Chapter 38 (Part 38): Weekend Home-Style Dishes [Second Update]
The school bell rang, signaling the start of the first weekend of the new semester.
The first-year high school students were all looking forward to the two-day holiday and rushed out of the school gate as soon as it was time to leave.
Wen Fan also packed his schoolbag and chatted with Han Lulu on his way home.
Jin Rui cursed and sat down in his seat. A moment later, he kicked the stool in front of him.
—Wen Fan's stool.
Jin Rui's deskmate, seeing that he was in a bad mood, comforted him: "Why do you have to pick on her? She's just a lunatic."
Jin Rui was extremely annoyed: "Who does she think she is? We gave her a little leeway and she started acting like a spoiled brat!"
He used to follow Fu Chuan and always thought Wen Fan was a clown.
Who is Fu Chuan?
Their family has hundreds of millions in assets!
Both my parents own companies.
Jin Rui followed Fu Chuan for two reasons: firstly, Fu Chuan valued brotherhood, and secondly, he felt that only by following Fu Chuan could he feel like he was superior to others.
Fu Chuan has many friends, and most of the people he frequents are from well-off families, with assets exceeding 100 million yuan.
Only Jin Rui.
Jin Rui's family situation can only be described as ordinary.
Wen Fan's words that day weren't harsh. What truly bothered Jin Rui was the phrase "being a passerby in someone else's love story," which broke Jin Rui's defenses.
When Jin Rui was following Fu Chuan around, he once had the illusion of being superior to others. But the phrase "just a passerby" was Wen Fan's way of separating him from Fu Chuan.
In Fu Chuan's world, he really was just a nobody.
Jin Rui felt uncomfortable, a discomfort that made him afraid to think too deeply.
These past few days, he hasn't even gone out with Fu Chuan and his group.
Every time I see Fu Chuan, I feel uncomfortable, always remembering Wen Fan's disdainful look.
Frustrated, Jin Rui felt even more disgusted with Wen Fan: "This woman is really boring."
She knew perfectly well that Fu Chuan and Fang Weiyue were practically inseparable when she was trying to woo Fu Chuan, but she still kept chasing after him.
Now that he's stopped licking her boots, he's putting on a respectable act again.
Jin Rui's deskmate shrugged: "Anyway, it's none of our business. Fu Chuan and Fang Weiyue should be the ones worrying about this."
After a while, Jin Rui finally hummed in agreement.
"Hey, school's out early today, wanna go out and play? Fu Chuan said he's treating, let's go to his house."
Jin Rui: "I'm not going. I have something to do at home."
After a while, Jin Rui asked again, "Is Master Fu Chuan here?"
"No, but does it matter whether he's there or not? Fu Chuan's house is big, and it won't disturb his parents."
“…Then I’ll go too.”
*****
Wen Fan finally got to enjoy the weekend, and on Saturday morning, he slept in late, which was a rare treat.
When I woke up, it was still before nine o'clock.
When they arrived at the store, they saw Wen's father going to buy vegetables. Wen Fan thought for a moment and then followed him.
Under his mother's stern gaze, Wen Fan said softly, "I can relax on the weekend too."
For her, cooking is a way to relax.
When they arrived at the market, Wen Fan pointed, and his father bought the food. The tricycle was packed full when they returned.
Wen's mother had a terrible headache: "What are you going to do now?"
So many dishes, and they're not even meat, they won't keep for long, and there would have to be so many guests to finish them all.
Wen Fan: "Mom, I think our shop could also offer stir-fries."
Wen's mother said expressionlessly, "Oh, we have a guest. I'll go to the school to find you and ask the teacher for leave so you can come back and cook."
Wen Fan:......
It's the weekend!
"If you don't do your homework, the teacher will call your parents."
Wen Fan: "...I'm not doing this for just one day!"
Wen's mother sighed and pulled Wen Fan aside: "Mom knows you're thinking of the family, but you're still studying. You need to finish at least high school. If you really like cooking, you can choose a related major later..."
Wen Fan looked helpless: "I didn't say I wasn't going to university. Okay, okay, I promise you, I'll come only in the evenings on weekends, and I'll cook three tables each night, okay?"
Three tables?
Wen Fan said aggrievedly, "I can make three tables after I finish my homework. I've already calculated it."
She shook Wen's mother's hand, saying, "It's not troublesome at all. Uncle Qu used to come and ask all the time, saying he wanted to invite his fishing friends over for a meal, but we never sell stir-fried dishes."
"You can book three tables in advance. I'm not going to cook for each table separately."
"I enjoy cooking; it's my time to relax."
Wen Fan was determined, and in the end, his mother had no choice but to agree to give it a try.
"If it affects your studies, then it won't work."
For her first order after opening, Wen's mother went to find Qu Qingqing's father.
Mr. Qu was overjoyed when he heard this. He had long hoped that the Wen family would start selling stir-fries, and he had even complained that the family didn't know how to do business.
"Selling rice bowls isn't profitable at all. It's much more lucrative and easier to cook dishes."
Now that the other party had finally come to their senses, Mr. Qu immediately said, "Sure, I'm free at noon, save me a table."
Mother Wen explained the rules.
Mr. Qu was a little confused: "What? Four dishes for the whole table, ordered in advance, and only available on Saturday and Sunday evenings?"
These rules are just ridiculous.
Mr. Qu: "Four dishes? You can order anything?"
"They say you can order anything, but for the more expensive dishes, either you have to prepare them yourself or pay for them in advance."
Wen Fan was eager to get started. Aside from using some good ingredients for the Qu family's graduation banquet, she hadn't touched expensive items like grouper, lobster, or king crab since.
Wen Fan was very interested!
She had seen a lot in the palace, but she had never seen most of the deep-sea fish, shrimp and crabs that are common in modern times.
If a customer requests an expensive dish, she can also come up with new recipes.
However, her wish cannot be fulfilled yet.
Mr. Qu clearly just wanted to get together with his friends, and upon hearing this, he said he wasn't picky about the dishes, as he trusted Wen Fan's cooking skills and would be happy with anything he made.
Four dishes were served. Mr. Qu wanted to invite two people, and Mrs. Wen received 300 yuan for the meal.
Wen Fan was straightforward: "There are only four dishes anyway, so we'll charge per person!"
If three people come, it's a head fee for three people; if four people come, it's a head fee for four people.
We won't add any more dishes; we'll just make more if there are more people.
Mr. Qu didn't think it was expensive at all and immediately said he would transfer the money.
Wen's mother: "Let's talk about it tonight."
Unlike her father's relief, she was determined to keep track of the time that night, and if Wen Fan was too busy, she would quickly reject the idea.
Wen Fan didn't care about anything else; he was only concerned about having one table tonight.
She was in the kitchen thinking about tonight's menu.
Recently, the store's sales have stabilized, and crispy pork is still the best-selling item.
Wen Fan stared at the crispy fried pork and instantly knew what to do.
Before 7 p.m., Mr. Qu was already calling people one by one to urge them to hurry up.
When the angler answered the phone, he was puzzled: "So urgent? Which restaurant is it? I'll drive there."
Mr. Qu quickly advised the man, "Why are you driving that car! Your car is so expensive!"
Angler 1: "So what if it's expensive? Are you worried about me spending money on gas?"
Mr. Qu snorted, "That place is difficult to park."
Not only is it difficult to park, but if you leave it on the street, what's the point of letting someone scratch or damage it?
Upon hearing this, the second fishing buddy stopped driving and the two of them rode electric scooters to find the address.
After searching high and low, we finally found the place.
"Old Qu, you really know how to pick a spot."
The middle-aged man who loves fishing didn't mind the shabby place at all. He was used to eating good food and knew that sometimes you had to find this kind of run-down street shop.
The shop that the three of them used to frequent was even located in a residential building. There was no sign at all. When you went up to the third floor, you found that the owner had just set up a table in his home.
Sometimes a group of people would bring their own fish over, pay a processing fee, and be able to eat the fresh fish they caught.
"You're here, come and sit down."
As soon as the anglers sat down, they asked for the menu: "Come on, let us see what this restaurant specializes in."
Mr. Qu: "There's no menu."
The second angler raised an eyebrow: "Wow, a private kitchen. What kind of cuisine is this?"
Sichuan cuisine? Cantonese cuisine? Jiangzhe cuisine? Or Shandong cuisine? Locals still prefer the taste of Shandong cuisine, and the most famous restaurant, Jinyulou, has a Shandong cuisine master as its mainstay.
Mr. Qu chuckled dryly. He couldn't tell which faction Wen Fan belonged to either. He had heard his daughter say that Wen Fan seemed to have suddenly become very talented and could cook any dish with ease.
The dishes I had eaten before were closer to Shandong cuisine, but her restaurant also sells claypot rice.
Even his daughter's favorite dish is fish-flavored sauce, which sounds like Sichuan cuisine.
I think I've cooked Hunan cuisine before. No matter what kind of dish it is, as Qu Qingqing would say, they're all super delicious.
"Just wait to eat."
There was no menu, no specific cuisine, yet the three grown men sat outside, surprisingly unperturbed.
Wen's mother came over and asked if we wanted to light some mosquito coils. Although it was already September, there were still mosquitoes. They were attracted to the light, and even one or two of them could be annoying.
The second angler waved his hand: "It's nothing."
If you spend too much time near the water, you get used to everything, not just mosquitoes.
The three people waited for their food, occasionally glancing at the meals of those around them.
Mr. Wen now makes several kinds of claypot rice, which sizzle as they are served, filling the air with their aroma.
The angler sniffed and exclaimed, "A Cantonese chef, he must be a Cantonese chef!"
This claypot rice is so authentic! It smells almost exactly like the rice he ate in Guangdong province.
Just then, another plate of braised dishes was served next to us.
"You're talking nonsense. This braised dish doesn't look like Cantonese cuisine at all. It looks more like Hunan cuisine to me."
Wait until the cold dishes arrive.
"Shandong cuisine, I guess?"
I'm not sure.
Mr. Qu sipped his tea, watching the two of them make wild guesses with amusement.
"Don't think about it too much."
Once the dishes are served, you'll know everything.
Accompanied by a strange aroma, Wen's mother came over carrying a plate of food.
"Hello, crispy fried pork with golden sand sauce."
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