Chapter 130: Limited-Time Mutton Soup
Song Xinran was slightly taken aback, not expecting this turn of events. Facing President Liao's friendly smile, she took the business card and glanced at it lightly: "Thank you, President Liao, for your appreciation of Song's products."
When Mr. Liao heard her speak, his smile became even more sincere: "I've eaten at Songji before and seen Songji's programs on TV. Manager Song not only has excellent skills, but also always puts customers first. This dedication to her original aspiration is truly admirable!"
Since appearing on television, Song Xinran has heard countless similar compliments, and naturally went along with it, saying, "President Liao, you're too kind. This is just what a restaurateur should do."
Mr. Liao said earnestly, "I own a shop and sell food, so I can barely be considered a half-restaurant person. I know best that this industry looks simple but actually has many challenges, and it needs people like Manager Song who have perseverance and skills the most!"
Song Xinran smiled modestly and praised President Liao a few times. In fact, she had never met President Liao before, but she was very adept at social interaction and spoke fluently and eloquently.
"Since Mr. Liao has some free time to come to Song's Restaurant today, Shen Hui has arranged a good seat for Mr. Liao and Manager Wei," Song Xinran greeted them.
Hearing his name mentioned by Song Xinran, Wei Dong quickly seized the opportunity and said with a fawning smile, "Thank you, Manager Song. Next time you come to Xianlufang, please let me know in advance so I can prepare."
Song Xinran glanced at him lightly and smiled slightly: "Manager Wei, please take a seat."
Although Song Xinran didn't visit Xianlufang often, she was well aware of Wei Dong's thoughts. His friendliness was just a facade; he was wary inside. Wei Dong was no pushover, but she didn't care about his behavior. In a few months, her contract with Xianlufang would expire and she wouldn't renew it. She would also have no further contact with Wei Dong after that.
It's quite funny that Wei Dong, who used to avoid her, is now bragging that he's her friend.
Shen Hui led Wei Dong and President Liao to their seats.
Wei Dong's smile was slightly awkward, but he quickly recovered and handed the menu to General Manager Liao with both hands: "General Manager Liao, please order."
General Manager Liao didn't lift a finger, but said with a smile, "Manager Wei, just do what you think is best. Every dish at Song Ji is delicious."
When Wei Dong saw the prices on the menu, his heart ached. Although he knew that Song Ji was a high-end restaurant and the dishes were not cheap, he was still shocked when he actually saw them.
You can't be stingy when treating someone to a meal, especially when you need their help. Wei Dong gritted his teeth and ordered a table full of dishes. When he handed the menu to the waiter, his heart was bleeding.
General Manager Liao smiled and said, "I didn't expect that Manager Wei and Manager Song are friends. I'm grateful to Manager Wei for introducing us today. I'll toast Manager Wei with tea instead of wine."
Wei Dong quickly picked up his cup and drank his tea, putting on a perfect front, but inwardly he was wryly smiling. He hadn't been given a chance to introduce himself to anyone today. President Liao had already started chatting with Song Xinran, and his attitude was much more gentle and warm than when he was talking to Wei Dong.
Before the food was even served, Wei Dong and General Manager Liao chatted about trivial matters.
After the dishes were served and Wei Dong took a couple of bites, he brought up the matter of selling the Fresh Braised Food gift boxes in Boss Liao's store. As the saying goes, "He who takes a bribe is bound to be grateful," and "If you eat something, business will be easier to discuss."
Unexpectedly, Mr. Liao was not buying it at all, and said, "Let's not talk about business while we're eating. Such delicious food should be savored properly so as not to waste it."
Wei Dong smiled and agreed, "General Manager Liao is right. Manager Song used to say the same thing all the time."
"Oh, really?" Mr. Liao became interested.
Wei Dong also forgot whether it was true or not. Although Song Xinran came to the braised food workshop once a week, the two of them didn't actually communicate much.
However, Wei Dong had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue fabricating a story, creating a sophisticated and high-class persona for Song Xinran to please her.
Mr. Liao was very pleased to hear this, so Wei Dong once again veered the conversation back to business.
But when the topic of business came up, Mr. Liao would say there was no rush, but when it came to Song Xinran, he would become very enthusiastic.
Wei Dong was at his wit's end. What else could he do? He couldn't very well put on a show when he was asking for a favor.
At this moment, Wei Dong felt extremely regretful. If he had known Song Xinran's identity earlier, he would have definitely tried to build a good relationship with her. Just like now, one word from Song Xinran would have been more effective than a hundred words from him.
As the meal finally came to an end, Wei Dong's heart was still in his throat. Fortunately, General Manager Liao finally spoke up: "Manager Wei, please tell me in detail about the gift boxes that Fresh Braised Food wants to make."
Wei Dong's eyes lit up, as if he had seen a savior.
General Manager Liao listened attentively. In fact, he had already seen through many things when he first met Song Xinran. It was obvious that Manager Song was not familiar with Wei Dong. Wei Dong probably only knew Manager Song and that the friend thing was just a forced connection.
Even if you're friends, business is business.
He could put the Fresh Braised Food Gift Boxes in stores, but he would have to work on reducing the profit margin.
*
Wei Dong still took the order, but the profit margin for the fresh braised food shop was very low; he only considered it as opening up sales channels.
However, Wei Dong didn't seem happy when he went to the fresh braised food shop. He was often lost in thought and seemed absent-minded.
Shop employees Shi Hui and Fan Qiu exchanged a glance and silently agreed to ignore him.
When there are fewer customers, the staff can take a break. Fan Qiu asked Shi Hui, "Have you decided what dishes to order tonight?"
Shi Hui said, "I need to look at the menu and think about it."
Fan Qiu said humorously, "It's a deal, one dish per person, don't order too much, otherwise we won't be able to pay the bill and will have to stay there washing dishes and working to pay it off."
Shi Hui patted his pocket and said somewhat uncertainly, "I prepared two hundred yuan, should that be enough?"
"Where are you going to eat? You've brought so much money!" Wei Dong interjected at some point, speaking in a tone of someone who'd been there before, "You're still young and don't know the importance of saving money. You'll regret it later if you spend it recklessly."
Fan Qiu said, "We're going to try Song Ji's food, which is the restaurant owned by Chef Song."
Shi Hui said, "Chef Song's braised dishes are so delicious, his stir-fries must be even more delicious, and he's quite famous on TV!"
Wei Dong fell silent for a moment, then finally managed to say, "Go if you want, a hundred yuan is enough."
Shi Hui and Fan Qiu left happily after get off work. The next day at work, they were in high spirits, talking excitedly and still savoring the taste of Song Ji's dishes.
Wei Dong was a little confused. Song Xinran used to work with them, but now she was from a completely different world. Wouldn't they feel uncomfortable, have a great sense of loss, and think that the world was unfair?
Fan Qiu said with a touch of joy, "Chef Song is so kind. When he saw us arrive, he even brought us a small plate of pumpkin cakes."
Shi Hui nodded quickly: "That's right, that's right! I saw it on the menu, pumpkin pancakes are fifteen yuan a serving! Chef Song is so generous!"
Wei Dong frowned slightly: "Did the two of you order a lot of food?"
Shi Hui: "No, just two dishes. Although it was expensive, it tasted really good. If I had the money, I would eat there every day!"
Wei Dong was incredulous: "We only ordered two dishes and Chef Song gave us pumpkin pancakes as a gift?"
Fan Qiu: "Yes, Chef Song said thank you for coming, haha."
Wei Dong: ...
Wei Dong was completely baffled. He had invited President Liao to discuss business last night and ordered seven or eight dishes, spending three or four hundred yuan, but nothing was given as a gift. Song Xinran hadn't said anything about thanking him for his patronage!
He clearly spent more money!
How can people treat each other so differently?
Song Xinran didn't think about Wei Dong's thoughts at all. However, the next time she went to the braised food shop, she found that Wei Dong was much more enthusiastic towards her. When he saw her, he even brought her a plate of freshly washed apples and offered them to her.
According to Fan Qiu, Wei Dong bought the apples with his own money, which is unbelievable for Wei Dong, who is known for being stingy.
However, Song Xinran still didn't eat the apple. She stayed at the fresh braised food shop for a while and then left. Now that Shi Hui was almost able to handle things on his own, she was just playing the role of a mascot.
This 5,000 yuan a month is like a salary falling from the sky, and it will be gone in less than half a year.
As the weather got colder, Song Xinran took her salary to the mall and bought two down comforters, two new cotton mattresses, and two electric blankets.
Compared to the north, winters in Yongyan are not considered cold, with temperatures mostly above freezing. However, it is still very difficult to get into bed at night by warming the bed with your body.
Song Xinran's idea is that if something can be solved with technology, she will never rely on willpower and physical strength to endure hardship.
The newly bought down comforter is incredibly fluffy, soft and light against the skin, with a faint natural downy scent, and extremely warm.
All the bedding on both beds in the house was replaced with new ones. After Song Yu helped her put the quilt on, he rubbed his freshly washed face against the pure cotton quilt cover, then lay down on the bed and rolled around, saying, "Mommy, the new quilt is so soft."
In the past, quilts in the countryside were made of cotton. After sleeping in them for several winters, the cotton quilts became stiff and rigid, not very warm. You had to use force to tuck the corners in tightly. But if you turned over at night, the stiff cotton quilt would stick up, and cold air would blow in, making it easy to wake up from the cold.
These rigid cotton quilts need to be fluffed at the factory and have some new cotton added to make them warm again, but the cost is not cheap for ordinary rural families. So many rural families just make do with them, since they won't freeze to death anyway.
Song Yudu remembered that when he went from his rural hometown to the town, his mother brought a new cotton quilt. He slept with his mother at that time. The new cotton quilt was snow-white and smelled warm. He slept very soundly that night.
Now we have new quilts at home, which are lighter and softer than cotton quilts. However, the old cotton quilts that were retired were not thrown away. Instead, Mom took them to the cotton mill to be processed and turned into mattresses, which still do their best to keep Song Yu warm in the winter.
Song Yu lay on the bed for a while.
Song Xinran said with a smile, "Then Xiao Yu can get a good night's sleep tonight."
Song Yu turned her head to look at her, her eyes bright: "I used to sleep very well too."
Song Xinran smiled and thought he was sometimes like a little pig, able to eat and sleep well, and with a very regular daily routine.
Before getting into bed, Song Yu turned on the electric blanket. When it was time to sleep, the bed was warm and cozy. Song Yu was very curious about this new gadget. She rolled around in bed a few times in her pajamas. Although the electric blanket had been turned off before she went to sleep, it was still warm everywhere.
He placed his hand on the fleece sheet, touching the thin threads of the electric blanket, and quickly fell asleep.
Song Yu thought electric blankets were really a good thing. He wished he had electric blankets back then. Winters used to be very cold, but it had been so long that Song Yu had almost forgotten how cold it was and how he survived it.
On the day of the winter solstice, Lin Jingyuan and his driver brought them a fresh leg of lamb when they delivered vegetables.
“These are sheep raised by villagers themselves. They usually graze on the mountain. After slaughtering the sheep, they gave half to my family. There aren’t many people in my family, so we couldn’t finish them all. I thought I’d bring some to you so that the mutton wouldn’t go to waste.”
Lin Jingyuan spoke eloquently, but Song Xinran knew that mutton was a nourishing food in winter, and there was no way to give away leftovers, especially since it was a genuine local mutton. Even if she took it to the market, she could sell it for a good price. However, since they were good friends, Song Xinran accepted the invitation and even invited Lin Jingyuan to the restaurant for mutton soup that evening.
Lin Jingyuan smiled and agreed.
Song Xinran quickly prepared the lamb leg. After cutting it open, the meat was of excellent quality, with a light red and glossy color, evenly distributed milky white fat, and delicate and firm muscle. It had a faint lamb smell, but it wasn't pungent.
Song Xinran first removed the mutton fat, then cut the mutton leg meat into pieces, smashed the bones, and then put them into a pot to cook.
The most important thing in making mutton soup is to remove the muttony smell. Of course, some people like the muttony smell and say that if it doesn't have a muttony smell, it's not mutton at all. But Song Xinran has a milder palate and doesn't like the muttony smell.
When the water boiled for the first time, Song Xinran skimmed off the foam from the broth, rinsed the mutton with warm water, boiled water again, added scallions, ginger, pepper, angelica, and orange peel, and cooked the mutton uncovered.
The most important thing to remove the muttony smell when making mutton soup is to cook it with the lid off. If you keep the lid on, the muttony smell will be completely absorbed into the soup. However, the biggest drawback of cooking with the lid off is that everyone can smell the muttony smell.
This flavor is incredibly fresh, without any fishy or gamey taste. It's the pure, authentic freshness of mutton. The boiling broth continuously releases warmth and aroma, making your heart itch just by smelling it. In this cold winter, it feels like a test for you.
It was almost closing time at Song Ji Restaurant, and only one table of diners remained. But the smell of mutton soup made them reluctant to leave.
Winter and mutton soup are a perfect match. Just smelling the aroma makes you imagine how warm and delicious a bowl of hot soup would be. It makes you feel completely refreshed and warm all over.
There are several restaurants in the city that specialize in mutton soup, but none of them seem to have the same aroma as this one. It truly lives up to its name, Song Ji. Just the smell alone makes it surpass the professional ones.
The customer couldn't resist calling over a waiter: "Does Song Ji serve mutton soup today? I didn't see it on the menu, but I can smell it now. Could I have a bowl?"
Pang Ru hesitated for a moment, then explained, "I'm sorry, the mutton soup isn't on our menu. It's something the chef makes for our staff. It's not as elaborate or refined as the soup we serve to customers. It's just something the chef makes casually."
Pang Ru thought that this would dissuade the customer, but to her surprise, the customer exclaimed, "Your staff are paid so well?!"
Food that customers couldn't get was provided separately for the staff; the aroma alone made it smell delicious and comforting.
Pang Ru couldn't help but smile, her pride mixed with a touch of shyness. She was proud that Songji's employees certainly received good treatment, and this was something the store manager had personally made!
Feeling shy and helpless, I wondered how to refuse this customer.
All she could say was, "Today is the Winter Solstice, and the manager said it's a good day to drink mutton soup."
The customer exclaimed, "Wow! It's a seasonal limited edition!"
He quickly smiled at Pang Ru and said, "Ask the manager if we can have a separate serving of mutton soup for ourselves. We're the only table left in the restaurant."
He also wanted to try the seasonal mutton soup.
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