Chapter 107: Reunion of Old Friends
According to Shopkeeper Cui, the Tianxiang Restaurant seemed to be a business giant. Although she had always known that her uncle had worked in a restaurant in the Capital, she did not expect him to work in such a powerful restaurant.
Shopkeeper Cui was even more shocked than Yu Wan. “What? Master Yu worked at Tianxiang Restaurant before?”
Yu Feng hummed. “Two years.”
Oh-oh-oh… Oh my god! They actually invited the chef of the Tianxiang Restaurant to the Bai Manor to cook?
Shopkeeper Cui was already dizzy, okay?!!
Young Miss said that she had spent five taels of silver to invite the Yu family to make braised food. He even blamed Young Miss for paying too much. One tael of silver was enough no matter how good a countryside chef’s culinary skills were. After all, the ingredients were all ready-made. They were just helping out a little.
However, when he heard about the identity of the Yu family’s chef, Shopkeeper Cui wanted to kneel down.
The chefs of Tianxiang Restaurant could not be hired without a hundred taels!
Of course, Yu Wan did not know the market price of the chef of Tianxiang Restaurant, but she knew that in her previous life, there was a powerful chef who cut ham for people for three hundred thousand an hour. When converted to silver, it was about thirty taels. She did not know if it was true, but at least it meant that powerful chefs were popular in any era.
If the Tianxiang Restaurant that Uncle had once stayed in was the business giant that Shopkeeper Cui had mentioned, then their tofu would have an additional gimmick that was good for promotion.
The tofu that was personally brewed by the Divine Chef of the Tianxiang Restaurant…
Just the thought of it was amazing!
Yu Wan’s eyes sparkled. “Big Brother, why don’t we go to the Tianxiang Restaurant to take a look?”
“Now?” Yu Feng was stunned.
Yu Wan nodded and weighed the jar in her hand. “There’s no time like the present. Besides, we’ve brought our ingredients.”
This was too swift and decisive. Yu Feng was a little stunned for a moment. However, Shopkeeper Cui said, “Coincidentally, I’m going to the Capital to look for Miss! I’ll give you a ride!”
Yu Wan : “…”
Looking for Miss…
Why does this sound a little strange…
… .
The Tianxiang Restaurant had been around for a hundred years. It had only truly grown in recent years. It was said that the owner had changed and it abandoned the old-fashioned rules. They had begun to operate on a large scale. The news of seven branches was from before the New Year. After they entered the Capital, they actually discovered a Tianxiang Restaurant that was being renovated near the southern city gate.
“It’s the eighth one,” Shopkeeper Cui said enviously. His White Jade Restaurant didn’t even have the qualifications to enter the Capital.
In the carriage, Shopkeeper Cui spoke to the siblings from the bottom of their hearts. “…You’re friends with my Miss, so I won’t treat you as outsiders…”
He would never admit that he had been deeply bribed because he had received Yu Wan’s good tea leaves and good calligraphy!
Through Shopkeeper Cui’s explanation, Yu Wan had a new understanding of the Great Zhou’s catering industry for the first time.
It turned out that Madam Du only had a high reputation among the commoners, but in the eyes of true experts, she was not that highly respected.
The reason why Madam Du was famous was firstly because she was a female chef. There weren’t many modern female chefs, let alone in ancient times. Madam Du deserved to be famous for daring to cook among men, if her culinary skills weren’t so bad that people couldn’t eat.
Secondly, Madam Du was a pretty female chef. People were used to seeing fat chefs with big ears and oily faces. When they saw Madam Du, who was like an orchid, they could not help but be impressed.
Lastly, it was also the point that Shopkeeper Cui emphasized, Madam Du’s culinary skills were indeed very good.
“How good is she? How’s her ranking in Tianxiang Restaurant?” Yu Wan asked.
Shopkeeper Cui frowned and thought for a while. “So-so. I guess she could be ranked around eleven or twelve?”
She couldn’t even get into the top ten?!
Yu Wan became more and more interested in the Tianxiang Restaurant. The more she sold ingredients to such a place, the more she felt a sense of accomplishment, right?
Unlike Yu Wan’s ambition, Yu Feng had some thoughts of retreating. However, once Yu Wan made up her mind, even the heavens could not call her back.
The headquarters of Tianxiang Restaurant was on Chang’an Street. They went to a branch on Xuanwu Street. It was on the way to the Bai Manor, so it was more convenient.
Shopkeeper Cui decided to be a good person and entered the Tianxiang Restaurant with them.
They were received by a young fellow.
Yu Wan and Yu Feng were dressed in shabby clothes, but Shopkeeper Cui was dressed in silk. He wore a jade ring and a golden pendant. Three words were written on his face: I have money!
Yu Wan was not in a hurry to promote the ingredients. Instead, she found a table in the hall and sat down. “Waiter, what dishes do you have here?”
The waiter listed seven to eight dishes in one go. Then, he placed the small bamboo tube on the table in front of the three of them. “This is the menu.”
This was the first time Yu Wan had seen a menu that looked like a sign. The front side was the name of the dish, and the back side was the price. It was quite creative.
“Order whatever you want. I’ll be the host for this meal!” Shopkeeper Cui said generously.
Yu Wan thought that with Yu Feng’s personality, he would definitely say, “How can I let Shopkeeper Cui spend money?” However, after waiting for a long time, Yu Feng did not react. She turned around and saw him staring blankly at the few dishes in his hand. “What’s wrong, Big Brother?”
Yu Feng’s face was filled with disbelief. “These dishes…”
Before he could finish speaking, there was a commotion outside the door.
The waiter turned around and said in surprise, “Our chef is here!”
Yu Wan and the other two looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the employees who were originally doing their jobs were all gathered at the door, respectfully welcoming a handsome middle-aged man.
The man’s figure was slightly plump, but his temperament was outstanding and his complexion was extremely good.
In Tianxiang Restaurant, those who could be called chefs were all head chefs. It was no wonder that these fellows admired him so much.
He stepped into the restaurant and walked towards his room.
Yu Feng stood up in a daze. “…Uncle Yang?”
Yu Wan and Shopkeeper Cui were stunned, and so was the waiter.
Who was this kid calling? Uncle Yang? Was he calling their Chef Yang?
That was impossible!
When the man heard this, he stopped in his tracks and looked at Yu Feng.
Yu Feng saw that familiar but unfamiliar face. “Uncle Yang, it’s really you…”
“You brat! Don’t randomly acknowledge relatives! This is our Tianxiang Restaurant’s Chef Yang!” A waiter in the crowd shouted angrily.
Chef Yang stared at Yu Feng for a while, his eyelashes trembling. Then, he strode forward. Under everyone’s surprised gaze, he held Yu Feng’s hand excitedly. “Yu Feng, right? I haven’t seen you for a few years, I almost didn’t recognize you!”
Shopkeeper Cui was dumbfounded. What was going on? They could recognize relatives while they were eating?
Yu Wan blinked and looked at Yu Feng.
Yu Feng’s tense body relaxed the moment he acknowledged Chef Yang. He introduced, “Uncle Yang, this is my sister, Ah Wan, and this is Uncle Cui.”
The mention of Uncle Cui stunned Shopkeeper Cui.
Chef Yang nodded amiably. He did not interrogate Shopkeeper Cui about his background and only looked at Yu Wan’s face. “She’s the one…”
Yu Feng cleared his throat. “Yes, she went to my aunt’s house.”
“Ah.” Chef Yang revealed a look of realization.
Yu Wan didn’t need to guess to know that this chef also knew about her disappearance back then.
Yu Feng looked at Yu Wan and said, “Ah Wan, Uncle Yang is my father’s friend. Back when my father couldn’t seek treatment after he was injured from the fall, it was Uncle Yang who asked a doctor to treat my father’s injury. Otherwise, my father might not be able to keep his leg.”
When Yu Feng said this, he had no intention of blaming Yu Wan. He only told Yu Wan that when they were at their wits’ end, it was Chef Yang who helped them. However, at that time, they had already missed the best time for treatment. Healing was impossible, but if it was not treated, that leg would very likely rot and they might even have to amputate it in the end.
Yu Wan had not heard Madam Jiang mention this matter. Perhaps Madam Jiang did not know, or perhaps Madam Jiang did not want her to blame herself too much.
Yu Wan felt a chill run down her spine when she thought of how her uncle’s leg had almost been amputated.
Fortunately, she was here. She would definitely treat Uncle’s leg!
Chef Yang brought them to the room where Tianxiang Restaurant gave it to him. The room where he usually rested was decorated very elegantly. It was not like a bedroom, but like a scholar’s study.
Chef Yang asked the waiter to make high-grade Longjing tea.
“Yu Feng, why are you here at the Tianxiang Restaurant? Are you here for me? How’s your father’s health?”
Chef Yang was very concerned.
Yu Wan, on the other hand, was muttering in her heart. He kept calling him so dearly. Since they had such a deep relationship, why didn’t he come to see them? It was fine if it was on the usual days, but she didn’t see him visiting during the New Year.
“Isn’t it the Lantern Festival tomorrow? I was just about to go to your house to take a look,” Chef Yang said to Yu Feng.
Yu Wan glanced at him.
Yu Feng said respectfully, “My father’s health is quite good. Thank you for your concern, Uncle Yang. You’re so busy, so there’s no need to specially make a trip.”
Yu Wan had never seen Yu Feng speak so respectfully to anyone. It seemed that he sincerely respected this Uncle Yang.
Chef Yang said slowly, “Sigh, a chef injured his hand before the New Year and can’t work until now. I really can’t leave. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have waited until the Lantern Festival to visit you.”
“There’s really no need, Uncle Yang. Oh right, Uncle Yang.” Yu Feng suddenly thought of something.
“What’s wrong?” Chef Yang looked at him in confusion.
Yu Feng asked in confusion, “I saw the menu of Tianxiang Restaurant just now and realized that some of the dishes are very similar to my father’s.”
Chef Yang was stunned for a moment before he laughed. “Aren’t all the dishes similar? Our Tianxiang Restaurant’s braised pork can be made by other restaurants!”
Yu Feng frowned and said, “Uncle Yang, you don’t understand. Those aren’t home-cooked dishes. My father invented them. He hasn’t cooked them outside yet.”