My 1979

Li He felt that the eyes of the people in this room were contemptuous. It seemed that a cook was just a sesame mung bean in the eyes of these people. They talk about the new society and everyone is equal, but in their hearts there is still a distinction between high and low.

The old man didn't feel any embarrassment at all. He thought it was only natural, just like when he scolded the restaurant owner Fatty Li.

Li He didn't mention the old man's desolate appearance to the people in the room. He just said that they met by chance and invited him to come over and work as a cook.

I found some clean clothes for the old man and asked him to scrub them again.

Since the old man wanted to show off his cooking skills, Li He asked what to buy, and the old man said, "Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, star anise, green onions, sesame oil, and rock sugar, nothing less."

Li He took a pen and paper, wrote them down one by one, and asked Fu Xia to go out and buy them.

Now that there is delicious food, none of the monks and old man Zhu are willing to leave.

In the kitchen, Fu Xia was watching the fire under the stove, and He Fang was standing beside him.

The old man Shoushan waited for the materials to be ready, and then he started to work hard, dong, dong, dong...

The rhythmic knife work reveals an indescribable artistic conception.

He Fang exclaimed, "Master Shou, you must teach me in the future, it's so amazing."

"Knife skills are the basic skills of a chef. If you work hard with water and work hard, you can still succeed."

When all the dishes were served, Li He looked at the dishes on the table. He wanted to eat them just by looking at them, and even more by smelling them. He had to show respect to the old man.

For example, the simplest dish of boiled pork, with thin slices of meat, garnished with green coriander and crystal clear sauce, is immediately fragrant.

Li He took a piece and ate it in his mouth. The juice was thick and flavorful, and it was hot in the mouth. It was really delicious.

Old Man Li said, "Shoushan, you haven't lost your craftsmanship yet, and you did a good job. Fat but not greasy, thin but not dry; tender but not rotten, thin but not broken."

The monk pointed to the vinegar-spiced fish with elegant color and milky white soup and said, "The fish meat is fresh and tender, the soup is rich and slightly sour and spicy. You have got the essence of it."

Even He Fang, who was standing next to him, was holding a bowl of noodles with soybean paste in one hand and a cucumber in the other. While eating, he said, "Well, I never thought that a bowl of noodles with soybean paste could be made so delicious. Master Shou, in the future We want to learn more from you.”

The old man Zhu, who had been silent for a long time, also wore a goatee and kept praising, "I haven't eaten such delicious food in many years. Not bad, not bad."

"Thanks to the compliments from several gentlemen, Shoushan feels it's worth it." The old man Shoushan said modestly, but he still couldn't hide his pride.

Li He didn't like the old-fashioned behavior of these old men, so he said to Shoushan, who was still standing, "Master Shou, sit down and eat, and let's drink some together."

Shoushan cupped his hands on the table, sat down as he was told, raised his cup, and said excitedly, "I never thought in my wildest dreams that Shoushan would have the opportunity to sit at the same table with other gentlemen for dinner. Shoushan drinks this glass of wine first as a token of respect. .”

After finishing the Shoushan wine, Old Man Li said, "We are in a new society now. Can we speak properly? We should not make people laugh at us by making sarcastic remarks."

Shoushan said, "Forgive me, forgive me. I will listen to you."

The people at the table smiled helplessly.

Li He wanted to say, you have become such a bear, why do you need so much moral integrity?

Fu Xia, who had been sitting in the corner eating silently and never speaking, suddenly interjected, "Master Shou's skills will be so popular if he opens a restaurant."

When Li He heard this, his heart moved. There are many so-called royal palace private dishes on the market. How can this Shoushan professional level one be compared? How about opening a restaurant?

Li He glanced at Old Man Li and said, "Don't mention it yet, Master Shou, he is really good at running a restaurant."

Old man Li understood what Li He meant, and thought that Shoushan still needed to be controlled. Seeing the young man's kindness, he could shamelessly stick to it, so he said, "Shoushan, why don't you give it a try?" If Xiao Li gives us money and a few of us old guys keep the scene under control, nothing will happen."

Lao Yutou and the monk were eating and drinking here for free every day. They were already embarrassed and wanted to help Li He. The monk spoke first and said, "You can't bury your skills. You can try it."

Shoushan wondered, "I have just been rehabilitated. Regarding this policy? Will something happen?"

Old Man Yu said coldly, "Your life is dead and half buried in the ground. Who can care about it?"

Shoushan blushed and said nothing.

Old Man Zhu patted Shoushan on the shoulder and said, "Don't be pretentious. Who doesn't know who you are? The Bai family is the royal chef of the palace. Didn't Old Man Bai and his eldest son just open a restaurant in Jinyu Hutong? The business is very good, so I went out of my way to Let’s go have a meal. Xiao Li is a good boy and I can’t treat you badly.”

Seeing that Shoushan was still coy, Old Man Li said unhappily, "Don't act like that, just tell me. If you don't want to, just tell me."

Li He knew it was time to show off his face and said with a smile, "Master Shou, now the policy has been relaxed to encourage getting rich. Look at how many restaurants there are in the streets and alleys? Just that Fatty Li we went to at noon. We all know each other. Look how many years he has been secretly opening his restaurant, and it’s getting bigger and bigger. Now, doesn’t he even have a signboard displayed openly? Don’t worry, if we work together, I’ll pay for it and you’ll be the boss. , if I don’t interfere, I will naturally share the dividends with you.”

"boss?"

He Fang said, "You are the shopkeeper yourself. You have the final say in everything. We will not interfere. We will also give you bonuses."

Li He nodded towards Shoushan and said, "You are familiar with opening a restaurant. We don't know anything about it, so we have to rely on you."

Old Man Li said, "According to the past rules of the boss, the shopkeeper's dividend is one level, and there is another reward at the end of the year. Is this the rule of Shoushan?"

Shoushan thought that no matter how hard he tried, it couldn't be any worse than it was now. He gritted his teeth and said, "Since you guys think so, I'll take it. But I have to ask you a favor, little brother?"

Li He said, "You say, as long as I can do it, I will agree."

"I wonder if I can wait until the restaurant is almost done. I'll take my daughter over to help. Don't worry, she won't be a freeloader. She has been with me since she was a child and is a good cook. I feel sorry for her suffering in the countryside."

Li He said, "I thought it would be a big deal. From now on you are the boss and you have the final say."

"Thank you very much. Don't worry, I will do a good job in the hotel. I will not take her over until I make money."

Now that you have decided to open a restaurant, you need to discuss where to find a location.

Old Man Li said, "Are you stupid or something? How many houses do you own, how can you still rent them?"

Li He slapped his thigh, why did he forget his own house, and said, "Ten apartments, then which one do you think is suitable?"

"Of course it's in the west alley of Qianliang Hutong. It's big enough and popular enough."

When Li He bought that house, he planned that it would be filled with alley attractions, restaurants, and hotels in the future, and it would be impossible to demolish it, but now he is making use of it. "Then how to decorate, I will listen to you."