By the end of last year, the city was home to 739,000 owners of small and microbusinesses. These enterprises accounted for about 60 percent of the businesses in Wuhan. The pandemic has had a grave impact on them, and more important, the livelihoods of hard-working owners and their families.

Ren spoke while making a bowl of hot dry noodles for a customer, seasoning them with his signature sesame paste and chili oil, which keep diners coming back.

His customers are mainly residents from nearby apartment blocks, along with students and staff members from universities, which remain closed. Although the lockdown imposed in Wuhan was lifted on April 8, many people are still not eating out or even venturing outdoors, he said.

"They are still worried about the pandemic, although it has been contained. Wuhan people have been through hell, so they are extremely sensitive to any new developments regarding the pandemic," Ren said.