Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Yan Jihan searched the locations one by one according to the records.

She didn't ask Shen Siqin to come with her. Firstly, her little brother was quite lazy and might not come even if she asked him. Secondly, he had gained some fame in the area recently.

If he came, it wouldn't take long for everyone to know that he was planning to open a new store.

That would make negotiations more difficult.

It was different for her. Apart from the two streets closest to the convenience store, people elsewhere might just find her familiar.

It would be better to wait until she had found a few options before asking her little brother to come and see if they were suitable.

Yan Jihan had her own method of filtering through the options.

She started from the convenience store as the center and searched outward in concentric circles.

Yan Jihan would first inquire about the shops listed in the records and then walk around to check if there were any advertisements posted nearby.

People looking to rent or sell their shops usually posted advertisements in the vicinity.

Although the shops Zhang Qi had heard about might be more reliable, what if there were suitable ones that they hadn't heard of?

With limited funds, it was essential to compare as many options as possible.

This was her small shop, so Yan Jihan worked with great enthusiasm.

On the other side, Shen Siqin was managing the store while deliberating over the menu.

"Fortunately, I don't have a choice disorder," Shen Siqin said, looking at the menu in his notebook. Although he didn't have a choice disorder, this time, deciding on the menu was making him feel like he did.

There were too many delicious options, and considering practical constraints made the selection process very challenging.

Shen Siqin initially drafted two menus, each with ten dishes.

He named these menus Menu One and Menu Two.

He didn't have a choice disorder but did struggle with naming things.

The dishes on Menu One were relatively easy to prepare and emphasized bold flavors, all meat-based.

Menu Two included several "gongfu dishes." Shen Siqin's understanding of gongfu dishes was that they required skill and time, and most of them had a lighter taste, emphasizing aftertaste rather than becoming unpleasant the more you ate, which was a common issue with heavily flavored dishes. However, such dishes demanded high culinary skills.

Of course, the dishes he included weren't as elaborate as Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

If they were that labor-intensive, they wouldn't be running a small shop but a private dining establishment.

These "gongfu dishes" were relatively speaking; the dishes on Menu Two took more effort compared to those on Menu One.

Menu One included dishes like Sweet and Sour Pork, Braised Spare Ribs, Poached Chicken, Sliced Pork in Hot Chili Oil, Braised Fish, Yellow-Braised Chicken, Braised Pork, Shredded Pork in Garlic Sauce, Mapo Tofu, and Braised Pork Belly.

Menu Two included dishes like Honey-Glazed Spare Ribs, Crispy Pork, Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken, Wine-Soaked Fish, Shredded Pork with Mushrooms, Dongpo Pork, Kung Pao Chicken, Mandarin Fish, Honey-Glazed Char Siu, and Braised Pork Belly.

Menu One would be served on weekdays, while Menu Two would be served on weekends.

Of course, this was based on Shen Siqin's perception of difficulty when cooking. The actual teaching process might differ.

Some people might find Tomato and Egg difficult, while others might find Honey-Glazed Spare Ribs challenging.

This was just an initial draft, subject to adjustment based on how well the employees learned.

Shen Siqin deliberately avoided beef and mutton, focusing mainly on pork, fish, and chicken, primarily to control costs and ease of procurement.

"Hmm, now that I think about it, I haven't had beef or mutton for a while," Shen Siqin thought, suddenly feeling a lack of nutrition, especially craving braised beef with tomatoes.

"I'll make that for lunch today," Shen Siqin stretched, noticing that over an hour had passed.

It was still early, so Shen Siqin stood up and walked around before sitting down again to decide on desserts.

Firstly, the popular mung bean cakes. There were three types: ice-skin mung bean cakes, flaky mung bean cakes, and plain mung bean cakes without a crust.

Shen Siqin hesitated but ultimately chose the popular ice-skin mung bean cakes.

Cream puffs were a must.

Every day, a large square cake could be made and cut into smaller pieces for sale, serving as the third option.

Margaret cookies were simple and delicious, so they would be added as well.

For a savory snack, he chose egg yolk pastries.

He wanted to add meat floss buns but wasn't sure if mayonnaise was readily available. If not, he would have to make the meat floss and mayonnaise himself, which would be a bit complex. This option was tentative. If possible, he would make both; otherwise, only the egg yolk pastries would be included.

The last item would be a cake roll, with the filling flavor depending on available ingredients.

"I haven't seen any large taros here; they only sell small ones," Shen Siqin thought, realizing he couldn't have taro paste for now, which paired perfectly with cake rolls.

If the meat floss buns could be made, there would be seven options; if not, six would remain.

Satisfied, Shen Siqin closed the notebook and put it in the drawer.

When Yan Jihan came next, he could show her the first version of the menu.

For now, Shen Siqin asked Zhang Qi to watch the store while he went to the market to buy fresh tomatoes and beef brisket.

These days, tomatoes are not like the ones in the future that can hit the ground without bruising due to their tough skins.

Those tomatoes usually require tomato sauce when cooking, otherwise, the flavor is lacking.

Fresh, bright red tomatoes are juicy and pleasantly sour-sweet.

Shen Siqin couldn't resist eating a tomato raw.

The sour-sweet taste made him feel even more malnourished.

Hmm, he was craving beef brisket stewed with tomatoes!

Checking the time, Shen Siqin put the fresh beef brisket into a large pot to boil and started cooking rice in the rice cooker.

The beef brisket needs to be cooked until half-done before being cut into small pieces and then simmered in clear water.

After tasting the fresh tomatoes, Shen Siqin decided there was no need to blanch and peel them; they could be sliced directly.

He heated up the wok, added oil, ginger slices, star anise, scallion segments, garlic, and bay leaves, and stir-fried them until fragrant.

Once the aroma filled the air, he added the tomatoes, stirring them until they formed a sauce. He then added salt, a bit of sugar, and pepper, letting the tomatoes slowly cook down into a broth, during which he removed the spices.

He placed the cooked beef brisket into the tomato broth to absorb the flavors.

Since neither cooking beef nor tomatoes should be rushed, Shen Siqin decided to prepare two large pots of beef brisket stewed with tomatoes.

He had already written the new sign.

Today's dish name and portion sizes were clearly marked.

Regular customers who often bought meals here were used to Shen Siqin's routine and were excitedly discussing whether the beef brisket stewed with tomatoes would be sweet or sour.

While tending to the fire and organizing the seasonings, Shen Siqin suddenly heard a bell ring.

Looking up, he saw Lin Shengjin gently ringing his bicycle bell. When Lin Shengjin noticed Shen Siqin's gaze, he slightly tilted his head and smiled. Lin Shengjin nimbly dismounted from his bicycle and parked it to the side.

Shen Siqin winked at Lin Shengjin.

With his slender fingers, he pointed at today's sign.

"Beef brisket stewed with tomatoes."

Beef brisket today?!

Lin Shengjin felt a small surge of delight.

But he maintained his composed and cool demeanor.

It was almost eleven-thirty, and while people weren't queuing yet, most had arrived.

Because the meals here were expensive, thrifty families wouldn't buy them every day. Although some people always missed out, if they came early enough, they usually got a spot.

Lin Shengjin secretly sighed in relief.

Good thing he arrived on time!

Standing by the roadside waiting for his turn, Lin Shengjin noticed Chai Jiancheng also waiting in line.

With a new goal in mind, Chai Jiancheng felt much more relaxed. As for reselling the meals, he had explained everything to Shen Sijian and Yan Jihan yesterday.

Sijian told him that Xiao Shen didn't care about this at all and allowed him to continue coming before learning to cook, as earning money from someone familiar was more comforting.

Chai Jiancheng thought about it and decided to come back, despite feeling a bit embarrassed.

Shen Siqin, of course, noticed Chai Jiancheng too.

But he merely nodded at him, treating him no differently.

This made Chai Jiancheng feel much more at ease.

Shen Siqin focused on cooking the beef brisket stewed with tomatoes instead of seeking out Lin Shengjin, who was quietly waiting in line.

Good food would bring Teacher Lin back more often.

"How delicious!"

Shen Libin sped over on his 'cool' bicycle.

Seeing Shen Libin arrive, the people waiting in line felt relieved.

Everyone knew that Xiao Shen wouldn't start selling meals until this kid showed up!

Shen Libin straightened his slight chest, feeling quite imposing as he walked up to his uncle.

Like a proud little crab.

"Wow! It's beef today!" Shen Libin loved beef, but his father never cooked it well. His uncle hadn't made any beef dishes before, so he thought his uncle might not like beef!

"Yes, it's beef brisket." Shen Siqin had already prepared their lunch, and he was looking forward to it too.

Shen Libin quickly wiped his hands clean and turned to the crowd: "Everyone, please form a queue. We're starting now!"

He picked up a large ladle and asked the first person in line: "Do you want a disposable box?"

The person at the front produced a lunch pail as if by magic: "Just put it in the pail!"

Every penny saved is a penny earned.

Lin Shengjin also held his own aluminum lunch box. Today, he remembered to bring it along before leaving home, as he expected to return in time for lunch.

"Teacher Lin!" Shen Libin looked at Teacher Lin and then at his uncle Xiao Shen.

It seems like Uncle and Teacher Lin have made up.

"How's work going?"

Two large pots of braised beef with tomatoes were already prepared, and Shen Siqin naturally struck up a conversation with Lin Shengjin.

As Lin Shengjin handed his aluminum lunch box to Sanlin, he said, "Yeah, it's going well. It rained all day, but the construction site didn't leak. I'll check again tomorrow, and if everything’s fine, I can rest easy for a while."

Talking about this, Lin Shengjin was beaming, like a proud little kitten.

If the initial leakage problem in underground construction isn’t resolved, the quality of the entire project can't be guaranteed.

He indeed had reason to be proud.

"That's impressive. Teacher Lin is truly a new-century talent who combines knowledge with practice, and he's especially responsible." Shen Siqin praised sincerely.

And he kind of wanted to touch Lin Shengjin.

Because he really was adorable!

Shen Siqin merely twitched his fingers slightly without making any inappropriate moves.

"I just did a bit of my job. The workers on the site did much more." Lin Shengjin modestly shook his head lightly.

Too much praise, too much praise!

Praising him so much is too much!

He was just doing his job, for which he was paid!

And his consulting fee wasn't low.

Otherwise, how could he afford to buy such good flower-carved wine for Shen Siqin?

He had asked his teacher and found out about this good stuff after some effort. He wondered if Shen Siqin would like it.

Oh, right, besides money, he could get a lot of data. The ones who worked hard weren't him.

Being praised like this made him feel embarrassed.

Shen Siqin leaned on the stainless steel table with both hands, feeling a bit dazed. When he worked on the construction site, no one thought they deserved half the credit for their work either.

"Thank you." Shen Siqin whispered, speaking for his past self.

Lin Shengjin: "???"

Lin Shengjin blinked his eyes in confusion.

"What did you say? I didn't hear clearly."

"I said, eat more."

Shen Siqin changed the topic with a smile: "The beef today is particularly fresh."

"For Teacher Lin." Shen Libin deliberately served the food slowly, giving Teacher Lin and his uncle a chance to chat.

Although Shen Libin didn't quite understand why he was doing this, he just did it!

"Sure, don't worry. I will definitely enjoy it! See you tomorrow." Lin Shengjin took the lunch box with both hands. He felt that Shen Siqin had said something else just now; he seemed... a bit melancholic. But he couldn't figure it out and assumed it might have been his imagination. He waved at Shen Siqin and turned to leave.

Shen Siqin tapped the table lightly with his slender index finger.

He seemed to like Lin Shengjin even more now.

Each meeting allowed him to understand him a little better.

And the more he understood, the more he liked him.

He smiled softly to himself.

Should he say his taste was really good?

Soon, Zhou Changyi came up with his food bowl, asking curiously, "Xiao Shen, when did you become so close with Teacher Lin?"

"Oh, just recently. We're around the same age, we get along well. He likes eating, and I like cooking. So we became friends." Shen Siqin answered straightforwardly.

Zhou Changyi nodded in understanding.

"I see. That's great. Young people should make more friends! Chat more, don't be like us old folks who keep to ourselves."

As Zhou Changyi spoke, his attention quickly shifted to the large serving spoon in Sanlin's hand: "Hey! Sanlin, give me two servings, and don't shake your hand!!"

Shen Libin: "..."