Inside a state-run hotel.
Liu Zi and Yang Xiaofei stared in disbelief at the large table of dishes in front of them.
Lin Yang was also a bit confused. He knew that Yan Zhaolong was generous and that he would get angry if he didn't let Yan Zhaolong treat him.
Therefore, he agreed to let Yan Zhaolong treat them to a meal.
But to their surprise, Yan Zhaolong served them a whole table full of dishes.
Stir-fried pork liver with garlic, stir-fried cabbage with lard, braised pork ribs, fried tofu and vermicelli soup, braised flatfish.
The three of them actually served five dishes!
"Hehe, Yang-ge, this food is alright, isn't it!" Yan Zhaolong said with a towel draped over his shoulder and a big smile. "Next time you eat here, come back to my place. I can't offer a discount, but I'll definitely give you the maximum portion size!"
Looking at the dozen or so large chunks of meat in the braised pork ribs, Liu Zi nodded in agreement and said, "This portion is indeed large. When I went out to eat with my friends before, this bowl only cost five or six yuan."
"Hey, you're Yang Ge's friends, so you're my friends too!" Yan Zhaolong said generously to Liu Zi and Yang Xiaofei, "As long as you come, I'll make sure the kitchen serves you plenty of food!"
As they were talking, a man wearing a white chef's hat came out of the kitchen. He wiped his greasy apron with his hand and said to Yan Zhaolong with a smile, "Ah Long, what did your friend say of my dishes? Was it enough? If not, I'll make two more dishes."
Upon seeing the chef, Yan Zhaolong smiled and waved, then introduced him to Lin Yang: "Brother Yang, this is our restaurant's head chef, Ao Chunfei. Our manager specially recruited him from the Hongshankou Steel Plant! His ancestors, like my family's elders, all made a living in the palace!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang's heart stirred.
This wasn't a case of finding something without even looking for it; he had been thinking of finding a suitable chef to replace Sha Zhu, and now there was someone suitable to help him.
Although he couldn't poach Ao Chunfei, there are countless people these days who have skills but no good jobs.
If we can get to know a few suitable chefs through Ao Chunfei, then Sha Zhu won't be able to act so arrogantly anymore.
Thinking of this, he smiled and stood up, extending his hand to Ao Chunfei, saying, "Brother Ao, thank you for taking care of Ah Long at the restaurant. With his temper, he probably caused quite a bit of trouble!"
With a rosy face and a friendly smile, Ao Chunfei shook hands with Lin Yang and said, "Haha, Lin Yang, right? I've heard about you from A Long before. His temper is one of the worst in our shop!"
As he spoke, he pointed with his chin to the "No Hitting Customers" sign on the wall and said, "See that? A few days ago, one of our employees got into a fight with a customer. Ah Long is just a bit sharp-tongued, but otherwise he's pretty good!"
Lin Yang could only express his helplessness at this; indeed, everything is revealed through comparison.
Compared to the waiter who hit the customer, Yan Zhaolong's temper is indeed quite good.
However, even though there was a shortage of food in this era, people who had access to food certainly felt more secure.
He couldn't say anything in front of outsiders, but Lin Yang still wanted to talk to Yan Zhaolong privately. He could be indifferent to clients, but he couldn't keep making sarcastic remarks.
If he remembers correctly, back then many children of high-ranking officials got into fights with the service staff.
In the end, it's always the waiters who suffer.
He didn't want Yan Zhaolong to stumble over such a trivial matter.
Because it was lunchtime, many more guests arrived one after another, so Ao Chunlai didn't stay outside for long. He greeted Lin Yang and the others and went back inside to continue working.
Yan Zhaolong was also busy taking orders for others.
As Lin Yang ate the food in front of him, he smiled and said to Liu Zi, "Liu Zi, how do you think this dish tastes? How does it compare to Sha Zhu's?"
"Brother Yang, what are you saying!" Liu Zi quickly swallowed the meat in his mouth, then said in an extremely happy tone, "These days, it's good enough to be able to eat meat, who cares about the taste!"
He is absolutely right.
Since January 1959, pork has been rationed. Even urban residents with ration quotas only had three meat coupons per person per month, with each coupon providing 1-3 ounces of fresh meat.
Depending on the availability of meat, 1 liang (50 grams) is supplied when meat is scarce, and no more than 3 liang (150 grams) is supplied when meat is plentiful. Each person is issued three tickets per month (one for the first, middle, and last ten days of the month). Each ticket supplies 1-3 liang (50-150 grams) of fresh meat, depending on the availability of meat. 1 liang (50 grams) is supplied when meat is scarce, and no more than 3 liang (150 grams) is supplied when meat is plentiful.
However, he then smacked his lips and said, "But if we're talking about taste, I think it's no worse than Sha Zhu's."
Yang Xiaofei nodded in agreement, saying, "Although I don't know who this 'Silly Zhu' you're talking about is, the taste of this dish is indeed quite good. I once went out on business with the director and ate at a factory. The chef there was said to be a descendant of the imperial chefs, and the taste was similar to that of Chef Ao today!"
"A descendant of the imperial chefs?" Lin Yang's heart stirred, and he took Yang Xiaofei's words to heart.
If Ao Chunlai can't find anyone to recommend, then he'll try to poach someone from the factory Yang Xiaofei mentioned.
Lin Yang and the others enjoyed the sumptuous meal very much, especially Liu Zi, who poured rice into the sauce of the braised pork ribs and ate it all.
Patting his round belly, Liu Zi let out a comfortable burp and said to Lin Yang, "Brother Yang, this is the most satisfying meal I've had in a while!"
"Me too!" Yang Xiaofei said with great satisfaction as he loosened his belt, "Brother Yang, just for this meal, you're my brother from now on!"
"You've finished eating, right?" Just then, Yan Zhaolong suddenly appeared in front of the three of them carrying three bottles of plum juice, and said with a smile, "This plum juice is made by Brother Ao himself, and he never sells it to outsiders! You can have some to help with your digestion."
"Brother Long! No doubt about it!" Liu Zi gave a thumbs up and said, "Generous!"
After eating a greasy chunk of meat, a little plum juice makes for a refreshing feeling that's heavenly.
"Hey, I already said!" Yan Zhaolong said with a smile, "Yang Ge's friends are my friends. You guys eat and rest well and then go. I've already spoken to the manager, and the bill will be on my tab!"
"Ah Long, then I won't stand on ceremony with you!" Lin Yang said with a smile while drinking his plum juice. "Doesn't the old man like to drink? I'll definitely get him a bottle of good wine to visit him in a few days!"
"Then it's settled!" Yan Zhaolong wiped the sweat from his brow with a towel and said with a smile, "The old man has been talking about you these past few days. He'll be so happy to see you there! Alright, Yang-ge, I'm going to serve the dishes now. I won't see you off!"
"Go ahead and do your work!"
After Yan Zhaolong left, Liu Zi sipped his plum juice and glanced at Lin Yang, saying, "Brother Yang, do you have a way to get a bottle of Moutai? If not, I'll go to my old man's liquor cabinet and steal one for you."
"Don't be like that!" Lin Yang shook his head speechlessly. "Your old man is also a heavy drinker. If he finds out you stole his manhood, he'll rush to the factory and yell at you!"
"Yangzi, I may not know where to buy Moutai! But there are actually opportunities to buy other good wines without tickets recently!!" Yang Xiaofei suddenly said to Lin Yang with a hint of mystery.
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