Chapter 31 Dad’s Old Eater

The female comrade sitting at the same table with the old man was very dissatisfied with the comrade with glasses eating and drinking for free, especially when at the end of the meal he made an excuse to go to the bathroom.

The female comrade said to the old man, "You're done eating, wipe your mouth and go. Do you really think he's your confidant? Are you being taken advantage of for nothing?"

"You!" The old man waved his hand, "You don't know how to judge people."

As he was talking, the comrade with glasses came back. He sat down and waited for the old man to eat and drink his fill.

The old man stood up and said he was going to pay the bill. He smiled and said, "I have already paid. I would like to ask Mr. Zhou, how can I ask Mr. Zhou to treat me? Can you spare Mr. Zhou's time and tell me about the situation of Fuyun Building?"

The old man looked at the female comrade who came with him, stretched out his hand and said, "My home is nearby, how about going to my house for a cup of tea?"

"Excuse me."

After leaving Fuyun Building, the comrade pushed his bicycle and walked with the old man. The old man asked: "Comrade, you are a new leader, and you are here for a private visit, right?"

"What do you mean by incognito? I just came to take a look. I am Song Ziqiang, the new director of the Second Commercial Bureau."

The Second Commercial Bureau is responsible for the management of the city's non-staple food, catering, service industry and vendors. This is a department that follows procedures. The old man heard him say that after the reform and opening up, Yuecheng is the closest big city to Hong Kong City and will become a gateway to the outside world in the future. The superior leaders said that they must do a good job in the service industry and reception work.

A few days ago, he visited two foreign-related hotels, and today he came to the famous Fuyunlou in Guangdong City. Every time he visited another hotel, he had more troubles.

"I was confused at first, but from listening to you speak, I know you are an expert. I would like to ask you how to solve the dilemma of Fuyun Building?" Song Ziqiang asked the old man.

"It's difficult!" The old man told him about the past and present of Fuyunlou. Fuyunlou opened in the Daoguang period and has always been a well-known restaurant in Cantonese cuisine. It really became the first signature restaurant of Cantonese cuisine in the mid-to-late 1930s, which was related to a pair of brothers. Senior brother Luo Changfa was an excellent cook, and junior brother Yue Baohua was even more powerful. Fuyunlou was very popular for a while. After 1937, in order to share the risk, the owner of Fuyunlou went to Hong Kong to open a branch and brought Luo Changfa with him.

Having said this, we arrived at the old man’s house.

Song Ziqiang looked up and saw a big house in Xiguan. During the Qing Dynasty, Guangdong Customs and Thirteen Hongs were established, and Guangdong City became an important trading port in the country. Xiguan was the center of Guangdong City, where many wealthy businessmen gathered and built many mansions. The old man's house was such a big house.

There are three doors in the big house. The first one is a low-legged door with a hanging fan, the second one is a sliding door, and the third one is a mahogany door, which is very imposing.

The old man led him to the courtyard on the right side of the entrance hall. There was a lush sweet-scented osmanthus tree, but the rockery under the tree was dilapidated and the fish pond was dry. The old man smiled and said, "The government just returned this house to me, and I haven't had time to clean it up yet. Sorry for the embarrassment."

"No way!" Song Ziqiang sat down.

The old man brought a pot of water, lit a charcoal fire and started to boil water, then continued to tell the story of the two brothers from Fuyunlou: "During the three years when Gangcheng was occupied by the Japanese army, the Japanese army transported all the reserve grain in Gangcheng to the battlefield in Southeast Asia. It was difficult for ordinary people to survive in those three years. Luo Changfa survived through untold hardships. After the war, the owner of Fuyunlou wanted to open a store in Gangcheng again, but Luo Changfa refused to go no matter what, so Yue Baohua went to Gangcheng."

The old man sighed, "But Fuyunlou seems to be incompatible with Gangcheng. After a few years, the Fuyunlou in Gangcheng was sold, and Yue Baohua ran back. I heard that he wanted to make a living on his own, so he went to Gangcheng again. At that time, he often came back, but later he couldn't come back. Lao Luo is a very honest person. He always felt that his junior brother wanted to avoid making things difficult for him, so he went to Gangcheng again. He was also dedicated to Yue Baohua's son without any bias. Of course, he tried his best to other apprentices as well. This little Yue is better at cooking than his father when he was young, and he also likes to study. Whether it is an ancient recipe or other cuisines, he will ask me to try it and ask me to give suggestions when there is a new taste. The person who should have been able to take up the responsibility of inheriting Fuyunlou did not escape the disaster!"

"What's going on?"

The old man washed the teacup and started to make tea: "The problem is with the wife he married. You know, the food store and Fuyun Building are both under the Second Commercial Bureau. The leader thought Xiao Yue was handsome and had good craftsmanship, so he introduced him to the beauty of the food store. Who knew that this woman was so ambitious. Others fled to the port city because they couldn't survive, but she, whose husband had craftsmanship and had children, ran away. This really hurt Xiao Yue, and Xiao Yue took her daughter to the northwest. Even Lao Luo was implicated. He was upright and felt guilty for not taking good care of his nephew. During those days, Lao Luo passed away. Lao Luo's son had to take over, and Luo Shichang's craftsmanship was only 70% to 80% of his father's."

"Hasn't there been any talented cooks trained in the past few years?"

The old man took a sip of tea and said, "Luo Shichang is not as capable as Lao Luo, but he is more thoughtful than Lao Luo. Lao Luo teaches his apprentices with all his heart and soul. When Yue Zhirong was here, Yue Zhirong was also willing to teach. At that time, the talents of the chefs varied, but they all knew what they should know. Luo Shichang, however, taught half and kept the other half. He himself was several percent worse than his father, and the apprentices he taught could only learn half from him. As a result, they only have a small part of what they can learn. After all these years of trouble, how much of Fuyunlou can be left?"

"Where are Lao Luo's other disciples?"

"The one with good skills went to the retirement home, and the one with average skills went to the Liqun Hotel."

"Where is the young cook?"

"Luo Shichang's eldest son is a good talent. Although he is not particularly talented, the key is that he is willing to study hard. However, there are some dishes that no one can cook. No one can cook them." The old man sighed, "Only an old man like me who is half buried in the ground still misses those dishes. It's a new era now. Those dishes are indeed time-consuming and laborious, and ordinary working people can't afford them. If they are gone, they are gone!"

"You are right. This is Chinese food culture. Besides, living conditions will always get better and better. Just because most people can't afford such dishes now doesn't mean they won't be able to afford them in the future. Will these dishes only exist in the written descriptions of our ancestors when they can afford them in the future? Moreover, with the reform and opening up, the country has opened its doors. Guangdong has been a port city for many years. The overseas Chinese who have returned and the foreign friends who have come here want to try Cantonese cuisine, but in the end, only a few home-cooked dishes are left. How can this reflect the status of our Cantonese cuisine?"

"That's right! Back then, Cantonese cuisine was well-known in Beijing. Celebrities in the political, military, business, and cultural circles were all proud to be able to treat themselves to a meal of Lu's cuisine. Even if you made a reservation half a month or even a month in advance, you might not be able to get a table. In Shanghai, most of the most famous restaurants serve Cantonese cuisine..."

The old man talked about the glory of Fuyunlou and the popularity of Cantonese cuisine in Beijing and Shanghai during the Republic of China period, and was saddened by the crisis Cantonese cuisine is facing today. In his grief, he picked up a banana from the plate and handed it to Song Ziqiang.

Song Ziqiang waved his hands, and the old man stuffed the banana into his mouth angrily. No matter how angry he was, he couldn't treat his stomach badly.

Song Ziqiang stood up with a smile: "Mr. Zhou, thank you. Let me go back and think about it first, and come back to ask you for advice in a couple of days."

"Okay, old man, I don't have anything to do. Just let me know before you come next time and have dinner with me. I can't cook those complicated dishes, but I do have a few specialties. Let's have a drink together." said the old man.

Song Ziqiang nodded: "Then it's settled."

Song Ziqiang walked out of the Zhou family's door and sighed heavily. Thinking about the waiter's attitude and what Mr. Zhou said, he had a headache.

When he returned to the bureau, he parked his car in the carport and heard someone shouting, "Director Song, Director Song."

He locked the car, took out the key and turned around. It was the office director, Lao Hu. Lao Hu panted and said, "Hurry up, Deputy Mayor Zhu asked you to call back as soon as possible."

The leader called, and Director Song strode inside, walked into the office, picked up the phone, and answered the call from the office of the deputy mayor in charge.

He heard: "Gangcheng Baohua Building? Yue Baohua?! OK, OK, Deputy Mayor Zhu, I will go to Yuecheng Hotel right away."

He knew that materialism should not be superstitious about ghosts and gods, but this was too coincidental, right? He was just trying to solve the problem of Fuyun Building, and the relevant people appeared?

He walked to the door: "Lao Hu, is the car here?"

"exist."

"I'm going to Yuecheng Hotel and will go to Xiguan to pick up Mr. Zhou first." Song Ziqiang said.

"Mr. Zhou? Mr. Zhou Zhou, Zhou Xuanxiong?" asked Old Hu.

"I don't know his full name, but it should be the person you are talking about."

Lao Hu called the only car in the bureau, and the two of them got in. Song Ziqiang asked again, "Who is this Mr. Zhou San?"

"He was a big shot when he was young. After the Japanese occupied Guangdong, they issued Union Bank Notes, absorbing legal tender to exchange for Hong Kong dollars and exchange for materials, while devaluing the exchange rate of legal tender to Union Bank Notes. He joined forces with people in the banking industry to maintain the exchange rate of legal tender. The exchange rate of legal tender was higher than that of Union Bank Notes. The people were worried about the devaluation of Union Bank Notes, so they deposited legal tender and bought materials. The credit of Union Bank Notes encountered a crisis and the issuance was not smooth. After the founding of New China, he took the lead in public-private partnership. He suffered a lot in the past few years and was one of the first to be delisted. The government also returned the Zhou family mansion to him."

Song Ziqiang smiled: "He turned out to be such a person."

"Mr. Zhou just loves delicious food. With his background, he would not have been criticized even in those years. He was criticized because he privately said that the food in Yuecheng restaurants was not as good as before liberation after they became state-owned."

Song Ziqiang shook his head: "The truth cannot be told."

The car arrived at the gate of Zhou's mansion. Director Song got out of the car, walked to the low door, and looked inside. The old man was listening to the radio and drinking tea. He called out, "Mr. Zhou."

The old man raised his head, and Director Song smiled and said, "Chef Yue is in Yuecheng. I'll pick you up to meet him."

"What?" The old man widened his eyes.

"Mr. Qiao Qiming, a wealthy businessman from Gangcheng, found Deputy Mayor Zhu and said that Chef Yue Baohua, who came from Fuyunlou, learned about the situation of Fuyunlou and wanted to ask us if we need his help. Do you think they are thinking the same thing?" Song Ziqiang said excitedly, unable to contain his excitement.

The old man turned around and said, "Afang, I'm going out."

His nanny, Afang, came out and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Yuecheng Hotel." Although the old man is fat, as soon as he hears something related to food, his legs and feet become extremely nimble. He runs very fast and follows Song Ziqiang into the car.

"He is going to the northwest to pick up Master Xiaoyue's daughter and Master Xiaoyue's ashes. He will stay in Yuecheng for two days. I thought of you when I received the call. You have a friendship with both their father and son generations. It will be easier to talk when you are acquainted."

"About a month ago, I heard from the people at Fuyunlou that Yue Baohua had been here, but he went back after hearing that Master Xiao Yue had passed away. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to meet him. I only remember Yue Baohua as a person and the dishes he cooked, but we weren't very close friends. The one I could really confide in was Master Xiao Yue, and his dedication to cooking..." Thinking of that young man, the old man couldn't help but feel sad, "I don't understand why that woman was so cruel to abandon such a good man and run off to Gangcheng? No matter how good Gangcheng is, can there be such a talented and humble person? If Xiao Yue was here, how could Fuyunlou have these problems now? He would definitely be able to lead these guys well, and he wouldn't be like Luo Shichang, who taught a bunch of idiots half-heartedly..."

The old man is old, and once he starts talking, he can't stop. After cursing for a while, we arrived at Yuecheng Hotel.

The three of them got off the car and walked into Yuecheng Hotel. Director Hu went to the front desk and asked, "Excuse me, Mr. Yue Baohua from Gangcheng..."

Before the receptionist could answer, Mr. Zhou called out, "Here, here."

Yue Baohua saw his old friend and called out, "Master Zhou San."

Yue Ning saw a chubby old man coming over, and the memory from many years ago reminded her that this was...

"Grandpa Zhou." Yue Ning's eyes were hot.

"A girl!" Grandpa Zhou responded to Yue Ning first. When he saw this child, he thought of Xiao Yue, who would come to his house to cook when she had a new idea.

Yue Ning didn't expect to meet her father's guest, Grandpa Zhou, who knew her father's cooking better than Grandpa Luo, and called her "Anu" as soon as he opened his mouth.

The old man looked at Yue Ning carefully: "How come the pale and plump little girl has become so thin, tall and dark?"

Yue Ning held back the tears that were about to fall: "You are still as fat as before."

"Do you remember me?"

"I remember, you asked dad to cook, and because you were afraid that I would be naughty, you bought me a bag of crispy candies. That's how my baby teeth got damaged." Yue Ning said with a pout.

Mr. Zhou reached out and touched her face: "Without me giving you candy, how thin would you be?"

Yue Ning stretched out his hand: "Grandpa Zhou, where's the candy?"

"I'll buy it for you later."

Mr. Zhou looked at Yue Baohua: "Baohua, how many years have we not seen each other?"

"Almost twenty-five years."

Mr. Zhou sighed heavily. He had said those words too many times and didn't want to say them again. He turned around and introduced, "This is Director Song and Director Hu of our Yuecheng Second Commercial Bureau."

Yue Baohua shook hands with the two men: "Yue Baohua, the old chef who left Fuyunlou."

"I heard Mr. Zhou mention Chef Yue's name."

"Don't stand there, let's go to the cafe and chat." said Mr. Zhou.

Several people went to the coffee shop together, and Mr. Zhou asked Yue Ning to sit next to him. After ordering drinks, Mr. Zhou asked Yue Ning: "Anu, did you just come back from the northwest?"

Yue Ning looked at his grandfather and said, "Yes! Grandpa asked Grandpa Qiao from Hongcheng for help, and he went to the northwest to pick me up. You are a loyal customer of Dad, and Grandpa Qiao is a loyal customer of Grandpa."

Mr. Zhou looked at Yue Ning and asked, "You must have suffered a lot, right?"

"If Dad were still here, all the hardship would be worth it. But..." Yue Ning smiled bitterly and shook his head, "The moon waxes and wanes, and there will always be regrets in life, right?"

"Yes." Mr. Zhou forced a smile.

Yue Baohua said, "Master San, Director Song, Director Hu, it's like this..."

"Wait, Baohua! This is the mainland. New China has been established for so many years. The old-fashioned name of "San Ye" is no longer popular. Just call me 'Lao Zhou'."

"This..." Yue Baohua called Zhou Zixiong, who dared to confront the Japanese back then, "Third Master" out of heartfelt respect.

"Chef Yue, please call me 'Mr. Zhou' just like me," said Song Ziqiang.

"Okay." Yue Baohua continued, "I came back with Boss Qiao these days, and he told me that even though the mainland is far behind foreign countries in technology, if we Chinese don't give domestic companies opportunities, who else will? So his Fangda Shipping and Boss Yu's Xingtai Shipping each ordered a 60,000-ton bulk carrier from a domestic shipyard. I really admire their innocent hearts. However, I'm just a cook with limited abilities, and I don't know what I can do for my hometown. Until last night, I heard Shichang talk about the current situation of Fuyunlou. He said that the signature dishes of Fuyunlou in the past, no one in Fuyunlou can make them now. He wanted to send Guoqiang to me to study for two years. I thought that teaching Guoqiang alone would not help Fuyunlou. Crows repay their parents, and lambs kneel to suckle. I left Fuyunlou, can I train some chefs for Fuyunlou?"

When Mr. Zhou heard this, he got angry: "He still has the nerve to say that Fuyunlou has no one? If he has no ability and doesn't teach with all his heart, then there will be no one! He only thinks about his son. Others in Fuyunlou deserve to not learn well. He is too calculating."

Director Song smiled and shook his head. He said, "To be honest with Chef Yue, we are indeed troubled by the inheritance of Fuyunlou. But it is not convenient for you to travel between Hong Kong City and Yuecheng. Besides, you also have a restaurant in Hong Kong City. I am afraid you can't leave for a long time, right?"

"You also said that Shichang is not broad-minded enough. Even if I come to Fuyunlou to teach, I am afraid he will not be happy and may not cooperate well. I want to select two or three chefs of the younger generation who have solid basic skills, are diligent and studious, and are willing to endure hardships, and take them to Baohualou in Gangcheng, to be apprentices in Baohualou for two years, and then let them come back. Just like studying abroad, Fuyunlou will send people out to study for two years. Baohualou will pay them a living allowance of 70% of the market salary in Gangcheng, and also provide food and accommodation. They have a foundation, and they will definitely learn something in two years." Yue Baohua proposed this plan.

"This is a really good opportunity, and they can really learn some skills. But paying them 70% of the Hong Kong city market salary for living expenses is probably too much, and they may not want to come back by then." Director Song said worriedly.

Yue Ning smiled and said, "Director Song, Baohua Building will not deduct anyone's labor income. A 30% discount plus food and accommodation, plus related insurance, is just the labor cost of one person. Will the salary gap here make people who go to Gangcheng unwilling to come back? I think it will. This is a situation that we must face after opening up, isn't it? We can only sign an agreement with you. After the training period, Baohua Building will not hire them. For the rest, you can consider it yourself. After all, this involves the problem of asynchronous development on both sides. But some people will go higher, and some people will stick to their original intentions. Sending out ten people, even if three or four come back, that's not bad, isn't it?"

Director Song said helplessly: "Yes! Now the people who are sent abroad to study at public expense are also like this. Who knows if they will come back?"

Mr. Zhou thought of what Luo Guoqiang said today, and asked, "Daughter, I ate the fish soup made by Xiao Luo today, and it tasted like your father's. He said you taught him."

"He and his mother went to the northwest to look for me." Yue Ning leaned close to the old man's ear and said, "But his mother had bad intentions. She knew that my grandfather had a restaurant in Gangcheng first, and she wanted me to marry Luo Guoqiang under the pretext of asking me to return to Yuecheng. Is that a good plan?"

"They are two different people sleeping in the same bed. They are such a good couple." Old Master Zhou cursed.

"When I made this fish soup, I also had the intention of showing off. I just wanted to let the mother and son know how much they weighed." Yue Ning said proudly.

Mr. Zhou was surprised: "You learned your father's craft in the Northwest?"

Yue Ning responded confidently: "That's right!"

"Where...in the Northwest, can one learn Cantonese cuisine?" Mr. Zhou found it hard to believe.

Yue Ning looked at him and said seriously, "Dad said that cooking for Grandpa Zhou is the most fulfilling thing. He always wanted to come back and cook for you, but unfortunately he doesn't have the chance. He can't do it, so I'll do it. Grandpa Zhou, I'll make any dish my dad has made for you if you want to eat it."

"Really? Then make me a fish soup first!" Grandpa Zhou thought to himself, there are always northwestern fish, and this little girl probably only makes fish soup that's decent.

Yue Ning asked with a smile: "Don't you want to eat crispy glutinous rice chicken? Don't you want to eat duck feet stuffed with various flowers? Don't you want to eat iced sweet and sour pork? Don't you want to eat..."

Yue Ning named the dishes one by one in one breath, and Mr. Zhou couldn't help swallowing his saliva. These were all Yue Zhirong's specialties, and they were also the dishes that Fuyunlou either didn't cook well or simply couldn't cook. He asked in a trembling voice: "Can you cook all these dishes?"

"Although I dare not say that I have learned 100%, but at least 90%." Yue Ning said confidently, "I don't say 100% because many ingredients are not available in the northwest, and my father can only use other things as substitutes. Moreover, there were no tickets at that time, and I have never eaten the authentic dishes. But I believe that I have learned the charm of my father's cooking. You have the most profound memory of his dishes, and you can help me taste them."

Yue Baohua smiled and said, "Third...Mr. Zhou, Ningning's cooking skills are really good. Please give us two this opportunity. First, it can help Zhirong fulfill his wish. Second, please have you, Director Song, and Director Hu appreciate our cooking skills."

"Grandpa Zhou, if we were in your kitchen, you could just pick some simple dishes. If we are in the kitchen of Fuyunlou, you can just order my father's specialties. Anyway, if I don't do it right, I have grandpa by my side to give me guidance." Yue Ning leaned against the old man affectionately.

"Then put it in the back kitchen of Fuyun Building. It will also open the eyes of those young chefs." Song Ziqiang looked at Yue Baohua and asked, "Chef Yue, do you think this is okay?"

"sure."

Yue Ning asked for a pen and paper and handed them to Grandpa Zhou: "Grandpa Zhou, please order the food!"

Mr. Zhou looked at her and said, "Then I really ordered it."

"Please order! My grandfather is here!"

Mr. Zhou first wrote down "crispy glutinous rice chicken" and then asked doubtfully, "Can you really make it?"

"How about you order the Huaiyang dish of duck with eight-treasure gourd? I'll cook it for you with the chicken and duck together?"

The old man's hand trembled and he crossed out what he had just written. This kid is really brave! He then wrote "Chilled Sweet and Sour Pork" and "Sliced ​​Duck with Duck and Rice". Yue Ning nodded and said, "All fine. Don't you want to eat duck feet stuffed with various flowers?"

Since she said she can do it, then eat it.

After Mr. Zhou ordered the dishes, Yue Ning picked up a pen and crossed out the fish soup, replacing it with traditional steamed sea bass. She then wrote down the lunch dishes on another piece of paper: fish soup and traditional fried beef noodles.

"Grandpa Zhou, the crispy glutinous rice chicken needs to be air-dried, and it will take all day tomorrow. Let's put the fish soup at noon, and add the dry fried beef noodles. How about this simple meal?"

"well!"

Yue Ning began to make a list of materials, writing down in detail the materials used and the decorative materials.

Yue Ning handed the list of materials to Director Song: "Director Song, can these materials be purchased? I also need a few carving tools, and I'll have to trouble Fuyunlou to help prepare them."

"Do you still want to do carving?" asked Mr. Zhou.

Yue Ning said as if it was a matter of course: "Dad once said that Cantonese cuisine can be popular in Shanghai and Beijing when it goes north, especially in Beijing where it becomes the official cuisine. The color, aroma, taste and shape are all important. There must be some particularities in the presentation of the dish, right?"

Mr. Zhou became more and more interested and said, "I will go to Fuyunlou at the same time you go there tomorrow."

Director Song also said, "I'll go and see it too."