Chapter 6: Secret Seasoning

  Su Qing, carrying a bamboo basket on her back, walked into the Northeast Hall, attracting many people's curious glances.

  "Would you like to have dinner? Please follow me." A handsome young man in a white shirt led Su Qing to a table by the window, poured her a cup of tea and introduced the dishes in detail. He didn't show any neglect due to Su Qing's age and status.

  Su Qing finally ordered Dongbei Liurou Chuan ( Northeastern Braised Pork Slices), Bok Choy Stewed Tofu, the most common home-cooked dishes that almost every northerner can make.

  "Boss, this table of guests wants to pay the bill." A waiter shouted towards Su Qing's direction.

  "Got it, I'll be right there." The young man in a white shirt replied and walked away.

  Boss? The boss who personally receives such special customers? And so young, looking no more than twenty years old. This is quite a surprise for Su Qing.

  Speaking of which, with Su Qing's three hundred yuan in assets, eating here would definitely be scolded by her uncle and aunt for being extravagant and muddle-headed. This kind of place eats tens to hundreds of yuan at a time, is it a place where they, these poor people, can afford to come?

  Su Qing didn't lose her head, she came here with a purpose. On this street, she walked through it once and observed each restaurant. Finally, she discovered a phenomenon: those upscale restaurants with nice decorations had few customers, while the roadside stalls and small shops were swarmed with people. This was puzzling.

  Is it possible that people who come to travel have no money to eat? This possibility is zero. Those who can travel all over the world, aren't they having a lot of spare money to spend?

  If so, then the problem may lie in these restaurants themselves.

  The northeastern building, the decoration level is quite good on this street, but after Su Qing's observation, she found that the business of this store was even more deserted, with no popularity, so she chose this one.

  After the dishes were served, Su Qing picked up her chopsticks and started eating.

  The taste is average, just with vegetables, Su Qing finished a bowl of rice and put down her chopsticks after giving this evaluation.

  Every household can make Northeastern cuisine, but to make it delicious and flavorful is not an easy task. Only those top-notch chefs can achieve that standard.

  At the same time, Su Qing also understood in her heart why these stores were deserted. Things that tasted about the same, why wouldn't they go to small stalls and shops? Not only was the price relatively cheaper, but they could also experience the rural atmosphere.

  If you want to make a change, you can only start from the dishes.

  "I can make dishes that are a hundred times more delicious than this." Su Qing said confidently as the young man came over to pay.

  The young boss who always wore a smile on his face was suddenly stunned by Su Qing's words, and the smile froze on his face.

  Su Qing's position was very close to the cash register, and due to the quiet business, most of the idle service staff gathered at the cash register, listening to Su Qing's words clearly, and then started whispering to each other.

  Since practicing, Su Qing's ears and eyes have become much clearer. They spoke in a low voice, but Su Qing could still hear every word without missing a single one.

  "Must be broke, coming here for a value meal. This trick isn't new either."

  "Just by looking at her carrying a bamboo basket, I can tell she's from the countryside. No money but wants to eat well, and actually dares to come to our high-end restaurant, what a nerve! And so young, is she even fourteen?"

  "Nowadays kids don't know what they're thinking, is a buffet really that delicious..."

  "If Old Luo knew that his cooking was being scorned by a little kid, there would definitely be a good show to watch..."

  The crowd that was chatting suddenly fell silent, because the Luo Shu they were talking about had just received the news in the kitchen and walked to Su Qing's table. Everyone was excitedly waiting to see a good show.

  "Can you make dishes a hundred times better than this?" asked Luo Shu with a careless tone and a disdainful face.

  "I can." Su Qing replied resolutely.

  When Luo Shu first heard about it, he was indeed very angry. No matter how good his cooking skills were, being slapped in the face like that would still be unbearable for anyone. But when he came out and saw that it was a little girl, he wasn't so angry anymore. A big man like him arguing with a kid? That would be laughable. Just give her a ladder and let her continue, but unexpectedly, the little girl didn't want to.

  That poor kid, is he here just to ruin his own show?

  Lao Luo was right, Su Qing came to sabotage him from the very beginning.

  "Then show me what you can do!" Lao Luo's temper was also rising, he had to teach this kid a lesson, speaking so eloquently at such a young age.

  The staff in the store were all stunned, a meal for less than 50 yuan, and the tyrant's meal was just that. But if this young lady personally made it once, it would cost nearly a hundred yuan, losing even more, the boss would not let Lao Luo do so.

  What surprised everyone was that the young boss who had been silent all along finally spoke up.

  "I also want to taste dishes that are even better than Uncle Biro's, if possible. The kitchen is borrowed for your use, and the ingredients are all available." The tone was still as polite as ever.

  Su Qing's purpose was this, and having achieved her goal, she didn't make any excuses. Before the crowd could regain their composure, she had already followed the staff into the kitchen. Just before leaving, she took a glance at the young boss.

  Lao Luo didn't follow her into the kitchen, a country girl, he hadn't taken it to heart yet, most rural areas use stove fires, maybe this little girl hasn't even seen natural gas? Just wait, it won't be long before she comes out and admits her mistake.

  It's just that the waiting time is a bit long, five minutes, ten minutes, half an hour later, it still hasn't come out. Lao Luo has become a little less confident, but thinking again, he has received special training and has been doing this for so many years. She's just a young girl, how can she be stronger than him?

  Just then, the waiter walked up to the table where Lao Luo and his boss were sitting, carrying a tray with the bok choy stewed tofu, and suddenly a fresh aroma wafted through the air.

  These two haven't even tasted it yet, and a customer at another table who smelled the aroma started shouting.

  "This aroma is too damn enticing, it's making my mouth water. With such a great dish, how come you didn't recommend it to us? Are you afraid we won't pay for it? Bring us a portion of that dish as well."

  Got it! Without comparison, there is already a distinction between high and low, or rather, the comparison has been made, because the diner's preference is the most reliable evaluation.

  Lao Luo's face was very colorful at this time, and language could not describe it. However, after he tasted the dish, he let out a sigh of admiration and had to admit defeat. The crisp freshness of the cabbage, the clear fragrance and smoothness of the tofu, and the fresh tenderness without thickness of the soup were all presented at a level that he himself couldn't achieve.

  Compared with Lao Luo's despair and frustration, the boss of their house was radiant with joy, in a good mood, and ate more than half of the dishes.

  When Su Qing personally brought up the Northeastern braised pork belly, the boss had already eaten more than half of it.

  The guests at the other table, who had just been making a racket, also enjoyed a treat because Su Qing had originally made more food than needed and it was just enough to serve an extra portion to that table. The Northeastern-style braised pork belly didn't escape either.

  "Let's talk." Restaurant owner Ma Jianzhong finally put down his chopsticks, wiped his oily mouth, seemingly still savoring the food.