When they arrived at the private kitchen restaurant, Su Xiaotian realized it was quite unique.
Its first characteristic was that it was located in a small siheyuan, a traditional courtyard house.
It was a genuinely ancient and elegant siheyuan, a straightforward one-courtyard layout.
Su Xiaotian mused that such a small courtyard house might not be worth much now, but in a few decades, owning one here would make someone a true tycoon.
The second characteristic was the extremely limited seating.
The small courtyard house wasn't large, with two private rooms set up in the east and west wings.
This meant the restaurant could only host two tables for lunch and two for dinner each day.
This was precisely why it was so difficult to book a table at the private kitchen.
The third characteristic was that the head chef here was rather willful and unconventional.
Even if guests booked in advance, they couldn't decide what they wanted to eat.
What the guests ate that day depended entirely on what the chef had prepared.
"I wonder what dishes the chef has prepared today," Shen Zizhen fretted as he ushered everyone to their seats.
"Surely it won't all be cabbage, radishes, greens, and tofu?" Su Taohua worried.
After spending so much money, it would be a shame to only eat vegetarian dishes.
Du Tonghe and his wife also felt that if they couldn't eat what they liked despite paying, they might as well cook at home.
However, they were not ungrateful people and truly appreciated Shen Zizhen's thoughtfulness.
"That won't happen. I've inquired, and the private kitchen offers at least three meat dishes daily," Shen Zizhen quickly explained.
In fact, ever since he had booked this private kitchen, Su Taohua had been grumbling about the excessive cost.
Su Taohua nodded, "That's good then, as long as there's meat!"
She wasn't someone who nitpicked; as long as there was meat, she was content.
Listening to this, Su Xiaotian couldn't help but sigh.
Indeed, no matter when, chefs were always in demand.
As long as people lived, they had to solve the problem of eating. Once they were full, they would think about eating well, and once they ate well, they would think about eating delicacies...
"Esteemed guest, hello. Our restaurant today offers four meat dishes: layered braised pork, crispy fried meatballs, braised lamb in brown sauce, and clear lamb soup. What would you like to order?"
The young man who greeted them was exceptionally polite, especially towards Su Xiaotian.
Su Xiaotian felt that with such a good work attitude, this young man's future prospects wouldn't be too bad.
"One portion of each, please. And then, six vegetarian dishes and one soup. Please pair them as you see fit."
It wasn't the meat dishes that were restricted; ordinary vegetarian dishes were plentiful, so Shen Zizhen didn't hesitate and spoke directly.
"Certainly, I'll place the order. Please wait a moment, esteemed guests!"
After noting down the order, the young man poured tea for everyone before quickly leaving.
"I wonder if the dishes taste good. They certainly have a lot of flair," Yu Ruiyuan commented with a smile as she watched the young man leave.
"They must have some skill, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to stay in business!" Du Tonghe added.
"Why can't we order our own dishes? Isn't this making the customers uncomfortable?" Su Taohua still felt bothered.
Su Xiaotian speculated that this wasn't just a show of skill by the chef.
If she wasn't mistaken, the reason for this operational model was primarily because the rationing system was still in effect, and the available ingredients in the market were still limited.
Even with a restaurant, they couldn't guarantee enough ingredients, so they had to forcefully require guests to follow their arrangements.
It was mainly to avoid the situation where a clever cook couldn't cook without ingredients after the order was placed.
Su Xiaotian had this thought flash through her mind, but she didn't voice it.
However, it must be said that Su Xiaotian was indeed correct.
Although the private kitchen's chef had some skill, the supply was always unstable, and truly high-quality ingredients were rare.
Like today, he went out early in the morning and could only buy pork and lamb.
The conditions in the capital were better than elsewhere, but the scarcity of resources was an unavoidable problem.
"Actually, having four meat dishes is quite good. Even state-run restaurants might not be able to offer this," Su Shouwen remarked.
Beijing's supply situation was relatively better than other places, and he had felt this deeply over the past year.
"I wonder when we'll no longer lack resources, and only then can we eat whatever we want," Su Sangong also sighed.
It was Su Sangong's remark that sparked an idea in Su Xiaotian.
Su Xiaotian suddenly remembered her system mall, which now sold a large variety of ingredients.
Not just pork and lamb, but also beef, rabbit meat, venison, and even various deep-sea fish, as long as she had enough points.
If she could bring these ingredients out and sell them in the capital, she could earn her first pot of gold.
For now, Su Xiaotian felt that instead of letting the points gather dust in the system mall, it would be better to convert them into usable money.
Su Xiaotian pondered this and felt it was worth a try.
However, she needed to go out and gather some information first.
With this in mind, Su Xiaotian said she wanted to look at the carvings in the siheyuan, finding them very beautiful.
No one found the reason Su Xiaotian gave suspicious.
Although the siheyuan was small, it was clearly very exquisite, especially the carvings, which showed great skill.
It wasn't strange for Su Xiaotian, a young girl, to like these.
There weren't many people eating at the private kitchen, so safety could be guaranteed.
Shen Zizhen agreed.
"You can only stay in the courtyard, don't run outside!" Yu Ruiyuan quickly added as a reminder.
"Grandma Yu, don't worry. I definitely won't go outside. I'm so pretty, it would be trouble if a kidnapper found me!"
Su Xiaotian's remark made everyone present burst into laughter.
Su Xiaotian herself giggled and ran off.
After successfully strolling around the private kitchen and carefully examining the carvings with their different meanings, Su Xiaotian couldn't help but sigh repeatedly.
The small siheyuan was very distinctive and exuded exquisiteness everywhere.
She also wanted to own such a siheyuan.
Even if she didn't live in it herself, from an investment perspective, there seemed to be no better investment than a siheyuan.
Buying a siheyuan now and selling it decades later would truly be a massive profit.
Frankly speaking, it was a business with almost no risk.
It was at this very moment that Su Xiaotian set a small goal for herself.
To make money and purchase a siheyuan in the capital.
However, for now, this could only be a dream, and for a long time, it would remain just a dream.
While Su Xiaotian was daydreaming, she suddenly heard someone speaking to her.
"Little girl, do you like these carvings?"
The person asking was none other than the young man who had greeted them earlier.
"Big brother, hello. I really like these carvings, they're so beautiful! I also like this house, I really, really like it," Su Xiaotian said, blinking her big eyes.
No matter when, cute little girls are always more likable.
"Do you understand the stories these carvings tell?" The young man became interested and started chatting with Su Xiaotian.
Since the other table of guests hadn't arrived yet, he wasn't busy.
"I know some, and some I don't..."
The two of them chatted casually, and they found themselves getting along very well.
From the young man, Su Xiaotian learned that there were several similar private kitchen restaurants in the area, but the others didn't do as well as Ding Family Private Kitchen.
Su Xiaotian then took the opportunity to ask why guests couldn't order their own dishes.
The young man sighed, "If we let people order their own dishes, our restaurant wouldn't be able to stay open. Yesterday we had two fish, and today we only have pork and lamb."
Su Xiaotian understood; it was indeed as she had guessed, due to the scarcity of ingredients.
"Big brother, if I could get ingredients, would you want them?" Su Xiaotian asked in a low voice.
"Yes, what ingredients do you have?" The young man's spirits immediately lifted, and his gaze towards Su Xiaotian changed.
But this excitement only lasted for a few seconds.
Soon after, the young man felt he must be foolish.
How could a little girl possibly get ingredients?
Even his master, with all his skill, couldn't get them. Relying on a little girl was like expecting the sky to fall.
"Little girl, go play by yourself. I have things to do, I'm going to be busy now!"
He might as well spend this time practicing carving on a radish!
The young man spoke as if he was about to leave.
For a moment, Su Xiaotian felt quite dejected because she was just a child, and no one would believe her, right?
"I'm serious, big brother. If you want them, I can come this afternoon and provide you with two carp, four jin of beef, and six jin of ribs. Is that okay?" Su Xiaotian said earnestly.
The young man didn't expect Su Xiaotian to say this. He looked at her suspiciously, still finding it unbelievable.
"Forget it. Since you don't believe me, just pretend I didn't say anything!"
Su Xiaotian was very disappointed that her first business deal hadn't gone through and turned to leave.
"Little girl, can you really get them?" The young man looked at Su Xiaotian hesitantly.
He wavered between believing and not believing.
Finally, he decided to believe her for once. After all, it wasn't about paying upfront. If the girl didn't show up, he would just act as if nothing had happened.
"Come this afternoon, and if you really have these, we will definitely pay you a fair price," the young man finally nodded.
Su Xiaotian quickly agreed.
"However, let's keep this between the two of us. I don't want more people to know that I have a way to get meat," Su Xiaotian reminded him, thinking of something.
"Okay, I won't tell anyone!"
Not telling anyone wasn't a big deal. Those who could get these things likely had connections and didn't want to be known.
Therefore, the young man agreed readily.
After discussing this matter, Su Xiaotian happily returned to the east private room.
At that time, Su Taohua was discussing with Yu Ruiyuan and others about opening a tailor shop, and they were having a very lively discussion.
Su Xiaotian also offered a few ideas.
The dishes arrived quickly. As soon as Su Xiaotian returned, the young man brought out the dishes one by one.
When the young man entered, he specifically looked at the people at the table.
Looking at their clothing and demeanor, he suddenly felt that it might be true that this little girl could get ingredients.
Shen Zizhen had ordered four meat dishes, six vegetarian dishes, and ten dishes in total, plus a tripe soup. The staple was white rice.
Su Xiaotian looked at the rice served in white porcelain bowls. The grains were crystal clear, indicating it was high-quality polished rice.
Then she looked at the ten dishes arranged on the table, each of which could be described as perfect in color, aroma, and taste.
Both the meat and vegetarian dishes were carefully paired, and even the most ordinary stir-fried baby bok choy looked appetizing.
Su Xiaotian couldn't help but believe that the chef of this Ding Family Private Kitchen might indeed have been a former imperial chef.
If there was any deficiency in this table of dishes, it was that they were too monotonous.
This clearly indicated the scarcity of ingredients.
After touring all morning, everyone was hungry.
Looking at such a table of delicious food, there was no reason to wait any longer.
Du Tonghe and his wife were the oldest, and after Shen Zizhen's polite gesture, they were the first to pick up their chopsticks.
After that, others didn't hold back, each raising their chopsticks and quickly picking up their favorite dishes.
"This is the first time I've realized there are so many details in cooking. Look at the plating, it's so different from ours."
Su Taohua picked up a slice of layered braised pork and sighed with emotion.
The plating was so beautiful that it almost made one reluctant to touch it.
"The taste is also good." Yu Ruiyuan scooped a spoonful of clear lamb soup and was savoring it, clearly very satisfied with its taste.
"The chef of this Ding Family Private Kitchen must have studied imperial cuisine. The taste and plating are somewhat similar to the dishes at Jushenghui Restaurant decades ago."
Du Tonghe was a native of Beijing and knew a lot about the city's cuisine.
Unfortunately, over the years, these flavors had only existed in memories, and he never expected to encounter them again today.
"The taste of these dishes is indeed good," Su Shouwen said sincerely after tasting each dish.
"I think these dishes look good, but in terms of taste, Grandma's cooking is better!" Su Ciliang added.
Su Sangong didn't entirely agree with Su Ciliang's statement. Grandma's cooking was indeed good, but compared to the descendants of imperial chefs, it was still lacking.
"Second brother, you have to speak with a clear conscience."
"Third brother, why can't I speak with a clear conscience? These dishes taste good the first bite, but after a few bites, they become bland."
Su Ciliang had a preference for stronger flavors and couldn't appreciate these dishes that leaned towards lighter tastes.
Su Xiaosi, who was similar to him, also couldn't appreciate them.
"Third brother, I don't agree with what you're saying. Don't just think about Grandma's wild vegetable pancakes; think about how delicious all the meat dishes Grandma made were!"
Su Sangong was taken aback. With these words, it felt as if he, as a grandson, was truly unfeeling and unrighteous.
He was clearly just stating facts.
"Aunt's cooking is very good. I remember when I was little, Aunt could prepare a whole banquet. Her four-happiness meatballs were so delicious, even if the plating wasn't as exquisite as this, and the taste was heavier."
Listening to the arguments among the younger brothers, Su Taohua also became interested and recalled some childhood memories.
"Third brother, listen, Aunt Taohua said so too, which proves that Grandma's cooking is definitely not bad," Su Xiaosi, having gained the upper hand, immediately started to show off.
Su Xiaotian savored the taste of the dishes, finding them very much to her liking.
But she thought of more. These dishes represented the pinnacle of Beijing's culinary arts at the moment, didn't they?
If other restaurants and eateries couldn't compare in taste, then it wasn't impossible for Grandma to open a restaurant in Beijing.
However, Grandma was just a peasant woman from the Northwest. Thinking about it now, it seemed a bit strange that she possessed such culinary skills!
[Author's Note]
Dear readers, it's a bit late today. Some things caused delays, I apologize. I'll try to be earlier tomorrow. Mwah, love you all!