Chapter 207 Chen Jianing's Dinner
After Yue Ning adjusted the flavor, the waiter came over to scoop the fish heads out of the jar, put them into casseroles, and then put them on the stove to heat them, ensuring that each fish head was sizzling and steaming when it was served.
The casserole is served on the table, and the moment you open the lid, the delicious aroma hits your nose.
Wu Zhihai picked up Chen Jinying's bowl and scooped out a piece of sticky fish chin for her: "Master, try it."
After leaving De Xiang Restaurant, he called Chen De Xiang "Boss Chen" again out of politeness, but his master had always been sincere to him, and he always remembered that a teacher is a father for life.
Chen Jinying said to her father, "Dad, try Miss Yue's cooking."
Chen Dexiang scooped a piece of fish head for himself, and the thick skin on the fish head trembled slightly in the soup. He scooped up a spoonful of soup and sipped it gently. The mellow abalone juice mixed with the gelatinous texture of fish scales spread on the tip of his tongue. The salty and fresh taste was accompanied by a hint of sweetness. The soup was so thick that it seemed to stick to his lips. It was true that the soup was made with abalone juice, and the bluefin bream itself was indeed delicious, but there was another kind of freshness that was just right and did not dominate the soup.
"What other ingredients are added?" Chen Jinying asked first.
"With Matsutake mushrooms added." Wu Zhihai replied.
"No wonder." Chen Jinying nodded repeatedly, "This soup is thick but not greasy, fresh but not fishy. Miss Yue's cooking skills are indeed well-deserved."
"Of course. No matter how good other chefs are, as long as Ningning is in the restaurant, many customers are willing to wait for her dishes."
"She is very capable now and can control the situation, but what about the future?" Chen Dexiang smiled, "Of course, she doesn't have to think about these things, because she will be the daughter-in-law of the Qiao family in the future."
When Wu Zhihai came here, he realized what kind of life he had lived in Dexiang Hotel before. He said, "Since you said she is capable and can keep things under control, why do you say she is the daughter-in-law of the Qiao family?"
The waiter presented each person with a plate of steamed green fish with yellow peel sauce. The dish was presented in a French style, with vegetables surrounding the edge, the snow-white fish in the middle dotted with yellow peel jam, and steamed fish soy sauce at the bottom.
The meat of the big bluefin bream is not as tender as the small bluefin bream. When you use chopsticks to pick up the fish meat, it is shaped like garlic cloves, and tastes very delicious. The texture of the fish meat is very delicate. This simple method can best test the chef's skills, and the heat of this dish is just right.
"How is your current salary? Can you tell me?" Chen Dexiang asked Wu Zhihai.
"In Hong Kong, our salaries are no secret. I worked for most of last month and earned more than 3,000 Hong Kong dollars."
"so much?"
"The chefs who make it to the list earn at least 7,000 to 8,000 Hong Kong dollars, and the top chefs earn tens of thousands, or even more," said Wu Zhihai. "There is a large customer base here, and everyone works very hard. The daily workload is twice as much as before. For me, the income is also several times higher than before, and I am happy even if I am tired."
Chen Dexiang wanted to ask, can the restaurant make money with such high salaries? Looking at the endless stream of customers and thinking about the menu he had just read, he said, "It's normal for them to be able to afford such high salaries when the food is so expensive."
Wu Zhihai didn't want to argue with him, and showed him these things just to make him understand why the master stayed. The pigeon wings were served, and he said to Chen Jinying: "Master, this is pigeon wings. It uses 36-day-old baby pigeons, and the bones are removed and filled with braised shark fins."
Chen Jinying poked the pigeon lightly with chopsticks, and the skin on the pigeon's back burst open, revealing shark fins. She picked up a spoon and scooped a spoonful into her mouth. This soup was indeed amazing.
Most traditional restaurants use ham and hen to make soup, and each has its own unique soup. My own clear soup with willow leaf bird's nest is quite famous in Taipei, but it is still inferior to this one.
Umami can be divided into high-level, elegant and vulgar flavors. The umami in this soup is that elegant kind of umami, which is warm and soft with a long aftertaste.
Chen Jinying couldn't help but praise: "As expected of the heir of the Lu family."
"The Lu family is no longer what it used to be. Back then, the Lu family opened a private kitchen in their own courtyard and cooked only two meals a day, with more than a dozen tables of dishes. The guests were all dignitaries, and if you didn't make a reservation three to five months in advance, you couldn't get a meal. Now all the Lu family members have drifted to Gangcheng and work for others." Chen Dexiang said with emotion.
"Chef Lu's second uncle is a state banquet chef who specializes in entertaining foreign heads of state. The Lu family can't be considered in decline, right? Chef Lu came to Hong Kong City because his second uncle thought he should come out and learn more and learn from others," Wu Zhihai retorted.
Chen Dexiang smiled and said: "These are just excuses. To put it bluntly, it's all about making money."
"It's human nature to want to earn more money," Chen Jinying said, "What's more, he has such good skills at such a young age, and his future is bright."
"Yes! The Ningyan Lu Mansion, which is under renovation, is larger than this place and has very exquisite decoration. The view is also good, and you can directly see the Victoria Harbour from the restaurant. Chef Lu has a share in that restaurant, which is considered a branch of Ningyan. Isn't it almost like being your own boss?" Wu Zhihai said, "If one day we want to start our own business and become our own boss, Ningning will support us, right?"
"Stop dreaming! Don't you know that she bankrupted the restaurant run by her grandfather's apprentice?" Chen Dexiang thought that Wu Zhihai was just a cook after all and his ideas were too simple.
"Dad, if one day I opened a restaurant next door to our house, sold food at a lower price than you, poached all the people in your kitchen, and tried to force you into bankruptcy, what would you think?" Chen Jinying asked her father.
"Yes! Uncle Hua was so good to that apprentice. He taught him all the skills and even helped him pay off his gambling debts." Wu Zhihai said.
Chen Dexiang looked at his daughter, then at Wu Zhihai, a little flustered: "Jinying, do you want to open a store?"
The fourth wife listened for a long time. The old man didn't let her interrupt, so she spoke less. But when she heard the old man's words, she panicked: "Jinying, your father has handed over the entire kitchen to you. You can scold Jinlong as much as you want. What else are you dissatisfied with? Do you want to open a store next to Dexiang Hotel?"
"Fourth mother, what are you thinking? I just have some skills. Don't you see how they run a restaurant? I'm still far from it!" Chen Jinying looked at her father, "Besides, my father only gives me so little money every month. How can I afford to open a restaurant? I just want you to put yourself in my shoes. Look, you jumped up in anxiety after I said that. You even have the nerve to say that they forced her grandfather's apprentice into bankruptcy."
"Jinying, there is a salary gap between Taipei and Hong Kong. Besides, your mother has spent a lot of money on medical treatment in recent years." Chen Dexiang could only explain.
Seeing the spring rolls on the table, Chen Jinying said, "Let's not talk about this anymore, let's eat."
"Okay, okay, I won't say any more." Chen Dexiang looked at Wu Zhihai unhappily. Forget it! I'll go back and give my daughter a raise.
After dinner, since Yue Ning knew they were coming and welcomed them, Chen Dexiang naturally had to say hello to her when he left. Wu Zhihai asked someone and learned that Yue Ning and the guests were drinking tea in the office.
He went to the office to find Yue Ning, who not only personally escorted them out, but also asked the administration to arrange a car to take them out.
Yue Ning said to Chen Dexiang: "Boss Chen, I'm really sorry. I've been too busy these days. I hope you can forgive me!"
"It's okay, it's okay. When kids in our area take the college entrance exam, it's a big deal for the whole family. I heard that you've taken the exam and are going to Taiwan?"
“Yes.”
"Come to our store and have a seat." Chen Dexiang said, "Jinlong couldn't come this time because he had to guard the store. Let him ask you for advice when the time comes."
"It's not really asking for advice, it's just an exchange between colleagues!" Yue Ning said to Wu Zhihai, "Brother Wu, we're scheduled to meet in Mong Kok tonight, right? Sister Xiuqin is there today. Boss Chen has been away from Beijing for more than 30 years, right? Let's go try Sister Xiuqin's authentic old Beijing noodles with soybean paste, and eat some spring rolls with vegetables."
"good."
After seeing them off, Yue Ning returned to the office, and the grandparents and grandchildren continued to drink tea with Director Chen.
Director Chen was sent to Hong Kong to solicit investment. There were great differences in ideology and economy between the mainland and Hong Kong, and he had no idea how to carry out the work.
"It would be great if there were more passionate businessmen like the Qiao family, especially Young Master Qiao." Director Chen sighed.
On his way here, he deliberately stayed in Pengcheng for two nights and sat down to have an in-depth chat with Qiao Junxian and several Chinese businessmen who had opened factories in Pengcheng earlier.
With nothing and policies constantly adjusting, Qiao Junxian encountered many problems that seemed insignificant but were actually very difficult.
These problems have also caused many Hong Kong businessmen who originally wanted to try to invest in the mainland to back off.
From the actual situation, there are only a few Hong Kong businessmen who really have deep feelings for the mainland and want to invest in the mainland regardless of profit or loss. The vast majority of Hong Kong businessmen are businessmen, and even many of them made their fortunes under the rule of the colonial government. They studied in the UK when they were young, and cooperated with British companies after returning. They are just "British" who speak Cantonese and live on this land. Just look at the recent housing prices. China has repeatedly stated that it will not give up Hong Kong City. Hong Kong Island is a territory occupied by the British, and the housing prices are 30%-40% higher than Kowloon, which has a 99-year lease. Those small South American countries are advertising in the newspapers to attract Hong Kong people to immigrate.
Isn’t it possible that Master Chen doesn’t know what Yue Ning said?
"It takes a process to move from a planned economy to a market economy," Yue Ning said with a smile. "You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. You have to believe that the Chinese are one of the most business-savvy groups."
"Too."
Yue Ning thought of something and said, "Director Chen, a few days ago I went back to visit the graves during the Qingming Festival. Director Song from the Second Commercial Bureau of Yuecheng came to me and wanted to second a chef to support the Spring Fair. I was wondering if you could let companies with Hong Kong backgrounds like Lide and Ruimei set up a booth and participate in the trade fair?"
The China Export Commodities Fair in Yuecheng has been held once every spring and autumn since 1957 and has never been interrupted even in the most chaotic times.
"Many Hong Kong businessmen come to visit and purchase. What would they think if they could see that Hong Kong-funded enterprises could also contact merchants from all over the world through this window?"
Director Chen slapped his thigh and said, "I told you that I should talk to you more often. I'm sure you'll gain something. I'll go back and write a report. I'm too late for the spring trade fair, but I should be able to catch up in the fall."
Director Chen chatted with them for a while, then stood up and said, "There is a long way to go. I will have to trouble you again in the future."
"You came all the way here to pick me up, so it's really polite of you to say that."
"Xiao Yue, I emphasize again, please don't arrange to treat me to a meal in such a luxurious restaurant in the future. It will have a bad influence!"
He had said it several times today. Yue Ning smiled and said, "I know, I know. Next time we'll do it at Baohualou, and I'll be the chef myself."
Director Chen laughed out loud: "I really have a lot of face."
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