Cheng Su woke up first thing in the morning with a twitching right eyelid. Pressing gently on the fluttering skin, she couldn’t help thinking, "Could this be a sign of some impending trouble?"
After breakfast, feeling lethargic, Cheng Su made a phone call to the factory, deciding not to go in that day. She planned to go to the restaurant instead to check on the accounts. If any issues came up, she instructed them to contact her at the restaurant.
It was all bustle at the Joy Soon Loy Restaurant. Upon seeing Cheng Su arrive, Old Song approached to discuss a few issues. With the arrival of spring and the weather warming up, the number of diners coming out in the evenings was increasing. The busy evening service meant they were short-staffed, and if anyone took leave, they would struggle even more to cope. He suggested they might need to hire another chef.
Cheng Su saw no reason to object, naturally. If they were short on staff, they certainly needed to hire.
Old Song nodded with a smile. Just as he was about to step away, Cheng Su stopped him, "I heard that Liao Shifa’s place had some big trouble, that they’re about to go out of business?"
The smile on Old Song’s face froze, and after a long while, he gave a heavy nod.
Understanding his unease, Cheng Su offered some comfort, "Don’t take it too hard. No banquet under the sun lasts forever. The closing of Liao Shifa’s place has nothing to do with you."
"I know. It’s just... it feels like such a waste. It’s really sad," sighed Old Song.
"That’s why we must ensure our ingredients are fresh. If they aren’t, it’s better to throw them away than to use them. No matter how strong the flavors used to mask it, nothing can hide the true nature of spoiled ingredients," Cheng Su said sternly. "On this point, I hope you will remain vigilant."
The issue at Liao Shifa’s place was serious—they had used spoiled ingredients and tried to mask them with heavy flavors, thinking they would fool everyone. This led to several cases of food poisoning. Once the reports went out, it caused quite an uproar.
Ever since Old Song had left Liao Shifa’s, the business wasn’t as good as before. According to Song Xiaojang, Liao Shifa even came to Old Song asking if he would come back to help in the kitchen. However, Old Song, disheartened, refused.
At the time, Liao Shifa accused him of being ungrateful, which nearly led Song Xiaojang to chase him out with a broom.
Cheng Su had simply laughed it off at the time.
Who would have foreseen that Liao Shifa’s establishment would later suffer from a mass food poisoning incident? Was it simply bad luck for them?
As the saying goes, one should always be decent and kind.
Liao Shifa’s business had already been struggling, and now, with this scandal about using rotten meat, they had no business at all. Recently, they were preparing to put up the shutters for good.
Such a large restaurant, one of the top in Qing City, to end up like this, it was indeed a cause for sighs.
"Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, no ingredients that aren’t fresh will make it to the tables," assured Old Song confidently.
Cheng Su nodded and added, "Communicate more with the floor staff. See which ingredients are not selling and have them promote those more."
"I’m aware of that and will actively communicate with the floor staff," Old Song nodded in reply.
This was an unwritten rule of the food industry, promoting ingredients that weren’t selling was also a business strategy.
Cheng Su was satisfied. Suddenly struck by an idea, she said, "Old Song, what do you think about us taking over Liao Shifa’s place?"
Old Song was startled. Take over Liao Shifa’s place?
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"You know that my ambition is not limited to our current development. My ultimate goal is to run Joy Soon Loy as a proper restaurant. But our current location is too small. Unless we buy up the surrounding area and create a contiguous space, it will be tough to expand. And renting is not a long-term solution—what if the landlord decides not to renew our lease?" Cheng Su explained.
If she couldn’t secure lease renewals from several adjacent businesses, wouldn’t that tie her own hands?