1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 113 Holy crap! Rebellion against the Heavenly Gang! My master cooks?! (Bonus chapter for 2500 monthly votes!)
"Wow, so many customers! Junior brother, your restaurant is doing so well!" Zheng Qiang exclaimed in surprise as he saw that the restaurant was almost full of customers.

This is a town!
Even in Jiaozhou, there are few small restaurants that are so popular.
"If business wasn't good, the stir-fries in the factory canteen wouldn't have been driven out of business." Xiao Lei said with a relieved smile.

He is happiest when his apprentice is capable.

"Master Xiao! You're here for lunch too?"

"Master Xiao, where are you working now? Or have you opened your own shop?"

As soon as Master Xiao entered the shop, he immediately attracted the attention of many customers, and many of them took the initiative to greet him.

Most of the workers who come to Zhou Yan's restaurant are loyal customers of the canteen's stir-fries and are familiar with Xiao Lei.

The uproar caused by Wang Defa's imprisonment and Xiao Lei's resignation gradually subsided with the in-depth reform of the factory canteen.

But the workers still often think of this former head chef. When he was around, the dishes tasted even better.

Xiao Lei smiled and nodded in response. After taking his seat, he stood up and said, "Thank you all for your concern. I haven't been to work or opened a shop. I'm currently working as a village chef with my nephew, Zheng Qiang, a national level three chef. If you want to hold a banquet, you can contact us for five tables or more. If you only want to cook, it's three yuan per table. You all know my cooking skills."

"Country chef!"

The workers looked surprised.

Xiao Lei's culinary skills are well-known. He is a national second-level chef and served as the head chef of a textile factory canteen for more than ten years. He is definitely the number one chef.

Everyone had previously said that he had gone to work at a big hotel in Chengdu, but unexpectedly he stayed in Suji as a local chef.

Three yuan per table is the highest tier of the restaurant in Suji Township.

But can Zhao Si's cooking skills compare to Chef Xiao's? They're worlds apart!
As soon as Xiao Lei and his team sat down, a worker came over to ask, "Master Xiao, are you free on the 3rd of next month? My father is celebrating his birthday, and I'd like to host ten tables..."

Once someone took the lead, several others soon came over to ask as well.

Zheng Qiang was somewhat surprised. His uncle's influence in the textile factory was too great, wasn't it? He secured the order with just a few words?

In the kitchen, Zhou Yan heard everything his master said and was somewhat surprised. Was this really his master?

That's progressing way too fast!
They've actually started advertising themselves, and they're even promoting themselves among a group of textile factory workers.

A scholar should be viewed with new eyes after three days' absence.

While the iron was hot, Zhou Yan brought out a plate of dishes and delivered it to the guests' table. Standing next to his master's table, he said loudly, "My master's Nine Bowls is absolutely the best in Suzhou. My senior brother Zheng is a chef from a restaurant in Rongcheng. His braised fish is also superb. They are a perfect team."

Inviting them to host a banquet will satisfy the guests and make the host family look good. Even if you don't need it right now, please help spread the word.

Customers who need this service don't need to search for my master everywhere. Just come to my shop and tell me, and I'll check if there are any scheduling conflicts for you.

"Get it!"

"I'll definitely help promote it!"

“My brother has something to do next month, I’ll go back and ask him if he’s booked a local chef yet.”

The guests responded with smiles, showing their support.

Skilled rural chefs are in high demand, let alone master chefs like Chef Xiao and Chef Zheng.

If you happen to be on a good date, you'll most likely be unable to book a table unless you book several months in advance.

Xiao Lei, who was registering guests for their time, nodded at him with a smile in his eyes.

"Junior brother, it has to be you." Zheng Qiang gave Zhou Yan a thumbs up, his face full of gratitude.

This junior apprentice is so kind-hearted; their rural cooking business was able to get off to a fast start entirely thanks to his tireless promotion.

This genuine camaraderie among fellow students truly moved him.

"No need for formalities, we're all family. I'm getting busy." Zhou Yan smiled and patted his shoulder, not interrupting his master's conversation with the guests, before turning back to the kitchen to continue his work.

He was actually a little nervous.

This is the first time the chef has come to the restaurant for a meal.

Braised meat and cold dishes can be excused by family tradition, but how do you explain stir-fried dishes?
Fortune changes every three months, so don't underestimate a young person's potential.
There's no other way; he can only become a sect genius!

Stop pretending, show your cards.

Zhou Yan didn't have time to think about that. It was peak dining time, and the spatula was practically sparking. He'd deal with it after he finished.

Xiao Lei placed two orders, one this month and one next month.

One order had to be missed due to a time conflict.

Another order was declined because it was scheduled for November of next year, a year from now, which was too far away. He said he would only book six months in advance at most.

"The success rate is too high! Uncle-Master, your reputation really works." Zheng Qiang was quite excited. Two orders, one for a birthday banquet with ten tables and the other for a wedding banquet with thirty-two tables, these are considered big orders!
"I've worked for over twenty years, and it wasn't all for nothing," Xiao Lei said with a calm smile.

There are only about a hundred people in the shop right now, but he estimates that after the news spreads tomorrow, even more workers will come to Zhou Yan's shop to book banquets.

Zhou Yan stepped forward to help him take reservations and promote their products again, which touched him deeply.

This apprentice is truly an exceptional person.

"Uncle-Master, we've been shopping all day, and we're really hungry. What should we order?" Zheng Qiang looked at the menu on the wall and asked with a smile, "What's your junior brother's specialty? I haven't tried his stir-fries or braised dishes yet." "Cucumber salad?" Xiao Lei frowned slightly.

"Huh?" Zheng Qiang was taken aback, shifting his gaze from the menu back to Xiao Lei's face, his expression slightly strange: "Cucumber salad?"

Xiao Lei also fell silent. Zhou Yan had been learning to cook from him for two and a half years. He had a good grasp of knife skills, but his control of heat and seasoning was really lacking. He couldn't even stir-fry a simple dish like pork cracklings and cabbage properly.

So when Zhou Yan said he wanted to open his own shop, Xiao Lei was against it and even planned to write him a letter of recommendation so that he could go to Rongcheng to find his senior apprentice and continue learning to cook.

However, I couldn't go against this stubborn guy's wishes; he insisted on borrowing money to open this restaurant.

For the past three months, he has been keeping an eye on news about the hotel, but he has never visited it once.

This is my second time entering the restaurant, but my first time eating here.

Looking at the customers in the store, he was somewhat surprised to see that they all seemed quite satisfied with their meals.

Could it be that Zhou Yan has learned something from his painful experience over the past three months, leading to a rapid improvement in his culinary skills?

This doesn't quite align with the basic principles of improving culinary skills.

"Take a look at the menu, order whatever you want, it's my first time here too." Xiao Lei turned his gaze to the menu and examined it carefully.

"Is this your first time here..." Zheng Qiang's expression became even stranger. Shouldn't the master be the one to help when his apprentice opens a restaurant?
When he resigned at the end of last month, his mentor specifically told him that he would take leave to support his restaurant when it opened.

Judging from the relationship between the senior uncle and junior brother, they don't seem to be irreconcilable enemies.
"I'll order the stir-fried pig liver, and you can order another dish. Two dishes are enough for two people," Xiao Lei said. This kid even dares to put stir-fried pig liver on the menu. I saw that the customers at the next table ordered stir-fried pig liver. They were eating it bite by bite, and it was very appetizing. I wonder how well it was cooked.

Zheng Qiang looked around and said, "Then I'll order a crucian carp with mint, to try my junior brother's fish-making skills."

Their sect is best at cooking fish. He hasn't tasted his uncle's fish yet, so he'll try his junior brother's cooking today.

Xiao Lei nodded. He had never taught Zhou Yan how to cook this dish, and he didn't know where Zhou Yan had learned it from.

Did he have another master behind his back?

The food was served quite quickly.

The stir-fried pork liver was served first, along with a bowl of rice.

The portion was generous, steaming hot, with the brownish-red pork liver slightly curled up, coated with a thin sauce, and the skin slightly charred. The green and red peppers and white scallions complemented each other, and there was only a shallow pool of oil at the bottom of the bowl, making it look quite tempting.

"This looks really good! Grandpa Lin from Rongcheng Restaurant is best known for his stir-fried pork liver and stir-fried pork kidney. This is exactly how his pork liver looks! Most chefs' stir-fried pork liver is a bit watery." Zheng Qiang exclaimed, his own stir-fried pork liver was too watery, which earned him a lot of scolding from his master.

After all, this spicy pork liver was also his master's specialty. It was a little inferior to what Grandpa Lin made, but it was definitely top-notch.

"It looks good, smells delicious, the color is perfect, and it's cut just right." Xiao Lei nodded. He used to cook thousands of servings of spicy pork liver every year, so he could tell the quality just by looking at it.

This stir-fried pig liver is definitely a must-try!
Zhou Yan had previously cut a lot of pork liver and kidney for him; his knife skills hadn't declined and had even improved.

"Try it." Xiao Lei picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of pig liver, and his hand trembled slightly. The pig liver quivered slightly, which meant that it was tender inside. If it felt like a piece of wood and didn't move, it meant that it was overcooked.

The pork liver bursts with flavor upon entering the mouth, releasing a burst of wok hei (the smoky aroma imparted by a

Fresh! Tender! Smooth!
Three characteristics stand out: it has absolutely no gamey smell.

The spicy and savory flavors burst in your mouth, the seasoning is just right, the thin cornstarch slurry is perfect, and the tender and smooth texture shows the precise control of the cooking time.

This stir-fried pork liver is almost perfect!
Xiao Lei even felt that he did a better job.

It was the threshold he had always wanted to reach, but had never been able to grasp.

The slightly charred outer layer, fried in hot oil, contrasts sharply with the smooth and tender interior, creating a wonderful symphony of aroma and texture on the tongue.

His thoughts were instantly pulled back to more than 20 years ago, when he was still a boy and first learned to make stir-fried pig liver from his master. His master demonstrated to him and his fellow apprentices that the lard was heated to a rolling scalding point, and the thinly sliced ​​pig liver was slid into the pot, with oil splattering everywhere. The master quickly cooked it with a spatula, added the side dishes, stir-fried it, and then plated it. The whole process took only a dozen seconds.

That was the best stir-fried pork liver he had ever eaten, just like the one he had today.

Tender and smooth, with a slightly charred aroma.

More than 20 years have passed, and his master has passed away. This has become a feeling of unfulfilled longing for him, and an obsession for him.

How did Zhou Yan come to this realization?
Zhou Yan had watched him make this dish countless times, and he had also taught Zhou Yan how to make it many times.

However, his control over the heat was terrible. He either rushed to take the food out of the pan before it was cooked through, or he overcooked it, resulting in a sandy and grainy texture.

The seasoning was even worse, each time with a different flavor, never satisfying him.

In just three months, he managed to create such a perfect stir-fried pork liver dish?

Xiao Lei fell silent, pondering whether he should ask Zhou Yan for advice.

[Ding! Side quest triggered: Master's Obsession.]

[Task Description: Your mentor, Xiao Lei, has a deep obsession with making the perfect stir-fried pork liver, a dream he has pursued for years without success, becoming a source of great anxiety. Please teach him the perfect recipe for stir-fried pork liver to help him fulfill his obsession.]

[Mission Reward: Unknown special reward. Accept: Yes/No]

In the kitchen, Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow, his eyes widening slightly:

"What the hell! This is outrageous! My master is supposed to cook?"

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(End of this chapter)