Gourmet: Midnight Vending-Chapter 405 - 363: Never Fought Such a Wealthy Battle! Guaranteed Respect
"I suppose he honed his cooking skills while making meals for his girl in the city over time."
Chen Jinping continued drinking under the eaves, munching on cucumbers, and pondering whom to borrow money from.
After a moment, Chen Mo brought three dishes to the table, clapped his hands with satisfaction.
Oyster sauce lettuce, first blanch the lettuce, then stir-fry with oyster sauce, and finally pour a bit of hot oil, the garlic aroma was irresistible.
Stir-fried eggs, Chen Mo mixed chopped wood ear fungus and chili peppers into the egg mixture, directly frying it into a pancake shape, the chili peppers’ flavor effectively subdued the slightly gamy taste of the eggs.
And last, the golden soup lamb.
Pumpkin puree boiled to form a golden soup for color, with lantern peppers and wild mountain peppers forming the base flavors. Enoki mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and vermicelli were cooked, then the blanched lamb rolls added to the golden soup.
Sprinkled with diced green and red peppers as garnish, the simple version of golden soup lamb was done!
"Mu Mu, it’s time to eat. Mom, come and have some, too." Chen Mo called everyone from the west room.
"Hey! Coming!" Liu Xiuzhen pulled Mu Mu along, "Let’s go, Mu Mu, Xiao Mo has made dinner, let’s eat. You always say you love his cooking, you should have him cook for you every day!"
Mu Mu shed her shyness and said happily, "That would be wonderful."
Ah, this girl. Liu Xiuzhen couldn’t help but feel fonder of her; not only was she sensible but also so pure-hearted.
Nowadays, girls as pure as Mu Mu are rare. Liu Xiuzhen, with her seasoned experience, concluded that girls like Mu Mu, once they settle on someone, are likely to want to stay with that person for life, making her the perfect daughter-in-law.
Chen Mo served Mu Mu some rice.
He then cooked the noodles Liu Xiuzhen had rolled and cut earlier, "Mom, you can have noodles."
"Yes, I love noodles."
Chen Mo knew that his parents couldn’t eat rice due to their sensitive stomachs, which would hurt if they ate rice.
After settling Mu Mu’s dinner, Chen Mo stepped out of the yard alone.
Chen Jinping called him over, wanting to discuss the dowry.
"Dad, don’t say anything yet," Chen Mo saw the worried look on his father’s face and roughly guessed, "Let’s first focus on solving the immediate matter for my boss. Mu Mu is my colleague, she’s here because of this too, don’t overthink it." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
Chen Jinping automatically ignored the second part of Chen Mo’s words, "Right, right. Helping your boss is the urgent task. As for the venue, rest assured, I’ll arrange it with some people tomorrow morning."
Tables and chairs were easy to arrange; there were two closed-down wedding banquet restaurants in town with plenty of furniture in their storage.
Villagers frequently borrowed them for events.
Setting up a platform was easy too; they could ask Carpenter Wang in the village to nail some wood panels into a stage, and by midday, it would be ready. A red carpet would make it look nice too.
However, Chen Jinping was still worried about another matter, "Can you handle cooking for so many tables? Oh, and did your boss mention how many tables they need?"
Chen Mo estimated roughly, "Based on the number of people, there should be at least twenty tables, but since it’s moving from the city to the countryside, I figure many might be unwilling to come, so fifteen tables might suffice."
Chen Jinping nodded, "I’ll go to town tomorrow and borrow thirty sets of tables and chairs, better prepared than not."
"I can handle the cooking, Dad, you have no idea, my cooking has improved a lot now."
"But can what you cook at home really compare to a restaurant’s cooking?"
Chen Mo chuckled, "Don’t worry about the food, you just help me with the venue tomorrow."
With that, Chen Mo glanced at the main house, and Mu Mu was devouring her meal.
Well, handling things alone might as well be efficient, "Dad, I’ll head back to the city to find my boss and discuss the menu. Oh right, the event’s the day after tomorrow, time is tight."
"The day after tomorrow?" Chen Jinping took a deep breath, "Got it, you go and get busy."
Chen Mo stood up and walked out of the courtyard, drove his car to a secluded spot and teleported, instantly appearing at the abandoned building.
Then he switched between driving and teleporting, reaching the investment company in minutes.
Interestingly, someone seemed to have recorded Chen Mo’s license plate, allowing the catering van to enter the parking lot without a hitch, saving a lot of hassle.
Investment company, marketing department.
Jiang Fei hung up the phone in frustration, "What the hell, this damn..."
On his desk lay a few hundred invitation cards, with everything filled out except the dining location.
He then dialed another phone number.
"Honey, it’s impossible to book a restaurant, maybe we should postpone to next month? I just asked several restaurants, and weddings are fewer next month, most places have openings."
A voice filled with frustration came through the phone, "Having a birthday is having a birthday. Who delays a birthday celebration by a month? If you’re going to celebrate, it has to be the day after tomorrow!"
Jiang Fei was about to say something when he heard a knock on the door, "Alright, alright, I’ll figure something out. Someone’s here, let’s talk later."
He hung up the phone, somewhat annoyed, and went to open the door, "Who is it so late at night... Hey, when did you get back?"
"You sent Mu Mu to catch me, how could I not come back?"
Jiang Fei chuckled awkwardly, "Come in, let’s talk inside."
After brewing two cups of tea, he finally sat down, "I’m really at a loss here. Just now, your sister-in-law and I had an argument. If I can’t pull this off, she’ll be upset with me for a whole year!"
Chen Mo wondered if he should get Boss Jiang some dark beverages too?
He wasn’t sure if there was a need for that.
Of course, the most important thing at the moment was to get his son’s one-month birthday ceremony sorted out.
"Boss, here’s my suggestion."
"There’s no way to book a restaurant now, and I don’t know many people in Jingzhou."
Jiang Fei sighed and nodded, "I know, that’s why I came to you, it’s not your fault."
Chen Mo added, "Can you accept a home-cooked meal? I’ve already figured out the spot, right in my courtyard! As for the food, I’ll cook it myself. You should trust my cooking skills, right?"
Jiang Fei’s eyes suddenly lit up, "Your place? Oh, right! Your home is at Jiuniu Pass, very close to Jingzhou. But wouldn’t it be too much trouble to use your courtyard?"
"You’re being too polite with me!" Chen Mo chuckled, "I’m just worried you might feel that a home-cooked meal is a bit beneath you."
Jiang Fei quickly waved his hand, "There’s nothing embarrassing about it. Besides, I’m just an ordinary guy, what’s there to lose? And now you’re an internet celebrity, if you cook, who knows how many people would be secretly thrilled! If it’s convenient for you, that’d be great!"
In fact, a home-cooked meal was Jiang Fei’s helpless choice.
Even though most people now recognize that home-cooked meals often taste better than restaurants, when it comes to hosting their own events, nobody is keen on organizing a home-cooked meal.
The truth is, it feels like losing face. Others go to fancy restaurants where a table can cost over a thousand, while a home-cooked meal might be just five or six hundred. Regardless of how good it tastes, it doesn’t sound good when spread around.
But now, there’s no way to book a restaurant, it’s really beyond his control.
Given the circumstances, Chen Mo felt reassured.
"At home, my dad will find people to help organize the venue, you don’t need to worry about the food, just give me a budget."
"Budget?" Jiang Fei was startled for a moment, "Xiaochen, let me speak frankly. Since we’re going with a home-cooked meal, let’s shoot for the stars with the budget! Two thousand, make it according to a two-thousand per table standard!"
After saying that, Jiang Fei felt he might have forgotten something, and quickly added, "I won’t let you do this for nothing, after it’s over, I’ll give you a red envelope separately."
Chen Mo hurriedly waved his hand, "Let’s talk about that later, no rush. Two thousand Yuan per table, that’s what you said! So I’ll design the menu based on this budget?"
Jiang Fei nodded vigorously and added, "Yes, that doesn’t include cigarettes, alcohol, or snacks, just the dishes worth two thousand Yuan. The guests are all relatives and coworkers, we can’t let them mock us."
"Got it."
Jiang Fei noticed Chen Mo’s animated expression, and he seemed a bit excited, "What are you secretly happy about, kid?"
Chen Mo stood up and covered his mouth, coughing lightly a few times.
"Boss Jiang, to be honest."
Chen Mo wasn’t pleased about anything else; he came to Jingzhou just to ask for a budget. When hosting an event for Jiang Fei, Chen Mo wasn’t foolish enough to say he’d cover all the costs himself.
Originally, Chen Mo estimated a budget of four to five hundred per table would be enough.
That’s how restaurants are, with a four to five hundred ingredient cost, they sell a table for seventeen to eighteen hundred, and even then, they don’t make much; most of the expense is in rent and labor.
But a home-cooked meal is great, there’s no rent, the cook is a mate, and family can help with serving the food and clearing the tables.
To be blunt, most of the budget can be put towards the ingredients.
That’s why Chen Mo felt like laughing.
"Boss, I feel..."
"I’ve never fought a battle with such resources, haha. Just you wait, you’ll surely gain face this time, guaranteed!!!"
Jiang Fei was baffled by Chen Mo’s words.
No face to gain with a home-cooked meal.
You have to make do with what you have.
