The Burning Tail Banquet officially begins
February 14th, the last day of the lunar year, is an ordinary day that carries a sense of continuity and progress according to the old calendar. It is the last day of the old year and the first day of the new year. People who have worked hard all year regard today's New Year's Eve dinner as the most important meal, and they bring out the ingredients they would be reluctant to cook.
For some people, once they have money in their pockets, they have a second option - going out to eat.
At the Nanbei Hotel, dozens of employees and the boss arrived at the small restaurant early, ready for action. Everyone was working hard to put a perfect end to this day that had been prepared for a long time, and to give a most satisfactory answer.
The price of a reunion dinner is higher than that of ordinary meals, so the ingredients and taste must be worth the price, and we must not let down the guests who paid nearly half or even two-thirds of their wages.
At four o'clock in the morning, before daybreak, Su Qinxuan and Jian Yangping woke up. They quietly got out of bed, washed up, filled their stomachs, left a note for the children on the table, and prepared to go out.
Unexpectedly, when I turned around, I saw two children on the stairs, dressed neatly and full of energy, waiting to set off.
Jian Yangping: “?”
Su Qinxuan: “?”
What's going on? Is the sun rising from the west?
The two children just smiled but said nothing. They would never say that they were so excited that they couldn’t sleep the whole night before, just waiting to show off their skills today!
A year ago, Jian Jianan and his brother were still little kids under the care of their parents. They needed to sleep a full ten hours a day. Even an hour less would cause them to yawn incessantly. Even getting up early for school, let alone four or five in the morning, was like a death sentence for them. They couldn't get up! They couldn't get up at all!
However, after a year of experience, I have finally grown up and can get up at four or five o'clock to help my parents!
The four of them looked at each other and laughed at the same time. This is what a family is!
The four of them went out together and walked towards the hotel.
Su Qinxuan and Jian Yangping were busy, while Jian Jianan and his brother followed their mother. Because their father Jian Yangping was outside contacting delivery matters, it was inconvenient for the two children to stay with their father, so they followed their mother closely in the restaurant.
Su Qinxuan did not send the two children away in the name of going to rest. In her opinion, the four words "sons follow in their father's footsteps" made sense.
When she and Jian Yangping were both working, there was a high possibility that their two children would also become workers.
But now they are not, they have become self-employed restaurant owners, and in the future these two children may inherit their restaurant business. In this case, these two children must know the entire process of opening a restaurant from an early age, and be familiar with it so that they will not be in a hurry when they grow up to take over the restaurant.
Jian Jianan watched his mother's every move with fascination, remembering them all firmly in his heart. Seeing his brother yawning impatiently beside him, he asked curiously, "Brother, why aren't you interested? Don't you want to help out in the restaurant in the future?"
When Jian Jiabei heard this, he thought about the scenario where he would be busy in the small restaurant 24 hours a day and would have no time to go out and play basketball. He shuddered in his heart and shuddered all over. He quickly denied it, "No, no, no, I don't want to. I don't want to at all."
He said to Jian Jianan earnestly and seriously, "Sister, you have to grow up quickly and study hard so that you can help your parents with the small restaurant in the future. Do you understand? We're relying on you from now on!"
"Of course." Jian Jianan said easily. She just couldn't understand why her brother avoided this matter like the plague. Jian Jianan felt that doing business was the most interesting thing in the world, and proposing solutions to problems was the most challenging and exciting thing.
While the brother and sister were enjoying the future and chatting about who would inherit the small restaurant, Jian Yangping was at the transportation hub outside, watching the delivery people coming in one by one. He would use a pencil to cross out the names of the orders on his notebook and then check them one by one.
He had been busy running the restaurant for nearly half a year and had mastered a method of checking the quality of ingredients. Under his keen eyes, no rotten or poor quality stones could flow into the Nanbei Restaurant.
It was five o'clock in the morning and it was still dark. The days in winter were particularly long. In a small fishing village near the sea near Shenzhen City, people were coming and going. As soon as the fishing boats that had just returned from fishing near the coast docked, people came forward to help unload the cargo and transport it to where they should go.
Among them is the sea fish reserved by the Nanbei Hotel. Steamed fish is an indispensable dish for Guangshui people’s New Year’s Eve dinner, which symbolizes abundance every year. Sea fish has a more tender and delicious flavor than river fish.
This steamed fish drizzled with soy sauce is also a signature dish at the Nanbei Hotel's reunion banquet.
In addition, a perfect reunion night dinner will also include smoked ancient well roast goose, Hongyun Dangtou and so on.
Jian Yangping checked carefully to ensure that every ingredient was delivered to him intact, and then the people from the Nanbei Hotel transported it back to the store for the long-awaited chef team to use.
Jian Yangping kept his eyes fixed on all kinds of food ingredients, not missing any clues. The Lion Head Goose incident on the first day of opening on New Year's Day must not happen again.
At noon, the first group of guests for the Burning Tail Banquet arrived.
The highlight is the evening, and the number of people booked for the banquet is full, so there is no way to add more seats.
There were not many people allocated for lunch, so the Nanbei Restaurant limited the number of people at lunch, and the variety of dishes was not as rich as in the evening.
But this still doesn't stop people from booking lunch.
Zhang Wenhua is one of them. Her family is a large one, and they gather together with all the family members for a reunion dinner in the evening. Zhang Wenhua has seen her mother busy in the kitchen since she was a child. Now she can't bear to see her so tired anymore, and she has to go out to eat.
However, Zhang Wenhua's mother is more traditional. After her daughter's repeated persuasion, she finally agreed to go out at noon and still eat at home in the evening.
Zhang Wenhua and her husband Qin Xin are a newlywed couple. Both of them are working, and their parents and relatives are also working. In this era, they are considered a relatively well-off family.
It takes a lot of effort for a newlywed couple to spend their first New Year together. For this reason, the young couple took out half of their wages and booked a family reunion dinner at the Nanbei Hotel.
Before the meal was served, Zhang Wenhua's parents, who were used to a simple life, were still complaining to their daughter: "How much is this meal? Twenty-four yuan! If it were twenty-four yuan, I could cook you a different meal all week long. You really don't know how expensive food and fuel are until you run the household. I want to see how your meal, which cost a worker's month's salary, turns out. If it's not delicious, I'll scold you."
Zhang Wenhua's mother-in-law quickly tried to smooth things over. She was very satisfied with her daughter-in-law. Zhang Wenhua was not a ostentatious person and did not like to spend money on things. She spent money today to show filial piety to her parents.
"This is also a small token of my appreciation as a daughter, Wenhua. At the end of the year, I have to treat my parents well by buying them something nice. You should be proud, mother-in-law."
Zhang Wenhua's mother was satisfied and kept silent. What she said was not entirely to blame her daughter. Now, after hearing what her mother-in-law said, she also had expectations for her daughter's married life.
As the family chatted, the first dish of the reunion dinner arrived: steamed sea bass. This is a dish that requires great skill in cooking, and it cannot be done well by a master chef without more than ten years of experience. The sea bass is tender, but if you don't master the timing and over-steam it, the meat will become tough.
Moreover, the processing of sea bass is extremely time-consuming. If you want to avoid the fishy smell, you must use high-quality sea bass. The seasoning for this dish is only steamed soy sauce and a few green onions on the noodles. If the fish is not fresh, it cannot be concealed at all and it is easy to taste.
Zhang Wenhua's father took a bite and said with admiration, "Good, not bad." The steamed sea bass had garlic-like flesh, white, tender and smooth. You could tell how fresh it was as soon as you tasted it.
I guess he just left home and lay here.
My mother, who always rules the kitchen at home, also commented, "It's really good."
The second dish came right after, Hongyundangtou - stir-fried shrimp with red peppers.
Because Cantonese people are well-known for their tolerance for spicy food, this dish naturally does not contain a lot of chili peppers, and the ones used are also not very spicy.
The family watched TV in the atmosphere of the New Year's Eve dinner. Their seat was very good, very close to the black and white TV, and the sound of the TV series was very loud. Everyone ate delicious food and listened to the love, hate and hatred of the hero and heroine of Shanghai Bund, and spent a very atmospheric New Year.
After a few hours, the plates were empty and the family was satisfied.
Zhang Wenhua, who had been silent and silent until now, finally gained the confidence. He straightened his back and asked his mother, "Mom, do you think this meal is worth it?"
"It's worth it, of course it's worth it." Zhang Wenhua's mother completely changed her mind. As she ate her dessert, a traditional island snack, she muttered, "Hey, this restaurant is quite close to our home. Sometimes your father and I can come here for lunch when we're busy at work. Not bad, not bad."
Zhang Wenhua's newlywed husband also smiled and said, "Mom and Dad, you really know how to enjoy yourself. Wenhua and I work far away from here, but it's too late." Everyone laughed together.
After the family had eaten and drunk their fill, Jian Jianan and his mother Su Qinxuan took the opportunity to come over and chat with Zhang Wenhua's family.
Zhang Wenhua means a lot to the Jian family. This significance does not lie in how much money she has contributed or how rich she is, but in the encouragement she has given them.
Jian Jianan was deeply impressed. She always remembered that Zhang Wenhua was a customer who had been patronizing their stall since they set up the stall. He was also the first person to try out and buy their new product!
"Happy New Year, everyone!" Su Qinxuan greeted.
"Uncle, aunt, grandpa and grandma, happy new year!" Jian Jianan followed closely and greeted them.
As soon as he saw Jian Jianan coming, Zhang Wenhua smiled broadly.
"Happy New Year, Boss Su, and this one, Boss Jian!"
Su Qinxuan asked with a smile: "Is the lunch to your liking?"
Before Zhang Wenhua could say anything, her parents interrupted, "Delicious!"
Su Qinxuan's smile deepened. "Really? That's fine, as long as you think it tastes good!"
In addition to Zhang Wenhua and his family, Jian Jianan also paid special attention to other guests. Occasionally, there would be a dish that was not to their taste, but most people still praised it. They came with excitement and left with satisfaction.
This made them more confident about the highlight of the evening.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, the last table of guests left satisfied.
Jian Jianan waved goodbye at the door like a golden boy, saying to everyone he met: "Happy New Year!"
In the store, as the last customer left, the waiters immediately rushed forward to start cleaning up the store. Some were clearing away the tableware, some were changing the tablecloths, and some were arranging the chairs and changing the layout.
Jian Jianan hung the "Break Time" sign on the door handle and went home with his parents and brother to rest.
Jian Jianan looked back at the corner and saw Sister Xiaotao directing the store in a very stylish manner. The employees were moving in an orderly manner under her command.
With Yang Tao as his capable assistant, Su Qinxuan felt at ease to temporarily hand over the store to her and go home with her lover and two children.
Su Qinxuan and Jian Yangping returned home and let the two children take a bath first to wash away their morning fatigue. When they appeared at the door refreshed, they smiled and handed them the gifts they had prepared long ago.
"Happy New Year! This is the new clothes your father and I bought, put them on quickly!" Logically speaking, today is New Year's Eve, and according to custom it is not the day to change into new clothes yet, but now they have plenty of money, so it's okay to change into new clothes every day!
Besides, don’t they work hard all year round to earn so much money for their families?
Jian Jianan and Jian Jiabei took the new clothes, first thanked them sweetly, then ran to their respective rooms to change into them, and finally ran out to show off to their parents.
The two children in new clothes were an eye-catcher. Su Qinxuan and Jian Yangping kept praising them in their hearts, wondering, whose children are so cute?
Oh, it turns out to be ours!
Jian Yangping was full of praise: "I said, the clothes I bought from Hong Kong are really beautiful. They are a bit expensive, but you get what you pay for. The value of the clothes is reflected here!"
Time is life.
After resting for a while, the family hurried back to the Nanbei Hotel.
On the way, Su Qinxuan caressed the two children's heads lovingly and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Nanbeibeibei. On New Year's Eve, all the other children were happily playing at home, but you two had to accompany us adults to work everywhere."
Jian Jianan hugged his mother tightly, his eyes sparkling, "It's not hard at all! We are a family, we are meant to be together! If we separate, how can we still be considered a family?"
Jian Jiabei also thought so. "Yes, yes, my sister is right. We left the island and came to Shenzhen last year to be together as a family. Now of course we must stay together!"
Su Qinxuan and Jian Yangping were very moved and felt that these two sensible, thoughtful and well-behaved children were truly priceless treasures. Their reaction was to be speechless and just hugged them back.
When we arrived at the restaurant, we had another tough battle to fight.
The four men immediately went to their respective battlefields.
Among them, Su Qinxuan's position is particularly important. She is the center of the entire hotel. She sits in the office, and the command and implementation of all matters, big or small, must be approved by her.
Jian Yangping was flexible in his arrangements and was responsible for all the work that required running and maneuvering.
After resting for a while, the Jian brother and sister spontaneously stood at the door, standing with the receptionist, vowing to give the guests the best entry experience.
At six o'clock in the afternoon, guests who had booked the tail-burning banquet arrived one after another.
It is the last day of the year, and everyone cherishes this day and dresses up with all their might. Even if they don’t have new clothes, they will still dress neatly before going out to the party.
"Happy New Year!"
"Happy new home, uncle and aunt!"
“Celebrate the New Year by bidding farewell to the old!”
Jian Jianan smiled sweetly. Whenever he met anyone, he would smile and then send a big blessing: "Happy New Year! Good luck and good fortune!"
Who wouldn’t like a little girl wearing a red Tang suit?
Although Jian Jiabei cannot laugh as much as his sister, he inherited good looks from his parents. Standing with his sister, they look like a golden boy and a jade girl. Anyone who sees them will have to admire in their heart that this pair of children are so adorable!
Guests are first greeted with the best wishes of all the staff at the Nanbei Hotel at the door. Then, as soon as they enter, they can smell the aroma of delicious food in the air and hear the lively songs on TV. It is bustling everywhere, with family members present and delicious food in front. This is the feeling of the New Year, and this is what they have been pursuing all year round!
The guest presented the paper order number, and a separate waiter led the family of more than ten people to the second-floor private room: "Please come in, please follow me!"
After we sat down, the waiter made a gesture and the kitchen staff understood what he meant, and the dishes came up one after another.
As soon as the guests sat down, a long line of waiters arrived.
The head waiter took the plate and placed it on the large round table: "First dish, a basin full of fortune and wealth!"
"This is a Guangdong New Year's Eve dinner custom. We all eat the hot pot, which symbolizes perfection and good fortune!"
When the guests took a look, they saw that this hot pot had several ingredients stacked together, filling the entire large pot.
"The second dish is raw and fierce!"
“I wish you all good health!”
It turned out to be boiled shrimps, which were just caught this morning. They were sent to the restaurant after being chilled. They were still alive and kicking before being steamed in the pot for ten minutes, so they were naturally the freshest when they were eaten by the customers.
“The third dish…”
The foreman, upholding good professional ethics, slowly and patiently introduced the names and meanings of the dishes to the guests one by one. The good wishes contained in them made everyone who heard them feel happy.
After all the dishes were served, the head waiter smiled and said, "Enjoy your meal, everyone. Call me if you need anything."
Each private room is equipped with an exclusive head waiter in order to better serve the guests who have chosen the highest level and give them the best experience.
"Great, great, you guys are so thoughtful!" The guests praised it endlessly!
The waiter left and considerately closed the door of the private room, leaving them with space to spend some time together as a family.
In addition to the services in the private rooms, you can also enjoy perfect services in the lobby on the first floor.
After each table of guests is seated, someone will keep a close eye on them so that they can detect any needs and provide assistance as soon as possible.
Almost no one has ever enjoyed this kind of experience!
Now when you experience it, you will be amazed, not to mention the food produced by Nanbei Restaurant, which must be top-notch and authentic.
The lobby is much noisier than the private rooms, and the atmosphere is even more boisterous, which is more in line with people's impression of the Chinese New Year.
The theme song of the same name from The Bund floated out melodiously.
The guests who were closer to the TV were watching with relish, feeling lucky that they had made the reservation early and could choose their seats. It was a great pleasure to have chosen a seat close to the TV.
Although not everyone can sit close to the TV, they can still hear the sound. When the song "Lang Ben, Lang Liu" comes out, it immediately brings people back to the prosperity of the foreign concessions in the past. They wish they could take their place and become the hero themselves.
Jian Jianan stood on the second floor and looked down. It was a prosperous scene with people drinking and chatting. It was something he could never have imagined before.
"Nannan, why are you standing here! Be careful not to lean on the railing." Yang Tao saw Jian Jianan and hurriedly called her to go inside.
"Sister Xiaotao! Where are you going?" Jian Jianan asked.
Yang Tao kept walking: "I need to check the remaining ingredients and let the second batch of customers in!"
Yes, the second batch!
When the reservations for the Burning Tail Banquet were first opened, Jian Yangping was conservative when preparing the food because he didn't know how many people would come. After all, if the food couldn't be sold out, it would all be a loss!
Therefore, only one batch of reservations is open, but the Burning Tail Banquet is so popular that up to now, the first batch of guests have left one after another, and new guests who did not make reservations are queuing at the door, waiting to come in for dinner.
But looking at this grand occasion now, it is still a bit conservative.
Yang Tao has to coordinate with various departments to determine the number of people before he can let them in.
"I'll go with you! Sister Xiaotao, wait for me!" Jian Jianan said happily.
"Okay, okay, I'll wait for you. Slow down and don't jump!"
With the overwhelming demand and supply at the Nanbei Restaurant, one can only wonder what the current situation is like at the "Nanbei Restaurant" with the same name far away.
Sunshine Farmers Market, at the "North and South Restaurant".
The area here is small, so it can't compare to the Nanbei Hotel's first-floor lobby that can accommodate dozens of people, and there are also private rooms on the second floor.
However, even so, it was obvious that none of the ten tables in the restaurant were full.
As for the customers who were attracted to the restaurant by the reputation of the Manchu Han Banquet, they all looked unhappy. Even on New Year's Eve, they couldn't put on a smiling face.
"Oh, this abalone is really old. In other words, it's too chewy. I bit it for ten minutes and it just softened with my saliva."
It is beyond one's imagination how mean the mouth of someone who cannot eat the food he likes is.
Liang Kang was fed up with what he heard and simply went into the kitchen. He was furious when he saw the employees lazily leaning against the wall.
He kicked them one by one and yelled, "Get up and work! Get up and work! You guys are so lazy! I paid you so much money to work, what are you doing? You lazy bastards!"
Those who were yelled at by him stood up reluctantly, but of course not everyone was willing to swallow their anger. Some even murmured quietly: "Still working? Why is there any work to do now? Zhou Pa Pi reincarnated!"
Liang Kang glared at them, but couldn't find anyone to talk to, so he had to give up.
"Boss Liang! I'm here to deliver the goods to you!"
Someone outside the door called Liang Kang's name. It turned out to be Liu Yang. Liang Kang was furious when he saw Liu Yang and became even angrier!
"How dare you come here! Why do you always make mistakes? You're always missing this or that! Also, the ingredients I ordered are not the same as the ones you sent!"
Liang Kang's saliva was about to fly onto Liu Yang's greasy face, "Ah! Tell me, that abalone, I clearly ordered two heads, how come they were delivered to me..."
Before Liang Kang could finish his words, he was interrupted by the impatient Liu Yang: "Boss Liang, Boss Liang, I'm telling you, I also want to make money, you know? Take a look at the order you gave me, and then look at the price you offered. Do you think you can afford it?"
“You! You! You!”
Liu Yang turned and left.
Unexpectedly, one problem came after another. After I finally calmed down and returned to the store, I was surrounded by a large group of customers.
"Boss! Give me back my money!"
"Yes, refund! All of this is refunded, and we don't want the dishes that weren't served!"
Facing the overwhelming number of customers, Liang Kang had only one thought:
"What?!"
How is this different from the scene of wealth rolling in that I imagined?
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