Rebirth: Starting from the Cafeteria

Chapter 171 Private Dishes

"Well, I happen to be free tonight. So, you can find a quiet place, make two dishes, and have a few drinks together."

"Okay, if you don't mind, let's meet at Chunfeng Lane after get off work tonight. I have a vacant yard there."

"Okay, pick me up at the intersection of Chunfeng Lane at 7:30 in the evening."

Feng Qingsong readily agreed to meet with Du Shaojie, arranged the time and place, and then hung up.

Du Shaojie stood up and left the office, shouting, "Jianjun, come here."

"I'm here! Manager Du, what do you want me to do?"

"Ask the people on the morning shift if anyone is willing to give me a hand. I need to buy some furniture and clean up the house."

"Ask whatever you want, we'll go."

When Xiao Jianjun heard that Du Shaojie needed help with something, he immediately became excited.

The same goes for the other members of the team. They did it not to flatter Du Shaojie, but to thank him for his generosity. The year-end bonus had already been paid, and they were full of expectations for the future.

For Du Shaojie, the success of the snack bar is inseparable from the hard work of everyone. Besides, he has gone through the difficult times and no longer values ​​money so much.

He feels a sense of accomplishment when he can bring hope to others.

"Okay, we'll leave in a minute."

Du Shaojie smiled and nodded. After Xiao Jianjun and others finished their work, he took them to buy furniture and some small items.

To transport the things back to the house she bought, Du Shaojie assigned tasks to Xiao Jianjun and others.

It is definitely too late to paint the walls, but you can replace the ceiling and put some decorative paintings on the walls.

The furniture was bought at a second-hand furniture market, an eight-person table and six chairs. The table and chairs are made of fine mahogany, antique and well preserved.

It’s not that he can’t afford new furniture, but putting a set of new furniture here would feel very out of place and would be ugly.

I definitely bought new tableware and tea sets, as I already had all the kitchen utensils at home. I just bought three blowers as well.

I pasted the ceiling, put up murals, cleaned the house, washed the kitchen utensils and tableware, and even cleaned the yard.

Near noon, the house inside and outside looked brand new and more pleasing to the eye.

Du Shaojie then went to buy some mutton and vegetables. Xiao Jianjun and others helped to make noodles. He fried a pot of vegetables, and everyone had a meal of mixed noodles.

After cleaning up the mess, Xiao Jianjun and others said goodbye and left.

"What are you cooking for dinner?"

Du Shaojie thought for a moment and came up with an idea.

So he used his exchange points without hesitation and exchanged some ingredients from the mall.

For a long time, he rarely used the exchange point. He was not short of money now, so there was no need to exchange physical objects or cash.

It was not until today that he found the correct use of the exchange point, which is to exchange for rare ingredients relatively rare to the local area.

Feng Qingsong helped him a lot, otherwise the matter would have been really troublesome.

He invited people to dinner just to express his gratitude, and a table of home-cooked food would not look good. Go out and buy some, as many ingredients are hard to buy these days.

Just to name a few examples, fresh abalone, fresh shrimps, etc.

He had dried abalone in his storage space, but firstly, there was not enough time for it to be soaked, and secondly, he was going to make [Steamed Abalone with Vermicelli and Garlic], so fresh abalone would be a better choice as an ingredient.

Dried abalone is suitable for stewing soup, and there is a difference in taste and texture between the two.

In the afternoon, he went to buy some more food, and when he came back, he started to work. Although there were not many dishes in the evening, he had to prepare them in advance so that he could serve the dishes when the guests arrived.

"Brother, do you need help?"

Xiaomei and Xiaoya also had mixed noodles here at noon, and went back to rest after eating.

They came over again in the afternoon. Knowing that their brother was going to treat people to dinner in the evening, they thought about what to do.

"No need to do anything else, just go and fetch two buckets of water."

Since they were unable to prepare the ingredients, Du Shaojie asked the two sisters to fetch water.

Xiaomei and Xiaoya went to fetch a few buckets of water and then went home.

At the appointed time, Du Shaojie arrived at the alley entrance in advance to wait. Feng Qingsong was very punctual and did not let him wait any longer, arriving five minutes early.

"Director Feng, please!"

"Wait a moment, Liu Ying will be here soon. Master Du, I called one more person, do you mind?"

"Of course not, let's wait then."

The two stood there and chatted for a while, and Liu Ying also arrived.

So the three of them walked into Chunfeng Lane together and soon arrived at the newly purchased yard by Du Shaojie.

"Master Du, your yard is nice. It feels quite quiet in a bustling environment."

"No, no, I don't have a suitable place. I hope you two don't mind. Director Feng, Director Liu, have a cup of tea first. I'll go cook. It won't take long."

After entering the room, the three of them exchanged a few pleasantries. Du Shaojie brewed a pot of Biluochun tea and then went to the kitchen.

It didn't take long before various dishes were served on the table.

There are not many dishes tonight, just six dishes and one soup. The hot dishes include [Steamed Abalone with Vermicelli and Garlic Sauce], [Longjing Shrimp], [Scallion-fried Sea Cucumber], [Squirrel Mandarin Fish], and [Vegetarian Assorted].

One of the two dishes was [Boiled Chicken], and the last dish was [Mushroom Three Fresh Soup].

"Director Feng, Director Liu, today's dishes are relatively light. I wonder if you two can get used to them?"

Du Shaojie took off his apron, washed his face, and then sat down at the table.

Although he rarely cooks these dishes in real life, he encounters them frequently in the [Simulated Chef (Group B2) Skills Competition] and has also conducted many simulation trainings.

The reason for choosing these dishes is because Cai Jing introduced Feng Qingsong last time and mentioned that his taste tends to be light.

"Master Du, you're welcome. These dishes are so pretty and look delicious."

Liu Ying must be a person who judges appearance by appearance. The first thing she looks at is the appearance of each dish. If the dish looks good, she would give it at least 80 points.

Feng Qingsong smiled and nodded, pointing at the [Squirrel Mandarin Fish] and said, "Liu Ying is right. I have eaten this fish dish in Beijing before. In terms of appearance, the one you made is more beautiful."

"Haha, I'm really grateful for your compliments. Director Feng, I'll toast you a glass. All my gratitude is in the wine. I'll drink it, you can do as you please."

Du Shaojie first toasted Feng Qingsong with a glass of wine, and then clinked glasses with Liu Ying.

After putting down their wine glasses, the three of them started eating.

After Feng Qingsong and Liu Ying tasted today's dishes, they realized that they had underestimated Du Shaojie.

Although today's dishes are light, each dish is full of flavor and has rich layers of taste. While highlighting the delicious taste of the ingredients themselves, the combination of various seasonings is just right.

As for these few dishes, the chefs in Beijing may not be much better.

"Master Du, it seems that you are familiar with all major cuisines. This dish [Scallion-fried Sea Cucumber] perfectly highlights the characteristics of Shandong cuisine. It is salty, fragrant and delicious, and absolutely authentic.

And this [Boiled Chicken], should it be a Cantonese dish? It looks ordinary, but when you put it in your mouth, the aroma of the chicken and the taste of the dipping sauce are fully integrated, smooth and juicy, a rare delicacy. "

Feng Qingsong spoke highly of the food on the table, but there was one dish he didn't recognize.

There was no way. The place was too far from the ocean. Although he was doing well, he had not eaten many seafood dishes.

Liu Ying didn't recognize him either. She and Feng Qingsong have been friends for many years and have a tacit understanding. As lesbians, if they occasionally show their ignorance, no one will say anything.

"Master Du, I'm a country bumpkin, please don't laugh at me. Let me ask you, what is this dish?"

As Liu Ying spoke, she pointed at a dish on the table with her fingertips.

Feng Qingsong looked at Du Shaojie curiously, he also wanted to know.

"This is [Steamed Abalone with Vermicelli and Garlic Sauce]. It's very delicious. You should eat more."

"This is abalone. Haha. Master Du is very thoughtful."

Although Feng Qingsong and Liu Ying did not know what abalone was, they had heard of it. After all, their knowledge was different from that of ordinary people, and they knew that abalone was a precious food ingredient.

Everyone enjoyed the meal very much.

The reason why Feng Qingsong helped Du Shaojie was because of Cai Jing's face. The reason why he was able to come over for dinner today was also because of the same reason.

I didn't expect that the other party brought such a big surprise to me and Liu Ying. Just the dishes on the table might not be available even if we go to Kunlun Hotel.

When this person is happy, he tends to drink more, and before we know it, everyone drinks a little more.

"Qingsong, let me have a drink with you. I heard that your new appointment will be announced soon. If you go one step further, you will be the chief steward of the entire city. Congratulations."

"The examination has just been completed and the documents have not been issued yet. Please don't spread them around."

Du Shaojie listened to the conversation between the two and immediately realized that Director Feng was going to be promoted.

But he didn't interrupt. These things were not his business, so he just pretended he didn't hear anything.

Feng Qingsong and Liu Ying chatted for a while, and suddenly realized that they seemed to have ignored the host, so he smiled and said:

"Master Du, eating here is a different experience! It's more professional than at home, and quieter and more private than in a big restaurant. If you open this place to the public, you will definitely make a lot of money.

There is a question that is not easy to introduce to others: what kind of cuisine is mainly served here? Cantonese cuisine? Sichuan cuisine? Shandong cuisine? "

"Director Feng, I'll take that as a compliment. In fact, every restaurant doesn't have to specialize in a certain cuisine. As long as you have a few excellent signature dishes, you don't have to worry about not having customers. The dishes I make here are also called [private dishes]."

Du Shaojie brought up the concept of "private dishes" because he actually wanted to establish a good relationship with Feng Qingsong.

If the other party hadn't helped this time, with such cruelty towards him, it would have been difficult to deal with the follow-up matters.

People were willing to help him because of Cai Jing's face, but favors faded after being used once. If he wanted to be noticed by others, he had to show his own value, otherwise he would soon fade out of others' sight.

"Private dishes? That's quite interesting. Master Du, if I have an important private banquet in the future, I will definitely come to your place. Don't mind if it's too much trouble. Don't worry, I will give you as much money as you deserve, as long as you can maintain the standard you have today."

Feng Qingsong tasted the term "private dishes" and found it very appropriate.

So he said half-jokingly and half-seriously that he would definitely come again in the future.

(End of this chapter)