"What would you gentlemen like to eat? I'll prepare it right away. Our restaurant has quite a variety of dishes."
Her words made everyone realize that the young girl was the owner of the restaurant.
They exchanged glances, and Director Li spoke first.
"Xiao Tian, what are your restaurant's signature dishes? Serve us eight dishes, all of them substantial!"
With so many of them, they wondered if eight dishes would be enough.
"Xiao Tian, will eight dishes be enough for us?"
Su Xiao Tian smiled, "Of course, it's enough. Our dishes are a bit pricey, but the portions are generous."
Director Li nodded.
"Do any of you have any dietary restrictions, such as cilantro or chili?"
Everyone shook their heads. Being able to eat their fill and have meat was happiness enough; what was there to be picky about?
Besides, cilantro and chili were just side ingredients; if they didn't want to eat them, they could simply avoid them.
Having just struggled to get by, they weren't particularly fussy.
Su Xiao Tian confirmed their preferences again before smiling and leaving.
After Su Xiao Tian left, Director Hu asked thoughtfully, "Director Li, can this restaurant really provide eight substantial dishes?"
Let alone different dishes, even if they were all to eat pork, eight dishes would require a significant amount of meat.
"Director Hu, please don't worry, it's absolutely no problem," Director Li said with a smile. "I wouldn't have brought you here if I wasn't sure."
He didn't know what kind of backing this family had, but since the restaurant opened, they had never lacked meat.
Not only pork, but they also had lamb and beef, and he heard that sometimes they even had fish and shrimp.
Director Hu was somewhat skeptical but didn't say much, instead chatting with the person next to him about other topics.
"Director Ma, what's the progress on your collaboration with Germany?"
"We're about to start negotiations, but our translator suddenly had a problem, and I'm at my wit's end," Director Ma said with concern.
If the translator didn't return by the scheduled time, the bilateral talks couldn't proceed.
This could affect the negotiations and potentially cause the deal to fall through.
"Why don't I ask Xiao Tian if she knows anyone who speaks German?" Director Li offered.
But as soon as he spoke, he remembered that Su Xiao Tian was, at best, a lucky little girl who had a good master.
Her French was taught by Elder Chi; where would she know anyone who spoke German?
"Old Li, you trust this little girl too much. Could she possibly know multiple languages?"
Director Hu didn't believe it and teased her.
Even Director Ma didn't believe it; in fact, Director Ma doubted that Su Xiao Tian even knew French.
Even as Elder Chi's disciple, she was so young; how much could she have learned?
This Director Li was really mythologizing the little girl.
However, it was understandable. If it were him, he would also flatter the young girl.
After all, connecting with her meant having a connection with Elder Chi.
It was said that Elder Chi also had overseas connections, which might be useful in the future.
"You're right, she's just a little girl; she definitely doesn't know multiple languages. I was just thinking, perhaps since she's with Elder Chi, she might know someone?"
After Director Li said this, Director Hu chuckled, "I hadn't thought of that. Perhaps there's a possibility."
Director Ma looked at Director Li and nodded, "You're right. I once heard someone say that Elder Chi also knew German. I don't know if it's true."
If Elder Chi could be invited to intervene, the problem would surely be solved.
He just didn't know how much influence this so-called final disciple had. If Elder Chi could be persuaded to help, that would be great.
At this moment, Director Ma completely forgot that he had no personal connection with Su Xiao Tian, and why would she help him invite Elder Chi?
When Su Xiao Tian went out, several more tables of guests had arrived at the restaurant.
Su Xiao Tian was very pleased with this bustling scene of customers.
Only by doing this could she stay ahead of others.
Su Xiao Tian took charge and prepared a table of dishes for Director Li and his group.
As Director Li had requested, they were indeed substantial dishes.
Eight dishes, each more substantial than the last!
No vegetarian dishes, all meat, guaranteed to leave their mouths greasy.
A table like this in later generations would be something no one could finish.
Some might even find it too rich.
But in this era, when people generally lacked oil and fat, this table of dishes could make anyone's mouth water.
After preparing the dishes, Su Xiao Tian thought for a moment and went to the private room again.
As soon as she reached the door, she heard someone inside saying they wanted her to help invite Elder Chi.
Su Xiao Tian was curious. Could it be that Director Li and the others were dining today with ulterior motives?
If that were the case, she would have to be extremely cautious.
She decided that she would personally attend to this table of guests later.
Thinking that more guests would arrive and the dishes for this table needed to be finalized soon, Su Xiao Tian didn't delay. After a light knock, she walked in with light steps.
"Xiao Tian, why are you here?" Director Li asked when he saw Su Xiao Tian.
"I've prepared a table of dishes. I'll tell you the names of the dishes," Su Xiao Tian said confidently.
Director Li smiled, "You can just serve the dishes. Do you need to go through all this trouble?"
"It's important that you are all satisfied," Su Xiao Tian replied.
"Then tell us, what have you prepared for us today?" Director Hu asked with interest.
Su Xiao Tian eloquently listed the dishes she had prepared: eight dishes in total, two cold dishes and six hot dishes, primarily pork, with an additional braised lamb, beef with tomatoes, and clear lamb soup.
As expected, Director Li and the others were very satisfied with the dishes Su Xiao Tian had prepared.
In fact, their expressions were filled with surprise.
Could there really be so much meat? Although it was mainly pork, it wasn't monotonous.
Just hearing the names of the dishes was very appealing.
"Xiao Tian, this table of dishes could make people cry with envy if word got out," Director Li praised.
The young girl was indeed extraordinary; even the dishes she prepared could be so well-liked.
"This table of dishes is a bit too rich. I'll add two vegetarian dishes, pickled radish skin with sour and spicy flavor, and spinach with soybeans."
Su Xiao Tian smiled in a very formal manner. She was being very careful in dealing with these people whose intentions were unclear.
"No need to add them. These two dishes also cost money. It's not easy to run a business!" Director Li quickly said.
They were an electronics factory, a profitable one, so they weren't short of money for meals.
Moreover, Su Xiao Tian was right; a table of meat was indeed a bit too rich, and having a few vegetable dishes in between would be good.
Su Xiao Tian just smiled and said nothing. Since they insisted on paying, she didn't need to be polite.
After Su Xiao Tian left, Director Hu looked thoughtfully at the doorway where her figure had disappeared.
"This restaurant is really good. The fact that it can provide so many substantial dishes at once is extraordinary."
In restaurants today, it wasn't the skill that was rare, but the ingredients!
No matter how good the skill, it was useless without ingredients!
Yi Ming Ge's ability to provide so many meat dishes at once was truly astounding.
"Director Hu, the taste of this restaurant is also very good. Try it today. If the taste is good, it would be good to host our factory's receptions here in the future," Director Li suggested again.
This was also his main purpose in bringing them here today.
He genuinely liked Su Xiao Tian and wanted to help her, so he came up with this idea.
Their factory currently hosted receptions at state-run restaurants, but even in state-run restaurants, it was not easy to get good food, and the taste was truly unbearable.
"Let's try it first!" Director Hu was a cautious person and didn't agree immediately.
Director Li knew that Director Hu wouldn't agree immediately.
He had given them the opportunity; whether they could seize it was up to the Su family's own abilities.
When Su Xiao Tian went to the kitchen to place the order, Grandma Su and Liang Xiu were busy working.
The two aunts they had hired were busy assisting.
"Grandma, another customer has placed an order," Su Xiao Tian said, listing the dishes.
Grandma Su was startled to hear the customer order so many substantial dishes at once.
"Who is this big client who ordered so many dishes at once!"
"It's Director Li from the electronics factory. They have money and just want to eat well. Grandma, you have to give it your all. You might be able to attract a lot of business."
Su Xiao Tian said this casually, but any large factory should have its own regular places for hosting guests.
Su Xiao Tian wanted to attract such big clients, but she also knew that such clients were not easily obtained.
Today was an opportunity, but Su Xiao Tian wasn't sure if she could seize it.
Upon hearing Su Xiao Tian's words, Grandma Su immediately became excited.
"I understand. I'll do my best, and I guarantee the guests will want to eat more after eating!"
It had to be said that it was truly remarkable for Grandma Su to have such drive at her age.
Seeing how busy the kitchen was, Su Xiao Tian also stayed to help.
Although these dishes looked difficult to make, the kitchen actually had semi-finished products.
The most time-consuming dishes were already being prepared in the kitchen, which was why Su Xiao Tian dared to introduce them so boldly.
Soon, the dishes came out one by one, and Su Xiao Tian personally served them.
Director Li and Director Hu were very surprised to see Su Xiao Tian serving the dishes herself.
Was this restaurant staffed by a young girl as a server?
"Xiao Tian, these hands of yours shouldn't be doing this!" Director Li couldn't help but voice his thoughts.
Su Xiao Tian smiled and said, "Director Li, this is our family business. I have nothing else to do today, so I'm helping out!"
"What a sensible child. Why don't I go and get it myself?"
Director Li still felt that Su Xiao Tian's hands, capable of translating manuscripts, shouldn't be doing manual labor.
Director Hu looked at Director Li's eager demeanor and was speechless.
He had been teaching for several years and had some understanding of Director Li's character; he had never seen him like this before.
Was he throwing all pretense of dignity aside?
"The restaurant has servers, but I wanted to personally serve you," Su Xiao Tian quickly explained with a smile.
Could she say that she wanted to come and hear what their intentions were?
Obviously not!
But her explanation made Director Li and the others feel greatly honored.
"Xiao Tian, why don't you sit down and eat with us?" Director Li said, "Leave the serving to the servers!"
"You gentlemen please sit and eat slowly. I still need to help! It's the weekend, and there are quite a few customers."
This was not a lie. When Director Hu went to the restroom earlier, he also saw that Yi Ming Ge had many customers, which could be described as fully occupied.
He hadn't understood why Yi Ming Ge had so many customers before, but now he did.
Yi Ming Ge's dishes could be described as perfect in color, aroma, and taste.
In Beijing, with such skill, Yi Ming Ge was competitive.
The ten dishes were served quickly, but Su Xiao Tian didn't hear them continue to discuss topics related to Elder Chi.
She was very disappointed about this.
But she soon came to terms with it. These people were currently captivated by the delicious food, and they would surely approach her to discuss the matter later.
So, there was no need to rush; she would remain calm and wait for them to initiate the conversation.
Once Su Xiao Tian had settled her mind, she went to attend to other customers.
Director Hu and Director Ma, and the others, considered themselves to have some experience, but at this moment, they were all captivated by this table of dishes that were perfect in color, aroma, and taste.
They were all busy eating, afraid that if they ate slowly, others would snatch away more.
They even forgot about their seniority and social status, eating faster than each other, without considering whether they should leave more for the factory director.
The table of dishes was finished by the few grown men at a speed that was like a whirlwind.
From the serving of the dishes to the completion of the meal, it took less than half an hour.
When Su Xiao Tian came in again, only leftovers remained.
Su Xiao Tian was stunned. What was going on? The rice had just been served, but how were the dishes all gone?
Director Li patted his stomach. He was actually full, but for some reason, he still wanted to eat!
He looked towards Director Hu.
Director Hu said, "Let's add four more dishes! Young lady, do you have any other recommendations?"
Su Xiao Tian didn't know how to respond.
If they added dishes now, when would they be ready?
But since it was the guests' request, she couldn't refuse.
"It will take too long to make them from scratch. Today, the kitchen has prepared braised pork ribs and steamed pork knuckle, which can be served immediately. Plus, braised pork and boiled pork, would that be acceptable?"
Director Hu, still unsatisfied after eating, didn't even listen to the names of the dishes Su Xiao Tian mentioned.
He waved his hand and said, "Just serve them. We'll eat them with rice!"
When Su Xiao Tian went out, she still found it hard to believe.
These people's appetites were a bit too large, weren't they? How could they eat so fast, even faster than the people in their Red Heart Brigade?
She had heard that electronics factories were very wealthy, not only the leaders but also the workers in the factory were very well-off.
Alright, even her part-time job as a translator in the factory counted as escaping poverty and becoming prosperous.
Why did these people look like they hadn't eaten?
If Director Li knew Su Xiao Tian's thoughts, he would definitely say that it wasn't that they hadn't eaten, but that Yi Ming Ge's dishes tasted so good that they couldn't stop.
The braised pork ribs and steamed pork knuckle were already in the pot; serving them on plates would solve the problem. As for the remaining braised pork, steaming it thoroughly wouldn't take too long.
The only slightly difficult one was the boiled pork, which required careful slicing.
Su Xiao Tian felt her skills were not up to par, so she couldn't do it, and Grandma Su took over.
Su Xiao Tian first sent the braised pork ribs and steamed pork knuckle to the private room. When she returned, the aroma of braised pork was already wafting from the kitchen.
Under Grandma Su's knife, the thinly sliced pork belly was already cut and being arranged on the plate.
It had to be said that Grandma Su was truly a magical person. With simple arrangement, the dishes coming from her hands looked extraordinary.
Su Xiao Tian sighed, "Grandma, your skills are truly unmatched by few."
In this era, when plating was generally not emphasized, Grandma Su's skill made her even more remarkable.
Grandma Su glared at Su Xiao Tian, "You're the only one who talks like that!"
Su Xiao Tian chuckled. After Grandma Su finished arranging the dishes, she quickly took the boiled pork to the private room.
The four dishes were served quickly, and Director Hu and the others finally felt full.
However, the meat was so delicious that even the rice tasted good. What should they do?
The final result was that they didn't even leave the gravy from the meat, finishing it completely with the rice.
Looking at the empty bowls and plates, they finally felt a bit embarrassed.
They were all respectable people, so why were they behaving like unsophisticated bumpkins today?
If this got out, they would surely be laughed at!
Especially thinking that they would need Su Xiao Tian's help later, they felt even more embarrassed.
But no matter how embarrassed they were, they still had to say what they needed to say!
[Author's Note]
A large chapter, 4500 words. After these busy days, I will resume the previous update rhythm once everything improves. My apologies to all my dear readers, muah, I love you all. Have a great weekend!