Chapter 17 – Friend Circle
Han Yao Yao felt he was too serious and suddenly became hesitant. “Well, then, let’s start with a small portion to try?”
Han Yao Yao looked to her friend for approval, and her friend nodded.
The two girls found a spot to sit and couldn’t resist taking out their phones to snap photos of the flowers on the table.
Lin Jiu was preparing the ingredients for a small portion of seafood rice when Han Yao Yao secretly aimed her phone to take a picture.
Lin Jiu suddenly spoke up, “It’s okay to take pictures of the restaurant, but please don’t photograph people.”
Si Xu had many fans, and if photos were shared on social media, someone might easily figure out Si Xu’s identity.
Han Yao Yao quickly put away her phone, sticking out her tongue and abandoning her plan to take covert photos.
Lin Jiu glanced at Si Xu, noticed the smile in his eyes, and then quickly turned his attention back to preparing the ingredients.
Feeling that Si Xu was still watching him, Lin Jiu pursed his lips and asked, “Have you finished eating?”
“Not yet,” Si Xu replied, watching Lin Jiu’s slender, fair fingers skillfully scoop a small spoonful of fish roe onto the seafood rice.
The ingredients for the seafood rice were the same; only the quantity differed.
A small portion of seafood rice was enough to satisfy one girl, but it would be a bit insufficient for two.
Lin Jiu served the seafood rice on a wooden tray with two sets of utensils. The small portion didn’t come with the shrimp soup.
Carrying the tray, Lin Jiu walked out of the kitchen and presented the seafood rice to the girls, along with chopsticks and a spoon.
Han Yao Yao admired the colorful bowl of seafood rice and took several pictures with her phone.
Lin Jiu said, “Enjoy your meal,” and returned to the kitchen. Si Xu was still standing at the bar.
Lin Jiu urged, “The porridge will get cold if you wait too long. These ingredients are very good for your health; you should eat a bit more.”
“Okay,” Si Xu said and went back.
After tasting the seafood rice, the two girls were already calling out, “Oh my God, what a heavenly flavor, this is amazing! Owner, can we have another small portion… No, I want a medium portion! I need a bowl of medium seafood rice!”
Si Xu had anticipated this. No one could resist such deliciousness.
Lin Jiu said, “A small portion is enough. You won’t finish a medium portion, and the restaurant doesn’t allow food waste.”
“Wow, what a divine owner, you won’t even let us spend more?” Han Yao Yao continued, “Then I’ll just take a small portion.”
Lin Jiu prepared another small portion and, as he brought it out, noticed the girl who had been quiet, hunched over with one hand on her stomach and the other holding a spoon, as if she had a stomachache.
Lin Jiu took out two small bowls of hot soup and delivered them as well.
“Since it’s the opening day, I’m giving you two bowls of shrimp soup. In the future, only large orders of seafood rice will come with soup. Enjoy.”
Cheng Yiran looked at the owner, lifted the lid of the bowl, and the steam carrying a fresh aroma wafted out. She took a spoonful of the hot soup, which was incredibly delicious, and felt her stomach pain ease a bit.
Han Yao Yao excitedly exclaimed, “The soup is so good too! Owner, your culinary skills are amazing! This is the best food and soup I’ve ever had.”
Han Yao Yao took another picture of the delicate soup bowls and then began to enjoy the meal.
The two girls finished every bit of the rice and soup, feeling satisfied yet still wanting more.
The simple dinner cost them nearly $600.
The pleasure of tasting such delicious food was matched by the pain of paying for it. The thought of not being able to eat this every day made it even more painful.
The two girls scanned the payment code, took some final shots of the small shop, and posted on their social media.
“Check out this place, Demon Fish on West City Old Street. Seafood rice for $298, and they gave us a bowl of shrimp soup. It seems a bit pricey, right? I thought so too at first, but after trying just one portion, we couldn’t stop and ordered a second. Super delicious~~~ [images] The shop’s decor is also incredibly cozy [images] [images] [images]”
Immediately, there were likes and comments.
Little Worm: I see, with this price, the month’s attendance bonus is gone. How could you afford this?
Flower of Heaven: There’s such a high-end place on West City Old Street? How come I didn’t know about it?
Cold Tea: Is it a seafood restaurant?
Fairy Yao Yao replied to Little Worm: It’s worth it, even if you don’t want to spend. You only realize the world has such delicious food after trying it.
Fairy Yao Yao replied to Flower of Heaven: It’s a new store, just opened today.
Fairy Yao Yao replied to Cold Tea: Yes, it’s a seafood restaurant. The owner has a unique personality, and the seafood rice is incredibly tasty.
*
In the private room, Jiang Ge was very satisfied, posting the food photos he took to his social media.
Friends who were food enthusiasts in his circle came seeking the same taste, asking where the restaurant was located, whether it was purely seafood or mixed, and commenting that it looked like Japanese cuisine from the photos.
Jiang Ge, lacking patience for these queries, posted a new update.
“A City, West City Old Street, Demon Fish. Don’t ask about the taste; know it’s dreamlike cuisine, the kind that only appears in dreams.”
As Jiang Ge was about to exit his social media, he suddenly received a new notification. When he checked, he saw that Si Xu, who rarely posted, had shared his post.
**Caption:** “Delicious and nutritious ? Demon Fish Restaurant, West City Old Street, A City.”
Jiang Ge looked up in surprise, while Si Xu put down his phone and muted it.
Jiang Ge said, “Shouldn’t Lin Jiu be paying you for advertising?”
Si Xu had a vast social circle. Even though this account was known mostly to family and close friends, it was still large enough that if they shared it, the entire upper class of A City would soon know about Demon Fish Restaurant. Then Lin Jiu would be overwhelmed with customers.
Jiang Ge had no doubt that some people wouldn’t appreciate such delicious food, but the thought of so many people knowing about Demon Fish and having to line up next time made him regret posting.
He slapped his hand on his wrist, saying, “I told you not to be so impulsive. Is it too late to delete my post?”
Si Xu glanced at him. “I think I should have used my work account to post.”
“Bro, I was wrong! Please don’t post it!” Jiang Ge pleaded. “Otherwise, next time we come, we might not even get a seat!”
Si Xu was only joking. Using a work account would involve his job and expose his location, making it impossible for him to eat in peace without being swarmed by fans.
With Lin Jiu’s culinary skills, even without advertising, Demon Fish Restaurant would eventually gain popularity; they were just helping it get noticed sooner.
As Si Xu and Jiang Ge left the private room, they realized the dishes they had ordered didn’t have prices listed when they went to pay.
Lin Jiu said, “You don’t need to pay; this meal is on me. Thank you for the flower basket.”
“That doesn’t seem right,” Jiang Ge looked at Si Xu. Given the prices at Mo Yu, their table easily exceeded ten thousand yuan.
Si Xu held his phone with a smile in his eyes. “It’s customary to treat guests to an opening celebration, but not this time. If you weren’t here, it wouldn’t count. Next time, if you invite us again, you’ll need to join too.”
Lin Jiu was momentarily caught off guard by the warmth in Si Xu’s eyes. “Then… let’s do it next time.”
Si Xu’s smile broadened. “How much is it?”
The system in his mind had already calculated the prices, and Lin Jiu recited them.
“A two-person portion of crab congee is 2998 yuan per pot, grilled crab legs at 998 yuan each, stone-grilled carp at 6998 yuan per piece, fish roe and shellfish soup at 398 yuan each, assorted sashimi at 198 yuan per cup. The total comes to 18182 yuan. As for the sashimi platter, we agreed to give for free yesterday, you overpaid by 10,000 yuan, so we’ll deduct that today…”
Si Xu chuckled, “No need to be so polite. We’ll be coming often in the future; we can’t always enjoy discounts. Let’s stick to the restaurant’s rules.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Lin Jiu had no choice but to concede, “Then let’s stick to the rules. The sashimi platter costs 8998 yuan; you overpaid, so we’ll deduct it today.”
“Okay.” Si Xu didn’t insist further, scanned the payment code, said goodbye to Lin Jiu, and agreed to come back next time.
Lin Jiu felt defeated. He hadn’t given away the sashimi platter, nor had he managed to treat them. The price Jiang Ge had paid for the silver carp was also quite high, and now Si Xu would think of him as a greedy businessman.
Ten thousand yuan per pound for carp was indeed exorbitant.
Feeling completely drained, Lin Jiu closed the shop promptly at nine and headed home.
It was quite a walk from the small shop to his apartment, and living in the old street, he needed a bicycle or an electric scooter rather than a car. He was considering getting one soon.
The next day, Lin Jiu left around nine, strolling to the shop by ten. An hour was sufficient to prepare lunch; after all, there weren’t many customers and not much food to prepare, so he didn’t need to rush.
As Lin Jiu walked to the old street, he noticed a lot of cars stuck in traffic. The brands weren’t cheap, and many shop owners were frustrated that their entrances were blocked, especially the steel vendor whose truck couldn’t get in or out.
The drivers were anxious too, but since the cars were stuck, there was nothing they could do but wait.
Lin Jiu was curious and observed the scene until he noticed a crowd gathered in front of his shop. There were both local residents and unfamiliar faces, thinking something was wrong with the store. He quickly ran over, squeezed into the crowd, and saw that the shop was fine, which relieved him.
Then he noticed something was off—everyone was looking at him.
Lin Jiu: “…”
What’s going on?
“Are you the owner of Demon Fish Restaurant?” an elderly but authoritative voice asked.
Lin Jiu looked over and saw an old man in a wheelchair.
The old man was studying Lin Jiu, but with the mask on, it was hard to see his face clearly.
“I’m the owner of Demon Fish Restaurant. Is there something wrong?” Lin Jiu’s first thought was not about the bustling business but whether there was a problem with the shop.
Before the old man could speak again, the young people surrounding them started to complain.
“You’re quite unprofessional, boss! Look at the time! We came early and haven’t even had breakfast.”
“Nobody told me this little shop doesn’t serve breakfast!”
“I’m so hungry I could eat a whole cow!”
“Open the door already; we’ve been waiting for a long time!”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Is something wrong here?
As he was urged to open the door, Lin Jiu suddenly remembered, “Are these cars yours?”
Some people nodded and began to complain about the terrible traffic situation.
Lin Jiu replied, “You can’t leave your cars here; park them elsewhere. The shop only serves lunch and dinner, and lunch starts at eleven. Gathering here won’t help.”
“Rules are dead, but people are alive. We came from far away; can’t we start early?”
Lin Jiu: “Sorry, but here, even living people have to follow the rules; we can’t open early.”
The person: “…”
