Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

Today is a big day for Li's Restaurant.

Early in the morning, a ladder was set up in front of the restaurant. Master Liu, who had spent his whole life carving plaques on Qianmen Street, was carefully directing his two apprentices to hang a plaque covered with red silk on the lintel.

The signboard that the old scholar had written has already been taken down.

"The left side is too high! Lower it a bit! Okay! Hold on!" Master Liu shouted from below.

Li Chunsheng stood at the bottom of the steps with his hands in his sleeves, looking up. Yunniang stood to the side, her face beaming with joy. Even Lao Wu, who was usually calm and collected, took off his glasses, wiped them with his breath, and looked expectant.

The area was surrounded by onlookers, including neighbors and regular customers who had been waiting for their meal.

"Manager Li, is this the calligraphy bestowed by Master Qi?" Shunzi parked his rickshaw to the side and squeezed into the crowd to ask loudly, "I heard that you spent a lot of money to have Master Liu use the finest wood for this plaque?"

Li Chunsheng laughed: "Brother Shunzi, you're so well-informed! This plaque is the face of the shop, and it's an authentic work by Master Qi. If the materials used are inferior, wouldn't that be a slap in the face to the old master? It has to be of the highest quality!"

"The auspicious time has arrived! Unveil the red silk!"

With a shout from Master Liu, Li Chunsheng walked up the steps, took a deep breath, and reached out to pull down the red silk.

"Splash!"

The red silk fluttered down, revealing a large plaque with dark red background and gold lettering.

Under the sunlight, the two powerful characters "Li Ji" seem to burst forth from the wood, and the bright red Qi Huang seal in the lower left corner is like the finishing touch, elevating this originally ordinary little restaurant to several levels.

"Beautiful handwriting!"

"Impressive! Absolutely fucking impressive!"

A thunderous cheer erupted from the crowd. In this city of Beijing, business is all about the brand name. With Qi Baishi's name as a prestigious brand, Li's Restaurant had established itself outside Qianmen and become a reputable establishment.

Da Hu chuckled to himself, "Uncle Wu, does this mean we'll be working at this fancy restaurant from now on? I think even the signboard for Dongxinglou isn't as cool as ours!"

"Shh! Watch your words." Old Wu glared at him. "The bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow. Let's just focus on our own business."

With the hanging of this plaque, Li Ji Restaurant experienced an explosive growth in business.

Originally, laborers and rickshaw pullers who were just looking to fill their stomachs were still regulars, but more and more school teachers in long gowns, clerks carrying briefcases, and even some wealthy merchants who had heard the news began to enter this small restaurant, just to taste the Li family's cooking that even Mei Lanfang and Qi Baishi praised.

"Big Tiger! Serve the food! Braised pork for table number three!"

"Yunniang, bring an extra set of chopsticks and a bowl for table number five, and another pot of strong liquor!"

Li Chunsheng originally planned to introduce new dishes, but after thinking about it, he realized that the cost of chopped chili fish head was too high, and bighead carp was difficult to obtain in this season and expensive, so it was not suitable as a high-volume dish for the main dining area. It could only be placed in the private rooms of Liuxianglu as a pre-order dish.

What truly sustains this restaurant's revenue are its hearty, flavorful, and appetizing dishes that are good with rice.

So Li Chunsheng struck while the iron was hot and officially hung the "Mapo Tofu" signboard in the lobby.

"New dish: Authentic Sichuan Mapo Tofu! Spicy and flavorful, a rice killer!"

In an era of relative scarcity, tofu was the most common ingredient on the tables of ordinary people. Wang Ganju's line in "The Granary of the World" that "After eating pickled vegetables and tofu, even the emperor is no match for me" left a deep impression on Li Chunsheng.

Moreover, the people of Beiping were used to eating tofu with scallions and stewed tofu with cabbage; they had never seen this kind of cooking before.

In the shallow, coarse porcelain bowl, tofu was coated in red oil, topped with a layer of finely minced beef and garlic sprouts. Most importantly, the last layer of Sichuan peppercorn powder sprinkled on top was so fragrant that even before you picked up your chopsticks, the aroma of numbing spiciness filled your nostrils.

"Manager Li, how much is this tofu?" a bricklayer who had just finished work asked.

"A big bowl, eight copper coins! A bowl of rice included!" Li Chunsheng shouted.

"Eight coins? That's much cheaper than braised pork! I'll have a bowl!"

The bricklayer took a bite and his eyes widened in surprise.

hot!

This is the first impression of Mapo Tofu. The thickened broth locks in the heat, and the tofu is piping hot, yet so tender that it slides down your throat without needing to be chewed.

Next comes the numbing and spicy sensation; the tingling and numbing sensation from the Sichuan peppercorns, combined with the smoky aroma of the minced beef, explodes in your mouth instantly.

"Phew...ha...delicious! It's fucking delicious!" The bricklayer exhaled as he mixed the red oil broth into the rice and scooped out a large bowl of rice in one go.

With its low price and irresistible flavor, Mapo Tofu quickly became the third best-selling dish in small restaurants, after braised pork and boiled sliced ​​pork.

However, as the old saying goes: the tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind.

The booming success of Li's Restaurant ultimately stung the eyes of some people.

Dongxinglou, Qianmenwai Street.

As the top of the "Eight Great Restaurants" in Beijing, Dongxinglou has always been a leader in the catering industry in Beiping. It specializes in Shandong cuisine and emphasizes grandeur, cooking time and temperature control, and cultural heritage. No ordinary people are allowed to come and go; it is a place where the wealthy and powerful spend their money.

At this moment, in the kitchen of Dongxinglou, head chef Yan Desheng had a gloomy face.

"This is outrageous!" Master Yan, a burly Shandong man in his fifties, exclaimed. "Some self-taught guy who started out as a wonton stall dares to call himself Li's? And he even has a plaque by Qi Baishi? Where does that leave the faces of us century-old establishments?!"

Beside him, Sun Dehai, the manager of Dongxinglou, also looked extremely unpleasant.

"Old Yan, calm down." Manager Sun squinted. "This Li Chunsheng is quite shrewd. I heard that even Mr. Mei and President Feng have become his honored guests. If we openly cause trouble, we might get into trouble."

"So you're just going to watch him act so arrogantly?" Master Yan sneered. "You have no idea, this morning when I went to the meat market to buy supplies, that Butcher Zheng actually told me that Li's shop had bought up all the best pork belly and tenderloin! Our Dongxing Restaurant is actually going to have to pick up what that kid left behind? If word gets out, how am I supposed to keep my business?"

In the catering industry, ingredients are the most important! Although Li's Restaurant is small, it has a huge demand for specific cuts of pork, such as pork belly and tenderloin. In addition, since Li Chunsheng is willing to pay in cash, Butcher Zheng is naturally happy to give priority to supplying them.

This has unwittingly disrupted the profit chain of Dongxinglou.

"Hmph, Mr. Mei is praising him just for the novelty. In the end, we in the catering business still have to rely on skills." Manager Sun sneered. "I've heard about his braised pork and boiled pork slices. They're just heavy oil and spice that mask the original flavor of the ingredients. They're not up to standard."

"What does the shopkeeper mean?"

"Since he's put up a sign and opened a restaurant, he's one of us. We have our own rules. Go and call Fatty San over."

A short while later, a chubby man covered in the smell of cooking oil ran over. This was Master Yan's second apprentice. He was usually lecherous and gluttonous, and had a sharp tongue, but he had also learned some of Master Yan's real skills.

"Boss, did you call me?" Sanpang asked, wiping his sweat.

"Sanpang, change your clothes and go check out that Li's Restaurant," Manager Sun ordered. "Remember, don't throw a tantrum. Just eat like a normal customer and give him a good taste of his food."

Master Yan added from the side, "You better watch your food! I don't believe a mere lad in his early twenties can outshine those of us who've been practicing for decades!"

"Alright! You two just watch!" Fatty chuckled, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "I'm an expert at finding fault! But boss, what about the bill?"

"I'll pay!" Manager Sun slammed a handful of money on the table. "You'd better eat up!"

Don't worry!

At noon, Li's Restaurant is at its busiest.

The lobby was bustling with noise, packed with people sharing tables and waiting for seats.

Sanpang swaggered into the store.

"This is Li Ji? It's nothing special." Sanpang curled his lip, his voice not too loud, just loud enough for the people at the surrounding tables to hear. "The tables are clean, but the smell... tsk tsk, it's all chili and Sichuan peppercorns."

Xiao Wu, with his sharp ears, heard this and frowned slightly, but remembering Old Wu's advice that harmony brings wealth, he smiled and went to greet him: "Sir, how many of you are there? Please come in?"

"Just one person." Sanpang pointed to a table that had just become available by the window. "There it is. Wipe the table again for me."

Xiao Wu, suppressing his anger, wiped the table again: "Sir, what would you like to eat? Our signature dishes are braised pork belly, boiled sliced ​​pork, and Mapo tofu..."

"Alright, alright, stop listing the dishes," Sanpang interrupted impatiently. "I'm not illiterate. Bring me all the signs for your place."

Xiao Wu was furious, but he suppressed his anger and shouted loudly, "Alright! One serving each of braised pork, boiled sliced ​​pork, and Mapo tofu!"

In the kitchen, Li Chunsheng was chopping vegetables.

[Triggering Quest: The Probe of the Famous Tower.]

[Mission Description: Dongxinglou has sent spies to investigate, intending to publicly denigrate the host's culinary skills and damage Li's reputation.]

[Task Requirements: Use impeccable culinary skills to silence the other person and impress all the diners present.]

[Reward: Reputation Points +500, Unlock New Cuisine: Shandong Cuisine]

He wasn't flustered at all; on the contrary, he was quite excited. Being regarded as a rival by Dongxinglou was a testament to how booming Li's business was.

Before long, Xiao Wu brought three dishes to Sanpang's table.

The diners in the lobby also noticed the strange thing, and they all stopped eating and looked over with expressions of anticipation.

Sanpang was slightly surprised when he saw the three tempting dishes in front of him.

A true expert's skill is immediately apparent.

Just looking at the presentation, the braised pork is a deep reddish-brown, the boiled pork slices have clear, non-cloudy red oil, and the Mapo tofu is still trembling slightly. The skill is indeed quite good.

"Hmph, it looks decent enough, but I wonder how it tastes." Sanpang forced a smile, picked up his chopsticks, and first took a bite of the braised pork.

The meat chunk enters the mouth.

The nitpicking words that Kim Jong-un had prepared were instantly stuck in his throat.

Without the saltiness of soy sauce, only the caramel sweetness of caramel and the rich aroma of meat fat melt in your mouth. The fatty parts are not greasy at all, but rather have a gelatinous, sticky feel on the lips, while the lean parts are soaked in the broth, becoming more and more fragrant with each chew.

This tastes even better than what my master makes!

Sanpang's expression changed, and he picked up another slice of boiled pork.

Smooth! Tender!

The slices of meat seemed alive, sliding down his tongue and into his throat, followed by the explosive spiciness of dried chili peppers and the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns. The stimulation made every pore on his body open up.

Finally, there's Mapo Tofu.

hot!

Sanpang shuddered from the heat, but he couldn't bear to spit it out.

"This..." Sweat beaded on Sanpang's forehead.

He wanted to find fault, to say that the dish wasn't authentic, or that the cooking time was wrong.

However, his conscience as a foodie prevented him from saying those insincere words.

Just as he was in a daze, Li Chunsheng took off his apron and walked over with a smile.

"Sir, is the food to your liking? If there's anything lacking, please feel free to offer your guidance."

Sanpang looked at Li Chunsheng, his face turning red and then white.

The surrounding diners also started to grumble:

"Fatty! Weren't you so talkative just now? Why are you so quiet now?"

"That's right! Say something!"

Kim Jong-un took a deep breath and slammed his chopsticks on the table.

If he were to lie through his teeth in front of everyone, that would be truly shameful.

"Delicious!" Sanpang squeezed out the word through gritted teeth. "Boss, give me a bowl of rice."