Here Comes The Lady Chef Chapter 18

It is finally time for lunch.

Everyone was sitting in a private room in the dining area that was reserved for employees only. Wen Rou grabbed her bowl of rice and sat beside the group of kitchen hands as usual.

The restaurant had its own rules. After all, the guests had finished the meal, only and only then may the employees sit down and have their meal.

Even the sitting arrangement is fixed. The chefs may sit at one table. The kitchen hands have to sit at the table for kitchen hands.

Although Wen Rou is Wen Shouzhen's daughter, she is still a kitchen hand.

Yuan Zi, Xiao Wu and Er Gou were very happy to be seated at the same table as Wen Rou.

Normally, when these young men eat, they eat like a pack of starving ghouls. You could hear the sound frantic sc.r.a.pping, food s.n.a.t.c.hing, and if you are slower by a beat, all you can see is an empty plate.

But these few days, when Wen Rou sits at the same table as them, all the teenage boys behave much better. Everyone chewed slowly, and learned to give way, and also engaged in small talk.

Of course, the majority of the small talk was targeted at Wen Rou, and trying to get her attention!

"Sister Rou Er, today, my s.h.i.+fu had cooked this dish of [Green Bean in Hemp Sauce]. It is really tasty! Please try some!"  Er Gou immediately praised his s.h.i.+fu and used a fresh pair of chopsticks to gather some green beans for Wen Rou.

"Your s.h.i.+fu only put half a spoonful of hemp sauce in each dish. There is hardly any taste of the hemp sauce. Just eating the green bean is not tasty at all. Sister Rou Er is so skinny, and works so hard, how could you just give her vegetables? Come, come, come! Come and try the fish soup that my s.h.i.+fu had made," Yuan Zi's face turned red and he filled Wen Rou soup bowl with the steaming hot soup.

"Just drinking the soup is no different from drinking water! Why didn't you get a piece of fish meat for Wen Rou? Sister Rou Er, it is better to try the steamed buns that my s.h.i.+fu cooked! Today, my s.h.i.+fu had added some chestnut puree into the bun. It is super tasty!" Xiao Wu is not willing to be left behind, and immediately grabbed a big bun with his hand and place it on Wen Rou's plate.

"Xiao Wu, didn't you rushed to the toilet in a hurry, saying that your stomach aches, before lunch? Just now, I did not see you was.h.i.+ng your hands….." Yuan Zi just drank a spoonful of soup and slowly said.

"….." Xiao Wu's face turned beet red, and could not say another word. He immediately grabbed the bun that he placed onto Wen Rou's plate, and took a big bite.

Wen Rou did not know if she should laugh or cry. She could not even eat in peace!

She looked around, and suddenly asked, "Have anyone seen Brother Zhu Zi?"

"Sister Rou Er, did you not heard about it yet? Zhu Zi is in big trouble! Manager Lee had punished him - if he did not find a solution to the problem, he is not allowed to eat!" Xiao Wu replied, and immediately took another bite of the big bun.

"Trouble?" Wen Rou's curiosity was piped, and she put her chopsticks down.

"Aiya! It is because he had no brains, and forgotten to order more wine. Right now the Drunken Immortal Restaurant had run out of wine. But at this time, all the wine shops in Xianyang had no more stock of wine. It is almost the Lunarrunw Year. Therefore, the wine shops that are further away are not willing to deliver their wines here. I think that Zhu Zi is in big trouble this time!" Yuan Zi replied. He continued to eat more of the green beans that his s.h.i.+fu had cooked, and his mouth was covered with the hemp sauce.

"This restaurant had no more wine? Then Drunken Immortal Restaurant's business will be affected…." Wen Rou muttered to herself, and frown.

"That is right! Just now Manager Lee's face was so black [1] that he frightened everyone away! We better eat faster and go back to work. If not, we may be scolded for no reason at all!" Er Gou stuck out his tongue and immediately focused on eating. He did not say a single word more.

Wen Rou looked around her. Zhu Zi is really nowhere to be seen. She became worried.

At this time, her gaze coincidentally falls on her father, Wen Shouzhen.

"This fish soup is really good!" Wen Shouzhen swallowed a spoonful. Then he praised the chef, "Good soup!"

Wen Rou suddenly has a flash of inspiration.

Just this morning, after her father had tried the Chicken wine that she brewed, he also said, "Good Wine!"

Of course! Chicken Wine!

Wen Rou thought of something, and immediately stopped eating. She quickly rushed towards her father and whispered something into his ear.

"Oh?" Wen Shouzhen eyes immediately lit up, and he nodded his head in agreement.

Looking at this scene, everyone was surprised and wondered what does this father and daughter pair had in mind [2].

"Father, then I will go and find Manager Lee!" Wen Rou looked very pleased with herself. After saying this, she immediately made her way towards Manager Lee.

"Shouzhen, what are you two planning?" Chef Yang was filled with curiosity, and crept closer to Wen Shouzhen and asked.

"Hehe, brother Yang, come, let's enjoy the soup!" Wen Shouzhen just smiled and did not reveal a word. He picked up a soup bowl and filled it with soup for chef Yang.

At this time, Manager Lee was in a room and scolding Zhu Zi. Zhu Zi had bowed his head, had hung eyes, and looked very pitiful.

"Manager Lee!" Wen Rou opened the door, and stuck her head into the room.

"Oh, it is you, Rou Er. What can I do for you?" Manager Lee turned around. Seeing it is Wen Rou, he calmed down a bit.

"Manager Lee, are you still worried about the lack of wine? Do not worry! Tomorrow morning ask brother Zhu Zi to go to my house to pick up the wine. I have wine at home!" Wen Rou giggled as she replied.

"Do not talk rubbis.h.!.+ Rou Er, the wine in your home is given to your dad by the Yin family. How could you bring the wine here to sell? Also, this restaurant requires a vast quant.i.ty of wine. Even if chef Wen agrees to sell the wine given by Yin family, it is not enough for the restaurant!" Manager Lee chided, and his face immediately turned black again.

Wen Rou continued to grin, "Manager Lee, I guess you did not know that the wines in my home are brewed by my father and I. There is a large volume of wine available. The taste is refres.h.i.+ng and the taste is superior to Yin family wine. If you do not believe me, I could run home and take some for you to try.

"Really?" Manager Lee's eyes lit up.

"Rou Er, there is no need to rush home. I have brought some of it with me." While the two of them were discussing the wine, Wen Shouzhen suddenly appeared, and made his way into the room. In his hand, there is a small gourd. Looks like this gourd is filled with wine.

"Dad, how did you…." Wen Rou was surprised.

"Hehe, this morning I tried the wine and feel it is very good. While you and your mum were busy, I sneaked a little bit of it into the gourd. I was thinking of stealing a slip of this wine after lunch. But I did not antic.i.p.ate that we will be using this wine!" Wen Shouzhen's face turned red, and he pa.s.sed the gourd to Manager Lee.

"Father, your hands are really fast. No wonder brother always says…." Wen Rou thought of all the food that her father had stolen from the restaurant.

Manager Lee accepted the gourd. His eyes were eager and he was full of antic.i.p.ation. He looked at the gourd and then looked at Wen Rou. Finally, he looked at Wen Shouzhen confident demeanour, and slowly opened the gourd.

The sweet fragrance of the wine immediately effused out.

Manager Lee swallowed his saliva.

He looked into the gourd, and discovered that the wine is clear. It is much cleaner than the yellow wine he usually buys.

"Manager Lee, please taste it!" Wen Rou encouragingly said. Her eyes were filled with anxiety.

Manager Lee raised the gourd to his lips. At first, he just tasted a small amount. Then he drank in big gulps. Each time he swallowed a mouthful, his eyes become like slits and seemed to be considering something.

"How was it?" Wen Shouzhen immediately grabbed the gourd. He thought, 'if he continues to drink, I will have no more wine!'

Manager Lee's eyes were blazing with light as he slapped his thigh.

"Oh, yes! Chef Wen, I have tried so many different types of wines, but this is the first time I ever had the pleasure to try such a clear and sweet wine! This is fine wine! Excellent wine!" Manager Lee praised.

"Then why didn't you say a word earlier? You made us worried!" Wen Shouzhen was a bit unhappy.

Manager Lee grinned, "I am trying the quality of this wine." Having said that, he picked up an empty bowl, and helped himself to the wine in the gourd.

Within the white colour bowl, the wine remains clear. There is no colour and no impurities. Just a gentle movement, the mouth-watering aroma flows out. Be it the purity of wine or the taste of the wine, it is not inferior to the highest quality wine.

"Chef Wen, how much wine does your house have?" Manager Lee smiled.

"This…." Wen Shouzhen could not answer this question and look at Wen Rou.

"We can supply you as much wine as your restaurant needs." Wen Rou immediately chimed in.

"That's great! From now on, we will not sell the wine from Yin family! We will sell the wine that you have brewed!" Manager Lee slapped the table.

"What about the price? This wine is not cheap!" Wen Shouzhen cunningly asked.

"Regarding the price, I can offer you one 1 silver tael for a jar. What do you think?" Manager Lee quickly calculated his cost and profits, and tapped Wen Shouzhen on his shoulders.

"For real?" You could almost see dollar signs in Wen Shouzhen's eyes.

"Of course it is real! We will write it down in black and white!" Manager Lee replied. He immediately went his table, grabbed a brush and wrote it down. Then he stamped the restaurant seal and pa.s.sed it to Wen Shouzhen.

Wen Shouzhen carefully kept the doc.u.ment, and he was all smiles. Then he purposely looked at Zhu Zi and shouted at him, "Zhu Zi, what are standing there for? Quickly go and eat your meal. Make sure you got energy! Tomorrow morning, you need to go to my house to transport the wine!"

[1] In Chinese, if someone has a black face, it is not referring to his skin colour or the colour of his face. It just means that that person is very angry / upset / frustrated or a combination of all three.

[2] 葫芦里卖的是什么药 - translated literally as 'what kind of medicine is the gourd selling?' It means what someone is thinking.