Chapter 150: Chapter 150: Inheriting the Profound History of Shandong Cuisine, Task Reward!
The eight major Chinese cuisines all boast vast and profound culinary traditions.
Lately, Jiang Feng’s daily bonus reward had been Shandong Cuisine recipes.
Consequently, he had mastered a variety of Shandong dishes.
Deep down, Jiang Feng seemed to sense the presence of many historical Shandong Cuisine chefs. Perhaps their experiences, converted by the system into recipes, were what enabled him to learn. So, in a way, he did have a lineage—the rich history of Shandong Cuisine itself. He bore the profound responsibility of its long and distinguished heritage.
Thus, he valued the Shandong Cuisine Restaurant highly.
During this period, business at Jiangyue Terrace continued to boom, especially the dishes Jiang Feng personally prepared, which were practically a must-order for every table.
Some media outlets also wanted to interview Jiang Feng. After all, achieving such success at his age, he could be considered an "Outstanding Youth of the City."
The relevant municipal departments had also contacted him, inviting him to attend meetings for young entrepreneurs or participate in discussion and exchange activities—partly for guidance and partly to share his experiences.
As a restaurant owner, attending such events was somewhat necessary. However, these networking events weren’t frequent. Jiang Feng made time to attend one, dedicating the rest of his days to his own affairs.
The seven-day grand opening promotion finally concluded.
On the last day, Jiang Feng’s performance once again left everyone satisfied.
That night, Jiang Feng prepared Braised Prawns in Oil. He stir-fried them in the wok, each prawn turning a vibrant, glossy red, shimmering with oil. He chose to reduce the sauce over medium heat until it thickened and gleamed, signaling the dish was ready. Once plated, the plating chef would arrange the prawns in a circle before they were served.
This prawn dish was an absolute favorite among shrimp lovers. One only needed to peel off the shell to reveal the succulent, tender prawn meat underneath. The surface of the meat glistened with oil, thoroughly coated in the rich flavor of the sauce. Biting into it, the meat inside was still white, steaming hot, and incredibly fresh. In the mouth, one could feel the sauce dancing on the tongue while savoring the fresh, delicious texture of the prawn meat. It was incredibly satisfying.
The customers were delighted, and their high opinion of the Shandong Cuisine Restaurant remained unchanged.
In the evening, many customers inquired as they entered, "Won’t your boss be cooking tomorrow?"
The waiters would reply with a smile, "That’s right, our boss won’t be cooking tomorrow. However, we will have other head chefs on duty, all of whom are authentic Shandong Cuisine chefs."
This answer satisfied the customers, assuring them that Jiangyue Terrace remained trustworthy.
"Hmm, this place is indeed good," one customer mused. Boss Jiang isn’t going back to setting up street stalls, is he? It’ll be hard to find him then.
The waiters couldn’t answer that, as they didn’t know what the boss was thinking either.
When Jiangyue Terrace closed for the night, Jiang Feng had successfully completed both of his tasks. The Jiangyue Terrace Shandong Cuisine Restaurant had become the top restaurant on the street, serving well over 200 customers daily.
His reward was a pair of jade discs with jadeite dragon motifs. Ma Ali had once purchased a similar pair at an auction for 7 million Hong Kong dollars. The pair Jiang Feng received was even more exquisitely crafted and undoubtedly of higher value.
In the evening, Jiang Feng called Zhang Hu and Liew Mei over.
"I won’t be the head chef starting tomorrow, but I’ll still come by to check on things," Jiang Feng told them. "I won’t always be in the kitchen, so the ability of Jiangyue Terrace to thrive depends on the rest of the kitchen staff."
Zhang Hu immediately assured him, "Boss, rest assured, I’ll keep a close eye on the kitchen. We’ve all strictly adhered to your requirement for each head chef to master two signature dishes."
Jiang Feng nodded. "Then I can rest easy."
"Boss, also, another chef came to apply today," Zhang Hu continued. "His home-style scallion pancakes and sweet and sour shredded potatoes were exceptionally good. He used to run a small eatery, but later the landlord raised the rent. Then the landlord started making scallion pancakes herself and kicked him out. He wants to apply for a position at our restaurant. I told him you’d have to test his cooking. He’s skilled. Should we arrange for him to come in?"
"Of course, no problem. Arrange it," Jiang Feng said immediately. "Old Zhang, remember, to me, chefs with excellent culinary skills are the most valuable asset. As long as their skills are good, I want them. That’s the bedrock of a restaurant."
Jiang Feng’s stance was very clear: chefs are fundamental to a restaurant’s success. Many restaurants hire chefs, replace them if they don’t perform, and rely on promotions and their signboard to attract customers. That’s not a sustainable strategy. If a restaurant is staffed entirely by competent chefs, it would be difficult for it not to succeed.
"Alright, Boss, I’ll have him come over tomorrow," Zhang Hu said. With a smile, he added, I was initially thinking that since he came from a small eatery and lacks experience in a large restaurant, he might not be suitable.
Zhang Hu held Jiang Feng in high respect. It was rare to find a boss who understood chefs so well. Because of this, the kitchen at Jiangyue Terrace only improved, and the chefs were all in good spirits. A man will die for one who truly understands him. Encountering a boss who comprehends the difficulties of his employees was indeed rare these days.
"Coming from a small eatery doesn’t matter. I started from a street stall myself. Customers care about the taste," Jiang Feng said. "Sweet and Sour Shredded Potatoes and Scallion Pancakes are both Shandong Cuisine dishes. If they meet the standards of our Shandong Cuisine Restaurant, that’s what matters. I’m actually looking for someone who excels at these kinds of simpler dishes!"
Jiang Feng looked forward to meeting this chef from the small eatery, hoping he genuinely possessed real skill.
Then, Jiang Feng gave Liew Mei a few instructions regarding the dining hall, left the restaurant, and headed home to rest.
「Meanwhile, in an apartment building in a certain residential complex.」
Wang Wei felt a bit nervous. He had been dealing with many frustrating issues lately.
He possessed a particular talent for cooking, with a knack for scallion pancakes and sweet and sour shredded potatoes that were very popular with patrons. After renting a small shop space, he enjoyed a constant stream of customers, and his income was respectable. While the profit margins on scallion pancakes were slim, he could still make about 20,000 a month. After rent and utilities, he could take home roughly 15,000.
But once the landlord observed this success, greed set in. Why should you be making such good money using my shop space? Such situations were not uncommon. Many people harbored this ’I can do it too’ mentality.
So, the landlord began to raise Wang Wei’s rent, making it thirty percent more expensive than the shop next door. As a result, Wang Wei’s income was greatly reduced; he was essentially working for the landlord. Wang Wei also had a child attending university, and the home mortgage also needed to be paid. The pressures of life were considerable.
From the landlord’s perspective, it was fine if Wang Wei rented, as long as he paid more. If he didn’t, she could just find someone else to make scallion pancakes and shredded potatoes. It wasn’t a difficult task, after all.
Ultimately, after some hesitation, Wang Wei decided not to renew the lease for the time being and to find another place to start over. He happened to hear that Jiangyue Terrace was hiring chefs—requiring only good culinary skills—and accepting applications between 7 and 10 a.m., so he gave it a try. The executive chef there had actually taken his phone number.
Actually, going to a large restaurant would be better, Wang Wei thought. Running a small shop involves too many hassles, and I don’t have the capital to buy my own storefront. I’d still be at the mercy of landlords. It’s better to work at a proper, large restaurant.
"The executive chef from over there just called," Wang Wei told his wife. "He asked me to go in tomorrow, saying Boss Jiang from Jiangyue Terrace wants to personally test my cooking."
Hope filled his wife’s eyes. "I know that boss! He’s incredibly impressive and very popular. People in the city go there just for his reputation. Hopefully, he’ll hire you! What’s the pay like?"
Wang Wei grew somewhat nervous. "It’s not clear yet. The executive chef said it’s head chef level pay, but there’s a probationary period. After the probation, the wages for that period will be topped up to the head chef’s rate. It seems to be about 14,000."
His wife immediately became excited. "14,000! That’s quite high! And you wouldn’t have to worry about anything, like buying rice or flour yourself. It’s so much less stressful."
Wang Wei added, "And there’s a rotating shift system. If you’re willing to work overtime, there’s a bonus too."
"The restaurant offers such good benefits?"
"Exceptionally good. You wouldn’t believe how many people apply, but the requirements are very high. Ordinary people can’t get in."
"Do you think you can get in?"
"We’ll see tomorrow. I hope so."
"Mm-hmm, our family is counting on you," his wife said. "Now that you’re not running the shop, I can find work as a cleaner. I can earn some money too, and it’ll be less stressful."
"Yeah, running a small business on your own is too hard."
"It’s all because of that landlord. We had everything agreed upon."
"Well, it’s her property. There’s nothing we can do."
...
「The next morning at nine o’clock.」
At this hour, Jiangyue Terrace had not yet opened for business. Some staff were already in the kitchen, washing ingredients and preparing items like abalone, prawns, and sea cucumbers.
Jiang Feng also arrived early. For one, it was his first day not acting as head chef, and he was very concerned about the restaurant’s operations. Secondly, he was there to check out the chefs Zhang Hu had selected.
Jiang Feng was always strict. Previously, a relative of Zhang Hu had approached him several times, pressuring Zhang Hu to recommend their child to Jiang Feng. Zhang Hu mentioned it to Jiang Feng, who said, "No problem, let him come. I don’t want to put you in a difficult position."
When the person came, Jiang Feng tasted their dish and gave immediate feedback. Without saying anything excessive, he simply told the individual that their dish didn’t meet the restaurant’s standards and, with apologies, that they couldn’t be hired. He was very decisive.
When Jiang Feng evaluated chefs, he looked at character first and skill second. However, most skilled individuals generally had decent character and performed their duties diligently—after all, they were all ordinary working people. Therefore, skill was actually the most crucial criterion.
The chef being trialed today was named Wang Wei. He was forty years old, specialized in scallion pancakes and sweet and sour shredded potatoes, could also prepare some other Shandong Cuisine dishes, and possessed very solid fundamental culinary skills.
After Jiang Feng arrived, Zhang Hu had Wang Wei begin his preparations.
Soon, a scallion pancake was served to Jiang Feng. He picked up a piece and tasted it. Wang Wei watched nervously from the side. The scallion pancake was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, remarkably fluffy. Eating it, one could feel the aroma of scallions mixed with the warmth of the pancake spreading through the mouth—a truly pleasant sensation.
After just one bite, Jiang Feng knew these scallion pancakes were made with real skill. They were genuinely delicious—at least, the kind of food ordinary people loved.
"Very nice indeed!" Jiang Feng said with a smile.
He then tasted the sweet and sour shredded potatoes Wang Wei had made. Shredded potatoes with vinegar sauce are a common dish, but making them exceptionally tasty isn’t easy. These shredded potatoes were hand-cut by Wang Wei, each strand thin and long, showcasing his excellent knife skills. Moreover, the shredded potatoes had an excellent texture and were bursting with flavor.
"Good, quite good," Jiang Feng said, then looked at Wang Wei. "Wang Wei, is it?" he asked with a smile.
"Yes, Boss," Wang Wei replied, a bit reserved.
"When can you start work?" Jiang Feng asked immediately. "The scallion pancakes and shredded potatoes will be your responsibility. It’s perfect, as the other head chefs are busy with main courses, and we’re short on someone who excels at vegetarian dishes. You’ll receive head chef level pay. Probationary pay is 10,000 a month. Once you’re permanent, it’s 15,000 a month. After your one-month probation is complete, I’ll give you an additional 5,000 to make up the difference for that first month."
"Ah? Oh! I can start tomorrow! I just need to sort out some things from my old shop today," Wang Wei replied, a little stunned at first, then quickly agreeing once he processed it.
"Alright," Jiang Feng added. "Your skills are good. You can also learn other cuisines. Sometimes, when there are fewer orders for these two dishes, you’ll need to help with other things. For other matters, talk to Zhang Hu; he’s in charge of the kitchen."
"Yes, Boss! Thank you so much!"
"No need to thank me; I should be thanking you. Just work hard at the restaurant," Jiang Feng said, waving his hand dismissively, and took another bite of the scallion pancake.
The taste really is good, he thought. With skills like these, he wouldn’t have to worry about business wherever he opened a shop. Strangely though, he didn’t manage to keep his own place going. Human hearts can be treacherous, and reality often falls short of expectations. There’s nothing to be done about it.