Chapter 117 Scallion Tofu Salad, Tofu Skin Rolls [First Update]...

Master Jin stared at his phone with a serious expression. He was almost sixty years old and rarely looked at his phone. Even when he did, he needed a pair of reading glasses.

Now he's wearing reading glasses, scrolling through the comments section of short videos from top to bottom.

Underneath videos about Wenji, there are always a few unavoidable topics.

First, they lament that they can't get a table, making all sorts of jokes and funny antics. Those who have eaten there share their experiences, and you can even see their entire journey from waiting for a table to receiving their food and finishing their meal by clicking into their profile.

A small shop has somehow managed to create the impression of a high-end restaurant on the internet. Whether you've eaten there or not, very few people question the taste. There are only a few short complaints about parking and long waiting times.

These kinds of comments make up 70-80% of the comments; almost every video has these kinds of comments.

Secondly, I would like to offer suggestions to Wenji.

It's strange, really. With other shops, few people seem to care about how well the business is doing. But Wen Ji, perhaps because it's associated with several social events—from the initial incident of a child barking at a dog to the later rescue with brown sugar water—has become a popular patron, and people have developed a kind of nurturing, enjoyable relationship with it.

One person advised Wenji to expand its scale, another suggested moving to a certain location, and someone even proactively calculated the gross profit margin, saying that Wenji could raise its prices.

However, Wenji basically ignored the comments, and some people below also refuted the comments calling for a price increase.

[Momo: How much will it go? To the level of Jin Yu Lou? I think some people are really ridiculous. Why do you feel so bad when a shop does a little bit of affordable business? Don't ordinary people deserve to eat well? The owner's family was willing to publish their recipe so that students could eat mashed potatoes. Can't you see their ambition? All you do is raise prices all day long. I just don't understand, what good does Wen Kee's price increase do you?]

Master Da Jin frowned as he stared at the comment until his eyes ached, before slowly scrolling down.

Then it was categorized into the third type of comment.

The comparison and contrast segment.

Although Wenji has never expressed any intention to compete with any other restaurant, given its frequently changing menus, it's difficult to categorize the restaurant as any particular type. In the six months since Wenji gained popularity, all the shops on the street have benefited. Now, many people, besides Wenji, will casually mention that the steamed buns on this street are good, the pancakes are crispy, and the braised noodles at the street corner have a rustic flavor.

These shops all benefit from the existence of Wenji. There is only one, and it is always compared with others but doesn't get any credit.

That is Jin Yu Lou.

[Momo: I'm not trying to badmouth Jin Yu Lou, but their food quality control is really lax. I went there to entertain classmates before, and their braised cabbage was delicious. Later, when my husband and I went back, the braised cabbage was greasy and oily. We called the waiter to return it, but he said that's how their braised cabbage is supposed to taste, and that the chef that day was their second chef, so it was impossible for him to make a mistake. I was furious! I paid the bill and left, vowing never to go to Jin Yu Lou again.]

[A Little Happiness: Who can argue with that? This old restaurant has been resting on its laurels for too long. The menu hasn't been updated in ages. Before, going there was at least a chance to try something good, but now it's really just about the ambiance.]

[DouDou: This isn't a business setting, I would absolutely not go to Jin Yu Lou. My cousin came looking for a job before, and I took her to Wen Ji. At first, that little girl had a long face, thinking I didn't value her, but later, after eating with her mouth full of oil, she said she misunderstood me. It was hilarious, I love watching these little face-slapping dramas.]

[Pomegranate Mom: Haha, same here. I've even started bringing my own clients there, and they're always super happy after the meal. Honestly, people aren't so materialistic these days. As long as the food is good, who cares about the ambiance? Even rich people wouldn't be happy if they ate a bad meal.]

...

After reading it, Master Jin gently took off his reading glasses and rubbed his temples.

The apprentice beside him dared not utter a sound.

"...Which day of the week does your Master Erjin work?"

The apprentice whispered, "On the 3rd and 8th of every month."

Do you come here regularly?

The apprentice fell silent.

Master Jin sighed. This restaurant was his master's life's work, but unfortunately, his master passed away early. In the early years, the master-apprentice relationship was no different from that of family. Later, he supported his master's children in going to university and running the business, and took care of his junior apprentices in learning the craft. He could be described as both a teacher and a father.

Apart from the youngest junior brother who went to Hong Kong Island, the other two junior brothers didn't have the ambition to venture out, so they followed him to run Jin Yu Lou and received a share of the profits each year.

Perhaps Jin Yu Lou was too complacent, so complacent that it made people lose their drive to improve. Now, it has been overtaken by a small street shop, and even Master Jin has lost his temper.

"Call me when your Master Erjin arrives."

Put others' problems aside for now; the most important thing is to avoid trouble for yourself. Master Jin didn't intend to immediately cause trouble for that small shop. These days, small shops relying on the internet are always more talked about.

only……

He took a deep breath.

Never treat customers like fools.

His health has been poor these past two years, so he hasn't come as often. His two other junior brothers have become lax in their studies. Even if you only read a tenth of the negative comments online, it's enough to alarm Master Jin.

If his master's years of hard work are ruined in his generation, how can he face his master?

"Let me try the cooking of your Master Erjin and Master Sanjin... then I'll go and try this little shop."

Jin Yulou also started out as a private kitchen business. In its early years, it was full of ambition, serving only two tables of private dishes a day, which was when Jin Yulou was most popular. Now, if a small street shop has the audacity to do this, it means that the other party must have some real skills.

Master Jin sighed deeply, feeling utterly exhausted.

*****

Meanwhile, Wen Fan's tofu banquet finally released its menu, which was posted online and sparked a heated discussion.

[Momo: Holy crap, it's all soy products!]

[Miss Peach: Scallion tofu salad, tofu box, farmhouse tofu casserole, salt and pepper tofu, fish fillet tofu soup... Oh my god!]

[Liuliu: The tofu-dislike person is slowly retreating...]

[Sheep: Tofu lovers raise the banner! But there are so many things in this that I've never tried before...]

[Little Yuan: I don't care anymore! Let's go! I'm going to Wenji to eat tofu!]

...

Wen Fan corrected Ren Haijin: "Don't say 'eat tofu,' it sounds really awful."

Ren Haijin was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Over the past few days, he discovered that beneath Wen Fan's somewhat cold exterior, she was still a very interesting girl, with occasional flashes of dry humor.

Wen Fan was examining her tofu, recalling her earlier saying, "The three great hardships of life are rowing a boat, blacksmithing, and grinding tofu." If it weren't for this electric millstone, she wouldn't have been able to prepare this tofu feast.

With this electric millstone, Wen Fan harvested a lot of tofu all at once.

Soft tofu, firm tofu, dried bean curd sticks, bean curd skin...

Wen Fan processed them one by one: diced fried tofu, a large bowl of scallion-mixed tofu, and tofu skin wrapped around shrimp and minced meat...

The family had already eaten scallion and tofu salad for breakfast, paired with hot soy milk—it was incredibly delicious. Feng Huijuan's soy milk, made from freshly harvested soybeans from the village, had a clear, fragrant soybean aroma.

The scallion and tofu salad is simple to make, but it tastes refreshing and delicious. Paired with steamed cornbread from the pot, Father Wen jokingly calls it a "bitter-sweet meal."

"It would be great if we replaced the soy milk with sweet potato and cornmeal; that's what I ate when I was a kid."

The food consisted of coarse grains, and the tofu was pickled very salty back then. One bite of tofu could be eaten in several bites of cornbread. Even so, my family would still hit me on the head with chopsticks, complaining that I ate too fast and didn't know how to live a good life.

Nowadays, without the need for a side dish, tofu is purely a pleasure to eat. The tender tofu is filled with scallions and sauce, its vibrant green color is delightful. The simpler the dish, the harder it is to make. Wen Fan's scallion tofu salad has just the right amount of salt, and the scallions are fragrant. After being chopped into small pieces, they are mixed with the tofu. A drizzle of sesame oil on the tofu instantly transforms the originally bland dish into a fragrant one.

After finishing their meal, Mr. and Mrs. Wen patted their bellies, indicating that the food was very satisfying.

"After eating too much meat and fish, some tofu is a good alternative."

Besides scallion and tofu salad, Wen Fan also made tofu skin rolls. The prepared tofu skin wraps the filling, which is then steamed and fried, giving the illusion of eating meatballs.

Biting into the tofu skin roll reveals a filling of juice, and the tofu skin itself is crispy and fragrant.

Wen's parents couldn't eat much after breakfast, which benefited Ren Haijin and Ji Baiyi, who came to work.

They ate them one by one with great relish.

They didn't even notice when the guests came in.

Until a customer stared at their mouths.

Ren Haijin was still eating noisily, while Ji Baiyi wiped his mouth sheepishly.

Customer: "...Um, may I try one?"