Chapter 817 - 724: Beloved Kiss (Part 2)

At this moment, a food runner briskly entered the back kitchen, carrying a bag and looking hurried.

"Oh dear! Sister Dai, we were just talking about you, and here you are already. What did you bring for Chef Zhao this time?" Sun Qingning, close to the serving station, turned his head with a grin to greet her.

Ever since Dai Li confirmed her relationship with Zhao Meng, everyone in the back kitchen started treating her with much more respect.

Especially Zhao Meng’s crew, they got along well with Dai Li.

Besides Zhao Meng’s influence, it was mainly because Dai Li indeed was a good person, warm and hospitable, and recently got promoted to team leader.

It wasn’t just the back kitchen; even the front of the house staff regarded her with high esteem.

Dai Li was well aware but behaved as before, competent and composed, much more stable than the impatient Zhao Meng.

"Old Zhao, change your clothes when you get a chance. There’s mint candy in the pocket, try not to smoke in the afternoon." With that, she placed the bag on the serving counter, grabbed a tray, and left.

Sun Qingning turned his head and gave Liu Junrong a look: See that?

Dai Li is a good woman, very attentive and considerate.

Since Zhao Meng started being with her, his life has been well-organized, his clothes no longer wrinkled, and his collars and cuffs always clean and tidy.

Because he inherently has respiratory issues and is heavily addicted to smoking, Dai Li is now trying to control his smoking.

Whenever he craves a cigarette, she gives him a mint candy instead.

It often leads Zhao Meng to make little jokes between lovers, saying, "Come here, let me give you a hint of mint flavor!"

After finishing a dish, Zhao Meng called Sun Qingning for help, then slipped to the back door to change his clothes.

He took off his sweat-soaked undershirt and greasy chef’s coat and put on fresh, dry clothes.

For Zhao Meng’s comfort in the kitchen, Dai Li specifically reminded him to bring a couple of work uniforms back home.

No matter how late she finishes work at night, Dai Li always makes sure to wash Zhao Meng’s uniforms clean.

Having such a diligent and caring woman by his side, Zhao Meng visibly looks more spirited than when he was single.

Putting on his comfortable and clean clothes, Zhao Meng had just returned to the cooking station when he heard a food order being delivered.

As the order was handed over, the staff said, "Chef Zhao, Sister Gao asked me to inform you that this order’s guest is Chef Hao."

Upon hearing Chef Hao was dining at their place, Zhao Meng quickly took the order: "Really? Alright, I’ll handle this one."

Chef Hao, named Hao Liang, was once a head chef at Qianlima. Zhao Meng and he worked together for over ten years. Later, after Hao Liang’s wife passed away and his children settled and found jobs in the South, he resigned and moved south to live with them.

Though he moved away, he almost visits Bei’an every two years to pay his respects at his late wife’s grave.

If his children have time, they accompany him. If not, Hao Liang visits alone.

This time, he came alone. After visiting the grave, he made a special trip to dine at his former workplace, see old friends and colleagues, and then planned to return south.

Dining alone, he ordered only two dishes and a soup, but specifically requested the restaurant’s specialty seafood porridge.

Zhao Meng cooked according to the order, and also prepared an extra dish, Sichuan-style slippery pork soup.

That dish, as the story goes, was introduced to the back kitchen staff by Hao Liang when he first came to Qianlima.

Hao Liang had previously worked at a Sichuan restaurant and could make several outstanding Sichuan dishes.

Back in those days, Zhao Meng and Hao Liang had a good relationship, so whenever Hao Liang visited, Zhao Meng personally cooked for him, bringing out food and drinks, and if time allowed, enjoyed a few drinks with him to reminisce.

With the ingredients ready, Zhao Meng began cooking.

Sichuan-style slippery pork soup is essentially similar to Sichuan-style pork soup.

The main ingredient is marbled pork shoulder.

This dish requires a certain quality of meat, with a particularly balanced ratio, and it must be fresh pork.

The Sichuan-style slippery pork soup prepared this way is not greasy at all and has a delicate texture.

Zhao Meng first cut the pork into large chunks to facilitate slicing.

Then he further sliced the chunks into thick slices.

The aim is to cut the meat into slices, as the finished slippery pork is quite smooth, and larger pieces make it easier to pick up with chopsticks.

Once the pork slices were ready, he set them aside in a bowl.

Then he added a spoonful of salt and a small spoon of white pepper powder, mixing them by hand evenly.

While marinating, avoid adding any sauces with juices, which can prevent the mixture from becoming too runny when stirred. Once mixed, set it aside to marinate.

In the meantime, quickly prepare the accompaniments.

Cut the Romaine lettuce into long sections.

Liu Junrong, assisting nearby, saw that Zhao Meng was using Romaine lettuce and took the opportunity to cozy up.

"Chef Zhao, so this dish uses Romaine lettuce! My teacher at school mentioned that Romaine lettuce’s fragrant aroma is great for pairing with meat soup."

Without pausing in his work, Zhao Meng replied, "Yes, that’s right, Romaine lettuce’s fragrant aroma is perfect for making slippery pork soup."

With those words, he looked up at Liu Junrong.

Zhao Meng had a positive impression of Liu Junrong.

The kid was street-smart, clever, and, most importantly, very diligent.

In reality, Sun Weixing, who started the internship at the same time, was also good, just a bit more reserved.

In comparison, Zhao Meng favored the talkative Liu Junrong, who entertained with playful banter.

Bringing Liu Junrong in to help was a deliberate act to mentor him.

Even though they started in the kitchen at the same time, there was an already apparent shift in dynamic between Liu Junrong and Sun Weixing.

Sun Weixing brought a bowl of sliced ingredients and overheard Zhao Meng casually share a cooking tip with Liu Junrong.

Though he knew Romaine lettuce pairs well with meat soup, Zhao Meng’s tips today likely meant more insights would follow.

Over time, the gap between him and Liu Junrong would only widen.

This troubled Sun Weixing as well, but his personality led him to just focus on tasks, failing to catch Zhao Meng’s favor and attention.

Setting down the ingredient bowl, he envied Liu Junrong with a glance, then returned, dejected, to his chopping block.

Zhao Meng set aside the sliced Romaine in a bowl for later use.

He took a small piece of ginger and smashed it, allowing it to release more flavor.

Placing the smashed ginger in a small bowl for later, then prepared 13 Sichuan peppercorns and tied a scallion into a knot.

He cut the scallions into fine slices, aiming for the thinnest possible to easily squeeze out scallion juice.

Though Zhao Meng seldom practices slicing, he was quite adept at julienning.

If it weren’t for somewhat severe tendinitis, he could work even faster.

Next, he sliced another piece of ginger into thin slices, ensuring the slices were as thin as possible, before further slicing into ginger strips.

He transferred the scallion and ginger strips into a large bowl, adding a spoonful of cooking wine and half a bowl of water.

He squeezed out the juices from the strips, taking care not to add too much water, as this liquid was for mixing the batter.

After extracting the juice, he removed the scallion and ginger strips, leaving the water in the bowl.

Once completely removed, he added sweet potato starch, ensuring a one-to-one ratio with the meat for a balanced texture.

Then he added a spoonful of soy sauce for color, mixing the sweet potato starch and scallion-ginger water evenly.

Dispense the starch granules until they are smooth and powdery, tender to the touch.

Then break an egg into it, facilitating better blending.

He added two smaller eggs, mainly to increase the starch’s viscosity, ensuring the cooked slippery pork won’t separate from its coating, remaining fluffy.