Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 364 The Legendary Manager

Inside Fengzeyuan Restaurant, the manager's face darkened upon hearing Liu Yimin's words, and he glared fiercely at the rude waiter.

The manager quickly apologized: "I'm sorry, Comrade Liu Yimin, we will definitely do a good job in the training."

Liu Yimin stopped there and didn't pursue the matter further. When the manager heard that Liu Yimin was there to gather information and intended to use the development of the catering industry in old Beijing as a perspective to understand the entire history, he happily expressed that Fengzeyuan would fully cooperate.

"Comrade Liu Yimin, let me tell you about the long history of Fengzeyuan. It was founded in 1930. The founders came from Xinfenglou, one of the eight famous restaurants in Beijing at the time. Luan Xuetang, a renowned chef, and Chen Huanzhang, a famous chef at the time, led more than 20 people to establish Fengzeyuan."

The manager spoke at length to Liu Yimin about the history of Fengzeyuan, from the hardships of starting the business to its glorious history after liberation.

"Manager, you remember all of this?" Liu Yimin asked in surprise.

The manager raised an eyebrow and said smugly, "Hey, Comrade Yimin, this is one of the important places where leaders entertain foreign guests. Ho Chi Minh, Sihanouk, and Kakuei Tanaka have all been here. These people not only like to eat, but also like to ask about the history of the dishes. If I don't remember it clearly, what will I do if the foreign guests ask? Besides, I've answered so many times that I already know it by heart."

"Is that so? No wonder the waiter was rude. Turns out I'm not a foreign guest!" Liu Yimin joked.

The manager quickly said, "Comrade Yimin, I'm really sorry, we actually have training sessions in place."

"The old-style waiters in Beijing were skilled at being tactful and meticulous, ensuring that customers ate comfortably and listened attentively. Manager, we still need to provide proper training. Whether they are ordinary people or foreign guests, everyone who comes to Fengzeyuan is a guest."

"That's right, I will definitely manage it more strictly in the future."

The manager had someone bring Liu Yimin a bowl of cuttlefish egg soup: "Comrade Yimin, please try it."

Cuttlefish roe soup is a popular dish at state banquets, even considered the premier soup served there. The main ingredient is cuttlefish roe, and the broth is made from clear chicken stock. The key is to achieve a balance of sourness without vinegar, spiciness without pepper, and a delicate aroma without excessive oiliness, resulting in a slightly sour and mildly spicy flavor.

The sour juice comes from the juice of pickled cucumbers.

Liu Yimin took a sip and thought it tasted good, but it was a bit bland, which was in line with the overall concept of a light-bodied banquet.

"It's delicious. Fengzeyuan still lives up to its original reputation," Liu Yimin commented.

"After eating braised sea cucumber with scallions, drinking this cuttlefish egg soup is just right. Even Kakuei Tanaka exclaimed 'Yoshi!' and Sihanouk exclaimed 'Swarabun!' after drinking it."

After the manager treated Liu Yimin to a meal, he took him to the kitchen. Fengzeyuan, as one of the venues for state banquets, had a three-story building built in the early 1970s with the support of central leaders. The building was very grand.

As the core of Fengzeyuan, the kitchen is naturally very large. There are twenty or thirty chefs and vegetable cutters inside, and dishes are served to diners one by one.

"Manager, this is the kitchen. How dare you bring people in like this?" a chef said in an unfriendly tone.

"This is writer Liu Yimin. He just finished writing 'The Birth of a Nation.' He's here to gather material and wants to write about the story of our Fengzeyuan. Chen Aiwu, don't cause trouble for writer Liu."

Liu Yimin looked at Chen Aiwu, who had a tough expression, and smiled, "Comrade Chen Aiwu, I've heard about your deeds."

Upon hearing this, Chen Aiwu's face lost its previous dissatisfaction and became somewhat shy: "Comrade Liu Yimin, they have been too much of a bully in this matter."

In 1980, when the leaders of the Ministry of Commerce came to Fengzeyuan Restaurant for a meal, they spent more than 100 yuan but gave a symbolic amount of more than ten yuan. Chen Aiwu dared to complain to the higher authorities, and the China Youth Daily even published a report praising this person who was not afraid of privilege.

The news was widely reported in the newspapers at the time, and since the China Youth Daily was a major newspaper, Liu Yimin had also heard about it.

"You did a great job," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Liu Yimin greeted everyone in the kitchen, but he didn't see Grandpa Wang Yijun there.

After leaving the kitchen, Liu Yimin asked the manager if he could meet Comrade Wang Yijun and request permission to stay in the kitchen for a while to learn about Fengzeyuan's cuisine.

“Comrade Yimin, others may not be able to see you, but you certainly will. You are promoting the history of our Fengzeyuan, and Comrade Wang Yijun will certainly be very happy to know that. Staying in the kitchen? No problem, we will fully cooperate.”

The manager was the lobby manager, and when he brought Liu Yimin to the kitchen, he had already sent someone to find the general manager.

The general manager overheard their conversation when he came downstairs. He immediately expressed his full cooperation and personally led Liu Yimin toward Comrade Wang Yijun's office.

"Comrade Wang Yijun is fifty years old this year. He has been in charge of the kitchen work of Fengzeyuan since 71 and is still in charge now. However, other people usually manage it on a daily basis. After all, Comrade Wang Yijun is quite busy now and is occasionally invited to go abroad to perform his culinary skills."

The general manager knocked on Wang Yijun's office door. Wang Yijun was wearing a Zhongshan suit, and his clothes were neatly arranged. He looked more like a government official than a chef.

"Comrade Wang, this is Professor Liu Yimin from Yenching University, a writer. He has come to visit you today."

After the general manager finished his introduction, Wang Yijun glanced at Liu Yimin a few times, then immediately reached out and said with a smile, "Comrade Liu Yimin, oh my, the movies adapted from your novels are all very good. And this latest one, 'The Birth of a Nation,' is even more amazing. It's a nuclear bomb! The fire wave from the explosion is much bigger than the fire I play with. Please have a seat."

Wang Yijun invited Liu Yimin and the general manager to sit down, and Liu Yimin then shared his thoughts with them.

"I've met our manager, Luan Xuetang. He rose from a beggar to become a renowned manager in Beijing. His life story is legendary. He passed away at Peking Union Medical College Hospital in the late 1950s. When the liberation was over, Fengzeyuan fell apart because of the founder's unreasonable profit-sharing, and it also declined due to tense labor relations."

Later, through the public-private partnership and with the support of higher authorities, it gradually got to where it is today.

It's easy for entrepreneurs to share the hardships, but difficult to share the rewards. There are far too many companies that have fallen due to unequal profit sharing and mutual attacks after success.

Those who can make money may not dare to share it. It's easy to conquer a country, but difficult to maintain it! Or perhaps human greed is insatiable, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. The intricacies of this situation are difficult for onlookers to understand in a short time.

“I came to Beiping to make a living when I was 13 years old. At first, I was a ‘little laborer,’ an apprentice who didn’t know anything. My job was to clean the spoons. The chef would throw the spoons away, and I would have to pick them up and clean them until they were clean before the chef could use them again.”

While Wang Yijun was speaking, Liu Yimin asked questions from time to time, but the general manager had already left.

After Wang Yijun finished speaking, he excitedly led Liu Yimin to the kitchen, wanting to show off his skills and let Liu Yimin taste the braised sea cucumber with scallions that everyone in the world loves.

As soon as the two stepped into the kitchen, many people cheered, which shows Wang Yijun's influence in the kitchen.

"Our sea cucumbers come from the Shandong Peninsula and are the best spiny sea cucumbers. They're highly nutritious, and after eating them, you can jump and bounce around," Wang Yijun explained to Liu Yimin.

"Can we play soccer after eating?"

"Football? That might be a bit lacking!"

As soon as Wang Yijun stood next to the stove, sea cucumbers and scallions from the peninsula were brought over, and an apprentice handed him a white apron and sleeves.

Wang Yijun worked with fluid grace, explaining the key points of braised sea cucumber with scallions to Liu Yimin as he cooked. After finishing, he took it outside for Liu Yimin to taste.

"Master Wang, the seafood and scallion flavors in your sea cucumber are even better blended than the one I just had. It tastes much fresher," Liu Yimin praised repeatedly after tasting it.

"Of course, those little rascals aren't home yet."

"You'll win first place in this year's chef competition."

"Haha, there are countless famous chefs in the world, and none of them dare to claim to be the best. But Comrade Liu Yimin, you are now the undisputed number one among young writers."

"You flatter me, Master Wang. I have a favor to ask, and I hope you will refuse if it is inappropriate. My wife is pregnant, and I think the sea cucumber and cuttlefish egg soup are quite nutritious, so I would like to ask if I could become your apprentice and learn a few tricks."

Wang Yijun paused for a moment, then frowned deeply, but relaxed a second later: "Learning is fine, but there's no need for me to become your apprentice; I can't accept that. You won't be a chef in the future, so it's alright for you to learn. Comrade Yimin, when did you get married?"

We got married around this time last year.

"Who is this person? Is he someone you'd like to meet?" "Master Wang might have seen him in a movie, Comrade Zhu Lin."

Wang Yijun slapped his thigh: "Comrade Jiang Man from 'Triumph at Midnight', what a perfect couple! We met too late, otherwise I could have helped you cook at your wedding. There must have been a lot of people there, right?"

Liu Yimin mentioned a few names, and Wang Yijun exclaimed that most of the literary celebrities had gone. He wished he had gone to broaden his horizons.

"You've seen a lot of the world."

Liu Yimin and Wang Yijun spent two hours in the kitchen, sweating profusely from the heat. They figured that once the novel was finished, they could directly take the chef's exam.

"Goodbye, Comrade Liu Yimin. Next time you come, just come directly to the kitchen." Wang Yijun and the lobby manager smiled as they saw Liu Yimin off.

On the afternoon of the 29th, Liu Yimin went directly to the Beijing People's Art Theatre after leaving Fengzeyuan. Zhu Lin did not stay at home any longer but went to work. She thought about it and decided to save her half-month vacation for when she needed it.

Liu Yimin handed the script of "The Birth of a Nation" to Cao Yu. After reading it, Cao Yu asked, "Has the army contacted you?"

"The General Political Department and my comrades-in-arms contacted me, but I turned them down." Wei, the head of the comrades-in-arms cultural troupe, also approached Wei Wei, but Liu Yimin politely declined, saying that he had already agreed to it.

"Your scripts are getting better and better. Your control over the plot and scenes is already at the level of a great screenwriter. I plan to have four directors direct this script: Xia Chun, Shan Zun, Tian Ye, and Zhu Lin. Xia Chun and Shan Zun will be the lead directors, and Tian Ye and Zhu Lin will be the assistant directors. What do you think?"

Cao Yu crossed his legs and asked, clearly satisfied with his lineup.

"I think it's great. This is the strongest lineup from the Beijing People's Art Theatre. I believe it will be exceptionally exciting when it's put on."

Cao Yu immediately called Xia Chun, Ouyang Shanzun, Lan Tianye, and Zhu Lin in. When Xia Chun and the other two saw Liu Yimin, they couldn't help but smile.

Everyone knew what Cao Yu meant by calling them in at this moment.

After the three men entered, they smiled and took turns shaking Liu Yimin's hand. They looked at Cao Yu and assured him, "Lord Jiabao, the four of us will definitely be able to put on a good show. You and Yimin will be watching!"

“Of course I trust the four of you. This is the script, and I don’t think there’s anything that needs to be changed. This play has two major challenges: the set design and the characters. You need to get these two aspects in the right place. See how to create a realistic set so that everyone can truly feel the difficulty of the process.”

After Cao Yu finished speaking, Liu Yimin interjected, "We should not only show the difficulty of the process, but also avoid making the breaking point based on 'suffering.' We should show the revolutionary optimism and fearless spirit of sacrifice of the scientists and soldiers."

“What Yimin said is very important; we mustn’t turn this into a grievance session,” Cao Yu said.

The directors nodded and, after reading the script, each offered a few comments.

"Alright then, let's get started!"

After Cao Yu finished speaking, Liu Yimin and several directors left the office. Ouyang Shanzun put his arm around Liu Yimin's shoulder and asked him about the three scripts.

"The other two will be released after September. Directors, don't worry, there's no use in being anxious."

Lan Tianye laughed and said, "We're not in a hurry, but some people are, like Lao Su, hahaha."

So he walked over and waved to Liu Yimin.

Liu Yimin followed Yu Shizhi into his office. Yu Shizhi smiled and said, "It's really a blessing for our People's Art Theatre to have you. This time the script fee is one thousand yuan, and the tax has already been deducted. Now that prices are rising, our script fees also need to be raised. Are there any prospects for the remaining two scripts?"

Liu Yimin mimicked Yu Shizhi's sigh, and Yu Shizhi said with a dark face, "Don't imitate my sighs!"

Liu Yimin chuckled and deliberately said, "There's no time for literary matters!"

So I thought about it and realized that this made sense. I just hoped that Liu Yimin wouldn't say something like, "How can a promise made in literature be kept?"

Writers and artists sometimes make empty promises, and people understand because "that's just how writers are!"
Liu Yimin carefully put away the envelope containing the money and said to Yu Shizhi, "Comrade Yu, don't worry. There's a saying that goes, 'What you keep in mind will eventually come to pass.'"

"You don't know, everyone's been watching you closely, just waiting for you to drop a script out of the box so everyone can share it and start acting," Yu Shizhi said helplessly.

"Don't worry, there will definitely be suitable roles for you in the upcoming scripts. Nobody will be idle then."

Liu Yimin patted Yu Shizhi on the shoulder, and Yu Shizhi nodded in satisfaction upon hearing that he would have a role.

Another copy of the script was given to Wan Fang, who then gave Liu Yimin a royalties of nine hundred yuan. The royalties given by Harvest magazine should be about the same.

That evening, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin returned home together, and Zhu Lin asked Liu Yimin how his studies were progressing.

"I'm also planning to learn a dish called cuttlefish egg soup." After Liu Yimin explained the general method to Zhu Lin, Zhu Lin shook his head.

"These dishes are fine to eat at a restaurant, but it's too much trouble to cook them yourself."

"Zhu Lin, are you trying to give me an excuse not to study?"

Zhu Lin popped a grape into Liu Yimin's mouth: "You still need to learn. Once you've learned it, teach me and I'll do it."

Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin busied themselves in the kitchen for a while, preparing a meat dish and a vegetable dish. After the meal, Liu Yimin returned to his study to begin writing.

Liu Yimin was going to write "The Legendary Manager", a TV series about Luan Xuetang, the manager of Fengzeyuan Restaurant, from a beggar to a manager and then the president of the Beiping Catering Association.

The opening scene is set against the backdrop of the failure of the Paris Peace Conference, with angry students storming Zhang Zongxiang's restaurant, where he was celebrating his victory.

Luan Xuetang met Yao Zesheng, the first and lifelong benefactor in his life, who recommended him to become an apprentice at Jifenglou Restaurant. There, his quick wit won the favor of head chef Chen Huanzhang.

Inside Jifenglou Restaurant, Luan Xuetang helped the restaurant overcome several crises, including cleverly preparing a whole pig feast for Zhang Zuolin and befriending Wu Peifu, who had no money with him.

His quick wit won everyone's approval, but he was resented by the boss's brother-in-law, Li Qiuchen, and was eventually kicked out of Jifenglou by the boss.

With Yao Zesheng's financial support, Luan Xuetang established Fengzeyuan and, together with Chen Huanzhang, the famous chef of Jifenglou, made Jifenglou a great success. He also married Guan Yali, the sweetheart of Li Qiuchen.

Li Qiuchen colluded with the police chief to repeatedly cause trouble, but Luan Xuetang resolved the situation with his underhanded tactics. He then used generous methods to poach Zeng Nian'an, who had already lost interest in Jifenglou. Zeng Nian'an's specialty was braised sea cucumber with scallions.

After moving to the city, Li Qiuchen colluded with the Japanese and helped the Japanese soldier Yano sample all the delicacies of Beiping. A famous scene from the series is when Yano, while eating braised pork offal, tells the vendor, "The stronger the pungent smell, the better it tastes," indicating his fondness for the taste of uncleaned pig intestines.

When Japan was on the verge of defeat, Yano hoped that he could also eat braised sea cucumber with scallions in Japan, so he sent someone to learn from Zeng Nian'an.

To ensure that the family's secrets did not leak out, Zeng Nian'an refused to teach any special skills. In a last resort, he burned his arm with oil, rendering him unable to cook from then on.

After the Japanese left, Li Qiuchen was arrested as a traitor, but eventually escaped by bribing officials.

After liberation, Li Qiuchen and the traitorous bureau chief Hu Jixiang lived in constant fear. Hu Jixiang, who had become a spy, prepared to escape. Before leaving, he extorted money from Li Qiuchen and was eventually killed by Li Qiuchen with poisoned wine. However, Hu Jixiang shot and killed Li Qiuchen as he was dying.

Luan Xuetang continued to operate Fengzeyuan in the new China.

Set against the backdrop of that turbulent era, the drama revolves around the rivalry between two restaurants, interspersed with scenes of Chinese resistance against Japan. It is a typical example of using small details to illustrate larger themes.

It also showed everyone that when a nation is in peril, no one can escape its fate. The era left Luan Xuetang with the trauma of his wife's murder, and the cook Zeng Nian'an with a lifelong disability.
Liu Yimin went to learn about Fengzeyuan in order to make his writing more "flavorful".

(End of this chapter)