Since Ye Tian was hosting a birthday party for Li Yue's grandfather, she had to bring a gift. As a student, she wasn't suitable for expensive gifts. A handwritten calligraphy piece would be a more expressive gesture.
It just so happened that she still had some paper and ink left from the last time she bought for the competition, so she brought these materials to her small house and thought about what kind of work would be better.
But Ye Tian thought again and decided that ordinary paper and ink might not be appropriate. It would be better to buy red paper and use gold powder to write longevity characters in various shapes to create a picture of a hundred longevity symbols, which would be sincere and respectful enough.
She immediately went to the online store and placed an order. She then used ordinary paper to design the layout of the characters, following the small seal script "Hundred Longevity" pattern from the Xi'an Forest of Steles, and combined them to create the effect she wanted.
The next night, Li Yue told Ye Tian about some of the requirements for the birthday party.
Her family was very easy-going. Since it was her grandfather's 76th birthday, they didn't plan to have a big celebration, but just invite relatives and a few old friends to have a meal at home. The total number of people was about 15 or 16.
Li Yue said that since they have a large dining table at home, they only need to cook one dish. As for the dishes, they estimate that they will need to prepare about 16 dishes.
As for whether there are any special food taboos, since the participants are either old or not locals, not many can eat spicy food, so as long as the food is not too spicy, it will be fine.
Knowing this, Ye Tian had an idea in her mind. She planned to cook Cantonese and Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine. Because there were elderly people around, she planned to focus on softer and more tender foods.
As for what dishes to cook, she still needs to think about it, and has tentatively ordered four cold dishes, twelve hot dishes, a soup and two staple foods.
"I will try to finalize the menu around Friday, decide on the various ingredients needed, and bring them to your home to purchase. We may also need some plates with special shapes. Then, early Sunday morning, I will go home with you, and we will start preparing early." Ye Tian said solemnly to Li Yue.
"No problem, I'll follow your instructions!" Li Yue agreed to everything. "It's too difficult for you to do all this alone. Do you want us to find you two assistants? I have an aunt who cooks at home to help."
"Just one aunt is enough. We don't need too many people. It will easily cause chaos at the scene." Ye Tian thought for a while.
In the following days, Ye Tian repeatedly considered the menu. After all, it was a birthday banquet, so the dishes had to be suitable and the names had to be auspicious and festive. It was indeed quite difficult to grasp, but this was not a problem for her as she had hosted various banquets before.
Finally she finalized the menu as follows.
Four cold dishes: drunken shrimp, braised bamboo shoots, mixed jellyfish, and dried tofu and amaranth.
Twelve hot dishes: Fortune as Great as the East Sea (steamed grouper), Live as Long as the Southern Mountains (diced black pepper Wagyu beef), Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix, Bamboo Brings Peace, Lion's Head in Clear Soup, Conger Eel and Cuttlefish Roll, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Braised Sea Cucumber in Abalone Sauce, Shark's Fin Soup, Boiled Dried Shredded Vegetables, Stir-fried Asparagus, and Truffle Bamboo Fungus Balls.
Soup: Ginseng and pear soup.
Staple food: longevity buns, longevity noodles with shredded eel.
"What are the dishes "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" and "Bamboo Reports Peace"?" Li Yue asked curiously after reading the menu.
"Keep it a secret, you'll know when the time comes." Ye Tian deliberately kept it mysterious.
Li Yue said aggrievedly: "Since you won't tell me, then fine!"
…
On Li Yue’s grandfather’s birthday, her family’s driver came early to pick up Li Yue and Ye Tian.
Li Yue's home is a three-story detached villa located in an old wealthy area of the city. The residents in the community are either rich or noble.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Li seemed to be very kind people. They welcomed and thanked Ye Tian for her help. They were also very friendly and enthusiastic towards her, and did not look down on her just because she was a poor student.
To be honest, Dad Li originally invited Chef Xu from the Xiyuan main store to come to his home to prepare the birthday banquet, but when the old man heard it was him, he expressed his reluctance, saying that the dishes he cooked were superficial and actually very unpalatable.
Since the old man said so, Li's father had no choice. He tried to find the chefs of several other high-end restaurants, but the old man still said that their food tasted bad and he didn't want to eat it.
Old child, old child, refers to the old people who are old and have the willful personality of a child. Father Li really didn't know which chef to ask to cook.
Li Yue happened to know about this and recommended Ye Tian. Li's father and mother thought, let's try it out. They just asked a young girl to cook. She was Li Yue's classmate. Even if the cooking was mediocre, the old man would not be embarrassed to say anything.
So the whole family thought Ye Tian was a savior and tried their best to cooperate with her various requirements. They bought the best ingredients and purchased a new batch of plates.
Moreover, they heard from Li Yue that Ye Tian's family was in difficult financial conditions, so they prepared to give her a big red envelope to help alleviate the child's financial difficulties.
After arriving at Li Yue's house, Ye Tian greeted Li's father and mother, exchanged a few simple pleasantries, and then began to prepare for the birthday party.
She starts by simmering dishes like Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, which require a long preparation. She also likes to prepare the abalone sauce and broth in advance. She doesn't rush other dishes, so she prepares the accompanying dishes first. She plans everything in advance, ensuring everything is clearly laid out.
It was almost noon, and Li Yue's mother asked the cook to make lunch first. Ye Tian happened to have nothing to do and wanted to help.
Li Yue's mother firmly stopped her, saying that Ye Tian was a guest and that she was invited to cook for the birthday party that evening, but now she was a guest at home and it was unreasonable to let the guest cook for herself. Ye Tian understood that Li's mother was respecting her, so she waited obediently to taste the cooking skills of the auntie.
Li Yue's family is usually quite simple. With three people, her aunt, and the driver, they usually cook four dishes. Today, Ye Tian was there for lunch, so she had her aunt prepare six dishes, using ingredients from the birthday banquet. They included simple garlic shrimp, braised fish, chicken with mushrooms, shredded pork and green peppers, dry-pot broccoli, and stir-fried choy sum.
Because the ingredients are fresh and are all organic products supplied by the farm of Li’s friends, the original taste of the dishes is very good. So even though the aunt’s cooking skills are average, the dishes are of above-average quality and taste very good.
After dinner, Ye Tian went to Li Yue's room to take a nap with her. Li Yue's room was on the second floor. It had its own large bedroom, a small reception room, a study, a cloakroom, and a bathroom. The total area was about 100 square meters, which was very spacious and comfortable.
Moreover, the decoration style of her room is very girlish, mainly pink and purple, and the furniture is mainly white European solid wood furniture. It is obvious that this is where the little princess lives.
Li Yue dug out her old photo album and shared it with Ye Tian. From the photos, it was clear that she was one of those girls who had always been beautiful. As a child, she wore a puffy skirt, small leather shoes, and a ponytail. She looked so quiet and adorable!
"Was I cute when I was a child?" Li Yue looked up at Ye Tian, waiting for her praise.
"You are very cute now too!" Ye Tian praised sincerely.
"Hahahahahahahaha, I feel embarrassed by your praise. You are also very cute, sincere, strong and warm." Li Yue was also sincere.
"If you praise me again, I will feel embarrassed!" Ye Tian tilted her head.
The conversation between the two was so childish that I couldn't help laughing. They got so sleepy that they fell asleep.
At half past three, Ye Tian got up and started preparing for dinner.
She started by making the lion's head, mincing the meat herself. She had her aunt soak the sea cucumber and shark's fin two days in advance so they could be prepared directly. She also arranged the other dishes based on the time required, ensuring the banquet could officially begin at 6 p.m.
The highlight, "A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix," is a delicate job, and several dishes today have been designed with carvings and decorations. Auntie can only help with simple processing of the ingredients, so Ye Tian is really busy from beginning to end.
At five in the afternoon, the driver picked up the old man from the old house. He glared as he entered. "I told you not to throw a banquet. It's better to have a simple bowl of noodles. You guys are just messing around. What kind of chef did you hire this time?"
"Grandpa, you can't guess it this time. Wait a minute and try it to see if you are satisfied." Li Yue also started to keep the suspense.
When the guests arrived one after another, everyone took their seats after some courtesy, and the birthday banquet officially began!
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