Flowers fall and bloom again

Chapter 200 The Transparent Display Cabinet in front of the Restaurant!

Chapter 200: Chapter 200 The Transparent Display Cabinet in front of the Restaurant!


Today’s Star Chef: Jiang Feng


Today’s Special Dishes: Crispy Exploded Double Delight (afternoon), Braised Intestines in Brown Sauce (evening)


Jiang Feng returned to his own Shandong Cuisine Restaurant, ready to showcase his culinary skills. He took all the major Chinese cuisine styles seriously; this was also a test of a chef’s abilities.


It happened to be the weekend, the perfect time to dine out. Word of mouth spread quickly. As soon as the restaurant doors opened, it was packed to capacity, with people waiting in line until the evening.


"Is Jiangyue Terrace this popular today?"


"Hey! You said it. I heard Executive Chef Jiang is back, so everyone has to queue up for a taste!"


"What’s Executive Chef Jiang’s story? His background is truly unfathomable!"


"Who cares about that? As long as the food is delicious, that’s all that matters!"


Jiangyue Terrace was located in a bustling district. The shopkeepers nearby couldn’t help but chat about its popularity.


It simply can’t be compared, not at all.


Jiangyue Terrace had now become the top restaurant in the area, as well as the most popular Shandong Cuisine Restaurant in town. All the authentic Shandong Cuisine chefs had gone there. With each dish tasting better than the last, it was only natural for it to be so popular.


At that moment, Jiang Feng was already busy at work in the kitchen.


Crispy Exploded Double Delight was a dish that seriously tested knife skills and temperature control. Making one was a matter of luck, but making a hundred demonstrated sheer skill.


Shandong Cuisine played a pivotal role among the major Chinese cuisines and involved many different techniques. For example, spoon flipping, which covered all possible spoon-flipping techniques in Chinese cooking. Or sugar frying and sugar pulling; Shandong Cuisine’s five-step sequence of honey glaze, frost, glazed, sugar pulling, and caramelizing sugar was the ultimate expression of sugar mastery. Then there were skills like deboning a whole chicken and hand-pulling live sea cucumbers—all signature Shandong techniques.


Mastering even one of these cooking arts for Shandong dishes was hard enough, let alone all of them.


But Jiang Feng was such a person. The dishes he was currently making encompassed almost all Shandong culinary techniques, executed so perfectly that no one could find any fault.


The chefs in the kitchen would occasionally glance over at Jiang Feng. The newly hired chefs did the same.


Several apprentices took advantage of a lull to chat on the side.


"The boss is incredible. I heard from Brother Hu that Crispy Exploded Double Delight is very hard to make. It’s usually made specially for the VIPs in private rooms and rarely for the regular customers in the main hall. The boss plans to make hundreds of portions!"


"This skill is no ordinary feat. It’s absolutely top-notch."


"I also heard that the Shandong Cuisine Association came over specifically to invite him, wanting to offer him a position."


"Honestly, I don’t think the boss cares about that kind of title."


As the apprentices were chatting, they saw Zhang Hu inspecting the kitchen, so they quickly dispersed and returned to work.


Indeed, as they had said, people from the Shandong Cuisine Association had specifically sought out Jiang Feng. Jiang Feng didn’t care about the association’s title; he was fine with or without it. Considering the inevitable seniority and hierarchy issues within the association, Jiang Feng declined. After all, he also wanted to make dishes from other cuisines, and that could cause complications later on. A tug-of-war between associations for him wouldn’t be ideal.


Inside the main hall of Jiangyue Terrace, customers were placing their orders. Soon, portions of Crispy Exploded Double Delight were served. This dish was a signature in Eastern Shandong and a must-have for New Year’s Eve dinners, holding a high status. Therefore, people could easily discern its quality when eating it.


An eager regular customer picked up a beautifully sliced piece of pork stomach and put it in his mouth. Instantly, a sensation of tenderness spread across his tongue, like a first kiss.


Tenderness is also a major characteristic of Shandong cuisine. For example, there’s a Shandong dish called "Clear Soup Xi Shi Tongue," named because the white morsels in the soup felt tender and soft in the mouth.


The Crispy Exploded Double Delight was not only tender but also crisp. Chewing it, you could feel the crispness. Combined with the rich and savory sauce, it left a pleasant, soft sensation in the mouth after eating. Even crispier than those crunchy corn snacks!


"Not bad at all! Their Crispy Exploded Double Delight is delicious!"


"That’s why he’s the executive chef!"


"It had to be him; this trip was well worth it!"


"Shandong cuisine doesn’t get more authentic than this place. The boss can make any dish, so wouldn’t the chefs he employs be just as capable? That’s why, when evaluating a restaurant, you also have to consider what kind of person the owner is!"


The customers were extremely satisfied, especially those who booked the private rooms daily. These people were often wealthier, pursuing both health and taste, and were very picky about what they ate. Since they discussed business and entertained important guests, they needed to find a high-end restaurant. The private rooms on the second floor of Jiangyue Terrace met their needs perfectly. So, the restaurant’s turnover was always high.


At the front of the house, Liew Mei was observing the activity. Whenever customers came, they would ask, "Is Executive Chef Jiang in the kitchen now? Can we take a photo with him?"


Such requests were often politely declined by Liew Mei.


Others would ask, "When is he going to set up his stall again? Whatever he makes, I have to go and support him."


Liew Mei would reply with a smile, "The boss never tells us about those things; it all depends on his mood. We can’t predict it either."


Jiang Feng’s reputation was quite strong locally; he was considered a local icon. Jiang Feng, however, never cared about such things. He was busy in the kitchen all day but didn’t feel tired at all.


That weekend, the Shandong Cuisine Restaurant was completely bustling. Jiang Feng also received many invitations. For instance, Zhang Dashan from Happy Ranch wanted to invite him over for a BBQ and perhaps to cook a few dishes. The city’s culture and tourism bureau wanted to discuss a tourism plan with him, aiming to make him the city’s tourism ambassador and, in effect, a ’living tourist attraction.’ Additionally, there was an invitation to a young entrepreneur training program, where successful young entrepreneurs shared their experiences.


Jiang Feng felt it was all a bit much. I just run a food stall; it’s not that outrageous. He just wanted to set up his stall in peace.


「Two days later.」


Jiang Feng received a system reward.


On a rather quiet Monday morning, around ten o’clock, a company specializing in high-security solutions arrived at the Shandong Cuisine Restaurant’s entrance with a security display cabinet. Liew Mei and a crowd of employees watched; Jiang Feng was there too.


"What’s this?" an employee asked curiously.


"You don’t know? It’s a display cabinet the boss bought. I heard from Sister Liew that one of these cabinets costs millions. Nobody could steal from it," someone answered.


"That’s amazing! The boss is really generous!" everyone exclaimed.


Then, a few workers carried the massive display cabinet into the restaurant. After confirming the location near the entrance, they began to secure its base. The display cabinet was positioned a little further inside, visible just past the counter. Overall, it was a glass showcase, as transparent as crystal.


Such security measures were not uncommon. For example, some companies would display millions in cash right inside their cabinets for everyone who entered to see. Others would have gold bars within.


Once the display cabinet was secured, Jiang Feng placed a golden pot and jade chopsticks inside.


The display cabinet was labeled:


Collections Exhibition


Truth be told, with those two items inside, the display cabinet’s prestige increased instantly, and the entire restaurant began to exude an air of elevated elegance. The overall atmosphere spoke of one thing: profound heritage.


Jiang Feng learned the basic mechanisms of the safe from the security company, ensuring that only he could open it. Then, Jiang Feng entered the password and locked the safe. With a camera filming the spot all day long, there were no concerns about theft.


Employees looked toward the display cabinet. Inside the transparent glass case, a layer of dark red, soft silk satin was spread out. The satin was exceptionally clean and tidy. A golden pot was placed on a rosewood stand, with a pair of jade chopsticks similarly resting on a stand, much like a sword rack.


"Wow!"


Seeing this, the employees were so amazed they were at a loss for words. Even if they didn’t understand jade artifacts, they could still tell those chopsticks were incredibly valuable. When Jiang Feng decided to showcase something, it was truly extraordinary!


Jiang Feng looked at the golden pot and jade chopsticks inside the cabinet.


Indeed, they look quite nice and are very suitable for display. They’re a rare sight.


His collection couldn’t compare with top tycoons. For instance, the exhibition halls of top tycoons in Hong Kong are full of high-grade antiques and artworks worth tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions. But for a Shandong Cuisine Restaurant, these items showcased a profound heritage.


At this moment, the staff did not yet fully grasp the value of the golden pot and jade chopsticks. But they were increasingly impressed by Jiang Feng.


"These items will just be displayed here. Just wipe the dust off the surface every day with a dry cloth.


"Unless someone brings in an excavator to dig up the foundation, they won’t go missing," Jiang Feng instructed.


"Okay," Liew Mei agreed.


There was no worry about the display cabinet being stolen; local security was relatively good. Unless they encountered a crazed criminal—after all, there have been people who drove excavators into banks to directly excavate and steal ATM machines. Now that would be truly outrageous!