我在现代做厨子[美食]

Ch.73 Sour and Spicy Assorted Pickled Vegetables

"Lascute noodle soup?"

Lin ShuYi nodded. "Similar. Made with the same materials, but much quicker and more convenient. This is dough drop soup."

Without the need to roll out noodles or even knead any dough, these dough drops only required some flour mixed with some water into a thick, lumpy texture, then scooped into a pot of boiling hot soup in little clumps to cook into dough drops.

The soup mustn't be cooked for too long after the dough was dropped in, however, for the resulting soup to turn out clear and delicious. Otherwise, the dough will start to dissolve in the soup, turning it too thick and doughy and much less tasty.

Since Shen Fu liked eating spicy food, after placing the bowl of dough drop soup on the table, Lin ShuYi also pulled out a small dish of sour and spicy assorted pickled vegetables.

It was called 'assorted' pickled vegetables for a reason. Made with daikon radish, carrot, cucumber, green and red peppers, onion, green beans, and many more all cut into thin strips, then soaked in seasoned pickle juice. Twenty four hours later, a crisp and refreshing, sour and spicy side dish was ready.

It wasn't anything uncommon or hard to make, so Lin ShuYi prepared to pickle some every day to be served as a complementary side dish.

Paired with the light dough drop soup, it was a perfect match. The bowl was a bit too small, so it only took a few moments for Shen Fu to down two entire bowls of soup. His stomach was already warming up, with the sour and spicy flavors stimulating his appetite and even making his forehead sweat a little.

Before Shen Fu had even finished eating, Old Man Yang arrived, with the new assistant Lin ShuYi had previously tasked him with finding.

Lin ShuYi didn't expect them to come so early, so he was prepared to head into the kitchen to get them some food when Old Man Yang said they already ate.

"I think you two have met this kid before. His name is Tang Shuang, and he's a clever one. He's studied under other restaurants before, knows how to pair a dish, and his character is pretty reassuring too."

Shen Fu and Lin ShuYi turned to get a look at the new staff member together.

Old Man Yang had mentioned letting them weigh in on who to hire before, but Lin ShuYi was fully confident in Old Man Yang's abilities so he didn't need to check beforehand. Now that Old Man Yang brought the new person over, sure enough, he really seemed like a smart and sensible person.

Tanned skin and big eyes, with the way he smiled at Shen Fu and Lin ShuYi there was clearly nothing more that needed to be asked. One look and it was clear that this Tang Shuang was a bright kid. Old Man Yang clearly had more experience than either of them with people, and what's more, Lin ShuYi personally felt that this person was pretty good.

"Xiao Tang, this is the restaurant's owner, Lin ShuYi. And this is... His brother, Shen Fu." Old Man Yang tried, but in the end still failed voice a more intimate term. Seeing Xiao Yi's expression of understanding, he didn't try to explain in any more detail. Anyway, if Tang Shuang didn't realise anything yet, he would come to an understanding over time.

"Hello Xiao Yi ge, Shen ge, it's nice to meet you." Tang Shuang smiled as he greeted Lin ShuYi, then shook Shen Fu's hand.

Shen Fu grinned. Sure enough, this was a bright kid.

Tang Shuang, quite proud of making a good first impression, gave himself an internal thumbs up. Really, it was obvious from their looks and actions who was the gong and who was the shou, how could he be dumb enough to shake Lin ShuYi's hand instead of Shen Fu's?

And also, he called Lin ShuYi 'ge' not because he was trying to use flattery, but rather, according to age, Lin ShuYi really was older than him. They were of the same year, but Lin ShuYi was still older by a few months.

After introducing himself, Tang Shuang obediently pulled out his health certificate. In this kind of profession, this wasn't something that could be overlooked. Lin ShuYi took a quick glance, and let Tang Shuang put it back. He wasn't concerned about a person that Old Man Yang found at all.

After discussing the matter of salary for a bit, they settled on a pay that was much higher than Tang Shuang's previous one. The kid was so happy he almost couldn't believe it, grinning so wide his canines showed.

Lin ShuYi then added, "I don't have any other requirements, except for one thing. In the future, I imagine you'll be making many trips to the grocery store. If you substitute our high quality ingredients for cheaper ones even once, and I find out, then you'll be leaving this job immediately, no further discussions."

Tang Shuang nodded very seriously, coming to a quick realisation that Lin ShuYi might not be as soft as he seemed on the surface.

But Tang Shuang understood why Lin ShuYi was so strict on this matter. There were many small restaurants that had pretty good business when they first opened, and naturally had very tasty food, but after a while their owners would get pampered, arrogant. They'd start replacing high quality ingredients with cheaper ones, and while it was hardly noticeable in the beginning, their customers weren't fools. After a while, everyone could figure out that the taste wasn't the same as before. This was why some shops had been around for hundreds of years, while others were short-lived and found it difficult to survive. Lin ShuYi was only older than Tang Shuang by two months, but his foresight was much more mature than anyone his age.

Tang Shuang was starting to feel like he had followed the right person.

******

Translated by Karcessel of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

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