Before long, Meng Zhao had prepared seven or eight servings of liangpi (cold skin noodles), mostly bought by regular customers who had confidence in Meng Zhao's skills.
Everyone was very satisfied with the cool and refreshing liangpi (cold skin noodles) as soon as they took a bite.
"On such a hot day, eating this bowl of cold noodles makes me feel so comfortable. It's sour and spicy, and not greasy at all."
"The sauce is sour and spicy, the noodles are so chewy, and it's cool and refreshing to eat. It's really satisfying."
"What is this? It tastes like tofu, and it's full of juice when you sip it."
Meng Zhao explained, "This is gluten that we make ourselves; it's especially chewy."
"Delicious, delicious! I wish I could have a pastry too." Looking up, there was a pastry stall right across the street.
I quickly got up and bought two shortbreads for one coin each. When I took a bite, the outer crust was so flaky it crumbled, but the inside was very soft.
The flaky pastry is fragrant with oil, and the cold noodles are tangy and spicy; the two are a perfect match when used together.
A customer who had just ordered liangpi (cold skin noodles) saw how much this person was enjoying the crispy pastry, so he quickly went across the street to buy some too, and found it delicious.
This made Aunt Zhang, who runs the pastry stall across the street, extremely happy. Business was usually just okay, but today was different; her hands were constantly busy making pastries.
Meng Zhao was engrossed in preparing the cold noodles when she heard someone call her. She looked up and saw a familiar face—a waiter from Chunfenglou.
"Mr. Meng, our manager asked me to invite you. He said he has some business to discuss with you. I was wondering if you are available today?"
Meng Zhao thought for a moment and realized that the other party had made up their mind. She replied, "Okay, I'll go over as soon as I'm done with my work. Please wait a moment, Manager Zhao."
The people in line behind him didn't know what Xiao Er was there for; they just saw him skip the line and go up to talk to them, and they immediately became unhappy.
"What are you doing? Don't you know you're in line?"
"Exactly, don't you have any manners?"
When the waiter saw people behind him giving their opinions, he quickly said goodbye to Meng Zhao. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something, turned around, walked to the back of the line, and ordered three servings of liangpi (cold skin noodles).
Recently, someone came to inspect Chunfeng Tower. Although we don't know the person's identity, their position must be quite high. Last time, that person met with Boss Meng with the manager, which clearly shows that they have taken a liking to Boss Meng.
I just overheard someone next to me saying that this cold noodle dish was just served today. If he buys some, he'll be lucky.
Two servings would have been enough, so why did he buy an extra one? Because even though he had only been standing there for a short while, the sour and spicy aroma kept wafting into his nose, making his mouth water.
In the end, they not only sold out of cold noodles today, but also managed to keep up with the boxed lunch business. Although they were exhausted, they were all very happy.
After tidying up the stall, Meng Zhao told them to go buy ingredients first, while she went to Chunfenglou.
In a private room on the second floor of Chunfeng Tower, Xiao Youzhi frowned as he flipped through the ledger in his hand. Each number on the ledger made his mood heavier and heavier.
He was assigned to Dongyang County, ostensibly to inspect the business operations of the surrounding shops, but in reality, it was an exile to keep him away from the family center.
Although the Xiao family were merchants, their private affairs were no less than those of princes and nobles. Their home was full of wives and concubines, and they had more than a dozen children.
Xiao Youzhi was originally the eldest son and grandson in his family, but because his mother died early, he had no one to protect him and was not valued from a young age. As Xiao's father saw that he was getting older, he wanted him to go out and gain some experience.
Originally, he was to be in charge of the fabric business in Jiangnan, which was the most profitable business for the Xiao family.
When the stepmother heard the news, she was naturally very unhappy. After some maneuvering, Xiao Youzhi was sent to Dongyang County to take charge of the restaurant business there.
Logically speaking, Chunfenglou is known as the number one restaurant in the capital and is also an extremely profitable business under the Xiao family, so it can't be too bad.
The key issue is that Dongyang County is located in a remote area with inconvenient transportation, so business has always been lukewarm.
Take Chunfenglou in Qingshi County for example. It was actually fighting back and forth with several local restaurants, which was really too embarrassing.
Just as I was getting angry, I suddenly noticed a bowl of food next to me. It was brought over by the waiter when he came back. He said it was a new dish made by the stall at the dock, called something like liangpi (cold skin noodles).
I was so focused on the accounts that I only realized how delicious the liangpi (cold skin noodles) was, with its tangy and spicy aroma that made my mouth water.
I couldn't resist taking a few bites, and the taste was indeed excellent, especially the texture of the noodles, which was chewy and smooth, unlike ordinary noodles. It was truly a novel dish.
When Meng Zhao arrived, the waiter led her directly to the door of the private room, knocked on the door, and respectfully said, "Boss Meng has arrived."
"Come in." After receiving the reply, the waiter withdrew.
Meng Zhao pushed open the door and entered. Inside, only the young man from last time was sitting at the table reading a book. She walked over.
The man stood up, raised his hand in a salute, and said, "My name is Xiao Youzhi. Miss Meng's cooking skills are truly exceptional. The cold noodles I just ate were so refreshing, they even helped to dispel some of the summer heat."
Meng Zhao returned the greeting, "Young Master Xiao, you're too kind. These are just some low-class street food, nothing compared to the culinary skills of the master chef at Chunfeng Restaurant."
Xiao Youzhi raised his hand to pour a cup of tea, gesturing for Meng Zhao to sit down.
"Miss Meng, I invited you here today to discuss the starch business."
"Well, what's your decision, Young Master Xiao?"
“This starch is indeed a good thing, but its usage and dosage are really difficult to control. It cannot be thoroughly understood in a day or two. I’m afraid we’ll have to ask Miss Meng for help.”
Two days after Meng Zhao left Chunfenglou, he ordered Manager Zhao and the chef to make a new batch of crispy pork, following Meng Zhao's method.
After several attempts, and using up most of the remaining starch, it finally achieved a resemblance of about 70-80%.
However, starch is indeed very useful. It can make meat more tender and smooth, enhance the flavor, not to mention it can be paired with many original dishes, adding a lot of flavor.
On the surface, Meng Zhao remained calm, but inwardly she was thinking that this person was still after her prescription.
"If this deal goes through, I can provide a general list of uses for starch, but the specifics of how it will be used will depend on Young Master Xiao's own plans."
That's fine. She's selling things, so naturally she has to explain how to use and use the products clearly. It's only a matter of time, and she doesn't intend to hide anything.
Xiao Youzhi calmly asked, "I heard that Manager Xu offered you a high salary, but you're unwilling to come?"
"I'm used to being free and don't like being controlled by others, so it's better for me to continue running my stall."
"What if I grant you the title of manager?"
Meng Zhao smiled and said, "Never mind, I'm more concerned about the starch business."
Xiao Youzhi wasn't too surprised by Meng Zhao's reply. After all, from the first time they met, he felt that this person was unusual. She didn't have the naivety of a young girl when she spoke; instead, she seemed more like a seasoned veteran in the business world.
After hearing this, he turned around, took out a piece of paper, and handed it over.
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