Setting Up Stalls – Chapter 118

Learning is endless.

Sun Miao was quite poor and also very frugal, but when eating with her girlfriend, the money simply had to be paid. She wasn’t in the habit of pretending to be wealthy when she wasn’t; she had already estimated that her wallet could handle the expense before deciding to foot the bill.

However, the price of paying for this meal was that her budget for skincare and cosmetics during her shopping trip later would have to be a little smaller. She was still grumbling inwardly: Looks like I really can’t eat out too often. I should just eat at home. If we eat at home, I can definitely afford to feed her!

While Sun Miao was thinking about this, her hands didn’t stop moving. Wondering what a 188-yuan cold dish could possibly be like, she extended her chopsticks and picked up a slice. The pear slice, like a petal being plucked from a flower, rested thinly on her chopsticks, with a tiny bit of juice dripping down.

It’s sliced quite thinly, but if I were doing it, I could slice it even thinner. Sun Miao truly had that much confidence in her knife skills. She opened her mouth and ate the pear slice.

You know, it was actually pretty good.

That was Sun Miao’s evaluation. The taste of wine wasn’t very strong, but it was cool, refreshing, and sweet, with a hint of subtle sourness.

Sun Miao lowered her gaze slightly and quickly identified it: it’s red vinegar. Red vinegar itself isn’t overly sour, and its color is a crystal-clear, pale red, making it difficult to distinguish when mixed with red wine. But the red wine was just a gimmick. What truly softened the pear slices, gave them their color, and created the pinkish droplets dripping from the fruit was the red vinegar.

It was quite delicious. Not much wine was used, which meant they didn’t add much of the red wine. But according to the server’s introduction, this red wine was from a renowned winery, which had obviously inflated the price of this plate of pears. To be honest, though, the red wine content was too low to have much of an impact on the flavor. Sun Miao figured that using a 9.9-yuan bottle of dry red from the supermarket would produce a more or less identical result.

Sun Miao wasn’t the type to say something that would kill the mood, so she kept her thoughts to herself. After eating one slice, Su Ruixi put down her chopsticks. Instead, she looked at Sun Miao and asked, “Sun Miao, how is it? Is it good?” Her tone was a little hesitant, leaving Sun Miao unsure of what answer Su Ruixi wanted to hear.

In fact, Su Ruixi herself didn’t know what she was thinking. She certainly wanted to hear Sun Miao say it was delicious. After all, she had brought Sun Miao here to help her relax. If she ended up making her eat something that didn’t taste good, wouldn’t that mean she’d messed up?

But she herself didn’t think it was that delicious. At most, the flavor profile was the type she liked. However, after eating the sugar-tossed tomatoes Sun Miao had made yesterday, it was really hard to say that this was better.

It was just a plate of ordinary sugar-tossed tomatoes, yet the ones Sun Miao made were exceptionally delicious. The main reason was that Sun Miao had completely figured out Su Ruixi’s preferences; even the amount of sugar sprinkled on top was at the exact level Su Ruixi loved most.

Both had a cool, refreshing, sweet-and-sour base flavor, so a comparison was natural. And the answer was: this couldn’t compare to Sun Miao’s at all.

Sun Miao’s control over seasoning was absolute. To put it bluntly, her control over these quantities was like a robot’s, especially for her regular customers. She never made a mistake. Even with the hip-hop yuppie duo, while both of them liked intensely spicy food, there were still subtle differences in their tastes.

Having done business with them for so long, Sun Miao had their preferences down perfectly—how much salt to add, how many chili peppers, how much vinegar—it was all precise down to the last possible degree. This was the reason her regulars were so exceptionally loyal.

Of course, this was also one of the reasons they felt her cooking was getting more and more delicious. On one hand, her skills were genuinely improving all the time; on the other, she was constantly making micro-adjustments to find the perfect seasoning levels for their palates.

It was all thanks to the countless customers the system provided her. Those one-hundred-percent realistic simulated customers had allowed Sun Miao to achieve “Godly Seasoning.”

Her method for determining if her regulars would like a new seasoning adjustment was also very simple. Although Sun Miao was usually busy with her own work, she always kept an ear out, and when they came to pay, she would observe their reactions.

The expression on someone’s face when they ate something they truly loved was incredibly obvious; even the brightness in their eyes was different. This was something the system had taught her, which she then practiced and perfected on the simulated customers.

If a regular had never eaten at her stall before, her seasoning would naturally lean toward more mainstream tastes.

To put it simply, Su Ruixi’s tongue and taste buds had now been spoiled rotten by Sun Miao, making her even more particular. She was never one to make herself suffer, so when she encountered something slightly inferior, she just put her chopsticks down.

Because she herself didn’t know what kind of answer she wanted, Sun Miao chose to tell the truth. “It’s actually not bad.” Sun Miao extended her chopsticks again and picked up another slice. “The use of red vinegar in this is very clever. Its color complements the red wine’s beautifully, and since it’s not very sour itself, it can neutralize the sweetness of the sugar and the pear.”

Sun Miao was being honest. She didn’t really mind what she ate. No matter how delicious her own cooking was, she found it commonplace since she was so used to it. Eating something made by others once in a while felt very novel. And besides, it gave Sun Miao a new recipe idea.

She leaned to the side, getting closer to Su Ruixi. “I’ve learned how to make it. I’ll make it for you when we get back.”

Su Ruixi hadn’t known what answer she wanted, but now she understood. This was exactly what she had wanted to hear. She was pleased, but her personality dictated that she wouldn’t just smile outright. She pressed her lips down, feigning a nonchalant expression. “En.”

After a while, the other dishes arrived: Stir-fried Water Spinach and Lion’s Head Meatballs with Crab Roe. The Three-Nesting Duck would take a little longer.

These two dishes were also quite good, but the Stir-fried Water Spinach was probably not made by the head chef. It tasted like it was from an ordinary cook, and the flavor was worlds apart from the other two dishes. Su Ruixi and Sun Miao leaned in close, whispering and complaining, “Eating at restaurants is always like this. The head chef usually only makes the signature dishes and leaves things like this to their apprentices or other cooks. The quality just can’t compare to their own work.”

“When you put two dishes side by side, the difference in taste is really obvious.”

Sun Miao nodded, agreeing with Su Ruixi.

After a moment, a server came over. “Ladies, would you like your Yangzhou Fried Rice to be served now?”

“Yes, please bring it out now.”

“The Yangzhou Fried Rice is prepared personally by our head chef right here at your table. Would that be alright? He will also provide some explanation about the dish. Of course, if you don’t require this, we can also have it prepared in the kitchen and brought out to you.”

If Su Ruixi were by herself, she definitely wouldn’t need the chef to perform at her table. She had eaten at Yuanfu Lou several times already, and no matter how interesting the tableside preparation was, she had grown tired of it. But this was Sun Miao’s first time here. Of course she had to call the chef over to cook in front of them; otherwise, wouldn’t the 1,888 yuan have been spent for nothing?

Su Ruixi nodded. “Yes, please have him come over.”

A moment later, Sun Miao heard the sound of wheels rolling on the floor. A server opened the door to their private dining room, and a man in a chef’s uniform and hat, who looked to be around fifty, walked in pushing a cart.

Sun Miao took a look and thought that the setup looked a bit like her own food stall.

The head chef pushed the cart over. The small dining cart looked exquisite and was decorated in a traditional style. On top was a large iron wok, and below, a single burner was likely connected to a gas canister hidden beneath the cart. To the side, a piece of white gauze was draped over something, vaguely revealing numerous small bowls underneath.

Out of politeness, Su Ruixi stood up. Sun Miao followed suit, and they both walked a little closer to the cart. A server stood by, ready to assist.

The head chef began with a self-introduction. His titles were quite impressive, such as a high-level chef certification and being an heir to the art of Yangzhou Fried Rice—the kind of credentials that left one in awe just hearing them. Then, he lifted the white gauze, and Sun Miao saw many things inside.

Diced bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, river shrimp, diced chicken, diced ham… a dazzling array of more than ten small bowls were laid out.

There was also another row of small bowls with seasonings: minced garlic, chopped green onions, salt, MSG¹, chicken bouillon², and the like. Sun Miao’s brow furrowed. She rarely used MSG in her own cooking. The main purpose of MSG was to enhance the umami flavor of food, but many dishes didn’t need extra umami; they were meant to express other flavors.

Besides, Sun Miao’s skills guaranteed that her food was savory even without using MSG.

Take chicken soup, for example. The most important flavor in chicken soup is umami. The simplest cooking methods are all that’s needed to bring out its original savory flavor; a sprinkle of salt after simmering is more than enough seasoning. What need is there for MSG?

MSG was something Sun Miao used to use often in the past. It was practically the most powerful cheat code in the culinary world.

Sun Miao didn’t even use MSG often, let alone chicken bouillon. More importantly, the main ingredient in chicken bouillon… is MSG.

For the vast majority of chicken bouillon powders, the first ingredient on the list is MSG. In essence, it’s not much different from MSG; in fact, it’s basically just MSG with some other seasonings added. To put these two side by side was really something… If you’re going to use MSG, you might as well not use chicken bouillon.

Sun Miao guessed inwardly: Perhaps they’re just for show. After all, if the only seasonings on display were oil and salt, it would lack a certain prestige.

After listing his prestigious credentials, the head chef continued, “Ladies, please do not confuse Yangzhou Fried Rice with Egg Fried Rice. They are two completely different things.”

Wait, why is he dissing my first love, Egg Fried Rice?

In that moment, this was the exact same thought that crossed both Su Ruixi’s and Sun Miao’s minds.

“The Yangzhou Fried Rice I am about to make may just subvert your entire understanding of the dish.”

Sun Miao thought about it. Although this head chef had dissed her beloved Egg Fried Rice, his long list of grand titles—a high-level certified chef, an intangible cultural heritage inheritor³—suggested he must have some real skill. What if he really did have his own unique technique?

At this thought, Sun Miao took out her phone and asked, “May I record this?”

Learning is endless. Sun Miao had never been great at academics; her current skills were entirely thanks to the cheat codes and private tutoring the system had given her. She cherished any opportunity to learn something outside of the system.

The head chef was clearly used to this. He nodded in agreement. “Of course, you may film.”

“Then, I shall begin making the Yangzhou Fried Rice.” A head chef was a head chef; even his voice was different, carrying the powerful cadence of a broadcaster.

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