1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 193 Master, You've Changed! (6k-page compilation)

"Stop! What big order is it? Is some emperor going to eat dragon meat?" Xiao Lei stopped at the door and asked him with a smile.

“It wasn’t an emperor, but an overseas Chinese who traveled thousands of miles back to Jiaozhou to find his mother’s hometown. I asked around for a long time and finally found out that Linjiang eel shreds are a local specialty.” Zhou Yan explained to his master with a smile: “His mother’s ancestors were chefs. In Linjiang, a small place, the most famous chefs are from the Kong school.”
So I'd like to ask you to make him some Linjiang eel shreds to try. You're familiar with Linjiang, so you can guide him and ask for directions when he goes to look for his relatives.”

“There are indeed many chefs in Linjiang, and the most famous are definitely your ancestor’s lineage. As long as you have a name, you can ask around.” Xiao Lei stopped smiling and looked at him seriously, saying, “What did you say that overseas Chinese’s name was? How old is his mother? What’s her name?”

“The overseas Chinese is named Qian Siyuan. He looks to be in his forties. I haven’t asked his mother’s age or name yet, but she’s at least in her sixties or seventies and has been gone for many years. I’m not familiar with Linjiang either. You can ask her when you meet him later,” Zhou Yan said.

“Alright, we should help overseas Chinese who are coming back to trace their roots. Linjiang is such a small place, they might even be related to your master.” Xiao Lei nodded, turned around and went into the yard to pick up a bag, pushed his bicycle out, and called to Zhou Yan, “Come on, let’s go buy some eels and side dishes. Linjiang eel shreds are a signature dish of our Kong School. I didn’t have many opportunities to make it in the cafeteria before. Today you can learn from me. If you practice a few times, you might master it.”

"Okay! You haven't taught me how to make braised yellow catfish yet." Zhou Yan caught up on his bike and said with a smile.

"You've hosted three banquets in a row, what time do you have to teach me?" Xiao Lei rolled his eyes at him.

"Hehe, I know you're busy. I only came to find you today because you didn't have a banquet." Zhou Yan was still smiling. He could get an order for his master every few days, so he would come to the restaurant every two or three days to update the banquet schedule to avoid clashes and having trouble explaining to the guests.

“Master, today’s overseas Chinese is a big client of the textile factory, a big boss who came back from the United States. If you do well, maybe when he successfully finds his relatives and wants to hold a banquet, he will ask you and Brother Zheng to host it for him, and he will also give you a big red envelope.”

Xiao Lei glanced at him upon hearing this and laughed, "You know how to attract business; you even came up with ideas for organizing a banquet for him."

“Rich people think differently. They don’t want to owe favors, so they repay them with money.” Zhou Yan grinned. “We’re different. What we lack is money.”

"Makes sense."

The two chatted as they rode their bikes, both having been busy lately and rarely getting to meet.

"Master, aren't we going to buy eels over at the bridgehead?" Zhou Yan asked, looking at his master who was turning left on his bicycle. He braked suddenly.

"The event ended early this afternoon. You can still buy a hammer at the bridgehead. Go find Zhang, the professional eel catcher; he'll have it." Xiao Lei said without turning his head.

"Zhang the Eel?" Zhou Yan quickly followed up. Anyone who could come up with such a name must be quite something.

Just outside Suji Town, there was a secluded courtyard by the river. The door was ajar. Xiao Lei stopped his bicycle, went up, knocked on the door, and called out, "Eel Zhang! Are you home?"

"Hey! Brother Xiao, come in!" A strong voice came from the courtyard.

Xiao Lei pushed open the door and went inside, and Zhou Yan quickly followed.

In the courtyard, a thin, middle-aged man dressed in a white martial arts uniform and cloth shoes with thick soles was feeding the fish in the pond in the corner of the yard with a porcelain basin in his hand. He turned around and saw Xiao Lei, and said with some surprise, "Brother Xiao, what brings you here? I heard you're hosting banquets everywhere every day, and your business is booming."

"Running around here and there, earning a little bit of hard-earned money, just to get a good price on my paycheck," Xiao Lei laughed. "I need four catties of eels, five coins each, no big ones, no small ones either, hurry up."

Zhang the Eel placed the porcelain basin on the stone table beside him and said with a smile, "Four catties of small eels worth five qian? Brother Xiao, you've ordered a bit too much. I can only pick out two catties from my jars, which are the leftovers from this morning. I'll go to the fields behind the house and deduct two more catties for you. You guys sit and wait a while."

"Deduct? Deduct now? Right now?" Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow. How long would it take to deduct two catties of eel? The winter bamboo shoots have already come out on the mountain, and it's a bit cold in the mornings and evenings. It's not the season when eels are active, is it?

“Okay, go ahead, I’ll feed the fish for you.” Xiao Lei picked up the enamel basin on the table, walked to the edge of the fishpond, grabbed a small handful of rice and scattered it into the pond, attracting a group of plump koi carp to scramble for the food, all of them of excellent quality.

"Brother Xiao, that's about enough feeding, don't let the fish get bloated to death!" Zhang the Eel said, taking a fish basket off the corner wall of the yard and turning to head out the door.

"Doesn't he change his clothes and shoes?" Zhou Yan looked at Eel Zhang, who was dressed in white, wearing cloth shoes, and carrying a fish basket, and went out with a strange expression. He thought that if he came back from the fields covered in mud, his wife would tear him apart.
"I don't know when it started, but this guy always wears all white and cloth shoes when he goes to the fields to catch eels. He can walk around the paddy field once and catch all the eels in half the field without getting a speck of mud on his white clothes. When he comes back, he wipes the mud off the soles of his feet, and his shoes aren't even dirty," Xiao Lei said with a smile as he scattered grains.
"Do you think he got his nickname 'Eel Zhang'? It's all thanks to this one amazing skill. He once said that if his clothes even have a little bit of mud on them, he'll release all the eels he caught that day, not a single one left."

He poked his right middle finger into the eel hole, and an eel was doomed. It wouldn't take long before he caught it, clamping it between his two fingers; there was no way it could escape.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Zhou Yan was quite surprised; this was truly an extraordinary person.

No wonder everyone else calls him Zhang Laosan or Wang Laowu, but his nickname is unique: Eel Zhang.

Wearing all white and catching eels, he's really a strong guy!
"He's short two jin. How long will it take him to catch them all?" Zhou Yan glanced at his watch. It was already two o'clock, and he still had to work that night.

"Don't worry, he'll be back after I feed him this little bit of millet," Xiao Lei said calmly, scattering millet in his hand, which amused the koi in the pond to compete for the food.

Zhou Yan peeked out and saw that there was still a little less than half a basin of millet left in the enamel basin. At the way his master was spreading it, it would be all gone in less than ten minutes.

He couldn't sit still any longer, so he ran outside the yard to look. In the distance, he saw Zhang the Eel, dressed in white, walking slowly along the paddy field ridge in the field behind the yard. He would squat down from time to time, dig a couple of times in the field or on the ridge, and then he would have a small eel in his hand. He would wash it in the water a couple of times and then put it directly into the fish basket.

The movements were fluid and natural, as if he had just squatted down and picked it up casually.

This is a slippery yellow eel!
Moreover, it's daytime during this season, so they're completely buried in the soil.

He walked along one of the paddy field ridges to the end, and each time he squatted down, he could catch one or two eels. After walking along both ridges, he turned around and came back.

Eel Zhang walked up the path, carrying a fish basket that was still dripping with water.

Zhou Yan carefully examined Huang Shan Zhang's clothes. From top to bottom, there wasn't a single speck of mud on them, and even the surface of his cloth shoes was spotless.

These days it's been dry and there's been no rain, so the paddy field ridges are dry too, and he didn't even get mud on the soles of his feet.

"Master Zhou, right? I've heard Brother Xiao mention you as his apprentice." Eel Zhang handed him the eel in his hand and said with a smile, "Take a look at this eel, see if it's alright."

"Just call me Xiao Zhou." Zhou Yan took the fish basket and looked inside. There were thirty or forty small yellow eels of uniform size, with a bright orange color. They were darting around in the basket, looking very lively. These were wild yellow eels from that era, and they were definitely genuine.

A basket of top-quality eels

The test results that popped out from the corner of the eye confirmed this.

Even the most slippery eel will become completely obedient in Zhang the Eel's hands.

Now, Zhou Yan was truly convinced.

"Zhang the Eel, his reputation is well-deserved. He caught two pounds of eels in no time. How many must he catch in a day?" Zhou Yan exclaimed in admiration.

"These are the fields where I raise eels. Any eels that I can't sell or that don't survive are thrown into these fields to be raised. When customers come to buy them, I just catch them. That way they're fresh and wild," Zhang the Eel said with a smile. "Normally, to catch two pounds of eels, I have to walk through a couple more fields. In winter, it's much harder to catch them; I can only catch about twenty pounds a day at most."

Zhou Yan knew that this was just the other person being modest. In such a large field, even the fish raised there were hard to catch, let alone the eels that could burrow into the soil.

Some people get slapped for trying to catch fish in a fish tank, while others catch eels in the field as easily as taking candy from a baby, without even getting their clothes dirty. That's real skill.

The shadow of a famous tree.

That's absolutely true.

While Zhou Yan was distracted, two specks of mud had already fallen onto his feet.

Upon entering the courtyard, Xiao Lei had just scattered the last handful of rice into the fishpond and put down the enamel basin. He wasn't surprised to see the two people who came in. "How much are the eels selling for per pound today?"

“Brother Xiao, if you come to buy, just charge one yuan per jin. You know, I usually sell it for one yuan and twenty cents per jin at retail,” said Zhang the eel seller.

Xiao Lei nodded: "Okay, go and get the other two jin as well."

Zhang the Eel took his fish basket to the corner, lifted a lid, bent down, and pinched off a whole eel from the sunken stone jar, putting them all into the basket.

He swung the fish basket back and forth in the fishpond next to him to wash off the mud before handing it back to Zhou Yan: "Four catties is the correct weight. If it's a penny short, come back and I'll refund you. I won't take a single cent."

"I believe you." Zhou Yan took out four yuan and handed it over without the slightest doubt.

Comrade Zhou cuts exactly the amount of meat you ask for, down to the last cent.

Zhang, the eel maker, caught four jin of eels, which he considered reasonable.

"Let's go." Xiao Lei patted the rice husks off his hands, called out, and walked towards the door.

With a fawning smile, Zhang the Eel said, "Brother Xiao, how about making some Linjiang eel shreds today? How about I contribute two catties of eel and let me have a meal too? I've been catching eels my whole life, but I can never make them taste like yours. I've been craving them for half a year."

“Next time you provide the eels, and I’ll provide the ingredients and labor. Let’s make eel shreds together, it’ll be a win-win situation,” Xiao Lei said with a smile. “I have guests today, so it’s not convenient.”

Zhang the Eel nodded and said, "Sure! You can come anytime you're free. I feed the eels in the fields, so you can have them anytime. I also have two bottles of good wine; we'll open them next time."

"Okay," Xiao Lei replied, and left with Zhou Yan.

Catching eels is a skilled job, and everyone praises it.

But making eel taste so good that even seasoned eel culinary experts can't forget it is also a skill. Master Xiao is not only a regular customer, but also the master of eel flavor in Suji Town.

Even though Zhang the Eel was dressed in white and was very proud and arrogant, he still showed some respect when he was in front of Xiao Lei.

The reason was simple: in Suji Town, he couldn't find another chef who could cook eel to his satisfaction.

Xiao Lei's eel shreds from Linjiang are exceptional; you might not find anyone in Linjiang town who makes them better than him. It's a true craft.

Zhou Yan put the fish basket in his backpack, got on his bike, and rode towards the restaurant with Xiao Lei. "Master, this eel Zhang can't stop thinking about the Linjiang eel shreds you made."

"You have to show off your skills in front of a remarkable person to impress them." Xiao Lei's lips curled up slightly: "The first time I met Eel Zhang, it wasn't so easy to talk to him about buying eels. If there are eels in the tank, there are; if not, he won't even go after me for extra money."

Later, I made a pot of Linjiang eel shreds and invited him over for a meal. From then on, no matter how much eel I wanted, how big or heavy, he would prepare it for me without hesitation. Basically, if I treated him to Linjiang eel shreds during holidays, and I showed him the courtesy, everything would be fine.

Zhou Yan nodded repeatedly, agreeing that his master was indeed very skilled in interpersonal relationships and social interactions.

The two returned to the hotel.

Qian Siyuan and Lin Zhiqiang were sitting on the stone bench by the door watching Zhou Momo paint.

The little guy sat on a small stool with another stool in front of him, holding a crayon in his hand. He would occasionally look up at the two people and draw very seriously, one step at a time.

"What are you drawing?" Zhou Yan squeezed the brakes and peeked out.

Good guy.

The little guy has already started doing portrait painting.

To be honest, Qian Siyuan, dressed in a suit, and Lin Zhiqiang, dressed in a Zhongshan suit, sat side by side on a long bench. Their hair was combed back, and one of them, wearing black-rimmed glasses, was actually quite good at drawing.

"I'm going to draw pictures for my uncles and give them to them." Zhou Momo looked up at him and said with a smile, "Look! It's almost finished!"

"Yes, that's a great drawing." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. Since getting crayons, the little guy's drawing skills have improved rapidly. He has quickly evolved from his original abstract style to being able to draw people.

While the details could be improved, the character traits are captured very well. The little girl's perspective is unique, and the characters are drawn in large sizes, which is very characteristic of her.

"Hehe." Zhou Momo laughed smugly, then lowered her head to continue coloring the clothes; the painting was nearing completion.

"Boss Zhou is back!" Qian Siyuan stood up and looked at Xiao Lei, who had parked his car nearby. "This must be Master Xiao, right?"

"I am Xiao Lei." Xiao Lei smiled and extended his hand.

"Hello, Mr. Xiao, I'm Qian Siyuan." Qian Siyuan shook his hand. "Thank you for making this trip."

“Zhou Yan told me about Mr. Qian’s situation. For you overseas Chinese, tracing your roots is not an easy task. It’s good if we can do our part.” Xiao Lei looked at him and said, “What’s your mother’s name? What year was she born? What was her life like in China? My master is from Linjiang. Our Kong school is the most famous lineage of chefs in Linjiang. Perhaps I’ve heard of her.”

Qian Siyuan pondered, “My mother’s name was Kong Simin. She was born in 1900. She rarely talked to me about her life in China, and she rarely even taught me to speak Chinese. She came to the United States by ship with my father in 1921 and spent her whole life in New York, passing away in 1956.”

"Surname Kong!" Zhou Yan's eyes lit up, narrowing the possibilities even further.

"Kong Simin?" Xiao Lei frowned, pondered for a long time, and said, "This name sounds familiar, but I can't remember where I've heard it before..."

Qian Siyuan clenched his fists tightly, his excitement evident, and even his voice trembled: "Master Xiao, have you really heard of this name?"

“Your mother is two years older than my master. She went abroad in 1921, before I was even born, and before my master had even completed his apprenticeship. It’s been too long.” Xiao Lei shook his head and said, “So it’s hard to be sure now. I’m free tomorrow, so I can go with you to Linjiang to ask the older folks in town. We can also check the household registration information at the town’s police station. Maybe we’ll find something. It’s too late today, and I didn’t tell my wife. I’m going home after dinner.”

"Thank you so much!" Qian Siyuan said gratefully, holding his hands in both of his.

"You're welcome. What you keep in mind will eventually come to pass." Xiao Lei reached out and patted the back of his hand, smiling as he said, "Zhou Yan said your mother in America missed the eel shreds from Linjiang, her hometown. It's my master's signature dish, and also one of my specialties. We went and bought the eel and the side dishes."

To avoid interfering with his business tonight, we'll start preparing it in a little while. We'll eat it for dinner. Try it later and see if it tastes the same as your mother described.”

"Okay." Qian Siyuan nodded.

Zhou Yan reached into the fish basket and grabbed an eel, clamping it tightly with three fingers. He smiled and said, "Mr. Qian, this is the eel that you think looks like a snake."

Qian Siyuan took a step back and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh! It really looks like a snake! Smooth and oily, it even looks a few times scarier than a snake!"

This was the first time he had ever seen an eel; its slimy appearance was almost exactly as he had imagined it when he was a child.

However, the individuals are smaller, with pointed heads, and don't appear very aggressive.

However, when she thought of the delicious food her mother always craved, which was made from this small eel, her disgust and fear lessened considerably. "Linjiang eel shreds, is that what it's made with?"

Xiao Lei nodded: "That's right, eighty small eels, each worth five qian, and four jin, make a pot of Linjiang eel shreds. This is considered a famous dish in Jiaozhou. Even Suji doesn't sell it."

He then said to Zhou Yan, "Go get some patchouli. The key to this Linjiang eel shreds is this last bit of patchouli; it's an essential ingredient."

“Okay!” Zhou Yan replied, pushed the bicycle into the shop and parked it, then went out to pick some patchouli.

Zhou Yan brought back some patchouli, and Xiao Lei had already washed the eels.

"Come on, first chop up the ginger, garlic, dried chili peppers, pickled peppers, pickled ginger, pickled mustard greens, cilantro, and patchouli." Xiao Lei put the eel into a deep wooden bucket and instructed Zhou Yan.

"Okay!" Zhou Yan tied on his apron and immediately started working.

It's not shameful to be a student for your master; on the contrary, it's a great opportunity to learn.

The opportunity to learn a dish by doing it yourself and having an expert guide you is rare.

Knife skills are Zhou Yan's forte. He cuts exactly how his master tells him to, and he's guaranteed to be satisfied.

The side dishes are chopped.

The water in the pot has boiled.

"Watch, once the water boils, pour all the eels into the pot at once. This step requires boldness, carefulness, and quick reflexes. Immediately put the lid on the pot as soon as the eels are in, otherwise the eels will jump up high!" Xiao Lei said while demonstrating.

The lid was put on, and a series of thumping sounds were heard immediately, but the noise quickly subsided.

"Aren't you going to kill the eels?" Zhou Yan asked, somewhat surprised.

"Don't kill them. We'll gut them while separating the meat and bones. That way it'll be faster. Otherwise, with twenty eels per pound, killing and separating them would drive you crazy. And if you gut them first, the meat will fall apart and the texture won't be as good." Xiao Lei said, opening the pot lid and using a ladle to skim off the foam on the surface.

Zhou Yan has eaten a lot of Linjiang eel shreds, but he has never been to the kitchen to film it. He knows that oil is poured on at the end, but he only has a superficial understanding of the cooking process.

"Boil the eels in boiling water for five minutes, then take them out of the pot immediately." Xiao Lei took a bamboo strainer and scooped the eels out of the pot. Steam rose as he picked up an eel and handed it to Zhou Yan: "Look, eels in this state are about 70% cooked. They should feel soft but not mushy." The cooking time depends on the amount of eels; it's not a fixed time. You can judge the cooking time yourself.

Zhou Yan squeezed the eel to feel its texture and then looked at its condition, getting a general idea of ​​what it was like.

The cooked eel was poured onto a large cutting board. Xiao Lei took out a yellow bone knife from his bag. The end of the knife was thin and sharp. He showed it to Zhou Yan and said with a touch of nostalgia, "This is a bone knife made from beef ribs. It's used to slice eel. This knife was given to me by your master when he taught me how to make Linjiang eel. It's been almost thirty years."

"Master, have you prepared it for me?" Zhou Yan asked him earnestly.

Xiao Lei's expression froze, looking slightly embarrassed: "Later, I'll get you one too."

“Master, you’ve changed!” Zhou Yan sighed. “You don’t care about me at all. Even your grandmaster didn’t treat you like this.”

"You're wearing a magic cloak, huh! Watch closely, the key is in slicing the eel into thin strips; the quality depends on these three cuts." Xiao Lei said seriously, picking up a slightly curled eel and making a cut along its body with his bone knife. "First, make a cut on the belly, then make two cuts on either side of the back. The eel will then be divided into two strips and a complete skeleton, with the internal organs intact. Just push them aside. The technique is simple; practice makes perfect. One cut, two cuts, three cuts..."

Zhou Yan watched as his master sliced ​​the eels into strips with his bone knife, the eel bones neatly piled up, not a single piece of meat left on them, completely clean.

The technique was fast and steady, with a rhythmic, swish-swish motion that was quite stress-relieving to watch.

"Have you learned it?" Xiao Lei looked up at him and asked.

"I understand," Zhou Yan nodded.

I just don't know if my hands will be able to do it.

(End of this chapter)