svetikya Page 42
Page 42
However, this matter needs to be considered carefully, as the key is how to persuade the two of them to partner up in business.
The two talked for a while, and then it was almost time for them to go to work, so they went about their respective tasks.
Time flew by, and we had lunch around 10 a.m., then got busy.
He Yuzhu's situation is alright. Although the demand for raw materials has increased recently, everything has been prepared in advance. As long as he follows the steps, he won't be too busy.
It was past noon, and the midday rush was finally over, so we could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Zhang Yong brought over a grass carp and said, "Zhu Zi, cut this fish up and make squirrel fish."
He Yuzhu frowned: "Why are you making me cut this?"
Lately, I've mainly been responsible for preparing cold dishes, and I've had very few opportunities to chop vegetables.
Fresh fish is definitely meant to be cooked as a hot dish, so it's not up to He Yuzhu to cut it.
Zhang Yong said with a bitter face, "I have an upset stomach today. Could you please cut a squirrel fish for me? The customers are waiting for it."
"Okay, then go to the toilet."
He Yuzhu did not refuse; after all, everyone has to relieve themselves sometimes, and He Yuzhu couldn't be too heartless.
Seeing that He Yuzhu had agreed, Zhang Yong smiled smugly and then turned and left the kitchen.
Squirrel fish is a simple dish to make. You just need to remove the head and tail, leaving only the body of the fish.
Remove the fish bones, leaving only large, thick pieces of fish meat. Then flip the fish over at a 30-degree angle and make continuous horizontal cuts about one centimeter apart, being careful not to cut through the fish skin.
After making horizontal cuts, make continuous vertical cuts at 90 degrees, being careful not to cut through the fish skin, otherwise the dish will not be ready.
Cut the fish horizontally and vertically in this way, and the fish meat will become many small square strips. Sprinkle the cut fish meat with salt and then pour in cooking wine.
Finally, add an egg white and knead the seasonings and fish until the seasonings are absorbed by the fish.
This completes the preliminary preparations.
After marinating for 15 minutes, you can hand it over to the chef to cook.
After He Yuzhu finished preparing the dishes, he continued to prepare cold dishes.
A moment later, Zhang Yong entered the kitchen with a relaxed expression and hurriedly went to He Yuzhu's side to ask, "He Yuzhu, where's the fish?"
He Yuzhu pointed to the plate next to him and said, "The squirrel fish is already marinated."
"What squirrel fish?"
Zhang Yong suddenly changed his expression and shouted, "He Yuzhu, are you deaf? Who told you to be a squirrel fish?"
He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment and asked, "Didn't you ask me to make squirrel fish before you went to the toilet?"
As he spoke, he realized something was wrong; Zhang Yong had set a trap for him.
Sure enough, Zhang Yong shouted, "He Yuzhu, who told you to make squirrel fish? I clearly told you to make steamed grass carp with rice flour and cut it into pieces when I left, but you cut it into squirrel fish instead!"
Zhang Yong's voice grew louder and louder, attracting the attention of the other people in the kitchen who turned to look at him.
Zhang Yong's voice was even louder: "Can't you even do this job? If you can't, get out! You can't even cut vegetables properly?"
"Don't try to pin this on me."
He Yuzhu was furious: "You clearly said you were making squirrel fish, but now you've changed your mind and said it's steamed fish with rice flour. Aren't you just trying to cause trouble?"
Zhang Yong's eyes gleamed with smugness, but he still tried his best to act, pretending to be very angry.
"He Yuzhu, you made a mistake and you're still yelling. You ordered steamed fish with rice flour, how could I possibly tell you to make squirrel fish?"
He Yuzhu was so angry that she wanted to stab him with a sharp knife. Zhang Yong was clearly trying to frame her.
The cold dish stall was only at one end of the kitchen, and there was no one else around, so no one could testify for me.
At this moment, Master Hong Henian arrived and heard their conversation, and his brows furrowed.
It's really hard to say who's right and who's wrong in this matter, since it's possible to say the wrong thing or mishear something.
However, He Yuzhu was, after all, his apprentice, and Zhang Yong had previously shown some hostility towards him, so he still trusted his apprentice.
It wouldn't be good to start an argument in the middle of the day, so I just wanted to calm things down first, and said:
"Stop arguing, you two. It's just that you made a mistake with one dish. You can just get another fish and make it again, right?"
"I'll just buy this fish; that way, the restaurant won't lose out."
But Zhang Yong had already anticipated this, and said, "Is this about the fish? It's not about the money either. If there were still grass carp left, why would I be angry? The grass carp your apprentice made is the last one for today. There are no more grass carp left, understand?"
Chapter 57 A Difficult Situation
"What? This is the last one?"
Hong Henian was somewhat skeptical, after all, it was only noon, and there should be fish left in reserve so that there wouldn't be no raw materials when customers ordered in the evening.
"Yes, I don't know why we used up all the grass carp at noon today. This is the last one."
Zhang Yong countered, "Then what do you suggest we do?"
He was already overjoyed. He had originally thought of asking He Yuzhu to come and prepare cold dishes because he saw that He Yuzhu's knife skills were getting better and better.
After all, you can't learn any skills in this position, and it keeps you away from him, saving you from getting annoyed by seeing him.
But to everyone's surprise, the cold dishes prepared by He Yuzhu were surprisingly delicious, making the previously neglected cold dishes at Taifenglou highly praised by customers.
I have already heard from my uncle that the shopkeeper intends to promote He Yuzhu.
He was about to win over Vanilla, but at the crucial moment, he was ambushed and Vanilla handed over her wallet to the shopkeeper, causing him to fail.
Although Xiangcao didn't reveal who it was, judging from how friendly he was with He Yuzhu, Zhang Yong had reason to suspect that the person who knocked him unconscious was He Yuzhu.
It was quite a coincidence today. The grass carp I had prepared were all used up by noon, leaving only one. And then a high-ranking leader specifically requested that it be steamed with rice flour.
Zhang Yong deliberately told He Yuzhu that he wanted to make squirrel fish, and then framed him.
Then, pretend to go to the toilet, wait for He Yuzhu to finish cooking the squirrel fish, and then come over to make trouble, so that He Yuzhu will lose face in front of the shopkeeper.
Perhaps this would allow him to drive He Yuzhu away and avenge himself, which was the outcome Zhang Yong most wanted to see.
"This..." Hong Henian didn't know what to say. Since the customer had already placed the order, it was the kitchen's responsibility if they made a mistake. And it was such a coincidence that the last grass carp had also been used up.
Before Hong Henian could come up with a solution, Zhang Yong turned around and shouted, "Uncle, come here for a second. He Yuzhu made the wrong dish with the last fish."
Zhang Zusheng then put down his work and got up to come over.
Ask: "What's going on?"
Zhang Yong rattled off a long explanation, of course, about how he had instructed He Yuzhu to make steamed fish with rice flour, but He Yuzhu had turned it into squirrel fish.
He Yuzhu quickly said, "Master Zhang, Zhang Yong clearly said it was squirrel fish. I didn't do anything wrong."
"Are there any other grass carp?"
“That’s all,” Zhang Yong said. “This grass carp we used was the last one.”
"How could it be such a bad coincidence?"
After speaking, Zhang Zusheng frowned. Just two days ago, the shopkeeper had discussed with him whether to break the previous rules and turn He Yuzhu, the apprentice, into a full-fledged chef.
After all, He Yuzhu is quite skilled at making cold dishes, which has earned him widespread praise from customers.
Better than the average chef.
Although restaurants have a rule that you have to work as an apprentice for three months first, the most important thing in the chef's profession is whether you have the skills.
He Yuzhu's performance over this period has proven that his cold dishes far surpass those of ordinary chefs.
It would be unreasonable to pay him an apprentice's salary again.
Although Zhang Zusheng did not want He Yuzhu to be officially appointed, he knew that he could not oppose it without a good reason.
Then I casually mentioned to my nephew that I never expected an accident to happen today.
Others may not know, but Zhang Zusheng himself knows in his heart that today's incident was mostly a trap set by his nephew.
Otherwise, why would He Yuzhu, who was in charge of making cold dishes, cut a fish?
They even managed to use the last grass carp instead of making steamed fish with rice flour, turning it into squirrel fish?
That's clearly unreasonable.
He gave his nephew a deep look.
The slight upturn of his lips made him look quite smug.
Zhang Yong said, "The person who ordered the steamed fish with rice flour is a leader from the Ministry of Machinery. What if the dish is made incorrectly?"
The implication is clear: this matter is far more serious than simply making a mistake with a dish.
When a leader comes over for a meal, the menu has been delivered in advance. But when it's time to serve the dishes, someone runs over to the staff and says, "Sir, we don't have the dishes you ordered."
Isn't this a blatant slap in the face to the leaders?
Zhang Zusheng was also somewhat annoyed. A high-ranking leader was hosting a dinner at Taifeng Restaurant, and Zhang Yong dared to tamper with things and use this opportunity to frame He Yuzhu. This made him lose face.
If any problems arise in the kitchen, the blame will fall on you first.
Even if you manage to get rid of He Yuzhu, you'll still get scolded.
However, this was not something he could decide. Zhang Zusheng was seething with anger, but he couldn't let it out. With a dark face, he said to Wang Song, who was watching the show from the side, "Go and invite the manager over."