1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 89 What a treacherous disciple who betrays his master and ancestors!

Master Xiao smiled and said, "My senior brother Xu Yunliang, huh? What, Master Zheng recognizes him too?"

Master Zheng stopped laughing.

Zhou Yan couldn't help but laugh.

He's playing you, Teacher Zheng!
Zhou Yan has discovered that his master is not only the one who scolds him with a stern face in the kitchen, but also has the humor and wit of a Sichuanese in life.

Master Zheng's expression was a mixture of shock and shame. He unconsciously straightened his posture and murmured softly, "Xu Yunliang, that's my master..."

"What? Master Zheng, you're my senior brother Xu Yunliang's apprentice? Oh my, then we're fellow disciples!" Master Xiao happily grasped Master Zheng's hand. "Master Zheng, we're truly destined to meet."

"Uncle-Master, please call me Little Zheng..." Master Zheng was on the verge of tears, feeling his face burning hot.

The thought of Xiao Lei calling him "Teacher Zheng" over and over again these past two days made him want to crawl into a hole in the ground.

His master, Xu Yunliang, learned cooking in Suzhou and moved to Chengdu more than ten years ago. He is now the head chef at a restaurant in Chengdu. His mentor was the famous chef Kong Huaifeng from Jiaozhou.

His master did mention that he had several junior brothers, but he didn't remember any of them.

Who would have thought that returning to save the day at a banquet would lead to a chance encounter with my martial uncle?!
Master Xiao chuckled and patted Zheng Qiang's hand: "Master Zheng, there's no need to be modest. By seniority, you're my junior apprentice, but when it comes to cooking fish, you're Master Zheng. To cook thirty braised fish at once and still manage to make them taste this good, the taste is truly admirable."

Xiao Lei's words were sincere and heartfelt, without a trace of sarcasm, only showing his appreciation for his junior apprentice.

Zheng Qiang felt the praise and his tense expression relaxed a bit, and a smile reappeared on his face. "Uncle-Master, don't try to brainwash me. Our Master is a famous chef who cooks fish. You must be very good at cooking fish too."

Xiao Lei released his hand and looked at Zhou Yan, "Call him Senior Brother. This is your eldest master Xu Yunliang's esteemed disciple."

"Senior Brother Zheng, I'd like to offer you a toast with tea instead of wine." Zhou Yan smiled as he raised his teacup to Zheng Qiang.

"Junior brother." Zheng Qiang quickly picked up his teacup and clinked it with his.

"This can be considered the first large-scale banquet that our sect has successfully secured together." Zhou Yan put down his cup, looked at Xiao Lei with a smile and asked, "Master, have you ever thought about becoming a village chef? Isn't Senior Brother Zheng planning to come back and become a village chef? If the two of you team up, you will definitely be the most sought-after village chefs in the entire Jiaozhou."

"That's a great idea!" Zheng Qiang's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he looked at Xiao Lei with anticipation. "Uncle-Master, let's work together. You can be the head chef, and I'll be your chopping board chef and assistant. You can take the lion's share of the wages, and I'll take the smaller share. This is a great job!"

After what happened these past two days, he finally understood his own capabilities. He couldn't possibly organize a large banquet by himself. But he was more than capable of being Uncle Xiao's assistant.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lei frowned slightly and fell into thought.

He had mentioned going to Chengdu to his wife a few times. The salary would be higher than at the textile factory, but he had an elderly person at home who was bedridden and children in school, so he could only go to Chengdu alone.

Leaving the elderly and children in the care of his wife, living apart from his family, and being unable to take care of his home, he was ultimately not at ease.

If I were a village cook, I could earn ninety yuan for a single event like this. Even after deducting the cost of seasonings, if I split it with Zheng Qiang, I would still earn more than forty yuan.

Holding just three events a month is equivalent to the salary of a head chef at the Rongcheng Grand Hotel.

With more people getting married at the end of the year, the number of weddings per month is expected to increase, resulting in even more substantial income.

That way I won't have to go to Chengdu, and I can still take care of things at home.

He used to think that rural chefs were not respectable, but after doing this job, his prejudice against them has changed.

From the host family to the helpers, everyone respected the village cook.

This is the most important feast for a young couple getting married. The local chef can't just throw together a few steamed dishes and call it a day. If it's done well, the guests will be happy and satisfied, the hosts will be proud, and the newlyweds will be overjoyed. It's a wonderful thing.

Xiao Lei made up his mind and nodded, saying, "I think that's a good idea. If we get these outfits, Zheng Qiang and I won't be any worse off than them."

“Okay! I’ll follow my master from now on!” Zheng Qiang nodded earnestly.

“Okay, then when we’ve eaten enough, I’ll go up on stage and help you promote it. Maybe some of the 300 people who came to the banquet today will be planning to hold a large-scale banquet.” Zhou Yan said with a smile, “Besides large-scale banquets, we can also take on some family banquets, those one or two tables banquets. We can take on a few orders a month, even during the off-season.”

Zheng Qiang's eyes lit up: "Junior brother is quick-witted. Rich people in Rongcheng do do that. People often offer high prices to invite my master to host family banquets. Usually, it's the boss who pays."

"Su Ji probably doesn't have such a wealthy family." Xiao Lei shook his head, not very optimistic.

"Whether we have it or not, let's get the advertising going first. Once we build a reputation, people in Jiaozhou will come to invite us." Zhou Yan said with a smile, "Among the guests who came today, there are not only people from Suji, but also people from Jiaozhou and even Rongcheng. If they are satisfied with this meal, they will think of us when they hold banquets in the future. This is a good start."

“That makes sense.” Zheng Qiang nodded repeatedly.

Xiao Lei thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay, let's do it your way."

Zhou Yan is becoming more and more mature in his speech and actions, and he is very quick-witted. He is definitely a natural at doing business.

Zhou Yan leaned over and whispered with Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang about the unit price. They agreed that if they only cooked the dishes, it would be three yuan per table, and if they included labor and materials, it would be calculated separately according to the menu and the price of the dishes that day.

The others at the table didn't pay any attention to what the three of them were saying. They were already starving after a busy morning, and they ate with great relish in front of this table full of delicious food.

"Let's eat, I'm hungry." Zhou Yan picked up his chopsticks and quickly grabbed the last piece of salted braised pork belly from the bowl. The aunt remained silent, only focusing on eating the meat.

Salted braised pork belly is really popular!
Seeing that Zhou Yan had taken the last piece of meat, everyone glanced at him, and many sighed inwardly.

Thick slices of pork belly, marinated in sauce and dyed amber, are steamed until very tender, sitting on a bed of salted vegetables. They tremble slightly when picked up.

The meat sank right in with a chopstick, and the juices overflowed, making it glistening with oil.

A pretty good piece of salted braised pork belly

Not daring to make any unnecessary movements, Zhou Yan directly fed the meat into his mouth.

One bite, and I felt my very soul tremble.

The fatty meat was steamed until it was very soft and tender, melting in your mouth.

The lean meat is tender yet not dry, and it absorbs the unique aroma of the sauce and pickled vegetables, resulting in a mellow, savory, and slightly sweet flavor.

good to eat!

Zhou Yan felt that this was the best salted braised pork belly he had ever eaten. Compared to the ones he had tried in other restaurants in his later years, this one was not quite as good.

This pork is amazing!

We use the best cuts of pork from our own free-range pigs, then steam them in a traditional earthen stove.

Of course, the most important thing is Chef Xiao's superb culinary skills, the perfect timing of the heat, and the perfect seasoning.

Luckily, he acted quickly and managed to grab the last piece of salted braised pork belly.

I need to learn how to make this!
Zhou Yan glanced around and fixed his gaze on the sweet braised pork belly next to him. Half of the glutinous rice in the bowl had been eaten, and only one piece of meat remained.

Unfortunately, before Zhou Yan could even make a move, Master Zheng had already beaten him to it, snatching the dish before the aunties could even reach for their chopsticks. He fed it directly to his mouth, his eyes lighting up. After savoring it carefully, he looked at Xiao Lei and said, "Uncle-Master, your sweet braised pork belly is even better than my master's! Can you teach me how?"

Zhou Yan, who failed to get any meat, rolled his eyes. What a treacherous disciple who betrayed his master! Next time he sees Master Xu, he will definitely tell him this story verbatim!
His master's steamed dishes are truly exceptional; the evaluations given by the experts were all above average, and the consistency of his performance is astonishing.

As Zhou Yan ate, he thought to himself that most people's belief that Sichuan cuisine is all about spiciness is actually a prejudice.

Hot pot doesn't represent Sichuan cuisine!

Of the eight steamed dishes served today, only the steamed pork with rice flour and the Dongpo pork knuckle are spicy; the other six dishes are not spicy at all, emphasizing freshness.

Take steamed pork belly with rice flour as an example. Marinated pork belly is coated with rice flour and steamed until it is soft and tender and oily. The texture is soft and sticky, and the flavor is unique from the outside to the inside. The aroma is the main flavor, while the spiciness is just a side dish.

The spiciness of Dongpo pork knuckle isn't overpowering either. The sauce is a perfect balance of sour and spicy with a hint of sweetness, fragrant enough without being overpowering. The tender, mushy pork knuckle is thoroughly soaked in the sauce; the fat melts in your mouth, and the lean meat falls apart in shreds when you pick it up. Dip it in the sauce, coat it completely, and one bite is simply divine!
In comparison, authentic Jiangxi and Hunan cuisine made Zhou Yan hesitate, and even the spicy duck heads from Quzhou in Zhejiang Province had brought tears to his eyes.

That spiciness is absolutely intense!

Of course, Sichuan cuisine has a very rich variety of flavors, but when it comes to spiciness, Sichuan cuisine is a strong contender.

Anyway, when Zhou Yan went to Yandu, he never dared to eat rabbit to his heart's content, no matter how delicious it was, for fear that the proctology hospital wouldn't be able to keep up.

Zhou Yan turned his gaze to the braised fish.

A decent braised fish

I picked up a piece of fish with my chopsticks and put it in my mouth. The fish skin was crispy and fragrant, but the fish meat was exceptionally tender. The frying temperature was perfectly controlled.

Carp can easily have a muddy taste if not handled properly, but Zheng Qiang has managed to suppress the muddy taste exceptionally well. During the cooking process, the broth has already seeped into the fish meat, and when coated with the thick broth, the spicy, numbing, and savory flavors are fully revealed in every bite of fish.

It's really good.

As Zheng Qiang said, their family is famous for cooking fish. His master is also a master at cooking fish, proficient in dry-frying, red-frying, and boiling.

If Zhou Yan were to bring out the crucian carp with agastache, it would certainly be no worse than this braised carp.

However, to be able to cook thirty carp at once in this situation and maintain this level of quality, Master Zheng's skill is truly exceptional!
No wonder his master would coax him to play; even if he's not a sect's prodigy, he's still a core disciple.

Zheng Qiang ate a few slices of pig's ear, then two pieces of pig's head meat, and finally a piece of cold chicken salad.

After finishing the meal, he was astonished. He looked at Zhou Yan, then at Master Xiao, and exclaimed in shock, "Uncle-Master, did Master give you special treatment? How come my master doesn't know how to make these cold dishes?"

"Is it too late for me to become your disciple now?"

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)