Riding the wind of rebirth

"Later, the Nationalist government moved to Chongqing. At that time, many foreign consuls and ambassadors also came to Chengdu and Chongqing. They also liked Gongfu Sichuan cuisine very much. At this point, Sichuan cuisine basically had the foundation to become its own school and its influence began to expand."

"However, the good times didn't last long. In 1948, due to the Kuomintang government's excessive issuance of gold yuan notes, coupled with the fact that the VIPs of Rongleyuan often paid after consumption, the money was worth very little even if it was recovered due to inflation. In addition, Rongleyuan had high expenses at the time, with 120 chefs alone. As a result, it went bankrupt before the end of the year."

"After Rongleyuan went bankrupt, Lan Guangjian's disciples and followers scattered to various restaurants throughout Sichuan to make a living. As the saying goes, 'When a whale falls, all things come to life,' and the Sichuan cuisine school expanded throughout Sichuan as the chefs spread."

"After Rongleyuan went bankrupt, Lan Guangjian and Lan Guangrong stayed in Chengdu, but Lan Guangbi disappeared."

"However, the influence of Rong-style Sichuan cuisine still exists, mainly relying on the shoulders of Lan Guangjian's disciples, among whom Zhang Songyun is the most outstanding."

"Zhang Songyun trained many disciples, who later entered state-run stores or government canteens. At that time, many of the national leaders and founding generals were from Sichuan, and many Sichuan chefs followed them to the capital. Also, because of the popularity of foreigners, many disciples were even selected to serve as chefs in diplomatic missions abroad."

"This was the first peak of development for Sichuan cuisine after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and it was at this time that Sichuan cuisine became one of the four major cuisines of China."

"The most outstanding of Zhang Songyun's disciples is Wang Kaifa. Wang Kaifa was a chef for state banquets. He retired in the 1980s and returned to Sichuan, where he founded 'Shufengyuan' and took in many more disciples. Among them, the best one is Zhang Yuanfu, the current leader of Sichuan cuisine and the director of teaching at the Chengdu Culinary College."

"This school has trained countless Sichuan chefs. With the rise of China's economy in the 1980s, more and more Sichuan chefs were given the opportunity to study and work abroad because of the fame of Sichuan cuisine. In those ten years, thousands of Sichuan chefs went to more than 40 countries on five continents for exchange and study. Chengdu Culinary School was also known as the 'Tsinghua and Peking University of the culinary world'."

"Because of this relationship, when Shufengyuan trains its young apprentices, it often seeks out teachers from these Sichuan cuisine chefs who have returned from abroad. These chefs then send their apprentices abroad, resulting in Shufengyuan being known as a 'training base for chefs going abroad'."

"This brought Sichuan cuisine to its second peak of development. Later, a descendant of Rongleyuan opened a Chinese restaurant in the United States, and a large number of political figures and celebrities, such as Kissinger, Sihanouk, and Teresa Teng, dined at his restaurant."

"Meanwhile, renowned Sichuan cuisine chefs in China have also seen their value rise. The most outrageous example is the famous chef Shi Zhenliang. At that time, he was sought after by a catering company in Mianyang, which wanted to transfer him from Zitong County to Mianyang. However, Zitong County refused to release him and demanded 500,000 yuan from Mianyang. This price was absolutely outrageous more than ten years ago. But Mianyang still insisted on transferring Shi Zhenliang. In the end, the negotiated price was 270,000 yuan plus 27 tons of affordable diesel oil."

“A few years ago, Zhang Yuanfu contacted the descendants of the Lan family and reopened Rongleyuan in Chengdu. The main cuisine is still the imperial cuisine. However, their biggest regret is that your branch has disappeared without a trace and they have been unable to find you.”

“Zhang Yuanfu and I are close friends despite our age difference, so I know quite a bit about your family,” Zhou Zhi said, pointing to the dishes on the table and twirling his finger. “Although all the dishes have been improved and refined to perfection, they are still authentic imperial cuisine. Plus, the surname Lan is quite rare, and seeing this Three Delicacies Shredded Ear Noodles, I’m almost certain you’re from the lost Lan Guangbi lineage.” “Brother, this Three Delicacies Shredded Ear Noodles is indeed a family recipe, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it anywhere else. Where have you heard of it? And do you know its connection to my Lan family?”

"Because this noodle was originally learned by your ancestor from a chef in the north, and then improved by Rongleyuan. It was then passed on to the 'Noodle Master' Lin Jiazhi, and Lin Jiazhi passed it on to the 'Confucian Chef' Zhang Zhongyou."

"Unfortunately, the national economy was in difficulty at that time, and people were struggling to make ends meet. Exquisite dishes had become a luxury. Later, Zhang Zhongyou's disciple, Lan Guijun, revived the master craftsman Lin Jiazhi's signature dish, 'Golden Thread Noodles,' at Shufeng Garden. The noodles could be made as thin as hair and could be threaded through a needle. However, this 'Torn Ear Noodles' dish was ultimately lost."

"Although it has been lost, Lao Zhang is now organizing traditional Sichuan cuisine at the school. He recalled the general method with Lan Guijun. It is roughly as follows: add lard to the pot, add cooked chicken slices, cooked ham slices, and blanched magnolia petals and stir-fry them. Then add broth and bring it to a boil. Skim off the foam, add Sichuan salt, pepper, and MSG, then pour the kneaded noodles into the pot, and finally add pea shoots to finish the dish."

"These are all simple. The key is how to tear and knead the noodles. Lan Guijun only remembers that you have to make the dough first, then divide it into small pieces, and finally knead the pieces with your thumb before putting them into the pot. The resulting wide noodles look like cute rabbit ears. They are both tender and chewy. One end of the 'ear' is flat and the other end is thick and slightly wrinkled, just like the difference between the 'ear tip' and the 'ear root'. Only noodles like this can be called 'torn ear noodles'."

"I've never seen what the legendary 'torn ear noodles' look like, but when my sister-in-law brought out this bowl of noodles, and she mentioned the name 'torn ear noodles,' I knew it had to be authentic. Hey! I said save some for me..."

Boss Lan no longer doubted anything. He grabbed Zhou Zhi's hand, which was trying to snatch the bowl from Li Laosan's hand, and said excitedly, "Brother, my name is Lan Guiyun. Even though you haven't eaten a single bite, you can still tell me how to make the 'Torn Ear Noodles,' so it must be real! Grandpa also said that this skill was passed down from generation to generation to a disciple surnamed Lin. He must be the noodle champion you mentioned!"

"Brother, how many members of our Lan family are still in Chengdu?!"

"There are about twenty or thirty people in the first and second branches combined," Zhou Zhi said. "However, the descendants of these two branches have either gone into government service or started their own businesses. When Old Zhang called them to reopen Rongleyuan, they only invested money and enjoyed dividends. It seems that you are the only one who has actually managed the ancestral jobs and even carried them forward."

"Could you give me their phone number?" Lan Guiyun said. "My great-grandmother rarely mentioned our family history, and my grandfather and father didn't know much either. Back then, our family was considered urban proletarians! Because of our good family background, my grandfather got a job as a cook at the county's vegetable and beverage company."

“I’ve always felt that our family’s cooking skills are a bit outrageous. In the 1970s, a county leader went out to study and brought back a piece of dried shark fin. At that time, no one in the county had ever seen it before and no one knew how to cook it. But my grandfather, under the guidance of my great-grandfather, managed to make a dish of shark fin soup in a melon, which was very well received. He was then transferred to the county guesthouse as the head chef. Later, my father took over my grandfather’s job.”

"Once you're in the guesthouse, you can really show off your skills! I heard that after my grandfather made shark fin soup with melon, his skills improved by leaps and bounds. It turns out it wasn't that he suddenly figured it out; it was all a family tradition!" (End of Chapter)