txolops Chapter 180 The Little Cotton-padded Jacket Who Couldn't Bear It Anymore
Chapter 180 The Little Cotton-padded Jacket Who Couldn't Bear It Anymore
In the rented room.
Wang Hai quickly considered what Lin Chen had just said in his mind, and then responded.
"Brother Chen, you're the one who needs to think long-term!"
Wang Hai nodded. "Seventy catties of black pork, just the work of cutting the meat into cubes, stir-frying, and then simmering it over low heat is enough to make a pot of tea."
If you don't reduce the amount of ingredients you prepare for fried rice, with that terrifying amount of customers tonight, your hand that's good for tossing the wok will definitely be ruined.
We can make money, but we can't ruin our health.
He knew very well that Lin Chen relied entirely on individual cooking pots to prepare meals, and he controlled all the cooking temperature himself.
Focusing on the more profitable and in-demand braised pork rice, while reducing the production of fried rice that requires strenuous stir-frying, is definitely the wisest strategy right now.
"Now that it's settled, we need to let you know in advance about the meat."
Without saying a word, Lin Chen took out his phone directly from his pocket.
It's already past 10 p.m.
Regular pork is easy to buy, but 70 pounds of top-quality pork belly with a perfect fat-to-lean ratio must be pre-ordered from the butcher; otherwise, you definitely won't be able to find enough at the market tomorrow morning.
Lin Chen pulled out his contacts and dialed the number of Lao Zhang, the meat stall owner at the farmers' market.
The phone rang a few times and was quickly answered.
"Hello, Mr. Lin?"
Old Zhang's voice came through the receiver, "What's up calling so late at night?"
"Boss Zhang, I hope I didn't disturb your rest?"
Lin Chen greeted him, "I need to order more pork belly for tomorrow."
"I haven't slept yet. I just finished sorting out tomorrow's purchase order."
"More is better!"
Old Zhang asked with a chuckle on the other end, "How much more are you planning to add?"
"Keep seventy catties of top-quality pork belly and foreleg for me tomorrow."
The lean-to-fat ratio will remain the same as always – top-notch.
Lin Chen spoke up.
"Seventy pounds? That's good, Boss Lin!"
When Lao Zhang heard this number, he said, "It went from fifty jin to seventy jin. It seems that your food festival business is quite booming!"
No problem, leave it to me.
For the owner of a large farmers' market, a 70-pound order is a decent and stable source of income.
"However, I definitely can't gather seventy catties of this top-quality cut from just one pig at my stall."
Old Zhang considered it for a moment and promised, "Don't worry, I'll call my brother's stall right now and ask him to bring out all the best pork belly for you tomorrow."
"Come pick up the goods tomorrow morning, you won't be shortchanged by an ounce!"
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Zhang."
"Hey, no need to be so polite, we're brothers. Get some rest!"
After hanging up the phone, Lin Chen casually placed it on the coffee table.
With the core supply secured, half of the biggest challenge for setting up a stall tomorrow has been solved.
"Brother Chen, is everything settled with Boss Zhang?"
Wang Hai leaned closer and asked.
"Alright, I'll pick up the meat as usual tomorrow morning."
Lin Chen stood up, stretched his shoulders, and looked at the pile of kitchen utensils next to the balcony. "Let's go, let's get to work."
"Put these things away and get some rest."
"Coming right up!"
The joy of making money keeps Wang Hai full of energy.
He went to the balcony, rolled up his sleeves, picked up dish soap and a brush, and got to work.
The two had a clear division of labor and worked together seamlessly.
Lin Chen boiled two kettles of water and poured them into a large thermos to melt the solidified lard, while Wang Hai was in charge of scrubbing it.
After washing, Lin Chen rinsed the pot with clean water and then washed and dried it.
Without any unnecessary words, the two grown men got to work quickly and efficiently.
In less than half an hour, all the equipment covered in oil stains and seasonings was cleaned and neatly placed upside down on the drain rack on the balcony.
"Completed!"
Wang Hai shook the water droplets off his hands, dried them with a towel, and let out a long sigh of relief.
Lin Chen hung up the last iron spoon and turned to walk back to the living room.
As soon as Lin Chen entered the living room, he stopped in his tracks.
On the old sofa.
Tangtang, who had confidently promised to wait until they finished washing up before playing together, had somehow fallen asleep.
The little girl was curled up in the corner of the sofa.
Perhaps feeling a bit cold, she curled up slightly, her breathing steady and long, her little mouth occasionally smacking, as if she were dreaming of something delicious.
Tonight, she sat on a small stool and handed out hundreds of spoons non-stop. Once the excitement wore off, the child's energy was completely depleted.
Wang Hai followed Lin Chen in and, upon seeing this scene, immediately slowed his pace.
"Oh dear, our spoon-distributing team leader couldn't hold on any longer and went to sleep."
Wang Hai grinned silently.
"Um."
Lin Chen responded softly.
He walked to the sofa and bent down with practiced ease.
With one hand supporting Tangtang's neck and back, and the other hand slipping behind her knees, Lin Chen lifted the little girl from the sofa.
Suddenly lifted into the air, Tangtang instinctively snuggled into Lin Chen's arms, finding a comfortable position. Her little hands were still tightly gripping the front of Lin Chen's shirt as she slept soundly.
Lin Chen carried his daughter into the bedroom.
The main lights in the bedroom were not on; only a bedside lamp with soft light was left on.
Lin Chen placed Tangtang on the soft bed, took off her little shoes, pulled over the thin blanket next to her, carefully covered her with it, and tucked the edges in.
Looking at his daughter's peaceful sleeping face, Lin Chen stood quietly by the bed for two seconds.
He then turned and left the bedroom, gently closing the door behind him.
Back in the living room.
Wang Hai had already picked up his car keys and was standing at the door changing his shoes.
"Brother Chen, everything's packed up, so I'll head back now."
Wang Hai pushed open the door and said in a low voice, "We'll be busy tomorrow, you should go wash up and go to bed."
"Drive carefully."
Lin Chen instructed, "You don't need to come so early tomorrow morning. I'll go get the meat at seven o'clock, and you can come over at eight o'clock to help prepare the vegetables."
"Alright! See you tomorrow, Chen-ge!"
Wang Hai readily agreed and closed the security door of the rented room behind him.
As the footsteps outside the door gradually faded into the distance, the rented room fell completely silent.
Lin Chen walked to the window, pushed it open halfway, and the night breeze dispersed the remaining moisture in the room.
He turned and went into the bathroom, took off his clothes which were stained with sweat and the smell of smoke, and turned on the shower.
The warm water flowed down, completely washing away the fatigue of the whole day.
Ten minutes later.
Lin Chen dried his hair as he walked out of the bathroom.
He went over, poured himself another glass of water, took a couple of sips, and glanced at the small accounting notebook on the coffee table.
He turned off the living room ceiling light and turned to walk into the bedroom.
I quietly lay down on the other side of the bed, afraid of waking Tangtang from her deep sleep.
Listening to his daughter's soft, even breathing, Lin Chen slowly closed his eyes.
The night was deep and all was quiet.