Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Jinjiang exclusive, plagiarism will be investigated...
"Thank you, Grandma. I happened to bring some jasmine tea from my hometown. You can try it."
Zhang Mengzhi picked up a bag and took out a few packets of jasmine tea.
"This is a great feeling. I just like this taste!"
Zhou Guilan's eyes lit up and she immediately took the tea and went back to the house to make some.
The jasmine tea has a strong scent, and once the hot water is poured into it, the whole room is immediately filled with its fragrance, which cheers up Zhang Mengzhi, who has been sitting on the train for several days.
"This tea smells so good!" Zhang Deshuang picked up a cup of tea and observed it. His cousin was not simple now, so the tea he took out must not be ordinary tea.
"Be careful with the heat."
Zhou Guilan glared at her youngest son. This was tea brewed with boiling water.
"Mom, there's a handle."
Although Zhang Deshuang said this, he still put down the teacup.
"Big Wife, please sit down and have a rest. Have you been doing well in the past few years in the capital?"
Zhang Mengzhi pulled her to sit next to him and stopped her from continuing to be busy.
"Well, I'm fine with you around!"
There was nothing wrong with Zhou Guilan's words, but they made her two sons very embarrassed.
They are not a very competent son. All the medical expenses for their mother over the years have been paid by their nephew. They would be too embarrassed to face anyone if they told others about it.
"It's fine as long as you're fine. I'm just worried that you're not having a good time."
Zhang Mengzhi saw that her face was rosy and indeed looked better than before she left.
"You give me so much money every year. If I don't take care of my body, I will be sorry for your kindness."
Zhou Guilan patted her nephew's hand. Don't blame her for loving this nephew instead of her own grandson. People are all made of flesh and blood. Her own grandson only came back to see her during the Chinese New Year and other holidays. She could not even see him at other times.
In contrast, her nephew has never forgotten her over the years. Not only does he send her money, he also thinks of her when he has something delicious to eat at home.
Anyone with a conscience would love his nephew Zhang Mengzhi more than his grandson.
"Mom, we were wrong."
Zhang Decheng said to his mother and nephew with a shameful look on his face.
"Mengzhi, thank you for taking care of our mother all these years. It's just that we are too embarrassed to see you."
Zhang Decheng never imagined that their good intentions in bringing his mother to live with them to take care of her would almost leave her with no money for medicine.
Although they knew from the beginning that their mother's illness would be very expensive, they felt that it would not be a problem to support their mother with their own hands.
It turns out that it doesn't work. They have the filial piety, but their daughter-in-law does not agree with them and has her own selfish motives and calculations.
Yes, they did not treat the old man badly in terms of food and shelter. But the most important life-saving money, they did not pay a penny! How could the brothers accept this? So it is not their fault that they are cold to their daughter-in-law now, it is really their behavior that makes them feel disappointed.
For the sake of their family and children, they resisted the temptation to divorce, but they couldn't get over the hurdle in their hearts.
So let's just stay in this stalemate and wait until the day when our lives end!
Zhou Guilan tried to persuade them twice, but when she saw that her sons were really insistent, she finally gave up. She had no feelings for her daughters-in-law, and she treated them the same way they treated her.
She had never suffered any injustice when she was young, and even after decades of confusion, she had not lost her youthful temper.
So even if the daughters-in-law wanted to please her later, Zhou Guilan would not buy into their tricks. What's the point of just saying it? Why not take some practical actions?
Like today, the second daughter-in-law wanted to use her own money to buy meat, but Zhou Guilan didn't tolerate her at all and just left.
The matter of buying a house was only mentioned to the two sons. They had no objection to the fact that their mother had a second spring in her career at her old age.
Although she is very busy every day, her spirit is better than before.
In addition, although they were busy, they were not tired at all, so they supported their mother to have her own business. Helping their nephew to manage the Capital Restaurant was just a piece of cake for their mother.
"After we have rested, let's go to the restaurant for dinner. The restaurant has recently developed several new dishes. I guess you haven't tried them yet, Mengzhi!"
Zhou Guilan said while looking at her nephew.
"Well, although I drafted the menu for the Capital Restaurant, I haven't tasted the dishes yet."
Zhang Mengzhi shook his head. He had recruited the chef from a village in his hometown. It turned out that his ancestor had been an imperial physician, but because of this identity, his family was labeled as reactionaries and then sent to the cowshed.
Because of his family's betrayal, he didn't want to go back to his hometown at all.
If Zhang Mengzhi hadn't gone to the countryside to look for food and survey the geographical environment, he wouldn't have known about this person's existence!
Knowing that his ancestor was a royal chef and that he had been a chef in a big hotel in the capital, Zhang Mengzhi spent two months persuading him to join his team. After he recovered his health, he was sent back to the capital and became the chef of a restaurant.
"Old Zhou has been asking me these past few days if you've arrived. If you don't come soon, I don't know how to reply him."
The Old Zhou that Zhou Guilan mentioned was the head chef. He returned to the capital with a sigh of relief, got back his own house, and with a good salary, he lived a good life alone.
Zhang Mengzhi promised to take care of him in his old age when he was too old to walk, and only then did he persuade Lao Zhou to return to the capital to be his chef and run a restaurant in the capital.
Arriving at the restaurant, Zhang Mengzhi looked at the three words "Taibai Tower" outside the restaurant and put his hands on his hips.
"How is it? I asked a great calligrapher to write these three characters, and I exchanged them with a piece of the finest Duan inkstone."
Zhou Guilan looked proud when she said this. She bought the Duan inkstone from someone after she came to the capital. Although it is not an antique from very old, it has a history of at least 100 to 200 years.
The workmanship is naturally not bad, so the other party is willing to write these three big characters.
"Big wife is amazing, this word is really good."
Zhang Mengzhi gave a thumbs up.
Several high-end restaurants are all called Taibailou, but the one in Guocheng is the main store. Moreover, Zhang Mengzhi has registered the name Taibailou as a trademark, and from now on, any restaurant or hotel cannot be called Taibailou.
"The boss is here."
Lao Zhou and the manager led all the chefs and waiters of Taibai Building to welcome the big boss.
"Uncle Zhou, long time no see, how are you doing recently?"
Zhang Mengzhi held hands with Lao Zhou and looked at him carefully. Compared with before returning to the capital, Lao Zhou's mental state was completely different.
"Good, very good."
After showing off in front of the person who betrayed him, Lao Zhou felt refreshed all over.
"That's good, then I won't worry anymore."
Seeing that he had truly let go of the past, Zhang Mengzhi said sincerely.
"If it weren't for you, I would definitely leave this world with resentment, and I wouldn't have the good life I have now!"
Old Zhou shook his head, speechless that he had lived for decades longer but was not as open-minded as Zhang Mengzhi. What was he thinking at the time? Why didn't he come back to take revenge and let those people get their retribution?
"Isn't it good that it's different now? Uncle Zhou, don't think too much. As long as you live better than them, they can only be angry secretly but can't do anything to you."
Zhang Mengzhi was good at persuading people, and he knew what Lao Zhou cared about, so he said so.
"You're right, so I don't even look at them now."
Lao Zhou agreed with Zhang Mengzhi's words, and he took Zhang Mengzhi into the restaurant for a tour.
"Is this your first time seeing your own restaurant? Even though you took photos and sent them back, it's still very different to see it with your own eyes."
Taibailou is closed today, so there are no customers in the entire restaurant, only the restaurant manager, chef, waiters, etc.
"Hello, boss."
Led by the manager, the waiters greeted Zhang Mengzhi.
"Hello everyone. This is the red envelope I prepared. Manager, please share it with me."
Zhang Mengzhi handed a red envelope to the manager and asked him to distribute it to all the employees.
The money in each red envelope was not much, only ten yuan, but for the employees, ten yuan was not a small amount. After all, it was only 1986!
“There’s actually ten dollars!”
Several waitresses jumped up with red envelopes.
"Yes, the boss is the most generous boss I have ever seen. Our welfare is the best among all the restaurants in the capital, and they don't even know how to envy us."
A waiter, holding a red envelope, said that he had decided not to leave Taibailou during his lifetime, and secretly prayed that Taibailou would continue to operate.
"Yes, other bosses are so stingy and often deduct employees' money for various reasons."
A female employee with short hair pursed her lips and said, "But their boss won't do that. As long as it's not a mistake in principle, he generally won't deduct their money."
Besides, those clumsy employees would be fired if they couldn’t even pass the one-week probation period.
Of course, there is a salary during the probation period, but it is only two-thirds of the salary of a regular employee. Is this not considered bullying? Even if it is two-thirds, it is still the salary of a regular employee in other places.
Even so, many people still failed to meet the requirements and were fired before the end of their probation period.
It’s not that their restaurant is picky, but people in their line of work must first have a good temper. Otherwise, would it be unsightly to see employees and customers quarreling?
You also need to be quick and agile, and have a method for your work. Otherwise, if your hands and feet are not flexible, you don't know how many bowls and plates you will break in a day!
After all, plates and bowls are made of porcelain and can break easily. If they hire someone who is clumsy, their restaurant will be out of plates and bowls in less than a day.
Fortunately, the chopsticks are made of wood, otherwise they would have been broken into pieces.
So it’s really no wonder that Zhang Mengzhi has such high requirements for his employees. The main focus of this service industry is service!
Although they are restaurants, who says restaurants don’t need service? The service attitude of restaurants must be good. Otherwise, even if your food is delicious, no one will come if the service attitude is not good.
After all, people spend money to enjoy themselves, not to suffer.
With his later experience, Zhang Mengzhi was always a few steps ahead of his peers in everything he did, so his restaurant was very popular since its opening.
The taste is good, the service attitude is also good. If Taibailou doesn’t make money, then there’s nothing else to talk about.
"By the way, Boss, there have been several times when customers have come to our restaurant and ordered roast duck."
The manager suddenly said this while reporting on his work.
"We don't have roast duck in our restaurant. Although roast duck is the signature dish of the capital, we are not a restaurant specializing in roast duck after all. Unlike those restaurants that have already made a name for themselves, we are not competitive in this area. So there is no need for us to compete with them for this. Can we not continue our business without roast duck?"
Zhang Mengzhi asked the manager back.
"That's not the case. Our business is even better than theirs. There are more foods to eat in the world than just roast duck."
The manager shook his head. The food in their restaurant was just as delicious as the state banquets. Many people came here because of its reputation and left satisfied.
"So, there's really no need for us to fight with the local restaurants over a roast duck."
Zhang Mengzhi's decision was supported by experience and Old Zhou. Even Zhou Guilan, who was sitting and listening, didn't say anything, but just shook her head at her sons when they wanted to speak.
"Also, some foreigners come to our restaurant to eat. They don't know how to use chopsticks, so they ask us to provide knives and forks."
The manager brought up another matter.
"Don't worry about it. Put up a sign outside and tell those foreigners that our restaurant only has chopsticks, no knives and forks. If they want knives and forks, go somewhere else. We don't do business with them."
Zhang Mengzhi waved his hand: "Next one."
"yes."
The manager went on.
Although the manager was doubtful about his decision, he still carried out his boss's orders. On the same day, he asked someone to put up a sign in the restaurant, written in various languages, specifically telling foreign guests that they should either use chopsticks properly in their restaurant or go somewhere else to dine.
Seeing this, some restaurants and hotels felt that Taibailou was in trouble as they dared to treat foreign friends like this.
But what surprised them was that after the sign was put up, more foreigners came to Taibailou to dine, and they used chopsticks honestly. Even though they didn't know how to use them, no one asked Taibailou for a knife and fork.
Faced with the abnormal customer flow, other hotels and restaurants could not understand why. No one from above even came to Taibailou to greet Zhang Mengzhi and ask Taibailou not to target foreigners.
Although the manager did not ask, Zhang Decheng asked later. They were also the ones who stopped the people above and told them Zhang Mengzhi's intention.
"People are rebellious. The less I offer them, the more they want to try the food in our restaurant. After all, if our restaurant doesn't have some skills, it can't offend foreigners, right?" Zhang Mengzhi smiled and said, "More importantly, why should we spoil foreigners? They are now standing on our Chinese land. Don't they understand the principle of adapting to local customs? When our people arrive in their territory, they must act according to their customs. Why should they follow their rules when they come to our place? This is my territory, and they have to follow my rules. If you don't want to eat, just leave. I don't need these few guests."
Zhang Mengzhi's words were relayed by Zhang Decheng to the higher-ups, who then gave up the idea of sending anyone to Taibai Tower to say hello.
Yes, this is China. Why should we be tolerant in everything and follow their rules?
Zhang Mengzhi's words woke up many people and prevented them from going too far down that path.
We can like Western things, but we cannot deny our own things. Are knives and forks necessarily good? These are tableware that our ancestors abandoned long ago, but they are now considered holy in the West. Sorry, we are not the West, chopsticks are the tableware of the Chinese people.
So in the end, Taibailou's business did not decline, but more customers came. One third of them were foreigners. After coming to Taibailou, even though it was difficult for them to use chopsticks, they ate their food honestly and did not dare to make trouble.
Zhang Mengzhi decided to stay in the capital for a while longer. After dealing with the restaurant matters that day and having dinner at the restaurant, he went to visit General Zhang's home with Zhang Decheng and Zhang Deshuang.
"Hello, my Lord. I am Meng Zhi."
Zhang Mengzhi bowed to General Zhang as a junior.
"sit."
General Zhang pointed to the sofa opposite him and said, and his two sons automatically walked over and sat down behind him.
"Thank you, Grand Duke."
Zhang Mengzhi sat down and smiled at the two uncles sitting behind General Zhang.
"I finally saw her in person. She's even prettier than I imagined. Photos made Meng Zhi look ugly."
General Zhang said to his eldest son behind him.
"Yes, Meng Zhi is better looking than in the photo."
Zhang Decheng smiled and nodded.
"Dad, you don't know how surprised I was when I went back a few years ago and saw the adult Meng Zhi. It's amazing that our Zhang family could give birth to such a pretty baby."
Zhang Deshuang said this with a smile on his face, and it was obvious that he was in a very good mood.
Xie Yun was driven upstairs by General Zhang and was not allowed to come down. The third brother was not at home. As for Zhang Qunhua, she got married and General Zhang did not allow her to come back.
"She is very pretty, and looks prettier than any of the children in our Zhang family."
After looking at Zhang Mengzhi carefully, General Zhang said that he had never seen such a delicate child in the Zhang family.
Their facial features are very delicate and their figures are slender, not stout at all.
"I will accept the compliment from the Grand Duke and will tell my grandfather and the others later."
Zhang Mengzhi was not afraid at all when facing General Zhang, even though he looked murderous. If a strange child saw him, he would probably scare him to tears.
"I haven't seen your grandfather for many years. I wonder how they are doing in their hometown?"
General Zhang's eyes turned red when he mentioned his hometown.
After all, that is his roots. Even though he hasn't been back for many years, he still misses it.
"My grandparents are in good health. I built a new house in my hometown for them to move into. Now, apart from helping my cousins look after their kids, I go around chatting with people. It's fun every day."
When talking about grandparents, Zhang Mengzhi smiled again.
Since they didn't have to do the housework, they could only take care of the kids or chat around. Zhang Mengzhi had asked them if they wanted to live in the city, but after a few days they felt uncomfortable, thinking the city air was too depressing and not as good as the countryside.
What could Zhang Mengzhi do? He had to send the child back to the countryside. Fortunately, his uncle and his family were still taking care of him in the countryside, so he and his father would only go back to visit the elderly during the Chinese New Year and other festivals.
Zhang Mengzhi is too busy with work, and Zhang's father also has to go to work, and he still has a few years before retirement! And as mentioned above, even if he retires, he will be re-employed. Zhang's father's skills are still very good.
"Okay, I also hope that one day I can play around like them."
General Zhang envied his cousin and his wife's life. Unfortunately, he couldn't retire yet. Although his eldest son could support the family, his third son couldn't.
He also has to make plans for the third child, so he has to hold on for a few more years to let the third child spend these years safely.
"By the way, Dad, where's the third brother? Why doesn't he come out to see Meng Zhi?"
Zhang Decheng didn't see Zhang Dexiang, so he asked his father.
"Him? He's at his father-in-law's house. He's not home."
General Zhang frowned. He had clearly told the third brother that there would be guests at home today and asked him to come back early, but he was still nowhere to be seen. General Zhang was very unhappy.
He is a bit of a dictator and feels uncomfortable when his son doesn't listen to him.
"Ah?" Zhang Deshuang looked at his father. Is the third child so bold? He even dares to disobey his father's words. He is not the eldest brother, how dare he refute his father's words. Doesn't he know his own weight? Now he still relies on his old father for food, and he dares to smash the bowl?
"What's wrong with you? The third brother is also your younger brother, you should at least show some concern for him."
General Zhang glared at his second son. Don’t think he couldn’t see that the second son was not as close to the third son as the eldest son.
"I didn't say he wasn't? It's just that you understand that he and I don't have the same mother, so of course I can't be as close to him as I am to my eldest brother. Besides, if I care about him, someone will get nervous."
Not killing him is already a sign of brotherly love for him as his brother.
How could Zhang Deshuang possibly like Xie Yun and Zhang Qunhua given their personalities? Although the third brother was a decent person, they were not naturally compatible, so he should not force himself to get along with the third brother.
"snort."
General Zhang did not argue with his second son about this matter, because he knew that the second son was telling the truth. They didn't have the same mother, so how could they be brothers without any barriers?
"Grand Duke, please take a look at the local specialties I brought with me and see if you like them."
Zhang Mengzhi quickly changed the subject upon seeing this, to stop the father and son from arguing with each other.
"Let me see what's available. Is there anything I like?"
Upon hearing that it was a specialty from his hometown, General Zhang was no longer angry with his second son. He immediately picked up what Zhang Mengzhi had brought and began to flip through it.
"This is pea flour, it's delicious when used to make jelly. It's perfect for summer, it doesn't feel hot at all."
Zhang Mengzhi pointed at the local specialties and introduced them one by one.
"Hiss, I haven't eaten pea jelly for a long time. I'll have someone make it tomorrow."
General Zhang really wanted to eat this. The pea jelly in his hometown was famous for its deliciousness. It would be even better if there was a pot cake with jelly in it. The taste would be simply amazing.
"And the sausages and bacon that my grandpa and mom made, fried with garlic sprouts, are so delicious."
Zhang Mengzhi pointed at the bacon and sausages smoked with cypress branches and said, "There are also two pig legs, tongue, heart and lungs. It's a pity that the old pig carcass is too big to handle, otherwise we would have all the parts of the pig's body."
As he pointed at everything, General Zhang's saliva was almost drooling.
Even though he has lived in the capital for so many years, he still likes the food from his hometown very much.
Zhang Decheng and his friends had brought some back before, but due to the limited quantity of the times, they were never satisfied every time. Unlike now, Zhang Mengzhi directly brought dozens of kilograms and almost filled up the coffee table in the hall.
"Tomorrow we'll stew bacon and sausages, and stir-fry garlic sprouts."
General Zhang wanted to eat it immediately, but it was too late. The bacon and sausage were quite salty. If they were not soaked in water before cooking or frying, they would be so salty that they would kill him.
"There are also dried bamboo shoots. These were given to the Duke by my grandparents."
Zhang Mengzhi took out another bag of dried bamboo shoots, which tasted great whether stewed or soaked and then stir-fried.
"Okay, okay, I'm very satisfied with these specialties. Thank you for your hard work, grandson."
General Zhang didn't even call him by his name, but simply called him his grandson, which shows how satisfied he is with these specialties.
Yes, he had been away for too long and had almost forgotten the taste of his hometown. But as these specialties appeared in front of him one by one, General Zhang remembered the taste of his hometown again.
That was his hometown that he could not help but miss even though he had been away for decades. His closest relatives used to live there, but unfortunately they were all gone now.
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