Chapter 87 087 Egg Yolk Pumpkin, Cilantro, Potatoes, and Minced Meat [Second Update...]
Peel the thick, starchy pumpkin, cut it into neat strips, coat it with flour, and deep-fry it. The outer skin quickly solidifies into a hard crust.
Heat oil in a wok, then crush the salted egg yolks and create fine bubbles in the wok.
Add the crispy pumpkin strips and toss them quickly a few times; the pumpkin strips will look as if they've been coated with a layer of golden sunlight.
Wen Fan quickly and efficiently took the food out of the wok, plated it, and placed it in front of Qin He.
Han Lulu looked at the store's newly renovated decorations with curiosity and exclaimed, "Uncle and Auntie are so quick!"
In less than a week, it has changed dramatically.
The store is now divided into two sections. The original storefront is bustling with activity in the kitchen, while the newly opened section has a lot of people gathered around the food carts outside. The two sections are clearly separated, so you no longer have to squeeze into one room and even have to squeeze sideways to serve food.
"You're right, aren't you, Qin He?"
Qin He crossed her arms and hummed in agreement.
Han Lulu wanted to laugh but held it back. Then she saw Wen Fan finish serving the egg yolk pumpkin and go to serve other things. She quietly nudged Qin He.
"Hey, I'm telling you, that's about enough. The math exam was so hard this time!"
Even she almost failed.
Therefore, Wen Fan's score of 65 is already quite good.
You think everyone is like you?
Such a difficult question, and you still got a perfect score.
Qin He stirred the rice in the bowl: "Oh."
Although I understand there are multiple reasons why Wen Fan failed this time—the questions were difficult, the time was scattered, and Wen Fan still has so many subjects to retake…
But I'm still so angry!
The thought that everyone else passed their subjects while she, who tutored Wen Fan the earliest, still didn't achieve the desired results made Qin He wish she could take out the books right now and tutor Wen Fan for ten or eight hours straight.
Han Lulu picked up a piece of pumpkin with salted egg yolk. The sandy salted egg yolk coated the soft pumpkin. The salty and crispy outer shell and the sweet and soft inner shell made Han Lulu mumble as she spoke.
"Relax, think about it. If you fail math, you'll definitely need to give Wen Fan extra tutoring... Ouch, it's so hot... So you'll have an excuse to eat a few more breakfasts, right?"
Qin He: ……
When Wen Fan returned carrying a large clay pot, he was pleasantly surprised to find that Qin He's expression was no longer stiff.
Han Lulu: "Wow, what's this huge clay pot?"
Wen Fan placed the casserole on the table and took off his gloves.
"I was short on time, so I just made something quick. It's cilantro, potatoes, and minced meat."
Steam the potatoes until cooked through, then pan-fry them until golden brown. Sauté the minced meat until fragrant, then stir-fry it with the potatoes. Finally, add cilantro and mix well.
It's easy to make, but the taste is just as good as any other dish.
The potatoes were fried until golden brown. Wen Fan even pressed them down with a spoon while stir-frying, turning the potatoes from chunks into irregular semi-powder. The minced meat was dry, fragrant, and chewy, and the unique aroma of the cilantro was not overpowering.
Han Lulu is a staunch potato lover. The moment she saw potatoes, she knew this was the dish. She mixed them into rice, and the mashed potatoes and minced meat wrapped around the rice, making it look like she was eating a Northeastern Chinese rice dumpling.
Wen Fan took out a plate of pickled cucumbers, and the crisp pickled cucumbers made the rice even tastier.
Qin He silently finished a bowl of rice, put down her chopsticks, and looked deeply at Wen Fan.
Wen Fan felt a little awkward: "...I'll pass next time."
She made a mistake this time; she didn't guess correctly on a few multiple-choice questions (...).
Qin He shook her head, then suddenly said seriously, "I think there's a flaw in my thinking."
Wen Fan and Han Lulu were completely confused.
Qin He: "Looking back now, it seems that simply cramming knowledge points into someone else's head isn't as effective as explaining problems to others. Look at this exam, I've improved very quickly."
Although she had good math grades before, she rarely got a perfect score.
While explaining problems to Wen Fan, the knowledge points she had previously learned were processed again in her mind. As she output the knowledge, she also became more efficient in receiving it.
Qin He stroked his chin, thinking that this was indeed a completely new idea.
She used a cramming method to teach Wen Fan, but what if we changed the approach and had Wen Fan explain problems to others...?
Qin He looked at Han Lulu.
Han Lulu was still engrossed in eating, finishing one bowl of rice and then ordering another, completely unaware that she was about to be in big trouble.
It wasn't until after lunch that Qin He announced that Han Lulu would also participate in the daily tutoring sessions.
"What? What?"
Han Lulu was completely bewildered. She was still savoring the taste of minced pork and potatoes from lunch when Qin He suddenly caught her off guard.
Why do I need extra math lessons?
Qin He shook her report card: "You're not much better than her, are you?"
Han Lulu: ……
"...Who said that! I passed!"
Qin He: "Yeah, 72 points, that's 7 points too many."
Han Lulu gritted her teeth: "I'm first in the whole biology class!"
Qin He smiled slightly: "Even if you get a perfect score in biology, it won't make up for the points you lost in math, right?"
"Then what do you want me to do?"
Qin He: "Simple. Whenever I give you extra lessons, stay for an extra half hour. Let Wen Fan explain a few questions to you first, and then I'll go over the rest."
It's basically a review in the first half and a study in the second half.
Han Lulu looked left and right, extremely unwilling, but finally agreed.
—Because Qin He offered to share breakfast with her in the morning.
...
Wen Fan placed her report card and the notice for the parent-teacher meeting on the table. Wen's parents were very happy with their daughter's progress, but upon seeing the notice...
Wen Fan was afraid they would recall the unpleasant parent-teacher meeting from before, so he offered, "This time, two parents can go, so you can both go."
Wen's mother folded up the notice: "...Okay, your dad and I are together. We haven't met your homeroom teacher yet."
Running a small shop near the school gate inevitably means that teachers will come to eat. Wen's mother had thought about giving her daughter's teachers a discount, but she didn't know any of them.
You can't just ask every teacher you meet if they taught Wen Fan.
Well, this time I'll attend the parent-teacher meeting and get to know the faces.
People should always look forward.
The parent-teacher meeting was on Sunday, so the business was naturally closed on Sunday. On Saturday, Wen's mother received three orders for private meals.
Wen Fan achieved a fairly good result, and the pressure that had been weighing on his mind for half a month suddenly eased.
"Three tables is fine. I'll go grocery shopping with my dad on Saturday."
Wen's mother said, "Don't panic, there's something I need to tell you."
The person Wen's mother was referring to was Xie Qingxi, the kindergarten principal who had visited the week before last.
Xie Qingxi had previously thought of poaching Wen's parents, but after Wen's restaurant became a huge hit, she knew it was impossible.
The revenue of a popular online store and a small shop can be worlds apart.
If the Wen couple had made a net profit of tens of thousands of yuan a month before, she might have poached them.
But now this store is about to make seven figures a year, even a fool would know which one to choose.
Since they couldn't dig it away, Xie Qingxi quickly wrote several proposals.
It's already November, and the semester is halfway through. Schools in the compulsory education stage will hold parent-teacher meetings, and kindergartens also have parent-teacher meetings.
The difference is that kindergartens are more of a recruitment tool, while parents go to the school to participate in parent-child activities.
They played games together, watched shows, and finally ate lunch at the kindergarten.
Xie Qingxi extended an invitation to Wen's mother, saying that the kindergarten planned to make this parent-teacher meeting a self-service event.
All the dishes are prepared, so parents and children can eat whatever they want.
There are fewer than two hundred students in the entire kindergarten, but when parents are brought along, the number increases significantly.
For such a large meal, Xie Qingxi quoted an amount that even Wen's mother was shocked.
Wen's mother: "If we're talking about making it, the entire kitchen of the kindergarten can be used, and we've also got the manpower ready."
Wen Fan: "Then let's answer it."
Anyway, the kindergarten parent meeting is a week later, so it doesn't conflict with my schedule.
Wen's mother: "I just felt there were too many people..."
With so many people, can my daughter handle it?
Wen Fan said, "I'm really good at this."
You must know that the old emperor was a womanizer, with countless concubines, princes and princesses in the palace. Even the eunuchs and maids of the various palaces, and even the cats and dogs kept by the Empress Dowager, all had to be fed by her. Which master liked what to eat, when which master would order food, how to communicate with the warehouse managers... Managing the imperial kitchen required not only good cooking skills, but more importantly, proper preparation.
Wen Fan hadn't felt that way in a long time—that someone could exert force in a place just by pointing a finger.
The kindergarten offered her a generous reward this time, so she had no reason to refuse.
"However, I have one request."
Wen Fan said that both seasonings and purchases would have to be calculated separately.
She doesn't trust using other people's things, and secondly...
Her craftsmanship has one price, managing people has another!
Wen's mother smiled: "They already said it would be calculated separately."
With that resolved, Wen Fan put the matter of two weeks from now on out of his mind and focused on studying the Saturday menu.
To be honest, all three tables we had this Saturday were occupied by new customers, or rather, one of them was an old customer.
As one of the first to try this new approach, Mr. Qu booked a table this time, but the guests were not his fishing buddies.
Wen's mother looked at the long list of dietary restrictions given to her by Qu's father, and her head spun as she read it.
In all her years, she had seen people ordering menus and mentioning allergies to certain foods, but she had never seen so many dietary restrictions.
Mr. Qu protested, "It's not that I'm picky, it's just that the old man is a traditional Chinese medicine doctor and he's very particular about things!"
In his early years, he worked in a clinic with his wife, who had graduated from a nursing school. He also considered learning some traditional Chinese medicine and apprenticed under a master. However, this old TCM doctor was stubborn and had a bad temper. Qu's father studied under him for several years, but his prescription skills were only so-so. In the end, he learned massage.
Every time Mr. Qu picks up a pen to write a prescription, the old man would talk at length.
What do you mean by "this is incompatible with that"? What medicine can't you eat certain vegetables? You're supposed to be a student of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and all that knowledge you've learned has gone to waste.
Although Mr. Qu stopped learning massage later, he was still very popular everywhere because of his massage skills. Therefore, he still treated the old man well during festivals and holidays.
A few days ago, when I went to deliver a Mid-Autumn Festival gift to my retired father, Mr. Qu casually mentioned that the food at the restaurant next door was delicious. After a few words, the old man said that it was fine and he would come and try it since he had nothing else to do anyway.
This left Mr. Qu completely dumbfounded.
This list of dietary restrictions wasn't something the old man wanted; rather, it was something he racked his brains to come up with at home, afraid that if he didn't arrange anything properly, he would be lectured by the old man again.
He's over fifty years old; it's too embarrassing for him to stand there and get scolded.
Mr. Qu spoke at length, and Mrs. Wen said she could understand, but it would be difficult for her to do it.
"You know it's a three-table-per-cook meal, the menu is already set."
Qu's father hung his head dejectedly: "Is there really no other way?"
Wen's mother shook her head.
"Then let's stick to what you've agreed upon."
Mr. Qu crumpled up the paper and said, "Whatever. The old man stopped seeing patients last year and spends his days tending to his flowers and plants in his small courtyard. Maybe his temper has improved."
At worst, they'll just get a scolding.
Before you knew it, Saturday arrived.
Wen Fan went to buy groceries early in the morning and then started working in the kitchen.
Wen's mother was somewhat surprised to see that Wen Fan had bought a large amount of bean products today.
Tofu skin, fried tofu, dried tofu sheets...
Are we going to use up all these soy products today?
Goodness gracious, this looks like they're preparing a whole bean feast!
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Author's Note: I'll stick to two updates a day... I'll try three if I have the energy.
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