Initially worried about being ripped off, the group was pleasantly surprised when Caiye finally brought out the dishes.
"It's just a simple plate of seaweed strips, but it tastes like an appetizer at a high-end restaurant!"
"This isn't just ordinary seaweed strips—it's top-quality seaweed worth eighty-eight yuan," Ye Jiujiu replied with a smile.
"Let me try this steamed egg," the chubby boy said, tasting the smooth, milky clam steamed egg. His face lit up. "It's absolutely amazing! It melts in your mouth—it's incredibly delicious."
"I've eaten a lot of steamed eggs since I was a child. I used to think the best was the shrimp steamed egg at that hotel, but this one is even better," his companion exclaimed. The egg was so tender she almost felt her tongue would fall off.
"It's really good," the others agreed, giving thumbs up. "We've eaten seafood elsewhere, but this tastes even better."
"I think so too," echoed Jiaojiao's mother from the next table. "Seafood from other places often tastes fishy, but here it's not fishy at all. In fact, it's a little sweet. I don't know if sugar was added."
"It's so delicious!" Jiaojiao whispered, holding her seafood porridge with delight.
Encouraged, the chubby boy turned to his companions. "Boss, let's order a few more dishes."
Soon, three more tables of passersby came in. They hesitated at first, reluctant to order, but after tasting the food, their delight was clear. "So fresh, so fragrant!"
"This seafood is better than anything I've ever had. Was the owner a five-star chef before?" one asked.
"No, I just like to study it," Ye Jiujiu replied. She had followed her grandmother since childhood, learning seafood preparation quickly. A natural affinity for seafood helped her master many recipes after moving to Haicheng.
The customers nodded in agreement. "It's really fresh! We couldn't stop eating—it was all gone before we knew it. Boss, could we have another order of garlic vermicelli scallops and spicy whelks?"
"We'd like to add steamed clams with egg and baked mussels with cheese too," others chimed in.
"Sorry, we're out," Ye Jiujiu said gently. The seafood stocked over the past two days was all used, leaving only a little seaweed and yellow clams. Ye Jiujiu herself was tired.
The customers were disappointed but understanding. "Boss, it's all gone so early?"
"Yes," Ye Jiujiu nodded with a smile. "Our seafood is delivered fresh every day, in limited quantities. Once it's sold out, it's gone. Come again tomorrow—there will be other fresh seafood."
Although eager to return, most said with a laugh, "We'll come whenever we can afford it."
After finishing the remaining dishes, the guests paid and left. By the time the last table exited, Ye Jiujiu closed the shop and began cleaning. By then, the moon was high, and a gentle evening breeze had cooled the summer air.
After a shower, Ye Jiujiu tallied the day's earnings. Seven tables had ordered nearly the entire menu. The total was over 13,000 yuan. After deducting costs for side dishes, drinks, and minor kitchen expenses, the net profit was over 10,000 yuan. Quite profitable.
Ye Jiujiu patted the refrigerator. "We're out of stock at home. Send over a little more tomorrow."
The next morning, the first thing she did was open the refrigerator—only to be hit by a mountain of seafood tumbling onto her face. Stinging but amused, she looked at the lively mantis shrimp and stopped being angry. Today, the shrimp were huge!
She didn't even wash her face. Squatting with several basins, she sorted through mantis shrimp, clams, hard clams, razor clams, cat's eye snails, large gong snails, coconut snails, and other sea snails—a total of several dozen kilograms. The six mantis shrimp were enormous, each about the width of her five fingers and weighing more than a pound.
"Refrigerator, you did a great job today," she said, keeping one mantis shrimp for herself and cleaning the rest to prepare today's signature dishes.
After cleaning, Ye Jiujiu made a menu based on the available seafood. By noon, everything was ready. She went out, opened the door, and hung the "Open for Business" sign.
Just then, the chubby boy from last night came sprinting toward her like he was running an 800-meter dash. In the next moment, he knelt before her.
"Boss, you are my second parents!"