ryethenovel Chapter 26: A large quantity and a full control
Chapter 26: A large quantity and a full control
"However, your store is quite large!"
Upon hearing this, the woman smiled slightly and said, "It's mainly because the boss invests a lot."
Xu Liang said, "Indeed, this restaurant is much bigger than the others in town!"
"You've got good taste, handsome! Find yourself a seat, and I'll pour you some tea later!"
The woman spoke these words to Xu Liang politely.
Then he guided Xu Liang to an empty seat, where Xu Liang sat down.
However, the tables and chairs in this Yibin Fried Noodles King restaurant are truly exquisite and beautiful.
After he sat down, he looked around the Yibin Fried Noodles King restaurant and found that the floor was very clean, the paint on the walls was not peeling, and there were no food stains on the table.
Overall, it gives a clean and tidy impression.
Xu Liang waited for a while. He noticed that there were many waiters in the store, probably because it had just opened, but that was understandable.
There was a ceremony when it opened, but Xu Liang's small restaurant was originally leftover from his uncle, so there was no need for any of those elaborate preparations.
Moreover, judging from this setup, it might cost a lot of money, and Xu Liang didn't want to spend money on these ineffective things.
What attracts diners to small restaurants has always been the high quality of their dishes; that's the key.
After sitting there for a while, Xu Liang came up with a feasible idea. Since he was going to have the good fortune to taste the Yibin fried noodles for free, why not go to the kitchen and observe for free?
In this way, Xu Liang can not only enjoy the food, but also learn from others' skills and make them his own.
In other words, it's an innovative playing style.
Sometimes, the human mind can be flexible and less rigid.
So he stood up and slowly walked into the kitchen of this Yibin Fried Noodle King.
Upon entering, Xu Liang discovered that the kitchen's design was quite sophisticated.
The division of each area is clear.
The three stoves are impressive and each has a different firepower and function.
The first gas stove uses a single-ring flame technology, the second uses a double-ring flame technology, and the third naturally has an outer ring, an inner ring, and a middle ring.
The functions are also different. The first one is used to cook breakfast porridge, the second one is used to boil water and cook dry noodles, and the last one is the main attraction, used to stir-fry the restaurant's signature dish, Yibin fried noodles.
In the kitchen, there are two large tables pushed together, with various side dishes and ingredients placed on them.
Xu Liang looked at the ingredients and saw that they were still fresh, but there were inevitably some thawed foods.
The floor was quite clean, the tiles were newly replaced, and there wasn't even a single pebble between the tiles.
It's easy to imagine how much the hygiene standards at this Yibin Fried Noodles King are exceeded.
Moreover, the items in the wall-mounted frame around the stove were exceptionally neat.
Xu Liang's first impression was that he looked very comfortable.
Suddenly, as he was in the kitchen watching the two master chefs, and he was lost in thought again...
The female employee was carrying a tray with several cups of tea made from dried tea leaves.
She saw Xu Liang in the kitchen and was very puzzled. Then she asked, "It's you! I was wondering why you were gone. I thought you were unhappy with our shop and ran away."
"No, I'm just checking out your kitchen. Don't worry, I won't disturb the chefs."
Then, Xu Liang saw it.
The female employee handed two cups of tea to the two chefs who were sweating profusely in the kitchen.
"Masters, you've worked hard. Please have some tea!"
One master placed the cup aside, waiting for it to cool down before drinking it. Another master, probably because of his age, blew on the cup of tea, wanting to take a break. After the heat from his hands and the constant blowing from his mouth cooled it down, he slowly poured it into his mouth.
After serving tea to the two masters, the female employee noticed that there was only one cup left on the tray, and then remembered that Xu Liang was a guest.
So he presented the plate with both hands.
She said to Xu Liang, "Handsome guy, you're a guest, please have some tea!"
"I'm really sorry, I almost forgot about you. How would you rate our tea and water service?"
Xu Liang pondered for a long time.
What is the maximum score?
"Let's just say it's a ten out of ten."
He thought to himself, "This female employee is wearing a cheongsam; that deserves an extra five points."
Then, add two points for the way you hold the tray.
It currently has seven points.
That's still three points short of making this woman's service a perfect ten.
However, Xu Liang later found that his facial expressions were well-managed, so he was given two points, bringing his total to nine points.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a perfect score.
As for why, it's because the waiter's emotional value wasn't quite there, and besides, no one in the world is perfect.
There will always be people with flaws; that cannot be denied.
Xu Liang thought about it again, and then looked around at himself.
However, the employee was momentarily puzzled by Xu Liang's actions.
The woman asked, "Why are you staring at me like that?"
Xu Liang explained, "I was assessing whether your Han culture costume met the standards, and it just so happened to meet them, but I ultimately gave you a score of nine!"
This raised another question in the woman's mind.
It seems I haven't been a good host, and I haven't been able to get full marks from the customers who came in. I keep encouraging myself.
"I'm sorry to bother you this time, I came all the way here to bring you tea."
Xu Liang thought to himself.
No way, that's not what I meant.
What I want to say is that there was an unidentified black spot on her cheongsam. Could it be that she has already made a judgment about it so quickly?
"Um, I didn't say your service was bad. I just noticed a flaw in your cheongsam."
"Look, there's a black dot on the back of its butt."
When Xu Liang pointed out the problem with her cheongsam, the woman turned to the side and pulled on the back of the cheongsam.
I noticed there really is a black spot; I wonder where it came from.
However, Xu Liang is also quite picky.
"This...it was probably accidentally made dirty!"
The woman smiled bitterly.
Xu Liang replied with a smile, "It's nothing, I was just mentioning it casually, don't take it to heart."
After serving tea to everyone, the woman came out of the kitchen.
After she left, Xu Liang leisurely watched for a while longer.
I noticed that the old chef on the right side of the kitchen was drinking his tea very slowly.
He thought and thought, why not take advantage of his break to go up and strike up a conversation, and maybe he could even ask him for some cooking experience.
Because his cooking skills were really poor, his knife skills were not proficient enough, so he practiced cooking more. His control of the heat was also not proficient enough, and his seasoning was even more ruthless than that of the Salt King of that generation.
It can be said that there is still room for improvement.
Xu Liang walked over and said something to the water-drinking master.
He said, "Hello."
"How should I address you, Master?"
The old tea master, seeing that Xu Liang greeted him in a friendly manner, put down his teacup and said to Xu Liang, "Hello, young man. You can just call me Lao Kang."
At this moment, Xu Liang was thinking to himself, what's going on? It's Master Kong! In his previous life, Master Kong was a big manufacturer of beverages, instant noodles and some snacks.
However, since I've been reborn, I've also invited Master Kang himself from before his rebirth.
He thought about these things very seriously.
When Master Kang saw Xu Liang looking at him with a surprised expression, he felt somewhat uneasy.
During this brief pause, Master Kang asked Xu Liang, "Young man, what's wrong? Is something not aligned?"
When Master Kang finished speaking, Xu Liang finally snapped out of his reverie and subconsciously took a sip of the tea in his glass.
This is called drinking tea to calm the nerves, which may keep you awake.
"It's nothing, it's just that you look so energetic and full of life, Master Kang!"
"oh oh!"
A short while later, Master Kang took another sip of tea and asked Xu Liang, "Young man, do you live around here?"
"That's right, my home is in a village in this town. Master Kang, your hometown isn't in Yibin, is it?"
"Young man, you're absolutely right! My hometown is indeed Yibin."
When Master Kang mentioned Yibin, Xu Liang had some recollection of it. It was a good friend of his from the factory. However, at the end of Xu Liang's first year at the factory, his good friend inexplicably resigned. Xu Liang later learned that his good friend had some family troubles.
Just like Xu Liang, he wanted to quit after only a short time. But his good brother was different; he had a real family emergency.
"Master Kang, it just so happens that I have a good brother here who is from the same hometown as you."
What a coincidence!
After saying that, Xu Liang's stomach started growling with hunger.
Hearing this from the side, Master Kang quickly asked, "Young man, are you really hungry? By the way, your bowl of fried noodles is right next in line."
Then, Xu Liang simply smiled slightly at Master Kang.
"I'll get it done right now. Or you can go sit outside for a bit and wait a little while."
After resting, Master Kong began collecting the ingredients for the fried noodles.
Xu Liang said, "No need, no need. I'm quite interested in this fried noodle dish. I'm mainly going into the kitchen to see how you prepare it."
After saying that, he simply stood next to Master Kong, silently watching him, his hand movements, and how he handled the ingredients.
Seizing the opportunity, Xu Liang learned from the experience.
In order to gain a sense of accomplishment.
Master Kong took out three pre-compressed bread cakes from the storage cabinet.
Then take out small clumps of minced meat from the bowl.
Next, prepare two leafy greens, minced garlic, and chopped green onions.
Place the pot specifically for boiling water on the gas stove.
Place a ladle under the faucet and turn on the faucet.
He filled one ladleful, then immediately filled another, until the pot of water was half full, and then he stopped.
Although Master Kang is a bit older, he is still in good physical condition and moves nimbly and neatly.
Three pieces of dough were placed on top of each other in a logical and orderly fashion.
The bottom layer must sink to the bottom of the pot.
Turn on the stove to start boiling water. Wait until the water is about 80% cooked and the dough is slightly firm.
Blanch the two large bok choy leaves briefly, then use extra-long chopsticks to pick them out and place them on the cutting board.
Snap, snap, I made diagonal cuts on the greens.
Cut out long strips.
Take out three pancakes, rinse them with cold water, drain them, and then put them in a bowl.
After that, Master Kong started adding local Yibin chili oil and Chengdu Pixian bean paste to the minced meat, mixing it again and again.
First, stir-fry the minced meat, then stir-fry the noodles.
So he poured the special walnut oil from Sichuan into the wok, and after the oil was at the right temperature, he poured in the clump of minced meat he had just grabbed.
As it fell, it hissed and a wisp of white smoke rose into the air.
Immediately afterwards, Master Kong poured in the three cooked and boiled pancakes.
First, use a spatula to quickly stir-fry the dough until it's broken up. Then, use your left hand to lift the pan forcefully, swishing it back and forth and stirring it around.
After the vegetables were colored, he placed long strips of chopped greens on the table.
Throw it into the pot, and continuously reduce the heat at the bottom of the pot, stirring it a few more times.
Then he took out the soaked bean sprouts from a small iron basin inside a large iron basin.
These bean sprouts are exceptionally tender; after being soaked in water, they look exactly the same as if they were dug up from the ground and washed.
Soaking bean sprouts in water makes them more tender and easier to preserve.
It took about ten minutes, and it was almost ready to be taken out of the pot.
Xu Liang then came over and said to Master Kang, "The fried noodles you made look delicious; they look very appetizing."
This wasn't Xu Liang deliberately flattering him; his work was genuinely that good.
The yellow and white, elastic fried dough is filled with tender bean sprouts that look like they're wearing new clothes, interspersed with some healthy green vegetables, and even red chili peppers from Pixian chili bean paste.
It can be said that the four colors of yellow, white, red, and green are mixed together to form colorful patterns.
This dish doesn't contain a lot of oil, unlike the puffed foods of my previous life, which are high in oleic acid and can easily lead to obesity-related diseases.
But this is purely healthy; the bread comes from wheat, the vegetables from the land, and the bean sprouts from the edge of the vegetable field.
These are all created by nature, naturally and without pollution, unlike outdoor stalls where dust can get on the food if they are close to the road.
If a garbage truck drives by, the pollution will be even more extreme.
That being said, dining in is indeed more hygienic than outdoor stalls, but it's not absolutely hygienic.
It's impossible for nothing in the world to be free of bacteria. Even Pasteur's swan-neck flask experiment proved that bacteria exist in the air we come into contact with every day.
Master Kong modestly replied, "No, I personally feel that the quality of my fried noodles has actually declined."
"Regression? Someone like you will never regress. May I ask, have you been making Yibin fried noodles for many years?"
"That's right, this year marks my eleventh year in the fried noodle business."
Upon hearing this, Xu Liang looked astonished.
"It's been eleven years already, which goes beyond the saying 'ten minutes on stage requires ten years of practice off stage.'"
"In my eyes, you have become the best craftsman among the older generation."
"I'm telling the truth!"
When Xu Liang said those words, Master Kang struggled with his conscience for a moment. He felt that if he were to work for another twenty years or so, he might end up back at zero.
It won't be as simple as standing still when he gets old. He'll need to find a suitable successor to carry on his craft.
However, the only thing to do is to make fried noodles one day at a time, and to keep moving forward one step at a time.
"Young man, I was so busy talking to you that I forgot about your fried noodles."
"Look, this is a huge plate, isn't that generous enough?"
Actually, the restaurant requires two flatbreads per plate. Master Kang looked at Xu Liang and his fellow young men, who were strong and healthy and needed to replenish their energy.
So, Master Kong remembered that today was the store's opening day, and specially gave Xu Liang a special treat by adding an extra pancake for him.
It just so happens that three pancakes are stir-fried together.
When Xu Liang received such a large plate of fried noodles, he was still quite surprised and somewhat shaken.
Even after removing the extra pancake that Master Kong specially added for him, there were still two pancakes left, and he felt that the portion was still quite large.
Xu Liang thought to himself, "Won't we lose money on such a large quantity?"
Or perhaps it's because today is auspicious for the grand opening, wishing for prosperous business and double happiness.
Xu Liang was also somewhat puzzled.
It's possible that there will always be two pancakes.
But one thing is certain: the master chef is full of experience, and the taste of his dishes is definitely better than those who have only studied for a few years and only have a superficial understanding, lacking the true essence of the art.
The resulting effects are also different.
He took a sniff and found that Yibin Fried Noodles King not only had a good color and aroma, but more importantly, it was a large portion that would fill you up.
Master Kang put his arm around Xu Liang's shoulder and escorted him outside. The two of them found a place to sit down.
As for why he didn't get another bowl.
The number of customers wasn't very high today because of the opening.
It is not widely used.
Therefore, this Yibin fried noodle king can only attract a small number of people.
So there were very few orders paid for, and the rest of the time could be spent watching Xu Liang. The two of them would eat and chat, and they could also share their daily lives.
Xu Liang stared at the plate of fried noodles in his hand. Even after Master Kang gave him chopsticks, he still hesitated to start eating.
He was a little uncomfortable because he was originally a chef, making delicious food for diners, but now he was being asked to take a break and switch roles to play the role of a diner.
Seeing this, Master Kang kindly urged, "Eat up, don't be shy. Since you've come to the store, you're my customer and you should taste what I make."
"Okay, I was thinking about something else and I spaced out and haven't come back to my senses yet."
After saying this, Xu Liang picked up his chopsticks and looked at the cement road outside. Suddenly, he remembered some things that happened online in his previous life.
But since things have come to this, enjoying the food is the most important thing.
He picked up a few noodles.
After putting it in your mouth, start chewing it, and it will melt in your stomach.
In that area of the esophagus.
The message sent to his brain was that it was delicious and refreshing.
This is the feeling that the King of Yibin Fried Noodles gave him.
Of course, feelings are one-sided; only after evaluation can we know the truth.
Master Kang watched Xu Liang eat and chatted with him for a while.
After finishing the meal, Xu Liang gave this evaluation.
"The noodles are distinct, neither clumped nor sticky, with a unique flavor that gets better with every bite!"