Courtyard House: Inheriting the Restaurant, the Jia Family Wants to Get It for Free

"Don't worry, Director Li," Cheng Shuhai smiled. "I happen to have experience in entertaining Soviet comrades."

After seeing Li Weimin off, Cheng Shuhai immediately began to devise a menu.

He lived in Moscow for six months and had an intimate knowledge of Soviet dietary habits.

Soviets had a fondness for meat and preferred strong flavors, especially sweet, sour, and salty tastes. Soup and bread were indispensable items on their tables.

However, since this is a welcoming banquet hosted by the Chinese side, the characteristics of Chinese cuisine must be highlighted, and it cannot be completely turned into a Western-style meal.

Cheng Shuhai quickly came up with a menu that would combine Chinese and Western elements, catering to the tastes of Soviet experts while showcasing the profoundness of Chinese cuisine.

He prepared three main courses.

One of them was "Squirrel Mandarin Fish," a dish that made him famous in Moscow. This dish was beautifully presented and had a delicious sweet and sour flavor, sure to win over the hearts of Soviet people.

The second dish was "braised pork belly." Rich yet not greasy, it melts in your mouth; this is one of the most representative hearty dishes of Chinese cooking and the greatest respect for meat lovers.

The third dish was "shredded pork with sweet bean sauce", served with thin pancakes and shredded scallions, allowing them to experience the fun of rolling it up and eating it themselves.

For soup, he prepared "borscht." This soup originally came from Ukraine, but after his improvements, he used tomatoes and beef bones from his blessed space to make it, and the taste was definitely richer than any borscht they had ever had in the Soviet Union.

In addition, he also prepared "mashed potato salad" and "garlic bread" as side dishes and main courses, which perfectly suited their habits.

Finally, serve a light and refreshing "smashed cucumber" dish to cut through the richness.

This menu can be said to have considered every aspect.

The day after tomorrow, before it got dark, Li Weimin accompanied Deputy Factory Director Yang and four Soviet experts with high noses and deep-set eyes to Cheng's Restaurant.

Cheng Shuhai personally greeted them at the door.

"Director Yang, Director Li, welcome! Experts, welcome to Beijing!" Cheng Shuhai greeted the experts in fluent Russian.

This surprised both Director Yang and Li Weimin. They hadn't expected Cheng Shuhai to speak Russian so well.

The Soviet experts were both surprised and delighted, and their expressions instantly became much more friendly.

"Oh! Hello! Your Russian is excellent!" The leading expert, who looked to be in his fifties and had a receding hairline, warmly shook hands with Cheng Shuhai.

"I spent half a year in Moscow and learned a little bit," Cheng Shuhai said modestly with a smile.

He led everyone into the restaurant's most luxurious private room.

Upon entering, the experts were immediately drawn to a medal hanging on the wall.

It was a bronze medal with a red ribbon, featuring a cross of the Chinese and Soviet flags and a circle of wheat ears.

It was the "Friendship Medal" that Cheng Shuhai brought back from the Soviet Union.

"This...this is the Friendship Medal?" the leading expert asked in surprise, pointing at the medal.

"Yes, Comrade Boris." Cheng Shuhai nodded. "Last year, thanks to the invitation of your Ministry of Culture, I had the honor of participating in an exchange in Moscow as a representative of culinary arts."

"Oh! It's you!" Boris's eyes lit up.

He scrutinized Cheng Shuhai, as if trying to confirm something.

Just then, a younger, bespectacled expert following Boris suddenly stopped.

He adjusted his glasses, stared intently at Cheng Shuhai, and showed an expression of disbelief on his face.

"Comrade Cheng... Cheng Shuhai?" He tentatively called out Cheng Shuhai's name in somewhat broken Chinese.

This left not only Factory Director Yang and Li Weimin stunned, but also Cheng Shuhai himself.

Although he was somewhat well-known in Moscow, it wasn't to the point that even a technical expert at a steel rolling mill would know him.

"Who are you...?" Cheng Shuhai looked at him with a puzzled expression.

The young expert excitedly stepped forward and grabbed Cheng Shuhai's hand.

"Don't you recognize me? I'm Andrei! A student in the Economics Department at Moscow State University! I attended your lecture! A lecture on Chinese food culture!"

Cheng Shuhai then remembered that he had indeed given a public lecture at Moscow State University. The audience was full of students, and he couldn't possibly remember every single face.

"Oh, Comrade Andrei, hello, hello!" Cheng Shuhai suddenly realized.

"Director Cheng, you two know each other?" Li Weimin asked in surprise from the side.

Deputy Factory Director Yang also looked on with curiosity.

"It's more than just knowing him!" Andrei exclaimed excitedly. "Comrade Cheng Shuhai is an idol to all of us young people interested in Chinese culture in Moscow! Pravda even featured him in a special report, calling him 'the culinary magician from the East!'"

"What? It was even featured in Pravda?" Li Weimin and Deputy Factory Director Yang were completely stunned.

They only knew that Cheng Shuhai had gone to the Soviet Union for exchanges, but they never expected that he was so famous!

Just as everyone was in shock, Andrei took out a document from his briefcase. The document was in a brown paper bag and was stamped with the official Soviet red wax seal.

He solemnly handed the document to Cheng Shuhai.

"Comrade Cheng Shuhai, in addition to the task of equipment debugging, I have an even more important personal mission to take me to the steel rolling mill."

Andrei's expression turned serious.

"Our Deputy Minister of Industrial Technology, Ivanov, specifically instructed me to find you and personally deliver this document to you."

"He asked me to tell you that he greatly appreciates your previous report on the modernization of the food industry. Furthermore, he hopes to explore new and deeper collaborations with you regarding some of the details of that report."

Andrei's words were like a bombshell, exploding in the small private room.

Deputy Factory Director Yang and Li Weimin were completely dumbfounded.

They looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

What's going on?

A Soviet deputy minister actually specifically requested to cooperate with Cheng Shuhai?

They even specially sent someone with official documents, all the way to Beijing?

This...this is way too much face!

Cheng Shuhai himself was also shocked.

He never expected that the report he submitted before leaving Moscow, on a whim, would actually attract the attention of higher-ups.

Moreover, judging from this, the other party's sincerity is extraordinary.

He took the heavy document but didn't open it immediately.

"Comrade Andrei, thank you so much." Cheng Shuhai steadied himself and said to Andrei, "Please also convey my sincerest gratitude to Deputy Minister Ivanov."