After My Rebirth Chapter 25: He could do this.

Chapter 25: He could do this.

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Li Sinian went to the restaurant around noon. The line outside looked just as long as it had been the past few days—maybe even longer.

Having already seen such a crowd once before, Li Sinian felt nothing at all. Calmly, and under the expectant gazes of the customers, he taped a handwritten notice on the front door of the restaurant.

Dear Customers: Due to limited space, ingredients, and staff, we regret to inform you that we cannot accommodate every guest. Starting today, our restaurant will limit the number of tables served each day to fifty—twenty-five at lunch and twenty-five at dinner. Please plan your visit accordingly. Thank you for your understanding.

As expected, the moment the notice went up, the entire line—whether people were in front or at the back—erupted in frustration.

Come on, they thought. As paying customers, they were already enduring the blazing sun just to eat here. And now? Now they might not even get to eat? Was this a joke?

Some, after reading the notice clearly, turned around and left without a word. One man muttered a string of complaints as he passed Li Sinian, throwing out a parting jab under his breath.

Everyone vented their frustrations in different ways, but the message was mostly the same: Li Sinian had clearly let a little internet fame go to his head.

Limiting customer seats? Not even national chain hot pot joints had the nerve to pull that.

Still, Li Sinian responded to every unhappy customer with a polite smile and a sincere apology. No matter what they said, he remained calm and respectful.

He had a strikingly handsome face to begin with, and when paired with such a courteous demeanor, even the angriest customers couldn’t hold on to their annoyance for long. Sure, they still thought the little restaurant was a bit too full of itself, but at least the owner wasn’t rude about it.

Despite the first notice causing a few people to leave, the line of customers waiting to eat remained long.

Then, Li Sinian put up a second notice, this time addressing the crowd more directly.

To thank our customers for their patience, everyone currently in line will receive a complimentary honey passion fruit drink. It’s a small gesture, but we hope it brings you some comfort. Thank you for your understanding.

People crowded in to read it, and just as they finished, a large shadow fell across them. Looking up, they saw a massive umbrella.

While Li Sinian had been posting the notices and apologizing to customers, Zheng Ming and a few others had been quietly setting up sunshades behind him. Now, with the second notice posted, the umbrella was up too.

The timing couldn’t have been better—it was hot, and the umbrella immediately made a difference.

Just as the customers were beginning to think, Well, maybe the boss isn’t so bad after all, Zheng Ming and his friends came back with dozens of little stools. Each stool had either a soft cushion or a woven cooling mat tied to it.

Customers could choose whichever suited them: cushion for comfort, mat for staying cool, or both if they wanted a mix of soft and breezy.

If the umbrella had been enough to make people feel like the owner had a conscience, then the personalized seating shocked them even more.

Sure, the place had its quirks—but they couldn’t deny that the owner genuinely cared about his customers’ comfort.

Everyone in line sat down according to the order they’d arrived, and then Zheng Ming’s crew rolled out the next surprise.

Fans.

Four large electric fans were placed along the queue, positioned carefully so that everyone could feel the breeze. They even placed blocks of ice in front of them to simulate the effect of an air conditioner.

The moment the cool air hit their faces, the heat and frustration of standing in line melted away. No one complained anymore.

Most people who came to this restaurant weren’t in a rush anyway—they were here for the experience, the hype. And now that the environment was this comfortable? Sitting in line didn’t seem so bad.

Finally, Zheng Ming and the others brought out the promised drinks—ice-cold honey passion fruit beverages pulled from insulated containers.

The golden-orange drinks came in oversized plastic cups, condensation sliding down the sides as the cups were handed out. Inside, the ice clinked softly, and just looking at it made people feel refreshed.

The drinks were distributed starting from both the front and the back of the line simultaneously.

They had prepared three boxes of iced drinks and one box of room-temperature ones. By the time they finished handing them out for free, they had almost run out of all four boxes.

Li Sinian quickly told Zheng Ming to run home and grab four more boxes, just in case they didn’t have enough to sell later.

The first person to get a drink was a young guy. He had been standing in the sun for over half an hour without any water. When he finally got the drink, he cracked it open and took a huge gulp.

It quenched his thirst instantly—and also stunned him.

He paused, then took a smaller sip and smacked his lips, savoring the taste.

Unlike syrupy fruit drinks or overly sweet juice concentrates, this one struck the perfect balance—sweet but not cloying, tart but refreshing. The honey and passion fruit blended so naturally, it was hard to describe.

He couldn’t hold it in. “Holy shit,” he blurted out—a classic expression of surprise from the younger generation.

Two people in front of him, also holding their drinks, were chatting about whether this was the same honey passion fruit drink featured in a popular blog post by the food reviewer, Yueyue. When they heard his reaction, they leaned in.

“Hey, what’s up? That good? I saw Yueyue gave the honey passion fruit drink a whole paragraph—do you think this is the same one?”

The young guy nodded like crazy, then shook his head. “I don’t know if it’s the same one, but this stuff is seriously delicious. You have to try it. I’m not kidding—it’s really, really good!”

Those two had brought their own bubble tea and had barely touched it, so they hadn’t planned to drink the freebie just yet. They were going to save it to cool down later.

But after hearing his rave review, they both opened theirs for a taste.

At first glance, the drink didn’t look like anything special—just your average plastic cup with a yellow-orange liquid inside. Even with Yueyue’s blog hype, it still looked a bit cheap.

But once they took a sip?

They understood.

It was just honey and passion fruit—nothing fancy. The ingredients should’ve tasted the same as any other drink. And yet, this one was on a whole other level.

Why? What made this simple drink taste so incredibly good?

From the front of the line to the back, everyone who tried it wore the same expression of pleasant surprise.

Most had come after reading Yueyue’s post anyway. And clearly, anything that made it onto her “must-try” list was worth it.

With a shaded, breezy waiting area and free drinks that were this delicious, not a single person complained about the limited seating policy anymore.

Some even joked that they should come line up here every day.

“Cooler than a café,” one customer laughed. “You can sit down, relax, and get a great drink for free. Why not?”

While all this was happening outside, Li Sinian had slipped into the kitchen. Zheng Ming and his friends continued managing the crowd outside.

When the first table’s order came in, Zheng Ming popped his head in to tell Li Sinian, “The honey passion fruit drink is officially for sale now.”

The first paying customer? That same young guy who had gotten the free sample earlier. After finishing his drink, he’d hung around sheepishly for a while before finally coming over and asking if he could maybe… get another one.

They politely explained that the free drinks were limited to one per person per day—any extras would have to be purchased.

The guy asked how much the drinks cost. When he found out that such a large cup of honey passion fruit was only twelve yuan, he didn’t hesitate—he bought two cups on the spot.

After hearing that, Li Sinian nodded. “Looks like asking you guys to grab more drinks ahead of time was the right move.”

Twenty-five tables wasn’t a small number, but most of the dishes had been prepped ahead of time, so cooking went quickly. By around 2 p.m., the lunch crowd was finally taken care of.

Once the restaurant doors were closed, Li Sinian stepped out of the kitchen, collapsed into a chair at a freshly cleaned table, and didn’t move.

Zheng Ming came over to report that all the honey passion fruit drinks had sold out. It was good news, really—but Li Sinian was simply too exhausted to smile about it.

Meanwhile, Jiang Rongxuan had gone with Ma Chi to check out possible restaurant locations and nearby farmland.

The day before, Li Sinian had mentioned that the reason his dishes tasted so good wasn’t just the recipes—it was also the ingredients. He either grew them himself or sourced them from villagers in Mulin Village, where traditional, chemical-free farming methods were still used. Everything came from natural fertilizers, and the quality far exceeded what you could find at a supermarket.

So today, Jiang Rongxuan had not only gone to scout a location for the restaurant but also planned to contract a plot of farmland specifically for growing vegetables for them.

Even though Jiang Rongxuan was swamped with work, he still made sure Li Sinian received the takeout he’d ordered for him.

It arrived just in time—right when Li Sinian was finally catching his breath and feeling that familiar burn of hunger in his stomach.

Zheng Ming still remembered the terrifying look in Jiang Rongxuan’s eyes the other day and couldn’t shake the feeling that the man was up to no good. So, as Li Sinian began eating, Zheng Ming casually slipped in a few not-so-subtle criticisms about Jiang Rongxuan.

Li Sinian looked at him seriously, nodded as if he agreed, and then immediately lowered his head and kept eating with big, satisfied bites.

Zheng Ming: “…”

Just as Li Sinian was finishing up his meal, he received a WeChat message from Jiang Rongxuan.

First Customer: Gege, did you eat? Was it okay? It’s probably not as good as what you make, but I hope it was passable.

Li Sinian replied:  I did. It was delicious, thank you. Lunch came right on time.

First Customer: That’s good to hear.

Li Sinian stared at the screen for a moment, unable to resist. He sent another message:

When do you think our restaurant can open? I don’t mean a chain—just locally, when can we get started?

He didn’t ask because he suddenly wanted to launch a business empire. No, it was because cooking twenty-five tables of dishes by himself in one sitting was fucking exhausting.

This was the exact opposite of the peaceful countryside retreat he’d envisioned when he first ran away to the village.

Jiang Rongxuan understood right away and replied with a laughing emoji, followed by:

The chefs I hired started today. Just hang in there and train them for a bit. Once they’re ready, you’re off the hook.

He sent over the location of the training kitchen, and Li Sinian let out a long sigh. Instead of heading home, he went straight there.

The sooner the chefs were trained, the sooner he could be free again. A little pain now for long-term peace. He could do this.

 

 

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