Chapter 258: Chapter 177: This Garlic Sauce is Really Good! Ingredients Needed for Crystal Sugar Pork Knuckle! [Seeking Monthly Ticket] _2
"Thank you, Assistant Bai. Have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet. I was just about to find a building with breakfast to grab a bite."
"Then look no further. Our kitchen just made some Bamboo Noodles. You’re welcome to try some if you don’t mind."
Upon hearing this, Bai Pengbo immediately switched off the electric shuttle’s ignition.
If it were anything else, I might be polite, but since there’s food... sorry, my dictionary doesn’t have the word ’polite.’
With the car keys in hand, he headed towards the restaurant.
"Dundun, do you recognize me? My surname is Bai, Bai Pengbo."
Dundun rolled its eyes at him and continued to lick its paws.
Outside, Chezi and the others got out of the car, smiling as they greeted Lin Xu. They had spent a few days in an internal training class right after arriving at Fishing Platform, learning some theoretical culinary knowledge.
Now they could finally come to the kitchen.
Though they all worked in the kitchen of Building Two, they were assigned to different departments.
Niu Chuan went to the pastry department, whose head chef was skilled at making Noodles With Black Bean Sauce. Lin Xu had told Niu Chuan to learn more from him. He didn’t need to master Noodles With Black Bean Sauce, but his skills at making hand-rolled noodles definitely needed improvement.
Ma Zhiqiang joined the stewing department, where he aimed to learn a couple more dishes from the head chef to enhance his culinary skills.
Xu Xinhua found his perfect fit in the roasting and braising room, where he finally found joy in making roasted and braised dishes.
As for Chezi, he was quite lucky. Cheng JianShe, the head chef of the stir-fry section, needed an assistant and, seeing Chezi was quite clever, decided to keep him by his side.
"You guys haven’t eaten either, right? Come on, I’ll cook some noodles for you."
If it were someone else, Lin Xu would have let them prepare their own meal. But these were the future backbone of Lin Ji’s Food. Since he happened to be free at the moment, he not only cooked noodles for them but also steamed some oysters, letting them enjoy the same delicious meal he had earlier.
「In the morning.」
Just as Lin Xu had finished stewing the pre-ordered Braised Pork Belly in a clay pot, he received a call from Dou Wenjing.
"Boss, Zheng Xiaoguang has finished designing the shengjian shop. I’ve sent the images to your email. Take a look when you have time. If it’s all good, the construction team will start work."
After deciding to invest in a shengjian shop, Dou Wenjing had swiftly gotten things moving.
She first took over a milk tea shop on the brink of closing near the Yingchun Street subway station entrance. With an area of five to six square meters, it was perfect for a shengjian shop.
After securing the location, she urged Zheng Xiaoguang to hurry up with the design.
Zheng Xiaoguang had initially found the job too small. However, upon hearing Geng Lele’s eagerness, he adopted the spirit of "You can insult my personality, but not my professionalism." He not only produced the design overnight but even designed the staff uniforms, packaging bags, takeout boxes, and other related supplies.
It was truly a one-stop service.
Lin Xu opened his mobile email.
He downloaded the attachment and opened it, revealing Zheng Xiaoguang’s design.
The storefront was predominantly wine-red. On the sign, ’Ziqiang Shengjian’ was written in white, brush-style regular script, exuding an antique vibe. Other items, like the aprons, were also primarily wine-red. The overall design complemented the store’s style perfectly.
After viewing it, Lin Xu sent a message to Dou Wenjing:
"It’s good. Start the renovation with this style. Also, notify the printing factory to produce the packaging bags and other materials. Aim to open this week."
"Understood, Boss," she replied.
After receiving Dou Wenjing’s message, Lin Xu was about to put his phone back into his pocket when Xie Baomin approached.
"The date for the competition has been set for this Friday. It will be held in the banquet hall of Fishing Platform Building One. The other nine foreign-affiliated hotels are sending three contestants each, all under twenty-five years old."
Heh... Quite the choice of venue. Last time, I won the championship in Building One’s banquet hall. Now, if someone beats me there, wouldn’t that be like knocking Fishing Platform off its pedestal? I guessed the contestants from the other nine hotels would all be sharpening their knives, eager for that moment.
"Director Liao actually agreed to this?" Lin Xu found it a bit strange. Regardless of the reasoning, this competition shouldn’t be held at Fishing Platform. After all, it was too easy for people to make an issue out of it.
Xie Baomin said, "The venue was determined by Liu Zhengyu, president of the National Tourism Association. He is also the chief judge for this competition. The other judges were also appointed from departments such as China Travel Service and China International Travel Service, so their professionalism and impartiality are beyond doubt."
Wow... That’s quite the grand gesture, Lin Xu thought. He then asked, "What’s Fishing Platform’s stance on this?"
Xie Baomin sighed. "The leaders have only one demand: win the championship! No matter what, we must win. If you succeed, Fishing Platform will give you a surprise."
A surprise? It’s not going to be more of those pork buns or custard buns, is it? After the surprise this morning, that word doesn’t excite me anymore.
Xie Baomin finished speaking and then added with regret, "It’s a pity the age limit was set at twenty-five. If it had been extended to forty-five, I wouldn’t even flinch at a hundred competitors, let alone ten."
Lin Xu also felt regretful. What a pity... I’ll have to find a way to egg on Zhen Wensheng later. Get him to hold a competition for chefs under fifty, and let those accomplished chefs out there also experience the fear of being dominated by Senior Brother.
After they finished talking about this, Lin Xu suddenly remembered his task of cooking Crystal Sugar Hock.
He looked at Xie Baomin and asked, "Senior Brother, my girlfriend’s grandmother wants to eat the Crystal Sugar Hock I make. How should I cook it? Are there any tricks?"
"Of course, there are. Banquet dishes like this always have their tricks." Xie Baomin thought for a moment and said, "We don’t have all the ingredients right now. I’ll find them and make it for you later. Although there are tricks, it’s not very difficult; you’ll be able to master it easily."
Lin Xu wasn’t in a rush. He had two weeks to complete the task, after all. Waiting a bit longer would be fine.
Afterward, everyone got back to their own business.
In the afternoon, Bai Pengbo came over again in the electric shuttle, using the excuse of visiting to see if there was anything good to eat. But upon entering and seeing everyone idling, disappointment immediately spread across his face.
Xie Baomin was drinking tea. The moment he saw Bai Pengbo, he promptly asked, "Little Bai, do you know where to find green sugarcane? I heard we have some planted here at Fishing Platform, but I’ve forgotten in which building exactly."
"Green sugarcane?" Bai Pengbo scratched his head and said after a moment of thought, "I think it’s in Building Fifteen. I’ve heard that Chef Song over there likes sugarcane and specifically planted some in the courtyard. What do you need it for?"
Xie Baomin replied with a smile, "Nothing important, nothing important. Hand me your car keys; I’ll just take the shuttle for a spin."
Bai Pengbo didn’t mind. He tossed the keys to the electric shuttle to Xie Baomin.
Soon, Xie Baomin was out, cruising in the electric shuttle.
When he returned, two stalks of green sugarcane had appeared in the shuttle. The sugarcane looked like it had been pulled straight from the ground, roots still caked with dirt.
As he got out of the shuttle with the sugarcane, Xie Baomin’s phone began to ring.
"Old Xie, you son of a bitch, why did you steal my sugarcane?" As soon as he answered, the irate voice of Chef Song from Building Fifteen blasted through.
He had watched Xie Baomin drive the electric shuttle over to the courtyard of Building Fifteen, thinking he had come for a visit. Instead, the guy had furtively pulled up two growing stalks of sugarcane, sped off, and almost crashed into the flower bed outside Building Fifteen.
"Old Song, you really should work on that temper of yours. I take a couple of your sugarcane stalks, and you react like I’ve pulled out your tendons. How can your blood pressure not be high when you get like this?"
Chef Song: "..." Damn it, so now I’m the one at fault?
He calmed himself and asked, "That sugarcane isn’t even ripe yet! What the hell are you going to do with it, you damn scoundrel?"
Holding the sugarcane, Xie Baomin arrived in front of the flower bed of Building Two. He shook off the dirt from the roots and said as he walked towards the restaurant, "I need the ones that aren’t fully grown. If they were ripe, I wouldn’t have bothered with them."
These words piqued Chef Song’s curiosity. "What do you mean? Are you using it for a dish?"
"Exactly, for cooking. Old Song, why don’t you come over and we can compare notes? You’ll see the effect of using green sugarcane to make Crystal Sugar Hock."
Chef Song, who had a keen interest in sweet dishes, was instantly intrigued. "You son of a bitch, you should’ve just said something earlier and let me ride with you! Wait for me, I’ll be right over!"
I was up before five in the morning to queue, which left me groggy all day. This Chapter is 4,150 words, a bit on the short side, apologies. I’ll try to write more tomorrow. Please send Monthly Tickets!