Chapter 316: Chapter 197: Getting Pinned against the Wall by Shen Baobao! Preparing a Dish for Dad and Father-in-law! [Seeking Monthly Ticket]_3
"When I was little and got scorned for being picky, I always wondered why adults didn’t pick their food. It wasn’t until I grew up that I realized they had already picked everything out when shopping."
Shen Guofu cleared his throat, "Daughter, next time you talk about this, can you not do it in front of your mom and me?"
"I got it, Dad!"
「They arrived at the supermarket.」
Old Master Yu greeted the young couple with a smile, "Congratulations on the championship, Boss Lin, that Qingshui Furong was spectacular."
"Thanks for the praise, Old Master Yu. What fresh vegetables do you have today? My in-laws are coming over for dinner, and I need to cook some decent signature dishes."
Upon hearing this, Old Master Yu said, "Funny you should ask. We actually have some. Old Sun, from the alley diagonally opposite, just caught a small bucket of river fish. He left them here for me to sell for him. They’re all incredibly fresh. You can take the lot if you want."
River fish?
Lin Xu and Shen Baobao went to the seafood area of the supermarket and spotted a small bucket of river fish slightly smaller than a finger.
They looked round and plump.
Seeing them, Lin Xu immediately remembered the Perfect Level Fried Crispy Technique he had been rewarded with during the Carving challenge.
Since these river fish were fresh enough, he decided to buy some.
His dad and father-in-law would probably love some Fried Crispy river fish.
Besides frying, these river fish could also be stewed with tofu to make a pot of river fish stewed with tofu.
The taste should be just as good as crucian carp stewed with tofu.
Thinking this, he said to Old Master Yu, "How much for this small bucket, Old Master Yu? I’m planning to take it with me."
"If it were mine, I’d give it to you for free, but it’s Old Sun’s after all... Let’s say 30 yuan. That old fellow spent all afternoon in the sun and only caught this much. Selling them too cheaply wouldn’t be right."
Thirty yuan for a bucket of pure wild river fish, all alive. This deal seemed very reasonable no matter how you looked at it.
Then Lin Xu also bought a block of firm tofu suitable for soup, a watermelon radish for a cold dish, along with other vegetables and ingredients.
These, along with the pork belly and other things in the fridge, would be enough for a full spread.
He poured the fish into a plastic bag and packed the groceries. When the total came to 49 yuan, Lin Xu saw Shen Baobao picking out ice cream and chuckled, "Just pick one that costs one yuan; that way I can make it an even 50."
He was just about to scan 50 to even it out.
The cashier looked at the ice cream in Shen Baobao’s hand and said, "That ice cream is 80."
Shen Jiayue quickly put it back and switched to another one, only to be informed that the price was 108.
It scared the poor girl so much she didn’t dare to eat any.
Lin Xu paid the 49 yuan with a wry smile.
Even the capitalist’s daughter found it expensive; the price of ice cream these days really left one speechless.
「Back at home,」
both sets of parents were sitting in the living room eating watermelon.
They had eaten half of it. The other half was still left on the side.
Shen Baobao, having missed out on ice cream, immediately went to the kitchen, grabbed a spoon, and dug out a piece from the heart of the watermelon, popping it into her mouth.
WOW! It was cold, refreshing, and very sweet.
Isn’t this more enjoyable than eating ice cream?
"I bought some river fish, I’ll fry them up in a bit."
As soon as Shen Guofu heard it was a side dish for drinking, he immediately perked up, "Yes, yes, yes, that’s great! Fry plenty! And daughter, where’s your trophy? Let me see it. I forgot to take a photo and post it on my social media feed when we were at Fishing Platform."
Well, others always boast about how sensible and obedient their kids are. Although we can’t boast about our child, we can definitely boast about our son-in-law.
「In the kitchen,」
Lin Xu poured the river fish into a basin, washed them twice, and then began preparing them with scissors.
First, he scraped off the fish scales with his fingernails, then removed the gills, and finally cut open the fish belly to squeeze out the innards. With that, one small river fish was prepared.
After cleaning all the fish, he rinsed them again and drained the water.
He set aside a small bowlful for the tofu dish later. To the remaining fish, he added a bit of thirteen-spice powder and a bit of salt, mixing well before adding a handful of flour and a handful of starch.
Once the fish were coated with a thin layer of batter, they were ready to be fried.
Fresh river fish don’t need marinating; they can be cleaned and fried directly. This way, you can truly taste the freshness of the fish. However, if not fresh enough, it’s still better to marinate them with Scallion and Ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns.
He heated oil in the wok. Using chopsticks, he added the fish one by one. Once the wok had a full batch, he stopped and let the fish fry slowly until thoroughly crispy.
After frying one batch, he scooped them out and used a fine-mesh skimmer to remove any debris from the oil before frying the next batch.
Once all the river fish were fried, he increased the oil temperature and returned the small fish to the oil for a second fry.
When frying small fish, the second fry is essential. This step not only keeps the river fish crispy for a long time but also forces out excess oil, making the fish delightfully crisp and not greasy.
The second fry didn’t need to be long; 30 seconds was enough.
Just as he lifted the fish from the wok, Shen Baobao was lured to the kitchen by the smell.
"Are they ready yet?"
"Yes, take them out and we can eat."
Lin Xu handed a whole plate of fish to the girl.
After re-frying all the fish, he poured the oil out of the wok and then sprinkled an even layer of salt over the bottom of the wok. The salt was to prevent sticking.
After sprinkling the salt, he brought over the bowl of small fish he had set aside earlier, arranged them evenly on the bottom of the wok, then turned on the heat. He pan-fried the fish until both sides were golden brown, then added boiling water.
He first simmered the fish to draw out their savory flavor. Then, he added the blanched tofu cubes.
He set it aside to simmer gently over low heat.
Then he started preparing other dishes.
While he was busy in the kitchen, Dou Wenjing led a young man in his twenties to the entrance of the Ziqiang Shengjian shop, where a long line had formed.
"Busy, aren’t you, Master Wang?"
Wang Ziqiang, seeing that the general manager had arrived, hurriedly greeted, "You’re here, Manager Dou! Have you eaten? This batch will be ready soon, I’ll serve you a few in a bit."
Dou Wenjing smiled and waved her hand, "No need, no need. I just came to assign a new employee here: my cousin, Yang Lin. He’s always wanted to come to Beijing to make a name for himself. I want him to learn how to make shengjian from you."
Upon hearing this, Wang Ziqiang’s expression changed.
The last place was the same. A relative came saying he wanted to learn the craft. Then, once he learned it, he kicked his master to the curb. This place was even worse, behaving the same way less than two days after opening, not even bothering to conceal it. No wonder they offered high salaries. Clearly, they didn’t plan on keeping me for long.
As he was secretly grieving, Dou Wenjing took out a contract from her bag and handed it over, "Master Wang, sign this agreement when you have time."
Upon hearing this, Wang Ziqiang felt even more certain of his guess.
He let out a bitter laugh, "I didn’t expect you all to get rid of me now that I’ve served my purpose so soon..."
Just as he was about to finish, he saw at the top of the contract a line that read:
[Ziqiang Shengjian Franchise Authorization Contract]
Franchise? Authorization?
"Manager Dou, this is..."
Dou Wenjing said, "The Ziqiang Shengjian shop is doing so well, so naturally, we need to open a branch. I’ve already rented a storefront opposite Haidian Middle School. As soon as you’ve trained my cousin, our branch will open."
Haidian Middle School? Isn’t that where the previous store was located? So Manager Dou is...
Wang Ziqiang felt heartened and then said with a bitter laugh, "But learning to make shengjian isn’t something that can be mastered in a day or two. From making the Dough to preparing the Filling, it takes at least a few months just to learn the basics. Renting the shop now is a waste."
While he was talking, Dou Wenjing added, "Don’t teach him how to prepare the Filling. Just teach him how to make the Dough, wrap the Filling, and pan-fry them. Master Wang, no matter how many branches we open, you will be in charge of all the Filling, and no employee who learns to make shengjian from you will be allowed near the Filling preparation."
After saying that, she turned to the young man and added, "Yang Lin, from now on, Master Wang will be your mentor. Learn well from him. Once you’ve learned, go and open the branch in front of Haidian Middle School. Your master was driven out by a shengjian shop over there. Once you open, quickly put that shop out of business and get revenge for your master!"
Wang Ziqiang: "!!!!"
Did the company actually have this arrangement? This is so exciting!
"Thank you, Manager Dou. I will work hard, I will definitely work hard..."
Dou Wenjing said smilingly, "I never thought about opening a snack shop. But since the boss has given the order, I can only work wonders within these limitations and make it as presentable as possible, so I can live up to the boss’s trust."
After communicating with Wang Ziqiang, she turned to the cashier, Song Tiantian, and said, "Tiantian, hold on for a few more days. We’ll hire a suitable cashier to replace you soon."
"What about me?"
"The boss plans to make you the front-desk manager of the new store. Once the new cashier arrives, I’ll arrange a place for you to train under a professional front-desk manager for a period."
Song Tiantian: "!!!!!!!!!!"
OH MY GOD! I’m getting promoted?!