Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Jinjiang Solo
"Master Xia, this is your master's skill. I am impressed."
He held his stomach and admitted defeat to Xia Donghai: "I wonder if I can meet your master? I am really curious about this master. I heard from everyone that he is not very old, how come his skills are not worse than those of the masters in the provincial capital?"
Cheng Jianshe’s request was not excessive, so Xia Donghai agreed to go and call someone.
"Mr. Cheng, wait a moment. I'll go get the master to come over."
About five or six minutes later, Zhang Mengzhi arrived at the private room on the second floor.
"Oh, I was wondering who is this big shot, it turns out to be you! Cheng, Jian, She."
Zhang Mengzhi pushed open the door and saw Cheng Jianshe sitting inside, then sneered.
"I... Zhang Mengzhi, I didn't expect that you opened the Taibai Tower in Guocheng!"
If he had known that he was the boss here, Cheng Jianshe would not have come.
He never thought that one day he would run into Zhang Mengzhi's hands. If it was a normal interaction, it would be fine, but he obviously came to ruin the scene today and failed. Zhang Mengzhi must be very angry.
"Master Cheng, why don't you stay in the provincial capital and be a provincial prince? Why do you come to my Fruit City?"
Zhang Mengzhi took off his chef's hat and threw it in his face, asking unhappily.
"I heard from people that there is a Taibailou restaurant in Guocheng that tastes great. Some people even say it's better than the one in the provincial capital, and I was wondering. The Taibailou in the provincial capital is owned by you, so how can someone dare to say it tastes better than your restaurant? So I made a special trip to Guocheng to try it, and the taste was good, 90% similar to the Taibailou in the provincial capital. I thought they stole your secret recipe, so I wanted to vent my anger on you and ruin his store. You didn't tell me that the Taibailou in Guocheng is also yours!"
Cheng Jianshe cried out for injustice, he really didn’t know that the flood had washed away the Dragon King Temple, family members didn’t recognize each other!
"You idiot, the taste of the two dishes is so similar, don't you suspect they are from the same family? And you're stealing the secret recipe! Even if there is a secret recipe, the taste will be very different if the person who cooks the dish and the method are different."
Zhang Mengzhi covered his forehead. Ordinary people couldn't tell the difference, but an expert like Cheng Jianshe could tell the difference. The chef in the provincial capital was also his apprentice, so the dishes he made were naturally very similar to those in Guocheng.
"I didn't think about it that way! After all, I've heard of restaurants called Taibailou in other places before, so why would I think so much about it?"
Cheng Jianshe's words were true. Although Zhang Mengzhi had registered the trademark for Taibailou, he would not ask the store to change its name. He would just avoid these places when opening branches in the future. After all, there has to be a first come first served rule when naming, right?
He himself is not a domineering person, and he is confident in his own dishes. Even if he opened a store in the same city, it would not be his that closed down. Not to mention that in order not to hurt innocent people, he decided to avoid cities with the same name.
"I was wrong. I was really wrong."
Cheng Jianshe was scolded and ran away in fear, but in the end he sincerely apologized to Zhang Gouzhi.
The story of how he and Cheng Jianshe met was quite dramatic. Zhang Mengzhi felt that it was a grievance from his previous life.
He went to the provincial capital for inspection. He was in a good mood that day and helped to cook a few dishes. As a result, these dishes were all ordered by the construction team. This kid loves to eat and is very picky. It turns out that he likes the dishes of Taibailou in the provincial capital. Although he doesn't like them the most, he will go to Taibailou for dinner when there is no delicious food to eat.
The dishes he ordered that day happened to be the ones that Zhang Mengzhi was interested in making, so she made them.
Cheng Jianshe was very picky and could tell the difference right away. The dishes were not of the same level as the ones usually made by the chef. He immediately asked the waiter to let him see the chef who made these dishes. The waiter had no choice but to find the manager, who then asked the boss.
In order to reduce trouble, Zhang Mengzhi went to see him.
This was the process of the two people recognizing each other, and then Cheng Jianshe kept pestering Zhang Mengzhi to cook for him. But Zhang Mengzhi rarely cooked in the restaurant, and would only cook a few dishes like today when she was in the mood.
As for who is lucky enough to get the good food, that depends on God's will.
Cheng Jianshe was obviously lucky, so he pestered Zhang Mengzhi. However, Zhang Mengzhi was not the kind of person who would cook just because someone pestered him, so Cheng Jianshe had only eaten those few dishes so far.
But those dishes were home-cooked dishes and not challenging at all, which made Cheng Jianshe very dissatisfied.
It was not his fault that he could not identify the dishes today, because they were much more difficult than those from the provincial capital. Moreover, it had been a long time since they had been together, and he could not analyze the identity of the cook based on the dishes from the provincial capital!
"As expected, Zhang Mengzhi, the dishes you cook are the most delicious. They are the dishes of my dreams."
Cheng Jianshe was not angry when he was beaten, but spoke in a flattering manner.
"Dream lover? Do you want to listen to what you are saying? I'll give you a chance to correct yourself."
Zhang Mengzhi wanted to hit someone again.
"Isn't it said that it's rare to meet a dream lover? I rarely get to eat the dish you cook, so of course it's my dream dish."
Cheng Jianshe said confidently.
"roll."
Zhang Mengzhi cursed.
"No, no, I still want to eat the food you cook!"
Cheng Jianshe already knew that Guocheng was his base camp, so it would not be so easy for him to leave.
He called his friends to Guocheng overnight. In addition to eating delicious food, they also became curious about Guocheng.
There are now large silk factories and silk shops in Guocheng. He decided to buy some as gifts for his family.
Silk is a high-end fabric that most people cannot afford.
On the contrary, the locals in Guocheng only have a few pieces of satin at home, which are used to make quilt covers. Most quilts nowadays are sewn together with needles and threads, and they have to be taken apart when washing, which is very troublesome.
However, the colors are bright and the patterns are beautiful, so many people use this kind of fabric to make quilt covers at home.
Zhang Mengzhi's family is no exception. He is not short of money and uses the best materials in the factory.
The Zhang family has quite a few people in the silk factory, including workers and managers. When they go to buy, they can get the best materials at preferential prices.
What’s more important is that you don’t have to worry about being cheated. After all, they have knowledgeable people in the factory!
Since Cheng Jianshe was here, Zhang Mengzhi had to take him around the Fruit City.
"I want to buy some gifts for my family, and they want to take them back, too. Do you have any recommendations?"
Since I have acquaintances locally, of course I have to ask them for help!
"Come with me!"
Zhang Mengzhi took them to the silk factory to find a relative and bought goods directly from him. The price was not low, but the goods were all high-quality.
Cheng Jianshe didn't bargain. He was already getting a good deal by getting the best goods at this price. If he bargained further, it would make Zhang Mengzhi embarrassed.
He understands the ways of the world, so he will give whatever the other party offers without any hesitation.
After buying silk, I took them to buy some other specialties, most of which were food that could be stored.
"Zhang Mengzhi, I want to take a boat ride."
When passing by the Jialing River, Cheng Jianshe looked at the big boats below and said, "The Jialing River is very big, and the boats on the river are very busy. What's more important is that there are people fishing on the river, which makes him jealous."
"I wonder how delicious a freshly caught fish would be when made into a delicacy?"
"After all, you're here to eat, right?"
Zhang Mengzhi said angrily.
"Yes. I just want to eat freshly caught fish. I want to kill them right on the spot and cook them. It must be delicious."
Cheng Jianshe said this without hiding anything.
His friends were laughing behind his back, but they didn't show up either, because they would always get a share of the profits if Cheng Jianshe succeeded.
"I really owe you in my last life, wait."
Zhang Mengzhi went to look for his relatives again. There was no way he had too many relatives in Guocheng, and they worked in all walks of life there.
So we quickly found a medium-sized boat that could easily accommodate a dozen guests at a time.
There is a kitchen on the boat, as well as fishing nets and fishing rods.
"You guys can fish for yourself. If you can catch something, I'll cook it for you. If you can't catch it, don't eat it."
Zhang Mengzhi moved a chair out and sat on the bow, covering his face with a hat and sleeping.
"…Do you want to fish?"
Cheng Jianshe asked his friends.
"Fishing, with so many of us, we should be able to catch a few! Zhang Mengzhi, just wait and put the fish in the pot!"
His friends agreed without hesitation.
So a group of people set up fishing rods in the middle of the river and started fishing. When there were not enough fishing rods, the boat owner borrowed some from his friends.
After everyone had one, the boat owner sat down by the boat to take a rest.
"Mengzhi, where are these friends of yours from? They all look like they have never seen a river before. The river is the same everywhere. What's so fun about it?"
The boat owner had made a living on the river all his life. He was brought to the city by his parents when he was very young. Although his surname was Zhang, he had never lived in the countryside.
But after all, his last name is Zhang, so he doesn't have to worry about being bullied here.
"They are from the provincial capital, a bunch of young masters who don't know the sufferings of the world. Don't worry about them, Fourth Dad, just go and do your own thing!"
Zhang Mengzhi took off the hat on his face and said that he was not asleep at all.
"No wonder, it turns out he's from the provincial capital!"
The boat owner nodded, a group of young men who looked easy to cheat.
"Steam more rice tonight. Do you have any fish on the boat?"
Zhang Mengyu knew that the boat owner and his family lived on the boat, and that rice, flour and vegetables were all prepared. As for relying on Cheng Jianshe and his friends to go fishing, he was worried that they would starve to death at night.
"Yes, we just fished it out this afternoon, don't worry!"
When the boat owner knew that Zhang Mengzhi had friends on board, he asked his wife to buy some meat and vegetables. There was still plenty of rice and flour at home, so there was no need to buy more.
"That's all, I'll take a nap. Dad, call me later."
Zhang Mengzhi fell down again.
The boat owner's recliner became his exclusive territory. The boat owner was not angry, but took out a coat from the cabin and covered his nephew with it.
The river is very humid, so you have to wear some clothes when you sleep even in summer. Otherwise, you will get sick easily. These are the experiences of those who have been there.
Zhang Mengzhi was almost done resting, so he took the initiative to go to the kitchen on the boat to cook. The kitchen was small, only enough for one person to turn around, but it didn't stop him from making a fish and shrimp feast.
Braised fish, steamed fish, pickled fish, sweet and sour fish, fish head tofu soup, and blanched river shrimp. Seeing that there was meat, I also fried twice-cooked pork, shredded pork with green peppers, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes, plus a plate of pure vegetarian stir-fried loofah.
Nine dishes and one soup satisfied eleven people.
"It's so delicious. Zhang Mengzhi, I want to live in your house so that I can eat the food you cook every day."
Cheng Jianshe doesn't want to go back to the provincial capital just for food.
"Yes, let's live in Guocheng for a while!"
A group of young masters echoed that they had thrown away their dignity for the sake of stuttering and were planning to blame Zhang Mengzhi.
"By the way, where are the fish you caught?"
Zhang Mengzhi chose to find another way to reject the plan of this group of people, so he asked directly into their souls.
Suddenly the entire cabin became quiet, no longer as lively as before.
"Zhang Mengzhi, if you didn't mention fishing, we would still be good friends."
Cheng Jianshe's face fell and he didn't want to talk to Zhang Mengzhi anymore.
"Oh, the Air Force!"
Zhang Mengzhi smiled.
“…”
Heartbroken.
A group of people covered their chests, wishing only to go back a few hours ago and slap themselves in the face for making such boasts.
Such a big river, so many fish, and so many people, but not a single fish was caught. Who would believe it?
Zhang Mengzhi believed it, it is very common for fishermen to fail in the future! It is said that novices can create miracles. There are also people in this group who have never fished before. In the end, the miracle has nothing to do with them. Anyway, no fish was caught.
This feast of fish and shrimp was provided by the boat owner and his wife. For this, Cheng Jianshe gave them two hundred yuan as food expenses and boat rental fee.
"More, much more."
When the boat owner saw the huge pile of money, he quickly refused.
"Not much, not much. You see, we played all afternoon today, and we also borrowed so many fishing rods, all for you to repay. And our borrowing of the boat also delayed your earning money by transporting goods, not to mention the fish, shrimp, meat and vegetables."
Cheng Jianshe only gave two hundred yuan out of consideration for Zhang Mengzhi, otherwise even a hundred yuan would have been too much as he said.
But who can blame the boat owner for being Zhang Mengzhi's relative? If he dares to take out a hundred yuan, it would be a slap in Zhang Mengzhi's face, and he would never be able to eat Zhang Mengzhi's cooking again.
"Dream knowledge?"
The boat owner was tongue-tied and quickly looked at his nephew.
"Take it. He doesn't need the money. It's just right to rob the rich to help the poor. Didn't Fourth Father buy the boat with loans? Take it. Don't refuse it."
Zhang Mengzhi grabbed the money and put it into the boat owner's pocket.
"Thank you, thank you."
The ship owner then stopped refusing and kept thanking Cheng Jianshe.
"No need to thank me, just ask Zhang Mengzhi to cook for me more often."
Cheng Jianshe put his hand on Zhang Mengzhi's shoulder like a good brother.
"hehe."
When the boat owner heard what he said, he laughed twice and said without saying anything. If the other party insisted on letting Zhang Mengzhi cook the dish, he would return the dish.
Fortunately, Cheng Jianshe understood and didn't continue.
"Okay, it's already past eight o'clock, let's get off the boat and go back. It's not safe at night."
Nowadays, unlike later times where there are surveillance cameras everywhere and everyone has a mobile phone, it is inconvenient to call the police if something happens. It is safer to return to your residence early.
"good."
Cheng Jianshe had no objection to this suggestion, and the nightlife in Guocheng was not as good as that in the provincial capital, and they had no other entertainment afterwards, so going back to the guesthouse was the best suggestion.
"Fourth Father, you and Fourth Mother go back, we are leaving."
After Zhang Mengzhi got ashore, he waved to the couple on the boat and left with Cheng Jianshe and the others.
"Mengzhi is gone! I was planning to catch some fish for this kid! You can't eat the best river fish normally."
The boat owner's wife came out with a bucket and saw her nephew walking away.
"It will be the same if we send them to Mengzhi's house later, so as to avoid being spotted by a group of starving ghosts and asking Mengzhi to cook for them."
Speaking of this, the ship owner was a little angry.
The most precious young generation of the Zhang family was just a cook in the eyes of Cheng Jianshe and his people. If it weren't for their status, the boat owner would have wanted to kick them off the boat.
"Don't be angry, Meng Zhi knows his limits. If they really go too far, we have people in the Zhang family who can help us. At worst, we can go to the provincial capital to seek justice from their parents."
The lady boss saw clearly that Zhang Mengzhi didn't take him seriously at all. As for his willingness to cook, it was probably for other reasons, definitely not because of their status as young masters.
"Zhang Mengzhi, did I offend your fourth father? He kept looking at me with murderous intent, and I was afraid he would hit me."
Cheng Jianshe is not as simple as he seems, otherwise he would have been bullied in the provincial capital. After all, his father has a lot of opponents, and he is the easiest target.
"You know that, too? Look at what you said. My father didn't throw you off the boat because he has a good temper."
Zhang Mengzhi rolled his eyes at him.
He knew Cheng Jianshe had no other intention when he said that, he just wanted to persuade the boat owner to accept the money. But to the boat owner who didn't know him well, this man just regarded himself as a cook, the kind who cooked for them.
"I was wrong. I really didn't mean anything else. I didn't mean to treat you as a cook. I just slipped up, okay?"
Cheng Jianshe felt that this must be made clear, otherwise if Zhang Mengzhi went to his father to complain, he would not be able to explain himself even if he had ten mouths.
The big guys in the provincial capital all praised Zhang Mengzhi highly, and the one who admired Zhang Mengzhi the most was his father.
If he knew that he bullied Zhang Mengzhi, do you believe that his father would break his legs?
"You know, I know. But my fourth father didn't know, and the elders rarely joke like this, so he got angry. In the future, when you are in front of the elders, be more measured in what you say, and don't make slips of the tongue every day. It was because of me that my fourth father didn't get angry this time. If you meet someone who is serious about it, I'll see how you explain it."
Zhang Mengzhi patted his hand and advised kindly.
"I understand, and I'll remember your kindness. You guys too, don't let yourself get into trouble with the elders and never be able to eat and drink again."
Cheng Jianshe reminded his friends that they were different from other young masters and rich ladies in that their biggest hobby was eating and they would travel all over the country by train for several days just to get a bite of food.
"I know, I know. You don't need to tell me."
With ready-made examples of successful construction, no matter how dumb they are, they will know what to do.
When you meet elders, just act like a good kid and don't offend their taboos. Otherwise, if you are locked up at home and can't go out, they will suffer.
"Zhang Mengzhi, you are such a good friend. If you have any problems in the provincial capital in the future, come to me and I will definitely help you solve them."
Cheng Jianshe was not bragging. His father was the top leader of Shu Province, and he was the leader of the group of yamen. It was just that he couldn't play with them. He had no other shortcomings except eating. Even if he played, he would just enjoy the surrounding scenery while eating delicious food. He would never do anything to oppress others or betray the country.
Knowing what kind of person his son is, his father never cares about his son's affairs outside.
He knows his son well. He can't take care of big things and doesn't want to take care of small things.
Compared to those younger generations who are out there smearing their parents, his son is doing pretty good. They have suffered so much in their generation, and they don’t want their children to suffer as well. They just like to eat and drink. Although we can’t do anything else, we can still let our children eat the food they want.
There is only one child in the family, and six elders are raising one child, so they can afford all the delicacies from land and sea.
So from here we can see how much Cheng Jianshe is favored in the Cheng family. He is just a good person. Apart from being obsessed with food, he really hasn't caused any trouble to the family. Even if there is trouble, it is others who take the initiative to find him, not him.
"Go away. What's the point of looking for you? If there's anything I'll go find your dad directly."
When they arrived at the door of the guesthouse, Zhang Mengzhi sent people in.
"Then I'll go to your store again tomorrow and you can cook a few more dishes for me!"
Cheng Jianshe lay on the gate and shamelessly made demands.
"Why didn't you eat enough today? You still want to eat boiled cabbage and lotus sliced pork?"
Zhang Mengzhi glanced at him and threatened to beat him up if he dared to admit it.
"No, no, no, ordinary food will be fine tomorrow. We can eat whatever the store has. Everything you cook is delicious anyway."
Cheng Jianshe shook his head quickly and dared not make any more excessive demands.
"Okay, I'll see if I have time tomorrow. If I do, I'll make a few for you."
Zhang Mengzhi didn't refuse directly, nor did she agree outright. Who can say for sure what will happen tomorrow? If he has something to do, then naturally I won't be able to cook for him.
"Okay, okay. I'll wait for you."
Although Cheng Jianshe didn't get a definite answer, since Zhang Mengzhi said so, there is a 50% chance that he can eat the food he cooks.
Seeing Cheng Jianshe and his friends running fast, Zhang Mengzhi shook his head in amusement. If he had a bad temper, Zhang Mengzhi would not get close to him.
Although Cheng Jianshe said so, Zhang Mengzhi still took a detour to Taibai Building and asked the kitchen to write down the ingredients he wanted for tomorrow and have the supplier deliver them early in the morning.
It is true that Sichuan cuisine is famous in Shu Province, but the Baba Banquet is also very famous in later generations, and some people even come to Shu Province specifically to eat the Baba Banquet.
The nine dishes in the Baba Banquet are the most famous.
Soft-fried steamed meat, steamed spareribs, steamed beef with flour, steamed turtle, steamed chicken, steamed duck, steamed pork elbow, meat with sand, and salty braised pork.
"Master, are you going to make nine large bowls tomorrow?"
Xia Donghai looked at the list of ingredients and immediately guessed what Zhang Mengzhi was going to cook tomorrow.
"Yes, our restaurant will also host banquets in the future, and we will have to add some people then. You can take charge of the recruitment!"
Restaurants will naturally take on some banquets, and the nine bowls are often used in weddings, funerals, festival gatherings and other occasions.
As a Sichuan chef, if you can’t make a Baba Banquet, it means you haven’t learned it well enough and you need to keep working hard.
Of course, not every chef can cook well at a Baba Banquet. Some chefs are good at cooking, but when it comes to Baba Banquet, the taste of their dishes is not as good as those of chefs who have been catering in the countryside for many years.
They have been cooking Baba Banquet for a lifetime, and have managed to create their own characteristics and essence of Baba Banquet. It can be said that many times, the taste of Baba Banquet is even more delicious than that of big restaurants and hotels.
Zhang Mengzhi had some guesses about this. In addition to the chef's cooking skills, there was also the use of water and the stove.
The water used for the rural banquet is well water, which tastes better than tap water. The stove is an earthen stove, and the food cooked with firewood is more fragrant than that cooked with gas or coal.
Zhang Mengzhi had to admit that the food in his restaurant was better than others. Besides the fire, the water used was also very different. He brought the water from his well to the restaurant, and used ten buckets of water every day to cook rice and soup.
You can use tap water to wash vegetables, but only well water is used for drinking.
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