Chapter 24 Making Sauce
The three of them were getting ready to go out and were planning to go to the coffee shop to tell their elders.
Boss Qiao was still drinking tea with Yue Baohua and Boss Cui. Mrs. Cui was very patient, sitting quietly and gently beside them.
When Qiao Qiming saw the three children coming together, he asked, "Have you tried it?"
Cui Huiyi stood behind Qiao Qiming, with her hand on the back of Qiao Qiming's sofa, and said, "Grandpa Qiao, Ningning is amazing. She can tell the recipe almost exactly after tasting the seasoning packet. She is really an expert! She said that while we are in Beijing, she wants to try a sauce that we can eat and that northerners will also like. Let's go to the food factory to try it now."
Boss Cui frowned: "What time is it? It's almost time for dinner."
"It's okay, you guys eat and we'll go."
"Business is more important. If we don't give it a try, Huiyi won't be able to sleep tonight. Go!" Qiao Qiming patted Cui Huiyi's hand, "If I hadn't had dinner with the experts from the Seventh Research Institute tonight, I would have wanted to go and take a look."
"Thank you, Grandpa Joe."
"Go ahead!"
Boss Cui originally wanted to have dinner with Qiao Qiming, but when he heard that Qiao Qiming had an appointment that evening, he said, "Then I'll go with you."
"Grandpa, would you like to go with us? You can give me some advice." Yue Ning said to Yue Baohua.
"good."
Qiao Junxian said: "Grandpa, I'll go too."
"Your aunt Baoru and uncle arrived in Tianjin yesterday. We came back together today. They went to the research institute in the afternoon, and you haven't seen them yet. We will leave at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. Do you still want to see them?" Qiao Qiming said.
Qiao Junxian didn't dare to leave now, and said to Cui Huiyi: "Sister Huiyi, I won't go. If my mother knew that I could see my aunt but didn't, she would definitely scold me to death."
"Okay!" Cui Huiyi saw the director of the food factory looking around in the lobby, so she said to the Qiao family's grandparents, "Grandpa Qiao, Junxian, we're leaving."
A few people walked out, and Mrs. Cui followed them. Cui Huiyi's face immediately changed: "What are you doing?"
"I'll go with you!" said Mrs. Cui Er.
Yue Ning seemed to see flames coming out of Cui Huiyi's forehead. In such occasions, Cui Huiyi would lose her temper from time to time, but she was just being aggressive on the outside but weak on the inside.
This kind of emotion troubled Yue Ning for many years in her previous life. In her previous life, her father was a famous Cantonese chef and opened a Cantonese restaurant with a prosperous business.
There are two siblings in their family. Since childhood, Yue Ning has been the kind of child that other people have, good at studying, and has her father's talent. She has been studying in the kitchen of the restaurant during winter and summer vacations since she was a child, and her father always praises her for inheriting his true skills.
As for her younger brother, he failed the high school entrance exam and went to study in Australia. In the end, he was only able to apply to a university where all classes were taught in Chinese.
My parents made it very clear that the restaurant at home belonged to my younger brother, but she had to come home and work in the restaurant after she graduated from college.
She was scolded for applying to a university in another province, and for studying for a master's degree. When she went to Kaining to roast meat, her parents not only didn't pay a penny, but also scolded her. In the long-term repressed atmosphere, she became very angry, and with her sharp tongue, she never spared her parents' face.
When her parents were old and the restaurant had been squandered by her younger brother, she sent them to a high-end nursing home. She should have let go of the past, even though she had already achieved success and her parents were already in their twilight years. But whenever she met her mother, any word from her mother could ignite her.
Until this life, although she was so poor that she didn't have a complete piece of clothing and was called a bastard by others, she had a father. In her father's eyes, she was the smartest child in the world. She also had Uncle Mo, who would praise her to the sky.
Even if she recovered her memories of her past life, she no longer needed to practice calligraphy and painting, or burn incense. Those things that once made her feel disgusted no longer troubled her. Tian Zaohua spread rumors, and the second-rate people from the next village harassed her. She scolded them when she should, and beat them when she should.
Yue Ning was sympathizing with Cui Huiyi, but Cui Huiyi laughed: "Aunt Wan, you, the daughter of a famous chef who can't cook, want to watch the granddaughter of a famous chef cook?"
The second wife was ridiculed in this way, but she still boarded the food factory's van. Yue Ning also admired her inner strength. However, if she was not firm in her heart, how could she abandon her husband and daughter and run to the port city?
Yue Ning sat with his grandfather and whispered about his views on several instant noodles: "Grandpa, I want to make a sauce to replace the sesame oil in the noodles. As a seasoning, the noodles can be eaten with soup or scooped."
“What instant noodles are most proud of is that they use instant coffee spray drying technology to produce seasoning powder.”
"Uncle Hua, we are limited by this and think that the Japanese method is the most advanced." Cui Huiyi turned around and said to Yue Baohua, "Just by tasting it, Ningning can tell what the seasoning is. I believe she knows the business."
"Ningning! Your grandfather just said that you want to study after returning to Hong Kong City?"
The voice was very abrupt, coming from Cui Ertai who had been silent the whole time. The name "Ningning" was also very abrupt, they had not said much, and the topic changed abruptly, everyone was just talking about seasoning, but she brought up this.
Yue Ning looked at her in confusion. The second wife said, "I was thinking that the situation in the mainland has not been very good in recent years, and there is a huge gap between the mainland and Hong Kong. Hong Kong has Chinese middle schools and English middle schools. I heard from your grandfather that you can read traditional Chinese characters, so it will be easy. After I return to Hong Kong, I will help you contact Chongzhen Middle School. Your uncle Cui has been sponsoring this middle school and is a school director."
Not only Yue Ning was confused by her words, but even Yue Baohua was confused.
Just now they were chatting downstairs, and Qiao Qiming asked him what his plans were after finding Ningning. He heard Ningning and Qiao Junxian talking about studying and going to college, so he thought about helping Ningning get into school first. So he mentioned it with a little pride, and received a round of praise from Boss Qiao, saying that the child had ambitions. Why did the second wife suddenly say this?
The inexplicable enthusiasm of this second wife made Yue Baohua wary, and he had a bad impression of this second wife. This second wife had worked as a handyman in Baohua Building at the beginning. He saw that she looked good, so he asked her to serve in the private room. Not long after serving, she had inappropriate contact with the guests. Because she was also from Yuecheng, he also advised her a few words. After a few days, she relapsed and left Baohua Building soon. The next news about this woman was that she became Cui's second wife by giving birth to a son for Mr. Cui.
The problem of Huihuang now is not that Cui Huiwen, the eldest daughter of Boss Cui, has given birth to a child and has no energy to manage the restaurant, but that the second wife, relying on her son, is pressing forward and wants to participate in the management of the company. The eldest daughter just gave birth to a child, and after giving birth, she quit the job under the excuse of taking care of the child.
"Chongzhen Middle School?" Cui Huiyi laughed sarcastically, "Aunt Wan? Are you kidding? How many students from that middle school can get into the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong every year? Most of them only apply for an associate degree. You let Ningning go to this middle school?"
The second wife turned around and said kindly, "Second Miss, you don't know the difference between the schools in the mainland and Hong Kong. Chongzhen is not very good, but isn't it sponsored by our family?"
She looked at Yue Ning again: "I know Ningning is smart, Ningning should go in first to adapt, and then I will arrange a teacher to tutor her. Just take it step by step."
Cui Huiyi couldn't refuse on Yue Ning's behalf. After all, she went to study abroad and only had a general understanding of the schools in Hong Kong. Naturally, she was not as familiar with them as this stepmother who had arranged her son's further education.
"Ningning, if you have any ideas, just tell me. Don't be polite."
"Second Madam, Ningning hasn't returned to Gangcheng yet. Let's go back to Gangcheng first. If there is anything, we can ask Second Madam then." Yue Baohua said tactfully.
"Uncle Hua, I am considering your busy schedule and want to help as much as I can. Ningning has a lot of things to do after returning to Hong Kong City. I happened to be busy with Huishu's further studies and learned a lot."
Didn't the second wife understand Grandpa's tactful refusal? Yue Ning smiled and said, "Second wife, I can handle this little thing myself. I just asked Qiao Junxian. Although he studied in high school and college in the United States, he has a good friend who studies in college in Gangcheng. He told me that there are two identities in Gangcheng that can take the college entrance examination, one is a student who has completed the preparatory course, and the other is a self-study student. The only age limit for self-study students is that I plan to take the exam as a self-study student."
"Although self-study students can take the exam, how many of them can pass it every year? Those who claim to be self-study students are actually repeaters."
Yue Ning nodded: "It would be even better if there are many repeaters. There must be many training institutions for this group of people. I plan to find a few institutions with good reputations, select better teachers from them, and provide one-on-one, targeted tutoring. It's just a matter of spending a little more money. This will not only be more efficient, but also allow for flexible time arrangements. At least during one of the lunch or dinner sessions, I can learn to cook with my grandfather at Baohua Building, killing two birds with one stone."
"Then do you know which tutoring institution is good? There are a lot of mixed tutoring institutions out there now." The second wife tried to persuade Yue Ning.
"First, find parents like you to learn about the ranking of Gangcheng Middle School, and then look for training institutions around the higher-ranked middle schools. It's just like choosing a restaurant to eat at. Choose the one with the highest attendance rate. Just try a few classes and the problem will be solved." Yue Ning looked at her with a pair of bright eyes, "Second Madam, thank you for your concern. Let's not waste time on me personally. Let's get back to the topic and discuss the seasoning package?"
Cui Huiyi pouted and said in Cantonese: "A brainless person is worrying about the future of a brainy person?"
Yue Ning returned to the topic: "Spray-dried seasoning powder and sauce packets do not conflict with each other, just like the role of sesame oil packets and soy sauce packets."
Cui Huiyi saw that Director Xie of the food factory was listening very seriously, and for a moment she felt that her brain was not working properly. If Yue Ning's formula was really good, then wouldn't it be...
The car arrived at the food factory while Cui Huiyi was feeling anxious.
Thirty or forty years later, this place was a commercial district where every inch of land was worth a lot of money. Now, it is just a large area of gray industrial plants.
The car entered the gate and stopped at the entrance of the office building. Yue Ning got out of the car. The bright slogan "The general task of the new era is to strive" was painted on the dark and old wall of the office building.
Passing through the empty office building, the several workshops behind were also quiet.
"Why are there no workers going to work?" Yue Ning asked.
Director Xie was surprised and said, "We get off work at five o'clock."
All right! In the previous life, my own factory operated in three shifts, with lights on 24 hours a day. Yue Ning told himself that consumption had not yet taken off, so working the normal day shift was enough.
The canteen was at the end of the workshop. Yue Ning walked under the eaves outside the canteen and looked in through the glass window. In the dim light inside, there were posters and propaganda slogans on the wall, rows of long tables and stools, and a long window for serving food.
But they just walked through the cafeteria and did not go in. Instead, they came to an iron gate. The iron gate was still locked, and on the wall next to the door was written in red paint: "This gate is open from 7:40 to 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 to 5:20 p.m."
A director of the food factory took out his key and unlocked the door. When they passed through the door, they saw a row of red brick buildings under the tall poplar trees. In the open space in front of the buildings, there was a cement slab that served as a table tennis table. Several teenagers were playing table tennis. Not far from them, several girls were skipping rubber ropes, and two old men in vests were playing chess.
A few lesbians were crowded around the water tank.
"Director, how come the guests from Gangcheng are in our family quarters?" asked an older sister who was washing vegetables, raising her wet hands.
"Stop asking questions and wash your vegetables."
Director Xie shouted in a light tone and continued walking forward. There was a fence on the left hand side with a few words "Guest House" painted on it.
A scent of food wafted out from across the wall.
Walking in, there is a row of two-story houses. The clothes hanging upstairs flutter in the wind like flags of all nations, and downstairs there is a sign that says "Restaurant".
"This is our factory's guesthouse. People living in it are from the supply and marketing cooperatives who come from all over the country to line up to order goods." Director Xie said, "Let's go to the guesthouse cafeteria."
"Waiting in line for the goods? Why not work overtime to supply them?" Yue Baohua blurted out.
Director Xie smiled bitterly and said, "This is the only plan our superiors have allocated to us."
"Thank you, Director!" A voice came from the balcony upstairs, and the owner of the voice turned around and ran towards the stairs.
His voice was like a charge. Those who were enjoying the cool air on the balcony, washing clothes in the sink on the east side, and eating in the restaurant all put down what they were doing and rushed towards them, fearing that they would be a step slow.
Before Yue Ning could figure out the situation, the group of people had surrounded Director Xie and Director Liu, and they, the guests, were forcibly squeezed out of the encirclement.
"Thank you, Director. I've been waiting for half a month. Can you let me take two trucks back first?"
"You're only half a month old, but I'm almost a month old."
"Director Xie, please have mercy on me. I'm from Chengdu."
"It's far, right? I'm from Yunnan..."
Boss Cui looked at the mess, frowned, and asked Cui Huiyi: "Even so, you want to come too?"
Cui Huiyi saw Director Xie shouting: "Comrades, comrades, listen to me..."
She was also a little scared. Could she withstand such a situation?
"That's why you come here." Yue Ning said loudly. She happened to be next to Cui Huiyi, and her voice shocked Cui Huiyi.
Yue Ning turned to Boss Cui and said, "Uncle Cui, you see trouble, but I see business opportunities. So many people are waiting for the goods, isn't this all business? Director Xie can't deliver the goods because the superiors don't give us a plan. What about you? Will you be short of supplies? What can't be shipped in from outside? These people are all your future customers. We can even say that they are all your current customers."
Cui Huiyi hugged Yue Ning and said, "Who is doing the business? How come you think faster than me?"
Yue Ning straightened her chest and said proudly: "My grandfather is both a chef and a boss. I am the chef's granddaughter who can cook and run a business."
These words touched Cui Huiyi's heart. Cui Huiyi's eyes fell on Mrs. Cui Er and she gave a contemptuous smile.
Mrs. Cui obviously did not expect Yue Ning to join Cui Huiyi in stabbing her. In addition to embarrassment, there was also sadness on her face.
"Sister, can you think of a way to exchange contact information with them? As long as there are a few capable people among this group of people, there will be someone to sell your food in the future." Yue Ning looked at the thin man in front of her who was pestering Director Xie.
Cui Huiyi blinked and said, "You come to our food factory and help me manage the mainland market? Then I can rest assured."
"Qiao Junxian promised me the position of factory director." Yue Ning leaned closer to Yue Baohua with a proud expression, "I also have a family business to inherit, so I can only reluctantly refuse."
Yue Baohua felt a little embarrassed when his granddaughter said this in front of Boss Cui. After all, what was the Baohua Building's property worth?
Cui Huiyi smiled and looked at Yue Ning: "I think if my father is wise, he should transfer most of Huihuang's shares to you at a low price. This way, not only will you not have to worry about bankruptcy, but you can also make a lot of money. When you really succeed in the future, where will Huihuang survive?"
"Hong Kong is such a big city, there's no way the restaurants would have to fight to the death. Baohualou and Huihuang can still coexist peacefully, right?" Yue Ning said.
After much persuasion from the group of people, Director Xie finally squeezed out and came to their side: "Sorry, sorry, let's go into the kitchen!"
They followed Director Xie to the kitchen, and a chubby chef came out of the kitchen door.
"Master Zhang, are the things ready?" asked Director Xie.
"Ready, ready!" The fat chef turned around and led them into the kitchen.
The kitchen and the dining room were separated by a meal window. An aunt in her fifties was serving meals to the supply and marketing staff. A bowl of rice was topped with a spoonful of mu shu pork and a spoonful of roasted eggplant.
There was a three-burner stove and a wooden table by the window. The fat chef led them over and saw the ingredients that Yue Ning wanted.
Yue Ning picked up a chicken on the table and asked, "Master, is this our Beijing fried chicken?"
"Hey! Girl, you really know what you are talking about. How can you recognize it after plucking the hair?" the master said curiously.
"The imperial chicken of the Qing Palace. It is said that Empress Dowager Cixi would not eat anything other than oily chicken." Yue Ning pinched the chicken breast and felt that the chicken was just the right age.
"That was a long time ago when Cixi was emperor. After the founding of New China, Beijing fried chicken has been used in state banquets." The fat chef couldn't tolerate anyone not knowing the status of this chicken in New China.
"I am not very knowledgeable."
"It's normal that you don't know. You're not from Beijing." The fat chef pointed at a piece of fat and lean meat and said, "This meat is not bad, right? The meat factory left it for me."
"Good meat." Yue Ning looked over and saw that the celery was also very juicy.
The fat chef picked up a bowl filled with half a bowl of sauce and said, "You must have Liubiju's sauce. I don't have it here and I'm too lazy to go buy it. This is the sauce I made myself. Want to try it?"
Yue Ning went to the sink to wash her hands, dipped her fingers in a little sauce, and tasted it. This soybean sauce was fermented just right, with a strong aroma and a strong umami flavor. Her eyes lit up: "So delicious! This sauce is good, I want this sauce."
"Right? Liubiju has good sauce, but they have to make the soy sauce first. Without the first soy sauce, the sauce won't be as fresh."
"Yes, yes! I want Liubiju's sauce because I think their sauce at least tastes good. Who knew there'd be a master chef like you? This sauce is really good."
There are many experts in the field of cooking. Take her previous life's glass crispy roast duck for example. What impressed her most was not the roast duck in Nanjing or Beijing, but the roast duck sold at a small stall beside the Xier Pond in Chaohu Lake. The red, oily and crispy duck skin, the tender and sweet duck meat, and the rich roast duck sauce made it taste amazing.
When Yue Baohua heard what his granddaughter said, he hurried to wash his hands and tried it too.
"Good sauce." Yue Baohua also makes bean paste himself, and the bean paste that goes with the fish rice is made by him. His bean paste is golden in color, has a dense texture, and tastes salty and sweet, which is a specialty of Baohualou.
His several apprentices only learned the basics. Take Ding Shengqiang's Shenghualou for example. The other dishes are OK. The fish rice is simple to make, but the bean paste is slightly different. Even ordinary diners can tell the difference. After eating fish rice at Shenghualou, many diners return to Baohualou and sigh: "The master is the master. The tiger learns from the cat, but he doesn't learn everything!"
The soybean paste making process in the north and south is different. The soybean paste made by Master Zhang has a mellow taste, sweet flavor, and just the right amount of saltiness. It is brown in color and shiny when held up to the light. It is undoubtedly a good paste.
After being praised by the grandparents, Cui Huiyi also came to taste it. As the owner of a food factory, she started from scratch and knew nothing about the business. She was tired of eating her own products. As soon as the sauce touched her tongue, she knew whether it was good or not.
"Sister Huiyi, am I right? The mainland is not short of talent, but it lacks the vision to discover talent. Our food factory has a master chef like Master Zhang."
After being praised by Yue Ning, the fat master rubbed his shiny bald head embarrassedly.
"Master Zhang, my sister Huiyi is worried that the bland chicken soup noodles and seafood noodles in Hong Kong will not suit our taste in the north. If we really invest in production, I wonder if we can sell them?" Yue Ning explained to Master Zhang.
Before Master Zhang could answer, Factory Manager Xie said, "How could it not be sold? There are people queuing outside waiting to pick up the goods."
Cui Huiyi shook her head and said, "Director Xie, supplies are in short supply now, but they won't always be in short supply. We need to make instant noodles that suit the tastes of northerners."
Under the guidance of the fat chef, Yue Ning checked the prepared ingredients and said, "Okay, let's get started right away? Chef Zhang, can you give me an apron?"
As the fat chef was about to get his apron, Director Liu said, "It's already this late, why don't we have dinner first? Let's go to the restaurant across the street."
"No, let's make the sauce first." Cui Huiyi said. After coming to the mainland, local business people would treat her to food and drinks wherever she went. Cui Huiyi knew that this was a Chinese tradition, and that business was also discussed at the dinner table in Hong Kong, but she still had to try local snacks. It was too tiring to eat all the way.
Director Xie looked at the aunt who was serving food. How could he entertain the Hong Kong businessmen with only two dishes? He said with some embarrassment: "How about... how about just having something to eat in our restaurant?"
Cui Huiyi responded readily: "Okay!"
The fat chef got anxious, pulled Director Liu aside, and whispered, "No! I received 33 meal tickets today. You know I prepare meals based on the number of people. When serving food, I have to look at the number of people. If someone joins, I have to cook it again. Today you called and asked for these ingredients. I reserved this chicken and this piece of meat. Where can you expect me to get anything else now?"
Yue Ning looked forward and saw an old lady serving meals to the guests at the window. From the looks of it, it seemed that everyone had a fixed amount of food and there would be no leftovers.
Director Xie heard their conversation and said, "Lao Liu, go find Lao Huang in the cafeteria and get some from there."
Yue Ning looked at the ingredients in front of him and said, "Thank you, Director. Don't bother. I don't need so much chicken and meat to make the sauce. Sister Huiyi and my grandfather have been in the mainland for a while, and they must miss the food in Hong Kong. The remaining chicken and meat are enough for me to make a chicken rice."
"You are guests, how can you do this?"
Yue Ning waved his hand and said, "We are here to try the sauce for future cooperation. Once we cooperate, we will be a family. Director Xie, please stop being so polite."
"Now we are all one family, and we are all Chinese," Cui Huiyi said with a smile.
This was exactly what Director Xie wanted. He nodded and said, "Yes, yes, we are a family, a family!"
"Master Zhang, do you have an apron?" Yue Ning asked.
The fat master brought an apron and Yue Ning tied it on. The apron was too big, so she could only tie the straps to the front. The fat master touched his bald head and smiled, "This apron can be used as a bed sheet."
Yue Ning looked at the apron that looked like a robe and smiled. She asked, "Master Zhang, can you help me make it?"
Just now, Yue Ning praised his sauce. Master Zhang was very happy and thought that this little girl was very likable. He said, "I will follow your instructions."
Yue Ning thought for a moment and said, "Grandpa and Master Zhang, help me. If the others are not interested, don't stay in the kitchen. Go to the dining room and wait until I cook and we can eat together."
"Yue Ning, you are so amazing. You can even let the famous chef in Hong Kong help you." Cui Huiyi said half-jokingly.
"Not only is my grandfather a great chef, our Master Zhang is also a folk master." Yue Ning said proudly, "Having two great chefs helping me, in Beijing dialect, this is called a great honor."
"Girl, let's get started?" asked Master Zhang.
"Get to work!"
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