When the newly arrived renters left the restaurant, Han Qingling went into the office to store the money in the safe. The money that had been given to her wouldn't be able to pay off the loan in one fell swoop but it would help.
The deadline for the loan payment was fast approaching but with the way things were going, she doubted that she'd be able to do anything about it. What she needed was more customers and a way to catch their attention. Han Qingling thought about introducing a few new flavors to attract more customers but that would require chefs, and as of today, she had none. While she had good cooking skills, she wasn't able to emulate the steamed buns her father made. She simply lacked the know-how and experience her father had to be able to produce them.
Her head started to ache. Han Qingling closed her eyes and started to massage her temples. When she opened her eyes, her gaze landed on the book, An FeiFei gave her.
It wasn't overtly thick nor was it thin. The cover was plain white with the words 'Recipe Book #0788: Steamed Buns' scrawled across. Recalling the words directed to her, Han Qingling understood why it would be useful but she didn't know how An FeiFei knew that her restaurant made steamed buns.
"Perhaps, father told her," she mumbled.
She opened the book and started reading, but rather than feel optimistic about how helpful the book was, it was mostly done out of curiosity. However, her indifference quickly turned to shock and awe.
Han Qingling had read many recipes and recipe books. Rather than providing any help, the instructions were general and mostly gave her ideas on what she could add or do. But, when she read through the recipes from the book An FeiFei gave her, Han Qingling suddenly felt her mind absorbing all the information quickly. She knew how to make steamed buns, and she had read plenty of recipe books while she ran the restaurant so the content of the book wasn't something new or mind-blowing. Yet, she found herself reviewing her past attempts at making steamed buns, and thinking that there were details she should have incorporated or avoided.
It was like she had received an epiphany.
She was so excited that she ran to the kitchen and started to make steamed buns. And soon, a fragrant aroma filled the restaurant.
...
When lightning struck, a majority of the customers of the Jade Dragon restaurant immediately rushed out of the restaurant in droves. They didn't care about soaking their clothes or their unfinished meals. They would rather risk catching a cold and go hungry than be sitting inside a restaurant Mother Nature seemed to want to strike at.
One customer had just stepped into the restaurant when lightning struck. The door had yet to even close!
"Sh**! Is the Jade Dragon undergoing the lightning tribulation or something?"
"Damn it, whose father did they insult?!"
"I'm not staying here one minute longer!"
It was a shared sentiment between the crowd that exited.
He WenYuan was a famous food vlogger that came to the Jade Dragon that day, but even he drew the line at eating at a restaurant where lightning struck. He turned to address his companion. "Suiyin, let's just go home."
His girlfriend and fellow vlogger, Jiang Suiyin, was using his jacket as an umbrella to ward off the rain. When she heard his words, she stomped her feet in anger. "I don't want to go home. I'm hungry! You promised to bring me out to eat steamed buns!"
"We can come back another time."
"WenYuan, you kept talking about steamed buns all week! You made me crave for them, and then you promised to bring me to eat the best steamed buns in the city! I dieted for today since you said you'd bring me out to eat my fill. He WenYuan, I'm not leaving until you get me the best steamed buns in the city!"
"Fine, then let's go back inside."
Suiyin glared at him angrily. "Are you insane?! I'm not going inside that deathtrap! Just get me the other best steamed buns in the city!"
Geez, a hungry woman was scary indeed, he thought.
Knowing how stubborn his girlfriend was, He WenYuan felt helpless. He spent weeks researching famous and hidden restaurants with delicious steamed buns for his 'Best Steamed Buns in Z City' episode. There was no other restaurants that could measure up with 'Four Seasons Baozi' made by the Jade Dragon restaurant. Plus, the other branches were too far away. If he didn't deliver what Jiang Suiyin wanted as soon as possible, not only would he return as a single dog, but it would mess up the release schedule of his vlogs. Furthermore, He WenYuan couldn't just bring Jiang Suiyin to another place and lie about it being the best. It was against his artistic integrity... plus with his girlfriend's refined palate, she would be able to tell if the quality was subpar.
He looked around hoping for a solution and noticed a restaurant just across the street.
Cloud Steamed Bun Restaurant.
He WenYuan came across the name a few times during his research on the Jade Restaurant, especially since they were located at the same street. Unlike the former, the Cloud Steamed Bun was a restaurant which specialized in making steamed buns but after its previous owner died, the restaurant declined. There were rumors about it being a health hazard, a gangsters' hangout and so on. It was a shame because He WenYuan had actually heard good things about the food when the previous owner ran the place.
"WenYuan, hurry up. The rain is getting heavier and I don't want to be near this damned restaurant!" Jiang Suiyin complained.
But... he couldn't be choosy right now.
Taking a glance at the restaurant, it seemed empty inside so there shouldn't be any gangsters around. And with the current weather, he doubted that anyone would be coming in either. Even if the business was declining, it had only been a few months since the previous owner died. The chef making the food might still be there, so the quality should be the same.
After thinking it through, He WenYuan decided to risk it. He had his mighty vlogging camera and the police on speed dial. Those gangsters wouldn't dare hurt him.
... He hoped.
"Let's go there. It's open and it's close."
Jiang Suiyin nodded and followed him in.
Several people also noticed Han Qingling's restaurant. They had been customers eating at the Jade Dragon but the sudden lightning strikes scared them off in the middle of eating. Most of them had yet to take a bite before they unceremoniously ran off, so they were hungry. Several people who knew of He WenYuan noticed where he was heading and followed suit.
'If the famous food vlogger went, it must be good', was the thought of those people.
Soon, a crowd of people walked from the Jade Dragon to the Cloud Steamed Bun Restaurant.