Chapter 118 Ginger Duck and Flavored Eggplant Reopen

If a crack appeared in the ground right now, Lin Yao would jump in without hesitation.

After waiting for a while, the ground showed no sign of cracking, so she could only resign herself to her fate, put on a smile, and walk towards Xu Zhiheng, "Long time no see."

The melancholy in Xu Zhiheng's eyes lessened somewhat, and his voice carried a hint of grievance: "It has indeed been a long time since we last met. Manager Lin has been getting busier and busier lately."

Lin Yao breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he didn't mention the matter in the mountains again.

His gaze fell on her face, naturally not missing her expression, and a slight bitterness welled up in his heart. "Is the recruitment going smoothly?"

When the topic of school recruitment came up, Lin Yao became interested. "It went fairly smoothly. We recruited more than thirty people, which is enough for the food court to open."

Xu Zhiheng: "Food court?"

Lin Yao told him about the restaurant she had taken over in Lin'an Prefecture, and then sighed, "I've been so busy lately that I haven't been able to take care of the old shop in Qingquan Town. Fortunately, everything has been arranged today, and the old shop can reopen tomorrow."

Her eyes darted around, and she gave a mysterious smile: "I've also prepared two new dishes so everyone can try some new flavors."

Xu Zhiheng raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh? What delicious dish is it?"

"Ginger duck and flavored eggplant," Lin Yao said excitedly. "I was just worried about who would taste them beforehand. Why don't you invite Jin Yu and Man Tang to the restaurant to try the dishes later?"

Xu Zhiheng bowed exaggeratedly: "It is our great fortune to be able to taste Manager Lin's cooking."

Lin Yao burst into laughter at his joke.

The two walked side by side toward the restaurant, their shadows, one tall and one short, one to the left and one to the right, stretched long by the setting sun.

Jin Yu and Man Tang, who were eavesdropping not far away, exchanged a glance and saw the disappointment in each other's eyes. They shook their heads, sighed, and remained silent, rubbing their foreheads.

Heaven knows when the young master will be able to marry his young mistress.

Lin Yao returned to the familiar kitchen, feeling relaxed and happy.

She rolled up her sleeves, turned around and called out to the outer room, "Su Niang, rinse the soaked dried bean curd and vermicelli again, and cut the cabbage into diamond-shaped pieces for later use."

Lin Yao picked up the Muscovy duck on the table. The duck had been slaughtered that morning, and its meat was firm and fresh.

She skillfully chopped the duck body into three-centimeter square pieces, split the duck head in two and then chopped it horizontally, and sorted the duck offal into different categories.

Cut the duck heart into crosshatch patterns, slice the duck liver into thick slices, score the duck gizzard, clean the duck intestines thoroughly and cut them into sections, and finally carefully cut the duck blood into small pieces and soak them in water to prevent them from coagulating.

Xu Zhiheng found a small stool and sat by the stove, his gaze following her focused profile.

Lin Yao tore the crushed ginger into strips, then turned to Wang Xiaoyu and instructed, "Bring over the pork bone soup that's been cooked."

Heat a wok over high heat, pour in sesame oil and heat it to 60% of its maximum temperature. Lin Yao then pours the duck pieces into the wok and stir-fries them quickly with a spatula.

The oil sizzles, and the aroma of duck meat gradually wafts out. As the moisture slowly evaporates, the surface of the duck pieces turns an enticing golden color.

She took the opportunity to sprinkle in a packet of spices, stir-fry for a while, and when the spices and meat aroma blended together, she put the duck pieces into the pot, poured in the milky white pork bone broth, added salt, rice wine and a few rock sugar, covered the pot, and turned up the heat.

While the ginger duck was stewing, Lin Yao began preparing the flavorful eggplant.

She took a fresh long eggplant, cut it into strips about the thickness of a finger, soaked it in water, and said to the person next to her, "Eggplants absorb oil, so soaking them for five minutes beforehand will reduce the amount of oil they absorb when frying and prevent them from turning black."

Five minutes later, she took them out and drained them. She then sprinkled a handful of starch on them, held the bowl in both hands, and gently shook it to coat each eggplant strip with a thin layer of starch.

Lin Yao heated oil in a wok. When the oil reached 60% of its maximum temperature, she slowly put the eggplant strips into the wok without turning them over. Once the eggplant strips had set, she turned the heat down to low and fried them slowly.

"You can't rush frying eggplant. Fry it over low heat for three minutes to cook it through, then take it out and fry it again over high heat for twenty seconds to make the outer skin crispy." As she spoke, she observed the color of the eggplant strips in the pot, and when the outer skin was golden and crispy, she quickly took them out to drain the oil.

Leave a little oil in the pan, add garlic slices, dogwood, and Sichuan peppercorns and sauté until fragrant, the aroma instantly filling the kitchen.

Lin Yao had already prepared the sweet and sour sauce: three spoonfuls of white sugar, three spoonfuls of aged vinegar, and half a spoonful of salt. She poured all of it into the pot, and as soon as the sauce bubbled up, she added the fried eggplant strips. With a flip of the spatula, she stir-fried the eggplant strips and sauce evenly.

Finally, sprinkle with a handful of bright green cilantro, turn off the heat, plate the dish, and a plate of bright red, sweet and sour eggplant is ready.

"It smells so good!" Jin Yu couldn't resist reaching out to grab some, but Mantang slapped her hand away, saying, "What's the rush? Let's eat together once the ginger duck is ready!"

Lin Yao handed over the plate: "It's okay to try it first, it's most fragrant when it's fresh out of the pot."

Xu Zhiheng picked up a piece with his chopsticks. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, coated with a sweet and sour sauce. The perfect balance of numbing spiciness and the slight spiciness of the dogwood blossoms spread across his tongue, creating a rich and complex flavor. "Delicious!"

At this point, the ginger duck in the pot was also ready.

Lin Yao lifted the pot lid, and a rich aroma of ginger mixed with the fresh smell of duck meat wafted out.

She started a separate pot, poured in sesame oil and heated it, then added ginger strips and stir-fried them until the moisture evaporated and they shrank slightly, releasing their aroma. She then placed them into several small hot pots as a base.

Then, remove the duck pieces and place them on top of the ginger strips. Pour in the original duck broth and an appropriate amount of pork bone broth, bring the small hot pot to a boil, and then place it on a small stove.

Su Niang then brought over the side dishes: "The side dishes are all ready!"

Soaked vermicelli, dried bean curd sticks, and cabbage are neatly arranged on a white porcelain plate, with several small bowls containing prepared dipping sauces placed next to them.

This sauce is made by dissolving sugar in soy sauce, adding dried dogwood powder, chopped scallions, and a little sesame oil; it's bright red and very appealing.

Lin Yao placed the mini hot pot and side dishes on the table one by one, and called out to everyone: "The ginger duck is here! It tastes even better when dipped in the sauce. You can add the side dishes to cook anytime. Tomorrow is the grand opening of the old shop, and these two dishes will be the signature dishes. Today, I'm letting you try them out!"

Xu Zhiheng picked up a piece of duck meat, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in his mouth.

The ginger has a rich aroma, the duck meat is tender yet chewy, and the medicinal herbs have a subtle fragrance that enhances the flavor without overpowering it.

He looked up at Lin Yao, his eyes full of smiles: "With just these two dishes, the opening tomorrow will definitely be packed."

The next day, as soon as it was time for dinner, the sound of firecrackers crackling could be heard at the entrance of Lin's Restaurant.

Ah-Zhu and Ah-Fu held up long firecrackers. After the flash of light, red firecracker paper scraps fell all over the ground, like a festive red carpet.

As soon as the firecrackers stopped, the two men stood at the street corner and called out crisply, "Don't miss out! Lin's Eatery is reopening! All dishes are 20% off today! Our new ginger duck and flavorful eggplant are fresh out of the pot and smell amazing!"

The shouts were particularly loud on the street.

Although life in Qingquan Town was slowly recovering after the war, many families were still grieving the loss of loved ones and were struggling to make ends meet.

The government recently took in and settled many displaced people in the town, most of whom had never heard of the Lin Family Restaurant.

When the restaurant first opened, it attracted customers by offering discounts. Now that it has reopened, the discounts are not only to benefit the locals who have suffered for a while, but also to encourage new faces to try the food.

Sure enough, after a short while of shouting, several familiar faces hurried over.

"Manager Lin, you've finally reopened!" Aunt Wang, who sells cloth at the street corner, hurried forward. "I heard you were renovating a few days ago, and I've been looking forward to your reopening every day!" As she spoke, she went into the shop, followed by several familiar neighbors, all of whom were old customers of the restaurant.

Migrants from outside the town who came to the market were also attracted by the discounts.

A man in a patched coarse cloth shirt hesitated and came closer, asking Afu, "Brother, is the 20% discount real? How much is a dish?"

Ah Fu patted his chest and laughed, "Uncle, don't worry, our restaurant is honest and fair! The cheapest cold tofu salad is only two coins after the discount, enough for two people!"

The man's eyes lit up, and he quickly called to his companions, "Come on, let's go try it out, it's a great deal!"

In less than half an hour, the restaurant was packed.

All the tables in the main hall were occupied, and even the two small tables temporarily added at the entrance were occupied.

Lin Yao was cooking in the kitchen, and as she listened to the lively sounds outside, a smile never left her face.

At this moment, outside the city gate of Lin'an Prefecture, a series of rapid hoofbeats approached from afar.

A man dressed in a light blue outfit rode up on horseback, carrying two bulging packages on his back, and finally entered the city at the city gate.

After entering the city, the man first found a bustling street.

He reined in his horse, his gaze sweeping over the shops along the street before finally stopping at an inn.

The inn wasn't very big, and there were two red lanterns hanging at the entrance. It looked fairly clean and tidy.

He dismounted, handed the reins to the waiter who came to greet him, and then stepped into the inn's lobby.

A few tables of customers were scattered around the lobby, and the shopkeeper was sitting behind the counter fiddling with an abacus.

The man stepped forward and asked, "Shopkeeper, are there any rooms available?"

The innkeeper looked him up and down. He noticed that although his clothes were dusty from his journey, they were made of high-quality materials, and the bundle on his horse looked quite heavy. He put down his abacus and said with a smile, "Sir, you've come at the right time. We still have two superior rooms facing south, with good lighting and ventilation."

"How much does it cost?" the man asked.

"Don't worry, sir, our superior rooms are very reasonably priced!" the innkeeper replied hastily, rubbing his hands together. Just as he was about to explain the price in detail, two figures walked in through the inn's entrance.

The young man in front was about eighteen or nineteen years old. He was Lin Cheng, who had just finished eating at the Lin Family Restaurant. He was holding a string of candied hawthorns, and he had eaten almost all of them.

Behind him was a boy of about ten years old, also chewing on a candied hawthorn, his face full of satisfaction.

After dinner, the two brothers strolled around the street, buying some snacks as they walked back.

As Lin Cheng stepped into the inn, his gaze swept over the figure behind the counter, and he abruptly stopped, as if nailed to the spot.

"Brother?" Lin Song, with a candied hawthorn in his mouth, tilted his little face up and tugged at Lin Cheng's round eyes, which were full of doubt.

The boy's clear voice was particularly distinct in the not-so-noisy lobby.

The man in the tight-fitting clothes in front of the counter paused and slowly turned around.

Sunlight streamed in from the inn's entrance, illuminating his face. His brows and eyes showed the weariness of his journey, yet his travel-worn appearance couldn't conceal his sharp and imposing aura.

The moment their eyes met, Lin Cheng felt a thousand words stuck in his throat, unable to utter a single one. His fingers loosened, and the candied hawthorn fell to the ground with a clatter.

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Author's Note: The recipes for ginger duck and flavored eggplant are from Baidu.

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