She was extremely meticulous about the cleanliness of the floors and the kitchen.

If she's cooking a meal, she'll definitely have two rags in her hands, one for wiping the pot and the other for wiping the stove; she'll keep wiping non-stop, not wanting any oil or seasoning to splatter outside.

When it's the fat man's turn to do it, they always end up arguing over such trivial things, constantly draining each other's already dwindling affection for each other...

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In the TV series, Sha Zhu cooked Beijing-style Sichuan cuisine, and this was confirmed when the manager treated everyone to a meal after Yu Li opened her restaurant.

But the fat man knew that the big boss was from Sichuan, so he had to make sure the big boss ate authentic Sichuan cuisine.

Today, Fatty plans to cook two authentic Sichuan dishes for the big boss: shredded pork with garlic sauce and twice-cooked pork.

The kitchen of the high-ranking leader is fully equipped with all kinds of seasonings, which shows that he is a gourmet and particular about food.

When the aunt came in, she saw the fat man placing the deep-fried twice-cooked pork slices onto a makeshift bamboo rack, one by one, like hanging out blankets to dry.

The aunt exclaimed, "This twice-cooked pork looks delicious!"

The fat man finished arranging the last piece of meat and said with a smile, "Auntie, you know your stuff."

If you're going to eat twice-cooked pork, you absolutely have to try Lianshan twice-cooked pork.

Its main feature is that each piece of meat is as wide as a chopstick and as long as an adult male's palm. Each piece of meat has been oiled to remove excess fat, making it rich but not greasy, and lean but not mushy, with a fragrant aroma that can be smelled from afar.

The only side dish was garlic sprouts; there was nothing else.

Fatty had already prepared and served dishes such as sliced ​​beef and tripe in chili sauce, cold chicken salad, shredded pork with garlic sauce, Mapo tofu, and Kung Pao chicken.

The senior leader led his subordinates into the restaurant, glanced around, and said approvingly, "Please sit down, it looks quite nice."

Director Wang flattered the fat man at the opportune moment: "Sir, the fat man's cooking skills are truly superb. I've eaten at his factory several times, otherwise I wouldn't dare to introduce him to you."

"You said he was a master of Huaiyang cuisine, but I didn't expect him to be so good at Sichuan cuisine as well."

While the secretary was pouring drinks for everyone, the big boss picked up a piece of shredded pork with garlic sauce and immediately recognized that it was not Beijing-style Sichuan cuisine, but authentic Sichuan cuisine!

The high-ranking leader put down his chopsticks and said to his secretary, "Go and call the chef over here. I need to see him."

The secretary hurried into the kitchen and said to the fat man in a friendly manner, "Young chef, please wait a moment. The chief wants to see you."

The fat man quickly took the twice-cooked pork out of the pot and tidied up the stove with great efficiency, which made the secretary nod in approval.

As the two of them entered, they heard the senior leader say with great certainty, "This dish must be twice-cooked pork."

The fat man was a little surprised. He glanced at Director Wang and then at the factory director. Seeing that they were both smiling, he felt reassured.

They served the dishes properly, without saying a single unnecessary word.

When the top leader saw the twice-cooked pork, he couldn't help but take another look and asked in surprise, "What's this?"

The fat man glanced cautiously at Director Wang, who chuckled, "Just answer whatever the leader asks, don't be nervous."

The fat man then explained, "Big Boss, this dish is called Lianshan Twice-Cooked Pork."

The senior leader repeated, "Lianshan twice-cooked pork?" Then, with great interest, he asked, "What did you just call me?"

The fat man smiled shyly and said, "Big boss."

Director Wang leaned closer and whispered, "I didn't tell him who you are."

The top leader laughed: "Aren't you curious?"

The fat man said without hesitation, "I'm not curious. Before I left, the factory manager told me to just focus on cooking and not to be reckless."

This answer not only satisfied the top leader, but also made Director Yang feel proud.

The unpleasantness that Xu Damao and Sha Zhu had caused him earlier vanished, and he quickly praised the fat man a few times in front of the leader.

Just before leaving, the big boss said, "I bet your next dish will be Dongpo pork knuckle. Am I right?"

"You know everything, sir, but the last dish today is not Dongpo pork knuckle."

"Oh? This isn't the last dish?" The high-ranking leader was now somewhat surprised: "Then what is the last dish?"

The fat man didn't answer, but looked at Director Wang. He quickly explained, "Sir, you've forgotten, he's a master of Huaiyang cuisine. This last dish is the soft-shelled eel, known as the first dish of the founding of the nation. I ate it once at their factory, and I still remember it vividly."

"..."

Back in the kitchen, the fat man wiped his sweat.

In another world, the highest-ranking leader he had ever met was the chairman of the district literary federation. Facing such a high-ranking leader for the first time, it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous.

Didn't you hear Director Wang call him "Chief"? Is that a word that can be used so casually?

Wiping away his sweat, the fat man mustered all his energy to start making the last dish.

He had already bowed ninety-nine times; only this final tremor remained. Success or failure hinged on this moment!

As the last dish, soft-shelled eel, was served, and seeing the satisfied expressions on the leaders' faces, Fatty finally felt relieved; he had finally snatched this opportunity from Sha Zhu.

The high-ranking leader was quite satisfied with the meal, commenting, "Excellent! Authentic Sichuan cuisine. The moment I tasted the shredded pork with garlic sauce, I knew it wasn't made in Beijing, but rather in Chengdu. It's genuine Sichuan cuisine."

The auntie, seeing how pleased the fat man was with her, playfully asked, "Was the Sichuan food we used to eat not authentic?"

The big boss smiled, then pointed at the fat man: "Little Master, you answer."

The fat man cautiously told everyone, "In Sichuan, Sichuan cuisine is divided into Upper River cuisine, Lower River cuisine, and Lesser River cuisine."

The aunt was confused: "River Gang?"

The fat man explained, "The cuisine of the Upper River School is mainly based on Chengdu and Leshan cuisine. Its characteristics are that it is relatively light and has a wide variety of snacks. Representative dishes include Mapo Tofu, Twice-Cooked Pork, Kung Pao Chicken, Braised Pork Belly, Steamed Pork with Rice Flour, Sliced ​​Beef and Offal in Chili Sauce, Sweet and Sour Pork, Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce, etc."

Those present suddenly realized that they used to eat dishes from the Upper River region.

Director Wang asked him, "What about the vegetables from the Xiahebang region?"

"The Xiahebang cuisine mainly consists of Chongqing and Dazhou cuisines. Its characteristics are excellent home-style dishes, with a strong emphasis on numbing and spicy flavors. Representative dishes include pickled fish, spicy blood curd, boiled sliced ​​pork, and spicy chicken, etc."

So that's why it's so spicy and numbing.

The fat man continued, "Xiaohebang cuisine mainly consists of Zigong and Neijiang cuisines, emphasizing a grand and high-end style. Zigong is a major salt well, so Xiaohebang cuisine is also known as Salt Gang cuisine. Its representative dishes include fish-flavored eggplant, boiled beef, cold pot fish, cold-cooked rabbit, and hammered beef, among others."

No one in this era has organized Sichuan cuisine in such detail. Even the twice-cooked pork from Lianshan that Fatty just served didn't become widely known until the 1986 Canton Fair.