrooms carefully when someone came.

"Boss." The man's name was Zhu Erwang, and he worked as a waiter at Chunni Restaurant in the city.

Chunni raised her eyebrows, "Erwang, why are you here? Are you taking a day off today?"

Zhu Erwang has to support his parents and siblings, and he was a model employee who worked all year round last year. How could this happen...

Chunni was very confused.

"Boss, something happened!"

Chunni put the scoop into the bucket, looked at Zhu Erwang seriously, and asked: "What's wrong?"

Zhu Erwang looked pale and said anxiously, "A restaurant opened next door to ours and it has taken away a lot of our customers. Chef Li is so worried that he asked me to come to you for advice."

Zhu Erwang cherishes his job so much that he really wants to burn down the restaurant next door.

No, murder and arson will lead to jail. Working and earning money is his hobby. If he goes to jail, he won’t be able to continue his hobby!

Chunni didn't know that Zhu Erwang was so dedicated to his job. She knew that there was a restaurant next door. She was the first person to try it, and she couldn't stop others from trying it. That was monopoly, and it was illegal!

She had anticipated this situation.

"I understand. I'll take care of it. Don't worry about it for now. You're back now, so go home today. As for tomorrow, do you want to stay at home..."

Zhu Erwang's honest face was full of fear.

"Boss, no, I'm going back to work soon. Please don't stop my progress!" He waved his hands repeatedly.

Chunni almost laughed out loud.

"Okay, go back and have a rest today. Come with me to the city tomorrow." Seeing Zhu Erwang's expression darken, as if he had lost all his energy, Chunni added: "Today is not considered as your leave, and your salary will not be deducted."

Zhu Erwang's eyes lit up, "Oh, thank you, boss!"

Chunni...she had never seen anyone who loved working so much in her life.

It was still dawn when Chunni packed up and prepared to go out.

Ci Ci happened to come back from exercising with Old Master Chu and Old Man Li. Seeing this, she was very shameless and acted cute to want to go along. She even shouted loudly into the house: "Chu Chu, Chu Chu, wake up, it's time to play!" and woke up Chu Chu who was sleeping soundly!

In the end, Chunni could only take her two little babies with her.

She looked at Old Master Chu.

"Don't look at me. It's so hot. I'm not going anywhere."

She looked at Mrs. Chu and Old Man Li again... Everyone shook their heads. In the end, she had no choice but to ask Mrs. Ma to go with her.

In fact, Mrs. Ma didn't want to go out either.

Children are not afraid of the heat, they chatter all the way because they can go out.

When they arrived in the city, it was still early. Chunni asked Zhu Erwang to go back to work and she took the group to the department store.

After finally coming to the city, she planned to buy some things to take back, such as malted milk, White Rabbit milk candy, etc. These things are cheaper in the city than in the county.

When Chunni finished her shopping, it was lunchtime, so she took her group directly to the restaurant next door to Chunni Restaurant and had a delicious meal before going to find Li Shufen.

Li Shufen has an amazing tongue and can taste the subtle differences in food. This is her talent, her talent as a cook. If Chunni didn't have a cheat and come up with some more creativity from time to time, she would actually be almost the same as Li Shufen in terms of cooking.

After several failed blind dates, Li Shufen had begun to give up on marriage. No matter how her mother cried, made a scene, or even threatened to hang herself, she was determined not to find a partner.

What a joke! She has a job, ability, and money. She doesn't have to rely on anyone.

No one is anyone's safe haven. If everyone wants to take shelter, who can be the safe haven? Only when you are strong can you live the life you want without any worries.

But now her life has encountered unprecedented difficulties.

"After the idiot next door came, all our former customers went to his place! I asked someone to secretly buy a few dishes and brought them back. Apart from having bigger portions and lower prices than ours, there were no other advantages." Although Li Shufen was angry, she still had a clear mind at work.

Knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle. She also understands this.

"Well, it doesn't taste as good as the food you cook." Chunni agreed.

"You called me here because you have a good way to deal with it, right?" She wanted to train Li Shufen into a manager with ideas and vision, rather than a wooden man who only knew how to obey.

"What do you think? Should we increase the quantity or lower the price?" Li Shufen seemed to have a plan in mind.

"What if he also lowers the price? Should we lower the price too?" Chunni asked back.

Li Shufen was stumped by the question.

Chunni asked Mrs. Ma to take Chuchu and Cici to the staff dormitory on the second floor, and then she took Li Shufen to sit down in the restaurant.

Erwang was very tactful and brought a cup of water.

Chunni looked at the cup of steaming water and fell silent.

Could it be that she had not managed Chunni Hotel for too long, causing the hotel staff to forget that customers are God?

Chunni quickly came to her senses and pointed at the boiling water.

Li Shufen was confused.

"Didn't you say that cold water is full of bacteria and unhygienic, so you asked us to serve boiled water to the guests?"

"In the hottest days of summer, if someone comes to visit your home, will you give her a kettle of boiling water?" Chunni was angry!

Li Shufen's face turned red instantly.

"Hey, this, this, why didn't I notice this? We usually use warm water or boiled water. It's just that the kettle is not big enough..."

"Then buy it!"

Chunni also knows.

But knowing is one thing, understanding is another. Who wants to drink a mouthful of hot water in hot weather?

You must know that details determine success or failure.

Maybe it is such small problems that lead to the loss of customers!

"There won't be a next time." Chunni pressed her throbbing temples, feeling a headache. When the weather is hot, people tend to get irritable and lose their temper.

"It's so hot, it's time to change the tea." The first tea that came to Chunni's mind was sour plum soup, which was sweet and sour and quenched thirst. Coincidentally, the hidden menu after sweet and sour spareribs was sour plum soup.

"Lowering prices is the dumbest method." For merchants, price wars are a double-edged sword. It can bring sales growth but may also lead to a decline in profits.

"Cook the food well and provide good service. This is the most basic requirement of Chunni Restaurant." Chunni paused before asking: "I noticed that there are many strangers around here recently. Where are they from?"

"They! A big boss bought a piece of land nearby and is building a shopping mall!"

Chunni suddenly had an idea. "Tell me, is there anyone willing to come to our restaurant for dinner?"

This question is easy to answer!

"The government workers who eat the state's food, the doctors and nurses in the hospital, and the teachers in the school!"

"Where are that group of people?" Chunni pointed outside.

"They count, too! But when they get off work, it's past mealtime and we've almost finished our food! Besides, they think the food in our store is too expensive, so they rarely come to eat in our store!"

There is always a way out, and this way is right under her feet, and she found it in no time! Chunni's eyes lit up amazingly.

"Do you remember the lunch box packages we launched to deal with Zhenxing?" Chunni asked.

"How could I not remember?" Li Shufen remembered that their set meal at that time had one meat and one vegetable, two meat and one vegetable, or two meat and two vegetables. Each set meal came with a corresponding amount of rice and a portion of soup. "But this set meal was copied by Zhenxing, and then it was not made anymore!"

"It's a different time now." Chunni said firmly: "Our meal is specifically for this group of migrant workers. They work hard and save money. But people are made of iron and steel, and they will be hungry if they don't eat. No matter how frugal they are, they can't skip meals. We will make a meal that will make them full and eat well!"

"Then our costs will be high." Li Shufen hesitated.

"It doesn't matter if you earn less. If there are more people in the store, it will be easy to make money! But they are hard laborers and get hungry quickly, so we have to provide them with enough food. With popularity, business will naturally improve."

Li Shufen nodded.

"We used to only sell lunch and dinner. Now we have added two more points, in the mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Once we find a suitable chef to cook breakfast, we will start selling breakfast." Seeing Li Shufen's hesitation, Chunni was also very straightforward.

"If there aren't enough people, just hire two more. I'm not a capitalist who exploits the workers' blood and sweat!"

Only then did Li Shufen start to laugh.

Chunni discussed the new dishes, hygiene and service attitude with Li Shufen.

"I want new customers, and I also want to keep old customers. There are always people who care more about the taste of the food."

The two discussed for half an afternoon. When Chunni looked up, the sky was already filled with colorful clouds.

"Morning glow doesn't go out, but evening glow can travel a thousand miles. Tomorrow will be sunny again!"

"It's so late, do you still want to go back?"

Chunni shook her head. She didn't know if the matter could be handled well, so she had already told Yanqing and her grandmother before coming here that if they couldn't make it in time, they would stay in the city for two days.

"There is still a bed in the staff dormitory..."

"No, let's stay at the newly opened hotel. I heard that every room has an electric fan! What a big deal!" Chunni felt uneasy thinking about so many people squeezing into one dormitory on such a hot day. She didn't want to let herself or Chuci down! It's not like they don't have money!