Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

The surrounding diners dared not speak out in anger, and a few timid ones even put down their bowls and prepared to slip away.

Li Chunsheng clenched his fists tightly under his apron. He knew that reasoning with someone like Ma San was useless in this era, and besides his newly awakened culinary skills, he had no means of resistance.

"What? You're not happy?" Ma San picked up the chopstick holder, weighing it in his hand. "Don't push your luck, or I'll smash your place right now!"

Li Chunsheng took a deep breath, just about to speak and try to negotiate, when suddenly...

"Beep!!!"

A piercing car horn blared. In Beijing at that time, cars were a rarity, something that ordinary families could not afford. Families that owned cars were definitely wealthy and powerful.

A black Ford sedan was seen blocking the road less than ten meters from the wonton stall, due to snow accumulation on the roadside and a coal cart that had overturned in front of it.

The car door opened, and the first person to step out was a middle-aged man wearing a gray long shirt and round sunglasses. He shouted at the coal miner whose vehicle had overturned, "What happened? Can you move it? There are important guests on board!"

The coal driver was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and kowtowed, and chaos erupted around him.

The back window of the car was rolled down halfway, revealing a fair-skinned face. "Feng Liu, don't make things difficult for them," the voice said, which was inexplicably comforting. "Since we're stuck here, it's fate. We're not far from Guanghe Tower, we can just walk a bit."

"Hey! Sir, watch your step, the snow is slippery." The middle-aged man named Feng Liu quickly ran back to open the car door.

The man who stepped out of the car was wearing a navy blue cotton robe, a white cashmere scarf around his neck, and a top hat. He had a tall and straight figure.

He looked at the overturned coal truck, shook his head helplessly, and was about to take a detour when suddenly he stopped.

"Um?"

Seeing this, Feng Liu, who was standing next to him, quickly asked, "Sir, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? You need to take care of your voice today, as you still have to sing 'The Phoenix Returns to Its Nest' tonight."

The man waved his hand, "What a delicious flavor! It's almost like the soup base I had years ago, made by the imperial chefs."

Feng Liu was taken aback: "Sir, are you joking? These are just roadside stalls, how can they compare to the palace? Let's hurry up and leave, there are too many people and too many eyes around here."

"No." The man, however, became interested. He strode over to the wonton stall. "I'm a little hungry right now. Let's go try some."

"Oh my god! This roadside stall is so dirty, what if I get a stomachache!" Feng Liu stamped his feet anxiously, but he didn't dare to stop them, so he could only hurry up and follow.

In front of the wonton stall.

Just as Ma San was about to unleash his fury, he suddenly sensed something was off behind him. He turned around and saw the man walking towards him. Although Ma San was a hoodlum, he had a sharp eye. Judging from his clothes and the car parked on the side of the road, even a fool would know that this was a big shot he couldn't afford to mess with.

"Make way." Feng Liu stepped forward, blocking Ma San's path with his arm, shoving him aside like a fly.

Ma San was pushed and stumbled. He was about to curse, but when he saw the bulging shape of Feng Liu's waist, he swallowed the curse that was on the tip of his tongue.

He doesn't mind living too long!

The man walked up to the stall, not bothered by the greasy tables and chairs, and asked, "Young boss, what kind of soup is simmering in this pot?"

Li Chunsheng stared blankly at the man in front of him. Although he was neither a history enthusiast nor a theatrical expert, and the man was covering half of his face with a scarf, he still recognized him!

This is no ordinary person; this is Mei Lanfang!

Li Chunsheng took a deep breath and bowed slightly: "In reply to you, sir, this is a soup made from pork bones, chicken carcasses, and pork skin. The oil has been removed and the foam has been skimmed off."

"Oh? You removed the oil?" Mei Lanfang was somewhat surprised. "That's rare. Roadside stalls usually use a lot of oil and salt to cover up the inferior quality of the ingredients. This little boss's method is quite interesting."

Feng Liu, standing nearby, chimed in, "Sir, even if there's no oil, in the dead of winter, the wonton filling must have fatty meat and scallions in it. Your throat..."

Li Chunsheng immediately chimed in, "If you're worried about your throat, sir, I can prepare the meat filling for you right away. I won't add any minced scallions or ginger; I'll just use the scallion and ginger water to remove any fishy smell. The filling will only use lean meat, no fat." He glanced at the eggs on the stall, "and add egg whites too, it'll be even more tender and smooth. What do you think?"

Mei Lanfang was genuinely surprised. He took off his gloves, revealing a pair of very well-maintained hands, and said with a smile, "Young boss, you really know your stuff. Well then, as you said, one bowl, not ten, five will be enough, and plenty of soup."

"Alright! Please have a seat!"

Li Chunsheng dared not be negligent. This was Mei Lanfang, after all. If he could make a good impression now, it might be of some help to him in the future.

He quickly took out a small piece of lean meat that he had deliberately reserved from under the cutting board and chopped it finely with two knives.

[Knife skills proficiency +1]

The meat was not minced into paste, but rather chopped into small pieces, preserving its fibrous texture.

Take a bowl, rinse it with clean water, add scallion segments and ginger slices, and knead vigorously. After a while, remove the residue, leaving only a bowl of light yellow scallion and ginger water. Then add the water to the minced meat and stir in one direction.

Wrap the wontons, bring the water to a boil, and then put them in the pot.

About a minute later, Li Chunsheng took two bowls. One bowl contained no soy sauce or dried shrimp, only a little salt, and he slowly poured the bone broth into it. The other bowl was filled as usual.

The bowl without soy sauce was naturally for Mr. Mei, and the other bowl was for Feng Liu. Although he didn't say he wanted any, we couldn't be so inconsiderate, right?

"Sir, please enjoy your meal." Li Chunsheng placed two bowls of wontons on the wooden table.

Mei Lanfang looked at the bowl of wontons in front of him, took off his scarf, and revealed his refined face.

The surrounding diners and Ma San were all stunned.

"This! Isn't this Boss Mei?!" someone exclaimed.

Ma San was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost dropped the iron gall bladder in his hand!

He almost got into a fight with this guy!

In this city of Beiping, offending Mei Lanfang is truly a death wish; those high-ranking officials and nobles will be the first to treat him rudely!

Mei Lanfang ignored the commotion around him, picked up a spoon, scooped up a wonton, and gently put it into his mouth with the soup.

The moment he took a bite, his eyebrows relaxed.

"Delicious." Mei Lanfang put down his spoon, closed his eyes, savored the taste for a moment, and then slowly uttered the two words.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, this famous actor, who was usually extremely picky about food, actually picked up the large porcelain bowl and drank the soup in it clean!

"That's nice." Mei Lanfang put down the empty bowl, a smile appearing on his face. He gestured to Feng Liu.

Feng Liu immediately understood, took out a silver coin from his pocket, and placed it on the table. "Boss, keep the change. This is a tip from the gentleman."

Li Chunsheng did not refuse and accepted it generously: "Thank you for the gift, Mr. Mei."

Mei Lanfang stood up, rewrapped his scarf, and looked at Li Chunsheng, saying, "Young boss, your skills are truly wasted on a roadside stall. If you ever open a shop, remember to send an invitation to Guanghelou, and I'll come and support you."

After saying this, Mei Lanfang did not linger and turned to leave.

Li Chunsheng turned his head and looked at Ma San, who was huddled to the side. He gently tossed the silver coin in his hand.

"Third Master, what about this stall?"

Ma San looked at Li Chunsheng, then at the direction Mei Lanfang had just left in. Boss Mei had just said, "If you ever get a shop in the future, I'll come and support you."

What does that mean? It means that Boss Mei has taken a liking to this kid!

Although Boss Mei may have said it casually, no matter what, with this relationship, even if Ma San had a lot of guts, he wouldn't dare to touch this business again!

"Oh, Manager Li! Look at you!" Ma San greeted him with a smile. "Since Boss Mei has praised your skills, then your stall is the name of Qianmen Street! From now on, anyone who dares to cause you trouble is going against my Black Tiger Gang!"

After Ma San finished speaking, he and his two henchmen hurriedly walked away: "We've received the interest. You can pay the principal whenever it's convenient for you! No rush!"

The crowd breathed a sigh of relief as they watched Ma San and his companions disappear.

"Boss! Give me a bowl too!"