funbook-pk Chapter 37, Four-Sided Building
Chapter 37, Four-Sided Building
Song Jiaojiao never expected that the man who looked to be only in his early twenties was actually the owner of Huichuntang. It seemed that Manager Liu had been waiting for this man.
Song Jiaojiao didn't think much about the matter. She was just thinking about the two restaurants that Manager Liu had mentioned earlier. According to Manager Liu, neither of them was very suitable. After all, Sifanglou's business was not good, and it was unlikely that it would buy the recipe. Yuan's Restaurant's reputation was worrying. She was currently powerless and could not confront these important figures, otherwise it would be like an egg hitting a rock.
After thinking for a long time, Song Jiaojiao unknowingly arrived in front of two restaurants. It was lunchtime, and the two restaurants were in stark contrast to each other.
Inside Yuan's Restaurant, people were coming and going, and the waiters were so busy they seemed to have three heads and six arms. In contrast, Sifanglou Restaurant was deserted, with only a few customers dining there.
Since Song Jiaojiao was already here, she figured she might as well give it a try. Seeing the situation, she thought she should go to Sifanglou first, since the Yuan family didn't have time to entertain a nobody like her.
When Song Jiaojiao entered Sifanglou, she saw that its decoration was grand and transparent, the interior was well-lit, the tables and chairs in the lobby on the first floor were polished to a shine, and there was not a trace of oil stains in the room.
"How many guests are there, sir?" The waiter didn't show any disdain when he saw Song Jiaojiao enter.
"One person, please bring me your restaurant's signature dishes, just one meat and one vegetable." Song Jiaojiao looked around, randomly found a corner, and sat down in the hall, thinking that since it was already lunchtime, she should try the dishes first.
"Alright, please wait a moment, sir." The waiter poured tea for Song Jiaojiao and then went to the kitchen. There were fewer people there, just two waiters, one of whom looked like an accountant and was sitting behind the counter. The manager was nowhere to be seen.
Perhaps because there weren't many people, the waiter served the dishes that Song Jiaojiao had ordered in no time.
"Sir, your dishes are all ready. Please enjoy your meal," the waiter said with a smile as he served the food.
Song Jiaojiao looked at the dishes in front of her: a steamed pork rib dish and a stir-fried loofah dish.
This is their signature dish?
Wasn't he supposed to be a descendant of the imperial chefs?
That's it?
Song Jiaojiao was utterly astonished when she saw the dishes in front of her. She didn't know if it was because she was in ancient times or something else, but this kind of food would only be considered the level of a small restaurant in her previous life.
Wait, what if it just doesn't look good, but actually tastes alright?
Thinking of this, Song Jiaojiao picked up a piece of loofah with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. It tasted like stir-fried loofah. Not giving up, she picked up a piece of pork ribs. Sure enough, it tasted like pork and had a slightly fishy smell. It was soft and tender, though.
Song Jiaojiao forced herself to finish her meal, thinking that this descendant of the imperial chef didn't seem to be all that great.
After finishing her meal, Song Jiaojiao waved to the waiter, "Sir, what can I do for you?"
"I wonder if your shopkeeper is here?" Song Jiaojiao asked.
"Manager Wang went out on some errands, he should be back soon," the waiter replied, glancing outside.
"Then I'll wait a little longer. When the shopkeeper comes back, please tell him I have a business deal with him." Song Jiaojiao thought she would wait a little longer, so she asked the waiter to pass on the message and gave him a tael of silver.
The waiter quickly put it away, his smile widening. He said, "Of course, of course. I'll make sure to relay the message when the manager returns."
After hearing this, Song Jiaojiao dismissed the waiter, and as it was almost lunchtime, no one else entered the restaurant.
While Song Jiaojiao was lost in thought, a man who looked to be under thirty walked up to her.
"But what brings you here?" the man asked politely with a friendly smile.
"Are you the manager of Sifanglou?" Song Jiaojiao was a little surprised. Looking at the man in front of her who looked even younger than herself, she didn't expect him to be the manager. He was so young.
"That is indeed me," the man said, his expression unchanged.
"I'm so sorry, manager. My apologies. I didn't expect you to be managing such a large restaurant at such a young age." Song Jiaojiao quickly rose and bowed, speaking apologetically.
"No need for formalities. What brings you here?" the shopkeeper said with a smile and a shake of his head.
"I don't think this is a good place to chat." Song Jiaojiao looked around. Although Sifanglou's business was not good these days, it wasn't completely devoid of customers.
"It was my oversight. How about this, let's talk upstairs. Mr. Xu, bring a pot of tea to the second floor," the innkeeper said with a smile, instructing the waiter who had just taken Song Jiaojiao's order.
After Song Jiaojiao followed the shopkeeper to the second floor and sat down, she asked, "May I ask your surname, shopkeeper?"
"My surname is Wang."
Surname Wang? That's the same surname as Wang Chi. Based on the melodramatic time-travel novels I've read, there shouldn't be any connection, right?
"Manager Wang, my surname is Song, you can call me Madam Song. I'll get straight to the point, I wonder if you want Sifanglou's business to improve." Song Jiaojiao looked directly at Manager Wang as she spoke, afraid of missing the expression on his face.
Manager Wang's expression remained unchanged; he simply replied calmly, "Oh, I wonder what insightful opinion Madam Song has?"
"I dare not presume to offer such insightful advice. I was merely bored and decided to research some food." Song Jiaojiao then took out some braised large intestines and pig stomach from her basket. Since they had cooled down, they no longer emitted much of a fragrance.
Shopkeeper Wang looked at the two bowls of food in front of him, which could barely be called meat dishes. Apart from their appealing colors, he couldn't figure out what they were. "I wonder what's in these two bowls?"
"This is a dish I made at home, I call it braised dishes. Here are pig intestines and pig stomach. How about this, I wonder if I could borrow your restaurant's kitchen?" Song Jiaojiao thought that she still had to cook to bring out the aroma.
"Alright, please follow me." Manager Wang thought about it and agreed. The restaurant's business was indeed very bad these days, and it was operating at a loss. He estimated that it would really go bankrupt soon.
Song Jiaojiao took the braised meat and a few green peppers from her basket, then followed Manager Wang to the kitchen.
All I could see was a young head chef with an apprentice who looked to be about ten years old, and a woman doing odd jobs.
After washing the green peppers, Song Jiaojiao cut them into chunks. She asked the woman for some ginger and garlic, which she chopped, and then asked the woman to help light the fire. She heated oil in a wok, and when the oil was about 50% hot, she added the ginger, garlic, and scallions to sauté until fragrant. Then she added the green peppers and stir-fried them. A pungent smell immediately filled the kitchen. Once the green peppers softened, she added the large intestine and pork belly, stir-fried them until fragrant, and then it was ready to serve.
After ladling it into a bowl, Song Jiaojiao invited Manager Wang to try it. Everyone smelled the aroma in the air, along with a pungent, unidentified odor. The large intestine in the bowl, however, looked quite delicious.
Seeing that the shopkeeper hadn't moved, the head chef couldn't help but say, "Shopkeeper, let me try it first."
Seeing the shopkeeper nod, the chef picked up a piece of large intestine with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. It was tender, flavorful, and fragrant. His eyes lit up, and he picked up a piece of pig's stomach. Unlike the tender large intestine, it was chewier, but still delicious. The chef looked at the green vegetable and also picked it up with his chopsticks. It was fiery on his tongue at first, but the more he chewed, the more fragrant it became, making it irresistible.