txolops Chapter 165 Priced at 128
Chapter 165 Priced at 128
It's a little past nine o'clock.
The bread truck was parked downstairs at the rental apartment.
Wang Hai pushed open the driver's side door, jumped out, closed the door behind him, walked to the back of the car, and yanked open the trunk.
"Brother Chen, let's get started! Let's carry the rice upstairs first!"
Lin Chen got out of the passenger seat and walked to the back of the car.
Without saying a word, he reached out and grabbed two bags of rice, one in each hand.
Lin Chen turned around and walked into the stairwell.
"Goodness gracious... Brother Chen, your strength is getting more and more insane."
Wang Hai stared in disbelief, then sighed before bending down, picking up a bag of rice with both hands, and huffing and puffing as he followed Lin Chen upstairs.
The two of them ran up and down the stairs three or four times, one after the other.
Five bags of rice, two large baskets of Shanghai bok choy, and a bunch of other common ingredients such as an old hen and crisp radishes were all moved into the rented room on the second floor and neatly arranged in the corner of the kitchen.
"call--"
Wang Hai put down the last basket of vegetables, straightened up, and let out a long sigh.
He walked to the sink, turned on the tap to wash his face, dried it with a towel, and turned to Lin Chen: "Brother Chen, everything has been brought up."
What should we do next?
Should we wash these thirty pounds of vegetables first, or make chicken soup first?
Lin Chen washed his hands clean and dried them with a kitchen paper towel.
He looked at the large commercial soup pot on the stove.
This 50-liter double-walled insulated container has been left untouched here since the heat was turned off yesterday evening, using the residual heat to keep it warm all night.
"Inspect the meat first."
Lin Chen spoke up.
Upon hearing this, Wang Hai's eyes lit up instantly.
"Yes, yes, yes! Business comes first!"
Wang Hai went over and stood next to the large barrel, staring at the stainless steel pot lid. "After being sealed all night, I've been wanting to see what this fifty pounds of top-quality pork belly looks like now!"
Lin Chen stepped forward and lifted the lid of the pot.
A rich aroma of meat wafted over.
Because the temperature had dropped, no more billowing steam was coming out of the large bucket.
But the cool fragrance that had been lingering overnight wafted straight into people's noses.
Wang Hai took a deep breath, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed a large mouthful of saliva.
"Brother Chen...this taste is absolutely amazing."
Wang Hai spoke up.
Inside the large bucket, the broth that had been bubbling had now calmed down, with a layer of bright red and clear oil floating on the surface.
Through this layer of fat, you can clearly see the generous amount of tempting, reddish-brown pork belly cubes underneath.
After soaking overnight, each piece of meat absorbs the essence of the broth, looking plump, translucent, and perfectly square.
Lin Chen picked up a clean, long-handled strainer, dipped it into the bucket, and gently scooped up a spoonful of diced meat.
He stared at the meat in the strainer.
The diced meat retained its regular shape and did not fall apart into minced meat due to prolonged simmering.
Lin Chen stretched out his chopsticks and gently poked one of the pieces of meat with alternating layers of fat and lean meat.
The moment the chopsticks touched the fatty part, they sank in without any resistance.
Although the lean meat underneath was already soft and mushy, the muscle texture was still clearly visible, and it hadn't fallen apart.
Lin Chen picked up the piece of meat and put it in his mouth, chewing it slowly.
The fatty meat melts in your mouth, transforming into a rich, savory flavor on your tongue.
The lean meat is tender and melts in your mouth, and the salty, sweet, and savory sauce has completely permeated the deepest parts of the meat.
Lin Chen swallowed the diced meat and nodded.
"The cooking time was just right, meeting expectations."
Lin Chen put down the strainer and spoke.
Wang Hai heard Lin Chen say this.
"I knew it! With you personally overseeing it, and after all that hard work overnight, it couldn't be bad!"
"With this trump card, we're absolutely invincible tonight!"
The moment the lid is lifted, everyone around will be drawn in by the aroma!
"Alright, get back to normal."
Lin Chen put the pot lid back on, turned around and walked to the work surface. "We still have a lot of things to use tonight, let's get to work."
"Listen to the chef!"
Wang Hai immediately got into the zone, turned around, and took an apron from behind the door and tied it on.
The two had a clear division of labor.
Lin Chen picked up the cutting board and cleaver and began to prepare the old hen, chopping radish cubes and scallions.
Wang Hai moved a small stool over and sat down next to the sink to process the two baskets of Shanghai bok choy.
Wang Hai poured the Shanghai bok choy into a large basin, picked up a knife, and cut off the outer leaves, leaving only the tender green heart in the center.
The kitchen quickly became busy.
More than half an hour later.
Wang Hai washed the first batch of chopped bok choy thoroughly and placed it in a colander.
He shook the water off his hands, then suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Lin Chen, who was skimming the foam off the broth.
"By the way, Brother Chen, there's something we haven't settled yet."
Wang Hai spoke first.
"What is it?"
Lin Chen put down the soup spoon in his hand and turned to look at him.
"The price!"
Wang Hai pointed to the small blackboard hanging on the wall, "Our Broken Gold Fried Rice is ninety-nine yuan a serving."
This is the first time this minced meat rice is being served tonight, so the price needs to be set in advance.
What price do you think is appropriate for one serving?
Upon hearing this question, Lin Chen pondered for a moment.
He quickly calculated the costs.
This meat sauce is made with local pigs that were slaughtered just in the early morning, using the most expensive cut of pork belly.
In addition, there's the labor of hand-dicing, shallots, secret spices, and an open supply of rice and Shanghai bok choy.
Every step of the process uses the highest quality materials.
One hundred and twenty-eight.
Lin Chen looked at Wang Hai and gave him a number.
"One hundred and twenty-eight?"
Wang Hai paused for a moment, silently did some mental calculations, and then nodded.
"One hundred and twenty-eight, this price is fantastic!"
Wang Hai leaned closer and said, "Brother Chen, this is a really hearty meat dish!"
With this generous portion of premium pork and this sauce that's enough to make anyone want to splurge three big bowls, this would easily cost two or three hundred yuan in a high-end Western restaurant!
He pointed to the large vat filled with minced meat.
"One hundred and twenty-eight yuan a serving, less than thirty yuan more expensive than fried rice, an absolutely fair price!"
Our regular customers who have tasted our food will definitely be eager to pay!
Lin Chen nodded slightly.
He always sets prices that are commensurate with the ingredients and the craftsmanship, and never engages in inflated pricing.
"Then let's set it at 128."
Lin Chen made the decision.
After the price was agreed upon, Lin Chen put the diced radish into a food storage container and closed the lid.
He glanced at his phone beside him, then turned to Wang Hai and said, "Dry your hands and send a notification to our regular customer group."
What kind of notification should be sent?
Wang Hai had just picked up a bunch of greens when he heard this, so he put them back down.
"Tell our regular customers in the group that our stall tonight is in shed number one."
Lin Chen explained, "So that they don't go to the square at night and still have to look for it by the flower bed, making a wasted trip."
"Right, right! I almost forgot about that!"
Wang Hai slapped his forehead, immediately stood up, dried his hands on his apron, and took out his phone from his pocket. "I only told the people in line when I closed up shop last night. There are still hundreds of people in the group who don't know yet."
Wang Hai opened WeChat and found the group of regular customers.
"Dear customers and business owners, there have been changes to the stall setup tonight!"
The Summer Food Festival has officially opened, and our stall has been moved to the main stage in the center of the square, next to tent number one!
We're the most eye-catching center position!
At this point, Wang Hai paused, looked up at Lin Chen, and grinned: "Brother Chen, I still need to build up some buzz for our new dish and give these lurking guys a scare."
After saying that, he lowered his head and continued typing.
"In addition to the signature fried rice, which will be served as usual tonight, we will also have a major new dish to debut – the secret-recipe minced meat rice!"
The price is 128 yuan per serving.
Limited quantities, first come first served!
Stall number one is serving food on time!
After confirming that everything was correct, Wang Hai pressed the send button and cleverly used the "@everyone" function.
The message was sent less than five seconds ago.
"Buzz buzz buzz—" Wang Hai's phone started vibrating wildly, and the WeChat group message notifications went off like a machine gun, instantly turning the originally quiet group into an uproar.
[Holy crap? Greenhouse number one?! Boss Lin is awesome! He's made it to the center stage of the food festival?!]
[New dish?! Finally, a new dish! Secret Recipe Minced Meat Rice? Just hearing the name makes my mouth water!]
[128 yuan? Boss Lin must have gone all out with the ingredients!]
That's all for now, I'm not working overtime tonight, and nobody can stop me from going to work!
[A heads-up: Based on Boss Lin's past practices, this minced meat rice will definitely be limited again!]
Brothers, see you at 5:30 in greenhouse number one! Don't cry if you can't get a spot!
I'm skipping lunch today to save room for meat tonight!!
Looking at the reply on the screen, Wang Hai grinned with satisfaction.
"Heh heh, these guys are getting desperate."
Wang Haidi locked his phone screen and casually stuffed it back into his pocket.
"I've finished sending it to Brother Chen."
Wang Hai sat back down on the small stool, picked up a Shanghai bok choy from the pot, twirled it with a knife, and cut off the outer leaves. "Let's get back to work!"
Tonight's battle must be fought brilliantly!
Lin Chen didn't say anything, but turned around and went back to the stove with the blazing fire. He picked up a ladle and continued to stir the chicken broth simmering in the pot.