Chapter 116 Mid-Autumn Festival Gathering at a Restaurant.
The customers in the restaurant dine happily; the soup was fresh and delicious, and the meat and vegetables left a lingering fragrance in their mouths after chewing and swallowing. The small dish of Osmanthus Tea Cheese for each person at the end further enhanced the elegance of the lunch, with its delicate fragrance and refined taste, creating a special Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere.
Customers still queuing outside are experiencing a mix of joy and worry.
This makes the time and patience required for queuing the least important thing.
They were happy to have gotten a number, knowing they would definitely have a sumptuous and delicious lunch, but they were also saddened to hear the person who had just sat down to order say that the Osmanthus Tea Cheese was sold out.
That's all...
Those who were ordering food in the dining room couldn't get the Osmanthus Tea Cheese, so those who were still queuing outside the restaurant had even less hope, and felt a little melancholy and disappointed.
Osmanthus Tea Cheese, Gu's Private Kitchen either doesn't make or sell desserts, or if they do, they are absolutely delicious, far surpassing the quality of authentic dessert shops. This is a common understanding.
As early as 10 o'clock, when they looked at today's menu on Gu's Private Kitchen's official account, they noticed this Osmanthus Tea Cheese, not only because it was the only dessert, but also because the menu noted that there were only 40 servings available for lunch and dinner today!
It sounds like a lot, but upon closer inspection, desserts are different from dishes that can be shared by a group of people. It's highly likely that each person will have their own serving. Judging from the daily customer flow of Gu's Private Kitchen, small tables usually have at least four people, while large tables have anywhere from five or six to ninety people, or even more.
Let's assume the highest probability: if each table has four people, it can only support ten tables before the Osmanthus Tea Milk Tea is sold out, and those who are queuing outside won't get any.
After a few whispered discussions, everyone quickly understood the situation and immediately became dejected.
Some people tried to distract themselves by taking out their phones, opening Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform), and scrolling through Gu's Private Kitchen's post from today. They wanted to read the comments and see the delicious dishes to satisfy their cravings. But this time, when they looked at these comments and photos, they didn't feel the usual envy and resentment, only able to sigh that they couldn't eat them. Instead, they were looking forward to the dishes in advance. Hehe, the dishes they saw now looked so tempting, and they could eat them later. It couldn't be happier!
Who knew that after casually scrolling through a few comments, his expression grew increasingly somber, filled with the regret of missing out on a fortune.
The comments at the top of the comment section included those that praised all the dishes as usual, as well as those that singled out their favorite dishes. The most frequently mentioned dish was the Osmanthus Tea Cheese, which they had missed long ago.
Its pale yellow appearance truly lives up to the name "Golden Osmanthus Tea Cheese," exuding an autumnal feel that's perfect for Mid-Autumn Festival. It melts in your mouth with a smooth and delicate texture, and the subtle fragrance of osmanthus intertwines with the rich aroma of milk—it's simply divine!
The tea jelly wrapped in tea cheese is chewy and tender. The rich tea aroma and the fragrance of osmanthus blend together in a particularly elegant way, just like enjoying tea under an osmanthus tree. It is also said that fragrant pear flesh is cooked in it to give it a sweet pear flavor!
Even the pale yellow, clear tea soup at the bottom of the plate tastes much better than most teas. It continues the aroma of the tea jelly, and the mellow aroma of black tea and the elegant fragrance of osmanthus linger in the mouth. The sweet pear flavor blends into the tea soup, making it even sweeter!
Many customers were so tempted by these reviews that they wished they could turn back time to that morning and drop everything to come early and queue up, so they could be among the first to enter the store and taste the supposedly delicious Osmanthus Tea Jelly.
They still had a sliver of stubbornness left. No matter how elegant and sweet the written description was, they had to see the true appearance of the dish.
My hand involuntarily scrolled down to click on the photos of Osmanthus Tea Jelly posted by netizens. A magnified photo instantly appeared on my phone screen. The pale yellow Osmanthus Tea Jelly looked like a round persimmon. No, it was lighter in color than a persimmon, closer to the color of osmanthus flowers.
A few pale yellow osmanthus petals are sprinkled on top of the tea jelly, and underneath the petals is a clear tea jelly that looks bouncy and soft. This dessert is worth the price just for taking pictures, not to mention that it can be eaten. They couldn't help but imagine what it would taste like.
The words they had seen earlier resurfaced in their minds at the right time, and together with the photo of Osmanthus Tea Cheese on their phone screens, they were mentally enjoying it. For a moment, many customers couldn't help but smile.
But people always have to return to reality. After these customers realized what had happened, their mouths drooped, and they looked dejected. The melancholy in their hearts was like a tangled thread that could not be cut or untangled. For a moment, they had no interest in scrolling through their phones or chatting with their friends.
Of course, no matter what, once you get a number and enter the restaurant, the tender, mellow, and sweet beef brisket and white radish soup, the delicate and savory osmanthus chestnut ribs, the tender and sour lemon pan-fried chicken, the tender, sweet, sour, and juicy golden soup with crab, and the fresh and savory autumn vegetable stew, all the melancholy and disappointment that customers felt while queuing will have vanished without a trace. All that remains is joy, and you can focus on tasting all the dishes on the table.
The unique joy of Mid-Autumn Festival fills my heart. Enjoying a delicious meal and chatting and laughing with family and friends is pure bliss!
The restaurant was doing very well, and customers were very enthusiastic about eating. Perhaps because they wanted to savor the taste of the dishes and chat with their friends and family, each table spent more time eating than usual.
Even so, they still saw off the last table of customers before 1 p.m. The restaurant's wooden door closed, shutting out the hustle and bustle of the streets outside. Another table was gradually filled with dishes, and Gu Qingqiu and Sister Zhou were about to have a restaurant version of a reunion dinner.
Gu Qingqiu took off her apron and sat down at the dining table. Instantly, she felt her legs and waist relax and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Then a smile spread across her face. Her rosy cheeks, flushed from cooking in front of the stove in the kitchen, looked especially beautiful, and her almond-shaped eyes were moist. When Sister Zhou returned from getting the food, she was stunned for a moment. After regaining her composure, she smiled and said, "Boss, you've worked hard today."
Sister Tang went to the kitchen to get a bone plate and couldn't help but nod: "Yes, boss, the customers were so enthusiastic today, and they all had a great time eating. You've worked hard."
She came to the store early today to help out, so she naturally knows how lively the store is, much more lively than usual.
Wang Meiyu prepared the Osmanthus Tea Pudding for later in the kitchen, waiting to come in and get it after the meal, so that if she took it all out at once, they could fit it on the table and then have to decide whether to have soup and vegetables or Osmanthus Tea Pudding first.
She came out of the kitchen and heard what Sister Zhou and Sister Tang said. She smiled and nodded in agreement: "Yes, the boss really worked hard today. He usually says that he can take a break if there is a gap in the middle. Today he has been cooking in front of the stove without stopping for a moment. He will have to take a good lunch break later."
Thinking that business would be good today for the Mid-Autumn Festival, she and her boss went to the market to buy more ingredients than usual.
With more ingredients available, the number of guests naturally increased as well, leading to a heavier workload for the boss who hadn't had a break in between. You can imagine how exhausted he was.
Gu Qingqiu smiled after hearing what they said: "Okay, I understand. I'll definitely have a good rest at noon. You've all worked hard today, so go back and get some rest after you're done. We still have a tough battle to fight tonight."
Sister Zhou said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Thank you for your concern, boss. This sumptuous lunch will instantly recharge us. Don't worry!"
Wang Meiyu nodded: "Yes, being able to enjoy such a delicious Mid-Autumn Festival meal, I can even sing while preparing the dishes in the kitchen this afternoon!"
Sister Tang said simply, "Don't worry, boss, we'll definitely rest well and work hard!"
Gu Qingqiu smiled and agreed, "Okay, in that case, let's eat quickly. Consider this a Mid-Autumn Festival gathering for our restaurant staff!"
She had been thinking about the Mid-Autumn Festival today, so she prepared a meal of all the dishes on the menu at noon, including Osmanthus Tea Jelly, to make a sumptuous lunch and treat herself to a good celebration.
Of course, for work like today's Mid-Autumn Festival, Sister Zhou will also receive triple pay for the holiday.
After hearing this, Sister Zhou and the other two smiled and agreed. Only after the boss started eating did they pick up their chopsticks to drink soup or eat meat.
Gu Qingqiu first ladled some beef brisket and white radish soup into her own bowl. The soup was the key, and there were only two or three pieces of beef brisket and white radish as extras.
The soup had been simmering on the stove for a while and wasn't hot yet, so she picked up the bowl and drank it in big gulps.
The pale yellow, clear broth is very delicious. The aroma and fat of the beef are all infused into the soup, making it rich and flavorful. The white radish adds a touch of sweetness to the soup.
It is said that you should eat radish in winter and ginger in summer. Drinking beef brisket and white radish soup now has a warming and comforting effect on the stomach.
After drinking a large bowl of soup, Gu Qingqiu felt warm all over, as if she was about to sweat, but also very comfortable and relaxed.
She picked up her chopsticks and ate the beef brisket. The meat was tender, savory, and slightly chewy, and it had absorbed the fragrance of white radish, making it very delicious.
The white radish is cooked until it's very soft and melts in your mouth with every bite. It absorbs the beef's oil and flavor, making it moist, oily, and very unique.
After finishing her meal, she picked up a piece of pork rib with her chopsticks and ate it.
These ribs were deep-fried beforehand. Because they were braised with chestnuts and coated in sauce, they have a darker color. When you eat them, you can feel a slightly charred and crispy texture. The meat is tender, juicy, and not tough. You can easily tear off a piece of meat from the bone with a gentle bite.
Gu Qingqiu quite liked the taste of the ribs; they were tender, savory, and fragrant with the aroma of osmanthus. She ate two pieces before picking up a chestnut to eat.
She didn't slice the chestnuts separately; she put them whole into the pot to cook. This way, they wouldn't be hard when you bit into them; they would be soft, sticky, and sweet. The aroma of the chestnuts gave you the illusion of autumn in an instant.
Biting into the chestnuts and savoring their soft, sweet flavor, Gu Qingqiu thought that the chestnuts in this dish were better than the roasted chestnuts she used to buy from street vendors.
The chestnuts absorbed the meaty aroma of the pork ribs and the savory flavor of the braising sauce, resulting in a rich and robust taste. However, the subtle fragrance of osmanthus further enhanced the flavor, transforming the chestnuts into a refreshing and savory treat that was incredibly addictive.
She couldn't resist picking up another chestnut to eat; in this dish, the chestnuts and pork ribs were equally delicious.
After tasting the osmanthus-flavored chestnut pork ribs, Gu Qingqiu tried the golden broth and jade soup with blue crab.
To be honest, this dish is quite high-end in terms of its name, ingredients, and cooking method. In other words, it is expensive and takes a long time to prepare. If it were priced at the restaurant's usual price of 58 yuan for a meat dish, it would not be profitable, but it certainly wouldn't be profitable either. So she raised the price to 88 yuan for a Golden Broth Jade Stewed Crab.
Judging from the dishes sold at noon, 88 yuan a dish did not dampen the enthusiasm and love of the customers. According to Sister Zhou, everyone was very satisfied with the dish, saying that the crab meat was sweet and the crab roe was delicious, and it was totally worth the price! The main thing was that the feeling of eating big mouthfuls of crab meat was so satisfying!
Gu Qingqiu smiled after hearing this, chewing on the tender and sweet crab meat she had picked herself, and found it very enjoyable to eat the meat without having to gnaw on the crab shell.
She ate two bites of crab meat before picking up some crab roe. The crab roe was sandy, smooth, and delicate, with a rich and savory flavor that was even better than the crab meat.
After eating the crab meat and crab roe, she tasted the soft and tender potatoes, the crisp and sweet carrot chunks, and found the tomato soup to be rich, sweet and sour.
Lemon pan-fried chicken is also good. The chicken thigh meat is tender and savory, with the sour aroma of lemon. You can eat two or three pieces without feeling greasy. Gu Qingqiu really likes this dish.
When Sister Zhou was about to help serve the food, Gu Qingqiu told her not to help her get the food, as she felt particularly satisfied just eating meat.
She then ate the autumn vegetarian stew. The shiitake mushrooms were savory and flavorful, the dried bean curd was soft and tender with a rich bean aroma, the wood ear mushrooms were crisp and smooth, and the cordyceps flowers were also cooked to a rich and fragrant flavor. She was extremely satisfied with her Mid-Autumn Festival meal.
She was the first to finish eating, and then picked up her phone to check her messages for a while.
My uncle, aunt, and cousin all sent messages to wish me a happy Mid-Autumn Festival. My aunt even sent a video of people worshipping at the ancestral hall in our hometown during the Mid-Autumn Festival. She also sent a voice message with a smile, reporting where my parents' offerings were and what they had bought, saying they would freeze them and send them to her later.
My aunt emphasized that these are all for her own consumption, and there is also a large portion of food for her parents-in-law and ancestors at home, which is simply too much to eat.
A few days ago, her aunt sent her a message asking if she would be home for the Mid-Autumn Festival and inviting her to come back to her hometown to celebrate the festival together. Gu Qingqiu thanked her and said that the restaurant was busy during the Mid-Autumn Festival and she couldn't leave, so she wouldn't go back.
Actually, the main reason is that even though my uncle and aunt's family are there when I go back to my hometown, without my parents, it's like being a rootless duckweed, which is meaningless. It's better to make money at the restaurant and spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with Sister Zhou and the other two. It's quite lively, not to mention that there are so many customers who come to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival together.
When my aunt heard that, she said that business was more important and that I should focus on my work and not overwork myself.
Gu Qingqiu replied to her aunt via voice message: "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, Auntie! Have you had lunch yet? I've finished my work and am eating now. Thank you, Auntie, you've worked so hard. In that case, could you please help me send those things to me? I'll send you the address later, and you can send them to me cash on delivery."
Then I replied to my uncle and cousin with text messages, wishing them a happy Mid-Autumn Festival.
In addition, Lan Jingcheng also sent her Mid-Autumn Festival greetings, and Gu Qingqiu replied with her own greetings. Lan Jingcheng was probably off work today and was looking at her phone, so she replied instantly, and the two chatted for a few minutes.
After Zhou Jie and the other two had finished eating, they got up and took the empty plates into the kitchen sink, then brought out four small dishes of Osmanthus Tea Cheese.
Gu Qingqiu chatted with Lan Jingcheng and learned that Lan Jingcheng was too busy to come over at noon, so she called a delivery person to buy all the dishes from Gu's Private Kitchen and bring them to her home.
She was worried that the restaurant would be too busy today and that the delivery driver wouldn't be able to buy anything if he came at the usual time, so she specially placed an order in advance and added a tip to ask the delivery driver to come to the restaurant early and wait in line. Fortunately, she managed to buy all the dishes and have them delivered to her home, and she and her family have already finished eating.
Gu Qingqiu replied that she was glad she was able to buy the food and reminded her to follow the steps on the welfare card to apply for the delivery subsidy, saying that every little bit helps.
Lan Jingcheng smiled and said okay, saving where you should and spending where you should is our fine traditional virtue, as long as she doesn't feel bad. Then she smiled and shared the deliciousness of each dish and her family's reactions after eating it.
Gu Qingqiu smiled as she read the continuous stream of messages Lan Jingcheng sent. The messages, almost as long as short essays, showed how much Lan Jingcheng liked the dishes at her restaurant, which naturally pleased her.
Reading the long reviews posted by netizens in the comment sections of Xiaohongshu and Weibo, each one sincerely and in detail describing the color, aroma, taste, and flavor of each dish and expressing their own liking for it, is a different feeling from reading the praise sent by Lan Jingcheng.
Of course, the former is also sincere enough. Just by reading the words online, you can see the liking and joy flowing from the other party. This time, seeing Lan Jingcheng feels more like the authenticity between acquaintances, and the weight is different.
Gu Qingqiu felt a great sense of accomplishment at receiving such affirmation from both complete strangers (or perhaps only friends with whom she had a meal) and close friends. She felt that the Mid-Autumn Festival family feast she had prepared in advance was worthwhile.
Looking at the new message from Lan Jingcheng, she praised the Osmanthus Tea Cheesecake, saying it was the most delicious dessert she had eaten in the past two years. She added that if Gu's Private Kitchen didn't release any new desserts, this Osmanthus Tea Cheesecake would be her number one dessert.
Gu Qingqiu smiled, opened the camera app, took a picture of the four servings of Osmanthus Tea Cheese in front of her, and sent it to her, telling her that she wanted to try this dessert too.
Lan Jingcheng gave her an "OK" sign and urged her to hurry up and eat the Osmanthus Tea Pudding. The taste was so amazing that even she, the producer, would be amazed by it.
Gu Qingqiu replied with "okay," without mentioning that she had eaten two Osmanthus Tea Jellys on the day she tried making them.
After that day's trial, having familiarized herself with the process of making Osmanthus Tea Pudding and adjusted and optimized some steps, she was confident that the Osmanthus Tea Pudding she made today would only taste better.
The three of them, including Sister Zhou, had all tried the Osmanthus Tea Cheesecake that day. They praised the dessert highly, saying that this kind of elegant, fresh, beautiful, and classy dessert that wasn't too sweet was the most popular.
Having tasted it once, they had anticipated the dish's popularity and the praise it received today, and they looked forward to enjoying it again on Mid-Autumn Festival.
The wait was finally over, and everyone picked up their spoons and started eating. Some drank the tea soup first and then ate the tea cheese, while others ate the tea cheese first and then drank the tea soup. After eating, they all couldn't help but sigh with satisfaction.
Last time, Gu Qingqiu tried drinking the tea soup first and then eating the tea custard. This time, she decided to do it the other way around. She scooped a large piece of tea custard from top to bottom with a spoon, put it in her mouth, and it melted instantly. It was smooth and delicate, and the rich milky aroma mixed with the light osmanthus fragrance filled her mouth.
After taking a couple of bites, you can taste the bouncy and tender tea jelly wrapped inside the tea cheese. The rich tea aroma and the sweetness of the autumn pear continue to spread as you chew, while the osmanthus fragrance is greatly reduced, but you can still feel it.
This sip of Osmanthus Tea Milk Tea instantly brings together the delicate fragrance of osmanthus, the rich aroma of milk, the mellow flavor of black tea, and the refreshing sweetness of autumn pear. The moderate sweetness is very refreshing, instantly transporting you to the Mid-Autumn Festival season when the moon is full and the osmanthus blossoms are in full bloom.
What you taste is not just a simple dessert, but the entire golden autumn festival.
After swallowing her food, Gu Qingqiu scooped out a large piece of Osmanthus Tea Jelly with a spoon and continued eating. The jelly looked small but wasn't small either. She quickly finished it with her continuous scooping and tasting, and the smooth, delicate, chewy, and tender texture seemed to linger in her mouth, truly unforgettable.
She scooped up the tea with a spoon and drank it without stopping.
The tea soup at the bottom of the small plate looks pale yellow and clear. The aroma of the tea is quite mellow. The light fragrance of osmanthus and the sweetness of autumn pear are blended in it, spreading between the mouth and teeth, which is very sweet and fragrant.
The tea soup, once it touched my mouth, somewhat dispelled the rich, sweet aroma of the original tea cheese, leaving only a light and refreshing fragrance.
Gu Qingqiu thought that she could brew a cup of osmanthus-scented black tea from time to time in the future; the taste was truly wonderful.
She slowly scooped up the tea and savored it. Even though Sister Zhou and the other two had eaten Osmanthus Tea Jelly a few days earlier, they still praised it highly.
Sister Zhou: "I feel that the Osmanthus Tea Jelly tastes even better than the one you gave us to try last time. The overall appearance is smoother, more polished and brighter. The tea jelly melts in your mouth, is silky and rich, and the tea jelly is bouncy, tender and has a rich tea and osmanthus aroma. The tea soup is also very mellow and sweet."
Wang Meiyu: "Eating this dessert is such a blissful experience. It has a delicate fragrance and a moderate sweetness, so you don't have to worry about exceeding your calorie limit after just a little bit. I just helped make this Osmanthus Tea Jelly, so I know exactly what's in it. The ingredients are incredibly clean, and there's not a single drop of sugar in it!"
Sister Tang: "I feel that it is indeed better than the one I had last time. Everything is just right. Of course, the one last time was also very delicious. No wonder the customers who had lunch praised this dessert so much. There is really no sweet soup that can compare to it. It's a real treat to have it!"
They all knew that, given their restaurant's practice of updating the menu daily and rarely repeating dishes, they didn't know when they would be able to enjoy this Osmanthus Tea Cheese again after today.
It's not that this Osmanthus Tea Jelly is particularly difficult to make. Sister Zhou and Sister Tang might not know that Wang Meiyu participated in the making of this dessert this morning. However, knowing how to make it is one thing, but whether you can make it as delicious as the Osmanthus Tea Jelly made by the boss is another matter entirely.
Gu Qingqiu smiled after hearing this: "I also think it tastes better than the one I tried a few days ago. Don't worry, if you like it, we can have another serving tonight. Anyway, like Meiyu said, it's not high in calories, so it's okay to indulge occasionally."
Wang Meiyu's eyes lit up immediately: "Great! I'll have another sweet treat tonight."
Sister Zhou nodded repeatedly: "Then I'll have another one of Sweetheart."
Sister Tang was eager to try it: "If I eat another serving, it will keep me sweet for a whole year, hahaha!"
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