Gourmet: Midnight Vending-Chapter 406 - 364: Did You Secretly Open a Lamb Offal Shop?
Regarding the menu, Jiang Fei didn’t have any ideas either. Usually, when attending a banquet, he’s only focused on eating; who would take the time to remember all the dishes?
Plus, the budget Boss Jiang gave this time is ridiculously ample. Chen Mo feels that the usual banquet menus in restaurants can’t even reach this standard.
In an inland city like Jingzhou, what dishes are considered the rarest, most expensive, and face-saving?
Without a doubt: Seafood!
Of course, you can’t just have a purely seafood banquet. In that case, even two thousand yuan wouldn’t be enough to cover it.
After chatting idly with Jiang Fei for a while, Chen Mo found an excuse and left the company.
Thinking about how he would definitely face various questions from his parents after returning home, Chen Mo decided to turn off his phone, drive back to the half-finished building, park on the first floor, and return to the interior of his RV.
Once inside the RV with the visitor mode off, it’s a large house of over a hundred square meters, very comfortable.
Sitting on the sofa, with a piece of paper and a pen, Chen Mo browsed the standard banquet menus from various provinces on his phone while slowly assembling the menu for this banquet.
Chen Mo hardly slept at all that night.
Later, he simply changed into white clothes to keep his energy up, and it wasn’t until the middle of the night that he finally came up with a menu.
A full twenty-four dishes, following the traditional Jingzhou banquet standard: eight cold dishes, ten hot dishes, four main courses, one dessert, and one soup.
After finishing the menu, Chen Mo rested briefly and then hurried back to Jiuniu Pass. He initially thought that at this hour, most family members would still be asleep, but just as he drove up to the gate, he saw his dad holding something and heading into the yard.
"Dad, why are you up so early?"
Chen Jinping had a cigarette dangling from his mouth. "Why didn’t you come home to sleep last night?"
"Oh... Yesterday, I went out to discuss the menu with a leader. He kept me at his house, and we talked it over all night."
Hearing that it was work-related with a leader, Chen Jinping didn’t say much more. "I already contacted helpers last night. You said it was early; we’ve been busy for several hours. By the way, your mom is preparing to make food for everyone. Go see if you can lend a hand."
In rural areas, when a family has work they can’t finish, the neighbors all come to help.
Paying money is out of the question; that would feel too formal.
But you have to ensure everyone is well-fed and has enough to drink!
Of course, since it’s still morning, no one would be drinking yet. At least you have to provide food.
Chen Mo answered affirmatively, quickly parked the car by the side, and returned home. As soon as he walked into the yard, several people greeted him.
"Hey, Xiao Mo is back? Your dad said you came back yesterday, so why did you leave again?"
It was Uncle Shuan from next door, around sixty years old, who watched Chen Mo grow up.
"Good morning, Uncle Shuan! I came back yesterday, but I had something to do in the evening, and I rushed back as soon as I finished."
"Xiao Mo, I heard from your dad that you’re in charge of the big feast this time? You’re a college student, working in an office; can you manage it?"
Those words were from Liu Ping in the village, who slaughters pigs at the village head.
"Why don’t I introduce you to a couple of master chefs for one-stop service? They’re top-notch, capable of handling over twenty tables with ease, guaranteed to satisfy you!"
Chen Mo pulled out half a pack of squished Chinese cigarettes and handed them around, which Mu Xin had left ages ago.
"Thanks, Uncle Ping. My leader specifically asked me to be in charge. Rest assured about my cooking skills. You all carry on; I’ll hurry to the kitchen to give a hand, and we’ll start the meal soon!"
Amid the praises from all the uncles and elders, Chen Mo darted into the east room.
Chen Jinping stood in the yard smoking, basking in the admiration and envy of his neighbors.
After all, Chen Mo is one of the few college graduates from Jiuniu Pass and the only one to find a job at a major local state-owned enterprise!
In past years, when some kids in the village graduated and couldn’t find jobs, Chen Jinping asked Chen Mo to think of a way.
He wasn’t expecting to find really good jobs; Chen Mo helped them find some temporary transitional jobs. Those temporary positions at state-owned enterprises, which city folks look down on, are still considered quite good jobs by the residents of Jiuniu Pass.
Despite lacking housing funds and lower wages by two levels compared to permanent positions, the other benefits are basically the same.
Because of these efforts, Chen Mo is well regarded by the village elders.
Chen Mo ran into the east room and saw that his mom was busy in the kitchen, and Mu Mu, with an apron tied around her waist, was busy running around too.
"Why does this girl seem to be adding to the confusion..."
Chen Mo glanced into the kitchen and saw Liu Xiuzhen preparing a very classic Jingzhou breakfast dish: sheep offal.
There was also a steamer on the stove boiling water. "Mom, are there also buns?"
Liu Xiuzhen shot an annoyed glance at Chen Mo. "You still remember to come back? Hurry up and wash your hands."
Chen Mo impatiently ushered Liu Xiuzhen out of the kitchen. "Alright, alright, leave it to me here. You two go take a break."
Mu Mu’s eyes lit up, "Wow, Brother Chen Mo, you’re cooking yourself? Great, I’ll just wait to eat then."
Chen Mo noticed his mom looking at Mu Mu with immense affection and felt speechless. "I’ll take care of it; you all leave. It’s getting crowded."
After closing the kitchen door, Chen Mo began to study the ingredients in front of him.
In Jingzhou, whenever there’s work and help involved, home-cooked breakfasts typically consist of three types.
One is helome noodles, topped with meat sauce, plus a couple of tea eggs. A fairly standard breakfast.
Another option is vermicelli soup. The vermicelli Jingzhou people eat is made from potatoes, with fine noodles cooked with tofu chunks, cabbage, and diced meat to make a big pot of soup that’s quick and delicious.
