Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Don’t Waste Time Singing in KTV...

Chen Ran had been at Swan KTV for three days.

The workload in the first two days was just average, but starting from the afternoon of the third day, the kitchen’s workload began to rise sharply.

Fortunately, this time the dishes were all fried items, which were simpler and more straightforward to prepare. Unlike at the Yanglianshan small restaurant, where not only did she have to make several signature dishes, but also had to cook stir-fries from time to time.

Everyone in the kitchen was so busy that they had become somewhat numb. When the auntie reached out to get the next fish, she was surprised to find none left.

“No more small crucian carp!”

The auntie gutted the last fish and then rummaged through the bag: “Buy some more, all the small crucian carp are finished.”

Chen Ran looked at the amount already cleaned and roughly estimated that the remaining small crucian carp would only be enough for about ten plates.

The system’s recipe still had certain requirements for ingredients, especially for fried fish — it had to be fresh and live.

For small crucian carp, the supply at the market was limited. That morning, they had almost searched the entire market and all the fish vendors before buying what they had now.

Even if Gao Shuxian ran to the market again now, it would be impossible to find a second fish.

“Boss, boss, can you come here?”

Gao Shuxian, who had a walkie-talkie prepared for Chen Ran, hurried over when she heard Chen Ran calling.

“What’s up? Are we short on something? I’ll go buy it now.”

Chen Ran shook her head and pointed to the last half-basin of small fish, telling Gao Shuxian, “Let’s limit this dish; once it’s sold out, that’s it.”

Shunzi was delivering dishes and overheard this, unable to resist commenting, “We really should limit it. Every private room orders another portion to pack up when they leave. That food blogger with the cameraman ordered six portions at once!”

Gao Shuxian hadn’t expected one order of small fried fish to be so popular.

“Limit it then. One portion per private room, no sharing.”

So from then on, before guests in private rooms sat down to order, they would hear the waiter say, “This crispy fried crucian carp is limited to one portion per room.”

Limited?

According to consumers’ simple logic, limited means it’s a good thing!

Especially since Shunzi feared customers wouldn’t understand, she added a few more explanations: “Our crispy fried crucian carp is made with the live small crucian carp we bought this morning. Please understand, it’s not easy to get this ingredient. The previous private room bought five portions to pack up... The boss just wants everyone to have a chance to try it.”

“Alright, bring one portion first!”

Before the limit was mentioned, maybe some customers came for the traditional fried chicken, but after mentioning the limit on the crispy fried crucian carp, almost every table... or rather, every room had to order it.

The last ten plates of small crucian carp sold out in less than ten minutes after the limit was announced.

Hunger marketing quickly played its role when it was least needed.

“I’ll go check the market again!”

Over these few days, Gao Shuxian’s workload was more than the entire previous month at the KTV.

In the past, she only had to move her mouth, but now she bought tables, changed incandescent bulbs in private rooms, bought groceries, and even helped wash radishes in the kitchen when things got really busy.

However, she felt there was nothing wrong with being this busily fulfilled.Even she herself felt that the faint lingering aura of a young lady about her had slightly faded.

After reminding Wang Jinghan a couple of times, Gao Shuxian hurried out of the shop. She had just asked around, and someone recommended she check out a fish pond.

The pond was called a fish pond, but it was actually a place specifically for fishing. The owner stocked it with a large number of fish fry; it cost 200 yuan to fish for two hours, and the fish caught could be sold back to the owner.

If one was skilled, fishing was not only free but might even earn quite a bit of money from the owner.

The person who introduced Gao Shuxian to this place said the pond had plenty of crucian carp fry, locally called “crucian seeds.”

Crucian carp are relatively still when biting bait. When they nibble the bait, the bobber’s movement is barely noticeable, but once hooked, the catch rate is quite high.

This characteristic made these small crucian carp ideal for some quick-fishing activities.

This fish pond specialized in quick fishing of small crucian carp, very competitive and popular with anglers.

Driving all the way there without admiring the beautiful scenery by the pond, Gao Shuxian rushed to the small hut and knocked on the door: “Boss? Boss?”

The boss came out, cracking sunflower seeds as he went. He glanced over Gao Shuxian and, seeing she didn’t look like a fisherman, asked, “What’s up? If you’re looking for someone, go find them over there…”

“No, I’m here to buy some fish — I want to buy some crucian seeds.”

“Huh? Came here to buy fish? This isn’t a place that sells fish.”

The boss laughed; it was the first time he’d heard someone come here to buy fish. A pound of small crucian carp wouldn’t earn him much, and he was too lazy to bother. Earning from fishermen was much faster.

He nodded his chin towards the other side: “Those are fishermen; buy from them. I don’t have any here.”

“Please help me! I’m offering more than market price! I run a K... restaurant! I need a large quantity!”

Just as she finished speaking, an old man came over from behind Gao Shuxian, complaining: “Open for me for two hours... I don’t know what’s going on lately — I’ve been to several farmers’ markets, but can’t find a single small crucian carp. I want to cook a dish, but have to buy the fish myself!”

The fish pond boss laughed; what kind of day was this — one person came running to buy fish, another had to fish for a small crucian carp to eat.

He looked closely and realized he recognized the old man, chuckling: “Isn’t your private kitchen only booked for three tables in the morning? Why aren’t you resting in the afternoon and running out here to buy crucian carp?”

“Who knows. This morning I saw someone...” The old man glanced at Gao Shuxian and was impressed by her, “It’s you! Why do I keep running into you everywhere?”

The old man’s name was Huang Renshou. He used to be head chef at several big restaurants but had retired — though not completely. He ran a private kitchen, only serving three regular customers a day.

One of his signature dishes was vinegar-cooked small crucian carp.

Normally, most people rarely cooked this kind of fish at home, so it wasn’t a dish that sold out. Huang Renshou usually strolled in the morning and leisurely bought his ingredients.

But these past few days, he hadn’t bought any fish once!

Today his regular customers didn’t order the dish again, and he was annoyed, so he came here to fish.

When he wasn’t cooking, he was a skilled fisherman. For small crucian carp like these, he could catch about twenty in an hour — enough for one dish!

Unexpectedly, after coming to fish here, he saw this woman competing with him to buy fish.

“You people running restaurants, why buy so many crucian seeds? This small fish requires delicate preparation, the serving speed is slow, and customers don’t order much…”

Huang Renshou was still young enough to be a top chef for another ten years. But his ideas didn’t fit with big restaurants, so he had angrily returned home to run his private kitchen.

Now being challenged by a young restaurant owner for fish, his complaints grew even longer.

“Nowadays, big restaurants care about… order rates, right? They just do ten or twenty dishes on a production line. They might as well just sell canned food and come fight me for this small crucian carp.”The fish pond owner corrected from the side: “That’s called pre-made dishes, not canned food.”

“No, our restaurant also makes crispy fried small crucian carp, but business has been so good these past few days that we sold out. I really couldn’t buy any, so I heard you could get some here.”

Gao Shuxian wasn’t angry after being lectured a bit by the old man. The most important thing now was still to get the small crucian carp!

“Don’t be upset. If you have time, come to our restaurant, and I’ll treat you for free!”

Gao Shuxian handed Huang Renshou a business card, then turned and carried the bag toward the group of fishermen. She really managed to get a bag of small crucian carp.

Most fishermen were just enjoying the fun of fishing. When they caught too many fish to eat, they often gave them away. Seeing this female boss had a portable scale, they just sold the fish to her.

Huang Renshou watched angrily and decided to fish himself, but today his luck was bad—he caught nothing.

People nearby teased him: “Old Huang, not your day today?”

“How about you wait a bit? I’ll catch ten more and sell them to you?”

Huang Renshou scowled; the wrinkles on his face deepened, making him look more like seventy-five than seventy-four.

“Go away, I’m not eating anymore! I just don’t believe that besides us old folks, anyone still bothers to make these small dishes nowadays.”

When he was young, the cooked food shops on the street sold small fried fish by the pound, but now all over the streets it was either duck parts or Korean fried chicken.

The old man stormed out, about to go home, when he suddenly felt a business card in his pocket.

He pulled it out—it was the one just given by the female boss who had been competing with him for the small crucian carp.

“Daytime Swan KTV?”

When Huang Renshou arrived, he had called his granddaughter to drive him here. She had been playing on her phone in the car but put it down when she saw her grandfather return.

Hearing him mention Daytime Swan, it sounded familiar, and only after starting the car did she remember.

“Oh, I remember now. Yesterday I saw someone post about this Daytime Swan KTV on social media, saying their crispy fried small crucian carp is especially delicious!”

After saying that, the granddaughter realized her grandfather had come today just to buy small crucian carp. She quickly glanced at him through the rearview mirror and added:

“Of course, it definitely isn’t as tasty as my grandpa’s.”

“Nonsense!”

After two days without finding small crucian carp and being mocked for catching nothing just now, Huang Renshou was at his wit’s end.

He glared at the business card in his hand and made a decision.

“You lead me to this... this Daytime Swan KTV!”

He wanted to see what kind of dish this female boss would make after taking so many of his small crucian carp.

“Alright,” his granddaughter saw he was in a bad mood and didn’t say much, only carefully asked, “What about those customers asking if they can order vinegar-cooked small crucian carp tomorrow?”

“No!”

Seeing how angry her grandfather was, the granddaughter dared not speak further, sticking out her tongue as she drove all the way to Daytime Swan KTV.

When the two got out of the car, they were stunned.

These days, it’s quite normal for popular shops to have queues—whether genuinely popular or using hunger marketing with hired line-standers, it’s very common.But honestly, I’ve never seen a KTV with a line before!

“Grandpa, should we line up?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t we?”

Huang Renshou felt a bit stubborn inside.

He had quit the restaurant where he used to work because the restaurant kept pushing trendy dishes and fusion cuisine. It would have been fine if it were just fusion—he even made fries at home for his granddaughter; it’s normal for young people to like new things.

But later, it turned into blindly chasing low cost and fast service, which was unacceptable to a traditional old chef like him.

Some things just can’t be skimped on! No matter how good Western fried chicken is, aren’t there already enough McDonald’s and KFC outlets? Why do we all have to swarm after them?

He stood honestly at the entrance, lining up with his granddaughter.

A strong aroma wafted from the shop.

“So fragrant… is this the smell of fried chicken? I heard old-style fried chicken isn’t breaded—does that mean it’s like the pistol leg at Dicos?”

Huang Renshou’s face darkened again; unable to resist, he spoke up.

“How can it be the same? This is the authentic old-style fried chicken method! You smell that marinade? That means the chicken is first marinated thoroughly and cooled before frying!”

His initial anger had already settled somewhat.

Just from smelling that marinade aroma, you could tell the chef’s skills were pretty good.

Young chefs who come and go in kitchens often think that the more spices you put in the marinade, the better it tastes. But such misunderstanding leads you astray.

Using a few appropriate spices suited to the place, without letting the spices overwhelm the original flavor, is the right way.

Just like this flavor…

Huang Renshou took two deep sniffs in the wind, carefully savoring the spices in the aroma.

“Smell it carefully—see if you can tell what spices they used?”

Huang Renshou’s granddaughter only studied a little when she was very young; she couldn’t really tell anymore: “Grandpa, please spare me—I can’t tell! I just think it tastes as good as the old-style fried chicken you used to make.”

“These spices, no more than five varieties…” Huang Renshou sighed. “Let’s line up. Those crucian carp given to such a chef to cook at least won’t go to waste.”

He looked at the number of people in front and quietly calculated that today he could finally have a proper dinner outside.

Don’t think chefs don’t like eating out. If he hadn’t failed to find chefs who suit his taste, who would want to endure smoke and fire every day?

“This meal’s on grandpa. Can you order me that Peking opera ‘Battle of Wisdom’ from ‘Shajiabang’? Like the scene in ‘In the Name of the People’…”

“No problem!”

As they talked, the cook and photographer came out loaded with bags, glanced at the line ahead, and sighed.

“Chef Chen really is... popular no matter where he goes.”

“There are only a few people now. Wait until the big group arrives from the chat group—that time it’ll be hard for us to get a bite.”

The cook immediately spotted Huang Renshou—he had visited Huang’s private kitchen before!

“Oh, Old Master Huang, you’re here for the small crucian carp too?”Huang Renshou nodded; he still had some impression of the cook, who was also skilled at cooking. When they first scoped out the place, the two had a pleasant chat.

“Yes, I’ll give it a try.”

The cook gave a thumbs-up: “You’re well informed! Definitely worth trying!”

Hearing such obvious praise, Huang Renshou’s temper flared a bit, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Oh? How does it compare to my vinegar-braised small crucian carp?”

His vinegar-braised small crucian carp was also fried crispy, but finished with a vinegar braise to completely remove the fishy taste and highlight the aroma of the fish.

“Hahaha, Old Master, you’ll know once you taste it!”

The cook didn’t answer directly and patted Huang Renshou before heading out.

Sometimes, not answering is the best answer.

Just as Huang Renshou felt both skeptical and eager, the two finally got to the front of the line!

By now, it was already dark.

“Sorry for the wait, please come this way.”

Once seated in the private room, Huang Renshou impatiently ordered, “Bring out your proudest dishes. Give me two orders of the crispy fried small crucian carp.”

He wanted to savor it properly!

“Sorry, the crispy fried small crucian carp is a limited dish; you can only order one.”

Huang Renshou remembered the female owner who had been competing with him for the small crucian carp—well, limited it is.

“Then I’ll have…”

Before he finished, the server adjusted the earpiece, apologizing: “Really sorry, the last portion has sold out…”

What?

Compared to Huang Renshou, the kitchen’s Gao Shuxian was even more shocked.

“How could it be all sold out?”

“When we didn’t say it was limited, the crispy fried small crucian carp wasn’t a must-order at every table; after all, fried chicken is the real crowd-pleaser,” the server nervously explained to the owner while handing out dishes. “But now that it’s limited, who wouldn’t want to try it?”

“I’ll try to reach out again!”

Gao Shuxian went out to mobilize her social contacts.

However, the line at the whole KTV didn’t stop just because the crispy fried small crucian carp was sold out—instead, it kept growing longer.

Some odd conversations popped up in the queue.

“What’s on the menu this time? I heard there’s lion’s head meatballs?”

“No... lion’s head meatballs were only tried once by Teacher Deng’s husband at the start, then taken off the menu. But I heard the old-style fried chicken is really good!”

“Why not sell pork knuckle? Selling knuckle at a KTV would be such a good deal!”

Fans of the clear-braised pork knuckle were pounding their chests in frustration, while someone nearby sneered, “Should they also serve you a bowl of rice with that—pork knuckle rice? What are you thinking, eating big knuckles at a KTV?”

Another person defended confidently, “What’s wrong with eating knuckle at a KTV? It’s better than borrowing kids to eat lion’s head meatballs back then.”A group of fans chatted lively, occasionally mixed with one or two local fried chicken fans who didn’t quite understand what was going on.

“What are you all talking about? Didn’t you come here to eat fried chicken?”

Hearing “fried chicken,” the old fans got excited and asked one after another, “What kind of fried chicken? Like KFC or Korean style?”

“Neither,” the fried chicken fan had already come yesterday and tried it once. That unforgettable Chinese-style fried chicken made him come back to line up again at noon today. “I don’t know if you had it when you were kids, but it’s first braised, then fried! It tastes like braised chicken with a rich aroma, and the skin is crispy!”

That description alone sounded mouthwatering!

However...

The old fans looked at the long line and doubted whether they could still get in today.

“Can we still get in today? I counted over forty people ahead…”

“We should be able to, right? The KTV should be open until at least 3 a.m.?”

Everyone nodded.

KTV is good! Open till early morning, better than a restaurant!

Inside the KTV private room, Huang Renshou, who had already ordered the excerpt from the Peking opera "Zhidou," hadn’t picked up the microphone yet.

He was patiently observing the chicken drumstick, and only after his granddaughter ate two did he take a bite.

The cooking was perfect.

The braised-then-fried drumstick was rich in flavor, but if the timing was off, it could easily become dry or tough.

But this drumstick was flawless.

The more Huang Renshou ate, the more he felt a tingling itch in his heart. The better the chef’s skill seemed, the more eager he was to try the chef’s crispy fried small crucian carp and compare it to his own.

After finishing the fried chicken, he began tasting the vegetarian meatballs, praising the reform that replaced flour with tofu.

“A finishing touch! Truly the finishing touch!”

Unfortunately, why was the small crucian carp limited?

By now, Huang Renshou had completely forgotten his earlier resentment toward Gao Shuxian over competing for the small crucian carp.

Just as he was about to explain the meatballs’ exquisite points to his granddaughter, suddenly, a phone call came in.

“Hello, Old Huang, didn’t you want to eat small crucian carp today? After you left, I caught over forty more. Want me to deliver them to you?”

Huang Renshou, who had already given up a little, was reignited with hope.

“Come quickly! Deliver it to Bai Tian’e KTV. I’ll treat you to a meal. How’s that?”

“Alright, I’m on my way!”

Huang Renshou felt great. The owner had even said it would be free. He wasn’t asking for free, just bringing his own fish for processing, which was reasonable, right?

He thought about how later everyone outside in line would have nothing to eat, while only he could proudly present a whole plate…

Huang Renshou finished the last meatball and proudly picked up the microphone, just as Hu Chuankui’s voice said, “…at that time, I also came up with a clever idea…”

The old man, now 74 years old, could still wield a ladle skillfully, had good stamina, and naturally a loud voice. His shout carried far, reaching all the way to the people waiting in line outside.However, many people in the line couldn’t appreciate this singing excerpt.

Not because the old man sang badly, but because they desperately wanted to pull him out and get inside to eat!

“Are you really treating this like a KTV? Stop singing and hurry up to eat!”

“Exactly, finish quickly and let someone else go! I can barely hold back this smell!”

In this heated atmosphere, Chen Ran’s mission was finally accomplished!

【Single-day revenue reached 15,000】

【Last dish of the snack set unlocked: Salted Peanuts】

【As the final dish of the S-level snack set, the host must explore the seasoning stage independently】

Explore independently?

Chen Ran, busy preparing the marinade, froze for a moment.

This was the first time she received such a task; previously, the system always gave ready-made recipes.

Especially the seasoning part, she really felt a bit unsure.

Seeing Chen Ran still not starting, the system unusually gave a hint.

【After days of practice, the host’s seasoning skills have improved greatly. Now just calmly think and boldly apply.】

Calmly think?

These days, Chen Ran had been constantly curing small fish, braising chicken legs, and seasoning meatballs. Over time, she had indeed gained some new understanding of seasoning.

But it wasn’t enough…

Suddenly, Chen Ran recalled something. When she watched the “Peach Blossom Spring” clip sent by Ji You, the clear-braised pork knuckle made by Lü Yi seemed different from what she got from the system.

She only used three kinds of vegetables and three spices, but in the program’s video, Lü Yi used six spices…

At the time, she even discussed with her aunt that too many spices might overpower the main ingredient.

So, what about this salted peanuts?

Chen Ran’s gaze turned to a bag of fresh peanuts under the kitchen counter, brought by Shunzi as thanks for feeding them. They were supposedly freshly grown “Four Red Kernels” from his family.

She took out the peanuts, washed them clean, boiled water, and put all the cleaned peanuts into the pot.

Then, it was time to season.

To think carefully, Chen Ran took a small plate, preparing to pour all the seasonings onto it.

Salted peanuts…

She pondered for a long time, first adding fine salt, then hesitated, and finally only put two star anise pods on top.

Holding the plate, just as she was about to pour these simplest seasonings into the pot, she suddenly heard a cheer from across.

“Double-edged sword without a sharp edge, great skill is unassuming! You girl… I didn’t believe just now that the exquisite fried chicken seasoning was made by you, but now it seems you really know seasoning!”

When Huang Renshou walked in, he saw Chen Ran deep in thought, so focused she hadn’t even noticed him holding a bag of crucian carp seeds along with Boss Gao.He watched the girl intently, thinking for a long time, and in the end chose to use only salt and two star anise pods.

Brilliant!

To have such comprehensive skill at an age eager to show off, yet still hold onto one’s true intentions, discarding all unnecessary embellishments and respecting the original flavor of the food—

This is a chef who glimpses the great way!

At the same time, the system finally popped up a prompt.

【Last dish of the snack set unlocked: Salted Peanuts】

【The finest salted peanuts require only a little seasoning; the classic nature of this dish needs no further explanation】

【S-level snack set unlocked】

【Congratulations to the host on leveling up seasoning skill to S-level】