Chapter 52: Big Deal
In the end, there were three or four portions left. The people who had come earlier to ask if they could buy some were sitting in the aisle and looking at this side eagerly. In order not to waste anything, Qi Huan sold them to them at double the price.
Jiufang Kuang's guards were naturally not short of money, and they still smiled happily even though they paid double the price. Those people happily took the last few lunches they had grabbed back home, and after taking a few bites, they began to sigh repeatedly, saying that the food they had just eaten was hard to swallow. However, they were only happy for a few seconds before they were surrounded by people who had not finished eating and snatched away everything.
The robot bear butler was packing the lunch buckets in an orderly manner. Xu Zhi and Qi Huan were discussing ordering another hundred lunches for tomorrow when they suddenly heard a commotion across the street. They turned around and saw twenty or thirty people gathered at the dining window, seemingly arguing.
Xu Zhi motioned to the two guards nearby to go over and take a look. The two came back after a while and said that a few people tasted the food over there and thought it was expensive and unpalatable, so they went over and over and overturned the insulated food plates on the window, smashing and cursing at the chefs.
"Is anyone hurt?" Qi Huan didn't expect things to turn out like this, and couldn't help feeling a little guilty.
"It shouldn't be a big deal, just some vegetable soup or something on him." One of the guards replied.
While they were talking, someone called the captain of the guard team and the fat chef. When they arrived, they quickly calmed the situation down and the troublemakers dispersed.
Qi Huan breathed a sigh of relief and was about to leave when he saw the chef walking towards him through the crowd.
"Xiao Qi, do you have time to come over and discuss something?" The chef stood a few steps away from him and Xu Zhi with his hands clasped.
"You go ahead." Qi Huan hurried over. He didn't have a bad impression of the chef. First, he was half a friend of Uncle Wan and Uncle Lin Sen. Second, the last food tasting was also an opportunity for him to earn tips. Although he was greedy, he was "clearly priced" and was reliable compared to the other people on Jiufang Kuang's side.
The chef got straight to the point. "You also know about the trouble over there just now, right?"
"Yeah, I heard a little bit." Qi Huan saw that he looked serious and didn't know what he meant, so he could only tell the truth.
"Starting tomorrow, can you help prepare 120 lunches here as well?"
"Ah?" Qi Huan thought he was here to settle accounts with him, but he didn't expect it was this matter. He frowned in embarrassment, "Tomorrow we need more than a hundred copies, plus another 120 copies, I'm afraid we can't make them."
The chef sighed and rubbed his forehead with a headache. "The people over there are clamoring to eat the food you cook. There are only ten days left. Can you just consider it as helping me?"
Qi Huan was also very conflicted and explained sincerely, "You went to my small shop last time. The kitchen is so small and I am the only one in the shop. I have to make more than 200 lunches before 11 o'clock. I am really too busy. If I agree to your request and fail to do it well, wouldn't that harm you instead?"
"Then how about this?" The chef sighed again, was silent for a moment, and pointed to the dining window and said, "From now on, you can go directly to the back kitchen of the cafeteria to cook every morning, and then let A Pan, A Fei, and Er Hei help you. They used to be kitchen assistants for Sai Wen, and their skills are not bad. If it doesn't work, I can arrange a few servants who used to help in the back kitchen to help you."
Qi Huan: ...
"You should also know that Sai Wen was expelled from the Waste Planet because of the incident that harmed you last time. I originally wanted to let A Pan and the other three hold on for the remaining few days, but you happened to come here today," the chef rubbed his hands, "The things on both sides are indeed far inferior. You also saw it just now. Those guards are not willing to compromise and will not tolerate any sand in their eyes."
Qi Huan felt that he was somewhat responsible for the "disaster" on the other side. He rubbed his Adam's apple with his fingers and hesitated for a while before saying, "How about this, I'll come over tomorrow and try to see if I can help."
"Okay, think about what you need later and tell me directly. Whether it's people or ingredients, I promise to arrange everything for you." Seeing Qi Huan agreed, the chef finally breathed a sigh of relief, "D-level ingredients, four dishes and one soup, each serving should be controlled within fifty silver coins. If it's not enough, just tell me and we can discuss it."
The price of bulk purchases of ingredients can be pushed down even lower. Qi Huan silently calculated that this budget was enough. Having said that, according to the rules of the chef, he must have deducted the "handling fee" from the budget given by Jiufang Kuang, so that he could still give a price of fifty silver coins per person. Jiufang Kuang treated these guards well.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, the chef thought he was dissatisfied, so he lowered his voice and said, "Then I will personally give you an extra 1,000 silver coins per day as hard work fee."
Qi Huan wanted to refuse, but then he thought that this was probably just a little sweet thing for him from the kickbacks, so he nodded and said, "Thank you, chef."
When he got back in the afternoon, he went to Wanjia Food Store to pick out some ingredients. The final menu was chestnut braised pork, crispy fried shredded pork, stir-fried pork, shrimp stewed eggs, and fish ball soup. For convenience, Qi Huan discussed with chef Xu Zhihe and decided that both sides would order food at the dining window tomorrow, one side had four dishes and one soup, and the other side had three of four dishes plus soup.
He also specifically confirmed with Xu Zhi whether the guards here would have psychological problems due to the lack of a green hand. Xu Zhi assured him that everyone knew about this problem on the first day and would not take it seriously.
The publicity in the cafeteria at noon was unexpectedly effective. During the dinner hour, Renjian Restaurant was unprecedentedly packed with customers in less than a quarter of an hour after opening, and there were even people queuing for a table.
Moreover, red uniforms accounted for 100% of the total population, and all eight tables were occupied by guards, some of whom even brought their pets.
When Jiufang Yu, Xu Zhi and others stepped into the door, they saw Chen Ye sitting at the door, cracking melon seeds and chatting enthusiastically with a few familiar guards who were waiting for their tables. Qi Huan had just finished serving the dishes to one of the tables, and a golden-haired squirrel was squatting on his shoulder, shaking its soft and fluffy tail to act cute and coquettish.
A black shadow rushed over like lightning and kicked the squirrel away. The little squirrel was startled and rolled twice in the air holding its tail, then turned around and ran back to its owner in panic.
Taotie's black fur was standing on its body, and it stood on Qi Huan's shoulder with its head held high as if declaring its sovereignty. It glanced angrily at the spirits in the circle shop. The beasts were trembling with fear, and all of them lowered their heads, huddled their ears, and lay flat on the ground with their limbs, not daring to get up.
"Star Lord!" Seeing Jiufang Yu and Xu Zhi, the guards were startled and stood up straight reflexively.
"Eat yours." Jiufang Yu nodded calmly, signaling that everyone didn't need to be so polite. Qi Huan then looked closely at the pattern of the golden seal on his shoulder. The pattern in the middle resembled a crown of thorns, with the ten most prominent "thorns" representing ten different weapons, probably representing the ten great families, and the outermost layer was guarded by many different animals such as eagles, snakes, bears, leopards, etc., which should be the representative images of the various races in the alliance.
Seeing that there were no seats available, Jiufang Yu, Xu Zhitao, Kong Hu and others turned around and went back to the next room.
Only Xiao Ba clung to Qi Huan and refused to leave. Afraid that it would be splashed by the hot oil, Qi Huan had no choice but to put it in the front pocket of his apron.
Apart from this little episode, Renjian Restaurant was packed throughout the entire dinner period, setting the highest turnover record since its opening. Because there were really no empty tables, Jiufang Yu and his friends ended up eating the restaurant's 'takeout' at their own house.
Qi Huan hurriedly finished his dinner and started the live broadcast on time. Chen also planned to try the new dishes as soon as possible, and sat outside the camera to help him as an assistant.
After a few days of not being online, all the Shanhaidou and other items on the shelves were sold out, and his number of fans also quietly climbed to 667.
"Long time no see, everyone. I'm sorry for last time. There was a photomagnetic storm on the waste planet, so the signal might not be very good in the last few seconds." Qi Huan clasped his hands together apologetically and apologized to the audience in front of the camera.
[Here you come, my treasure anchor, you finally started broadcasting]
[What is a photomagnetic storm? Why has there never been one in the Seventh Star Region]
[You've been off the air for so long, I thought you were blown away by the photomagnetic storm]
[The reasons every time are so absurd and reasonable]
[Hahaha, the host’s luck is incredible]
"The dish I'm going to bring to you today is called honey-brewed mantis crabs. What are mantis crabs?" Qi Huan picked up the four crabs that he had specially reserved on the plate and showed them to the camera. "Actually, they are crabs. The kind I'm using today is called square crabs. If you want to make it in the future, you can replace it with other kinds of crabs that are easily available. The difference won't be too big."
The dish of honey-brewed mantis shrimp comes from the "Yunlintang Food System Collection" by Mr. Ni Zan, one of the four great painters of the Yuan Dynasty. It is a famous dish handed down from the Song Dynasty. Song people like to eat crabs at the beginning of winter, and there are many ways to cook them, such as hand-washing crabs, crab roe bags, crab stuffed with orange, mantis shrimp skewers, etc. Qi Huan has copied and made five or six of them himself. He chose this honey-brewed mantis shrimp because he thought it would be more in line with the tastes of Hei Tuanzi and Shen Ye.
[Very small crab]
[It’s so small, is there still meat inside?]
[It’s so funny, we’ve always been called 蛑]
[Peeling crabs gives me a headache just thinking about it. Why are the dishes that the anchor cooks so troublesome every time?]
[I'd better wait until it's on the shelves and taste it directly]
"After cleaning the crabs, boil them in salt water." Qi Huan turned on the stove and put four crabs into the pot while reminding, "This dish is very particular about the heat. You must pay attention when making it. Take it out when the crab shell changes color and turns red slightly. Don't cook it until it is fully cooked."
"While we are waiting, we can prepare the egg liquid that will be used later." Qi Huan skillfully beat three eggs into a bowl, added honey and salt, and stirred evenly. "The name of this dish is honey-brewed mantis shrimp because honey is added to the egg liquid. But you must pay attention to the amount of honey and salt. If you put too much, it will steal the flavor of the crab."
When the egg liquid was stirred and the crabs over there had almost changed color, he started to fish out all four crabs.
"The cooked crabs will be a little hot. You can drain them and let them cool down before removing the crab meat." Qi Huan said as he directly peeled open the crab's navel and quickly opened the crab shell.
[The host is so serious and gentle every time he introduces the production process]
【Ruthless Iron Hands】
[Wow, it looks hot]
[Just now I seemed to see a pile of empty crab shells besides the crabs? ]
"We need to take out this part of crab roe separately and put it apart from the crab meat." Qi Huan pointed to the middle of the crab body and reminded them that because the crab is not fully cooked yet, the crab roe is still relatively raw and runny, and is very similar in color to egg yolk.
Then he began to skillfully clean the crab shell and shave the crab meat. The whole set of movements was skillful and smooth, and he had finished peeling a crab in the blink of an eye.
[The dishes cooked by the anchor always seem so troublesome]
[Why does it seem that it is not that difficult to peel it? 】
[The anchor’s fingers look so good]
[I feel like I can only keep up with him if I eat as fast as he does]
Chen also volunteered to help peel one, but his speed was relatively worrying. Qi Huan peeled the other two and tore the meat from the crab claws into small pieces that were relatively uniform in size with the other crabs before he finished peeling the one in his hand.
"Now we need to deal with the crab shells, and then put the peeled crab meat in separately." Qi Huan took out four crab shells and the other eight crab shells that had been prepared in advance, washed and dried them together, turned them upside down on the sink to form a three by four 'square', and then spread the crab meat that had just been peeled on the bottom of the twelve crab shells.
"The next step is relatively simple. Pour the prepared egg liquid into the crab shell. The only thing you need to be careful about is not to spill it."
Qi Huan showed the camera the bowl of egg liquid he had mixed before, and poured it into each crab shell one by one. The tender yellow egg liquid quickly spread over the crab meat, leaving the surface as smooth as a mirror.
"You didn't forget the crab roe you just peeled, did you?" Qi Huan moved the plate of crab roe over and said to the camera, "The next step is to put the crab roe on the egg liquid. The usual way is to put a little in the middle of the egg liquid."
As he spoke, Qi Huan had already deftly used a spoon to "dip" a spoonful of meat into each of the three crab shells.
"Actually, you can arrange it any way you want. You can create a pattern you like, or even a simple word, as long as you have enough crab roe." Qi Huan said as he used crab roe paste to draw a diamond-shaped star in the fourth crab shell.
[He seems to be really ready to teach me]
[These steps feel so simple]
[I feel like I can do it]
[Wow, I will also draw stars when I make this dish in the future]
"After putting the crab roe in, we need to steam all the crab shells, which takes about four to five minutes. When you cook, you need to change the time appropriately according to the size of the crab you use. The bigger the crab, the more egg liquid you put in, and the longer it takes to steam. The smaller the crab, the shorter the steaming time. Be careful not to oversteam it. As I said before, a very critical step in this dish is the heat. If the crab meat is not cooked until fully cooked, it is because we are afraid that it will be overcooked after adding the egg liquid. In fact, it is not difficult. It is basically the same as steaming egg custard. If you are really unsure, it is recommended that you choose a steamer with a transparent window so that it is convenient for observation. Turn off the stove immediately when the egg liquid is completely solidified."
Chen on the opposite side was also confused by what he heard. He felt as if he was back in the mecha operation theory class.
Not only him, but also the barrage was filled with wailing.
[Not difficult? I would believe it if I hadn’t made steamed egg custard myself]
[I only know whether I am old or not when I eat it]
[The egg custard I steamed is as old as the mirror cleaning cloth my great-grandfather used]
[What kind of chance did the above person have to eat the mirror cleaning cloth?]
After a while, the honey-brewed mantis shrimps were freshly served.
When the signal collector was working, Qi Huan moved one of them in front of the camera. The bright red crab shell was filled with puddles of tender yellow egg custard. The surface was as smooth as a mirror, with layers of dripping water. It trembled and rippled as it moved, just like a bunch of blooming camellia flowers, flourishing, delicate and moving, causing the audience in the live broadcast room to drool and shout at him to put it on the shelves quickly.
At this time, Chen also felt that he was the happiest person in the entire league. Every time, he and Zhou Qiba could be the first to taste the new dishes prepared by Qi Huan, and this time's honey-brewed mantis shrimps were no exception.
He took the initiative to reach out and take the one closest to him, and gently scooped up a spoonful along the position of the crab roe. The egg custard was so soft and tender that it seemed to melt on the tip of the tongue instantly. The sweetness of the honey perfectly dissolved the fishy smell of the crab meat underneath, leaving only the sweetness, coupled with a hint of sweet crab roe, it was like the finishing touch, extremely delicious, and wonderful.
The delicate and smooth egg custard wrapped with crab meat slides into the bottom of the throat, with a lingering salty and sweet taste and warm water vapor, rolling warmly all the way down to the stomach. From the tip of the tongue to the tip of the heart, it seems as if you are soaking in the hot spring in Linghua Cliff of the Nine Star Domain, filled with gentle and touching comfort.
Qi Huan was just about to take another one and hand it to Xingqi Ba, when he suddenly saw the Q-version little white-haired doll from the morning on the shell of honey-brewed cicada in the corner.
The little guy jumped lightly and landed on another crab shell nimbly and silently. He walked two steps upwards along the crab shell, squatted on it and curiously looked towards the egg custard below. His long, shiny white hair slid down from behind him, and the tips of his hair fell straight into the egg custard. He even reached out and grabbed a strand of it, stirring it playfully a few times.
Damn it, the honey-brewed mantis shrimp is ruined! Qi Huan gasped and was about to reach out to pick up the naughty little guy when a dark shadow rushed over like lightning.
As if sensing the breath of the black ball, the white-haired little doll blinked his green eyes, and disappeared on the spot the next second.
Monday missed the target and landed next to the crab shell, turning around in circles in a panic.
Qi Huan also looked around, but there was nothing there. The little guy had disappeared without a trace just like he had in the morning. He reached out and took out the honey-brewed mantis shrimp whose shell had been "ruined" by the little guy, but found that the surface of the egg custard was still smooth and delicate, without any damage.
What's going on? Qi Huan was a little confused. Just as he was about to put this and the one whose shell had been stepped on separately to the side just in case, the black ball had already pounced on it and couldn't wait to swallow it all up in one gulp, including the shell and soup. After eating it, it even squinted its eyes in enjoyment.
Qi Huan: ...
Zhou Ba jumped off his wrist and went straight to the shell that the little guy had stepped on before, and swallowed it up with a look of enjoyment on his face.
Qi Huan: ...
"Put it on the shelves." Chen, who was busy eating on the opposite side, did not notice the previous commotion here. Seeing that the signal light of the collector was on, he used mouth shapes to remind the dazed Qi Huan.
Qi Huan nodded, opened the interface and put 500 honey-brewed mantis shrimps on the shelf. The selling price was still 149 silver coins.
"Okay, anyone who wants to try it can go to the shelf and take a picture. Our live broadcast today ends here, and next time..." As soon as Qi Huan said the closing remarks, Shen subconsciously began to pay attention to his surroundings. How to say it, every time at this time, all kinds of unexpected situations will emerge. Can it end smoothly this time?
As expected, a strong murderous aura filled the air outside the door. Shen Ye's expression changed sternly, and he drew out his whip cautiously.
Zhou Ba, who was squatting on the signal device, also turned his head and looked towards the door.
Qi Huan: ???
The kitchen door was suddenly pushed open, and Jiufang Yu appeared at the door, saying in a stern voice, "A stone beast has broken in. Follow me."
Qi Huan was stunned for half a second and was about to turn off the signal device, but Xingqiba stepped on the button and then jumped over. Qi Huan hugged it and followed Jiufang Yu's pace obediently.
At the same time, the ground and the kitchen sink suddenly shook, there was a commotion outside, and a sharp alarm sounded.
Qi Huan frowned, thinking something was wrong. Normally, when stone beasts broke into the base, there wasn't such a big noise. Was it because the stone beast this time was too big, or was it too close to the restaurant?
The live broadcast room with a black screen was in turmoil.
【Never be absent when disconnected】
[I never expected that only the last few words would be lost]
[Hahaha, still the familiar formula, the familiar disconnection]
[Forget it, as long as the product is on the shelves]
[Did you hear the other man’s voice just now?]
[The host's living environment is a bit scary. It seems like there is a stone beast coming? ]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
