Jiajia Restaurant (Part 2)

When setting the prices, Duan Jiaze had also asked for many people's opinions, which could basically be divided into two camps.

The ordinary human employees like Xiao Su said: "It's too delicious! Set the price higher! At least a hundred yuan! No! Two hundred!"

The youkai like Xiong Siqian said: "What the hell? Two hundred? Is two hundred even presentable? Twenty thousand at least!"

It was basically a choice between "a bit high" and "even higher"...

Duan Jiaze was speechless. He could understand that in terms of true value, these items might be worth more than twenty thousand, practically priceless.

But he was afraid of scaring away all the customers, so he went with Xiao Su and the others' opinion, which was more in line with Donghai City's consumption levels and Lingyou Zoo's current positioning. It was a range that well-off tourists could accept without any burden, and one that average tourists, after a little temptation, could also accept.

Even so, the restaurant's popularity after opening exceeded Duan Jiaze's expectations.

This was due to several bonuses. One was the architecture; with Zhu Feng's blessing, it unconsciously attracted many diners, and people found that they ate with more relish here. Then there were the ingredients. Even the ordinary ingredients were fresh and substantial, not to mention the tempting Shennong Series and Luojia Series.

One led to two, and when a few tourists were tempted by a couple of others to buy the two recommended series, things got out of hand.

It could be said that these ingredients were absolutely the most outstanding of their kind they had ever eaten in their lives, even reaching a level of perfection!

Many high-priced foods give people the feeling of being delicious, but not necessarily worth every penny, because they include labor and other costs. But the recommended series dishes at Jiajia Restaurant gave people a feeling of... being a complete bargain! Even though they were a tad expensive!

Because this expense was still within everyone's acceptable range, and there were even affordable dishes for comparison, no one was forced to buy the expensive ones. It wasn't like they were eating this every day, so the diners who tried them couldn't help but order more dishes, completely voluntarily, and no one felt ripped off.

Duan Jiaze, sitting among the diners with Sun Aiping's family, witnessed their "post-meal reactions" firsthand.

When Liu Li'an first started drinking the congee, she could still maintain some composure: "Delicious, and it feels very healthy. I could eat a whole bowl."

The five-grain congee went down, warming and appetizing.

Then, when the sliced pork with bamboo shoots arrived, Liu Li'an said again: "Oh, I'll just have some more bamboo shoots, I won't get fat."

The tender bamboo shoots, when bitten into, were like the character for "fresh" exploding in her mouth. They could be crunched through with ease, clearly all the tenderest parts. Because a little dried chili and sliced pork were added, there was a hint of spiciness and meatiness, but this only enhanced the flavor of the bamboo shoots.

Liu Li'an did indeed pick at the bamboo shoots and didn't eat the meat, but when the subsequent dishes like steamed ribs with millet and wheat fish fillet soup were served, she also murmured, "I'll just have a few bites..." and then ate more than half a bowl.

A little of each added up, and Liu Li'an was stuffed, but what was more frightening was that she still wanted to eat...

And only after finishing did Liu Li'an realize that it wasn't just her; everyone else seemed to be choosing the vegetarian dishes too. The five grains, bamboo shoots—all were picked clean, while some of the meat was still left on the plates.

Liu Li'an kept muttering: "It's over, it's over, I ate so much. Even if it's all vegetarian, I'll still gain a kilo."

"You won't," Duan Jiaze said. "I guarantee it will only improve your complexion and fix some minor ailments."

Hearing this, Liu Li'an took it as him comforting her, but she needed this kind of empty comfort. "That's good, that's good."

Sun Aiping and Sun Ying also ate a lot, especially Sun Aiping. He ate a full four bowls of rice, not counting the bowl of congee from before. He was so full he could barely walk, lying there and saying, "Last time I saw that video on your WeChat of the bear eating bamboo shoots, I laughed and said, 'This bear sure loves to eat.' I think I ate more greedily than that bear today..."

It was a wake-up call. Sun Ying murmured, "No wonder it looked so familiar."

It wasn't just them who ate like bears; many other diners were the same.

Duan Jiaze even saw Xiao Su squatting to the side with her phone, taking pictures and capturing all sorts of promotional scenes she wanted.

Sun Aiping couldn't help but say: "The environment here is really great. The air is fresh, it's at the foot of the mountain, there's a lake, so many birds flying around, and the decor is excellent—clean, ecological, and natural. This condition alone is better than many professional high-end restaurants."

Liu Li'an also agreed: "That's right. I've been to all sorts of hotels and restaurants in Donghai City, including those eco-farms, and none of them have given me this kind of feeling. This is truly a good place, no wonder the animals are raised so well. I looked around today, and they all looked full of spirit."

Liu Li'an was still aware she was in public, so she restrained herself from comparing it to the City Zoo.

In fact, let alone the City Zoo, no zoo in the entire Donghai City could compare. Zoos weren't just limited to the City Zoo and Lingyou Zoo; many shopping malls, in order to attract customers, also built indoor zoos or even aquariums, but the mental state of the animals was far from optimistic.

The more Duan Jiaze understood this industry, the more he thought about other aspects. Now that the flow of visitors had stabilized, he had also canceled the prize-draw bird companion tours. He hoped that as more and more tourists were attracted here, they would fall in love with the animals, and not only that, but also come to understand them.

......

Normally, Jiajia Restaurant served breakfast and lunch. On the first day of business, not many people ate in the morning, but there were more at noon. Because seating was limited, some tourists would wait a while to avoid the peak hours.

But after just that short wait, when they came back, the Shennong Series and Luojia Series were already sold out...

After all, a few people influence a small group, and a small group influences the majority. Some people weren't satisfied with just eating there and even got takeout, and the portions were limited to begin with.

Some of the later tourists were fortunate—or perhaps unfortunate—enough to see the previous customers eating the last of the series dishes. By this time, they were already very hungry, and being tempted again, their mouths watered: "What's this dish? Let's order this one, it looks refreshing and smells delicious."

But the waiter would apologetically inform them that, sorry, it was already sold out.

Perhaps only then would the tourists notice the price behind the dish's name, but it no longer mattered, because you couldn't buy it even if you had the money.

For this very reason, it made them even more curious. It was sold at prices like a high-end restaurant, yet it could still sell out. Could there really be some secret to it?

In fact, the people who had eaten it were already discussing it, wondering if they had poached some incredibly skilled head chef. This couldn't all be due to the ingredients, right? Did they use some special method to fully release the original flavors of the food?

Scenes from various food animes and movies began to appear in everyone's minds...

......

In the evening, Duan Jiaze went online and saw that Xiao Su's post about Jiajia Restaurant's opening today had already been published. In the comments, many local citizens were sharing their firsthand accounts.

"I went to Lingyou Zoo with my husband today and ate at Jiajia. I have to come on here and scream, the five-grain congee is so damn delicious!! I feel like I'm frolicking in a field of hope!!"

"+1 on the deliciousness, I went today too. I saw other people eating it and just couldn't resist. I bought a bowl, and I'm still savoring the taste now. It's truly the best congee I've ever had."

"Official account blogger, I'm begging you, please tell the Zoo Director to open a restaurant in the city..."

"I went too, but I haven't been paid yet and couldn't bear to buy it. Seeing others eat so heartily, waah. But the local dishes are delicious too, super fresh. For a scenic spot restaurant, it's really a good deal."

"My Moments feed was flooded today. A friend who never eats vegetables posted over twenty updates about Lingyou's food, with lots of pictures and emojis, lol. I think she's gone crazy."

"At first I thought it was just okay, the restaurant's name and all sounds like a fast-food joint, but the specialty dishes are absolutely top-tier. I'm not exaggerating, I haven't eaten rice that good in thirty years."

"Shocked, are these not paid shills? My aunt came back from Lingyou Zoo today and couldn't stop praising it either. She even said her constipation was cured, it must have been from eating the five-grain congee there. I thought she'd been scammed, a bowl of congee that expensive..."

"I'm planning to go to Lingyou Zoo again tomorrow, I'm already missing the fresh bamboo shoot soup..."

"Decided to invite my friends to have a meal at the zoo. With all due respect, no restaurant in the city can compare to Jiajia Local Cuisine Restaurant."

"For real? That's so exaggerated!"

......

Out-of-town netizens who followed Lingyou Zoo initially thought they were paid shills. A restaurant opened by a zoo, how good could the food possibly be?

But when they clicked on the accounts, many were several years old, and none of the comments were identical. They were either praising the exquisite taste, complaining they didn't get to eat it, or saying their own feeds were flooded with posts about it.

Of course, there were also many who praised Jiajia's regular dishes for being delicious, reasonably priced, and made with fresh ingredients. Someone even said that they usually had a very poor appetite and couldn't eat, but the moment they walked into the restaurant, they felt hungry—of course, this was pure metaphysics.

In short, it was a clean sweep of positive reviews.

This was very rare. Everyone's tastes are different; getting mostly positive reviews is possible, but all positive reviews meant this place might be truly outstanding.

Out-of-town netizens thought to themselves, in that case, they'd know where to eat when they visit Donghai and Lingyou Zoo in the future.

Local citizens were more deeply affected. After a week or two of fermentation, Jiajia Restaurant's reputation had spread, and the reviews became increasingly one-sided, with incredibly high customer loyalty!

Customers who had eaten there once would never forget it. Those with the means increased the frequency of their visits to the zoo, and those without would still consider dining at Lingyou Zoo more often in the future.

The overwhelming response also created some problems. Jiajia Restaurant was an affiliate of Lingyou Zoo, only serving food to park visitors, with no delivery. And as the diners became more enthusiastic, due to limited ingredients, even the number of servings and takeout options were restricted. It was impossible to even pay someone to buy it for you...

In other words, to eat the Shennong Series and Luojia Series, you first had to drive to the foot of Cape Mountain, buy a zoo ticket, and then go inside to eat. And, because it was getting more and more popular, you might not even be able to get a serving.

Thus, diners loudly called for Lingyou Zoo to open a branch in the city or offer delivery. Of course, they had no intention of changing careers and also stated they didn't have enough ingredients, so it wasn't possible.

Ordinary citizens were fine; they could endure it and make an occasional trip to Cape Mountain to satisfy their cravings.

But the food lovers couldn't stand it. This led to some people not only going on weekends, but also driving to Lingyou Zoo during their lunch break from Monday to Friday, having a meal, and then rushing back to work.

"...My wealthy colleague drove to the zoo for lunch again. I'm impressed."

"If you ask me where I like to eat most, I like the zoo the most."

"Got a zoo annual pass, yay, eating will be so much more convenient from now on."

Comments like these frequently appeared on social networks, making Lingyou Zoo and its Jiajia Restaurant a hot topic again locally.

At this time, a local fan of Lingyou Zoo also edited a video. It started with a line of text: "Recently, Lingyou Zoo's restaurant has become a sensation in Donghai. Many people from out of town are wondering, what's up with you Donghai people... Today, this blogger will tell you, you should be asking, what's up with Lingyou Zoo..."

Then, the screen showed various clips from Lingyou Zoo's official blog of animals eating—from the bear gnawing on bamboo shoots, the red panda munching on an apple, the arctic fox eating fish, to monkeys eating bananas and lions eating meat...

The red panda had apple juice all over its mouth, but it didn't forget to wipe its mouth with its paw and lick it clean.

The lion roared while eating its meat. Anyone who didn't know better would think it had been starved for days, though of course, its physique showed that was impossible.

Anyway, all these animals ate with exceptional gusto.

......

Seeing this, some viewers had already figured it out and burst out laughing.

Sure enough, the second half of the video was a collection of photos and short videos of Jiajia Restaurant, posted by local netizens or the official blog. Moments of silent, eager eating, moments of licking plates clean, and the sight of people walking away with round, full bellies, unable to move properly...

Somehow, it bore a striking resemblance to the first half.

"Seeing this, I think you should have the same thought: Lingyou Zoo's food has magic!"

This video received many likes from locals. They hadn't noticed it before, but now that it was pointed out, it was true. Not only did they eat with gusto, but Lingyou Zoo's animals did too.

So, the reason Lingyou Zoo's animals were so lively and cute was actually because of the good food, right?

Sure enough, delicious food is the number one productive force. When you eat well, even your enthusiasm for work increases. Many people forwarded it to their main accounts and Moments, hoping their companies would learn from it.

"When a zoo bear eats well, it knows how to act cute, let alone a person! Boss, please see my heartfelt plea!"

"I want to be an animal at the zoo, then I can eat at Jiajia for free every day QAQ"

"Is the Zoo Director hiring animals with a college degree..."

A zoo gaining popularity because of its affiliated restaurant had a rather comical feel to it, so it was no wonder everyone was joking about "going to the zoo to eat" and "becoming an animal at the zoo to eat."

The more people joked, the more attention the zoo received. Many onlookers, skeptics, and local restaurants that had been overshadowed and were baffled by the situation couldn't help but go and investigate.

But as the saying goes, true gold fears no fire. No matter how many people went, the result was always the same four words: completely and utterly convinced.

Selling at this price, they were impressed. Being this popular, they were even more impressed.

Many restaurants also approached Duan Jiaze, wanting to partner with him. Since Lingyou Zoo wasn't willing to open a branch in the city, they could sell the dishes at their places.

Others wanted to inquire about Lingyou Zoo's ingredient supply. Many strongly suspected it was a new, high-grade variety from a research institute that wasn't in mass production, or from some foreign country, otherwise how could they not find the corresponding variety?

These were all fruitless efforts. Duan Jiaze couldn't be happier. To be able to drive the zoo's ticket sales in reverse through the restaurant—how could he let the dishes be outsourced? As for the ingredient supply, it was impossible for these people to find the same varieties, and they couldn't get any samples from his cultivation base either.

—Forget them, even those sparrows, who were as clever as could be, couldn't steal a few grains of Shennong's Five Grains.

The bamboo shoots were handled by Xiong Siqian, a professional security guard with a hundred years of experience, and the kitchen management was joined by monks from the cultivation world. It was extremely strict!

If it weren't for Duan Jiaze's strong connections, with both Daoists and monks backing him up, many people would probably want to strangle him——

......

While being the subject of much envy, Duan Jiaze was enjoying a leisurely time. For instance, right now, having just finished a shower, he was sitting on his bed looking at a marine life encyclopedia, fantasizing, "If I were rich, I'd build a real underwater tunnel for an aquarium, extending to the Donghai sea. I wouldn't even need any scenery, and I'd have as many fish as I want. Open-style, the fish could come and go as they please, just like the tourists."

Donghai City actually had the geographical conditions for this. This type of construction was rare in Asia. For Lingyou Zoo, the biggest problem was actually funding, and they weren't located right on the coastline, so separating the various enclosures wasn't ideal.

Luya snorted beside him, mocking Duan Jiaze: "Building an underwater aquarium is one thing, but making it open-style is asking for death, isn't it? You'll just get a bunch of octopuses coming over."

"No way!" Duan Jiaze rolled his eyes. His phone suddenly rang. He glanced at it; it was the local police officer in charge of the area. He answered, "Officer Liu, what's up?"

The police officer said: "Director Duan, I'm just passing on a reminder. We just had a meeting. There's a group of criminals in the city recently, committing crimes everywhere, indecently assaulting women, and they're quite... vicious. Their crime times are irregular, and they haven't been caught yet. Although we're in the suburbs, we usually have a lot of tourists, so we need to be careful. You should inform your employees and remind the tourists as well."

"Okay, will do," Duan Jiaze said quickly. "Thank you."

As soon as he hung up, Duan Jiaze sent this message in the WeChat group, reminding all employees, especially the female ones, to be careful.

Luya asked from the side, "What's that?"

The dispatched animals were not in that group chat. Duan Jiaze said seriously, "Sigh, there are some vicious criminals..."

Under Luya's calm gaze, Duan Jiaze felt it was pointless after just a few words and changed his tone, "A few Human Race hooligans are on the loose. I'm reminding the employees to be careful."

Luya said "Oh," clearly unconcerned. He guessed that none of the dispatched animals would care about such a thing.

After hanging up, Duan Jiaze continued looking at the encyclopedia. His hair was dripping wet because the hairdryer was broken. He had only wiped it with a towel, and now water droplets were falling onto his body and the book from time to time.

Luya watched from the side and said, "Can't you dry your hair?"

Duan Jiaze pretended not to hear. Ever since he started living with the Daoist Lord, the Daoist Lord often criticized his various living habits.

Like this one. He felt that Luya's reason was definitely not for some wellness knowledge about getting a headache if you don't dry your hair, but probably just because he hated water, or simply wanted to give him pointers.

Seeing Duan Jiaze ignore him, Luya was very unhappy. "How dare you play deaf and dumb!"

Duan Jiaze put down the book, steadied himself with the stool beside the bed, and stretched his head over, joking, "I was wrong, but the towel can only do so much. The hairdryer's broken, so how about you lend me some hot air, Daoist Lord?"

Their beds were close together, and Duan Jiaze's head was now directly over Luya's bed.

Looking up, he saw Luya staring at him with his phoenix eyes: "..."

This was giving an inch and taking a mile! Luya felt that he didn't know who had given this zookeeper a bear's heart and a leopard's gall lately, but he was getting more and more audacious!

Duan Jiaze, having gone too far, was now afraid Luya would get angry. He decided to quit while he was ahead. "Then I'll go air-dry it outside before coming back."

He had only halfway retracted when Luya grabbed the nape of his neck in disgust. A gust of warm air blew over, not too hot, not too cold, just right, instantly drying the patch of hair it hit.

Luya said resentfully, "If there's a next time, I'll kill you."

Duan Jiaze: "..."

Wait... you really blew it dry?