novelno Chapter 78 The Chef's Way
Chapter 78 The Chef's Way
At 5:20 a.m., the old street was still shrouded in a bluish-gray morning mist.
In this thick, impenetrable silence, only the occasional low meow of a stray cat from afar breaks the tranquility.
The wooden door to Chen Feng's room creaked slightly.
He walked out sideways and tiptoed out.
He first glanced back at his daughter's tightly closed bedroom door, held his breath and listened for a few seconds. Only after confirming that there was no sound of her turning over inside did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Then, his gaze swept over the guest room belonging to Xingruo and Su Chen. There was no light coming from the gap under the door, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.
His movements were slow, and he even kept his breathing steady, as if afraid of waking the few people who were sleeping soundly in the room.
To avoid making any noise, he put on a pair of soft-soled cloth shoes.
He carefully stepped on the creaking wooden stair planks, afraid of making any noise.
As he walked, he silently calculated in his mind:
"Qiangzi isn't here today, so we're a bit short-handed. I need to get things sorted out first so they won't be so overwhelmed later."
"It's alright, I'll get up early and do all the heavy work first. I'll come back after buying the groceries and then wake them up for breakfast."
Chen Feng could even picture in his mind how Mengmeng and the others would wake up from the craving for meat, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.
However, when Chen Feng descended the last step, turned past the entrance, and slightly raised his head to look at the shop door...
His steps suddenly stopped.
Beside the heavy wooden door, three figures stood in a row, looking at him with great interest.
A dim, yellow wall lamp was lit.
In the dim light, three pairs of bright eyes, like hunters lurking in the forest, were staring intently at Chen Feng, who had walked right into their trap.
"Good morning, Brother Chen."
Su Chen spoke first.
He had clearly made careful preparations, as he had changed into a neat gray hoodie with the cuffs rolled up neatly, revealing his strong wrists.
He held a flashlight that he had somehow found in his hand, twirled it deftly between his thumb and forefinger, and then suddenly pressed the switch.
A beam of intense light was directed at Chen Feng's toes.
He tilted his head and gave Chen Feng a bright, slightly smug smile.
"Trying to sneak away by yourself? Brother Chen, that plan wasn't written into our schedule yesterday."
"Master, I've washed the basket clean."
Xingruo stood next to Su Chen; she had clearly gotten up even earlier.
The thermal sweatshirt that Li Xiuzhen had bought for her a couple of days ago looked a little too big, making her look even more petite, but her eyes were very bright.
She was struggling to straighten two bamboo baskets stacked together, with three or four cloth bags for carrying loose goods neatly placed at her feet.
"Daddy! And Mengmeng too! Mengmeng woke up on time!"
Before Chen Feng could recover from his surprise, a small pink figure suddenly popped out from behind Su Chen's legs.
Mengmeng was wearing a pink bunny onesie, and her two bunny ears swayed violently as she jumped.
Her big, dark eyes were wide open, and her little hands were clenched into fists and placed on her waist, looking like a little soldier ready to charge into battle at any moment.
Looking at the three people in front of him, Chen Feng was both annoyed and amused, and in the end, he could only let out a long, helpless sigh.
He reached up and touched his forehead, rubbing his brow with his fingers, his tone full of absurdity.
"You lot... are you guarding the gate, or are you trying to stop criminals?"
Chen Feng walked up to Mengmeng with an annoyed expression, bent down, and pinched her chubby little face, which was a bit cold from the cold.
"Didn't we agree that I would handle the ordering of goods this morning?"
You guys should all get some more sleep, especially you, Su Chen. Your hands were all swollen from washing them yesterday. What are you doing here getting involved?
And Mengmeng and Xingruo, you two are at the stage of growing rapidly, how can you not sleep more?
"Brother Chen, that's not a very nice thing to say."
Su Chen twirled the flashlight in his hand again, then snapped it off, his tone revealing a seriousness.
He stepped forward and took the car keys from Chen Feng's hand.
"Last night, everyone made a solemn pledge in front of Brother Qiang."
Today is the first day that Brother Qiang is back at the construction site. If he comes back and sees that things are in chaos, he won't be able to work in peace.
"He's there carrying bricks, and we're slacking off here? That won't do!"
Su Chen paused, then pointed to his shoulder.
"Although I'm a bit inexperienced and have some skill, I can still do my job well, like carrying bags and moving groceries."
Brother Chen, don't always think you can carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. If you break down, all of us will truly fall apart.
"Master, I'm not sleepy."
Xingruo also spoke up, her voice soft but firm.
"The more people there are, the faster we can come back."
We got back late yesterday, so we wanted to help you out earlier today.
Looking at their confident expressions, Chen Feng couldn't help but recall the scene from last night before he went to sleep.
After seeing Zhang Qiang off last night, he wanted to persuade these guys to get some rest, but they all seemed to be on steroids.
Su Chen was practicing how to serve dishes more professionally in front of the mirror, Xing Ruo was checking and reviewing what she had learned yesterday under the lamp, and even Meng Meng set her beloved little alarm clock to five o'clock and insisted that Chen Feng check it.
No matter how Chen Feng tried to persuade them, he couldn't. He had planned to quietly slip away on his own if they didn't get up this morning.
Unexpectedly, these people had gotten up even earlier than him. Judging from their posture, they had probably been guarding the door for at least fifteen minutes.
"Alright, alright, stop professing your loyalty."
Chen Feng smiled and shook his head, but his eyes were full of undisguised satisfaction.
Although he felt helpless, he felt a warmth in his heart.
He knew that these three hearts truly wanted to stay with him and support this struggling "human touch" (a metaphor for a small, unassuming home).
"Since we're already up, there's no rush to go out."
Chen Feng glanced at the clock on the wall; it was 5:30.
He turned and walked toward the kitchen, waving for them to follow.
"Yesterday, when we came back from getting our supplies, we were surrounded by those customers, and it was a chaotic mess."
Today we'll change our strategy: supplies must be prepared before troops move.
Eat your fill first, then get to work.
"Su Chen, stop playing with that flashlight and go light the fire over there."
"Xingruo, knead a small piece of flour for me. Not too much, just let it rest for ten minutes. We'll make a simple hot noodle soup this morning."
"Alright! I'm good at starting fires; I saw Brother Qiang do it last night!"
Su Chen responded excitedly, strode into the kitchen, and deftly lifted the lid of the stove.
"Okay, Master! I'll go get the flour."
Xingruo responded crisply, rolled up her sleeves, and got to work.
The once quiet kitchen was instantly filled with a lively, homey atmosphere as the fire started to ignite.
The sounds of the bellows, the bubbling of boiling water, and the chopping of scallions mingled together.
In less than twenty minutes, four bowls of steaming hot noodle soup were served.
The noodles were hand-rolled by Chen Feng; they were extremely thin yet chewy, and cooked through after being boiled twice.
The soup base was made by mixing the leftover pork rib soup from last night with some clear broth, giving it a subtle meaty aroma without being greasy.
Each bowl of noodles is topped with a slightly browned poached egg, sprinkled with a few bright green scallions and a small pinch of finely chopped pickled vegetables tossed in sesame oil.
On a cool morning, a bowl of steaming hot noodles like this is simply the ultimate pleasure.
Mengmeng was happily slurping down the small porcelain bowl that had been specially prepared for her.
The little one was clearly very hungry, eating without even lifting her head. Her pink rabbit ears twitched up and down with the rhythm of her chewing, and a layer of glistening sweat appeared on the tip of her little nose.
"Dad, this pickled vegetable is so crunchy, it makes a really nice crunching sound when you chew it!"
Chen Feng took a bite of noodles, feeling the warm current slide from his throat all the way down to his stomach.
He looked up at Su Chen and Xing Ruo opposite him.
Su Chen had completely abandoned his former noble demeanor, now eating heartily with large bites, sweat trickling down his face.
"Su Chen," Chen Feng said, breaking the morning's tranquility.
"Hmm? Brother Chen, you go ahead, I'm listening." Su Chen put down his bowl, wiped his mouth casually, and became serious.
"Last night, I told Qiangzi that I have a way to solve the problem of you being inexperienced and prone to causing trouble during peak hours." Chen Feng looked at him, then at Xingruo.
"Are you two still feeling uneasy, thinking that if a hundred or so people really come, we just have a few people and we don't know how to deal with them?"
Do you think I'd make you run like crazy here?
Su Chen smiled awkwardly and nodded obediently.
He put down his chopsticks, rubbed his palms together, and said in a low voice:
"To be honest, Brother Chen, I did have some trouble sleeping last night."
I was a little scared. What if the table to my left wanted vinegar, the table to my right wanted rice, and there were people behind me urging me to serve the food, while I was holding a plate of steaming soup?
I was really afraid that if I got nervous, I'd dump the plate on the guest's head.
He paused, then smiled wryly:
"After all, I've never done this job before. I used to be the one directing others, and now that I'm doing it myself, I'm really not confident."
Xingruo pursed her lips somewhat awkwardly, her fingers twisting together in a tangled mess.
"Master, I'm also afraid... I'm afraid I can't prepare the ingredients as fast as you can flip the wok, and I'm afraid I'll mix up the seasonings."
"If we delay serving the food, those customers will definitely start yelling at us."
Chen Feng listened to their concerns but did not show any stern expression; instead, he appeared unusually relaxed.
He picked up the bowl and took a sip of the hot soup, feeling the warmth spread throughout his body. A mysterious and confident smile appeared on his lips.
He turned to look at Su Chen and Xing Ruo, his eyes deep.
"So, Brother Chen, what exactly was that 'method' you were bragging about to Brother Qiangzi last night... no, that 'method' you mentioned?"
Su Chen leaned forward eagerly, his eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge.
Xingruo also put down her chopsticks, staring intently at Chen Feng.
Mengmeng sensed the serious atmosphere, stopped slurping her noodles, and tilted her head curiously.
They were all so curious.
This team of four consists of three novices and one chef.
Today we may be facing a steady stream of guests who come from all directions, drawn by its reputation.
In this information age, news spreads so fast that even the slightest mistake can ruin a carefully cultivated reputation.
Besides working desperately and running around like a headless fly, what other "miracle methods" are there?
Chen Feng put down his bowl, took out a tissue, and slowly wiped his mouth.
He glanced around at the three faces, which were filled with curiosity, nervousness, and even a hint of admiration.
"Of course, we should solve it the way a chef would."
In this store, you don't need to gamble or run around like crazy.