The day before the restaurant opened, Old Liu specially changed into a Zhongshan suit and carefully pinned his name tag to his chest. He even put down the pipe that had been with him all his life.
"Dami, do I look okay dressed like this? I don't want to look bad on stage—"
The old man had cooked all his life, but now that he was old, he could only stay at home and cook for his son and daughter-in-law. He dreamed of continuing to cook, but he never expected that his granddaughter would help him fulfill his dream in his old age.
Old Liu touched his Zhongshan suit, grinned widely, and the wrinkles on his forehead seemed to have been smoothed out.
Xu Milu was worried about tiring the old man, so she hired two kitchen helpers. However, the old man Liu was much more energetic than she had imagined. He went to the cold storage to check the ingredients a day in advance and said that Xu Milu should learn to cook from him whenever she had free time.
"These are all good ingredients!"
The old man had been immersed in the culinary arts for many years and had a very sharp eye; he could tell at a glance that there were many good ingredients among the ones Xu Milu had prepared.
In the past two months, Xu Milu took some time to return to the Food World and purchased a lot of ingredients.
[Earth millet: Non-toxic, edible, no capture grade.]
【Egg-Creamed Pumpkin: Non-toxic, edible, no capture requirement.】
[Luo Luo Pig: Completely non-toxic and edible, with a plump body and delicious meat, it is one of the livestock raised by the inhabitants of this plane. Adults can weigh up to one ton and there is no capture grade.]
Red-tailed river shrimp: Non-toxic, edible, tender meat, difficulty of catching: four stars
[Purple River Algae: The whole plant is slightly poisonous; the leaves are edible but have a bitter taste. It needs to be thoroughly boiled and then placed in ice water. Difficulty of catching: Two stars.]
Silverwing Flying Fish: Non-toxic, edible, with delicious and thick flesh. Difficulty to catch: Five stars.
There were also extra-large abalone and enlarged crabs brought back from the Food World. Without Xu Milu even needing to explain, Old Liu took a bite of each ingredient and, with just a blink of his eye, could tell the general taste:
"This meat is great, authentic local pork belly. Look how bouncy it is when you squeeze it. It's perfect for Dongpo pork, braised pork in a clay pot, stewed ribs, or braised pork. It's also good for making green bean stuffed with meat. This fish is also good, steaming is the best. If you have steamed fish, you can stir-fry shrimp with chili. Take the crab roe and crab meat and steam it with eggs..."
The old man quickly came up with a menu, quite casually.
Xu Milu took a closer look and exclaimed, "Wow, every dish looks so delicious!"
Yellow wine with Dongpo pork, lotus root and pork rib stew in a clay pot, steamed silver-winged flying fish, crispy rice crust with chives and spicy stir-fried red-tailed river shrimp, cold purple seaweed salad, black needle grass and egg drop soup, millet porridge with red dates and lotus seeds, egg and milk pumpkin soup...
As for tea leaves, wheat ears, and eggs, they are naturally indispensable.
"Grandpa, can you manage all of this by yourself?"
Xu Milu exclaimed in surprise.
Old Liu's face was full of smugness:
"What's there to be too busy for? Didn't you already say you'd use whatever ingredients you had? Back when I was in the army, every New Year's Eve dinner, I'd lead four people to make dumplings for over three hundred people. From chopping the filling to putting the dumplings in the pot, it took less than two hours. Even the commanders praised me! What, do you think I'm too old to do this anymore?"
Xu Milu didn't know about this, but then she thought that she had two kitchen helpers, and even if things didn't go well, she could still help out. Besides, she didn't know how many customers would come on the first day of opening, so she should be able to handle it.
...
...
"Crackling and popping—"
"Crackling and popping—"
"Clap clap clap clap..."
Ten thousand firecrackers were lit at the entrance, their crisp sounds echoing throughout the entire South Bridge. Two rows of elegant flower baskets were neatly arranged in front of the door, attracting the attention of passersby.
Zhao Jin, who was far away in Chongqing, heard the news from somewhere and sent twelve flower baskets over in one go. Fortunately, there was enough space in front of the shop to hold them all.
Amidst the sounds of firecrackers and a sky full of fiery red debris, the large red cloth covering the shop was unveiled, revealing the neatly written words "Rice Food Shop".
Liu Hongmei's eyes reddened, and Sun Zhi and Xu Minian comforted her. Old Liu was excitedly introducing today's menu to everyone.
Liu Hongjun, who had taken a day off, took photos with Hao Xu to commemorate the occasion; she was genuinely happy for them.
The slight unease in Xu Milu's heart mysteriously disappeared.
"Boss, can we eat now?"
A customer stood at the door asking a question. Xu Milu snapped out of her reverie and flashed a big smile:
Welcome to Rice Food Shop!
...
...
"Jiang Liu, your parents are really funny. You know how picky your sister-in-law is about food. If she's unhappy with the restaurant you booked, who knows what she'll say about us behind our backs!"
Li Ping is a doctor. When she heard the old man specifically mention that he wanted to celebrate his birthday at a newly opened restaurant, she didn't say anything, but she couldn't help but mutter something to herself.
Jiang Liu turned the steering wheel without turning his head:
“Isn’t this what the elderly like? Even if it’s not very tasty, what does it matter? My older brother and sister-in-law have already arrived, and Mom and Dad took Zhouzhou there first—this restaurant used to serve breakfast, and your son especially loves their tea eggs.”
Li Ping rolled her eyes at her husband:
"I'm only doing this for my parents and son's own good. The elderly and children have weak stomachs. What kind of unclean food can they eat? In the end, aren't they the ones who suffer?"
Jiang Liu had no choice but to surrender: "Alright, alright, if it really doesn't taste good, I'll just tell my parents, okay?"
Li Ping's anger turned to joy. As soon as she got out of the car, she looked up at the shop's name: Rice Food Shop. It sounded like some kind of small restaurant, and she immediately felt uncomfortable.
...
...
But as soon as she entered the room, Li Ping's expression changed.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
