Chapter 352: "What an Old White Lotus.
Chapter 352: Chapter 352: "What an Old White Lotus.
Fu Cheng’s gaze darkened. "This is the sort of thing Mrs. Gong should handle herself."
With that, he turned away. "I’ve said all that needs to be said. Please leave now."
Yun Lian bit her lip. ’This little bastard is just as heartless as Yun Yao.’
’Did I really ask for something so difficult?’
’He won’t show even a shred of courtesy.’
Yun Lian showed no hint of resentment. She just raised her voice and let out a couple of sobs. Seeing that Fu Cheng didn’t react at all, she left with a pitiful, aggrieved look on her face.
Shen Lu couldn’t help but scoff, "What a perfect old white lotus."
Fu Cheng paused. He didn’t quite understand what an "old white lotus" was, but he figured it wasn’t a compliment.
"Okay, okay, now that the unpleasant distraction is gone... Fu Cheng, you and Wu Jun stick to the usual plan. Eat early, then head to the hospital for your physical therapy. You haven’t been in a while."
Fu Cheng gave a slight nod, having no objection to Shen Lu’s arrangements.
Since there were no customers with reservations, Shen Lu manned the front desk while Fu Cheng went to wait at a corner table in the booth area. Wu Jun went to get their food.
As soon as 11:30 arrived and the doors opened, the crowd was so large it seemed to spill out onto the street.
Sang Yue, wearing a face mask, stood beside Cai Su, her eyes wide with astonishment. "Are there always this many customers?"
Cai Su said with a hint of pride, "Our food is delicious and the prices are fair. If not for the poor location, we’d have several times more people."
She glanced at Sang Yue and added, not entirely reassured, "Every dish is a single scoop portion. Remember that, okay?"
"Mm-hm."
’It’s so simple. How could I possibly forget?’
Shen Lu soon welcomed her first booth customer of the day.
"Boss Shen!" Mo Bei squeezed his way to her. "I’m here to give you some business!"
"Welcome, welcome," Shen Lu said with a smile, asking Wang Daguo and Xiao Lang to watch the front desk while she personally showed Mo Bei to a table.
Mo Bei was a chatterbox. In the short walk to the table, he rattled off dozens of sentences, all of them showering her with praise.
Shen Lu started to wonder if the reason Xue Can valued him so much was because of that mouth of his. ’After all, it seemed to be an unwritten rule that every quiet, reserved person had to have a chatterbox by their side.’
’There’s an inexplicable magnetism between them; they’re always drawn to each other and end up as a pair.’
Shen Lu cut off his stream of compliments. "Mo Bei, I’ve already shared the new menu with you. See what you’d like to eat."
"Boss Shen, I’ll just have the braised beef. Give me ten pounds of it. I’ll take home whatever I don’t finish."
Shen Lu smiled faintly. "You might want to look at the menu first. The braised beef isn’t on it."
"What?!"
Surprised, Mo Bei quickly checked the menu. It really was gone!
"No, Boss Shen! The braised beef is the best! It’s my favorite! Without it, I’ll die! I’ll literally die!"
Shen Lu was unmoved. "Nothing I can do. The ingredients for the braised beef are too hard to come by. I didn’t have much to begin with, and I used it all up after making it twice."
"What are the ingredients? Tell me, and I’ll find a way to get them for you!"
"Soft Banana Wood Heart and Three-Colored Lotus Stamen."
"What in the world are those?" Mo Bei was dumbfounded. "I’ve never even heard of them. Aren’t braised dishes made with spices like star anise and cinnamon?"
"Only with those two ingredients can I make the most delicious braising liquid. Without them, it’s just an ordinary stock. I was lucky to get my hands on a small amount. Once it was used, it was gone. I have no idea when I’ll be able to find more."
"Alright..." Mo Bei sighed. "I’ll remember what they’re called and keep an eye out for them on future missions. If I find any, can you give me a discount, Boss Shen?"
"Of course, no problem."
Mo Bei shook his head as if to shake off his disappointment. He then focused on the new menu, and Kuku ordered four dishes.
’It’s a shame there’s no braised beef, but the other food is great too,’ he thought. ’After all, Boss Shen’s cooking has a soothing effect on one’s Spiritual Sea. I’ve eaten here every day for the past two days, and my Spiritual Sea feels fantastic. No matter how much I push it, there’s not the slightest sign of it going haywire.’
Shen Lu glanced at the order that came through the system: Smoked Fish, Grilled Fish, Pan-Fried Tofu, and Stir-fried Tender Greens.
Shen Lu made a quick decision. She took a live grass carp from the large barrel where it was being kept, killed and prepped it, then seasoned it simply and placed it on the hot charcoal grill.
The grill was the same one she had bought for the barbecue party. It wasn’t large—just big enough for one fish.
Grilling the fish would take some time, so Shen Lu asked Deng Ying to watch it and flip it every minute.
She told her not to brush any oil on yet. It was better to wait until some of the fish’s natural oils had rendered out before adding more oil and the seasonings.
Shen Lu went to work on the pan-fried tofu, the stir-fried tender greens, and the side dishes and soup base for the grilled fish.
As the kitchen was bustling with activity, another order came in.
Spicy Smoked Fish, Fish with Pickled Greens, Eggplant Clay Pot with Salted Egg Yolk, Stir-fried Shredded Celtuce with Chives, Tomato and Egg Drop Soup, and Smashed Cucumber Salad.
Once the pan-fried tofu was done, Shen Lu quickly plated a portion of the smoked fish and carried both dishes out to the booth.
Mo Bei had originally been sitting alone at a square table, but now he was joined by three others, all members of the Gale Mercenary Corps. When they saw Shen Lu, they all raised their hands in greeting.
"Good afternoon, Boss Shen."
"Boss Shen, we’re here to eat!"
"We heard from Mo Bei that there’s no braised beef today, is that right? What a shame! But it’s fine, the other dishes are just as good."
They each chimed in, their understanding words saving Shen Lu the trouble of explaining.
"Well then, you all get settled. I’ll go cook right away. Mo Bei, the grilled fish will take a little longer, so you’ll have to wait a bit."
Mo Bei gave a magnanimous wave. "No problem, I’m not in a rush."
Shen Lu set down the dishes and hurried back to the kitchen to continue cooking.
’My decision from a couple of days ago was the right one,’ she thought. ’If I hadn’t arranged for the Gale Mercenary Corps to eat here, I wouldn’t have completed last week’s mission, and I probably wouldn’t have many customers today, either.’
Her mood lifted, and she began to hum a tune without realizing it.
Shen Lu deftly prepped the fish, chopping the bones and slicing the fillets. She seared the bones to make a broth. In another wok, she dry-fried the pickled greens to remove excess moisture before pouring in the finished fish broth. Once it came to a boil, she blanched the side dishes—bean sprouts and "phoenix tail" greens—and removed them. She brought the broth back to a boil, then added the fish slices and cooked them until they were done.
Before serving, she topped it with Sichuan peppercorns and chili powder, then poured a ladleful of sizzling hot oil over everything. The Fish with Pickled Greens was ready.
In between the steps for the Fish with Pickled Greens, Shen Lu also cooked the Spicy Smoked Fish.
She had Deng Ying smash a cucumber and toss it in dressing, then asked her to serve those three dishes.
Shen Lu checked on the grilled fish. Its natural oils had rendered, so she brushed on a thin layer of oil to keep the meat from drying out, then turned to the other dishes.
Deng Ying trotted back into the kitchen. "Boss, another customer just came in."
Shen Lu kept tossing the food in her wok. "So? Just have them order."
"Boss, I don’t have a Light Brain."
"Tsk."
Shen Lu finally remembered that it wasn’t just Deng Ying; Wang Daguo, Shu Meng, Cai Su, and Xin Yu didn’t have Light Brains either.
After plating the Eggplant Clay Pot with Salted Egg Yolk and the Stir-fried Shredded Celtuce with Chives, Shen Lu carried them out herself.
After serving the two dishes, Shen Lu turned and spotted the new customer sitting in a secluded corner.