Free Web NovelChapter 35: Chapter 35: Eggplant with Minced Garlic, a Top-Notch Sichuan and Shandong Combination
Back in her small office, Ling Shuyu pushed her hair back and took a sip of the cold Americano by her computer.
’There are five people on the client’s side, but only one has the authority to finalize the contract.’
To go from a junior designer at the lowest rung to a pillar of the company in just two years, Ling Shuyu had relied on more than just her design skills.
For every project handover, Ling Shuyu strove for perfection in every detail.
From the airport pickup to the hotel, down to their three meals a day, she would personally oversee every single detail.
But this time... freewёbnoνel.com
When she had contacted the client previously, they had made it very clear that their schedule was extremely tight.
They were expected to arrive in Jingzhou around 11:00 AM and hoped to review the entire proposal before 5:00 PM.
This timeframe meant they would need to eat at least one meal, and dinner arrangements also had to be made, just in case.
’The client is from E Province, studied abroad after high school, and has been working in the Capital City ever since they returned. Hmm... would Western food or Chinese food be more appropriate?’
The proposal was more or less settled and could be handled by her subordinates. Right now, Ling Shuyu’s main focus was on how to make this hurried meeting as perfect as possible.
First of all, going into the city for a meal was already out of the question.
A round trip from the company to the city center at noon would take nearly an hour. With the client’s tight schedule, suggesting it would only lead to a rejection, and then everyone would have to work on an empty stomach!
As for their own cafeteria...
To be fair, the Xinghui cafeteria often catered for guests, but those clients were usually of middling importance and weren’t too particular about food.
As long as the cooks put in some effort, the food was passable.
But this client...
Ling Shuyu downed the rest of her cold coffee. ’No one is going to ruin a three-million order!’
’That useless admin department... if it comes down to it, I’ll just have to buy the ingredients and hire a chef to come cook here!’
After racking her brain for a while, Ling Shuyu buried her head in the proposal presentation.
It wasn’t until the sun was about to set that a knock came at Ling Shuyu’s office door.
"Come in."
"Sister Ling... it’s quitting time. Want to go grab a bite with us?"
The person at the door was Ling Shuyu’s assistant.
"You guys go ahead. I ordered food for 24 people."
"Huh?" The young assistant blinked. "Come with us! It’s easy enough to add one more person. Or we could share a portion, since neither of us eats much anyway."
"I still have some work to..."
"Oh, come on, Sister Ling! You didn’t even eat lunch today. If you work yourself to exhaustion, who’s going to present to the client? They’ve already prepared the food in the building across the way. It won’t take long to eat!"
Ling Shuyu was usually cold to everyone, but she could never bring herself to be frosty with this young assistant.
She was a young woman, fresh out of college.
She was incredibly diligent in her work, and most endearingly, whenever Ling Shuyu gave a simple instruction, the young woman would grasp her meaning immediately.
In her assistant, Ling Shuyu saw a shadow of her younger self.
"You..."
"Let’s go, let’s go! The others have already left!"
Ling Shuyu hummed in agreement, saved her work on the computer, and finally stood up to follow her assistant out.
...
「Meanwhile.」
Meiweilai Company.
Su Chen followed the steps from the Gourmet Practice Room, placing the Huaxi Sheep Horn Peppers into hot oil and beginning to slow-fry them.
"Why are we using this kind of pepper? I could barely find them," Aunt Fang said, standing curiously by Su Chen’s side.
She had developed a habit now. Whenever Su Chen cooked, she would not only watch but also ask a few questions from time to time.
And it had only been a few days.
When Aunt Fang cooked at home now, her old man would praise her cooking effusively, which gave her a nice ego boost.
"Dried Sheep Horn Peppers are meaty and oily. The key is that they’re spicy but not overpowering, and they have a rich aroma. Perfect for a cold dish," Su Chen explained casually.
He also felt a bit sentimental.
The Meiweilai Company’s storeroom was practically a small treasure trove.
When the company first started, the kitchen had been stocked with countless spices and seasonings. But after the team of chefs was disbanded and the number of people eating in the cafeteria dwindled, all those ingredients were relegated to forgotten corners.
Besides Aunt Fang, probably no one else could find them anymore.
"But Boss," He Shuting, who was also nearby, asked, "we already have minced garlic, so why do we need garlic water? And why add sugar when we’ve already added soy sauce?"
"Yeah, I don’t quite get it either. I remember the garlic eggplant I’ve had at restaurants always had Cilantro in it," said Liu Shengnan.
In just a few days under Su Chen’s tutelage, the Meiweilai Company employees had developed a keen interest in the art of cooking.
Su Chen scooped out the charred, fried peppers and poured the pre-mixed sauce all at once over the torn eggplant flesh.
He then sprinkled on minced garlic and white sesame seeds, perfectly replicating the steps from the Gourmet Practice Room.
"Garlic Eggplant is originally a dish from Lu Cuisine," Su Chen explained eloquently, sounding a bit like a teacher giving a lecture. "Steam it, mix it, and you have a great dish."
"Eggplant itself is rather bland, so it relies heavily on seasoning. Lu Cuisine might be the ’big brother’ when it comes to ingredient selection and cooking methods, but when it comes to seasoning..."
Su Chen smiled faintly. The oil in the pot was hot now. He filled a ladle with the hot oil, and with a slight movement of his arm, drizzled it evenly over the minced garlic and sesame seeds on top of the eggplant.
Wearing gloves, he mixed the eggplant and the sauce in the bowl together thoroughly. Only then did he continue, "When it comes to seasoning, Sichuan cuisine is in a league of its own. The sugar is for a sweet aftertaste, and the garlic water helps the eggplant absorb the flavor. Here, have a taste."
He grabbed a handful of the mixed eggplant and placed it on a small plate.
He Shuting was quick on the draw. Forgetting about chopsticks, she reached out, pinched a piece, and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Mmph!" Without even saying a word, she decisively reached out for more.
SMACK!
Liu Shengnan slapped her hand away. "Just one bite per person! I want to try it too."
Su Chen also picked up a piece and tasted it.
’As expected, there’s a special reason for an S Level rating.’
The eggplant had a texture that was slightly firm yet tender the moment it entered his mouth. There was no need to chew; the rich garlic fragrance instantly exploded on his palate.
With just a slight press of the tongue, a savory flavor accompanied by a hint of spice flowed freely through his mouth.
It was so smooth that Su Chen didn’t even realize he’d swallowed. The bite of eggplant had already slid down his throat along with the saliva that his mouth had automatically produced.
It left behind only the fresh fragrance of eggplant and a faint, sweet aftertaste.
"Oh my god, selling this eggplant for ten yuan a half-portion would be a huge loss! This..." After one bite, all Liu Shengnan could think about was money.
The last time she’d ordered garlic eggplant at a restaurant, it was 26 yuan a serving. Compared to what Su Chen had just made, that was literally just garlic and eggplant.
Just a combination of minced garlic and eggplant, nothing more.
They didn’t even peel the skin, making it annoyingly tough to chew!
"I also think 10 yuan is too cheap. It should be at least 58," said He Shuting, sucking on her fingers. That one bite had made her stomach growl.
But Su Chen shook his head. "We’re not at the stage where we can use our brand power to raise prices yet. Let’s focus on getting the quality up first!"
As he spoke, a clamor of voices could be heard from outside.
It was just Bai Xiaobo’s turn to taste, but Su Chen waved his hand. "The people are here. Let’s get to work!"
With that, he popped the last piece of eggplant from the plate into his own mouth.
"Wait, Boss..." Bai Xiaobo stared, dumbfounded, as Su Chen smacked his lips.
"Get to work. We made enough for 40 people. You think you won’t get to eat in the end?" Su Chen offered him a small consolation.
"Let’s go, let’s go, time to work!" Xiaobai was utterly dejected, but business came first. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Twenty-four servings of fish with pickled mustard greens were lined up neatly on the cafeteria’s heated counter.
Steaming hot, freshly cooked rice was wheeled out by Aunt Fang.
Liu Shengnan and He Shuting stood by Su Chen’s side holding platters, as handful after handful of garlic eggplant was arranged on them.
Time to serve!
