That's how confident I am.
Liu Xiangmei, who had been feeling uneasy and doubtful, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this call.
Strangely enough, as soon as her daughter came back, she seemed to have found her pillar of support.
Even though she was the mother, ever since the complete falling out with the Wang family, she felt like her daughter had suddenly grown up. After coming to the county, she noticed that her daughter had become very opinionated and intelligent without her even realizing it. So now, as long as her daughter was by her side, she felt at ease and more confident.
Just like yesterday at noon, she was a little timid at first, but she didn't want people to think that she was a coward who would only endure and hide no matter how she was bullied. Knowing that her daughter was watching from the side, she mustered up the courage to say, "I'm not afraid of trouble."
"You're back?" She looked at her daughter who walked in happily, and her expression softened involuntarily. "Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? Mom will make it for you."
Wang Yao gulped down a large vat of water that her mother had cooled down for her earlier, let out a long breath, and then chuckled and said, "I want to eat tomatoes with sugar. I'll have some skewers when they start grilling later."
Wang Yao only kept a few tomatoes from yesterday; the rest were made into tomato sauce.
Last night, after finishing her evening self-study session, she felt completely exhausted, but when she got home and saw the tomatoes on the table, she immediately perked up.
Tomato sauce, tomato sauce, her favorite tomato sauce. Even though it was already 9:30, she couldn't wait to start making tomato sauce to save her soul, which had been tormented by studying all day.
Working tirelessly, Ms. Liu Xiangmei repeatedly asked, "Is it ready yet?", "How much longer?", and "You should go to sleep," before finally finishing the two large jars of tomato sauce.
“Your stomach is empty, you can’t just eat sour food. I’ll make you some fried rice with eggs, you can eat it with that.” Liu Xiangmei said, and walked towards the kitchen on her own.
Just then, someone outside asked, "Boss Liu, when do we start grilling the barbecue?"
In the few days since the opening, the people in front of her have come almost every day. Wang Yao had heard her mother say that this man was called Liu Hai, a construction site foreman from Sichuan. His wife, Wang Caihua, was from Yang Province. The rest of them were the site's foremen.
Oh, there's one of them Wang Yao recognizes. He's the guy who chatted with Sun Min on her first day when she went to the construction site with her mother to sell boxed lunches. Her mother said his name is Qin Lao.
"Hello, it'll be ready to grill right away. Let me get you the menu." Wang Yao invited them to sit down in the private room.
Chen Xiu followed behind and served a pot of tea, then watched how Wang Yao did it.
"If you want a certain number of skewers, just write the number after the name of the skewer, and then write your flavor preferences in the blank space."
"Do you need any drinks? We have beer, baijiu, soda, and orange juice."
Wang Yao wrote down the types and quantities of drinks they wanted in her notebook, then left the private room with the menu containing their requests.
"Sister Xiu, don't be nervous, it's very simple. You take the drinks they want to them, and I'll go light the charcoal on the barbecue grill now."
Watching Wang Yao do these things so skillfully, Chen Xiu felt ashamed. She was several years older than Yao Yao, but she was not as good as Yao Yao at all. She still had a lot to learn.
With a humble attitude of learning, Chen Xiu began to deliberately imitate Wang Yao. She no longer wanted to hide when she saw people. She tried her best to overcome the urge to shrink back, stood up straight, and smiled. Even if she was a little stiff, she tried her best to give people a generous, warm and thoughtful feeling.
Chen Xiu's looks are quite striking; otherwise, she wouldn't have been harassed by bullies in her hometown. Now, with this transformation, it's not just her face that attracts attention, but also her confident and composed demeanor.
Wang Yao lit the charcoal fire and turned around to see Chen Xiu greeting guests with a smile.
? ? ?
What happened? It feels like in the blink of an eye, Sister Xiu seems to have changed in some way?
"Yaoyao, are you done over there?"
Wang Yao snapped out of her daze and, without thinking any further, replied, "Okay, count out the skewers the customers ordered and bring them over."
Today is the restaurant's first day selling barbecue. Although Liu Xiangmei has been recommending and promoting it to customers these past few days, there are only three tables of customers at this time.
Wang Yao thought it was perfect timing; she wasn't busy right now and had time to teach Sister Xiu how to grill skewers.
Chen Xiu came out of the kitchen with a large tray.
Guests seated in the lobby can see what the ingredients look like.
One group of guests whispered, "It looks quite fresh; even the chives look tender."
The person at the next table, who lives nearby, told him, "Most of her vegetables are delivered by a special person early in the morning, so they're definitely fresh."
"The meat is good, but not the kind that's all hanging around in a towel."
"That's right. Mr. Liu always buys good meat at the market. One day I was buying meat after Mr. Liu. After he left, the butcher said that Mr. Liu is an honest man and never buys processed meat because he feels uncomfortable just looking at it, let alone cooking it."
"Hey, look, isn't the guy grilling the meat the owner's kid?"
"Really, can a child bake well? Mr. Liu, Mr. Liu..."
Liu Xiangmei was still in the kitchen making dinner for Wang Yao and didn't hear anything. But Old Man Li poked his head out from behind the counter and asked, "What's wrong? What's the matter?"
"Why would you let a kid do the grilling? Is it even edible?"
"That's right, I only came here because I thought Mr. Liu was a very honest person. I didn't expect your place to be like this. I don't care, if it's not good, I won't pay."
"How delicious can something baked by a kid be?"
The people in the private room heard their commotion and came out to see what was going on. When they saw that it really was a child who had grilled it, they were all puzzled. What was Boss Liu doing? Although Yu's Sichuan Restaurant was unethical, she couldn't just give up like this, could she?
Just as everyone was getting angry, Old Man Li calmly said, "Just wait patiently, if it's not good, you don't have to pay."
Are you that confident?
The people inside the hall were talking animatedly, but Wang Yao outside paid no attention to what they were saying and continued to warm herself by the fire.
Chen Xiu stood aside, watching Wang Yao operate the system while taking notes of the key points Wang Yao mentioned in her notebook, acting just like a second Liu Xiangmei.
Holding a skewer of lamb and a skewer of beef, Wang Yao explained that these quick-cooking meats should be brushed with a basic savory sauce as soon as they hit the grill. This not only enhances the flavor but also makes the meat more juicy. She added that a rich, aromatic sauce is unnecessary, as it would mask the meat's natural flavor and prevent affecting the crispy texture.
Of course, the most essential part of this type of meat is the secret dry seasoning sprinkled on top at the end. Sprinkling it on when it's almost done grilling allows the high temperature of the charcoal fire to fully bring out the aroma of the dry seasoning, which, when mixed with the meat's fragrance, doubles the deliciousness.
She then pointed to the eggplant, chives, and sliced steamed bread on the tray and said that for this type of vegetarian food, the rich and fragrant sauce is the main seasoning tool. Before it comes out of the oven, she sprinkles on the secret dry seasoning to add the finishing touch and make the flavor richer and more stimulating.
Chen Xiu saw that Wang Yao had divided the charcoal on the barbecue grill into sections. Wang Yao explained that based on the amount of charcoal, she had divided the grill into medium-high heat, medium heat, and low heat sections.
Wang Yao told Chen Xiu that when the meat skewers are first put on the grill, medium-high heat can quickly lock in the moisture and flavor of the meat. At this time, do not turn them over. Wait until they are slightly charred before turning them over to the other side.
"How long does that take?" Chen Xiu asked.
"It depends on the size of the meat skewers. It takes about one to two minutes per side. You can't grill them for too long, or they'll be too tough to chew."
When Wang Yao moved the beef and lamb skewers to the medium heat zone, she said to Chen Xiu, "When you put them in the medium heat zone, you need to keep turning the skewers to make sure they are heated evenly. They should be done in about three or four minutes. Finally, move them to the low heat zone, sprinkle on the dry seasoning, and grill them for a little longer before taking them out of the oven."
Wang Yao taught the customers as she grilled the peanuts. The reason no customers had urged her to hurry up was because Liu Xiangmei had given each table a small plate of fried peanuts.
It's clear that Liu Xiangmei hasn't been in the county town for long, which is why she always seems a bit insecure. However, she is very considerate in her dealings with people, and her actions always make others feel comfortable.
So everyone waited a while without saying anything, but asked again why they let the child bake it, and said that it was unacceptable to treat customers so perfunctorily when the business had just opened.
Liu Xiangmei patted her chest and told everyone that her daughter had received the true teachings of a barbecue master, and her skills would definitely satisfy everyone.
Well, so confident again.
Although no one knew where Liu Xiangmei and the old man behind the counter got their confidence from, the smell wafting in from outside did make everyone feel like they were being scratched by a cat.
"Hey, the smell of this charcoal-grilled meat makes my mouth water."
"It smells pretty good, it looks like it could taste good."
"I hope so. The barbecue at her place tastes a little different, but I can't quite put my finger on it."
"If you can recite all of them, then you're the one who'll be making this money."
Wang Yao listened intently to the jokes of the guests inside, feeling secretly pleased. Indeed, if everyone could say those things, she wouldn't need to work anymore.
You see, barbecuing may seem simple, but there's a lot to it, from marinating and grilling techniques to controlling the heat and seasoning. Laymen can only enjoy the spectacle, while experts can explain the intricacies, but even they might not be able to replicate the taste.
Liu Hai, who was in the private room, had already finished a bottle of beer and was no longer listening to the chatter of the people around him. He was now completely focused on the faint aroma wafting in.
Having worked as a contractor for so many years, he has eaten at dozens, if not hundreds, of barbecue stalls, some of which were terrible, while others were delicious.
Logically speaking, taste is a very personal thing, but since Liu Xiangmei and her family were so sure that everyone would be satisfied, he really wanted to try what kind of kebabs Liu Xiangmei, this daughter, could grill.
With the aroma wafting in continuously, he became even more impatient.
Fortunately, they were the first to arrive, so they didn't have to wait too long.
Wang Caihua, who usually claims to be on a diet and never eats after 6 p.m., was also excited when she saw the sizzling meat skewers. "Oh my god, they smell so good! Let me have a taste!"
Liu Hai picked up a stick, and Wang Caihua thought he was going to hand it to her, but Liu Hai just stuffed it into his mouth.
Watching Liu Hai gently brush the skewer with his mouth, only half of the meat remained. Before he could even chew a few times, he brushed it again, and the entire piece of meat from the skewer was in his mouth.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and eat! This meat is so tender and juicy, not oily at all. Eat with confidence."
"Heh, am I afraid of oil?" Wang Caihua rolled her eyes at Liu Hai, who always forgot about his wife when there was something delicious to eat. Men are unreliable, she'll do it herself.
but……
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