Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

When greeting guests, use the Shaanxi dialect (e.g. "Come on! What would you like to eat?"), but when announcing the dishes, use standard Mandarin.

Waiters are allowed to communicate with guests appropriately, but the time must be controlled so as not to affect service efficiency;

Basic services such as withdrawal still need to be completed on time, but the methods can be more flexible...

Xu Li frowned as she finished reading: "Boss Wang, this... is this still the standard for people in Xuzhou?"

Wang Jianye smiled: "This is a better 'Xuzhou Family'.

Just like the Terracotta Warriors, they have a unified military formation, but also individual characteristics.”

On the return bus, the atmosphere was noticeably more relaxed.

Liu Xiaojuan took the initiative to sit next to Xu Li and asked in a stiff Xuzhou dialect: "Sister Xu, do you think I can pronounce 'Ba Zi Rou Gai Fan' correctly?"

Everyone in the car laughed.

Xu Li also smiled, which was rare: "The tune is right, but the word '盖' needs more practice."

When we reopened the next day, a wonderful change happened.

Xu Li stood at the door and greeted the guests in the Shaanxi dialect she had just learned: "Come on! Please come in!" Although the pronunciation was strange, it made the old customers smile knowingly.

When Liu Xiaojuan was reading out the names of the dishes, she also tried hard to imitate Xuzhou's "Yikouqing". Although a few words of dialect would occasionally come out, it has become her special feature.

A week later at noon, Wang Jianye heard a familiar voice while patrolling the store.

Zhou Dafu was sitting in a corner, looking around suspiciously: "This is weird, why are the waiters in your store suddenly so excited?"

Liu Xiaojuan quickly set the tableware: "Boss Zhou, please try today's special dish, the 'North-South Harmony' set meal!" She spoke standard Mandarin, but playfully added a Shaanxi-flavored "Lan Zha Le" at the end.

Wang Jianye stood behind the screen, the corners of his mouth rising unconsciously.

He recalled a letter he received from a customer yesterday: "…This is the first time I have seen such a unique service, with both the standard of a big hotel and the intimacy of a home-style restaurant…"

In the kitchen, Ma Qiang was teaching Xu Li how to make oil-splashed noodles.

"Sister Xu, this is how you pull noodles. You need to use skillful wrists!" Xu Li pulled the dough clumsily, her face covered in flour, but she smiled like a child.

Outside the window, the sound of bells from the clock tower could be heard melodiously.

Wang Jianye recalled the scene he saw at the Terracotta Warriors that day - thousands of troops, harmonious yet different.

Isn’t this exactly the case with “Xuzhou people” today?
A bowl of mutton
At six o'clock in the morning, the morning market at the foot of the Xi'an city wall was already bustling.

Wang Jianye squatted in front of the beef and mutton stall, gently pressing the fresh lamb leg meat with his fingertips. The fresh touch made him nod with satisfaction.

The stall owner, Lao Ma, held a cigarette in his mouth and weighed the sheep swiftly: "Boss Wang, this is a sheep from northern Shaanxi that was just slaughtered this morning. It's 28 yuan per pound, the old price."

"Okay, I want both of these hind legs."

Wang Jianye took out his wallet and caught a glimpse of the stall owner next door leaning over to whisper in his ear.

He vaguely heard the words "Old Sun's...one dollar...crazy", and his heart skipped a beat.

Back at the restaurant, chef Ma Qiang was sharpening his knife. When he saw the mutton Wang Jianye was carrying, his eyes lit up: "Wow, the texture of this Hengshan goat is really different. The texture is so beautiful!"

Just as Wang Jianye was about to speak, the waitress Liu Xiaojuan rushed into the kitchen: "Boss Wang! Something big has happened!" She was holding a crumpled flyer in her hand, "'Laosun's' is launching 'One Yuan Lamb in a Water Basin', and now the whole street is talking about it!"

The bright red words "1 Yuan" on the flyer made Wang Jianye's eyes hurt.

He took the flyer, his fingers tightened unconsciously, and the paper made a slight crisp sound.

Lao Sun's is a time-honored brand in Xi'an's catering industry, with branches all over the city. This move is obviously aimed at them.

"Mr. Wang, do we also want to..." Ma Qiang asked tentatively.

Wang Jianye shook his head and put the flyer on the chopping board: "Our bowl of mutton in a basin costs more than eight yuan for the mutton alone. How can we sell it for one yuan? Unless we use sick sheep."

There was a sudden noise in the front hall.

Wang Jianye walked out quickly and saw several old customers standing at the door, hesitating.

"Old Wang, it's not that we don't want to come," Professor Zhang, a retired teacher, explained, rubbing his hands. "There's a long line at Old Sun's. A bowl costs one yuan, and the neighbors are all going to try it..."

Wang Jianye forced a smile as he saw the guests off, and when he turned around he almost bumped into Mr. Zhao from the finance department who was rushing over.

There was still mist on Lao Zhao's glasses, and he held a calculator in his hand: "Boss Wang, 70% of our reservations for lunch today have been cancelled!"

The store was so quiet all morning that you could hear the ticking of the clock.

Wang Jianye stood in front of the window, looking at the long queue in front of the old Sun family opposite, and felt like a huge stone was pressing on his chest.

The waiters gathered in groups of three or four and whispered to each other, and the kitchen helpers even began to worry about layoffs.

At the regular meeting at noon, Ma Qiang slammed the table and said, "Boss Wang, let's lower the price too! Let's get the customers back first!"

"No."

Wang Jianye's voice was low but firm. "Our mutton is freshly slaughtered in Hengshan, northern Shaanxi. The cost is there."

"We can't just sit there and wait to die, can we?" Liu Xiaojuan stamped her feet anxiously.

Wang Jianye's eyes swept across every anxious face, and suddenly he had an idea: "Old Zhao, go get my set of four treasures of the study.

Ma Qiang, prepare the kitchen, we will have an 'open day' this afternoon."

At three o'clock in the afternoon, a letter to the elders of Xi'an with the ink still wet was posted in the most conspicuous place at the entrance of the store:
"A word of warning to all fellow villagers: Our restaurant's water basin mutton uses freshly slaughtered mutton legs from Hengshan, northern Shaanxi. Each bowl requires 8.2 liang of fresh meat, and the cost is yuan.

When competitors offer a one-yuan promotion, there may be some hidden reasons.

Today, we invite you to visit the kitchen and witness the whole process from slaughtering to serving..."

Wang Jianye's calligraphy is vigorous and powerful, attracting passers-by to stop and take a look.

Professor Zhang, who had just returned from shopping, adjusted his reading glasses, read every word, and nodded thoughtfully.

"Dear neighbors," Wang Jianye said loudly at the door, "From today on, our kitchen will be open all day long. You are welcome to supervise at any time!"

This bold move was like a stone dropped into a calm lake.

At first, only a few curious neighbors came to take a look, but when they saw the bright red mutton on the chopping board, the neatly stacked mutton bone broth in the freezer, and the quarantine certificate hanging on the wall, the news quickly spread.

The next day at noon, Li Min, a reporter from the local Sanqin Metropolis Daily, came uninvited.

The young girl with a ponytail walked around the kitchen holding a camera, asking pointed questions from time to time: "Boss Wang, aren't you afraid of offending your peers by disclosing your costs like this?"

Wang Jianye was cutting mutton. As the knife flashed, the thin slices of meat were neatly arranged on a blue and white porcelain plate.

"Reporter Li," he said without looking up, "For those in the catering industry, the thing they fear most is not offending their peers, but going against their conscience."

Li Min’s report was published in the newspaper the next day, with the headline “The Commercial War Behind the One Yuan Lamb”.

The article compared the quality of the mutton from the two restaurants in detail, and also included a close-up photo of Wang Jianye cutting the meat. As soon as the report came out, Fatty Sun, the manager of the Old Sun family, came to visit immediately.

The middle-aged man with a greasy face kicked open the shop door, followed by two burly waiters.

"Wang Jianye!" Fatty Sun slapped the front desk. "What the hell do you mean? Are you implying that our meat is inferior?"

Wang Jianye calmly put down the account book and said, "Manager Sun, where did I mention the Sun family? What I said is all true."

"Bullshit!" Fatty Sun spitted, "You are just maliciously competing! Do you believe I can make sure you can't stay in Xi'an?"

Liu Xiaojuan shrank back in fear, but Wang Jianye smiled instead: "Manager Sun, you are so excited, are you feeling guilty?"

Fatty Sun's face changed, and he said "wait and see" and slammed the door and left.

After he left, Ma Qiang said worriedly: "Boss Wang, this Fatty Sun has a lot of influence in Xi'an, we..."

"If you are upright, you are not afraid of slanted shadows."

Wang Jianye patted his shoulder and said, "Go prepare the mutton for tomorrow."

Things took a turn for the better on the third day.

A customer suffered from food poisoning after eating a one-yuan mutton dish at Lao Sun’s house, and his family members complained directly to the Food and Drug Administration.

That afternoon, the surprise inspection by law enforcement officers caused an uproar in the entire restaurant street.

"Have you heard? Expired mutton was found in Old Sun's warehouse!" "There are dead sheep hidden under the freezer!" "No wonder they are sold for only one dollar, what a shady merchant!"

The news spread throughout the city before dark.

Wang Jianye stood at the door of the store, looking at the seal put on the old Sun family across the street, but he felt no joy in his heart.

After closing at night, the employees stayed voluntarily.

Ma Qiang took out a bottle of Xifeng Liquor: "Boss Wang, we have to celebrate today!"

Wang Jianye shook his head: "There's nothing to celebrate.

The incident at the Old Sun restaurant is a disgrace to the entire Xi’an catering industry.”

He poured a glass of wine and spilled it on the ground: "This is for the customers who have stomach upset."

Just then, the doorbell rang.

To everyone's surprise, the person standing at the door was Li Min from Sanqin Metropolis Daily. Behind her was the family member of the food poisoning patient during the day - an old lady with white hair.

"Boss Wang," Li Min helped the old lady sit down, "This is Grandma Zhou, she wants to thank you in person."

Grandma Zhou trembled as she took out a banner from her cloth bag. The four big gold characters “Conscientious Merchant” on a red background shone brightly under the light.

"Xiao Wang," the old lady said in a thick and warm Guanzhong accent, "If it weren't for your open letter, I would still not understand why other people's mutton is so cheap..."

Wang Jianye quickly supported the old lady and said, "Grandma Zhou, what you said is really true... Try our newly cooked mutton soup to warm your stomach."

The next day, a long line formed in front of Wang Jianye's store.

Not only did old customers return, but there were also many new customers who came after reading the reports.

Professor Zhang squeezed in the front and said with a smile: "Old Wang, now you have become the 'spokesperson for integrity' in our city of Xi'an!"

In the kitchen, Ma Qiang and the kitchen helpers were busy as hell.

Liu Xiaojuan shuttled between the tables, and said in a clear voice: "Here it is! Freshly slaughtered Hengshan mutton!"

Wang Jianye stood behind the counter, watching the bustling scene, but his eyes unconsciously drifted to the sealed old Sun family across the street.

He recalled what his father said when he first entered the industry: "Running a restaurant business is like stewing a broth. If the heat is not right, the flavor will not be mellow. If the ingredients are not substantial, the broth will not be fresh."

"Mr. Wang!" Li Min's voice brought him back to reality. "Our newspaper wants to do a special issue. Please tell us about the honest management of the catering industry..."

Wang Jianye smiled and shook his head: "I don't have any 'Tao', I just do business honestly."

He pointed to the new banner on the wall and said, "The four words on it are the best way to do business."

In the evening, after the last table of guests left, Wang Jianye sat alone by the window, looking at the ancient city with lights just coming on.

The waiters were clearing the dishes, and the clinking sounds were particularly pleasant.

He suddenly remembered something, took out his cell phone and called Old Man Li in northern Shaanxi:
"Hey, Lao Li, two more sheep for next week... Yes, we'll still sell them freshly slaughtered... What? Someone offered a high price?... You tell me the price... Okay, let's sign a long-term contract at this price!"

After hanging up the phone, Wang Jianye breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew that this battle of integrity had just begun.

But no matter what, he will stick to his principles - just like that bowl of authentic mutton in a water basin, crystal clear and without any falsehood.

……

In the mid-1990s, the sunshine in Qingdao was still as scorching as ever, and the gentle sea breeze, carrying the unique salty scent of the sea, casually passed through the streets and alleys of the city.

There is a bustling crowd near the pier, and tourists from all over the world are attracted by the beautiful seaside scenery.

Wang Jianye stood at the door of the new branch, staring at his employees hanging the sign on the door. The large characters "Xuzhou Flavor and Seafood Fusion Restaurant" on the sign stood out in the sunlight.

He was full of anticipation for the opening of the new store, but also a little worried.

"This new store carries so much hope, it must go smoothly."

Wang Jianye muttered silently in his heart, with a hint of determination in his eyes.

However, it encountered difficult problems in the early days of its opening.

Local seafood suppliers seemed to have reached some kind of tacit agreement and collectively raised prices.

Wang Jianye sat in the office, listening to the anxious report of the purchasing manager Lao Li, his face becoming more and more gloomy.

"Boss Wang, those suppliers are going too far! They say they'll give priority to time-honored brands, limit our supply, and raise the price to an outrageous level.

In this situation, our costs have increased significantly, how can we do business? "Old Li frowned, his face full of helplessness.

Wang Jianye was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table: "They are trying to intimidate us! Are we just going to let them control us? No! We must find a way to solve this problem!"

Wang Jianye stood up and paced back and forth in the office, his brain working rapidly: "We can't hang ourselves on one tree, we have to find another way out."

Suddenly, he stopped, his eyes lit up, and he said to Lao Li: "Let's go directly to Jimiya Fishing Port, bypass these suppliers, and cooperate directly with the fishermen. What do you think?"

There was a hint of hesitation in Lao Li's eyes: "Boss Wang, this is a solution.

But Jimiya Fishing Port is not very close to us, and we are not familiar with the situation there, is it okay?"

Wang Jianye patted Lao Li on the shoulder and said, "How do you know it won't work if you haven't tried it? At 4 a.m. tomorrow, bring your purchasing team and let's go to Jimiya Fishing Port to try our luck!" (End of this chapter)