Chapter 233: Chapter 168: Senior Brother, You’re Such a Scumbag! Making Me Cook Dinner? You Better Steam More Rice! [Seeking Monthly Ticket]_2
Once the bun’s skin was completely pinched tight, and the number of pleats had reached exactly thirty-two, each one uniform in width and matching in length, even those with obsessive-compulsive disorder found it satisfying.
Just like that, a plump and round Crab Soup Dumpling with an even shape was ready.
Lin Xu placed the dumpling on the board, then stepped aside.
Well, since his senior brother wanted to show off, he might as well play along.
Qiu Zhenhua came over and looked down seriously at the Crab Bun Lin Xu had made,
"It seems I underestimated Master Lin. That pastry craftsmanship is impeccable, even better than the masters here who have been making them for years."
Xie Baomin then leaned in, smiling as he said,
"But still not quite up to your level. Your skills in this area truly are the best. How about we collaborate, Qiuqiu? Why don’t you come over and try our Crab Buns in a couple of days, what do you think?"
"Alright, I’ll come over and have a look when the time comes."
Qiu Zhenhua hadn’t expected Lin Xu’s skills to be so remarkable, and now he was quite curious about the taste of the filling made by someone capable of crafting such well-made Crab Buns. If he’s only good at wrapping, that’s nothing much. But if the filling is also good, then we really must cooperate with Building Two. Otherwise, if Building Two starts selling Crab Buns, our side will suffer an even greater loss!
Having achieved his goal, Xie Baomin took his leave immediately.
He was worried that if he didn’t leave now, Qiu Zhenhua might ask for that thousand yuan on behalf of his father.
「After the two brothers left the sixth building.」
Lin Xu curiously asked,
"Can Building Two serve Crab Buns?"
He had heard from Wei Qian that the dishes from each building weren’t allowed to be exchanged; otherwise, the restaurants in all eighteen buildings would end up with identical menus, losing their own unique features.
Xie Baomin replied with a smile,
"No, they can’t. But if you’re a little creative, it’s no problem. For example, for a table that spends over 20,000, you could offer a surprise complimentary dish. This surprise could be Crab Soup Dumplings or even roast suckling pig."
After the economic reforms, to increase revenue, every building was coming up with its own strategies.
For instance, Building Ten often served dishes that weren’t listed on the menu to attract customers.
Other buildings had similar tactics.
Wait a minute... Roast suckling pig? Could it be that senior brother intended not only to cooperate with Building Six but also sought to establish some connection with Building Ten?
Indeed, after leaving the sixth building, Xie Baomin didn’t return to Building Two. Instead, he strolled over to the tenth building, which was adorned with banana trees and other southern plants.
TSK TSK.
True to the kind of disciple trained by his master, he surely knew how to play his cards.
"Dongdong, I’ve come to visit you!"
Xie Baomin made his way to the tenth building’s kitchen, a familiar route for him, and upon entering, ran into Guo Weidong carrying a cup of brewed tea.
Guo Weidong glared at him impatiently,
"Scram! Call me that again, and I’ll flip out on you."
But Xie Baomin still shamelessly closed in,
"Why are you angry? I want to propose a deal with you."
"Can I refuse it?"
Guo Weidong wasn’t particularly interested.
And his intuition told him that Xie Baomin, with his unsolicited kindness, must be up to no good.
"Just hear me out, okay? I want to learn how to make your roast suckling pig here. Could you or the head chef here teach me?"
Guo Weidong was utterly bewildered.
This is our Cantonese signature dish. If we teach you, what will we have left to sell?
He wanted to refuse without even thinking about it.
Lin Xu also thought one would have to be insane to agree to such a request from senior brother. It made no sense at all.
However, Xie Baomin’s next statement made Guo Weidong reconsider.
"I’ll trade you my master’s original Qingshui Furong recipe!"
Lin Xu was slightly confused.
He didn’t know what dish that was.
But Guo Weidong appeared quite surprised, spilling the tea he was carrying,
"Really? You’re actually willing to share Qingshui Furong?"
"What’s there to be hesitant about? It’s all for work..."
After sizing up Xie Baomin and ensuring it wasn’t a joke, Guo Weidong nodded and said,
"Okay, I agree!"
Once the deal was settled, Xie Baomin reverted to his usual playful demeanor,
"Then we’re off, Dongdong. I’ll come by again when I have time to share a cup of tea."
「After leaving the tenth building.」
Lin Xu could no longer contain his curiosity,
"Senior brother, what exactly is Qingshui Furong? Why is Chef Guo willing to exchange his roast suckling pig just to learn it? Is the dish that impressive?"
As they walked, Xie Baomin explained,
"Qingshui Furong is a dish our master adapted from Furong Chicken Slices. He reportedly created it to win over our first master’s wife. Since the old man is out there living it up, I’ll teach you when I have some time. However, I can’t guarantee you’ll master it, as this dish is much trickier than White Jade Lotus Root Strips."
Is that so? My Perfect Level culinary study card disagrees! Lucky that I didn’t use that study card on the day we made Zaozhuang spicy chicken. Otherwise, I’d be in real trouble now. A dish that’s even more difficult than White Jade Lotus Root Strips, just thinking about it is thrilling!
「The two returned to Building Two.」
It was nearly noon by then.
Several pre-orders for today’s lunch dishes were already posted in front of Lin Xu’s stove. There was finally some work to do.
But before getting busy, he went over to chat with Qin Wei by a nearby stove.
If he wanted to poach someone, it was essential to occasionally build rapport and forge a bond. That way, when it came time to poach, they would fall right into his lap. As they were talking,
「Lunch service began.」
Today’s lunch was prepared by the head chef of the stir-fry section, Cheng JianShe.
The dishes included stir-fried river shrimp, Sauce Explosion meat cubes, oyster sauce with lettuce, and minced pork with tofu skin, along with a soup of pork ribs with radish.