"So many customers! Junior Brother's restaurant is doing so well!" Zheng Qiang exclaimed, somewhat astonished, seeing the restaurant almost full.
This is a town!
Even in Jiazhou, few small restaurants are this popular.
"If business wasn't good, the factory canteen's stir-fries wouldn't have gone out of business." Xiao Lei said with a satisfied smile.
He, as the master, was most pleased that his apprentice was capable.
"Master Xiao! You're here to eat too?"
"Master Xiao, where do you work now? Or did you open your own restaurant?"
As soon as Master Xiao entered the restaurant, he immediately attracted the attention of many customers, and several greeted him.
Most of the workers who ate at Zhou Yan's restaurant were loyal customers of the canteen's stir-fries and were 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 big pot dishes tasted even better.
Xiao Lei smiled and nodded in response. After taking his seat, he stood and said, "Thank you all for your concern. I haven't gone to work or opened a restaurant. I'm currently working as a village chef with master nephew, Zheng Qiang, a national third level chef. If you're planning a banquet, five tables or more, you can contact us. If you only want the food, it's three yuan per table. You all know my culinary skills, right?"
"Village chef!"
The workers' eyes widened in surprise.
Everyone knew Xiao Lei's culinary skills. A national second level chef, he had been the head chef of the textile factory canteen for over ten years—absolutely the best.
Before, everyone said he had gone to work at a big restaurant in Rongcheng, they hadn't expected him to stay in Suji as a village chef.
Three yuan per table was the highest tier of village chefs in Suji.
But could Zhao Si's culinary skills compare to Master Xiao's? That's a huge difference!
Just as Xiao Lei and his group sat down, a worker came over to inquire: "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..."
With one person taking the lead, several others soon came over to ask as well.
Zheng Qiang was somewhat surprised. His Master Uncle's influence in the textile factory was immense! He'd secured the order with just a few words?
In the kitchen, Zhou Yan overheard his Master's words, feeling a surge of astonishment. Was this really his Master?
That's progressing way too fast!
He actually started advertising himself, even promoting himself to a group of textile factory workers.
A man should be looked at with new eyes after three days' absence.
Seizing the opportunity, Zhou Yan brought out a plate of dishes and placed it on the guests' table. Standing beside his Master's table, he announced loudly, "My Master's Nine Large Bowl Feast is absolutely the best in Suji! My Senior Brother Zheng is a head chef from a Rongcheng restaurant; his braised fish is also superb. They're a perfect duo.
Hiring them to host a banquet will satisfy the guests and make the host family very proud. Even if you don't need it right now, please help spread the word.
Guests who do need it don't need to look for my Master everywhere. Just come to my restaurant and tell me, and I'll check if there are any scheduling conflicts."
"Sure thing!"
"I'll definitely help spread the word!"
"My brother has an event next month, I'll go back and ask him if he's booked the village chef."
The guests all smiled and responded, showing their support.
Skilled village chefs are always in demand, let alone master chefs like Master Xiao and Master Zheng.
If it's a good date, they usually can't get a reservation unless they book several months in advance.
Xiao Lei, who was registering guests for their times, nodded at him, his eyes full of smiles.
"Junior Brother, it's all thanks to you." Zheng Qiang gave Zhou Yan a thumbs up, his face full of gratitude.
This Junior Brother was so kind-hearted, their village chef business had taken off so quickly thanks to his tireless promotion.
He was deeply moved by the genuine relationship among members of the same sect.
"No need for formalities, we're all own people. 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 was the first time his Master had come to eat at the restaurant.
He could use his family's culinary skills to explain the braised meat and cold dishes, but how could he explain the stir-fries?
Fortune changes every three months, don't underestimate a young man's potential?
There's no other way, he can only be a sect genius!
No more pretending, he was laying it all out.
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 his work.
Xiao Lei has confirmed two orders, one for this month and one for next month.
One order had to be missed due to a scheduling conflict.
The other order was for November of next year, a year from now, which was too far away, so he politely declined and agreed that they could book up to six months in advance.
"The success rate is too high! Master Uncle, 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, it's not all for nothing." Xiao Lei said calmly with a smile.
There are only about a hundred people in the restaurant right now, but he estimates that after the news spreads tomorrow, even more workers will come to Zhou Yan's restaurant to book banquets.
Zhou Yan's initiative to help him take reservations and promote their business again touched him deeply.
This apprentice was truly exceptional.
"Master Uncle, we've been shopping all day and we're starving. What should we order?" Zheng Qiang asked with a smile, looking at the menu on the wall. "What's Junior Brother's specialty? I haven't tried his stir-fries or braised dishes yet."
"Smashed cucumber?" Xiao Lei frowned slightly.
"Huh?" Zheng Qiang paused, shifting his gaze from the menu back to Xiao Lei's face, his expression slightly strange: "Smashed cucumber?"
Xiao Lei also fell silent. Zhou Yan had learned cooking under him for two and a half years. His knife skills were good, but his control of heat and seasoning was truly lacking; he couldn't even properly stir-fry a simple dish like pork cracklings with cabbage.
So, when Zhou Yan said he wanted to open his own restaurant, Xiao Lei was against it. He even planned to write him a letter of recommendation so he could go to Rongcheng to find his Senior Brother and continue learning cooking.
However, he couldn't persuade this stubborn guy; he was determined to open this restaurant even if it meant borrowing money.
For the past three months, he had been keeping an eye on the restaurant's news, but he had never been there once.
This was his second time entering the restaurant, but his first time eating there.
Looking at the customers in the restaurant, everyone seemed quite satisfied with their meal, which surprised him somewhat.
Could it be that Zhou Yan, after these three months of painful reflection, has gained some insight that has led to a dramatic improvement in his culinary skills?
But that doesn't quite align with the basic principles of culinary skill improvement.
"Take a look at the menu, order whatever you want. This is my first time eating here too." Xiao Lei turned to look at the menu and examined it carefully.
"First time eating here..." Zheng Qiang's expression grew even stranger. Shouldn't the master usually be there when his apprentice opens a restaurant?
When he resigned at the end of last month, his master specifically told him that he would take leave to support him when his restaurant opened.
But judging from the relationship between Master Uncle and Junior Brother, they didn't seem like they were at odds.
"I'll order a Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver. You order another dish. Two dishes are enough for two people." Xiao Lei said. This kid even dared to put Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver on the menu. The customers at the next table had ordered it too, one bite at a time, very appetizing. He wanted to know how well it was cooked.
Zheng Qiang looked around and said, "Then I'll order the Crucian Carp With Perilla Leaves, to try my Junior Brother's fish cooking."
Their sect was best at cooking fish. He hadn't tasted his Master Uncle's fish yet, so he'd try his Junior Brother's cooking first.
Xiao Lei nodded. He hadn't taught Zhou Yan this dish at all, and he had no idea where Zhou Yan had learned it from.
Did he have another master behind his back?
The food came out quite quickly.
The Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver was served first, along with a bowl of rice.
The portion was generous, steaming hot, the reddish-brown pork liver slightly curled, coated with a thin cornstarch slurry, the skin slightly charred, the green and red peppers and white scallions complementing each other, and only a shallow pool of oil at the bottom of the bowl, the color was incredibly enticing.
"This looks really good! Grandpa Lin from Rongcheng Restaurant is best known for his Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver and Spicy Stir-fried Pork Kidney. This is exactly how his pork liver looks! Most chefs' Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver is a bit watery." Zheng Qiang praised. His own Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver was too watery, for which he often got scolded by his master.
After all, this Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver was also his master's specialty. Compared to Grandpa Lin, it wasn't quite as good, but it was definitely top notch.
"The appearance is good, it smells good, the color is perfect, and it's cut just right." Xiao Lei nodded. He used to cook thousands of servings of Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver a year so he could tell the quality just by looking at it.
This Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver is sure to be good!
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 pork liver, and his hand trembled slightly. The pork liver quivered slightly, indicating that it was tender inside. If it felt like a piece of wood and didn't move, it meant it was overcooked.
The pork liver burst into his mouth, releasing a wonderful wok aroma.
Fresh! Tender! Smooth!
These three characteristics stand out, with absolutely no gamey taste.
The spicy and savory flavors burst in his mouth, the seasoning is just right, the thin cornstarch slurry is perfect, and the tender and smooth texture shows the precise control of the heat.
This Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver is almost perfect!
Xiao Lei even felt it was better than his own.
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 young man and first learned to make Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver from his master. His master demonstrated to him and his Senior Brother that the lard was heated to a rolling scalding point, and the thinly sliced pork liver was slid into the wok, 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 Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver he had ever eaten, just like the one he was having 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 wok before it was cooked through, or he overcooked it, resulting in a sandy and grainy texture.
His seasoning was even worse, each time a different flavor, never satisfying him.
In just three months, he had actually cooked such a perfect dish of Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver?
Xiao Lei fell silent, pondering whether he should ask Zhou Yan for guidance.
[Ding! Side Quest Triggered: Master's Obsession.]
[Quest Description: Your master, Xiao Lei, has a deep obsession with making a perfect dish of Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver. For many years, he has sought it but has not been able to achieve it, making it a deep-seated sorrow. Please teach him the perfect recipe to make Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver to help him fulfill his obsession.]
[Quest Reward: Unknown special reward. Accept: Yes/No]
In the kitchen, Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow, his eyes widening slightly:
"Holy crap! This is outrageous! I teach my Master how to cook?"