1995: From a small restaurant to a culinary genius

Chapter 1 1995

"Factory manager, I've decided to quit. I want to resign and open a restaurant."

"Why? Are you upset with Director Feng?"

"No, factory manager, it's my own choice to leave. I've been in this factory for two years and learned a lot of skills. I'm only twenty years old this year, and I have my own dream of opening my own small restaurant."

"Opening a small restaurant? I don't think it'll work. Do you even have the money?"

"I'll handle this myself."

After filling out the resignation form, Xu Liang walked out of the factory manager's office.

Xu Liang resigned from this job for two reasons. One reason was that he did feel bad about offending Director Feng.

On the other hand, Xu Liang believed that opening his own restaurant was better than being an apprentice cook in the factory. He thought that opening a small restaurant nearby might lead to great success.

Not long ago, Xu Liang was preparing breakfast in the cafeteria when Director Feng, the person in charge of the cafeteria, abused his power to cut back on ingredients and line his own pocket.

They even kindly suggested that Xu Liang take a break and then had someone stuff the spoiled pork filling into the buns.

However, early that morning, after the workers finished eating the buns, they immediately overturned the table and gathered around to complain about the factory canteen.

Before long, Director Feng, the person in charge, rushed over. Before the investigation was even completed, he immediately shifted the blame onto Xu Liang, saying that Xu Liang had deliberately done it.

After that, everyone sided with Director Feng, which led to Xu Liang being constantly criticized by everyone.

Xu Liang was initially very angry and started arguing with Director Feng, but then he seemed to realize something and turned his argument with Director Feng into a sneer at him.

They even said this was a poor attempt to shift the blame, and that your project plan was more reliable.

As for why Xu Liang sneered?

A month ago, by chance, Director Feng pressured Xu Liang to come and clean his office. He unexpectedly found shredded pieces of paper in the trash can.

Then Xu Liang went to take out the trash and inadvertently found scraps of paper with writing on them. He then picked up all the scraps and put them in his pocket.

After piecing the pieces back together at home, I discovered that the shredded paper was actually a bill that had been filthy and dirty.

He seized this opportunity and stopped making a scene, choosing instead to make a rational exit.

Moreover, it wasn't just Director Feng who had his eye on the factory canteen; many others also had their eyes on it, wanting to tamper with it and profit from the middleman's markup.

This led to the canteen deliberately serving unpalatable dishes and being greedy for money. Even though the factory director had addressed this issue in meetings several times, some people still wouldn't listen.

As a result, the quality of the cafeteria food has gradually declined and started to taste bad.

However, I heard that Director Feng's family also owns a restaurant, and a meal there is particularly expensive. Although it tastes a bit better than what we have in the cafeteria now, the price-performance ratio is really not high.

So, with both ends blocked, a small restaurant needs to emerge from the gaps, aiming to both drive out the canteen and compete with the restaurant owned by Director Feng's family.

Walking on the roads of that era, you would see roadbeds made of gravel and cinders everywhere. Private cars were even rarer in the small town on the outskirts of Chengdu. Motorcycles, tricycles, and old-fashioned bicycles were the main vehicles in the town.

However, Xu Liang found it difficult to adapt to all of this, because he was a reincarnated person who had been reborn from the 21st century back to the 90s.

As he walked, a sudden headache struck, and Xu Liang vaguely remembered what had happened in his previous life.

His greatest wish in his past life was to become a true master chef.

Unexpectedly, when Xu Liang was middle-aged, he encountered the era of great involution. After working as a chef in a large hotel for many years, he was forced to fall into the vortex of layoffs due to the shrinking domestic economy.

After this incident, Xu Liang lived a muddled life, spending all his time at home playing video games all night, and unexpectedly died suddenly.

I didn't become a master chef in my past life.

Finally, he was reborn back in 1995 with regrets.

In 1995, he was only about twenty years old. After being reborn, Xu Liang followed his memories from that time and knew that his current situation was very bad.

I resigned voluntarily, and I don't have much money left!

As he walked past the old-style tenement building, he remembered a small shop nearby, and the shop owner was Xu Liang's cousin.

If you want to open a restaurant, you'll have to borrow some money from him.

I heard that my uncle's family used to run a small restaurant, and that the restaurant was located near the factory, close to a commercial area.

But later, for some reason, he lost money, so he found another place and opened a small shop.

After that small restaurant fell into disrepair, my uncle's family wanted to rent it out, but they couldn't find a suitable one in such a large town as Huaikou.

He had heard the news early on, and it was indeed true; there really was such a small restaurant. He finally couldn't hold back any longer.

So, under the guise of going to the store to buy something, he took the opportunity to ask his cousin about the matter.

"Uncle, it's been a long time!"

He greeted the customer as he entered the store.

My uncle was wearing a yellow vest and looked unusually energetic.

My cousin saw him.

"Hey, it's Liangwazi! Looking to buy something? Feel free to pick anything you like, some of these are even brand new!"

Xu Liang did want to buy things, but not for himself.

He pointed through the glass of the counter to the cigarettes his uncle often smoked.

It's a Zhonghua brand!

"Alright, but by the way, why are you smoking such good cigarettes? I heard from the neighbors that you had a fight with the factory a while ago and quit. You're not getting paid anymore, how can you afford cigarettes?"

"I've managed to save up a little money."

My uncle handed him the pack of Zhonghua cigarettes.

Then, after saying that, Xu Liang immediately changed the subject and smiled at his uncle.

He then opened the pack of Zhonghua cigarettes he had bought, took out one of them, and pulled out a lighter from the lighter sales booth next to him.

Xu Liang shoved the cigarette directly into his uncle's mouth. Sure enough, as soon as his uncle saw the smoke in his mouth, he grinned like a child.

Then, he took the initiative to light a cigarette. His uncle took a few puffs, exhaled comfortably, sipped his cigarette, and thought to himself, "This is really great!"

Before his uncle could speak again, Xu Liang pulled out two cigarettes and clipped one to his left ear and one to his right ear.

Clearly, his real intention wasn't what he seemed to be after! He was actually concerned with...?

"Good, good. Now, tell me, what do you need my help with?"

"Uncle has a sharp eye, he noticed that. Actually, I do have a request, I want to rent your... that small restaurant that's not rented out."

"I wonder what my uncle thinks?"

"Well... renting is possible, but you need to have enough money. Considering we're uncle and nephew, I can give you a lower price, 750 yuan a month."

Upon hearing the number, he touched his wallet and then put on a pitying expression, apparently because he didn't have enough money.

"Uncle, I don't have enough money on me right now. For the sake of our many years of uncle-nephew relationship, could you please forgive me for a month?"

He clung desperately to his uncle's clothes.

"What? You want to drag this out for a month? No way, no way, unless you have a reason that convinces me."

Since his uncle disagreed with the matter, Xu Liang had to come up with a reason.

Suddenly, Xu Liang remembered an incident his parents had encountered when he was a child, involving his cousin.

In the 80s, my uncle went into stock investment and lost all his money. At the same time, he was looking for a new job.

Having no other choice, the cousin went to Xu Liang's parents' house and begged his father to take him in for a few months.

The difference between a favor done several months ago and one done in a month is obvious. Besides, for a long time after that incident, my uncle didn't repay the favor.

Xu Liang's suggestion wasn't excessive.

"Uncle, do you remember something?"

"What is it?"

"When I was little, you went bankrupt playing the stock market and stayed at our house?"

After thinking about it, the uncle realized that it was indeed true. He rubbed his head and then realized that he had really forgotten to repay the favor.

Then he replied with a smile, "Liangwa, I'm so sorry, all these years, your uncle has forgotten!"

"Well... I guess I'll have to forgive you for a month."

After reaching an agreement, they set off immediately.

Women inevitably gossiped about it behind their backs during the journey.

"Liangwazi is such a fool. He ruined such a good, secure job. If it were me, I wouldn't want to give up such a stable job. He really brought this on himself. Tsk tsk tsk, what a pity for the young man!"

"That's right. Young people like to act impulsively. I heard from people in the factory the other day that he had a fight with Old Feng, the canteen manager."

"I see. The young man looks quite presentable, but I didn't expect him to be so reckless!"

"Shh, stop talking, he's coming."

In front of the neighboring tenement building, several women sat together, each with a sieve in their hands, specifically selecting green beans that had just been picked from the vegetable garden.

That year, he had just turned twenty and held a secure job that everyone envied. He worked as a cook's apprentice in this factory, a life better than being a god.

This means stable wages, guaranteed food and oil subsidies and labor protection benefits, and more importantly, the ability to boast about it and earn the admiration of the neighbors.

……

Led by their uncle, the two arrived at the small restaurant and took a look around. It was about several dozen square meters, with tables and chairs, complete kitchen facilities, pots, refrigerators, and everything else. The old menu on the wall was still there.

Looking at this small restaurant, Xu Liang liked it very much, even though it wasn't very big.

"Oh, right, here's the shop key. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now!"

Okay, Uncle, take care!

After his uncle left, Xu Liang realized that opening a restaurant wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather a result of reading online novels before his rebirth.

It mentions that after being reborn, you have a system, and after figuring it out these past few days, you've made a decision.

Moreover, he already had plans to open a restaurant, and the system would allow him to improve his culinary skills rapidly, enabling him to better serve the people of the Sichuan and Chongqing region.

No, this system just arrived?

[Player: Xu Liang]

[Illustrated Guide Level: Lv.0]

Occupation: Chef

[Cooking Skills]

at present:

Knife skills (Beginner) [Proficiency: 2245/10000] (Sufficient for some basic dishes)

Cooking skill (Intermediate) [Proficiency: 648/1000] (Vast and unpredictable; practice more if you're not good at it)

Seasoning (Intermediate) [Proficiency: 48/100] (Slightly better than Salt King)

Main Quest: Unlock recipe illustrations and become a master chef.

[New Player Quests]

1. Renovate this run-down little restaurant in preparation for its reopening.

[Accept/Refuse, completion reward: +1 to knife skills proficiency]

2. The system provides recipes for you to try out the dishes for your opening.

[Accept/Refuse, and unlock new skills as a reward for completing the level]

This golden touch alone is far from enough; we also need to cultivate interpersonal relationships. The restaurant has the necessary personnel, such as assistants, cashiers, and general workers.

There can't be only Xu Liang here!

And a business license! How can this small restaurant open without gathering some resources?

Therefore, Xu Liang still has a lot to do in order to open the business smoothly.

At present, recruitment and business licenses are secondary; we need to rectify the small restaurant first, since it has been in decline for a long time and no one has taken care of it.

Just then, a middle-aged woman appeared out of nowhere.

They came by the smell.

The middle-aged woman was Ma Cuimei, a relative of Director Feng. She was wearing the most fashionable red coat and black wide-leg pants at the time, and there was a hint of sarcasm on her face.

"Who are you, and what brings you to my shop?"

Ma Cuimei looked around the small restaurant and saw many cobwebs in the corner, thick dust on the tables and chairs, and some cracks in the floor tiles.

"You just got into trouble at the factory, and now you're running a restaurant just like me. You're so young, do you even know how to run a business?"

"I bet you don't even have a business license right now!"

Xu Liang looked bewildered. "No, isn't this my shop? Who has the right to comment on it?"

"What's it to you! Who are you?"

There's also someone who's in competition with Xu Liang, and this competitor fits the image of a middle-aged woman—it must be Director Feng's family member, Ma Cuimei.

"Director Feng sent you!"

"You're smart, kid. You probably already know about some of his things at the factory, which is why you're having a hard time there. You'll have a similar hard time running the restaurant."