Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Look at the new home alone...
Two tables of banquets are equivalent to preparing two more tables of dishes, and there are more dishes. Not only are the two tables no different, but the dishes are also no different from those on the first floor of the restaurant, which means that every dish requires careful attention.
Preparing food is a laborious job. Fortunately, restaurants nowadays have complete kitchen utensils. This place used to be a restaurant, so the kitchen is also large. Otherwise, I might not be able to keep busy.
Tonight, we need to soak the ingredients that need to be soaked: dried vegetables, glutinous rice, abalone, scallops... Xiao Dashi bought the last two in the evening. He also bought some frozen shrimps. They are not very fresh, but in this era, freshness is not particularly important.
It could have been a few days ago at most, it couldn't have been several years ago.
The braised food is braised every night, and the braised soup becomes old when the weather gets cold. The braised food platter that used to include pig liver, pig ears, and pig head is now on the menu, but with the addition of rice noodles. Lin Qiuran will make it tomorrow morning.
So pig intestines had to be bought as well. This dish had been made at Wang Zhubu's house before, but it was rather troublesome to make. However, it tasted good, so Lin Qiuran added it to the menu on the second floor.
Moreover, it can last for a long time after being made once. If it is smoked, the flavor will be stronger and it can be stored for a long time, so Lin Qiuran plans to make more tomorrow.
The pork intestines had been bought and were cleaned by Sun Linxia. Everything was almost ready for tonight and everyone was tired, so they closed the shop and went home as a family.
Sometimes restaurants close early, sometimes late, depending on when the customers finish eating. It's late today, but it's still lively with the five of them together. Lin Qiuran sits in the donkey cart, a hot water bottle in his arms.
Occasionally, you'd see pedestrians heading home, but not many today; they were all in a hurry. The snow still lay thick on the street, still lingering. Lin Dong remained steady, holding onto the bike. Lin Xia, bouncing around, recounted a delightful experience in the restaurant's lobby.
When they got home, Xiao Dashi unbolted the cart and fed the donkey, while Lin Xia happily went to pick up eggs.
After not coming home for a day, the house was dark and seemed a little deserted. Lin Dong carried firewood to the kitchen to boil water and lit the stoves in both rooms. Lin Qiuran also lit an extra charcoal pot in his room.
The family only cooked breakfast now, so the firewood burned much more slowly than in the shop. Lin Qiuran rested for a while, waited for the water to boil, and then comfortably soaked his feet before going to bed.
The quilt was soft and there was a hot water bottle under her feet. It was just that her belly was so big that it was not easy for her to turn over. However, she had a good sleeping position and had no dreams all night.
The next day was a sunny day, but even now there were gusts of cold wind. It would only be a little warmer at noon, but the shady side was still extremely cold.
After breakfast, we arrived at the restaurant and a group of people started working. Wan Niang came early today, cutting vegetables, stewing vegetables, and making dough for steaming rice. Not only did they have to prepare lunch in the morning, but they also had to prepare for two tables of banquets in the evening.
Lin Qiuran felt that the work during this period was quite therapeutic. The dishes that needed to be prepared were better. They were placed on plates one by one on a shelf on the side. A basin was filled with vegetables of the same color, like a neatly arranged vegetable and fruit stall.
It makes me feel comfortable just watching it.
The most commonly used ingredients now are green onions and garlic. Those that need to be chopped are chopped, those that need to be cut into sections are cut into sections, and garlic can be granulated or sliced. Since there are many dishes to cook every day, green onions, ginger and garlic are usually prepared in the morning and put in a jar. When using, just scoop them out with a spoon.
Prepare almost a day's supply at a time and use it up by evening.
Lin Qiuran is making rice noodle sausage at the moment, which requires minced garlic, cornstarch and meat. After the meat filling is seasoned, he uses a bamboo tube and funnel to pour it in. When it is almost as long as the palm of his hand, he ties a knot, pokes some holes in it, and steams it in a pot.
I will probably only use one in the evening, and Lin Qiuran plans to steam and smoke the rest. When guests come in the future, they can just steam and slice them and eat them at home.
Lin Qiuran gave the steamed food to the kitchen staff to taste. Wan Niang's eyes lit up and she nodded vigorously. Lin Qiuran smiled, which meant that it was well done.
After making this, Lin Qiuran began preparing the chopped pepper sauce for the chopped pepper fish head. At this time of year, only dried chilies were available. To achieve a bright red color, Lin Qiuran soaked them in water before cutting them, then chopped everything, including the pickled peppers. After seasoning, the sauce was a vibrant red and green affair, smelling fragrant and spicy. If you love spicy food, you can also use this sauce directly with rice.
Lin Qiuran also made extra pickled pepper sauce to avoid having to make it fresh if someone ordered it. He saved time whenever possible, and the shelf life of these things was also extended in winter.
Lin Qiuran put the prepared sauces into different categories. There are two large shelves in the kitchen, one for prepared dishes and the other for bottles and jars of seasonings for her convenience. The seasonings are all placed on them, including scallion oil, spice oil, etc.
The rice and flour are all downstairs. Now Wanniang can make rice and Sun can make steamed buns, so she doesn't need to make these two things.
It would be used in the evening. After Lin Qiuran finished making it, he put it on the shelf, then took out the soaked abalone and cleaned the internal organs.
The pre-marinated food also needed to be prepared, and Chef Lin Qiuran was the only one who could help. She was busy until the guests arrived at noon, and then she put these things aside.
There weren't many people at noon, so after finishing his work, Lin Qiuran only slept for half an hour before getting up and continuing to work.
When it was getting dark, Shopkeeper Shi came to the kitchen and said, "Madam Lin, the guests of Huanxisha have arrived. The dishes can be served."
Huan Xi Sha is the name of the private room, otherwise it would be called the first room or the second room, and it would be difficult to tell them apart.
Lin Qiuran nodded and said, "Serve the cold dishes first."
With sufficient preparation, there's no rush. With Lin Qiuran around, the others can rest assured and focus on their own tasks. Kitchen smoke and heat mixed together, and Lin Qiuran even broke into a sweat in this cold weather.
She wiped her brow with a clean towel and continued to stare at the meat in the pot. Star anise and peppercorns floated in the pot, along with a fair amount of foam, which Lin Qiuran skimmed off bit by bit.
After the meat was cooked, she took it out. She also sprinkled rice wine and shochu when cooking the pork belly, so the meat had no fishy smell after cooking. After cooking, it was frozen outside for a while so that it would be easier to cut. Lin Qiuran had good knife skills, and the meat she cut was as thin as a cicada's wing, and the fat could be seen through.
After cutting, they were placed on a plate. Lin Qiuran rolled a few slices into flowers and served them together with the prepared garlic sauce.
Let it cool first and then heat it up, inserting it in the middle of the stew.
Xiao Dashi and his men were in charge of the food. They were not allowed to leave after the dishes were served. They could stay for tea. Guests were allowed to bring their own drinks when dining in the private rooms, because the most expensive wine in the restaurant was 75 wen a pot, which was almost one pound. There was no more expensive wine. Naturally, some people who came here for a banquet would think the wine was not high-end enough.
Actually, you can bring your own food to the first floor, but it's too troublesome. The wine here tastes good and is reasonably priced. Most people just drink the wine directly, which is simple and convenient. However, when entertaining guests, not only the food must be good, but the wine must also be good.
When the cold dishes were served, the guests from the other side also arrived. The cold dishes were served first, and the hot dishes were served in order. Lin Qiuran was the cook.
Wan Niang was much more relaxed now. She didn't have to cut vegetables. She just watched Lin Qiuran clean the pot after cooking.
Occasionally she would watch from the side and felt that the shovel was very powerful and that Lin Qiuran was extremely capable.
Lin Dong could only make shredded potatoes and hand-shredded cabbage, and Lin Qiuran had to do the rest by herself. However, she was able to learn how to make pickled fish soon. Her knife skills had improved a little, but were still not as good as Wan Niang's, and her control over the heat was not very good either. However, she had just arrived, so it was not easy for her to learn so much.
Lin Qiuran made twice-cooked pork, dry-pot potatoes, and braised lion's head... After they were done, Xiao Dashi and the others served them.
It is difficult to serve food in winter because guests eat slowly. If you want to keep the food warm, you have to prepare a small charcoal stove.
The dishes on the second floor were almost served, and there was still work to do on the first floor. Lin Qiuran took a break and asked a question while the dishes were being served.
She remembered that one of the tables was for a banquet and the ingredients used in the dishes were relatively expensive, so naturally the price of the table was also high.
The abalone braised pork has been served, and the dish in the pot is scallop and egg custard. Lin Qiuran also made two servings of this dish. It is a very demanding dish because the cooking time is very important. Once it is overcooked, the taste will be greatly reduced. When cooking, the bubbles inside must be shaken out and the foam on top must be cleaned, otherwise it will not look good.
Lin Qiuran used a fire stick to burn off the foam on top, and the dish was very successful.
The shopkeeper Shi from the other table said that he had come yesterday, neither to do business nor to entertain, but just to satisfy his own cravings. He ordered a table full of spicy dishes and replaced Lin Qiuran's boiled chicken with chicken stewed with mushrooms.
This dish is made by soaking and stewing dried mushrooms, including hazel mushrooms and mushrooms from the south. The stewed soup is dry, thick and oily, and smells very fragrant.
I ordered half of the rice from the table on the second floor and exchanged the rest for steamed buns.
As a chef, Lin Qiuran cares deeply about his customers' tastes. If they're not satisfied with the food, he can always improve it. After coming here, Lin Qiuran has changed the taste of many dishes. Local customs and local conditions shape local people, and as a chef, he can't just say it's normal for customers to be uncomfortable with different tastes; he can only try his best to satisfy them.
If it was Shopkeeper Shi, he would have said, "Let's drink and have fun together." However, Xiao Dashi just said, "I think he's enjoying the meal."
They had no problem being picky about the food. The one who was entertaining friends had already started drinking, and the other one ordered two pots of liquor from the shop. They didn't talk much and just ate the food.
He was called out twice to ask him to move the plates because some people couldn't reach them.
Lin Qiuran thought, that should be good, let’s wait and see how it tastes after we finish eating.
Because there are fewer guests in winter, after adding two tables, the work is not much different from the original work. After all, Lin Dong can cook some dishes, so Lin Qiuran doesn't have to worry about it.
After those two tables finished eating, the first floor was still very lively.
Lu Fan could handle it, so Shopkeeper Shi went to the second floor to check out and help pack up the food, and even considerately escorted the customer out. Repeat customers are the main source of income for the shop. If you try to make every customer a repeat customer, you don't have to worry about the shop's poor business.
In the evening, someone asked if they could eat on the second floor as he was hosting a banquet. Manager Shi refused, saying that this had to be booked in advance because some dishes were difficult to prepare and could not be prepared in such a short time.
The man backed off and asked if he could change the dishes. Manager Shi shook his head and persuaded him to leave with kind words.
Changing dishes is easy, but it's not that easy. If you put the restaurant menu up there, you might think the second floor is too expensive. If you change something else, you might not have enough time to prepare.
Seeing that the guests on the second floor were in good spirits and satisfied, Manager Shi put the remaining leftovers into the泔水袋. He and Xiao Dashi collected the dishes and chopsticks, and Lin Xia and Sun cleaned up the room.
The dishes can be left to Aunt Liu to wash, but other work cannot be left to Aunt Liu to do. We agreed to wash the dishes, and you can't bully someone just because he is honest.
Aunt Liu came over after most of the customers had left. While she was cleaning up, Lin Qiuran and the others had their meal. The shop was about to close, so she waited for them to finish eating before helping them out. That was about it.
The dinner at the shop today was pretty good, with scallop and egg custard, garlic pork, and half a leftover ginger duck. Lin Dong also stir-fried shredded potatoes and cabbage. The portions were quite large, and to be honest, it was almost the same as eating out.
Lin Dong and Lin Xia's weight gain is not obvious yet, but Lu Fan and Manager Shi have already gained weight.
Shopkeeper Shi looked even more amiable. The people in the restaurant were all of good character and trustworthy. While eating, Shopkeeper Shi mentioned that business was good in the evening. He scooped a spoonful of egg custard with rice and ordered a piece of pork with garlic. This was really delicious. Normally, pork cooked in plain water would be hard and fishy, but Lin Qiuran had good knife skills and cut against the grain, so it didn't taste hard or fishy, but rather crispy and elastic.
The dipping sauce tastes good, with a strong garlic flavor, and the spicy flavor does not overwhelm the meat.
He said, "The second floor's dining is slower than the first. It takes almost half an hour to finish. Drinking is even slower. I estimate that we can only handle four tables at a time. Madam Lin, we can prepare some more expensive wine."
When the guests on the first floor leave, others can sit down. People on the second floor eat slowly, and talking in the private room may take more than half an hour. Who can afford to wait?
Wine must be prepared. In case some customers don’t take the wine, the restaurant will make a profit.
Shopkeeper Shi: "Yes, and tea. We don't serve tea in our restaurant."
Although there is a teahouse next to it and I didn't come here just for tea, it would be a shame if the tea was too bad. And you can ask if you want better tea, worse tea, or just plain water, but you can't have none.
Those who can come to the second floor to eat don’t mind spending a little money. If they are entertaining guests, they will naturally not lose face by serving inferior tea.
Lin Qiuran nodded, thinking that what Shopkeeper Shi said made sense. "Okay, then. Let my dad go buy it tomorrow."
Shopkeeper Shi brought another piece of garlic pork and said, "We have enough people for now. The first floor isn't busy, so Lu Fan and I can go up there to help. Besides, no one's booked the second floor today. We don't have business every day here, so there's no need to hire anyone for now."
Winter is the off-season for the food business. After all, many people don't make money, and if they don't make money, they naturally won't spend it. Having some free time is good, and Lin Qiuran is due in just over a month, so it's the perfect time.
The restaurant opened on October 16th. After more than a month of operation, the second floor is also in use, which shows that their business is still good.
Lin Qiuran nodded. At first, Shopkeeper Shi was just doing his job, not saying much, but now he can offer a lot of advice. Now he truly regards himself as the owner of the restaurant, and Lin Qiuran cannot treat such a person unfairly.
The restaurant paid wages at the beginning of each month, and Lin Qiuran planned to raise them at the beginning of next month. More work, more pay. Shopkeeper Shi worked the most, so his original monthly wage of one or two taels was raised to one or two taels and five cents. He had originally wanted to raise it to only two cents, but since the second floor also had alcohol and other items, all of this was due to Shopkeeper Shi's experience.
Lu Fan's daily wage was twelve wen, and Lin Qiuran wanted to raise it to one and a half liang of silver per month, with four days of vacation per month. Wan Niang used to make fifteen wen per day, and now it's been raised to six qian, and it's only been a little over a month, so this is a big increase.
Aunt Liu's wages increased to twelve cents a day, which was also a lot.
Good business is also due to the contributions of others; the restaurant can't just focus on making money. Take Aunt Liu, for example. After the banquet, she has to wash more dishes, and the ones with patterns are more delicate, so she can't return the original money.
Four more cents a day, more than a hundred cents a month, not much compared to a restaurant waiter, but compared to people doing the same job in other shops, it is already a lot.
If you work hard, you'll definitely get better pay. However, the upper limit for dishwashers in Yu'an is quite low, and raising wages here will affect the market. If you can't raise prices anymore, you can offer some benefits, like an extra meal.
The food in the restaurant is delicious and is considered an employee benefit.
After dinner, Lin Xia and Sun went to wash the dishes. After everything was cleaned up, Xiao Dashi locked the door and the family rushed home.
The moon rises and sets, and Lin Dong gets up at night to add more charcoal. Lin Qiuran didn't feel cold when he got up in the morning, but as soon as he went out, he felt that it was much colder today, and the weather was gloomy. It was estimated that it would snow again in the next two days.
Sun packed up her things early in the morning and moved all the bacon and mustard greens to the restaurant, leaving only rice, flour and eggs at home.
The first reason he got them there was to eat. Lunch and dinner were at the restaurant. Lin Qiuran now ate smaller meals more often, occasionally adding two extra meals. These would go bad next year. If they were left at home all the time, he'd forget about them. It would be a shame to let them go bad.
Secondly, Lin Qiuran had found Zhao Guangcai and they would have to move soon. They all needed to eat anyway, so it would be difficult to move without having to worry about it.
At this moment, Sun couldn't help but blame Xiao Xun. Even though he was an official, he didn't come back often. However, having an official in the family could reduce or exempt taxes, and also provide support. Merchants were of low status, but officials could run businesses privately.
This world is really...
You can't have your cake and eat it too. Naturally, there are people who don't work as officials and spend every day with their wives and children. How can the Xiao family have all the good things in the world? It's good enough that people can come back safely. You can't ask for too much. Besides, Xiao Xun also brings money home.
Knowing that she had bought a donkey cart for Qiuran, Sun Shi couldn't ask for more.
After packing up their things, they put them on the donkey cart first. When they left, there was no smoke from other people's homes. When the sky got light, the alley was silent. Everyone was hibernating, but this was not the case for the Xiao family.
*
Zhao Guangcai came over in the morning. Lin Qiuran asked him to take Xiao Dashi to see the house first. After Xiao Dashi had almost seen it, Lin Qiuran would go and see it.
Xiao Dashi is very considerate now, but if she wants to live on her own, Lin Qiuran still has to go and take a look. She doesn't ask for much, just a big house, close to restaurants, and less neighbors to worry about.
The restaurant had just been renovated. If there were customers on the second floor at night, the daily profit could reach three or four taels of silver. Business was definitely the main focus. She had just moved because it was small. The neighborhood was close and the living was comfortable, even if she spent most of the day in the restaurant. However, she would be in her new home for her confinement, and since she didn't want to move again anytime soon, she had to choose carefully.
Perhaps because of Xiao Xun, Zhao Guangcai paid more attention this time and saw everything he needed to see in one day.
Xiao Dashi selected a few first and would go take a look tomorrow when Lin Qiuran was free. He would probably decide by tomorrow. They were all buying ready-made houses, but this time they weren't in such a rush like when they first moved to the county town. They could negotiate the price later if they found one they liked.
Seeing a lot is like seeing the world. Xiao Dashi used to think that the restaurant had daily revenue and a monthly commission, and that the Xiao family was, if not the best, well off in the county. But after a day of looking at houses, wandering around the city, there were plenty of great and beautiful ones, and the Xiao family's wealth was nothing.
There is always someone better than you.
Xiao Dashi came back from outside in the afternoon and said that he had taken a fancy to three places and would ask Lin Qiuran to check them tomorrow.
However, Lin Qiuran is not free tomorrow because someone has reserved a table today, one for lunch and two for dinner. He has to be busy preparing the food all day, so the matter of visiting the house will have to be postponed to the day after tomorrow.
Zhao Guangcai is very easy to talk to. Not to mention the day after tomorrow, even the day after the day after tomorrow is fine. According to Lin Qiuran, he can come whenever it is convenient for him.
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The author has something to say: Thank you for the nutrient solution
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