Rebirth: Starting from the Cafeteria

Chapter 120 Professional Kitchen

"What's wrong Dapeng? Is there something urgent?"

"Yes, it's urgent. You must help me with this."

Su Dapeng then told Du Shaojie the purpose of his visit. It turned out that the son of Section Chief Guo from the Meat Processing Factory was getting married at the weekend, but the chef who had agreed to host the wedding banquet suddenly fell ill and was hospitalized.

Section Chief Guo was extremely anxious. After Su Dapeng learned about this, he took the initiative to take on the task, so he came to find Du Shaojie in the middle of the day.

"I say, you are not being too enthusiastic, are you?"

Du Shaojie did not rush to agree, but pointed out a key point.

He had never communicated with Section Chief Guo of the meat processing factory, and he couldn't even find an acquaintance in the entire meat processing factory. So the question is, why would people trust the chef recommended by Su Dapeng?
Du Shaojie works in the canteen of the Electric Power Industry Bureau, but if he tells others about his abilities, not many people would believe in him.

"No, listen to me. I didn't have anything to eat with the [Dezhou Braised Chicken] you gave me last time, so I gave it to Section Chief Guo. After eating it, Section Chief Guo was full of praise and said that the chef who could make such a delicious dish was amazing.

Besides, you can't handle more than 20 banquet tables by yourself, so you can ask Master Liao to help. Anyway, you can handle it, I'm counting on you."

Su Dapeng quickly explained that it was because of a dish called "Dezhou Braised Chicken" that Du Shaojie became famous in people's hearts.

Therefore, when Su Dapeng said he wanted to invite the chef who made Dezhou Braised Chicken to prepare the banquet, Section Chief Guo immediately agreed.

Du Shaojie curled his lips, not understanding why Su Dapeng was so flattering to Section Chief Guo, but he had to give face to his childhood friend, so he nodded and agreed.

"Great! Shaojie, you are really nice. I will call you early on Sunday morning and I will go over to help. By the way, when you make [Dezhou Braised Chicken] next time, you must save one for me."

Su Dapeng completed the task and was in a very good mood.

However, he still felt heartbroken when thinking about the [Dezhou Braised Chicken] he had given away. He didn't even need to taste it, just smelling it made him salivate, and he wanted to open the oil paper package and eat it right away.

However, in order to have a good relationship with Section Chief Guo, he endured all of this.

"You're pushing for more, aren't you? You gave it to me but you didn't eat it, and ended up giving it away. Get out of here now, and we'll talk about this later."

Du Shaojie was so angry at Su Dapeng's shamelessness that he kicked him, but Su Dapeng ran faster than a rabbit.

They have a relationship like that of pee and mud, so it's not uncommon for them to swear at each other and fight with each other.

However, if he often makes dishes like [Dezhou Braised Chicken], the kitchen at home will not be able to meet his needs. Thinking of this, he quickly called Su Dapeng back.

When Su Dapeng heard that Du Shaojie wanted to renovate his kitchen, he immediately patted his chest and said, "Leave it to me! I'll go find someone as soon as I finish my work with Section Chief Guo."

Du Shaojie nodded, and Su Dapeng rode away on his bicycle.

"Why are you still standing here like an idiot?"

It happened that Liao Yongxin was about to go back to rest after dinner, and when he saw Du Shaojie, he asked with a smile.

"Dapeng had something to talk to me about, and he just left. Master Liao, I'll go to your house and sit for a while, and by the way, taste your good tea."

"You kid! Then let's go."

Liao Yongxin knew it well, so he went home with the other party.

After brewing a pot of good tea, Du Shaojie drank a few sips happily before getting down to business.

There are 24 tables at Section Chief Guo's wedding banquet, and 20 tables at Aunt Zhang's. He can't handle it alone, so he needs Liao Yongxin's help.

"Hey, now it's the other way around? Back then, I took you out to take care of the banquet, and now it's your turn to help me take on the work. There's nothing much to say, I'll go!"

Liao Yongxin chuckled and looked quite happy.

He always thought that Du Shaojie was half his apprentice, and he felt proud that his apprentice was promising. Therefore, he agreed to the other party without hesitation and discussed the menu of the banquet together.

Then, for two consecutive days off, Du Shaojie and Liao Yongxin hosted wedding banquets outside. They first went to the family compound of the meat processing factory, and then to the family compound of the supply and marketing cooperative, perfectly fulfilling the entrustment of the host family.

The dishes served both times were similar to the mainstream dishes at today’s wedding banquets and were not difficult to prepare, but the taste was so good that the guests enjoyed it very much.

As time goes by, most wedding banquets in the future will be ordered in hotels. Many people only care about the grade of the hotel and put the quality of the dishes in second place.

Nowadays, people usually invite chefs to prepare wedding banquets, and what they compete on is of course the chef’s skills and the taste of the food.

Both Section Chief Guo and Aunt Zhang were very satisfied. In addition to cigarettes and alcohol, Du Shaojie and Liao Yongxin each received 220 yuan. This reward was already on par with the chefs of state-owned restaurants, and the host family was still very generous.

Taking stock of his gains, Du Shaojie felt extremely happy.

One dish, Kung Pao Chicken, received an overall rating of “fine or above”, and the other dishes generally received an overall rating of “average”.

The exchange points increased by 43 points, and the simulation training (competition) time increased by 860 points. The exchange points have not been used so far, but the time is consumed almost every day, which has always been tight.

[Exchange points: 211 points\211 points]

【Duration: 980 hours\6356 hours】

While his hands were still hot, Du Shaojie plunged into the simulated chef skills competition before going to bed. He still participated in the A1 group competition. Since he was eliminated in the first round last time, he had to start all over again this time.

The first round went smoothly, but as soon as he entered the first game of the semi-finals, he encountered a problem. This game required Du Shaojie to prepare a dish of [Longjing Shrimp] within two hours.

At present, seafood dishes are Du Shaojie's weak point. The local area is known as the city farthest from the ocean in the world, and the current logistics are not so developed, so fresh seafood is a luxury.

Frozen seafood such as yellow croaker and hairtail are common, but he has never made this classic Zhejiang dish before.

Although I have never done it, I have learned it in theory, so I am not completely in the dark.

[Longjing Shrimp] This dish combines tea and shrimp. The overall taste is light, highlighting the freshness of the shrimp and the fragrance of the tea.

He did complete the work within the 2-hour time limit, but the evaluation was not high, which resulted in his journey in the competition being terminated in the semi-finals.

After quitting, Du Shaojie did not immediately go for simulated training. This dish itself is not of great value to him, but his shortcomings in seafood dishes need to be made up urgently.

"Take a rest today, and then you can put more effort into this aspect."

Du Shaojie then fell asleep. He had to ensure that he got enough sleep every day, which was the basis for doing everything well.

The next day.

After getting up early, Du Shaojie first warmed up in the yard, and then started lifting weights.

Recently he felt a little discomfort in his knees, so he temporarily stopped running and only did upper limb exercises and radio gymnastics.

After washing up, I went to work.

Today's breakfast is good, with big buns stuffed with cabbage, vermicelli and eggs, a bowl of corn porridge and a piece of red tofu. It guarantees that I will have energy for the whole morning.

After lunch, Du Shaojie did not go to the dormitory to rest, but rode his bike back home.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw Su Dapeng and two strangers sitting in the yard, obviously waiting for him.

"Shaojie, you're back? Then let's go to the kitchen first. Tell us what you want. Once the ingredients are ready, we can start working."

Su Dapeng brought people to renovate the kitchen, which was agreed in advance.

Du Shaojie greeted everyone, went into the house, took out a pack of cigarettes and handed one to each person, then went to the kitchen to investigate the scene.

His request was simple. First, he wanted to add a stove, turning the two stoves into three stoves. Second, the stoves had to be similar to those in canteens and restaurants, and they needed to be equipped with auxiliary facilities, such as a blower.

The cooking table, water table and chopping board should be rearranged rationally, the flue should be unobstructed and the smoke should be exhausted quickly.

In addition, an exhaust fan needs to be installed in the kitchen to prevent fumes from being exhausted when cooking in winter.

"Master Du, we can meet all your requirements, but you need to prepare the blower and exhaust fan yourself, and we will be responsible for the installation when the time comes."

The master worker guaranteed that the kitchen would be renovated according to Du Shaojie's requirements.

Fortunately, the kitchen at home is very spacious. If it were in a building in later generations, it would be impossible to do this unless you bought a villa or a large flat.

"Shaojie, I'll get you the blower and exhaust fan. You don't have to worry about anything else."

Du Shaojie was about to ask about the price when Su Dapeng coughed and interrupted him.

It's not surprising that the other party can get the blower and exhaust fan, but why don't they care about the rest?

The two masters immediately took action and built a temporary stove in the yard, otherwise the family would not be able to cook. Then they dismantled the stove in the kitchen and moved all the things out.

Du Shaojie pulled Su Dapeng into the house and asked, "What's going on?"

"I helped them get a big job, so of course they won't charge me for such a small thing. Also, if you need pork or something in the future, come to me. I can get it without a ticket."

Su Dapeng smiled mysteriously, suggesting something.

Du Shaojie immediately understood that this guy probably had a good relationship with Section Chief Guo and was able to get all kinds of meat from the meat processing plant.

As for renovating the kitchen, since Su Dapeng said so, he didn't care. Manual work is not expensive these days, and the raw materials are also cheap, so it won't cost much in total.

The house was busy for a few days until the facilities in the kitchen were dry, and then it returned to its usual peace.

In the blink of an eye, it was the beginning of the school year. Du Shaojie took Xiaomei and Xiaoya to buy some cloth during his day off, and Wang Xiuyu made a new set of clothes for each of them.

I also bought a new school bag, pencil case, pens, ink, stationery and everything else.

On the first day of school, Du Shaojie, Wang Yuxiu and Qi Yan went out together to send Xiaomei and Xiaoya to the gate of No. 1 Middle School. Without much nonsense, they waved and let them enter the campus.

"Shaojie, you go to work. Auntie and I will walk back."

Chunfeng Lane is not far from No. 1 Middle School, and it is only three stops away by bus.

(End of this chapter)