1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 291 I Have to Avoid His Edge (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets: 985)

Hearing this, Xia Yao's face also showed a bit of worry. Yes, she would be going back to school after her internship ended.

Time flies, and more than two weeks have already passed.

These days are so busy and fulfilling that it's easy to lose track of time.

She hasn't really thought about how to arrange her job after graduation.

Director Du did mention that she could come work at the textile factory directly after graduation, and she could choose between the design department and the marketing department; she could start working right after graduation.

But both her aunt and Zhou Yan advised her to develop her career in a big city.

Professor Su also gave them this advice: advertising design opportunities are in big cities, and only in big cities can you access the most cutting-edge technology in the industry and do the highest-level design.

Shanghai, where foreign companies are flocking, is the best choice. The capital city, or even Hong Kong further away, are more suitable choices for her than Suzhou.

However, she really liked Su Ji.

Tangled~~
"Oh dear, I was just saying it offhand, don't take it to heart. Let's eat the pig's trotters first, they'll get cold and won't be easy to chew, then the pig would have died for nothing, that would be such a waste." Wang Wei saw her stunned and a little frustrated, and immediately felt a little embarrassed, so she quickly said.

"Mmm." Xia Yao was amused by her, and the worries in her heart disappeared. She took another bite of the pig's trotter. It was soft, tender, and smelled so good.

Wang Wei is the same age as her. She has a straightforward personality, yet she is also delicate and gentle. It is very comfortable and easy to be around her.

The optimism and humor of girls from Sichuan and Chongqing are fully reflected in her; she can make people laugh with her words every now and then.

After finishing one pig's trotter, I was already half full.

After washing my hands, I picked up a piece of braised winter bamboo shoot and put it in my mouth. It was fresh, sweet, and refreshing, with a rich braised aroma that was especially good at cutting through the greasiness.

"These braised bamboo shoots are so delicious! I was still grieving the loss of the braised lotus root, but now I've fallen in love with them instead." Wang Wei exclaimed in amazement, picked up another piece of braised bamboo shoot, and looked at Xia Yao, saying, "With Zhou Yan's cooking skills, marrying him is a real blessing."

Xia Yao didn't reply, but silently ate the braised bamboo shoots with her head down, though the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

At the next table, Yao Licheng and Zhuang Huayu, who had just started eating pig's trotters, also had rather interesting expressions.

"Old Zhuang, this pig's trotter tastes even better than the Longjiang pig's trotter rice you took me to in Kowloon!" Yao Licheng said, holding a pig's trotter in his hand and looking at Zhuang Huayu.

"That's right, Zhou Yan's braised pig's trotters are really delicious." Zhuang Huayu ate with gusto, his mouth full of oil, and praised it highly as well.

The braised pig's trotters are perfectly cooked, trembling in your hand. The skin falls off the bone with a gentle touch, and the tendons between the meat and bone are soft and chewy. The gelatinous texture sticks to your lips, and the aroma of the braising sauce is perfectly infused into the trotters. One bite, and your soul trembles.

It smells amazing!
The braised pork trotter rice at the Longjiang restaurant they often ate at wasn't quite as flavorful as they expected; it was a bit lacking.

Zhou Yan was really craving this pot of old braising liquid.

After finishing the pig's trotter, Yao Licheng washed his hands, picked up a piece of braised pork intestine and put it in his mouth. He nodded repeatedly, swallowed it and said, "Old Zhuang! You must try this braised pork intestine. It's so delicious! It's oily but not greasy, and the taste is absolutely amazing."

"You know I don't like eating offal," Zhuang Huayu shook his head.

"That's a real shame. This pork intestine is cleaned very well, with no gamey smell at all. The fat inside has also been trimmed, leaving a thin, even layer, making it even more oily and smooth." Yao Licheng put another piece in his mouth and invited the driver sitting opposite him, "Sir, you should eat some too, don't be shy."

The driver responded and also picked up a piece of braised pork intestine and put it in his mouth. His eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "This braised pork intestine is really delicious! It smells so good, and the more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes. It's not greasy at all."

Zhuang Huayu genuinely dislikes eating offal, and he only believes half of what Yao Licheng says, but after hearing what the driver said, he became a little restless.

Seeing that half of the braised pork intestines had been eaten in no time, I couldn't resist picking up my chopsticks and taking a piece myself. "I'll also try this braised pork intestines and see how it is."

The braised pork intestines were tender, chewy, and bursting with juice with every bite. They were oily, refreshing, and not greasy at all, which really changed Zhuang Huayu's impression of braised pork intestines.

The large intestine was cleaned very well, with no gamey smell at all. Lao Yao's evaluation was very fair. The excess fat on the inner wall was cleaned very well, but a layer of even fat was retained to ensure a moist texture and make it more fragrant when chewed.

Yao Licheng said with a smile, "I'm going to pack some braised pork intestines, braised pig's head, braised pig's ears, and braised beef to take back later. We'll invite a couple of friends over for drinks tonight. I bought two bottles of Moutai yesterday and left them in the hotel room."

"Okay." Zhuang Huayu nodded. This was indeed a good snack to go with drinks, and it should also have a unique flavor when eaten cold.

As we were eating, dishes such as braised beef with pork belly and stir-fried pork liver were served one after another.

Zhuang Huayu had been looking forward to Qiaojiao Beef for a long time. In Sichuan, a province famous for its chili peppers, he was really curious as to why this clear broth beef dish made it onto the cover of Sichuan Cuisine magazine.

The soup is light in color, but the flavor is exceptionally rich. The beef slices are large, thin, and tender, giving it a Chaoshan beef hot pot feel, but the soup is even richer, with a hint of Chinese herbal aroma, fresh, fragrant, and mellow.

The offal was a pleasant surprise; the fresh tripe was crisp and refreshing, the beef intestines were tender and soft, and the beef tendons were chewy and glutinous, each with its own unique texture.

The dish of dried chili powder dipping sauce was undoubtedly the finishing touch.

Fresh beef and offal, dipped in a dish of bright red chili powder, instantly transform into a spicy and refreshing treat.

"A bowl of braised beef with a dipping sauce can satisfy the needs of people with different tastes. No one can resist a bowl of this in winter." Zhuang Huayu couldn't help but praise after putting down his spoon. "It's delicious. The soup is so rich and flavorful. The key is that the soup looks so clear, which is a pleasant surprise." Yao Licheng nodded in agreement, having already finished half a bowl of soup.

He ladled out a bowl of rice, then took a bite of the freshly served stir-fried pork liver. His expression changed drastically in an instant; his raised eyebrows almost flew off. He swallowed it whole, immediately shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth, and excitedly exclaimed to Zhuang Huayu, "Old Zhuang! Old Zhuang! You absolutely have to try this stir-fried pork liver! It's amazing! This is the first time in my life I've ever tasted pork liver cooked to this flavor and texture!"

"I already said I don't really like eating pork offal..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yao Licheng had already picked up a piece of pig liver with his chopsticks and put it in his bowl. "Let's make a bet. If you finish eating it and say it's not good, I'll eat at six of your restaurants for a month straight. If you say it's good, you'll treat me to six of your restaurants for a month straight."

Zhuang Huayu laughed: "Then you didn't lose anything at all?"

“I lost, so I have to pay for my meals. Your restaurant isn’t cheap, is it? If I eat there for a month, it’ll cost me at least 100,000 or 200,000 yuan,” Yao Licheng said matter-of-factly.

"Then the initiative is in my hands. If I say it doesn't taste good, then you lose, right?" Zhuang Huayu looked at him.

"It's alright. You have a sense of awe and pursuit of food, and you won't talk nonsense. I'm not worried about that." Yao Licheng waved his hand dismissively.

"I like hearing that." Zhuang Huayu smiled, picked up his chopsticks, took a slice of pig liver, and put it in his mouth. As he chewed it slowly, his eyebrows also twitched.

The freshly cooked stir-fried pork liver still carries the scorching heat of the wok, and the thin cornstarch on the surface forms a slightly charred crust during the stir-frying process, while the texture of the pork liver is so smooth and tender.

The extreme contrast between crispness and tenderness brings an ultimate taste storm, while the spicy and savory flavors explode on the tip of the tongue.

The ultimate control over the heat in stir-fried dishes is perfectly demonstrated in this stir-fried pork liver.

Zhuang Huayu seemed to see the scene of the bright red pig liver quickly changing color under the blazing oil, then being stained with a bright red sheen, and then being served from the pot, probably in less than thirty seconds.

"How is it?" Yao Licheng asked, looking at him.

"Give me some rice." Zhuang Huayu handed over the bowl beside him. "Next month, I'll give you a meal card, and you can eat at any of the six restaurants you want."

"I knew it! Hahaha." Yao Licheng laughed heartily, took the bowl, and served Zhuang Huayu a bowl of rice.

"This stir-fried pork liver is superb. Zhou Yan's control over the heat is simply amazing. He's better than many veteran chefs who have been cooking for decades." Zhuang Huayu took a bite of rice, chewed and swallowed, and said with some emotion, "This rice is steamed in a traditional steamer. It's cooked exceptionally well, soft, sweet, and has a faint aroma of wood barrels."

"There's a reason why his restaurant is so popular in a small town. The food is good, but the attention to detail is even more remarkable."

"If he opened a restaurant in Hong Kong, I would have to avoid him."

"How much do you think he's worth a month now?" Yao Licheng asked him with a smile.

Zhuang Huayu thought for a moment and said, "At least 30,000. With a little further training, he can become a head chef. It wouldn't be a problem to even open a Sichuan restaurant for him. These dishes are all on the menu and are all signature dishes. He can support a high-end Sichuan restaurant."

"With this customer traffic, how much do you think he can earn in a month?" Yao Licheng asked again.

Zhuang Huayu looked around, glanced at the dishes on each table, and then at the customers queuing at the door. He said in a low voice, "Including breakfast, it should cost around ten thousand."

“I don’t think you can poach him even if you offer 30,000.” Yao Licheng laughed. “Earning 10,000 in Jiaozhou makes you a superior person, which is much more comfortable than earning 30,000 in Hong Kong. If you earn 30,000, you’ll have a headache trying to buy a house in Hong Kong. He has a happy family and a beautiful girlfriend. I wouldn’t do it either.”

“That makes sense. If you had that level of skill, who would still go to work?” Zhuang Huayu nodded with a smile.

The shredded pork with garlic sauce and Mapo tofu also surprised the two of them quite a bit, especially the Mapo tofu, which made them sweat profusely and they even had another bowl of rice.

"Comfortable, comfortable! This meal was even more satisfying than yesterday's banquet! All the dishes were perfect with rice, home-style cooking, but the flavors were just the most authentic!" Yao Licheng was too full to eat anymore, so he put down his chopsticks and exclaimed how delicious it was.

These foreign businessmen came to Sichuan as a group, and the meals they were served in various places were all banquets. Nine big bowls were considered the minimum standard, and they were basically served the same standard as the guesthouse yesterday.

Dishes like Mapo Tofu and Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver were probably thought to be unsuitable for banquets, so we almost missed them.

The driver ate three bowls of rice and took charge of finishing up the dishes, cleaning up the table completely before letting out a satisfied burp.

I won't worry about the tip; the lunch these two bosses treated us to was quite good.

Zhuang Huayu paid the bill, and he and Yao Licheng got up and went out, making room for the customers queuing outside.

Upon exiting, I saw the girl from before sitting on the stone bench by the door chatting with the old lady, while Zhou Momo sat between them, fiddling with her new wallet.

"Uncle, are you full?" Zhou Momo looked up at them and said with a smile, "You guys are amazing! You can actually eat two meals a day, even more than me!"

Yao Licheng said with a smile, "Your brother is really amazing. His cooking is so delicious that we ate two meals and still wanted more. If we weren't so full, I could have had another bowl."

"Yes, your brother's cooking is amazing." Zhuang Huayu nodded with a smile, greeted the old lady, and then looked at Xia Yao and said, "Young lady, are you a designer at the Jiaozhou Textile Factory? I saw the purse you gave Momo earlier; it was very uniquely designed."

Upon hearing this, Yao Licheng also looked at Xia Yao, revealing a similar expression of concern.

　Extra chapter! Please vote with monthly tickets!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)