State Banquet Master?
Could Old Mr. Gao actually be a State Banquet Master?
Looking at the elderly man in a floral T-shirt taking off his apron in the kitchen, Lin Xu had a surreal feeling. But now that he had such an eminent figure by his side, he could directly consult him whenever he encountered something he didn’t understand.
"Old Mr. Gao, do you have any more kitchen tips?"
"Exactly, teach us some more."
"Old Mr. Gao definitely still has some tricks up his sleeve."
The customers surrounded Old Mr. Gao, wanting to learn some more.
Old Mr. Gao smiled and said, "You all think too highly of me. I’m just an odd-jobber; I don’t have that many tips. Finish your soup and head back, so you don’t delay Boss Lin’s rest."
After saying that, he wiped his hands and walked toward the door.
The customers felt the soup in their bowls grow more delicious with each sip.
Then they looked at Lin Xu and asked, "Boss Lin, will you serve this soup tomorrow?"
Lin Xu was quite eager to add new items.
He still had a reward task for a Soup Update waiting for him.
But the Nori Egg Drop Soup also had a task.
He shook his head and said, "Not tomorrow. I need to practice properly. I’ll add it to the menu when I can match Old Mr. Gao’s standard. There’s no rush."
Old Mr. Gao, who had reached the door, heard this and nodded slightly. He obtained the recipe but isn’t rushing to add it to the menu, wanting instead to thoroughly understand it himself. Such calm, composed, and humble young people are truly rare these days. What a promising talent!
After finishing the Nori Egg Drop Soup, everyone dispersed in twos and threes.
Lin Xu and Che Zi tidied up the kitchen, then clocked out and left.
At the entrance of the store, Chen Meijuan looked at Shen Jiayue with a friendly face and asked, "Does Yueyue still want to eat steamed buns? If you want some, Auntie will make some for you tomorrow morning."
"I might not have time to come eat, because I have to go to work tomorrow."
Shen Jiayue adopted a pitiful, wronged expression. If it weren’t for the Ferrari F8 parked nearby, Lin Xu would have truly thought she was a hardworking laborer just trying to make ends meet.
"Then add me as a friend. When they’re steamed tomorrow, I’ll find someone to deliver them to you."
After Shen Jiayue added her future mother-in-law as a friend, she drove off.
Watching the red sports car’s receding figure, Chen Meijuan suddenly said, "I looked it up when I had some free time; that car costs around four million on the road."
What?! Lin Xu was dumbfounded. Why would you check out someone else’s car? Are you planning to scam her out of it and sell it?
"Son, considering your current earning speed, you can easily make nine hundred thousand a month. Six times nine is fifty-four, so that’s five million four hundred thousand in half a year. That’s more than enough to buy that car with plenty to spare; you’d even have enough left over for a Land Rover! Don’t feel you can’t measure up just because her family has money. Be confident, son. You’re no less than anyone!"
Hearing his mother’s words, Lin Xu felt both amused and helpless.
I don’t feel inferior. And I don’t think Shen Jiayue is out of my league. I’m just slow to warm up when it comes to emotions. But to earn five million four hundred thousand in half a year... is my earning ability really that explosive?
When Shen Jiayue got home, all those relatives had already left. She took the elevator upstairs, and just as she was about to sneak into her room, she found her parents sitting in the small living room outside it. Obviously, they were waiting for me, she realized.
"Where have you been?" her mother, Han Shuzhen, asked, maintaining the authority of a chief physician even at home.
"I went to hang out with a classmate."
Shen Jiayue sat cross-legged on the cashmere carpet in front of the coffee table. Just as she was about to pick a Lychee from the fruit plate, her mother stopped her. "Eating without washing your hands? Do you know how many germs are on them? Anyway, how did you feel about those young men you met today?"
Shen Jiayue pouted, "Not great. Please stop letting those relatives introduce people to me. They bring all sorts of oddballs home; it makes the place feel like a junkyard."
Her dad, Shen Guofu, nodded in agreement, "She’s absolutely right. Some of those young guys with their earrings and dyed yellow hair were really getting on my nerves."
Han Shuzhen shot her husband a glare. The big boss, who owned several listed companies, immediately shut his mouth and tilted his head back to study the crystal chandelier above, as if it were some priceless treasure.
"You’ve graduated from college; it’s normal to go on arranged dates and be in a relationship. Why don’t you set some standards, and I’ll talk to those relatives about it?"
Shen Jiayue actually listed a few. "First, he must be at least ten centimeters taller than me; otherwise, I’ll look both tall and bulky. Second, his monthly income must reach one million, and he must earn it independently, not rely on his family. Third, he must be the same age as me to avoid a generation gap. Fourth, he must be a good cook. Fifth, he must..."
Before she could finish, Han Shuzhen waved her hand, "Alright, alright. Any more criteria, and we’ll have to search outer space for your match."
There’s no need for outer space; there’s one right on Welcoming Spring Street.
Every time she thought of Lin Xu, a sweet smile couldn’t help but appear on Shen Jiayue’s face.
My dear Xu, I’m missing you again. Could you miss me a little too?
"Go back to your room. Tomorrow, you’ll start working at your Uncle Tan’s audit firm. Don’t cause any trouble, understand?"
Upon hearing she could go, Shen Jiayue immediately jumped up from the carpet, excited.
She saluted her mother, Han Shuzhen, "Yes, Madam!"
After her daughter returned to her room, Han Shuzhen sighed softly, "Yueyue seems to be dating someone."
Shen Guofu nodded, "Indeed. But can her boyfriend actually meet those criteria she listed? A million a month? I couldn’t earn that much even when I was in my twenties."
「At 4:20 in the morning.」
Lin Xu got up on time.
After washing up, he went down to the market to buy groceries.
"Morning, Boss Lin! The red onion heads, dried shiitake mushrooms, and quail eggs for the braised pork rice are all prepared for you, all top quality," Uncle Shen said, as warm and enthusiastic as ever.
Lin Xu picked out the vegetables he needed for the day, then bought meat and other ingredients.
Back at the store, he first soaked the dried shiitake mushrooms.
Then he washed the quail eggs he’d bought and put them in a pot to boil.
Next, he began to prepare the pork belly.
Previously, only the Squash Diced Sauce required meat, using about fifty to sixty pounds a day. But today, as he was adding Braised Pork Rice to the menu, Lin Xu bought over a hundred pounds of pork belly at once. This made Old Hu, the meat vendor, grin from ear to ear.
He laid the pork belly skin-side up on the workbench and used a blowtorch to singe the Pork Skin, burning off any stray hairs and impurities in the pores. After that, he soaked it in clean water.
Then he started to prepare the Chicken Feet.
「At seven-thirty in the morning.」
Just as Lin Xu finished the breakfast his mother had brought him, the steamer he ordered yesterday was delivered.
Several workers installed and tested it, then showed Lin Xu how to use it before leaving.
"Boss, with such a big steamer, are we switching from noodles to rice?" Che Zi asked, curious.
If they were selling rice, a couple of extra-large rice cookers would suffice; there was no need for such a large, electricity-guzzling, space-consuming steamer.
Lin Xu smiled and said, "Besides rice, I’m planning to introduce some steamed dishes soon to further enrich our menu at Lin Ji’s Food."
After yesterday’s live broadcast, the buzz around Lin Ji’s Food remained high. Completing the "Minor Celebrity" side quest and winning the Perfect Level prize for steamed dishes was practically a done deal, so purchasing a steamer was essential.
As Che Zi started cutting the meat with a cleaver, Lin Xu carried the julienned red onion to the stove.
He began to make the soul of the braised pork rice—crispy fried red onion.