Chapter 98 Chapter 98 VIP Guest

Oriental Red Restaurant.

The red sign is surrounded by a circle of flashing colorful lights, which is very much in line with the current aesthetic trend, although you can't tell the difference in the daytime.

"Why did you come here by yourself? The restaurant's driver hasn't left yet!"

We agreed to pick him up at 3pm, but unexpectedly Wang Nian showed up at the restaurant door at 2pm, obviously rushing over after finishing lunch at the restaurant.

Wang Nian smiled and said, "Come early to get familiar with the environment, so that you won't be unable to find what you need when the time comes."

"You brought your own kitchen utensils?"

Wang Nian came not just idly, but also with a small cart parked behind him, which was stocked with pots, casseroles, kitchen knives and everything else.

"It works for me."

"The master must have a favorite guy. I didn't think it through. Otherwise, I should have asked the driver to leave earlier."

"It's no problem." Wang Nian smiled.

These pots and pans may look ordinary, but they are all good things redeemed with contribution points, and Wang Nian also brought a lot of seasonings with him.

"Xiao Liu, call two people to help Master Wang deliver the food to the kitchen."

Two young chefs ran up and took the cart, and Lao Gu took Wang Nian for a walk around the restaurant.

The restaurant looks simple from the outside, but the interior is luxuriously decorated.

The magnificent murals sparkle, the expensive carpets make no sound when you step on them, and even the vases in some corners are antiques.

If you are not invited to be the chef, ordinary people will never have the chance to move up to the second floor in their lifetime.

After visiting the restaurant, the last stop is of course the kitchen, which is our destination for today.

The restaurant is divided into one kitchen, two kitchens and three kitchens.

Chef One is in charge of the lobby, Chef Two is in charge of the private rooms on the second and third floors, and Chef Three, where Lao Gu works, is the most important one, as they are responsible for preparing meals for government guests.

The third kitchen is not big, with a row of stoves and several stainless steel worktops.

"The ingredients have been prepared as you requested."

The washed ingredients were piled on the workbench, and the seasonings brought by Wang Nian were neatly arranged next to them.

"These two are my disciples. If you need anything, just call them."

The two young men were only about ten years old and looked very smart. They had already washed the pots and utensils and dried them.

"I'll bother them if I need anything."

"Then you go ahead and do your work. I'll go talk to the manager."

Lao Gu's main role is the head chef. He usually needs to follow the manager to receive important guests and is responsible for explaining the flavor of each dish.

Put on the chef's uniform, roll up your sleeves which have grown a lot longer, and put on the chef's hat.

Wang Nian was used to starting with preparing the food, so after washing his hands, he naturally picked up the kitchen knife and started cutting vegetables. This surprised the two chefs who had already prepared themselves mentally.

The kitchen knife, which seemed small to the two of them, fit perfectly in Wang Nian's hand. She placed her index finger on the back of the knife, and her posture of holding the knife was very special.

But this does not mean that the speed of cutting vegetables will be affected. Half a piece of kidney is cut into fancy shapes in the blink of an eye, so fast that it gives the illusion that the blade has never left the chopping board.

Wang Nian was cutting pork liver while watching the food preparation.

Today's guest said he missed the food from his hometown. Through his assistant, he revealed that his grandfather often said that the best dish he had ever eaten in his life was stir-fried liver and kidneys.

When the old couple wanted to sneak out of the country to find a job for their family, before leaving, their mother sold her silver earrings and bought two pork kidneys and a piece of pork liver, and cooked this dish for them.

The old couple remembered that dish for most of their lives, but unfortunately they will never have the chance to taste a similar taste again.

Everyone knew that it was impossible to restore the taste 100%. After much thought, Wang Nian could only start from the regional characteristics and try his best to stimulate the taste buds through unique seasonings.

So after hearing the origin, I asked Lao Gu to ask a few more questions about the guest's hometown.

Even though stir-fried liver and kidney is made in most Sichuan restaurants, the ingredients and taste are slightly different.

The old couple are from Huan'an County, where they love to use pickled peppers when stir-frying meat dishes. Even if the dish is not pickled peppers, it will be used to some extent.

Wang Nian pickled a lot of Sichuan pickled peppers.

The long, bright red peppers have a pungent sour aroma, and when cut diagonally into sections, their unique spicy flavor wafts out.

The pickled peppers soaked in Evolved Water are bright in color and not hollow, and they won’t be limp when cut.

"Master Wang."

"Huh?" Wang Nian was startled, he looked up at the source of the voice and found that the one speaking was the taller of the two disciples.

"I can't even name some of the seasonings you brought. Did you make them all yourself?"

“Most of them.”

What Wang Nian said was completely ironic. In fact, most of them were produced by the space, and only the oyster sauce and garlic oil were produced by her.

But... you can't tell the truth!

So he could only say that those seasonings whose recipes he couldn't explain were made by himself, and finally added a sentence: "Secret recipe passed down" as a conclusion.

When they heard it was a secret recipe, they didn't dare to ask any more questions.

"Have you eaten yet?"

"no."

Even though all the chefs can cook, you can’t just cook whatever you want for employee meals. Instead, the second chef arranges everything.

Wang Nian arrived just at dinner time today. After the two of them were busy welcoming guests and washing pots, it was already past dinner time and they were already planning to be hungry for the whole afternoon.

"I see there's a lot of cold rice there. Can I make you two some egg fried rice?"

The two's eyes lit up and they swallowed their saliva before they could refuse.

"It's okay. I have the final say in the kitchen now." Wang Nian seemed to see through their concerns.

It's just one table of dishes, and less than a third of the ingredients will be used. It's more than enough for two people to make a bowl of seafood fried rice.

What's more, the shrimps and squid tentacles were brought by Wang Nian himself from the restaurant.

Boom——

As soon as the gas stove was ignited, the roar instantly echoed throughout the kitchen.

A thought instantly flashed through Wang Nian's mind, and he even took a special look at the sign on the stove before putting the pot on the stove.

Restaurants should also be equipped with this kind of high-fire stove so that quick dishes can have full flavor and bright colors.

Melt the pork fat in a pan, then pour in the beaten eggs and stir-fry, add a handful of diced onions and bell peppers, and finally add the shrimp and squid tentacles.

As soon as the shrimps change color, add the cold rice and stir-fry evenly.

The two young men behind the operating table were so overwhelmed by the aroma that they could only sniff and swallow, completely forgetting their master's instructions to them to observe and learn.

After five minutes of fried rice, spread a spoonful of crab roe sauce on the edge of the plate and sprinkle with chopped green onions and you're done.

"You guys eat... I'll prepare the ribs first."

The two of them brought the plates and ran to the table outside the door to put them down before they dared to talk in a low voice.

"How is it?"

The flat-headed young man asked in a low voice.

“The fried rice grains are distinct, and the eggs are chopped into pieces that are about the same size as the rice…”

"I'm not asking you about your food!" The flat-headed young man interrupted his senior brother's comments with a smile on his face, tilting his chin towards the kitchen: "I'm asking you how good Master Wang's cooking is."

"Just try this bowl of fried rice and you'll know."

The tall young man moved quickly, placing half of the food on his fellow apprentice's plate and quickly scooping the rest into his mouth.

fragrant--

The rice is fragrant and springy, indicating that the cooking time is perfect. I don’t know how the shrimp and squid are prepared, but they are sweet and fresh without any fishy smell.

"It's delicious! No wonder our master insisted on inviting people over." The flat-headed junior brother took a few bites and exclaimed while spitting out the fried rice.

Just a few hundred meters away, a black car slowly stopped in front of the restaurant.

The manager smiled widely and trotted over to open the back door. "Welcome, Mr. Xu, Mrs. Zhou."

"You are the Manager Geng that District Chief Hu mentioned, right?"

The old man had gray hair on his temples and a sharp gaze. He was about sixty years old. A long, thin wound could be seen under the collar of his neatly buttoned shirt, winding up to behind his ear.

The old lady whom Manager Geng called Madam Zhou had the most noticeable wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, and her eyes were as soft as the warm winter sun.

"You can just call me Xiao Geng. District Chief Hu will be here soon. You two can go upstairs and have some tea and take a rest." Manager Geng continued to smile.

Lao Gu, who was a few steps away from them, was rubbing his hands in bewilderment.

It seems that there is more than one person who likes to launch a "surprise attack".

First, Wang Nian arrived early, and then the VIP who was to be picked up at the airport arrived at the restaurant a few hours in advance. If they hadn't received a call from Mr. Xu's assistant, they would still be drinking tea and chatting in the office.

"I have an appointment with some old friends today. I'd like to trouble Manager Geng to pick us up at the door later." Mr. Xu smiled faintly and spoke slowly and steadily, as if he had his own rhythm.

"Don't worry, I'll send someone to guard the door in a while." Manager Geng winked at Lao Gu.

Lao Gu immediately understood, followed him into the restaurant, and immediately turned around to look for someone.

"I still like the old things from our country..." Mr. Xu commented on the decoration in the restaurant with admiration.

Manager Geng was nervous, not sure if his father's arrival ahead of schedule would have any chance of success, so he answered very carefully, fearing that he might say something wrong and get into trouble.

The uneasy situation was not relieved until the two old men arrived.

As the topic of conversation shifted from sentimentality to parents' affairs, Manager Geng finally let go of his anxiety and took the opportunity to leave the private room.

"Excuse me, is Mr. Xu in this private room?"

As soon as I walked out of the door, my eyes met with a middle-aged man in a suit and tie, who asked me politely in a gentle voice.

"The old man and the old lady are here." Manager Geng turned around, opened the door, and made a gesture of invitation.

"Dad, Mom!"

Before the door closed, he heard the middle-aged man calling for help in a helpless voice.

"It's Xingbang who's here!"

The four old men stopped chatting at the same time. Zhang Yu looked at the newcomer with joy and patted Zhou Hua's hand gently while speaking: "You were still talking about it just now!"

The middle-aged man was Xu Xingbang, and those called Mr. Xu and Mrs. Zhou were his father Xu Zhiguo and mother Zhou Hua.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were coming back to China to invest? If I hadn't received a call from Uncle Li today, I wouldn't have known that you were coming back!"

An hour ago, Xu Xingbang was still in the office attending a meeting to handle work. After receiving the call, he rushed to the restaurant without any delay.

"Your mother and I have temporarily decided to return to China." Xu Zhiguo was leisurely, pouring himself a cup of tea and filling Li Maohua's.

Temporary decision?

Xu Xingbang didn’t believe it… How could an investment of tens of millions be a spur-of-the-moment idea?

"Come here, let mom see you." Zhou Hua waved her hand, her eyes soft yet complex. She had a lot of questions she wanted to ask, but at this moment she couldn't utter a single word.

"Mom."

The mother and son hadn't seen each other for five years, and when they met again, they both felt that the other had changed a lot.

Despite his parents' opposition, Xu Xingbang was determined to return to China to develop his career, and even had a fierce argument with his father and left home in anger.

As the old saying goes, parents can never prevail over their children, and in the end, Zhou Hua and his friends compromised and returned home first.

"Where do you live? Where do you eat? Your stomach aches..."

Before I met him, I was full of complaints and reproaches, but when I actually met him, I couldn't say a word.

"Mom, I'm doing well. Look, I'm getting younger!" Xu Xingbang raised his hand to brush his hair and smiled sincerely, "I eat well, sleep well, and everything is fine."

Zhou Hua took a closer look and found that many of the white hairs his son had before returning home were gone, and his hair was now smooth and shiny black.

Looking at Xu Xingbang again, he seemed to be in much more spirited state than when he was abroad, with a faint smile in his eyes and his whole demeanor softened.

"Is this the right way now?" Li Maohua exclaimed with a smile.

Xingbang has been a loyal person since he was young. When he was young, he dated a young girl named Lao Luo, but they were forcibly separated by their parents after only two years because of some things.

The result was... one died in a car accident, and the other remained single for half his life.

It's really a lose-lose situation.

Li Maohua often wondered if Xu Xingbang had taken Luo Xuemei with him to go abroad, would the Xu family have already had many children and grandchildren by now?

"Uncle Li looks much more energetic than when I visited him last year. What good thing has happened to him?" Xu Xingbang asked with a smile.

"If you eat and sleep all day, it would be strange if you are not in good health."

"Don't listen to his nonsense." Zhang Yu waved his hand to interrupt Li Maohua: "It was the restaurant owner who gave me a jar of beauty vinegar. You must admit that the vinegar has a lot of benefits. My mental illness has been cured."

"Beauty vinegar?"

Xu Xingbang felt that it sounded familiar. Last month, Wang Nian sent beauty vinegar to the office. He usually used it instead of coffee.

"Don't be fooled by the name, it's brewed by Comrade Xiao Wang himself, it's definitely good stuff."

"Uncle Li, you're not talking about Wang Nian from the Guanghua Street Restaurant, are you?"

It's not just familiarity, it's clearly the same person.

"Do you know Comrade Xiao Wang?"

"Wang Nian is Shi Xiangming's wife. According to seniority, she has to call you Grandpa Li!" Xu Xingbang laughed.

“…”

Li Maohua's smile froze, the atmosphere in the private room suddenly became tense, and Xu Zhiguo's smile instantly disappeared.

Everyone present here has heard of Shi Xiangming. In their view, it is ridiculous that Old Luo gave Luo Xuemei a adopted son.

When Li Maohua heard that Lao Luo had given all his property to that "grandson", he couldn't sleep for several nights.

Although they had never met, the old couple had already formed a preconceived impression of Shi Xiangming and his wife and did not have a good impression of them.

But they were outsiders after all. Li Maohua glanced at Xu Zhiguo and Zhou Hua secretly, worried that he would anger them.

Xu Zhiguo put down his teacup, and said in a gloomy and cold voice: "What does Lao Luo's grandson do? I heard that Lao Luo gave all his inheritance to him..."

The slight look of contempt said it all.

"Xiangming is a very ambitious person. He was sent abroad for further studies before graduating from university, and later returned to China..." Xu Xingbang slowly talked about Shi Xiangming's experience.

Everything he has now was earned step by step by others. The inheritance given by Uncle Luo is just icing on the cake, not a timely help.

Xu Zhiguo's frown finally relaxed slowly.

"The child raised by Old Luo finally lived up to the reputation of the Luo family."

In the end, Xu Zhiguo just said this.

After talking about Shi Xiangming, we must continue to talk about his wife Wang Nian.

And just at this moment... there was a knock on the private room door.

Knock knock knock——

Manager Geng, whose eyes were narrowed into slits from laughing, and District Chief Hu walked into the private room one after another.

Naturally...Xu Xingbang also stopped talking.