Divorced Dad's Gourmet Shop

Chapter 452: Chapter 351: Moo Shu Pork

Ren Qingqing was a little surprised when she saw Jiang Liu’s message.

It was very unexpected.

’This President Jiang doesn’t seem so foolish after all.’

Ren Qingqing subconsciously thought more highly of Jiang Liu.

If it were anyone else, they might have gotten carried away by now. After all, with the massive Huaxia Pharmaceutical backing them, they surely wouldn’t have cared about such a small amount of money.

Their mindset would already be a problem.

People like that are prone to failure.

Ren Qingqing drove to the factory. After some in-person negotiations,

they finally settled on a price: forty cents per plate, thirty cents per bowl, and ten cents per small saucer.

The manufacturer’s face went pale.

The plates were originally one-twenty, the bowls ninety cents, and the saucers fifty cents. Now the prices had been slashed to the bone.

But it wasn’t all bad.

They had gained a long-term client in return.

Three thousand sets in total.

Ren Qingqing ordered them all in one go.

It only came out to a little over two thousand, anyway.

She was calling the shots!

Next,

Ren Qingqing also placed a custom order for three hundred short-sleeved work uniforms.

The restaurant had air conditioning, so short sleeves would be fine for spring, summer, and fall, making it easier to work.

Following Jiang Liu’s instructions, the uniforms were to be orange.

Orange represents enthusiasm, warmth, happiness, freedom, and optimism.

It was also Tongtong’s favorite color.

*

Eleven-thirty.

「Inside the restaurant.」

Jiang Liu was busy at work, but he was also sneaking peeks at a Shandong cookbook.

Shandong cuisine is one of the Four Great Traditional Cuisines of Huaxia. It has a long and rich history originating in Dong Province, and it boasts a vast variety of over four hundred different dishes.

The sheer number made Jiang Liu’s head spin.

’How long is it going to take me to study all of this?’

Fortunately,

every page had incredibly detailed instructions: how to prepare and select the ingredients, how many seconds to leave them in the hot oil, what temperature to set the flame, the speed of stir-frying, and so on.

All he had to do was follow the steps.

Jiang Liu sighed internally with a hint of regret.

’If only it would grant me permission to buy a few more ingredients.’

If that were the case, Jiang Liu wouldn’t be afraid even if it were the end of the world—as long as he had customers.

’Heh heh.’

Jiang Liu got the ingredients for Mu Shu Pork ready.

They included cucumber, carrot, dried bean curd sticks, daylily buds, eggs, wood ear mushrooms, and pork.

Aromatics: ginger and garlic.

Seasonings: salt, sugar, white pepper, cornstarch, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and vinegar.

Jiang Liu could purchase all the aromatics and seasonings from the Gourmet Album.

Jiang Liu had even taken the time to calculate everything in a notebook.

He could now purchase sixty-five different types of seasonings.

There were fifty-three types of aromatics and spices.

There were fewer main ingredients—only twenty-eight types:

such as potatoes, various fungi, wild plateau yak beef, Bama miniature pig pork, free-range eggs, flour, corn, chives, Little Cyan Dragons, eggplant, shiitake mushrooms, and more.

The reward for the first page had been the most generous.

Even though it was just for simple steamed buns, it had unlocked the most permissions for purchasing high-quality ingredients!

But the subsequent recipes weren’t bad either.

Jiang Liu figured that any single one of these recipes could be sold for an astronomical price.

Because every single recipe could produce a dish of ultimate culinary perfection!

’It feels like I’m sitting on a gold mine...’

Jiang Liu lowered his head, slicing a cucumber so fresh it still had its flower and prickles, then julienning a carrot.

He sliced the Bama miniature pig pork into paper-thin, almost transparent slices, then julienned them—a true test of knife skills...

He took out fifteen free-range eggs and beat them. Once the oil in the wok was hot and fragrant, he poured the bright yellow egg mixture in with a SIZZLE.

A rich, eggy aroma with a hint of milkiness erupted as the mixture rapidly puffed up in the hot oil.

The egg preparation is crucial for Mu Shu Pork. You have to wait until the eggs are fried to a seared amber color. This not only locks in their flavorful juices but also takes the texture to a whole new level!

Next came the julienned pork.

He first infused the oil with aromatics to enhance its fragrance, then added the red strips of pork. He poured in some unpasteurized beer to brighten the flavor and eliminate any gaminess. The Bama miniature pig pork didn’t have much of a gamey taste to begin with, but it was a necessary step to avoid affecting the aftertaste.

The pork quickly turned white in the hot oil. He didn’t rush to add the light soy sauce for color; that would happen later, along with the rest of the ingredients...

"Daddy?"

"Honey, what are you making?"

Drawn by the aroma, the two little foodies, Jiang Tongtong and Jun Qingmeng, came scampering over.

"Mu Shu Pork. It’s a type of Shandong cuisine," Jiang Liu said, glancing at the two of them. He couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle.

"Mu Shu Pork? Is it stir-fried with wood?"

Jiang Tongtong craned her neck curiously to see onto the countertop, but her legs were too short.

"Nope," Jiang Liu chuckled.

He didn’t explain. He knew his daughter would just pretend to understand anyway.

"Honey, you know how to make Shandong cuisine, too?" Jun Qingmeng blinked, surprised.

"Mhm, I know a little bit," Jiang Liu said humbly.

"Wow! Honey, you’re amazing!"

Jun Qingmeng happily wrapped her arms around Jiang Liu from behind.

’Why is my husband so perfect? *Sob*, I love it so much.’

Feeling her soft body pressed against his back,

Jiang Liu’s heart fluttered, and he nearly sent the wok flying.

’Why doesn’t my wife praise me more often?’

’The more she praises me, the harder I’ll work!’

"Ahem, honey, could you and Tongtong wait on the side for a minute? I need to focus on my work."

"Fine!"

Jun Qingmeng’s face immediately fell. Pouting, she obediently stepped to the side.

"Daddy, don’t you like having Tongtong here with you?"

A soul-searching question from his daughter.

"Of course I do, but Daddy’s stir-frying. We have to be careful not to splash hot oil on your face. You don’t want your face to get all dirty, do you?"

"No, no!"

Jiang Tongtong took a frightened step back. She wanted to leave but couldn’t bear to part from her daddy.

A lightbulb lit up over her head.

Tongtong grabbed a tall stool from nearby, sat down about two meters away from Jiang Liu, and propped her chin in her hands, watching her daddy with wide eyes.

’Heh heh, this should be okay, right?’

Jun Qingmeng followed her daughter’s example and found a stool. The two of them, mother and daughter, sat behind Jiang Liu.

"Daddy, when can we eat the wood?"

"Er, once it’s ready, you’ll get the first bite!"

"Okay~"

"Daddy, when are we getting ice cream?"

"Don’t worry, you’ll get yours. We’ll buy some as soon as I have time!" Jiang Liu coaxed.

"Oh, when will you have time, Daddy?"

"This afternoon!"

"Hehe, Tongtong really, really, really loves Daddy! Daddy doesn’t have to buy Tongtong ice cream, but Daddy can’t stop loving Tongtong!"

"I know, I know!" Jiang Liu replied with fond exasperation.

Only a hands-on dad could understand the helplessness of being clung to and showered with confessions of love by his daughter all day.

’Little pest! Little handful! Little flatterer! Little sweetheart!... a combination of them all!’

Jun Qingmeng, also propping her chin in her hands, watched Jiang Liu’s side profile with a gentle smile.

The more time she spent with Jiang Liu, the more she liked him.

Jiang Liu always seemed to have a new surprise in store for her.

「Twenty minutes later.」

A huge wokful of Mu Shu Pork was ready.

The combined aroma of the various ingredients was stunning, like a rainbow for the senses. The character of each ingredient complemented the others perfectly, without a single conflicting note!

Vibrant green slices of cucumber, rosy threads of pork, golden-amber morsels of egg, sweet red carrot, and glossy, crisp-tender wood ear mushrooms...

Picking up a piece of the seared dried bean curd stick, it trailed a thread of thick, reddish sauce.

It was tender in the mouth, with a light saltiness. The aftertaste was savory and fragrant, a symphony of egg, pork, and the clean scent of cucumber.

’Not bad for a first try. Let’s have a taste...’

Jiang Liu tasted a piece of each ingredient.

He nodded in satisfaction.

’Another perfect dish to shovel down rice with.’

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