msmithbooks Chapter 162 Tea instead of wine
Chapter 162 Tea instead of wine
Chapter 162 Tea instead of wine
The elegant name "Farewell My Concubine" is actually just braised turtle and chicken.
This turtle restaurant was clearly not open for long. You could smell a faint varnish smell even at the entrance. Even during peak dining hours, there were only a few tables occupied.
Inside the open kitchen, four chefs in white coats seemed to be doing nothing.
However, thanks to short video promotion, it has become a popular old restaurant with a full house after ten years.
Yu Huan slowly squatted down, holding Wuliangye liquor in one hand and reaching into the red bucket with the other, deftly turning the turtle over.
The giant turtle quickly extended its head and limbs, its sharp claws scratching against the plastic bucket wall, making a hissing sound, as it tried to flip back over.
Its vigorous vitality is evident.
“Brother, we already discussed this in detail on the phone. We have both farmed and wild soft-shelled turtles in our shop. As you know, the larger the wild ones are, the higher the price. A one-pound one is two hundred, and a two- to three-pound one is four hundred. This six-pound wild soft-shelled turtle is definitely a rare find; we only have one in the shop. We'll give it to you at the affordable price we agreed on before, six hundred per pound.”
talking.
The short-haired guy lifted the red bucket containing the large turtle with his left hand, and with his right hand, he picked up the turtle and threw it into the basket next to the glass tank, on the floor scale.
"This scale has already been tare, it weighs six jin and one liang, so I'll just say six jin."
Yu Huan, who was crouching down to observe the turtle, nodded with a smile.
The short-haired young man deftly pulled a pack of Furongwang cigarettes from his pocket, took out two cigarettes, and bent down to hand them to the important customer.
"Dude, let me double-check with you. If there are no problems, I'll have the kitchen start processing it right away."
Originally it was 688 yuan per catty, but Yu Huan cut it down to 600 yuan. He couldn't cut it any lower.
However, considering the profit margins in the catering industry, this price is indeed affordable, and the price would probably be close to that even if acquired directly.
Not to mention that it has to go through multiple hands before it can be placed on the dining table.
Of course, this turtle restaurant must have its own connections and channels, so it should be able to make a profit at this price.
Yu Huan smiled slightly: "Thank you, I don't smoke." He looked up and saw the crew-cut guy straightening up, offering two cigarettes to Old Lin and his mother-in-law respectively.
Old Lin casually accepted the cigarette, while his mother-in-law politely waved her hand in refusal.
Seeing this, the guy with the buzz cut took the remaining cigarette and put it in his mouth.
"Such a powerful tyrant, you'd better get a good chicken to match it." Yu Huan joked as he stood up, took out his phone from his pocket, and glanced at the time. It was already 6:20.
He continued, "Also, please serve the food faster, my guests will be here at 6:30."
The short-haired guy flashed a warm and cheerful smile: "Alright bro, Farewell My Concubine, and I'll also pair it with a three-year-old hen. Our shop is all about repeat customers, we guarantee you'll be satisfied."
“Okay.” Yu Huan nodded.
The short-haired waiter bent down to grab the turtle into the red bucket, then turned to the waitress and said, "It will take a while for the food to be ready. Please take these three guests to the private room to rest and wait a moment."
The waitress smiled and replied, "Okay, please follow me, all three of you."
She gestured for them to enter, leading Yu Huan, Lao Lin, and her mother-in-law to the reserved private room.
Upon arriving at the private room, she waited by the door until the three guests entered one by one before gracefully stepping into the room and carefully closing the door behind her.
Yu Huan casually placed the Wuliangye liquor he had brought on the round table. Without needing the waitress's help, he took the initiative to pick up the menu and ballpoint pen on the table and handed them to Lao Lin, who was sitting in a high-backed chair with a sleepy look in his eyes.
"Dad, what side dishes would you like to order?"
Old Lin took the menu, glanced at it briefly, and then asked his mother-in-law, who was sitting next to him, "Would you like some sweet potato noodles?"
"I just don't know if it's authentic." The mother-in-law turned her upper body around and hung her handbag on the back of the chair.
Upon hearing that the conversation was related to business, the young woman looked away from Yu Huan and quickly and enthusiastically introduced, "Auntie, all the sweet potato noodles in our shop are handmade."
The mother-in-law nodded: "Alright, order one then."
Yu Huan stood aside with a smile.
He sniffed, noticing the slightly stuffy air in the private room.
Since she was still ordering, she didn't instruct the waitress. Instead, she turned around, walked to the window, and gently opened it to let fresh air into the room.
He left the private room saying, "Dad, Mom, I'll go outside and wait for my uncle and his apprentice," and then turned and left.
The mother-in-law turned around and watched Yu Huan close the door, then nudged Old Lin's arm: "Look how sensible your son-in-law is."
"Otherwise what? All those Zhang San and Li Si you introduced to You Rong before, she couldn't be bothered with a single one of them," Old Lin chuckled and retorted, "And look at this young couple, how could my taste be bad?"
The mother-in-law was displeased: "Back in the hospital, I liked this son-in-law before you did."
The waitress wore a formulaic smile. It turned out this handsome man was already married; these two were his parents-in-law. At first, I thought they were his parents…
Unaware that she had been praised, Yu Huan walked outside the store and took a deep breath of the cool, fresh air.
Vehicles sped by from time to time, their whistling sounds and occasional horn blasts mingling and filling his ears.
The scene before him reminded him of Huachun Town, but he knew that in ten years, this place would be filled with high-rise buildings and become very prosperous.
Yu Huan had just stepped out of the store when a black Volkswagen Phaeton slowly passed him and stopped sideways beside him.
As the passenger door opened, his uncle leaned out halfway and greeted him, saying, "Xiao Yu, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
"No, we just arrived too," Yu Huan quickly greeted them, a warm smile on her face. At that moment, the driver's side door opened, and a man who looked to be around forty years old got out.
He had a briefcase tucked under his arm, and was tall and thin, like a bamboo pole. He laughed heartily and said to Yu Huan, "Young man, you're really handsome! You must be Brother Yu, right?"
Although he was old enough to be Yu Huan's uncle, he couldn't let the seniority get out of place as his uncle's apprentice.
My uncle grinned, revealing his big gold teeth, and introduced, "This is my apprentice, Yang Qi. You can just call him Brother Qi."
"Hello, Brother Qi." Yu Huan greeted them politely, "Uncle, Brother Qi, please come in."
Yang Qi used the car keys to remotely lock the car door, walked around from the driver's side, and said to Yu Huan, "Brother Yu, your uncle is really taking care of your wedding room. He's been working on it all day long."
"Hmph~" Uncle waved his hand dismissively.
The three of them walked towards the store entrance together. Yu Huan said with a smile, "That's why I specially treated my uncle to a big meal tonight to express my gratitude."
"Uh, I'm used to keeping my bag with me all the time, I forgot to put it in the car," Yang Qi said, shifting his briefcase to his right arm. Hearing this, he asked curiously, "Oh? Is there anything good to eat?"
"A six-pound wild soft-shelled turtle, paired with a three-year-old hen." Yu Huan clapped his hands and laughed, "This dish shall be called Farewell My Concubine!"
Uncle raised an eyebrow and clicked his tongue: "A six-pound wild soft-shelled turtle? Xiao Yu, you've really gone to a lot of trouble. Your father-in-law was lecturing you yesterday, telling you not to be so extravagant. He's going to give you a good scolding now."
Upon hearing this, Yu Huan laughed heartily.
As the three chatted, Yu Huan took the lead and walked to the door of the private room. She gently opened the door and warmly invited her uncle and Yang Qi inside.
As soon as Yang Qi stepped into the private room, he greeted the people inside familiarly: "Uncle, Aunt, it's been a long time, we meet again."
Hearing the voice, Lao Lin turned around, exclaimed "Oh!", and quickly stood up to greet him: "Xiao Yang, you're here. Please make yourself at home."
Uncle noticed a hint of doubt on Yu Huan's face and explained, "The house your father-in-law lives in now was renovated under the supervision of Yang Qi."
"Oh." Yu Huan nodded in sudden realization.
Old Lin took out a pack of Furongwang cigarettes from his pocket, skillfully opened the pack, and took out two cigarettes. He handed one to his uncle, then turned to Yang Qi.
Yang Qi quickly waved his hand: "Thank you, Uncle, I've already quit smoking."
"It's good not to smoke; it's good for your health," Old Lin said, putting a cigarette in his mouth.
The mother-in-law chimed in with a smile, "Xiao Yang, I heard you've started your own company now?"
"It's just a small company," Yang Qi replied modestly, while pulling out a high-backed chair to gesture for his uncle to sit down first.
After sitting down, the uncle continued, "Xiao Yang is too modest. A company with over two hundred employees is already quite impressive for a renovation company."
Decoration companies generally focus on design and supervision services. They don't employ workers, but rather foremen, or more politely, project managers, or more colloquially, contractors.
Therefore, a renovation company with more than 200 employees is not small.
Yu Huan sat down next to Lao Lin and listened as he, his mother-in-law, and Yang Qi exchanged pleasantries about their recent situations.
Time slips away unnoticed.
The food wasn't served until a little after seven o'clock.
The waitress first placed the portable gas stove on the table, and then two young men in white coats carried in a huge clay stew pot.
They carefully placed the stew pot securely on the portable gas stove and then excused themselves.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the steaming dish of Farewell My Concubine.
Six pounds of wild soft-shelled turtle and three-year-old hen were braised together. The whole pot was presented with great care, with pieces of the turtle's carapace carefully pieced together to form a whole on top, and the edges of the shell glistening with an enticing sheen.
Chili peppers, red broth, overall Hunan style.
Yu Huan, who was already starving, couldn't help but swallow hard, her mouth watering.
The waitresses then took the side dishes and other items from the food cart and neatly arranged them on the table.
Enoki mushrooms, bok choy, lettuce, sweet potato vermicelli, and other vegetables were carefully packed in small vegetable baskets.
Everything was ready. The waitress bowed and said, "Please enjoy your meal," before leaving the private room.
Yu Huan hurriedly opened a bottle of Wuliangye liquor, the rich aroma filling their nostrils, and poured them a full glass.
Yang Qi rolled up his sleeves and said in a slightly joking tone, "Thanks to my master, I can finally have a good meal today."
Old Lin chuckled and said, "Young Yang, you're being too polite."
Uncle smiled and revealed his signature gold tooth: "That's right, you'll have to put in a lot of effort to prepare the wedding room for Xiao Yu and her husband."
Speaking of this, Yang Qi immediately opened his briefcase, pulled out half of a thick stack of design drawings, and showed it to everyone: "My master is truly meticulous. From the plumbing and electrical layout under the floor to the ceiling and lighting design above, he designed everything himself. Wow! So detailed—"
Uncle quickly waved his hand, interrupting Yang Qi: "Why talk about this? Let's eat."
Yu Huan hurriedly raised her glass to express her gratitude: "I'll drink tea instead of wine, thank you Uncle and Brother Qi!"
(End of this chapter)