N-M Chapter 56 Assigning Positions
Chapter 56 Assigning Positions
Aunt Guifen brought out the dish ahead of time, so it didn't really disrupt Lu Yuan's plans.
Since Aunt Guifen's skills are good enough to make this dish, this plan can be carried out ahead of schedule.
In their spare time, these aunties can work together to fry more sandwiches.
When it's mealtime, this dish can be made in about 5 minutes.
The braised sandwich that Aunt Guifen made today is a typical example of a quick and easy meal.
Heat oil in a wok, then sauté chopped scallions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant. Add a small amount of tomatoes and sauté until fragrant as well.
The key here isn't the sweet and sour taste of tomatoes, but their red color.
Northern Chinese cuisine emphasizes a bright red and oily appearance, while a dark, soy-sauce-like color is not popular.
Stir-fry the tomatoes until they become mushy, then add chili powder and a little soy sauce.
After stir-frying, add beef broth, season with salt and MSG, then add the stir-fried vegetables, wood ear mushrooms, green and red peppers, and garlic sprouts.
After simmering for a while, the broth will thicken. Add a splash of seasoned oil, and it's ready to serve.
Aunt Guifen prepared this dish neatly and efficiently; after it was placed on the plate, there was only a thin layer of broth.
It's neither too dry nor too watery; it's oily, glossy, and bright red—the color is beautiful.
Lu Yuan picked up a piece of the splint, fed it to his mouth, and immediately tasted the perfect salty and savory flavor.
The broth was thoroughly soaked in the broth from the inside out, making it crispy on the outside and soft on the inside – very delicious.
None of these dishes were wasted; Lu Yuan directly arranged for the braised eggs to have an extra meal.
Today, the braised egg lovers really enjoyed a delicious meal, with cold noodles, spicy hot pot, and all sorts of stir-fries. They ate so much that they could barely stand.
Next, Lu Yuan asked each of his aunties to prepare a cold dish.
Although Lu Yuan would prepare the cold dish sauce for them, he still needed to observe their details.
The competition for cold dishes starts with the selection of ingredients. Each step may seem similar, but when combined, they can make a world of difference in the final taste.
Twenty minutes later, the aunties had finished mixing the cold dishes, but judging from the finished product, they weren't as good as their stir-fried dishes.
Lu Yuan had expected this result, so he didn't pay too much attention to it.
After this round of tasting, he already knew exactly how the aunties would be assigned their roles.
So they invited the aunties to the front hall to discuss the follow-up plans.
The women sat nervously in their chairs, their hands on the table, motionless.
Lu Yuan found it somewhat amusing to watch them being so serious, like elementary school students.
"Aunties, don't be nervous, relax!"
Aunt Juping relaxed a little after hearing Lu Yuan speak and said:
"Xiao Yuan, when you stand in the kitchen, you're even scarier than my little boy's teacher. I'm so scared I don't dare to say a word."
Aunt Yuhua nodded in agreement:
"Juping is right. Xiaoyuan is like a completely different person once he enters the kitchen."
The aunts' words surprised Lu Yuan.
I thought to myself, am I that scary? I'm usually all smiles and laughter with everyone.
In fact, Lu Yuan himself did not realize that as long as he focused on cooking, his aura would unconsciously unfold.
This is why, in just over ten days, everyone couldn't help but act according to Lu Yuan's will.
Lu Yuan snapped out of his daze, smiled, and waved his hand, saying:
"Don't mind it, ladies, that's how we professional chefs are."
Immediately afterwards, Lu Yuan told his aunts about his plan to open two more restaurants.
The aunties immediately exclaimed in surprise, thinking that they had come to help cook at Xiao Lu's farmhouse restaurant.
I never expected Lu Yuan to have such a big appetite, wanting to take over this whole row of shops.
In the kitchens of these two restaurants, Lu Yuan entrusted the top spot for stir-fried lamb to Aunt Guifen, who was skilled at making braised lamb skewers, and Aunt Caixia, who could make water chestnut noodles using local ingredients.
Aunt Yuhua, who stir-fries eggplant, and Aunt Shufang, who stir-fries eggplant bubbles, were assigned by Lu Yuan to cook home-style dishes.
The remaining Aunt Lianhua and Aunt Juping were assigned to prepare cold dishes.
Everyone had no questions about the job assignment, but when they heard that Lu Yuan was going to teach Aunt Gui Fen and Aunt Cai Xia how to stir-fry lamb, their signature dish, they all looked envious.
Lu Yuan reassured her, "The other aunties should familiarize themselves with the work in the restaurant's kitchen first. I will teach each of them."
"Once you've all learned it, I'll open a few more shops and invite all the aunties to be head chefs."
Lu Yuan made a big promise, and the aunties were all very happy.
As for their wages, Lu Yuan paid them 1000 yuan.
There was nothing they could do; the older women only received 1000 yuan, and the other women couldn't receive more than that.
After all, there are differences among aunts.
However, the women's first reaction to this salary was to firmly refuse it.
Lu Yuan was prepared for this reaction, after all, the Lu family is known for not harming the younger generation.
To ensure everyone could accept the rules without feeling guilty, Lu Yuan explained them clearly beforehand:
Hygiene standards must be met. Lu Hua checks both personal hygiene and kitchen hygiene every day, and those that fail to meet the standards will have their pay docked.
Lu Yuan estimated that it would take at least another week to finish decorating all the stores.
Before that, the aunties were arranged to learn how to cook at Xiao Lu's farmhouse restaurant.
At noon, we learned the kitchen operation process, and in the afternoon we practiced it.
After seeing all the aunties off, Lu Yuan sat under the eaves at the door with a cup of cold tea, feeling his throat was hoarse.
He felt like he had only rested for an afternoon before being pushed back into a busy routine.
Wei Yinghong had somehow ended up sitting next to Lu Yuan and handed him half a watermelon.
"Son, why didn't you arrange for Mom to help you?" Wei Yinghong looked puzzled and disappointed.
Lu Yuan found his mother to be like a wronged child at that moment, which was inexplicably cute.
He knew his mother was an impatient person and really wanted to help.
But he knew how tiring it was to work in the kitchen, so he never even considered having his mother work there.
He just wanted his mother to leisurely fry some dough cakes at the dough cake workshop every day, and to rest more when she had free time.
But Wei Yinghong didn't think that way. She only felt that she was useless, that she could only fry some dough cakes and couldn't help with anything.
Lu Yuan took the watermelon, smiled, and made up an excuse:
"Mom, only you can fry the dough cakes. I don't trust anyone else to do it!"
"Really?" Wei Yinghong was a little skeptical, because the fried dough sticks had recently lost the GG brand promotion and were not as popular as they used to be.
"Of course! Think about it, once the other four shops open, they'll all be counting on you to fry the dough cakes!"
Wei Yinghong thought about it and realized that it made perfect sense, and her mood immediately brightened.
Just then, a bread truck with red smiley faces painted on its side stopped in front of the restaurant.
The car door opened, and several somewhat tired out-of-towners got out and headed straight for the restaurant.
Wei Yinghong spoke up at the opportune moment: "Hello, we are not open in the afternoon!"
The middle-aged man who was leading the group was slightly disappointed after hearing this. He said thank you and then directed the group to return to the car.
At this moment, Lu Yuan called out, "Wait a minute, are you here to provide free medical consultations?"
The middle-aged man, somewhat surprised, replied:
"Yes, we are the Smile Tomorrow Cleft Lip and Palate Relief Organization. Do you need help?"
Lu Yuan happened to know about this organization. In his previous life, a top maxillofacial surgeon was his loyal customer, and he was a member of this organization.
This organization is an earlier cleft lip and palate rescue organization than Yanran Angel, but it is much less well-known.
Lu Yuan wasn't worried about anyone trying to scam him with such an obscure institution, so he stood up, dusted himself off, and said:
"We're open for business again, please come in!"