Rebirth 1994: Starting from laid-off workers

This time, Director Yin did not dare to delay and raised the money in a short time.

With 6 yuan in hand, Zhang Jiaqiang got in his car and went straight to a guest house near the factory, renting a guest room as a temporary office.

He also called in the elder sisters who had nothing to do for the time being to tidy up the room, buy office supplies, and install the telephone.

And he went directly to the industrial and commercial department and registered an installation company.

The efficiency is very slow these days. It takes ten working days for a reply after submitting the materials.

After leaving the industrial and commercial office, it was lunch time. People are like iron rice and steel. They were starving after not eating for a whole meal. Zhang Jiaqiang called Guo Yonggang to eat.

"Just find a place to eat and go to the wholesale market in the afternoon!"

Guo Yonggang thought for a while and said, "I know there is a small shop in the old city that makes good pancakes. It is close to the wholesale market. It's good to take a break after eating!"

Braised pancakes are a local specialty, cheap and delicious. Zhang Jiaqiang often ate them when he was a child and immediately said, "Okay, let's go eat braised pancakes!"

There was no traffic jam at noon, so we arrived at the small shop in a short time.

This is a small door facing the street, with a bay of seven or eight meters wide, front and back, and an ebony gold-lettered sign hanging on the lintel - Shandong Cuisine Restaurant.

It turned out to be here. In Zhang Jiaqiang's memory, this was an old restaurant that had been passed down for three generations. It was very famous locally for its authentic craftsmanship.

This kind of restaurant only orders two pieces of braised pancakes. Will they accept it?Zhang Jiaqiang got out of the car and walked towards the restaurant with doubts in his heart.

Surrounded by rows of bungalows and alleys as dense as a spider web, a heavy sense of age slowly arises.

This generation belongs to the old urban area of ​​Xiguan. Zhang Jiaqiang has lived here since he was a child, and his parents also live here now.

After being reborn, this was the first time I came here, and the feeling of being both familiar and unfamiliar after 30 years lingered in my heart.

He clearly remembers that in less than two years, this place will be demolished, and the historic courtyards, alleys, and hutongs will be replaced by a featureless residential area.

The white tiled walls, mossy slates, wall grass swaying in the wind, as well as the smooth door piers and horse-mounted stones rubbed by children in childhood memories will all be lost in the dust of history.

"You two are here, what do you want to eat?"

Perhaps because it was noon, business in the store was deserted. There were only two tables sitting by the window. A middle-aged lady wearing a chef's uniform came forward to greet the two of them warmly.

Guo Yonggang said, "Two portions of egg-vegetarian braised pancakes!"

"Okay, I'll be ready soon. You two sit down first, and I'll get you some tea!"

Zhang Jiaqiang pulled up a chair and sat down, looking up at this restaurant that has been passed down for three generations.

The store, which is less than [-] square meters, is equipped with seven or eight log tables and chairs that have been coated with pulp. On the white walls are several calligraphy and paintings of local celebrities, as well as several photos of previous store owners.

There are only scattered seats in the front, and the private rooms are in the backyard.

The whole restaurant has an antique flavor with a quiet and elegant atmosphere, which is very suitable for friends gatherings and business dinners.

Guo Yonggang sat opposite Zhang Jiaqiang, "This is your first time here, boss. Even though this shop is small, I heard that it has been around since the late Qing Dynasty. The owner even had an imperial chef in his family!"

Zhang Jiaqiang smiled indifferently and did not explain that he grew up in this generation. "This store is quite famous. Why is the business so bad? They only accept two braised cakes?"

Guo Yonggang smiled and said, "That's Lao Huangli. Since their old man retired to the second line, the taste of the food has deteriorated a lot, and the business has become lighter and lighter. Now he can barely make ends meet. He can still eat well, and he still dares to choose." Picking and choosing?”

"But the taste of some side dishes is okay, otherwise there would be no one!" Guo Yonggang added.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiaqiang became interested. How could the same inheritance be so different?

It happened that the eldest sister was putting a pot of hot tea on the table, and Zhang Jiaqiang said, "Excuse me, let's order two more special dishes!"

The eldest sister served them tea with a smile on her face, "We have a lot of specialties, I'll bring you a menu!"

Zhang Jiaqiang said, "Don't bother me, I'll just order Xiguan's special tile fish and braised gluten!"

The eldest sister put down the teapot and said with a smile, "I'm an expert. These two dishes are the essence of our Xiguan cuisine. If you know how to order, they'll be here soon!"

"Boss Menqing, have you been here before?" Zhao Yonggang said.

Zhang Jiaqiang picked up the tea and took a sip, "I grew up here!"

Zhao Yonggang slapped his thigh and said, "Hey, it turns out you're from my hometown. I'm just doing my best!"

The food was served very quickly due to the small number of guests. In the blink of an eye, two plates of braised pancakes full of aroma were served on the table.

After a while, the tile fish and braised gluten were also served.

Smelling the smell of his long-lost hometown, Zhang Jiaqiang was not polite and tasted everything.

The taste is still the same as that of the past, but there is a slight difference in texture. It should be due to the chef's inexperience and lack of control over the heat.

But it's already very good as it is, and it's miles better than the industrially processed dishes of later generations.

It's a pity that after demolition, this small shop and its traditional taste will become history and will never be seen again.

Zhang Jiaqiang immersed himself in eating the stewed pancake, and suddenly an idea came to his mind. After he was reborn, couldn't he change history and keep these traditional things authentic?

Thinking of this, my heart can't help but beat wildly.

He took a deep breath and calmed down. It was still too early to think like this. The right way to develop now was to seize the opportunity. It would not be too late to consider these things after he was strong enough.

A short, fat man wearing a chef's uniform walked up to the table and asked humbly.

"Boy, how do you feel about the fish and gluten? Does it taste good?"

Zhang Jiaqiang said with a smile, "Overall, it's good, but the fish is a bit hard and the gluten is cooked apart. To be honest, it's eighty percent, worse than the old man's craftsmanship!"

When the fat man heard this, he smiled happily as if he had heard praise.

"I don't dare to compete with the old man. If I can have half of his skills, I will be satisfied!"

The fat cook refilled their tea and introduced himself, "My name is Xu Dahai. I am the old man's son-in-law. I have learned the craft from him for more than ten years. Unfortunately, I don't have the talent to learn the essence, so I can only make ends meet!"

Zhang Jiaqiang asked curiously, "I am an old family here. I met the old man when I was a child. He must be in his sixties this year at most. Why did he retire? If he could come here often to guide me, the store's business would be much better!"

Xu Dahai smiled bitterly and said, "As an old man, he studies classical dishes at home every day, such as roast tail banquets, Suiyuan food menus, and Red Mansion delicacies. How can he still find the time to come to the store!"

He said with a lonely look: "Now, this small shop relies on me as both a chef and a waiter. My wife also has to go to work. She is away most of the time, and I am so tired that I feel like a broken man. Alas. , I really want to turn it off, but we have no other skills, so we have to rely on it to make a living!"

Every family has its own problems. Zhang Jiaqiang said, "I'm going to invite some important customers in a few days. Brother Xu, can you let me cook some special dishes?"

As he said that, he took out a few hundred-dollar bills and put them gently on the table, "This is the deposit. It's about ten people. According to this standard, drinks are not included!"