When the braised sea cucumber with scallions was cooked, even Master Qin was amazed after tasting it, saying, "I really don't know whether I made a profit or a loss today."
The fat man laughed heartily, "I'm definitely going to make a profit anyway."
Master Qin gently patted him on the shoulder: "Of course! You can put 'vegetarian sea cucumber' and 'vegetarian intestines' on your menu, and the price will only be a third of the real thing. People will flock to your restaurant and wear the door down!"
The fat man patted him on the shoulder and said, "Won't you suddenly have two more signature dishes: braised sea cucumber with scallions and braised pork intestines?"
The two looked at each other and smiled, their understanding unspoken.
※※※※※※
Old Wang's birthday banquet was held as scheduled at Qili Pavilion.
In the same private room where Yu Li had previously used to set up a treacherous banquet, a table that could seat 20 people was completely full.
It seems that even though Old Wang has retired, his love for his family and friends still remains.
Old Wang is a sentimental person, and for this occasion, he even invited his former driver, Master Zhou.
They insisted that Yu Li sit at the table with them, and even specially reserved a seat for the fat man.
Old Wang's wife watched over him and only allowed him to eat meat with low fat content.
For example, fish, chicken, rabbit, etc.; to make him happy, the fat man even specially made him a bitter melon omelet and a broccoli stir-fried with shrimp balls.
In addition, to avoid making Old Wang envious, dishes that are often served at banquets, such as braised pork, braised pork belly, and crystal pork knuckle, were not served.
Old Wang also felt very unhappy. He picked up a piece of bitter melon with his chopsticks and complained to everyone, "My life is just like this bitter melon. I can't eat meat, I can't drink alcohol, what's the point of living like this?"
Friends and family quickly comforted him, and Yu Li chimed in, "Didn't we serve you some wine?"
Old Wang looked disgusted: "Who wants to drink this? It smells sour. I still prefer Luzhou Laojiao."
To prepare for today's birthday banquet, Fatty brought out all his best skills, with signature dishes from both Shandong and Huaiyang cuisines on the table.
Shandong cuisine features dishes like sweet and sour carp, braised pork belly, Yimeng stir-fried chicken, and braised three whites; Huaiyang cuisine features dishes like braised eel in hot oil, lion's head meatballs, salted goose, and braised shredded tofu.
In addition, there are two main dishes that haven't been served yet, but everyone already knows about them.
That's the braised sea cucumber with scallions from the "zoo" restaurant, and the fat man's braised pork intestines...
Both names were given to me by Lao Wang; he's just that witty.
While they were talking, Liu Jia came in to serve the dishes. She placed the plate in front of Old Wang and said, "Grandpa Wang, this is a new dish that our boss specially made for you. It's called stir-fried tripe with coriander. Please try it."
Cilantro, also known as coriander, is basically stir-fried cilantro roots with tripe.
Pig stomach is also something Old Wang can eat. It contains nutrients such as niacin, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, and eating a little can help boost immunity.
However, pork stomach is high in cholesterol, so the fat man specially devised a new dish to balance it out.
Upon hearing that it was specially made for him, Old Wang couldn't wait to pick up some shredded tripe with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.
While chewing, he commented, "Mmm, this dish is well made. The shredded tripe is soft yet chewy, the cilantro flavor is strong, and it tastes salty, fragrant, and slightly spicy—enough to satisfy my cravings!"
Seeing this, everyone else reached for their chopsticks. But his wife, worried that he had eaten too much, quickly put some food on the plates of the nearby guests.
Just as Lao Wang was filled with anticipation, Fatty finally led the Liu sisters, Liu Jia and Liu Jing, into the private room.
As soon as Old Wang saw the red lacquered wooden plates the two sisters were carrying, his throat began to churn violently.
"Braised sea cucumber with scallions" and "Nine-Turned Intestines".
The two sisters recited the names of the dishes in a clear, melodious voice, like a nightingale, and with the enthusiasm of a tea-picking girl.
The fat man personally placed the two dishes in front of Old Wang.
Just as the aunt was about to stop him, she saw the fat man repeatedly giving her meaningful glances.
She knew that the fat man would never harm Old Wang, which is why she held back.
Old Wang didn't rush to pick up his chopsticks. Instead, he took a deep sniff, inhaling deeply with a look of pure delight: "This is the taste! It smells so good! What a pity, I don't know how many more times I'll get to eat this!"
It's so unlucky to talk about these things on such a joyous occasion.
But Old Wang ignored him and pointed at the braised intestines, saying, "Well, Fatty, you're starting to do all this fancy stuff now. Vegetable leaves at the bottom, nine pieces of intestines on top, look at that, just the bottom of the plate! To make the plate look less empty, you've even put a ring of cherries around it. From now on, your braised intestines will sell for 9 yuan, one yuan per piece!"
Everyone present knew about their relationship and joined in the verbal and written condemnation of the fat man.
The fat man was also laughing out loud; they were treating him like a piece of twice-cooked pork.
The only time Fatty ever ate authentic food was in 1993, when he went to a banquet with his dad, yeah, the kind where the banquet is held...
The banquet was held at their old restaurant, and the dishes were served on large platters meant for fish.
The plate was brought out, with 8 slices for a small portion and 16 slices for a large portion, corresponding to the number of people at the table. One slice per person.
Good twice-cooked pork, as big as a palm, or as wide as an ear in Sichuan dialect, and as thick as chopsticks; the fat is chewy but not greasy, and the lean meat is tender but not dry, one piece of meat is as good as a whole plate now.
That's what eating meat is all about!
The chubby boy was young at the time, and one piece wasn't enough for him. Seeing this, the aunt next to him gave him her piece, and he ate two pieces by himself, his mouth greasy from eating them...
It's a pity that after the old man in their family passed away, they could never find such authentic twice-cooked pork again.
"..."
After complaining about the fat man, Old Wang picked up a piece of "large intestine" with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. This time, he even closed his eyes and savored it carefully.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the fat man whispered in the aunt's ear, "Don't worry, I used gluten to make that large intestine; and I used mushrooms to make that sea cucumber!"
The aunt was dumbfounded. This is a counterfeit product!
Old Wang finished eating, smacked his lips, and muttered to himself, "It tastes the same, but something just feels off."
Fatty and Yu Li exchanged a glance, feeling a thrill of discovering that they shared a little secret.
This feeling both excites and delights them, and also makes them feel a greater sense of dependence and intimacy.
Yu Li suddenly felt relieved. Lou Xiao'e had already lost, losing to her for a full 17 years.
Just as Yu Li was lost in thought, a loud slam on the table startled her awake.
Then Old Wang shouted excitedly, "This sea cucumber is not right!"
The fat man retorted, "What's wrong with it?"
"I can't quite put my finger on it, but it just doesn't feel right!"
"Why don't you try some more?"
"No need to taste it, I can tell at first bite. You fatso, is this sea cucumber not fresh?"
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