Chapter 32 Crispy Glutinous Rice Chicken
After finishing his lunch, Luo Shichang felt depressed, so he went out to take a breath and lit a cigarette.
The mother and son came back from the northwest and said that they happened to meet Yue Baohua, and also said that Zhirong's daughter was wild and smart. He thought at the time that the best solution was to give up the idea of letting Guoqiang go to Hong Kong City.
But Lifen said that Yue Baohua was doing very well in Gangcheng, and that Yue Baohua was able to go to the Northwest this time thanks to the help of Gangcheng shipping magnate Qiao Qiming, and it was Qiao Qiming's grandson who accompanied Yue Baohua to the Northwest to find his granddaughter.
It was a pity that this road was closed. Besides, his son was not keen on going to Hong Kong before. They asked him to marry Zhirong's daughter, but he was even more reluctant. Now Guoqiang wanted to go to Hong Kong, saying that he wanted to learn cooking from Zhirong's daughter.
He didn't take it seriously at first, but when his son made a fish soup, he tasted it and his memories from many years ago were awakened. Zhirong was five years younger than him, and he worked so hard, but he could only follow the steps. Zhirong not only learned quickly, but also mastered it.
Zhirong was able to teach his daughter to this level in the Northwest. His son, who is in Fuyunlou, is already considered talented, but still not as good as others.
It would be fine if his son had no interest in cooking, but he wanted to be a chef. The Luo family finally had a child who could inherit their legacy.
Last night he had no choice but to go and beg Yue Baohua, he really knelt down to beg, but Yue Baohua didn't agree, nor did he completely refuse. What should he do next?
"Ah Xing, I still advise you to think about it. If you go to Gangcheng and want to go back to Fuyun Building, you can't come back. There are so many educated youth who have returned from outside, and they are all waiting for their posts. They are struggling to get into a unit like ours. The educated youth who have returned to the city have nothing, so it's okay for them to try their luck. Why are you doing this?"
"And then what? Don't you know what will happen to us in Fuyunlou? The chef of Fuyunlou can only be surnamed Luo, don't you know that? Now it's Luo Shichang, and in twenty years it will be Luo Guoqiang. I am just a cook who can cook a few dishes but not proficiently. Maybe in ten or twenty years, some Liqun Hotel or Weimin Hotel will be short of cooks, and they will transfer me there to be a chef, stir-frying rice noodles and steaming rice rolls for the people, and making a roast duck that tastes neither good nor bad? There is no money, and no fame. I might as well go to Hong Kong. They say that in Hong Kong, even serving dishes and washing dishes in a restaurant can earn a thousand Hong Kong dollars, which is about three hundred yuan a month, right? Even if I wash dishes for ten years, at least I can make money."
"Don't think too simply. I heard that it's not easy to find a job in Gangcheng, and their house rent is very expensive. Some people even live in cages. Our houses are owned by the company. When we get sick, the company reimburses us. When we retire, the company gives us a pension. Gangcheng, you seem to earn a lot, but what about the future?"
"Then I don't want to work for Luo Shichang, and I don't want to be Luo Guoqiang's assistant for the rest of my life. Luo Guoqiang joined Fuyun Building, and he worked as a butcher for a few days. What about us? We worked for several years."
"Master Luo, Manager Zhang asked you to come up. Director Hu from the bureau is here." A voice came from the window of the office on the second floor.
Luo Shichang looked up and said, "I'll be right there."
He walked around the corner and looked at his apprentices Ma Yaoxing and Hou Yaming. Hou Yaming was a little nervous: "Master."
After those words were heard, Ma Yaoxing simply stopped hiding it and didn't even call him master.
Luo Shichang was furious. As the saying goes, a master can only teach you a skill, but you have to practice it yourself. As a craftsman in their profession, who wouldn't leave some skills for their descendants? How had he let them down?
Luo Shichang went upstairs and entered the office of the manager of Fuyun Building.
The manager of the restaurant and the director of the office of the Second Commercial Bureau were smoking and chatting. When Director Hu saw him, he immediately stood up and handed him a cigarette: "Master Luo, have a smoke."
He took the cigarette and went over to sit down.
Director Hu smoked a cigarette and said, "Master Luo! The owner of Gangcheng Baohualou, your uncle, Mr. Yue Baohua, is interested in cooperating with our Fuyunlou and wants to train young chefs for us. I wonder if you have heard about it?"
When his wife and son went to the northwest, they asked Guoqiang to marry Yue Ning. They told others that his father missed Zhirong until his death, and that he and Yue Zhirong were like brothers born from the same mother. Wouldn't it be strange for him to say that he didn't know?
He said, "Uncle Baohua came to the hotel last night, so my father and I went there and talked about the current situation of Fuyunlou. My ability is limited, so many traditional dishes have been lost and I can't teach them to the younger generation. Uncle Baohua asked him to think about it. Maybe this is the reason?"
"That's it. He found Deputy Mayor Zhu through Mr. Qiao Qiming, and Deputy Mayor Zhu asked the newly appointed Director Song to meet Mr. Yue. It happened that Mr. Zhou Xuanxiong was also there. On the one hand, Mr. Yue wanted to reward Mr. Zhou, and on the other hand, he also wanted to demonstrate the recipe of 'crispy glutinous rice chicken' to the young chefs of our Fuyun Building. Tomorrow, Director Song and Mr. Zhou will come." Director Hu handed over the menu and the list of ingredients, "Prepare according to this list and keep the stove ready for the old man. And clean the front hall and the back kitchen. Director Song came to our building for lunch today and said that our waiters have no sense of service at all. I really don't know how we can serve overseas Chinese and foreign guests in the future?"
"Is Director Song here today?" Manager Zhang asked.
Director Hu looked at Manager Zhang and said, "He asked the waiter to call the manager, and when he finished eating and left, you didn't show up."
Manager Zhang was panicked now. All the state-owned hotels, restaurants, grain, oil and non-staple food stores in the city belonged to the Second Commercial Bureau, which was their supervisory unit. He was sent to Fuyunlou by the bureau, and according to normal promotion, he would work in Fuyunlou for a few years, or work in other units for a few years, and then return to the bureau.
"I didn't even know Director Song was coming. Why didn't you tell me in advance that the director was coming?" Manager Zhang asked.
"He's a new official, how can I go up to him and ask around?" Director Hu said, holding a cigarette between his fingers. "He has a very bad impression of Fuyunlou. One of your waiters even cursed Mr. Zhou Xuanxiong. Don't you know who personally overturned Mr. Zhou's case?"
How would ordinary people know this? All they know is that this person has come out again and started looking for food everywhere. They can only know this in their hearts, and they can't really tell Director Hu this.
Manager Zhang could only admit his mistake and say: "I didn't do my job well enough. I will correct it immediately."
"Okay, then you guys prepare well." Director Hu put out his cigarette and stood up.
Manager Zhang and Luo Shichang saw Director Hu off.
Director Hu is a leader in the bureau and does not know the specific situation of their restaurant. Manager Zhang has been assigned to the restaurant for several years. He still has some idea of what kind of character Luo Shichang is. Not to mention that he does not have this skill, even if he has it, such as the marinade and crispy skin recipe for roast meat, he has been preparing it alone until now. Not to mention teaching any apprentice, it is impossible for him to even let others see it. Luo Shichang took the initiative to ask his uncle to teach the chef of Fuyunlou, unless the sun rises from the west.
"Master Luo, let's go! I'll go down with you and explain to everyone the importance of tomorrow." Manager Zhang patted Luo Shichang on the shoulder.
"What?" Luo Shichang asked.
Although the manager is nominally in charge of the entire restaurant, he has no control over the kitchen, which is still under the control of the chef.
"The newly appointed Director Song will come over tomorrow. The kitchen is of utmost importance and cannot be messed up."
Manager Zhang came from the bureau and would be promoted back to be a leader in the future. Of course he took it seriously, but his attention was useless. In the lobby on the second floor, some employees were knitting, some were playing cards, some were sleeping on the table, some were sleeping on stools, and some were eating melon seeds and chatting at the window, and after eating the seeds they threw the shells out of the window.
Seeing this, Manager Zhang felt a tightness in his chest. Would provocation still work on these people? Regardless of whether it worked or not, he still cleared his throat and said, "Comrades, I have good news for you all."
This sentence was like a stone thrown into the water, which caused some ripples, but not big enough. The person who was sleeping on the table opened his eyes, while some people didn't even raise their eyelids. The person who was eating melon seeds and leaning on the window looking outside continued to throw melon seed shells out.
"I think everyone knows that the late Chef Luo Changfa had a junior fellow who opened a restaurant in Hong Kong City, Mr. Yue Baohua, right?"
The person who was cracking melon seeds stopped what he was doing and waited for what was to come.
"Mr. Yue has been in Yuecheng these two days. Master Luo visited Mr. Yue last night and told him about the situation we encountered at Fuyunlou. He hopes that the old man can help our Fuyunlou improve its skills..."
Before Manager Zhang finished speaking, Ma Yaoxing snorted and laughed: "Isn't it just that my master went to ask his uncle to teach Guoqiang? Is it possible that he will ask his uncle to teach us? What's the point of saying these things to us?"
After saying that, he snatched a few melon seeds from the lady who was cracking them and cracked them with her.
This group of people are not serious about their work and are full of resentment.
"You are wrong." Manager Zhang said with a smile, "Your master invited Chef Yue to come to our restaurant tomorrow to make crispy glutinous rice chicken. Chef Yue also contacted the bureau and said he would help train chefs for our Fuyunlou."
"Crispy glutinous rice chicken?" Ma Yaoxing returned the melon seeds to his elder sister, his eyes lit up, "How do you train me?"
Manager Zhang walked up to Ma Yaoxing and said, "The initial plan is to sign a cooperative training agreement with our restaurant. We will select three to four young chefs with potential from our restaurant and send them to Gangcheng Baohualou to serve as apprentices for two years to learn the craft. After two years, they will return to our Fuyunlou."
"People in Gangcheng should not be too smart! Are you asking us to take Fuyunlou's salary and work for them for free?" someone shouted.
Ma Yaoxing looked up and said, "Are you really teaching me how to make crispy glutinous rice chicken? If that's the case, I would be willing to work for him for two years for nothing without paying a cent."
"What nonsense are you talking about? We don't want to take advantage of you. We are here to help you improve your skills." Manager Zhang patted Ma Yaoxing on the shoulder. "Chef Yue mentioned it from the beginning. We should pay you 70% of the wages of chefs in Gangcheng. It's not that Baohualou doesn't pay the other 30%, but the rent in Gangcheng is more expensive, so he needs to find accommodation for everyone."
Director Hu didn't say these words just now, and Luo Shichang doesn't know either, so what does Yue Baohua mean?
"30% off? How much does a chef in Hong Kong charge per month?"
Manager Zhang smiled and said, "He said that according to the evaluation of craftsmanship, the price for an average one,500 to two thousand, and for a good one, three to four thousand. Of course, this is just a preliminary statement. Whether it can be realized or not depends on the performance of the comrades in the future."
Someone calculated: "That's 1500 Hong Kong dollars, 30% off, and converted to our money, it's 300 a month, and my salary is only 37.80."
“The key is that you can also learn a craft.”
"Is Chef Yue's cooking skills really that good?" Some people were unconvinced.
"Rumors are just rumors! He is even better than Master Luo."
"More powerful? How powerful is that?"
"I've never seen Chef Yue's cooking skills, but when I came here, Chef Yue's son Yue Zhirong was there. He is indeed very skilled. He taught me how to stir-fry beef noodles. Now people call me Niu He Bang." said A Bang, who specializes in stir-frying beef noodles at Fuyunlou.
Manager Zhang looked around at the chefs who were now as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood, especially Ma Yaoxing. He knew that this kid had some skills and wanted to learn, but he couldn't, so he was very resentful. Luo Shichang repeatedly said that he should be transferred, but other units were now replaced by their children, so where would there be a suitable position?
He patted Ma Yaoxing on the shoulder and said, "If you want a chance, go get it yourself."
Manager Zhang looked at the waiters and asked, "Who served Zhou Xuanxiong yesterday?"
"Who is it?"
"I served the food to the fat guy. He still hasn't learned his lesson after all these years and still puts on the airs of a rich landlord. I just said a few words to him. What's wrong?"
"Come to my office."
Manager Zhang turned and left, and the waiter followed him with a pout.
Luo Shichang also turned around and left. Seeing that all the leaders had left, someone grabbed Luo Guoqiang and asked, "Guoqiang, was it really your father who went to ask for help?"
Luo Guoqiang was silent for a while and said, "No, my dad only asked Grandpa Yue for me. It should be Grandpa Yue and Ningning's idea. If you really want to learn well, seize this opportunity."
"Just tell me. How could your dad possibly think of us for good things? Chef Yue is a really good person. He wanted to give you a chance and give us some opportunities as well. Guoqiang, any of us who can go out with you is because of you."
Luo Guoqiang thought about what his parents had done and said with some disappointment: "It may be harder for me than for you."
Such a big event happened in Fuyun Building. After the night market ended that day, everyone worked overtime to clean up. Some people were full of complaints, some were excited, and some were worried.
*
At eight o'clock the next morning, Director Song and Director Hu of the Second Commercial Bureau went to pick up the grandparents and grandchildren, and then went to pick up Grandpa Zhou.
Grandpa Zhou got in the car and stuffed a paper box with a dragon and phoenix pattern into Yue Ning's hand. Yue Ning opened it with a smile. Inside was a double layer of peanut candy. She distributed it to everyone, then opened a piece of candy and put it in her mouth.
Grandpa Zhou looked at her, and Yue Ning said, "It still tastes like the old fat grandpa."
The fat grandfather is still so fat, but the big fat girl is dark and thin. Old Man Zhou sighed secretly. He could only comfort himself that Xiao Yue is gone, but Old Yue is still there, and the child still has someone to rely on and will be raised up.
He also secretly warned himself that no matter how delicious the food the children cooked today, he must control his mouth, praise more and criticize less.
It’s only a ten-minute walk, not to mention driving, and now we’ve arrived at Fuyun Building.
Yue Ning got off the car and saw the Fuyun Building in her memory again. However, most of her memories were in the small courtyard behind this European-style building, where there was the nursery of Fuyun Building. She waited for two o'clock in the afternoon every day, when her father would take a break and bring her delicious food and play with her for a while. Her father would work until nine o'clock in the evening, and Grandma Zhang from the nursery would take her home first. After work, her father would go to Grandma Zhang's house to pick her up and carry her home.
"Ningning, let's go." Yue Baohua reminded his granddaughter who was in a daze.
Yue Ning followed, and Luo Shichang and a middle-aged man came over. According to Director Song and Director Hu, the middle-aged man was Manager Zhang of Fuyun Building.
Manager Zhang invites everyone to go into Fuyun Building.
The kitchen shift is from 10 am to 10 pm, with one group taking turns to rest.
It's not time for the chefs to start work yet, but all the apprentice chefs on duty and off duty have arrived, and the kitchen seems a bit crowded.
Luo Shichang took Yue Baohua to a stove and said, "Uncle Baohua, this is my stove. I'll give it to you today."
Luo Shichang is the head chef. The head chef can cook, but he doesn’t cook often. He has the best seat, which is the most suitable for demonstration and teaching.
"Guoqiang, come and introduce the materials." Luo Shichang called his son over.
Luo Guoqiang came over and said, "Grandpa Yue, all the materials you want are here."
Yue Ning followed Yue Baohua. All the staple and non-staple foods in the city were under the jurisdiction of the Second Commercial Bureau. Fuyunlou had the reputation of being the best Cantonese restaurant. Grandpa Zhou knew that Yue Ning wanted to cook. If the child hadn't insisted on making those complicated dishes, he would have tried to choose common ones. It was not difficult to prepare all these ingredients.
Yue Ning bent down to look at the two chickens on the table. Luo Guoqiang said, "These two are both 150-day-old juvenile chickens."
Yue Ning went to wash his hands and picked up a chicken: "This texture and this fatness are just right."
She nodded and said to Yue Baohua, "Grandpa, let's change our clothes and start right away."
"good."
Do the grandparents and grandchildren do it together?
Yue Ning and Yue Baohua turned to go out. She saw a man with thick lips waving at her. Even though she didn't have many memories when she was five years old, she couldn't help but hear her father mentioning him all day long: "Your uncle Abang, the one with two big chili peppers hanging from his mouth..."
"Uncle Abang."
"It's really Ningning!" Abang shouted happily.
"Yes! Yes! My grandfather went to the northwest to pick me up! I'll prepare the chicken first. I'll talk to you when I'm free." Yue Ning said to Niu Hebang.
"Okay, you're busy!"
The grandparents and grandchildren put on Fuyunlou chef uniforms and hats and went to the table together.
Yue Ning looked at his grandfather and said, "Today, I will make my grandfather and father's specialty, crispy glutinous rice chicken."
Everyone came early to watch Yue Baohua make this crispy glutinous rice chicken, how come this little girl has to do it? Isn't this the same as Luo Shichang teaching Luo Guoqiang?
Their inheritance is a family tradition, and others are just watching from the sidelines?
"Yesterday, Manager Zhang said that Chef Yue personally showed us how to make crispy glutinous rice chicken. Over the years, I have taught everyone how to cook here with my son, but the ingredients and techniques are all things we learned when we got home. If this is the demonstration method, I think everyone will just leave and do what they need to do. Don't waste time." Ma Yaoxing said, "How can such a good thing happen in the world? Should I pass on my special skills to you?"
Manager Zhang was almost mad, the leaders were all here! How come Ma Yaoxing had no discipline at all?
He stopped Ma Yaoxing who was leading the way and turned around: "What are you doing?"
"Manager Zhang, let him go. He is afraid of losing face. He is ten years older than me, but his basic skills are not as good as mine. He can't even debone a whole chicken." Yue Ning said with a smile.
Ma Yaoxing heard her brazen words and turned around: "You...deboned a whole chicken?"
"I know you can't do it, but I can!" Yue Ning walked up to him with a smile, "I don't want my grandfather to help me today, so you come and help me. Except for deboning a whole chicken, which requires practice, I can't teach you in one day. For the other steps, if I don't explain one ingredient correctly, I don't deserve to be Yue Zhirong's daughter. How do you do it?"
Ma Yaoxing looked at her doubtfully, remembering what Niu Hebang said, that when Yue Zhirong was around, she was willing to tell anything.
"Can you debone a whole chicken?" he asked, "without breaking the skin on its back?"
"Have you practiced it?" Yue Ning asked him, "No other part of your body broke, only your back?"
"Yes." Ma Yaoxing replied.
"Please confirm it again. You can do it in other places, but not in this place?" Yue Ning confirmed with him again.
"The skin on the back is too thin and there is not much meat. Every time, a small cut will be made," said Ma Yaoxing.
Yue Ning sighed with a hint of disdain: "Oh, this will waste a lot of □□?"
Hou Yaming continued, "Yes! All the chickens used for stir-frying or making chicken nuggets are used by Ah Xing to practice. Ah Xing is the best at knife skills among us, and has the best control over the temperature when cooking."
Just now, when Ma Yaoxing was about to leave, he said that Luo Shichang was only willing to teach his son, and would not pass on the seasoning formula to his apprentice. Knife skills can be improved through practice. When cooking, Luo Shichang could not avoid others, and everyone could watch and think. The only difference was that if one's own cooking skills had not yet reached the level of perfection, it would be much more difficult to mix the right taste by oneself.
Yue Ning said excitedly: "That's fine! I'll take care of one of these two chickens, and you can take care of the other one. I'll teach you and I promise you'll learn it. If you don't, I'll be responsible."
"What are you responsible for?" someone asked curiously.
"Let my grandfather teach you until you master it." Yue Ning said with a smile, "From this perspective, isn't it a sure win?"
Her words were humorous and made everyone laugh, which immediately eased the tense atmosphere.
Someone shouted loudly: "Axing, hurry up."
Yue Ning waved his hand quickly: "Hurry up, hurry up, this dish takes a long time to make. If the flavor doesn't penetrate into it, the air-drying effect is not good, and the color is uneven, it doesn't matter if I lose face, but it will be terrible if I lose face for my grandfather."
Hou Yaming pulled Ma Yaoxing to the front and said, "Here we come, here we come."
Yue Ning said to Yue Baohua: "Grandpa, please make way."
Yue Baohua smiled and stepped aside, walking to Mr. Zhou's side. Mr. Zhou looked up and asked, "Master Yue, can Ningning really cook these dishes?"
Yue Baohua had never seen his granddaughter cook these dishes, but these days of getting along with her made him believe that if she said she could do it, then she could definitely do it. He answered confidently, "No problem."
Yue Ning looked at the big cook next to him and asked, "Your name is A Xing, right?"
"Ma Yaoxing." He responded.
Seeing Ma Yaoxing lowering his head, Yue Ning said, "Axing, the most taboo thing about learning a craft is being shy and not daring to ask questions. If you don't understand something, ask immediately. Do you understand?"
"What he lacks the least is courage. He doesn't even know what shyness is." Someone in the audience joked with a smile.
Yue Ning nodded: "That couldn't be better, let's get started."
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