My Restaurant's Guests are All Abnormal

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Braised Chicken with Soy Sauce

"So, brother, I think you need to find a way to explain,"

Chen Xingchen sat across from Chen Ze with a serious face, while Chen Ze was completely clueless, having no idea what he was supposed to explain.

"Don’t you think, given how popular you are now, if you don’t continue to sell barbecue, even more people will come asking about it?"

"And what will you do if it attracts media attention?" Chen Xingchen looked at Chen Ze with a critical eye, feeling that such things should have been planned for earlier.

"Even though you, my brother, are as revolting as a slug, and incredibly lazy, and you like to read those R18 comics, it would still be a bother if you were really caught out because of the restaurant,"

Chen Ze’s mouth twitched; he hadn’t realized this was the image he had in his sister’s mind.

"Hey, hey, is it really okay for you to insult me like this?"

"I’m stating facts, so I’m not insulting you."

"So, I don’t have any merits at all?"

Hearing Chen Ze’s words, Chen Xingchen thought for a moment, then looked at him with a serious expression, "I’ve thought about it, and really, no."

Chen Ze took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"Regarding this matter, I’ll put up a notice to explain," Chen Ze attempted to change the subject.

"Tch, it’s too obvious you’re changing the subject."

Then the next day, Chen Ze put up an A4 paper outside.

"This should do the trick," Chen Ze was satisfied with his handiwork and then went back into the restaurant. Today he still had to learn to cook from his sister.

"Brother, you should know how to make Drunken Spare Ribs, right?" Chen Xingchen looked at Chen Ze doubtfully; she was worried he would produce some horror of a dish, given Chen Ze’s past offences.

Just thinking about the time Chen Ze attempted to make pickled fish, which resulted in their next-door friend texting her to ask, "Is your family boiling feces?"

Chen Xingchen has always had serious doubts about her brother’s cooking skills, even if Chen Ze managed to make a decent Braised Pork once.

"Haven’t you heard of the saying ’one should regard others with the admiration one would accord to them after three days’ absence’? I’m not the same person I used to be," Chen Ze confidently pushed past Chen Xingchen; he had to prove himself.

Before long, Chen Ze made a batch of Drunken Spare Ribs using the method Chen Xingchen showed him the day before.

[You’ve made a barely passable Drunken Spare Ribs, and gained 3 points in home cooking experience]

Chen Ze scratched his head; he was certain he had followed Chen Xingchen’s method, so why was it just barely passable?

Chen Xingchen picked up a small piece of spare rib with her chopsticks and bit into it.

"You’ve put too much wine in this; I suspect you’re not making Drunken Spare Ribs but rather you just want to drink," Chen Xingchen said, curling her lip.

Chen Ze scratched his head awkwardly, only then realizing that he had poured based on the smell of the alcohol, without thinking of the amount.

"Sigh, figure it out yourself. Now I’m going to teach you how to make braised chicken in soy sauce," Chen Xingchen shook her head, having little expectation for her brother whose cooking skills were perilously close to catastrophic.

"I didn’t know you could make braised chicken in soy sauce, Star,"

"It seems you look down on me, Chen somebody."

Afterward, it took a whole chicken for Chen Xingchen to finally have Chen Ze vaguely grasp the basic steps of the dish.

"By the way, sister, I’m planning to hire a waiter," Chen Ze said as he cut the chicken, speaking to Chen Xingchen.

"A waiter? Have you lost your mind? With the kind of restaurant you run, can you even hire a waiter?" Chen Xingchen’s eyes fully conveyed what it meant to look upon someone as mentally challenged.

"But with these otherworldly customers, who order lots of food, I have to cook and serve at the same time. It’s really tiring," Chen Ze sighed, having a premonition that the number of customers would keep increasing.

"Externally, definitely not, at most a few part-timers would do. But internally, without a waiter, things will still be troublesome later on."

"Wait, are you trying to salt someone to death?" Chen Xingchen stopped Chen Ze from ruining a dish by putting in too much salt.

"You’ve got a point, but it’s not possible to hire someone from around here as a waiter. Ten out of ten would get arrested," Chen Xingchen poured half of the excess salt back. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

"I’m not stupid; obviously, we can’t hire people from around here, so I’m planning to find one from among these otherworldly customers," Chen Ze looked at the small spoonful of salt, feeling it might not be enough.

"Do you think those dragons, the Undead Monarch, and whatnot, would come and work as waiters for you?"

"No, that’s why I’m troubled," Chen Ze let out a sigh. Of course, he knew it was completely unrealistic to expect those important figures to work as his waiters.

Besides, even if they did, his little heart couldn’t take it.

[You’ve made a barely satisfactory braised chicken. Your experience in home cooking increased by 3 points.]

"Come and have a taste," Chen Ze said, satisfied as he unwrapped his headscarf.

"...I mean... did you secretly add more salt again? Bastard!" Chen Xingchen stomped hard on Chen Ze’s foot.

That evening, Chen Xingchen stood at the entrance of their own restaurant, smiling as she looked at the notice Chen Ze had posted.

"Heh... Such a stupid excuse..."

"Whatever, it’s none of my business anyway. The thought of turning invisible again really puts me in a bad mood. I wish a few brazen young punks would come my way so I can beat the crap out of them to vent," Chen Xingchen clenched her hands.

In the Sun Moon City food forum, the Dream Restaurant became famous once again.

[Dream Restaurant’s Thousand Tricks: We Need to Go Abroad to Buy Ingredients!]

[The Clearest, Most Serene Reason for Temporary Closure I’ve Ever Seen]

[Dream Restaurant’s Starvation Marketing Strategy!]

Various posts instantly flooded the food forum, spreading the word about the restaurant and the A4 paper Chen Ze had posted on the outside.

"Due to overwhelming business, the restaurant will be closed temporarily as we need to go abroad to buy ingredients. We ask for our customers’ understanding."

Chen Ze hadn’t considered how flimsy this excuse was. If someone were to check his travel records and find discrepancies, he’d be busted. Fortunately, no one was idle enough to investigate.

Meanwhile, Chen Ze was still busy in the kitchen, striving to perfect braised chicken. He attempted to make an ordinary braised chicken, but after five tries, they were all barely passable.

"Sigh, I don’t know when that girl will come back; I need her taste buds," Chen Ze said, annoyed, tossing his headscarf onto the table, unable to figure out what exactly he was doing wrong.

But just then, an alluring female voice appeared.

As ever, it was incomprehensible, yet inexplicably seductive.

Chen Ze, curious, peered out to take a look. Sure enough, a customer had entered the restaurant, or to be precise, a demon.