Chapter 818 - 725: Cherish What You Have

Zhao Meng casually handed the basin to Liu Junrong and instructed, "Stir it until it’s even."

Liu Junrong hurried to take it, put on disposable gloves, and used his hands to thoroughly mix the eggs and starch until they were even.

This kind of work he does all the time, so he mixed the starch into a nice, thick slurry—the kind that’s really sticky when you grab a handful, with the dryness and thinness just right, and it doesn’t easily fall off your hand.

Zhao Meng habitually checked it, found it quite satisfactory, and when he mixed the meat, he purposely gave some extra pointers.

"Bring over the marinated meat."

Liu Junrong quickly handed over the basin with the marinated meat.

Zhao Meng added the marinated meat, grabbing and mixing the meat slices with the starch slurry while saying, "The most critical factor in whether the meat in the滑肉汤 loses its coating is the wetness of the starch. You need to mix it into something fairly thick—so that it looks neither too dry nor too thin. That way, when you make the滑肉汤, the soup won’t get all cloudy and greasy."

When Liu Junrong heard that, he rushed up closer and carefully watched Zhao Meng’s movements.

Zhao Meng pinched out some of the mixed meat slices for Liu Junrong to examine.

After looking closely, Liu Junrong casually praised, "Chef Zhao, you’re really amazing! This step looks simple, but it’s actually crucial—this is all experience you’ve built up from cooking day in and day out. I’m really grateful you’re willing to teach me this stuff."

When he finished, he hastily promised, "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely study hard. I won’t let down your expectations of me!"

Everyone likes hearing nice words; this whole stream of flattery from Liu Junrong made Zhao Meng feel comfortable all over.

He was genuinely inclined to help move Liu Junrong up, but getting that gratitude from the other side still felt very pleasant.

The reason Zhao Meng had a pretty good impression of Liu Junrong was that he felt the kid had some heart—at least he didn’t take other people’s kindness toward him for granted.

This kind of knowing-how-to-be-grateful behavior was something Zhao Meng found especially pleasing.

Zhao Meng’s face broke into a smile; he nodded, which counted as accepting Liu Junrong’s thanks.

After mixing the meat slices thoroughly, Zhao Meng poured cooking oil into the pot, then added the scallion sections, followed by the prepared ginger and Sichuan peppercorns, stir-frying to bring out their aroma.

As he stir-fried, he explained, "滑肉汤 is a relatively light soup dish. Here, we can flash-fry the aromatics in the pot, but if you’re short on time, you can skip this step."

Liu Junrong quickly responded, "Okay, Chef Zhao, I’ve got it."

Once the scallion and ginger were fragrant, he added clean water to the pot.

Zhao Meng continued, "You can add a bit more water here. Bring the water to a boil, and once it’s boiling, put the meat slices in one by one."

"Remember, the water in the pot must stay at a rolling boil—turn it up to the highest heat. That way, once the meat slices go in, they’ll set quickly and won’t lose their coating."

Liu Junrong craned his neck, staring into the pot.

Zhao Meng deliberately shifted to the side so it’d be easier for him to see.

While working, he carefully reminded him, "When you drop them in, leave a bit of space; don’t let them stick together."

"Let them cook in the pot for about a minute, then use the spatula to gently push them around to prevent them from sticking to each other or to the bottom. Once you’ve stirred them, turn up the heat and boil, cooking the meat all the way through."

Zhao Meng picked up a pair of chopsticks to demonstrate for Liu Junrong, guiding him as he spoke: "First fish out the big scallion sections, then add salt to season."

"I’m using romaine lettuce here. This kind of lettuce doesn’t do well with long cooking, so you add the salt first, then turn off the heat and put the lettuce into the pot. You don’t need to boil the lettuce over heat—just scald it briefly in the hot soup. That way it’ll taste crisp and tender."

"Bring over the big bowl!"

Liu Junrong hurried to do as he was told.

Zhao Meng ladled the滑肉汤 from the pot into the large bowl.

Against the wide-rimmed, porcelain-white big bowl, the Sichuan-style meat soup looked crystal-clear; the broth was bright and clear.

It’s a very light soup dish, with a smooth, tender, refreshing texture when you eat it.

Back when Zhao Meng learned this dish from Chef Hao, he had thought it was perfect for eating in winter.

Now the season happened to be just right, so he’d specially added this dish to the menu.

All the dishes on the order ticket had gone out, and Zhao Meng called Fu Yu over to help take orders, then went out to the front hall himself.

When he came back, the usually tough and steady Zhao Meng clearly had slightly reddened eyes.

Just then, Wang Yuxuan came over to pick up dishes. Seeing Zhao Meng like that, Wang Yuxuan couldn’t help being a bit surprised and asked with concern, "Chef Zhao, what’s going on?"

Zhao Meng let out a sigh. "Ah, it’s nothing really. I just listened to Chef Hao talk a bit about him and his wife, and it got me thinking..."

Wang Yuxuan had worked at the restaurant for a long time and also knew Chef Hao. Hearing Zhao Meng say that, he nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Isn’t that why people say, ’Young couples, old-age companions’?"

Just as Zhao Meng was about to speak, Dai Li came over.

Seeing Zhao Meng, Dai Li casually reminded him, "Don’t forget to take your changed clothes home tonight."

Zhao Meng agreed, then personally helped pass the dishes on the pass to her. "Carry them slowly, watch out, they’re hot."

Dai Li replied with a smile, "Got it, you get back to work."

Zhao Meng answered her, but in the end still walked with Dai Li to the kitchen door; only after watching her leave did he turn back.

The dishes Wang Yuxuan was waiting to pick up hadn’t finished plating yet, so he joked with a smile, "Chef Zhao, you’re really good to Sister Dai! I’m jealous..."

Beside them, Liu Junrong chimed in, "That’s because Sister Dai’s really good to Chef Zhao too. You don’t know this—our Chef Zhao has one set of work clothes in the morning and another in the afternoon, always looking fresh and clean. Unlike us, wearing the same sweaty set every single day."

Zhao Meng chuckled. "Yeah, she really is good to me, and she works hard too."

After hearing that, Wang Yuxuan didn’t say anything out loud, but in his heart he thought, if he were in Dai Li’s position, he’d definitely treat Zhao Meng just as well.