Rebirth: Starting from the Cafeteria

After breakfast, Du Shaojie and his companions went to the countryside under the guidance of the restaurant owner and bought some bacon, chicken, fish, etc. These are local specialties that will not go bad if you carry them with you.

The restaurant owner specially sent Du Shaojie a sealed jar of [Zha Rou], and Du Shaojie did not refuse. He went to the small restaurant at noon and ordered a table of dishes. Before leaving, he left the restaurant owner with some written instructions on the production process of Hunan dishes.

The two cars left the small county town and continued on their way.

The rest of the journey was filled with stops and walks, and Du Shaojie and his companions were impressed by many delicacies, among which the [Dong'an Chicken] and [Flavorful Snake] were the most impressive.

He often feels that food originated from the people and grew up among the people. There is a lot of knowledge that cannot be learned from books. If you blindly pursue high-end dishes, you are actually putting the cart before the horse.

Along the way, he came across many small restaurants with unique characteristics. Some of them could survive for a long time with only one or two specialties.

One trick is enough to make you successful. In the process of continuous learning and summarizing, Du Shaojie feels that his cooking skills have improved.

Half a month later, the group arrived in Star City.

The company now has not only Xichuan Restaurant, Seafood House, and Northwest Noodle House in Xingcheng, but also Xiangweiju. Although this is the birthplace of Hunan cuisine, Xiangweiju has still established itself and its business is booming.

The boss’s arrival created a tense atmosphere in all stores.

Du Shaojie never does "face projects" when he goes out for inspection. He is a famous chef himself and knows the operation and management of restaurants very well. No problem, big or small, can escape his eyes.

However, he generally doesn't care about minor issues and just lets the store manager submit a rectification report to the regional company.

Big problems will never be tolerated. Fortunately, after these days of inspection, no so-called big problems were found.

Therefore, although Du Shaojie is usually a hands-off boss, he has a strong control over the entire company. He is knowledgeable, has a higher level of skills than everyone else, and has first-hand information about each store.

No one can deceive him, and this is his natural advantage.

"Yongli, you and Zhong Qing will come with me to the capital. Xiaohe and Peng Yongjun will rest in Xingcheng."

After taking care of things here, Du Shaojie took Wang Yongli and Zhong Qing to Beijing to visit Qi Yan and the children.

He is very careful about this. Although they don't live together all the time, he spends some time with his family every month. Just like now, he still follows this habit when he is on patrol.

Whenever it is time for family reunion, Qi Yan will put down her work and stay at home as much as possible.

"Yanzi, you have become very proactive these days."

When he came back this time, Du Shaojie felt something different about Qi Yan.

Although the other party didn't mind the intimacy between the two before, as his career grew, he didn't seem to be so proactive. But after coming here this time, Qi Yan seemed like a different person.

"Why, you still don't want to? If I don't take the initiative, what will happen if you get seduced by some vixen out there? I can tolerate Mikoto, but I can't tolerate those vixens out there."

Qi Yan smiled and spoke her true feelings.

She knew that she had neglected her husband for her career. If she didn't take the initiative when they met, it would be bad if her husband lost interest in her.

To put it bluntly, there is a compensatory psychology as well as some inexplicable worries.

"You! Stop thinking about those things. I have to go too. Go and do your thing."

A week passed quickly and Du Shaojie returned to Xingcheng again.

Next, the two cars continued on the road. Nothing major happened during the trip, but we tasted countless delicacies and saw beautiful scenery and historical sites.

When he comes across a dish that interests him, he will try to replicate it, or even humble himself to ask the stall owners at roadside stalls for advice.

There is no difference in learning quality between the first and the last, and the one who is more accomplished is the teacher. Even the teacher who teaches a dish is still a teacher and will benefit him a lot.

After entering Sichuan, he stopped in Chengdu.

"Hasn't Master Zhou always been in good health? How come he was hospitalized not long after retiring?"

Du Shaojie met his master Liao Yongxin in Chengdu, who told him that his disciple Zhou Huai'en was ill and in the hospital.

He hurriedly dragged the other person to the hospital, very confused.

"When you get older, a small illness can easily get out of control. The cause of Mr. Zhou's illness this time was a quarrel with his son. He didn't say what the details were, but he has been depressed ever since, and ended up getting sick."

Liao Yongxin didn't know the answer clearly, so Du Shaojie went to see the attending physician first.

The doctor said that Zhou Huai'en didn't have any serious problems, but he needed to pay more attention to his heart and have a check-up every year and not be careless.

Du Shaojie asked about the situation clearly before going to the ward.

"Boss Du, why are you here?"

Zhou Huai'en had a heart problem and needed to rest. In addition, he didn't have many friends, and except for Liao Yongxin, this was the first time someone came to visit him in the ward.

He did not tell his son about his hospitalization, and his son still doesn't know about it.

"I was on patrol all over the country, and I just happened to come to Chengdu and heard that you were sick. Master Zhou, you have to be more open-minded about things. You have to control your temper as you get older." Du Shaojie knew the other person's character and spoke without beating around the bush.

To be honest, Lao Zhou has character flaws, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to stay in Chengdu's catering industry.

"Why should he be restrained? The little bastard has grown wings and even dares to teach him a lesson. I just tried to test him by saying that I wanted to find a companion, and he turned against me."

When Zhou Huai'en heard this, he got furious and Liao Yongxin quickly asked him to calm down.

If I get too excited, I’m afraid the other person will have heart problems again.

"Why, Master Zhou, are you having a second spring? Don't get angry about this kind of thing, slowly communicate with the younger generation, and if you really can't communicate, then what should you do? After all, it's your own life, and your children have no right to interfere."

Du Shaojie is not very good at persuading others, but Zhou Huai'en likes to hear this.

"Boss Du is right. How can that bastard interfere with my life? To be honest, I don't really need to find a boss. I'm mainly angry about the bastard's attitude."

Zhou Huai'en has an old lover who is seven or eight years younger than him and is also an old lady.

The two have been in contact for so many years, and they are both single. They often meet each other in Chengdu, so it is inevitable that they have some thoughts. However, they are both old, and their children have started their own families. It is not easy for them to play together now.

Zhou Huai'en also knew this and mentioned it on the phone that day, and his son became angry.

"That's enough, Lao Zhou. You're too old to do these things. If you like to be with someone, just stay in Chengdu. You can't do much at your age. It's just a spiritual need at most. It doesn't matter whether you get married or not."

Liao Yongxin's mouth is comparable to Zhou Huai'en's, and what he says is not pleasant to hear.

Zhou Huai'en started to argue with the other party. Du Shaojie was daydreaming, thinking about how to improve a certain dish, and was too lazy to listen to the two people bickering.

It’s strange to say, these two old men quarreled whenever they met, and then stayed together all day after the quarrel.

"Master Zhou, take good care of yourself. I'm leaving now. When you're discharged from the hospital, go to Xichuan Restaurant and the chef training school more often when you have time. They really need your guidance."

After the two finished arguing, Du Shaojie stood up and said goodbye.

He felt that Zhou Huai'en was not in serious trouble, he was just angry for a moment, and that everything would be settled when his son came back to apologize to him.

As for the heart problem, it cannot be taken lightly. I will ask the company's administrative staff to keep a record of it and help him and Liao Yongxin to arrange a physical examination regularly every year.

Liao Yongxin sent Du Shaojie to the parking lot and said with a smile, "It's okay. Old Zhou is just upset. He didn't have the conditions to marry her in the early years. Now he has the conditions but she is old. It has nothing to do with his son."

"Okay, Master, take care of yourself too. Call me more often if you have anything to do."

Du Shaojie waved, got in the car and left.

He then went to meet Yi Chunmei and they had dinner together.

Yi Chunmei has gradually let go of the specific business of the chef training school in the past two years. The school has a dedicated manager in charge, and she only takes care of the big picture and principle issues.

Du Shaojie stayed in Chengdu for half a month, and then went to Chang'an with Wang Yongli and others.

"We now have two choices. One is to go back home and head south from Dazheng back to Yangcheng. The second choice is to continue westward to Jincheng, and finally go to Xijiang from Jincheng."

A few days passed quickly.

Du Shaojie completed his inspection in Chang'an.

He called Wang Yongli and others together, asked about the condition of the car, and then sought everyone's opinions.

He had hardly ever been to places beyond Chang'an during his previous inspections. He had only been to Xijiang a few times, but had never been to Jincheng. All the stores in Jincheng were new, and they were not opened until the expansion was almost over.

"Boss, this journey is very tiring, especially the vast Gobi Desert in the second half. It's hard to find a place to stay. If you decide to go, let's pack up the car here and make sure everything is safe before setting off."

Wang Yongli discussed it with a few others and felt that safety should be guaranteed, but it would be a bit harder.

Du Shaojie nodded. Since no one had any objection, they would head west. He was a man who listened to advice. If Wang Yongli and the others felt there was danger, he would have given up just now.

The first half was fine, but the further we went west, the more desolate it became. Fortunately, we could still find a place to rest, but the climate was getting drier and drier, and the green was gone, and there was a lot of earthy yellow.

This afternoon.

The group finally arrived in Jinzhou.

When Du Shaojie went out on inspection, he never allowed the stores to provide reception. He would first find a hotel when he entered the city. After settling in, everyone would go outside to find a place to eat.

"Boss, I heard that the most famous thing in Jinzhou is [beef noodles]. Let's have that tonight, okay?"

Wang Yongli also ate beef noodles when he was in Guangzhou, but people told him that it was not authentic and that Jincheng beef noodles were the best.

When he got here, he remembered this incident and couldn't help but want to try it. (End of this chapter)