Chapter 591 - 31: The Cannon Fodder Daughter and Her Cannon Fodder Dad (Part 31)

After Jiang Hai tasted the soup, he immediately agreed.

He asked Jiang Lai to take the soup to the restaurant for other chefs, as well as the manager and higher-ups to taste. They all agreed from top to bottom.

From then on, the national restaurant would provide this bone soup for a long time.

Regarding pricing, Jiang Hai asked Jiang Lai about the cost of cooking such a pot of soup.

Jiang Lai leaned in and whispered the amount in his ear.

"So cheap?!"

An entire big pot, costing less than two yuan?!

Jiang Lai raised his eyebrows, looking a bit proud.

"If you buy it wholesale, it’s even cheaper."

"What exactly did you add to this soup? Even your dad has to keep it a secret, right?"

Jiang Lai didn’t intend to keep the ingredients a secret.

"You can see it for yourself, it’s just pork bones, corn, and winter melon."

Jiang Hai didn’t believe it.

"Come on, your old face looks terrible. The only thing that doesn’t dissolve in the soup is pork bones, everything else you can’t see has been boiled down; I also added chicken bones and fish bones."

"Chicken bones and fish bones? How do you boil these together? Would it taste good?"

Jiang Lai looked nonchalant.

"I can’t help it if you don’t believe me. Anyway, you just put pork bones, chicken bones, and fish bones in the pot to boil overnight. By morning, the fish bones have dissolved into residue, and the meat on the chicken bones has also boiled down. Then, you scoop out all the bones, leaving just the pork bones in there. Finally, add some pepper, salt, winter melon, corn, and vegetables can be added at the end."

Jiang Lai explained it clearly.

Jiang Hai listened, completely shocked.

"Did that old chef teach you this too?"

"Yeah, this is all part of the Imperial Chef’s secret recipe, absolutely not to be told. In ancient times, only the Emperor would get to drink this, and now I’m spreading it like wildfire. Of course, I can also say it was you who taught me, spreading our Jiang Family’s fame, making it easier for you to take on apprentices later."

Jiang Hai was utterly stunned listening to her.

"Apprentices? What kind of apprentices?"

"Now, several chefs have unanimously decided that I can take over for you, so what you need to do now is be my instructor, stay home and watch how I establish your famous reputation.

Next, you’ll just have to wait for apprentices to come knocking, bringing good wine and meat, kneeling to take you as their master.

And don’t just accept anyone, keep the bar high.

As for the signboard, I’ve thought about it too; it’ll be the founder of Jiang’s Cuisine, and you’ll be the first master chef."

Jiang Hai listened, as if in a dream, as his daughter planned his life for the next few decades.

Staying home as a mentor, easily gaining fame and fortune.

Jiang Hai pinched himself.

It hurt a lot, he wasn’t dreaming.

"You silly girl, talking in your sleep. If taking apprentices were that easy, then wouldn’t I just have to wait around collecting money?"

Jiang Lai nodded.

"What else? I’m responsible for getting our name out there; you’re responsible for teaching. We’ll combine your signature skills with mine, treat this soup as a secret dish, and I’ll come up with a few more for you. Once you’ve mastered them, you can start taking apprentices."

And just like that, Jiang Hai confusingly ended up retired.

His old friends cheerfully sent him off; before leaving, they didn’t forget to have Jiang Lai cook a nice meal for him, ostensibly as a farewell.

There was no time to be sentimental, as Jiang Lai brought out her homemade mulberry wine.

The sweet taste with a spicy kick successfully knocked out the entire kitchen staff, plus a bored manager.

Jiang Hai drank until he was seeing stars; after sleeping it off, Jiang Li came knocking on his door.

"Dad, stop sleeping. There’s someone looking for you outside."

"What’s up?"

"I don’t know them. They say they’re here to become your apprentice, and they’re carrying quite a bit."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Hai recalled a few key phrases in his mind.

Lazily lying at home, sitting around collecting money.

I’ll be outside making the name famous, you handle the apprentices.

Founder of Jiang’s Cuisine.

Gaining fame and fortune.

Jiang Hai slapped himself, and after confirming he wasn’t dreaming, changed his clothes and went out.

Indeed, someone was there to learn from him.

"How did you find this place?"

The young man, carrying items, looked respectful.

"Everyone outside is talking about it now, you’re the founder of Jiang’s Cuisine, your ancestors were Imperial Chefs, used to be a top chef at the national restaurant, and in just a few months, you trained your daughter to take over. Your reputation precedes you. I admire you immensely and respectfully ask for the opportunity to be your apprentice!"

Listening to some of the titles being thrown around, Jiang Hai felt a bit nervous.

But on second thought, it wasn’t wrong.

Jiang Lai’s teacher was indeed an Imperial Chef, and isn’t her master the master of the Jiang Family? So, the bit about the Imperial Chef wasn’t a problem.

Thinking about Jiang Lai’s advice, Jiang Hai calmed down, took a posture, and sized him up.

"Take these things back. Becoming my apprentice isn’t that easy; I need to assess you first before deciding."

The young man looked a little disappointed but wasn’t discouraged; instead, he became even more enthusiastic.

"Rest assured, I certainly won’t let you down!"

After sending this one away, another three or four came in the morning.

All of them came to learn the craft.

After an unrealistic morning, Jiang Hai found time was flying faster than when he was at the restaurant.

This feeling of reemployment after retirement was really nice, instantly washing away the sadness and gloom of his retirement. He turned around and busied himself with studying the family recipes Jiang Lai had given him.

——

The national restaurant’s business was booming.

A menu unchanged for years now featured new dishes every few days, not only cost-effective but delicious!

Previously, the diners were mostly factory workers or unit staff, but now more residents from the surrounding streets have been added.

If they couldn’t afford to eat out all the time, they’d save up and occasionally buy a new dish to try out.

The once sparse and quiet restaurant hall is now almost full every day.

Business is better than the distribution centers!

The hottest seller had to be the new bone soup, costing eight cents for a big bowl, with some bits of meat.

But people weren’t there for the meat—they mainly came for the soup.

Though the soup wasn’t cheap, it was delicious and even came with a complimentary small side dish.

There was a side dish stand outside the window, offering bean sprouts, shredded potatoes, pickled radish, and pickled cabbage.

All are newly introduced small dishes, packed to the brim—crispy, appetizing, and tasty.

The wealthier diners would have a bowl of soup and two new dishes.

Those with less money would order just a bowl of soup, accompany it with the bean sprouts from the soup bonus, and buy two cornbread, filling and satisfying.

Some people would ask if selling such delicious soup for eight cents a bowl, along with a side dish, wouldn’t it lead to losses for the restaurant.

The restaurant staff would just smile and say they were making honest business by losing a little.

To serve the people.

With this approach, everyone felt comfortable, and almost everyone became a returning customer.