Chapter 72 Cheese and Bacon Shrimp Rolls.
The deep plate contained a lot of steamed eggs, and all the ingredients decorated with the welcoming pine landscape painting were eaten by Yao Sixuan and her son An'an. Then they used spoons to scoop out more steamed eggs to eat.
The steamed egg was so smooth and delicate, it felt like eating milk pudding, with a subtle salty and eggy aroma. It was also quite delicious with rice.
After eating until the steamed egg was almost gone and the bottom of the plate was almost exposed, An'an said, "Mom, let's save some to take back for Dad later."
He had a few pieces of the sweet and sour pork that he really liked earlier, which he was thinking of taking back to his dad.
Poor Daddy, he has to go to work today, unlike Mommy who can rest or take a day off from kindergarten. So An'an thinks that Daddy shouldn't miss out on the good food, and she should save some to take home for him to try, so he knows how delicious the food Mommy and Daddy ate today.
Yao Sixuan felt a little ashamed. She really hadn't thought of leaving some of each dish for her teammates who were at work. She was just thinking that she could pack up the leftovers and take them home for dinner.
Of course, she wouldn't say it out loud, but she smiled and agreed, "Okay, An'an is such a good girl, let's save some for Daddy."
Fortunately, there were still some leftovers from the sweet and sour pork, braised fish head with tofu skin, and sauerkraut and tofu casserole, so we could pack them up and let our teammate have a taste. There was quite a bit of soup left, though, so we'll take it back with the broth for him to drink.
An'an nodded, a bright smile spreading across her face: "Okay, Daddy will definitely like it too!"
"Of course."
Yao Sixuan began to understand the sentence she saw on Xiaohongshu: No one can resist loving Gu's Private Kitchen. If there is one, take him to the restaurant for a meal, and he will definitely fall in love with it!
After the mother and son finished speaking, the waiter came over and served the last dish—cheese and bacon shrimp rolls.
On a white porcelain plate are eight fist-sized cylindrical cheese and bacon shrimp rolls. The bacon rolls on the outside can't hide the overflowing creamy cheese. Underneath the cheese are long strips of orange-red shrimp paste. From the side, you can see that there should be some even more orange-red carrot bits mixed in with the shrimp paste.
An An pursed his lips after reading it. Cheese and bacon were his favorite foods, and they looked really delicious and tempting. However, the filling was shrimp paste, which he didn't really like. He always felt there was a strange taste in them.
The adults said it smelled like the sea, but it was clearly a fishy smell. Unfortunately, the adults' noses and tongues weren't very good, so they couldn't smell or taste it.
So, can we just eat the cheese and bacon and leave the shrimp paste for Mom?
Before An'an could figure it out, he heard his mother call out to him, "An'an, this cheese and bacon shrimp paste has two of your favorites, do you want to try it?"
Having learned from An'an's previous experience of adapting well to and even enjoying the fish head stew with dried bean curd, Yao Sixuan didn't beat around the bush this time and directly coaxed her into asking.
An'an couldn't suppress her craving for cheese and bacon, partly due to her trust in the restaurant, thinking that maybe their shrimp paste was also quite delicious?
He said, "Mom, can I have some if I don't want to eat shrimp paste later?"
Yao Sixuan nodded firmly: "Of course."
An'an stopped hesitating, picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a cheese and bacon shrimp roll, and started eating.
If he could eat shrimp paste, he would definitely open his mouth wide and take a big bite, enjoying the overlapping cheese, bacon, and shrimp paste for double the deliciousness. But right now, he can only carefully bite the outer layer of bacon and eat it along with the cheese stuck to the inside.
The bacon is crispy and savory, while the rich, creamy cheese spreads in your mouth, creating a slightly bursting, stringy texture that is very delicious.
He was a focused artist who used his teeth as a weapon to peel off the bacon and cheese covering the shrimp paste piece by piece, without actually getting a bite of the shrimp paste.
After finishing the bacon and cheese, An'an hesitated for a moment before not handing the shrimp paste to her mother. Instead, she took a bite to try it herself. The shrimp paste had the milky aroma of cheese and the salty aroma of bacon, along with its own sweetness. It was chewy and tender, and surprisingly delicious. She didn't taste any flavors she disliked.
Yao Sixuan also picked up a piece of cheese and bacon shrimp roll to eat. She ate it by opening her mouth and taking a big bite. The rich milky aroma of the cheese, the caramelized and salty aroma of the bacon, and the bouncy and sweet aroma of the shrimp roll all blended together. It was very satisfying to chew and tasted better than I expected.
She took another bite, and this time, in addition to the previous delicious flavors, she also tasted carrot pieces and corn kernels in the shrimp paste. Each had its own sweetness, adding a lot of chewiness and making the flavor richer. It felt quite good.
Of course, while Yao Sixuan was eating the cheese and bacon shrimp roll, half of her attention was on An'an. She was afraid that he wouldn't like the dish, and that he wouldn't even bother to try it before handing her the shrimp roll after finishing the cheese and bacon.
Fortunately, no, An'an chose to try a bite of the shrimp paste. Judging from his expression, he must have liked it, otherwise he would have spat it out after the first bite, instead of chewing it with a gradually relaxed and enjoying expression.
Yao Sixuan felt a surge of joy. Today at Gu's Private Kitchen, there were one surprise after another. An'an, who usually doesn't like fish, ate the fish head meat; and, who usually doesn't like shrimp, she ate the shrimp paste.
Gu's Private Kitchen is simply her paradise!
After An'an finished chewing on the whole shrimp paste, Yao Sixuan couldn't help but ask him, "How does the shrimp paste taste?"
An'an nodded, unusually shy. Just now he had said he wouldn't eat the shrimp paste and would give it to his mother. He said honestly, "It's quite delicious. It doesn't have the taste I dislike. It's quite sweet and bouncy, like eating jelly. I also like the carrots and corn kernels inside."
He enjoys watching cartoons and children's movies, and has a good vocabulary, which allows him to vividly describe the feeling of eating shrimp paste.
"I'm glad you like it, then eat more," Yao Sixuan said with a smile.
An'an nodded in agreement.
The mother and son then ate cheese and bacon shrimp rolls. In the end, Yao Sixuan ate three in total, and An'an ate two.
It wasn't that An'an didn't want to eat more, but his little stomach was too full. He felt like his stomach was going to burst if he ate any more. He even went to the toilet once during this time.
Yao Sixuan was also very full. Today, both she and An'an had a much stronger appetite than usual. Looking back at the table, they realized that they had eaten so much meat and vegetables without realizing it.
Seeing that An'an's eyes were still fixed on the three remaining cheese and bacon shrimp rolls on the plate, looking like she was full but still wanted to eat more, how could anyone have imagined that this child didn't eat shrimp-related foods before?
Yao Sixuan couldn't help but smile and said, "An'an, let's pack it up and eat it again tonight. We have a microwave at home, and it will taste the same when heated up. You're already full, and you'll feel uncomfortable if you eat any more."
"All right."
An An reluctantly withdrew his gaze, but he still listened to advice and knew that he wouldn't be able to eat anything at all.
After calming himself down, he started to think: "Then we can each have one of the three cheese and bacon shrimp rolls left over tonight."
Yao Sixuan nodded in agreement. Seeing that she really wouldn't eat anymore, she simply waved to the waiter to bring four takeout boxes, one of which was for soup.
After the staff brought over the takeout containers, she started packing the remaining meat and vegetables. Dishes with sauce, such as sauerkraut and tofu casserole and braised fish head with dried bean curd, had to be packed separately in individual containers to prevent the flavors from mixing.
Needless to say, the Sha Shen Yu Zhu Liu Wu Tang (a traditional Chinese medicine soup) comes in its own special round soup bowl packaging box, with the soup and ingredients packed in, so full that there's still some soup left.
Seeing this, An'an said, "Mom, I'll drink the rest of the soup."
While his mother was packing meat and vegetables, he was also helping out by handing her the packing boxes and putting the lids on the boxes containing the meat and vegetables and pressing them down firmly.
"Okay, then you can have it."
Yao Sixuan used the remaining takeout box to pack up the sweet and sour pork, cheese and bacon shrimp rolls, and steamed egg. The first two were relatively dry, so there was no need to worry. The steamed egg was smooth and tender, and it eventually released some juice, so they were put together.
At least a takeout box costs one yuan, so every little bit helps.
An'an helped close the lids of the boxes, stacked them one by one, and put them into the takeout bag. She couldn't help but share with her mother: "Mom, this takeout bag is so pretty! It has a cartoon pattern, and it looks like this restaurant!"
“It’s really beautiful. The painting depicts this restaurant. You can see that the storefront and tables are exactly the same. We are customers here now, enjoying our meal,” Yao Sixuan said.
The shop assistant just brought this takeout bag over, and she liked it at first sight.
The pea green color scheme looks very summery. The restaurant scenes all use bright colors. Although the scenes are very ordinary, they make people feel that they are very down-to-earth and that they are glad that they can eat in such a restaurant.
If someone who has never eaten at Gu's Private Kitchen sees the picture on this takeout bag, they will definitely feel a desire to have a meal at such a bright, cozy, and lively restaurant.
The mother and son admired the takeout bag for a while. An'an drank the remaining soup, and the sweet taste on his lips made his mouth turn up in a smile. His short little legs, which were dangling slightly, swung around vigorously while he sat in the chair.
Yao Sixuan slung her bag over her shoulder and said, "An'an, take your bottle of coconut juice. We're about to leave."
It's funny, the child was looking forward to getting the coconut juice, but only drank some before the soup was served. After that, he was so engrossed in drinking the soup and eating the meat that he completely forgot about the bottle of coconut juice. Now, there's still more than half of the coconut juice left in the bottle.
An'an agreed, holding the coconut juice in both hands, thinking he would drink it slowly when he got home. He slid off the chair and stood steadily on the ground, following his mother out of the restaurant.
Yao Sixuan carried the takeout meat and vegetables in one hand and used her phone to scan the code to pay in the other, thinking that this restaurant was really cheap. Including the four takeout boxes, the total was only 311 or 320 yuan.
Being able to eat so many delicious dishes, and even though An'an was full, she still wanted to eat more. She even tried two meat dishes that she would never normally touch. This money was definitely well spent!
Almost as soon as they stepped out of the restaurant, the staff immediately led a group of customers with their numbers into the restaurant to dine.
There were still many people queuing outside the restaurant, and business was booming.
Around 12:40, Gu Qingqiu cooked the meat and vegetables the three of them wanted and called Sister Zhou and Sister Tang over to eat.
The sweet and sour pork she fried today was quite good. Even after being stir-fried again with the sweet and sour sauce, it was still golden and crispy, and it was very satisfying to eat, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
She also quite likes the dish of braised fish head with tofu skin. The fish head meat is tender and savory, full of collagen, while the tofu skin is smooth and soft, absorbing the fresh aroma of the fish.
If we're talking about dishes that go well with rice, then pickled cabbage and tofu casserole is definitely the way to go. Gu Qingqiu served a bowl of rice, and most of it was eaten with the pickled cabbage and tofu casserole. The salty and slightly sour sauce poured over the rice was especially fragrant, and the rice grains became silky and oily.
She also ate one of the cheese and bacon shrimp rolls. This dish is made by layering bacon, wrapping cheese slices and shaped shrimp balls, placing them one by one on a baking tray and baking them in the oven.
This dish features a crispy bacon exterior and a savory interior, bursting cheese that stretches and has a rich, pure milky flavor, and bouncy, sweet shrimp paste. The carrot and corn kernels mixed in add a touch of texture and enhance the overall sweetness and richness of the flavor.
After finishing the white rice in her bowl, Gu Qingqiu poured herself another bowl of Sha Shen Yu Zhu Liu Wu Tang (a traditional Chinese medicine soup).
She didn't make the steamed egg with the welcoming pine tree. Steaming eggs isn't difficult, but setting up the picture of the welcoming pine tree takes a lot of time. She and Sister Zhou and Sister Tang just wanted a simple meal. Most of the other meat dishes were extra portions made from the last table of customers' orders.
The soup wasn't very hot, but she picked up the bowl and brought it to her lips, taking big gulps.
The soup has a light, sweet, and refreshing taste. It's not overly sweet; it's the kind of sweetness that comes from the blending of six ingredients, including sand ginseng, Solomon's seal, and fig. It has a subtle herbal aroma, and after drinking the soup, you instantly feel refreshed and comfortable from your throat to your stomach.
There was some soup in the bowl, and she picked up a piece of pork rib to eat. The pork rib meat was incredibly tender after being simmered, but it still retained the natural freshness of pork. Furthermore, it had absorbed a lot of soup, so it had a slightly sweet taste.
Gu Qingqiu also picked out some figs and sea coconuts to eat, but she didn't touch the others because she didn't like them, leaving them at the bottom of the bowl.
Sister Zhou and Sister Tang also enjoyed their meal very much. It's safe to say that there's no happier work meal than this. Every dish was so delicious that it swept away fatigue, revitalized everyone, and boosted their sense of happiness.
Haven't you seen so many customers who specially come here to queue up for Gu's Private Kitchen? Many of them even come from out of town just to have a taste of it.
They work in a restaurant where the workload isn't heavy and the pay and benefits are good. Most importantly, they get to eat Gu's private kitchen dishes for lunch and dinner, which is the biggest perk of their job.
A few nights ago, when Tang Jie and Zhou Jie were walking down Suli Street together after get off work, Tang Jie was saying, "Zhou Jie, I'm so lucky to have gotten this job at the restaurant. The workload is much less than what they said when they were hiring. If I do more, the boss will give me extra hours and pay me more. Most of the time, I don't even have to work four hours, so it's like I'm taking advantage of the boss."
"The boss is kind and easy to get along with. We eat better lunch and dinner than most people. Even my son said that I look much healthier and younger after working here!"
Sister Zhou listened and deeply agreed: "Yes, I often feel that being able to work at this restaurant is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me. I'm so glad that I came for the interview when I heard about the job opening. The workload here is much easier than at the noodle shop I used to work at, the salary is higher and the benefits are better. You know how delicious and plentiful the lunch and dinner are. I don't know how many customers envy us."
"The most important thing is that this job allows me to spend more time with Fangfang. Fangfang has been much happier lately, often saying that she is so lucky to have her boss, otherwise her life would be so happy."
When she had more money, she could buy Fangfang some pretty clothes from time to time and take her to places that her peers liked to go.
Fangfang said that her happiest moment every day is when her mother takes her to school every morning.
Sometimes, when breakfast wasn't made at home, the mother and daughter would wash up, change their clothes, and go to a small shop near the school to eat breakfast. Then, after dropping Fangfang off at school, Sister Zhou would go home to do some housework before coming to work at the restaurant.
The two of them were praising the food as usual. Then, Sister Zhou remembered something funny and couldn't help but share it: "Boss, just now a group of customers asked me if we were still hiring. They all wanted to apply, mainly because they wanted to eat at our restaurant."
When Sister Zhou heard this, she was stunned for a moment, but then she realized that it wasn't surprising that she had this idea.
Gu Qingqiu asked with great interest, "So how did you answer?"
Sister Tang listened with a smile, increasingly realizing that many people were eyeing her job, and that she should cherish it and work hard.
Sister Zhou said truthfully, "I told them at the time that our restaurant didn't have any plans to hire staff for the time being, and that we would have posted a notice if we did."
“Yes, yes, that’s a good answer,” Gu Qingqiu nodded.
Although we don't know if those customers were just joking or asking casually, or if they were really serious about it, the store doesn't need to hire anyone for the time being. With Sister Zhou and Sister Tang helping out, that's enough.
Once she returns from visiting her parents' graves, we could consider hiring another employee to prepare the food and accompany her to the market to buy ingredients in the mornings.
After the meal, Sister Zhou went to the dining area to continue working, Sister Tang cleaned up the dishes and went to the sink to start working, while Gu Qingqiu went in to rest.
She felt pretty good after going out for some fresh air yesterday at noon. Today, she still took her phone and went to the door to stand in the breeze, while also opening Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) to read the comments section of her newly posted "Today's Menu" and replying to some interesting comments.
After replying on Xiaohongshu, she opened Weibo to interact with netizens and fans in the comment section of today's posts. This has become part of her daily work.
Sometimes Gu Qingqiu felt that she was quite amazing, as she wore many hats, acting as the boss, chef, purchasing agent, and online marketer for the restaurant's official account.
After replying, she didn't log out of Weibo, but instead clicked into Weibo's trending topics to see some gossip.
Sometimes there are news stories, sometimes there are celebrity anecdotes, sometimes there are interesting tales about people's lives. Just browsing through them makes you feel like you've learned a little more about the world.
Around 1 PM, all the customers finished eating, paid their bills, and left the restaurant. Some of them even waved and smiled at her as they walked out, saying, "Goodbye, boss!"
Goodbye! Welcome back!
Gu Qingqiu smiled and replied.
The restaurant fell silent. She turned and walked in, closing the wooden door behind her. Sister Zhou had already collected all the leftover bowls, chopsticks, and plates from the table and handed them to Sister Tang to wash. Now she was wiping the table with a rag.
Gu Qingqiu gave instructions and went straight up to the second floor.
She now trusts Sister Zhou and Sister Tang completely. They can complete their respective work tasks without her watching over them, and they always close the restaurant's wooden door from the outside when they leave.
After going upstairs and turning on the air conditioner, Gu Qingqiu changed into her pajamas and went straight to bed. She had already played on her phone enough while standing in the restaurant entrance enjoying the breeze.
Feeling refreshed after her afternoon nap, Gu Qingqiu got out of bed, changed back into the clothes she wore in the morning, turned off the air conditioner in the room, went to the bathroom to wash her face to fully wake up, poured herself a glass of water in the living room, drank it, and then took her phone downstairs.
The silver carp meat I bought this morning hasn't been processed yet. Since there's still time, I'll get to work on it as much as I can.
Several large bags of silver carp meat were stored in the refrigerator's crisper drawer; they can be taken out and processed directly now.
Gu Qingqiu stood at the food preparation counter, took several clean large basins and placed them aside for later use, and also prepared the kitchen knife and cutting board.
She placed one of the bags of fish within easy reach, opened the bag, and with her left hand scooped out a ripple of fish, all of which had their heads and tails removed, leaving only the fish bodies. With her right hand, she picked up a cleaver and lightly scraped the fish bodies.
She controlled her strength well, the cleaver swiftly slicing across her body, scraping off layers of tender white fish meat without damaging the large bone on the fish.
After scraping one side, a complete fish skeleton was exposed. Gu Qingqiu was too lazy to flip it over and use a cleaver to scrape off the other side of the fish meat. She simply used the cleaver to remove the fish skeleton, and the remaining fish meat could be set aside for later use.
Following this method and speed, Gu Qingqiu processed one silver carp after another, bag after bag.
Before four o'clock, she scraped all the silver carp meat off and put it in three basins.
The fish bones, skin, and scales were put back in the bag that had previously contained the silver carp, tied in a knot, and then placed in the kitchen waste bin.
Gu Qingqiu covered the three bowls of silver carp meat with plastic wrap and temporarily put them in the refrigerator. She washed the cutting board and knife and put them away, then went out to the dining area, casually found a chair to sit down and rest for a while, and checked her phone.
Ten minutes later, he went back into the kitchen to start preparing ingredients for the afternoon session.
The restaurant is always very popular, even on weekdays it's packed from the moment it opens, bustling with activity. Just like the picture on the takeout bag, it's warm and inviting, full of life, making passersby stop and stare, wanting to join in.
Of course, when they saw so many people queuing at the restaurant entrance, a few people chose to take a number and wait to try, while most people thought they would come back next time and continued walking forward.
But the lively scene at Gu's Private Kitchen left some impression on them. Perhaps one day they would pass by this private kitchen on Suli Street again by chance, and that time they might walk in and become one of its members.
The restaurant closed at eight o'clock. All the ingredients had been used up by seven forty. After the last table of customers left, full and happy, the restaurant's wooden door closed. Sister Zhou was still tidying up the dining area, while Sister Tang was washing pots and pans at the kitchen sink.
Gu Qingqiu finished her meal and rested for a while, and now she's busy at the food preparation station again.
Before eating, she took the three bowls of silver carp meat she had scraped off in the afternoon out of the refrigerator and put them there. Now it was time to process them. She poured the meat onto the cutting board in two batches and chopped it finely with a knife until it was minced into fish paste with a bit of a gelatinous texture. Then she put it back into the bowl.
Gu Qingqiu began to season the fish paste. Wearing gloves, she mixed the fish paste and seasonings evenly by hand. Then she took out two other bowls, divided the fish paste into small balls, and kneaded them to make them more elastic. This way, the fish balls she made later would be more chewy.
Time passed quietly. By the time she had pounded all the fish paste until it was almost ready to be shaped and cooked, Sister Zhou and Sister Tang had also finished their respective tasks and came over to ask if she needed any help.
Gu Qingqiu shook her head: "It's okay, I can handle things here myself. You two should go home early after you're done."
Sister Zhou and Sister Tang exchanged a glance, realizing that the boss wasn't just being polite and that they couldn't really help much, so they nodded in agreement, packed their things, and went home.
When they left, they took several large bags of kitchen waste with them to throw away.
Gu Qingqiu turned on the stove, heated the pot, and boiled water. After the water boiled, she put a fistful of fish paste in her left hand with a gloved hand, squeezed it hard, and the fish paste gushed out from between her thumb and forefinger. With her right hand, she used a spoon to scoop it out from between her thumb and forefinger and put it into the hot water in the pot. A round and large fish ball instantly floated on the surface of the water in the pot.
She repeated this action until the fish balls floating on the surface of the pot became crowded and could barely float. Gu Qingqiu then increased the heat of the stove to help the fish balls hold their shape better.
As time went by, the fish balls changed from a slightly fleshy color to a translucent white, plump, and firm appearance.
The aroma of fresh fish gradually filled the air. Gu Qingqiu brought over a clean large basin, placed a strainer on top of the basin, used another strainer to scoop fish balls from the pot, shook off some water, and then placed them in the basin on the strainer to drain.
After scooping out the whole pot of fish balls, Gu Qingqiu repeated the previous actions, shaping the fish balls and putting them into the pot to boil.
She stopped when she had about half of the fish paste left; she planned to make fried fish balls with it later.
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