Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 155 Old Chen and An Laowu (+1 for Jinghua Hongzhuang)

"It's really good." Old Chen wiped his hands and said to Xiao Wei, "It's very unique, the taste and texture are both excellent. You really have a good eye." He reached out and scooped a bowl of soup for himself, took a sip, his eyes lit up, and he nodded and said, "This soup is good, really good, the taste is amazing." He finished the bowl of soup in a few gulps and then scooped another bowl.

For the five people, An Laowu prepared eight dishes: stewed sauerkraut, stewed green beans and potatoes, braised pork ribs and pork spare ribs, a boiled pork spare rib, braised pork ribs, stir-fried boneless meat, and green pepper and tendon strips. Lao Chen tasted them all and praised them highly.

After eating for a while and drinking a glass of wine, everyone felt a bit full and slowed down.

An Laowu wiped his hands and walked over, saying, "I'm good at cooking bones, but my stir-frying is so-so. The chef was gone when the power went out, so please make do with what you have. Just let me know if you need anything else. Thank you so much for today."

Xiao Wei gently shook his head, signaling An Laowu to stop talking. An Laowu immediately shut up and said to Yingzi, "Pour the wine, I'll toast you." Yingzi ran to the side to get An Laowu a wine glass.

Old Chen said, "Sit down when you're done, let's have something to eat together."

Xiao Wei reached out and tugged at An Laowu, who then threw the towel onto the table and sat down.

Old Chen drank some more soup and asked, "Your name is Lao Wu, right? My surname is Chen. How many years have you been doing this?"

The fifth brother laughed and said, "I know that my family has been doing this for four generations. We opened a shop before Liberation. Later, we were not allowed to do it, but the skills were not lost. It has been passed down from generation to generation, with neighbors doing it. It was only in my generation that we caught up with the good times and opened this shop. It has been several years now. The area around Longcheng is too small, so it has never developed."

Old Chen asked, "Your name is Lao Wu, so you're the fifth child in your family? Do all your brothers do this?"

Old Man An shook his head and said, "No, only one person per generation. It's a rule passed down from our ancestors. One person from each generation is chosen to learn cooking, regardless of gender. However, if a woman learns, her children will have to take the An surname. Haha, it hasn't happened yet. In the past, there was no shortage of children, so it was always boys who learned. My grandfather was the previous generation, I am the next generation, and Bozi is the next generation. He's my third brother's son. I'm the youngest, and I don't have much talent for cooking." He pointed to Bozi.

China began to strictly enforce the family planning policy in 82. Before that, although there were such requirements and statements, they were not strictly enforced. Therefore, people born before 80 usually had several siblings and few were only children.

Old Chen nodded and said, "Your ancestors were rare wise men, passing down their skills generation by generation, one person per generation. That's much better than passing it down only to sons. Not everyone can master a craft. Many old crafts have been ruined because too many people tried to learn them. If even one person isn't skilled enough, it's all over. Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. And if I may ask something I shouldn't, how are the profits distributed? Like you, with five or six brothers in your generation, if you make money with your skills, what about the others?"

An Laowu said, "The rule is that half is inherited, and the rest is divided equally among the brothers. However, none of my generation wants any of it. I'm the youngest in my family, with five brothers and several sisters who are all married. Before we were forbidden from doing business, I was the worst off. Things have only gotten better in the last two years. My brothers all have jobs and don't need my money. The next generation, including my family, only has four boys. The rule will definitely remain the same, but when they get a little older, we'll let them decide for themselves."

Old Chen nodded, took a sip of the century-old wine, and said, "This wine is quite good, refreshing. Get me some to take back with me. It's almost Chinese New Year, so get me ten cases." He said to Chen Hui, who nodded.

Director Li said, "Don't trouble Xiao Hui, I'll arrange to send it tomorrow."

An Laowu said, "No, this is something I should do. If it weren't for today..." Lao Zhen waved his hand to stop An Laowu, saying, "No one is needed. I'll get a few cases of wine myself, Xiao Hui can handle it. If you guys do it, the flavor will be different."

After eating for a while and drinking a few rounds of wine, Old Chen put down his chopsticks. An Laowu got up and went to the kitchen. A little while later, he brought out a bowl of soup and put it on the table, saying, "Uncle Chen, have another bowl of this." He ladled a bowl for Old Chen and placed it in front of him.

Old Chen glanced at it, picked it up, took a sip, hummed in agreement, nodded, and said, "Not bad."

Old Man An said, "Eating too many bones makes your mouth feel sour and sticky. This soup is for cleansing the palate at the end. I don't usually pay attention to this and rarely make it. Drinking this soup at the end helps to cut through the greasiness, cleanse the palate, and aid digestion. There are always some cartilage and other tissues in the bones and meat, which are actually not very easy to digest."

Old Chen finished his soup, put it down, and said, "To be honest, I only really felt at ease after this soup came out. Fifth Brother, if you were working somewhere else, how big of a shop could you run by yourself?"

An Laowu glanced at Xiaowei, thought for a moment, and said, "The bones don't really matter. These things are prepared in advance. If there are many tables, just make more in advance, and the chef can keep up. However, if the store is big, the processing area also needs to be big. There is a limit to the ingredients in one pot. If there are too many, you have to make more. If you can't guarantee the taste, it's better not to make them at all."

Old Chen nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "We can go to Fengtian? What are you going to do about this?"

An Laowu's eyes were a little excited as he said, "I'll just hand this over to Bozi. He's actually quite capable now, but he's still young. I don't have much to do, so I've just been keeping him busy here. My family of three can just move things out. The only problem is that the child is going to school."

Old Chen said, "That's no problem." He turned to Xiao Wei and said, "Stir-fried dishes also need to have their own unique characteristics, and they need to be able to match the dish."

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "That's for sure. We'll find a chef from Lu Mingchun's side. Liu Jingxian's apprentice shouldn't be a problem."

Old Chen said, "Well, I've been to Lu Mingchun's place a few times. It would be great if we could get Liu Jingxian's apprentices involved. I'm quite familiar with him and his father. Forget it, I'll go ask him for people. He has a lot of apprentices and grand-apprentices, but actually only a few direct disciples. He doesn't have the time." Then he changed the subject and asked Xiao Wei, "Aren't you going to transfer your household registration here?"

Xiao Wei paused for a moment and said, "I haven't thought about it yet. I'm thinking of discussing this after Xiao Hong graduates. But for my younger brother, I want my parents to come to Longcheng so he can go to school. We might have to transfer our household registration."

Old Chen said, "Move over here. Xiao Hong's household registration is currently at the school, so it's good that she can stay in Fengtian to work in the future. You should move over first to avoid trouble later. There are still a few years left, and no one can guarantee what will happen then. Your brother's situation is a small matter. Longcheng is not like Fengtian, so it should be easier to handle here. Xiao Li, can you help with the arrangements?"

Director Li nodded and said, "Okay, no problem, just give me a copy of the materials."

Xia Maosheng said, "If anything happens, my aunt can put in a good word for me." Director Li nodded.

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(End of this chapter)