mijobooks Chapter 21 Staff Meals
Chapter 21 Staff Meals
After Wang Facai returned to the village, his brothers immediately surrounded him, demanding an explanation.
"Big brother, where's the GG card?"
Wang Facai said impatiently, "Get it done tomorrow. They're in a hurry to make things for their company. I can't be more powerful than their company, can I?"
"Then what about our business?"
Wang Faxi's eyes were bloodshot. He had argued with his wife all night yesterday and was counting on the "GG" card this morning.
His wife is a shrew, the kind who grabs his hair and won't let go. If business isn't going well, he doesn't dare go home.
"What else can we do? Why don't you go and overturn the oil pot in Lu Yuan's house?"
Wang Facai was in a bad mood today, his emotions were written all over his face, and he had no interest in arguing with these brothers, so he simply left them and went back to the shop.
The other Wang brothers looked at each other, not knowing what to do, and could only go back to the shop and wait for their regular customers to come.
None of the Wang family's restaurants were frying dough sticks today, only the Lu family restaurants at the north and south ends were bustling with activity.
With the old lady's help, Wei Yinghong was much more at ease frying the dough cakes.
She was mainly responsible for making the dough, kneading the divided dough balls into standard round shapes with her palms.
Then use a rolling pin to quickly push and pull, change direction, and push and pull again.
The dough for one fried dough stick is now ready!
The old lady standing in front of the oil pan was also a quick worker. She took the dough and slid it into the pan along the edge.
The oil used for frying dough cakes must be sesame oil that you grind yourself at the oil mill; it must be high in purity and of good quality.
This sesame oil has a unique aroma that intensifies as the oil temperature rises.
The white pastry, aided by the sesame oil, slowly puffs up, then floats up, finally turning into an enticing golden yellow.
A group of children had gathered around the oil pan. They had already eaten and were playing in the open space outside, waiting for their parents to finish their boasting.
Seeing the old woman scoop a large fried dough cake out of the oil and place it on a rack above the fryer, a little girl immediately shouted:
"Auntie, can we eat now? I've been waiting in line for ages!"
"Not yet, little girl, wait two more minutes, let the oil drain off and Auntie will give it to you!" Wei Yinghong wore a mask, only revealing her eyes, which were curved into crescents.
These past two days, Wei Yinghong has been surrounded by a group of "little audience members" asking her if she's feeling better and if she can eat again.
She cherished this feeling far more than wielding a hoe under the scorching sun in the fields, so she always answered the children's questions patiently.
The little girl kept staring at the watch on her wrist, and as soon as the two minutes were up, she jumped up:
"Auntie, can we eat now?"
"Okay, Auntie will pack it up for you!" Wei Yinghong put the fried dough into a bag, handed it to the little girl, and instructed her:
"Take a small bite first, be careful, it's hot!"
"Mmm!" The little girl didn't have time to answer, she just hummed in response and then took a bite.
The fried dough sticks taste best when they're fresh out of the pan; one bite and they're incredibly crispy.
The crust of the fried dough is the best part, with a flavor that blends sweetness, milkiness, honey, and oiliness.
Eating the skin alone can be a bit greasy; the ultimate enjoyment comes from biting into the skin and the core together.
First, experience the crispy texture, then savor the lingering fragrance of the pastry on your lips and teeth.
When you finally swallow the fried dough, you'll taste the unique wheat aroma at the back of your tongue.
The little girl enjoyed her meal very much, taking one bite after another, and soon she had eaten half of it.
At this time, the children's parents also finished their meal and were ready to leave.
Seeing the little girl showing off half a fried pancake, I immediately stepped forward and snatched it away:
"Why are you eating again? You can't eat anymore! You've already eaten too much today, or you'll get indigestion!"
"No, I want to eat it! Waaaaaah!"
"Listen to me, eat at home..."
Whenever Wei Yinghong sees this scene, she thinks, if Lu Yuan got married and had children, would he be just as cute?
But which girl will Lu Yuan marry?
Which village has reliable matchmakers?
. . .
In the kitchen, Lu Yuan was diligently tossing the wok, operating both stoves simultaneously, tossing it from left to right.
Lu Yuan felt that his arms had gotten thicker in the past two days. It was true that physical labor was the best form of exercise.
After being kicked by his uncle, Lu Jie stopped asking to cook and focused on doing the most basic plating.
The lunch rush today seemed to have no end in sight, and the last group of guests didn't leave until 3:30 pm.
After working non-stop for six or seven hours, everyone was exhausted, especially Lu Hua, who came to help on the first day.
He lay down on the ground, exactly the same way Lu Jie did on the first day.
"You two really are brothers, even your rolling around on the ground are exactly the same!" Lu Yuan teased while drinking water.
"It's different, Xiao Yuan!" Lu Hua said lightly, his eyes closed.
"How are they different?"
Lu Hua continued weakly, "Lu Jie just lies there like a maggot, while I'll immediately get up and work if I get something good to eat!"
"Damn it, you're ordering me?" Lu Yuan spat at him irritably, stood up, and said, "It's just a staff meal, right? Wait here!"
Everyone was indeed starving, so Lu Yuan went back to the kitchen and started making staff meals.
Lu Yuan has very high standards for employee meals; first and foremost, there must be meat—that's a hard and fast rule.
Secondly, the variety of dishes must be diverse to ensure sufficient nutritional intake; you can't just offer one dish to fool the employees.
Finally, the quantity must be sufficient. If a restaurant employee works on an empty stomach, then he, as the boss, is too shameful.
Since it was getting late and time needed to be reserved for preparing the afternoon's dishes, Lu Yuan didn't make any overly complicated or time-consuming dishes.
He first stir-fried a simple dish of shredded potatoes, which was sour, spicy, and refreshing, and went very well with rice.
The second dish is a cold salad of three shredded vegetables: shredded carrots, shredded kelp, and shredded bean curd sheets are arranged in order, and then some chopped green onions and garlic, chili powder, and dried chilies are placed on top.
When stir-frying shredded potatoes, pour a spoonful of hot oil over the chopped scallions and garlic with a sizzling sound, and stir-fry directly.
This cold dish of shredded vegetables is spicy and refreshing, and very delicious. The key is that Lu Yuan only needs to season the dish, while Lu Jie can handle the mixing.
The third dish was stir-fried beef. Everyone has been eating a lot of lamb lately, so it's time for a change.
The beef from northern China is actually a top-quality ingredient on par with Tan sheep, but it is not as well-known as Tan sheep.
Traditional stir-frying meat requires more skill in preparing the ingredients, which often involves slicing them thinly, coating them with starch, blanching them in oil, taking them out of the pan, and then stir-frying them again.
The process of preparing ingredients is very complicated and involves a lot of seasonings.
Beef from the northern frontier is very easy to prepare because top-quality ingredients don't need to be marinated beforehand.
Stir-fry the ingredients directly in oil, then add the vermicelli and other side dishes, along with a little meat broth. Stir-fry a few times until the side dishes are cooked through, then it's ready to serve.
Lu Yuan chopped and stir-fried the food in one go, taking only seven or eight minutes, leaving Lu Jie dumbfounded.
The fourth dish was a seaweed and egg drop soup.
This dish is even simpler; you don't need to turn on the stove at all. All you need is a bowl of hot water to make it, and all you need is a fresh and delicious flavor.
The four dishes were prepared in less than 20 minutes. Just as Lu Jie brought the dishes out, President Wang rushed in in a flurry of activity.
But this time he was alone. After pulling out a chair and sitting down, he said in a slightly hoarse voice:
"Master Lu, please make whatever you like. It's just for me."
Lu Yuan responded and went back into the kitchen, but then came back out and said to President Wang:
"Mr. Wang, why don't you join us for the staff meal?"
(Stir-fried beef slices)