Chapter 397 - 202: Great Minds Think Alike

Chapter 397: Chapter 202: Great Minds Think Alike

"As long as you like it. When Uncle gets home, I’ll send you other tasty treats and fun things." Qian Siyuan couldn’t stop grinning. He hadn’t expected the little one to be so happy over a small box of cookies; the emotional payoff was through the roof.

A couple of days ago, a friend came over from Shanghai and called him in advance. Qian Siyuan, who had been worrying about what gift to get for Zhou Momo, asked his friend to bring some toys and snacks.

Because time was short, the friend couldn’t find a suitable doll and only brought a box of imported cookies. He had originally been worried the little one wouldn’t like them, but now it seemed his concerns were completely unfounded.

"No, no, it’s okay! These cookies are wonderful! Uncle, you should keep your money for yourself." Zhou Momo hugged the cookie tin, unable to put it down. She had never seen such a beautiful box before and had even already figured out a use for it. She said with a grin, "After I eat the cookies, I can use the box to hold my money!"

Qian Siyuan’s heart melted. ’What a sweet kid, she’s even thinking of me.’ He smiled and said, "Don’t you worry, Uncle has money. Just have your Brother write down an address for me in a bit."

Zhou Momo looked at him and asked curiously, "Brother said your home is in a foreign country. Which country is that?"

"The United States. A country very, very far from Sichuan," Qian Siyuan replied with a smile.

"The United States? A beautiful country?"

Qian Siyuan smiled and nodded. "Yes, that’s more or less what it means. But our China is very nice too."

Zhou Momo nodded, set the cookie tin aside, and continued to focus on her meal.

"Master Zhou, the Snowflake Chicken Porridge you made today was simply magical. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d never have believed that dish was made from chicken." Qian Siyuan looked at Zhou Yan, his eyes full of admiration.

"You’re too kind, Mr. Qian," Zhou Yan replied with a slight smile.

"The marinated meat was also excellent. All the guests who ate it said it was wonderful, and that you can’t find marinated meat that good in Linjiang."

"Our greatest goal is the satisfaction of our guests."

"Alright, well, you all take your time. Head back after dinner. There’s another scene to shoot this afternoon." Qian Siyuan reached out and patted Zhou Yan’s arm, then toasted the guests at this table before moving on to the next one.

He was adapting to the Chinese way of social etiquette quite quickly.

Mrs. Zhao helped Zhou Momo hold the metal tin, examining it closely. "Is this a foreign product? What are all these scribbles on it? The box really is beautiful. Now our little girl has a place to keep her pocket money."

"Yes, they’re imported cookies. I doubt you could even find them in the department stores in Rongcheng," Zhou Yan said with a nod, then went back to eating.

Qian Siyuan had set aside two tables just for the chefs of the Kong Sect, who were now eating and chatting.

"Master Xiao’s ’Nine Big Bowls’ were fantastic! To handle fifty tables at once, and the Dongpo Pork Knuckle, Salted Burnt White, and Sweet Burnt White were all done so well! The Fire Control, the flavor—both were top-notch. Especially this pork knuckle, the sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors were simply out of this world!" Kong Liwei exclaimed in amazement.

Kong Guodong laughed. "That goes without saying. Your Master Xiao used to be the head chef at a textile factory. He had to coordinate all the cafeteria chefs to cook mass meals for over three thousand people. If you turned that into a banquet, it’d be over three hundred tables. When it comes to practical experience, among us third-generation disciples, he’s absolutely number one."

Kong Qingfeng looked at the group and said with a smile, "Guodong is exactly right. Each of you has your own specialty dishes. Your strengths are prominent, but your weaknesses are also quite obvious. But Shitou is different. He doesn’t have one particularly outstanding strength, but he has almost no weaknesses. Stir-frying, steaming, braising, deep-frying, boiling, saucing, flash-frying, sautéing... he’s a master of them all. He’s basically learned all of your Kong’s skills.

"The ’Nine Big Bowls’ for an open-air banquet are mostly steamed dishes. Any one of you can steam a single basket in the kitchen. But steaming the ’Nine Big Bowls’ for fifty tables all at once, and serving them at nearly the same time—that’s the true test of a Chef. It’s no exaggeration to say that if I put you in charge of an open-air banquet, you wouldn’t figure it out in three months."

Everyone nodded in agreement, thinking he was absolutely right.

Only those who have actually managed a back kitchen understand the difficulty of serving all the dishes at the same time.

Xiao Lei, along with Zheng Qiang and a few kitchen helpers, managed to pull off a fifty-table banquet. That kind of ability was truly admirable.

"Let’s not even talk about the steamed dishes; the marinated meat today was the real star." Xu Yunliang had just chewed and swallowed a piece of marinated beef, his eyes wide with amazement. "This marinated beef and pork head are just too good! The beef has a firm texture and a rich, savory aroma. The more you chew, the more fragrant it gets. It’s the absolute perfect thing to have with a drink! Zhou Yan’s skill with marinated meat is in no way inferior to the Snowflake Chicken Porridge he made today."

Hearing this, the others all picked up their chopsticks to try the marinated meat, and their eyes lit up as well.

"It really is marinated well! This marinated pork head is so fragrant. It’s rich but not greasy. The master stock is something special! This is a genuine old stock, and not just one or two years old, either."

"Zhou Yan is just too incredible, isn’t he? The first time, his explosive stir-fried pork liver was already good enough. This time, his recreation of the Snowflake Chicken Porridge was even more absurd. Who would’ve thought he also had this kind of marinating skill up his sleeve? He’s not leaving any path for his seniors to survive!"

Everyone who tasted the marinated meat was endlessly amazed.

They were all Chefs; they could tell how good it was with a single bite.

Just how good was this marinated meat?

Well, none of them present could have made it.

Kong Qingfeng looked at the plate of marinated beef, savoring it carefully before speaking. "Why do I feel like this is a bit like the marinated beef from Feiyan Restaurant? The flavor and texture are both similar. The aftertaste lingers... it’s just fantastic."

Kong Guodong looked surprised. "Master, the marinated beef at Feiyan Restaurant is quite famous. They stopped selling it for a few decades, but started again a while ago, right? I heard their business from returning customers is excellent, and many of the old regulars have come back. Are you saying that the marinated beef Zhou Yan made is just as good as Feiyan Restaurant’s?"