Chapter 62 American Ginseng and Lean Pork Soup, Braised Lion's Head Meatballs...
Tu Nanzhen browsed Xiaohongshu for a while, and then the shop assistant came over and served her a soup.
This time, the soup is different from the usual large bowl of soup. It is served in a regular-sized porcelain bowl, and the price is not as expensive as 58 yuan per serving. It only costs 16 yuan per bowl.
This is more convenient for customers like Tu Nanzhen who come to eat alone. Although other tables can order according to the number of people, it is obviously more cost-effective to order a soup for 58 yuan a serving and drink many bowls.
However, according to the locals of Jiang City, this soup is "an absolutely delicious soup".
The broth in the porcelain white soup bowl is a clear, rich yellow color with tiny specks of oil floating on top. The lean meat is clumped together and sinks to the bottom. You can also see some short strips of American ginseng mixed in, and two bright red goji berries float slightly.
Smelling the aroma of the soup with its American ginseng scent, Tu Nanzhen was already looking forward to it.
She picked up the spoon that came with the soup bowl, scooped up a spoonful of soup, brought it to her lips, tested the temperature, and slowly drank it.
The soup wasn't very hot, just barely tolerable. As soon as I put it in my mouth, I could taste the lingering fragrance of American ginseng. The soup was rich and delicious, with a meaty aroma.
I guess the American ginseng released some bitterness during the stewing process, which combined with the savory flavor of the lean meat, the sweetness of the goji berries, and a touch of saltiness to create a rather unique taste. It tastes quite good.
After swallowing a mouthful of soup, a sweet aftertaste slowly lingered in my mouth, leaving a refreshing and light feeling, even though I could have seen a few specks of oil floating on the surface of the soup.
Tu Nanzhen drank several mouthfuls in a row. The soup actually cooled down very quickly. Later, she scooped up a spoonful, put it to her lips, and swallowed it as soon as she breathed it in. All that remained was a mouthful of sweetness and the faint fragrance of American ginseng.
She scooped up a small ball of minced meat with a spoon and examined it. It was all lean meat with almost no fat. No wonder the soup only produced a few drops of oil.
A whole ball of minced meat goes into your mouth and instantly crumbles when you bite into it. The minced meat is smooth and tender with a slightly grainy texture. It doesn't become dry from stewing, nor is it bland. It has a light salty and fragrant aroma, as well as the fragrance that attracts the American ginseng.
Tu Nanzhen could swallow the whole piece of lean minced meat after taking two or three bites, and then she scooped up another ball of minced meat and ate it.
There were four or five clumps of minced meat in the porcelain bowl, which was quite a lot of meat. She ate it all in one go, feeling very satisfied, and thought that she could make this soup at home in the future.
Minced lean meat is low in calories and provides protein, while ginseng and minced meat soup nourishes yin and replenishes qi. Having a bowl of this soup with a plate of green vegetables for dinner is both satisfying and helps with weight loss.
The porcelain bowl wasn't too heavy, so Tu Nanzhen picked it up and brought it to her lips to drink it in big gulps. She finished the rest of the soup in two or three sips, feeling extremely satisfied.
Finally, she pushed the porcelain bowl to the side of the table so that the waiter could take it away when he came to serve the food. She also wondered if she should pack a portion of American ginseng and lean pork soup to take home for dinner.
Before she could come up with a solution, the waiter brought over a main dish—braised lion's head meatballs.
Tu Nanzhen gestured for her to take the porcelain bowl with her, but then suddenly remembered something and picked up the spoon inside, thinking it might come in handy later.
Six lion's head meatballs, slightly smaller than tennis balls, were squeezed onto a white porcelain plate. The reddish-brown sauce completely covered them, making it almost impossible to see the color of the minced meat itself. The sauce dripped wildly from the smooth curves of the meatballs onto the plate, which was covered with a lot of oily sauce and looked very tempting. A few sprinklings of bright green scallion chopped on top of the six meatballs were also placed on the plate.
Tu Nanzhen couldn't help but swallow hard as she looked at the lion's head meatball. She thought that each meatball was as big as her fist, and she could only eat two at most. She would have to pack the remaining four to take home and eat them slowly. She eagerly reached out her chopsticks and picked up a meatball to put in her bowl.
She used chopsticks to carefully pick up the whole lion's head, while simultaneously holding the bowl underneath to catch it, so as not to accidentally lose a delicious braised lion's head, which was worth quite a bit of money.
Take a bite and the first thing you'll taste is the rich, savory flavor of the braised sauce covering the surface, with a hint of sweetness.
The lion's head meatballs have a slightly charred and fragrant skin, which loosens the minced meat inside, making them tender, savory, and slightly chewy, while also having the salty and sweet flavor of the braised sauce.
Moreover, it has a slightly crisp texture, which enriches the taste, and it seems that a little bit of sweet juice is overflowing, making the whole bite of meat less greasy.
After chewing it once, she felt very satisfied with the aroma. Tu Nanzhen guessed that lotus root might have been added to the braised lion's head meatballs to enhance the texture and cut through the greasiness. She took another bite and continued to enjoy it.
The rich, meaty flavor that's so delicious is simply amazing!
After eating half of the braised lion's head, Tu Nanzhen thought that it smelled so good that she couldn't eat it without some rice. The braised sauce was also amazing for mixing with rice. Anyway, it was okay to eat some carbs at noon.
She simply waved to the waiter and ordered a bowl of rice. The bowl was so full of rice that it rose above the surface of the bowl, forming a semi-circular arc.
Tu Nanzhen didn't eat it directly. Instead, she used her chopsticks to pick up the rice that was protruding from the bowl and put it into the bowl she had eaten from earlier. Then, she used the spoon she had left to scoop up some braised sauce and poured it over the white rice. Instantly, the distinct, plump, and round rice grains were dyed a dark brown color and glistened with oil.
She placed the remaining half of the braised lion's head on the rice. This time, instead of picking it up and biting into it, she used her chopsticks to poke out a small piece. Even if it was a little loose, it didn't matter. She just pinched it in her mouth, bit into it a few times, mixed it with a mouthful of rice, and chewed and swallowed it.
I must say, the satisfaction of eating meat with rice is definitely greater.
Tu Nanzhen finished the remaining half of the braised lion's head with almost half a bowl of rice, and couldn't help but let out a satisfied burp.
Considering there were still three dishes to go, even if I planned to pack some to take home, I should at least eat as much as possible while it was still fresh. Especially the scallion oil squid; seafood like that is best eaten fresh, as the taste deteriorates significantly when reheated at night.
Just then, the waiter came over and served a dish of scallion oil squid.
This dish is very eye-catching; even though it has been cut into squid rings, it is still arranged in the shape of a whole large squid in the center of the plate.
The squid was sprinkled with shredded ginger and scallions along with scallion oil, giving it a glistening sheen. The sauce at the bottom of the plate was a dark soy sauce color, which looked very fresh and flavorful.
Tu Nanzhen used her chopsticks to remove the shredded scallions and ginger covering the squid, revealing the squid's complete appearance, and then picked up one of the squid rings to eat.
The squid has a slightly chewy texture, is tender and delicious with a salty and savory flavor. This salty and savory flavor comes from the soy sauce, which is a different flavor from the soy sauce used in regular stir-fries.
Tu Nanzhen recalled the various seasonings in her rented apartment kitchen and her parents' kitchen, silently filtering them in her mind. She guessed that the soy sauce might be steamed fish soy sauce, which was why the squid rings tasted salty and slightly sweet, and the umami flavor was also brought out.
She ate several squid rings in a row; each one was so fresh and tender yet chewy, with a slightly springy texture.
In addition to its fresh, savory, and salty flavor, it also has a very strong scallion aroma that adds a lot of fragrance to the squid rings.
The aroma of scallions comes from the scallion oil that the chef fried beforehand, and the beautiful scallion shreds sprinkled on the squid also contribute to the flavor.
Tu Nanzhen really liked this squid. She could tell it was very fresh just by tasting it. Unlike the squid she sometimes bought at the market, which was soft and mushy after cooking, she knew it was a product that had been frozen for a long time or even had some kind of technologically advanced process.
She ate the squid rings one bite at a time, and soon she had eaten two-thirds of the squid.
It wasn't until the staff came over and served a plate of soy sauce chicken and cold wood ear mushroom salad that the meal was served.
A plate full of soy sauce-braised chicken, with all the chicken pieces cut into even pieces, and chicken legs and wings arranged on both sides of the plate. The surface is all soy sauce-colored, and it looks quite good.
Presumably in case customers felt the food wasn't flavorful enough, they also provided a plate of soy sauce for dipping whenever they wanted.
Tu Nanzhen looked a little tempted, but having just eaten braised lion's head meatballs and scallion oil squid, she wanted something refreshing. So she turned her chopsticks around and picked up some cold wood ear mushrooms to eat first.
The cold black fungus salad not only contains black fungus, but also cucumber and carrot, sprinkled with shredded green onion, cilantro and onion. As for the seasonings, salt and soy sauce are a given, and it smells like vinegar has also been added, along with some eye-catching small red chilies.
The food she picked up with her chopsticks included wood ear mushrooms, cucumber, and carrots—a mix of black, green, orange, and red ingredients, creating a rich and varied flavor profile.
The wood ear mushrooms are crisp and tender, the cucumber is juicy, and the carrot is sweet, accompanied by a fresh, fragrant, sour, and spicy flavor that is particularly appetizing and refreshing.
Tu Nanzhen chewed and swallowed, the taste of the ingredients still lingering in her mouth. For a moment, she couldn't tell whether the wood ear mushrooms, cucumbers, or carrots were tastier.
But this cold black fungus salad was undoubtedly a success. It was refreshing and smooth with a rich texture. The strong sour and spicy flavor was just to cleanse the palate and cut through the richness, making it easy for people to accept. Even though she doesn't usually like sour foods, she thought this cold black fungus salad was quite good.
After eating several bites of cold wood ear mushroom salad, Tu Nanzhen finally picked up a piece of chicken with soy sauce and ate it.
As the name of the dish suggests, the chicken pieces are so delicious that you can taste the rich sauce flavor even before you start to bite into them. The skin is firm, crisp, and slightly chewy, while the chicken meat is tender, savory, and flavorful. After a few chews, you can even feel a little juice oozing out from the chicken fibers.
Tu Nanzhen felt that the restaurant had overthought things by serving an extra dish of soy sauce. The salty and savory flavor of the soy sauce permeated almost every fiber of the chicken, and as she ate, she could even taste a hint of sweetness amidst the salty and savory flavor. After taking a few bites, she couldn't help but swallow it whole.
This soy sauce chicken was just as delicious as the braised lion's head meatballs and scallion oil squid she had eaten before. She was very satisfied with the meal. As expected of Gu's private kitchen, every dish was so fragrant.
After eating two more pieces of soy sauce-braised chicken, Tu Nanzhen stopped tasting the dish.
The best part is that you can take this soy sauce chicken home and eat it slowly, or even save the leftovers for tomorrow. The same goes for the braised lion's head meatballs.
Scallion oil squid and cold black fungus salad are different; it's best to finish them today.
Tu Nanzhen ate a few more squid rings, finished the whole plate of squid, and then ate a few bites of cold wood ear mushrooms.
She felt she had already eaten a lot and was quite full at noon, so she didn't insist on finishing all the cold black fungus salad and simply put down her chopsticks.
Before losing weight, Tu Nanzhen might sit and rest her phone for a while, and then pick up her chopsticks and continue eating once her stomach wasn't so bloated.
But now she's controlling her weight; once she puts down her chopsticks, she puts them down and absolutely cannot indulge herself any longer.
Furthermore, when she looked back outside the store, she saw that there were quite a few customers queuing up to eat, so she should make room for them as soon as possible.
I was so full that even the earlier dilemma of whether to order another bowl of American ginseng and lean pork soup to take home was instantly resolved: forget it.
Tu Nanzhen waved to the shop assistant and asked for three takeout boxes. She packed the remaining braised lion's head meatballs, soy sauce chicken, and cold black fungus into the boxes and put them into a takeout bag.
She got up, carrying the takeout bag in one hand and her phone in the other, and walked over to the cashier to pay.
Sister Zhou used the computer to bring up the menu for her table, and after some operation, she got a 10% discount price: "Hello, the total is one hundred and ninety-six yuan."
Tu Nanzhen opened her phone's QR code payment page and was about to enter the amount the clerk had quoted when she suddenly realized and asked, "Hello, shouldn't it be two hundred and eighteen yuan? Is there a mistake?"
Sister Zhou smiled and lowered her voice slightly, saying, "Hello, the price is correct. Our boss is very grateful for the information you just shared and specifically instructed me to give you a 10% discount when you pay the bill."
Tu Nanzhen was a little surprised when she heard this. She didn't expect that her few words of silliness would earn her a 10% discount. This was a completely unexpected surprise.
Even if she hadn't said anything then, the restaurant owner could have seen the message from the film and television company when he had a little free time and went on Xiaohongshu. Even if he couldn't see it, with so many netizens discussing it, he would have found out sooner or later.
However, she is very happy now, as it is quite rare to receive a special discount from Gu's Private Kitchen.
Tu Nanzhen didn't refuse, saying it was a small matter and she could just pay the original price. Instead, she smiled generously and said, "I didn't expect such a surprise! Thank you so much! Today's braised lion's head meatballs, soy sauce chicken, scallion oil squid, cold black fungus salad, and American ginseng and lean pork soup were all especially delicious!"
"You're welcome. Thank you so much for your liking and support. Welcome to come again next time," Sister Zhou said with a smile.
Tu Nanzhen entered the amount the clerk had just quoted to pay, smiled, thanked them again, and left with light steps.
Sister Zhou busied herself welcoming a table of customers who had waited in line to come in and sit down. She first brought all the empty bowls, chopsticks, and plates to the kitchen, where Sister Tang would take them to the sink to wash them later.
She returned to serve the newly opened table of customers, taking their orders, bringing tea, bowls, chopsticks, and washing utensils, and then went to the cashier to print out the receipts, giving one copy to the customer and pressing one copy against the glass window.
Sister Zhou continued serving dishes. Occasionally, a customer would wave to ask for an extra bowl of rice. She would immediately go to the rice cooker to get a bowl, fill it with rice, and serve it to the customer. Then she would go to the cashier to operate the computer to add the rice order and deliver it to the customer's table.
The restaurant was bustling with activity. Customers at each table were engrossed in their meals, occasionally glancing up to excitedly share their culinary experiences with their tablemates, their faces beaming with happiness and joy.
"This braised lion's head meatball is absolutely amazing! It's savory and sweet, and every bite is packed with a satisfyingly meaty texture. The outer skin is slightly charred and fragrant, while the inside is bursting with meaty flavor and a delightful crunch and juiciness. You could eat one after another without getting tired of it!"
"The scallion oil squid is also very good. The squid is tender and springy and very fresh. The scallion oil is very fragrant. It's a real treat for the taste buds!"
"I think the soy sauce chicken is delicious, just as good as the braised lion's head meatballs. The chicken skin is firm and crispy, and the chicken meat is tender and savory. The savory flavor is so strong that it seems to have seeped into the bones. It's especially good with rice!"
"The cold black fungus salad is also very good. It's one of the best cold dishes I've ever had. The black fungus is smooth, the cucumber is juicy, and the carrot is sweet. The sour and spicy flavor is not overpowering but quite appetizing and refreshing."
"I actually think today's ginseng and lean pork soup tastes quite good and is very nourishing. It really shows that simplicity is the greatest virtue. The soup is clear and mellow, and it has a sweet aftertaste. The light fragrance of ginseng is particularly pleasant, and even the minced lean pork is quite delicious!"
"One bowl of this soup isn't enough. I plan to pack three more bowls to take home later. I'll have one for myself and let my parents taste it too."
"..."
The restaurant was always bustling with activity, with every seat filled. Whenever a customer got up to leave and pay their bill, Sister Zhou would collect the money at the cashier and then quickly invite the waiting customers inside to dine.
It wasn't until 12:30 that the staff stopped being so busy, after hanging up a sign that said "Ingredients Sold Out" at the door and declining any more customers coming to get a number.
I don't know if customers have gotten used to the popularity of Gu's Private Kitchen, but they know that if they arrive at the store after 12:20 pm to get a number, there is a high probability that the "Ingredients Sold Out" sign will already be up, and they won't be able to get a table.
So either come early, or if you're late, just don't come and come another day. You'll only come if there's a dish you really want to eat and try your luck.
Business was pretty good today. It wasn't until 12:45 that all the dishes ordered by the tables were served. There were no more customers waiting at the restaurant entrance; those who had taken a number earlier were all sitting inside enjoying their meals.
Seeing that there was nothing to do in the dining area, Sister Zhou looked towards the glass window and saw the boss walking over and waving at her. She immediately understood and went into the kitchen.
Sister Tang had already moved out a small table, unfolded it, and set it up. She then went to help bring the dishes to the dining table.
Lunch was also plentiful, with all the dishes on the outside menu available on the table, though in smaller portions. For example, there were three braised lion's head meatballs per person, a whole squid, a small plate of soy sauce chicken, a plate of cold wood ear mushroom salad, and a small bowl of soup per person.
After working for so long, Gu Qingqiu finally sat down and couldn't help but catch her breath.
Fortunately, the lunch the three of us had was relatively simple. Except for the scallion oil squid and cold black fungus salad, which were cooked separately, the other two dishes and soup were just something we had prepared separately. We just needed to cook extra dishes beforehand and set them aside.
She looked at the small dining table. It was fine when she and Sister Tang sat at opposite ends, but now that Sister Tang was also sitting around the small dining table, it felt a bit crowded.
Gu Qingqiu thought for a moment and said, "Do you think this way of eating is okay? If it's not comfortable, then we can simply serve one less table around this time in the future, and leave the small table near the kitchen for us to eat at, so we can sit more comfortably."
Upon hearing this, Sister Zhou and Sister Tang shook their heads almost simultaneously.
Sister Zhou: "No need, boss. It's just fine eating here. I don't feel uncomfortable at all. The tables outside need to be reserved for customers. Those customers who have been queuing outside for a long time are waiting to eat."
If they occupy a table in the dining area, the customers in line will have to wait longer, and this disparity can easily cause customers to have negative feelings.
Although it's 12:40, by then all the customers who need to be served should have been invited into the restaurant for their meals.
Sister Tang also said, "Yes, boss, Zhou is right. We're fine eating here; we don't feel uncomfortable. Let's keep the tables outside for serving customers."
In Sister Tang's mind, the restaurant was doing so well, with tables outside never empty since it opened. Even if they reserved a table for a customer when it was almost closing time at 12:40, it would still result in a loss and wasn't worth it!
Gu Qingqiu nodded and said, "What you said makes sense. So how about this, if there are no customers queuing outside when we're about to start serving, and we can free up a table, then we'll eat outside. If the outside is still full of customers, then we'll eat here in the kitchen."
Sister Tang and Sister Zhou smiled and agreed, and everyone began to eat.
Gu Qingqiu was quite looking forward to the braised lion's head meatballs she had made.
She called Mr. Zhu in the morning and asked for 25 jin of pork leg meat with a fat-to-lean ratio of 3:7. Because the amount was too much to chop by hand, she asked Mr. Zhu to grind it into minced meat with a meat grinder before sending it over.
She bought the lotus root from the market, washed it, peeled it, and cut it into very small cubes. After the three large bowls of minced meat were marinated, she mixed the lotus root cubes into the meat and stirred them evenly. She also pounded the meat several times to make it sticky. Then she shaped it into a ball and slid it into the hot oil in the pan to fry it. After that, she would braise it.
At this moment, Gu Qingqiu picked up a braised lion's head and put it into her bowl, which was half full of rice. She let the dark red, oily sauce drip onto the distinct grains of rice, making it moist and fragrant.
She picked up the plump, large braised lion's head again, brought it close to her mouth and took a bite. The savory and sweet sauce instantly filled her mouth. The outermost edge of the meat was slightly charred, while the meat inside was more tender. Each bite was full of meaty flavor, and the addition of lotus root made the overall taste much better.
Gu Qingqiu ate two bites of the lion's head meatball, chewed them, swallowed them directly, and then took another bite.
This time, after experiencing the rich aroma of meat, the sweetness of lotus root, and the savory-sweet sauce, I quickly used my chopsticks to scoop up a mouthful of rice and eat it all together.
Eating meat mixed with rice is especially satisfying.
She was a focused person; she ate the huge braised lion's head meatballs with rice bite by bite before reaching for the scallion oil squid with her chopsticks.
The squid was fresh enough today, otherwise she wouldn't have bought it without hesitation when she saw it at the fish stall in the market and added this scallion oil squid to today's menu.
Gu Qingqiu ate the squid rings, which were fresh, tender, and chewy. The rich aroma of scallion oil mixed with the squid flavor made them taste delicious and perfectly complement each other.
She ate some squid rings, only tried two pieces of soy sauce chicken, and ate a bit more of the cold wood ear mushroom salad. Finally, she drank the American ginseng and lean pork soup, which she found very refreshing. The soup was infused with the savory aroma of lean pork and the subtle fragrance of American ginseng, making it very pleasant to drink.
Sister Zhou and Sister Tang also ate very well.
As Sister Zhou finished eating and drinking the soup, she felt her stomach was bloated. She laughed and said, "I ate too much for lunch again. The food at this restaurant is really good."
"Yes, working and eating here is like having a feast. I feel a bit full after eating such a big braised lion's head meatball just now," Sister Tang said.
She really enjoyed the meat dishes at the restaurant and admired the owner, a young woman, for running the restaurant and personally cooking so many delicious meat dishes. She thought it was amazing.
When she got home, she told her son about the excellent meals at the restaurant and how much less work she had expected. Her son said she was lucky to have found a good restaurant and that she should work hard.
Gu Qingqiu smiled and said, "Eat as much as you like, but just make sure you don't overeat. There's more to eat tonight."
Everyone had almost finished eating. Sister Zhou kept an eye on the restaurant through the glass window. When she saw a customer get up and wave to indicate that they wanted to pay the bill, she quickly went out to help them.
Tang Jie got up to collect the bowls and plates and soaked them in the sink. After folding the table back into place, she rested for a while, put her gloves back on, and went back to the sink to work.
Gu Qingqiu had already finished her morning work and was leaning against the counter to digest her food. She took out her phone, checked WeChat, and then opened Xiaohongshu, thinking of checking the message that Sister Zhou had given her earlier.
This time, she went straight to the messages section and clicked into the unfamiliar messages to find the private message that was supposedly from the film and television company.
Generally, official accounts of film and television production companies will directly use the name of the film or television series as their name, and their profile picture will be a poster of the TV series, which should be quite eye-catching.
Unfortunately, Gu Qingqiu received so many private messages praising the delicious food at Gu's Private Kitchen and asking when they could open a branch there that the film and television company's message got lost in the sea of messages. She scrolled for a while but couldn't find it.
She realized that the previous customer could see the film and television company's messages, which meant that the customer had left a comment on her vlog that day.
Moreover, if it's a film or television production company with some reputation, it should attract the attention of many netizens active in the comment section, generating a lot of discussion, and that comment will be pushed to the top of the comment section.
She decisively exited the unfamiliar messages, and when she clicked into "My Profile" again, she saw that the number of likes on the vlo□□ post she made yesterday had caught up with the number of favorites she saw this morning, reaching 23,000. It seemed that the number of favorites had also increased significantly.
Gu Qingqiu clicked in and the first thing she saw was that the number of favorites had already risen to 31,000. Sure enough, the number of favorites was rising faster than the number of likes.
She opened the comments section, and the first few posts were still pictures of the finished products shared by netizens. Some were excited and proud, some were eager to try, and some were just joining in the fun. Each comment had hundreds or even more likes, and some had more than a hundred comments in the comments section.
After scrolling up a page, Gu Qingqiu finally saw the message from the film and television company.
[Official announcement from the TV series "Ten Years As Promised": @Gu's Private Kitchen, hello! This tutorial vlog on milk chicken strips is very detailed and exquisite. This dish also fits the needs of one of our storylines. We would like to discuss with you in detail the possibility of signing an licensing agreement. I have already sent you a private message and look forward to your reply!]
This comment has received over 1,200 likes, and there are also quite a few comments within the thread.
[Living online: I'm afraid to open my eyes, am I dreaming? How did an official comment pop up while I was scrolling?]
[Wanting to cry, wanting to laugh, and being crazy: Oh my god, the front row is full of pictures of finished milk chicken strips, and then suddenly a business collaboration post pops up. I thought I was seeing things (crying and laughing)]
[Want a drink: I can't imagine how happy I'd be if this deal went through! Hehe, my favorite Gu's Private Kitchen Milk Chicken Strips will appear in my most anticipated TV series! Just thinking about it makes me smile in my sleep!]
[Romance enthusiast: Suddenly I feel the production team has a great eye for talent. The female lead, Qiu Siying, is the kind of person who likes to come up with new and unusual dishes to relieve stress in her spare time, and this milk chicken strip dish couldn't be more perfect!]
[With a benevolent heart: It's like the joy of a popular IP taking notice of your thriving restaurant; I really hope they can collaborate and boost each other's popularity!]
[Relying on yourself is better than anything else: Let's put our butts down and see what happens next!]
Gu Qingqiu read several comments; the netizens were all shocked and expectant.
She doesn't usually pay much attention to the film and entertainment industry, but she checks Weibo almost every day to read the news. Popular IPs like this will trend on Weibo from casting and filming to promotion.
Gu Qingqiu felt that the show looked familiar when she first saw it. It was the kind of show that you might have seen casually while browsing a trending topic, not really paying attention but vaguely remembering, but not being able to recall any useful information for the time being.
She didn't rush to reply; instead, she searched for the movie "Ten-Year Promise" on Baidu.
The search engine popped up not only with the TV series "The Ten-Year Promise", but also with the original novel of "The Ten-Year Promise".
"The Ten-Year Promise" is a highly-rated and collected novel by the popular romance author, Yuanfang de Hua Zai Banxia. It tells the story of Qiu Siying, who meets Shao Boyan, a client, at work. Their initial clashes at work eventually turn into mutual admiration and a blossoming romance. One day, she unexpectedly discovers a letter and a keychain, realizing that the person she met online is the same person she had a ten-year promise with—someone she had previously communicated with online during a high school math competition…
Gu Qingqiu roughly read the synopsis and figured out the plot of the novel, which was a sweet story of urban romance interspersed with campus memories.
On the wall of honor, this romance novel of less than 300,000 words has sold countless rights, including simplified Chinese publications, traditional Chinese publications, Asian publications, European and American publications, radio dramas, TV series, web dramas, movies, comics...
Gu Qingqiu couldn't help but admire it after just one glance. A novel with millions of followers like this would definitely be a big-budget, popular IP when it's adapted into a film or television series.
She clicked on the TV series introduction and found that the production company was a top domestic film and television company, the director had made many popular romance TV series, and the male and female leads were well-known young actresses and actors with both good looks and acting skills.
According to the latest reports, filming began on June 3 at the Shanghai Film City.
After exiting Baidu, Gu Qingqiu returned to Xiaohongshu and clicked on the homepage of the account "Ten-Year Promise of TV Series (Official)". Seeing the verification and huge number of followers, she believed it to some extent.
She clicked on the other person's profile and entered their private messages. Sure enough, she saw a private message that the other person had sent at 10 a.m., which was slightly more detailed than the message she had left in the comments section earlier.
[Official Account of the TV Series "Ten-Year Promise": Hello, this is the official account of the TV series "Ten-Year Promise." Your milk chicken strip vlog is very detailed and exquisite. Even through the screen, one can feel your culinary skills and the creativity and deliciousness of this dish. Your milk chicken strip tutorial vlog perfectly matches the dish requirement of a certain plot point in "Ten-Year Promise." After internal discussion, we would like to discuss a content licensing agreement for this vlog and the dish with you. If you are interested in cooperation, please add our contact information (WeChat ID: 13546503985) for more detailed discussions. Thank you. We look forward to your reply!]
After reading it, Gu Qingqiu felt that at least the staff member from the film and television company who contacted her had a good attitude and was quite sincere.
However, she wasn't in a hurry to add the contact information the other party gave her. After thinking for a moment, she simply greeted Sister Tang, then went out of the kitchen to greet Sister Zhou, who was busy cleaning in the dining area, and told her that she was going upstairs to take care of some things first, and that they could go home and rest after they finished and closed the wooden door.
Having known Sister Zhou for so long, she trusted her quite a bit. From what she'd seen of Sister Tang these past few days, she also seemed honest and reliable. Besides, with Sister Zhou keeping an eye on things, she felt completely at ease.
Gu Qingqiu went up to the second floor and returned to her room. She turned on the air conditioner first, then sat down at her desk and took out the book she had been reading recently, "Daily Meal: Summer Seasonal Health Preservation". She turned to the page introducing milk chicken strips and took a picture with her phone.
She closed the book again, took a picture of the cover, and then another of the back, making sure that the title, publisher, author, and ISBN were all captured. Only then did she open Xiaohongshu and send all the photos to the film and television production company via private message.
[Gu's Private Kitchen: Hello, thank you very much for appreciating and liking our restaurant's milk chicken strip tutorial vlog.]
Here I must explain a few things to you—this milk chicken strip dish is a recipe I saw in "Daily Diet: Summer Seasonal Health Preservation" compiled and published by Jiangxi Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I cooked it under its guidance and only added it to the menu after I thought it tasted good.
Because this dish is very popular among netizens, and there are only two or three related instructional videos available online that are not very clear, our restaurant has created a milk chicken strip tutorial vlog at the request of netizens so that they can learn to make this dish.
If you wish to use this dish in your filming, you may need to contact the author at Jiangshi Central Hospital for authorization. My involvement is not particularly important. Thank you.
Milk Chicken Strips Introduction.jpg Book Cover.jpg Book Back.jpg
In fact, if it is a well-known dish that has been around for a long time, film and television companies can use the dish directly without obtaining authorization.
In most cases, people contact vlog creators to sign a licensing agreement because they want to use the video, or they want the vlog creators to make another related cooking video for the production team, or they want to invite the creators to provide professional cooking guidance to the main characters involved in the storyline.
There is currently no other source for the recipe "Milk Chicken Strips". When Gu Qingqiu first saw this recipe, she specifically searched for it online and found that it was indeed only found in this nutrition cookbook. If she wanted to use it, she would need to sign an authorization agreement.
Gu Qingqiu wondered if the film and television production company, after seeing the news, felt that the copyright issue of this dish was too complicated and abandoned it to choose another one.
There was no immediate response from the other party, but Gu Qingqiu wasn't in a hurry. After exiting the chat, she also exited the vlog.
Returning to the messages section, because I replied to the messages from the film and television company, the chat box with them has also jumped out of the unfamiliar message category to form a separate column where I can see their reply at any time and click to reply.
Gu Qingqiu clicked on my post to see today's notes. The top comments section was still filled with food photos posted by customers who had dined at the restaurant, which were praised and admired by netizens and had been pushed to the very top.
Under each food post, there were many comments within comments, and she clicked to take a look.
[Eating but not drinking: Oh my god, this braised lion's head meatball is bigger than I imagined! It's not a ping-pong ball, it's a tennis ball! Just look at that deep reddish-brown color and the faint hint of crispness; I can already imagine how satisfying and delicious it will be to bite into. I'm so envious!]
Mini things are the best: The scallion oil squid looks so tempting today! Even through the photo, I can tell these squid rings are incredibly firm and fresh. Scallion oil makes everything taste so good!
[All my favorites: This soy sauce chicken looks pretty good! Just looking at the color of the sauce, you know it's been cooked thoroughly. And the chicken skin looks so crispy! It's making my mouth water!]
[Sleeping is the most comfortable thing: Am I the only one who thinks this cold black fungus salad looks appetizing? It has black fungus, cucumber, and carrot, which looks very refreshing. There are small red chilies, so it must be spicy, right? The poster just said it tastes sour and spicy? I want to eat it (starry eyes)]
[I'm talking about you: Waaaaah, am I the only one craving American ginseng and lean pork soup? It looks so delicious and nourishing. Such good ingredients, only 16 yuan a bowl! If I ever passed by Gu's Private Kitchen, I'd definitely go in and buy two or three bowls.]
Gu Qingqiu read through several comments, her smile deepening. As usual, she selectively replied to some, then exited Xiaohongshu and went to Weibo, where she also selected some comments to reply to in the comment section of today's post.
As I was about to leave, I habitually checked my private messages. Weibo also has a feature that categorizes private messages from strangers in the message board. As long as I don't reply, the chat box with the other person won't appear on the message page.
Gu Qingqiu generally doesn't reply to private messages from netizens unless there's something important and urgent, in which case she'll just glance at them and move on.
I quickly browsed through the page and was surprised to see a private message from a user with the same profile picture and the name "Ten-Year Promise for TV Series (Official)".
Gu Qingqiu raised her eyebrows and clicked in, and sure enough, she saw the same words as the comments on Xiaohongshu.
It seems the other party was indeed very sincere; fearing she might not have seen it on Xiaohongshu, they specifically left a message on Weibo as well.
She clicked into the official account of the film and television company and looked at their homepage. Weibo is indeed the most active place for entertainment and film promotion. Just in terms of the number of followers, it is three or four times that of Xiaohongshu.
After thinking for a moment, Gu Qingqiu opened Xiaohongshu, copied the message she had just replied to the film and television company, went back to Weibo, pasted it into the chat box with the film and television company, and sent the reply, along with the same three photos.
After replying, she didn't pay any more attention to the matter.
Forty minutes had passed in the blink of an eye while she was processing and replying to these messages. The air conditioning in the room was quite strong, and the temperature had dropped, making it a comfortable time to relax. Gu Qingqiu got up, changed into her pajamas, and lay down on the bed for a nap.
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