Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

In the blink of an eye, Lao Wu and Xiao Wu have been working for three days.

At six o'clock in the morning, Old Wu was already sitting behind the counter. Since he had received the wages from the employer, he had to do his job well, both for his own sake and for his own. He held the account book in his left hand and fiddled with the abacus in his right. The skills he had honed in the pawnshop in Shanxi were simply a waste of his talents to handle the daily turnover of this restaurant.

But in Lao Wu's mind, this debt is not just about money.

Yesterday, there were 136 diners, of whom 40% were rickshaw pullers, 30% were laborers, 10% were local residents, and 20% were well-dressed office workers or vendors.

This is precisely why Zhou Zhengnan values ​​this place: intelligence.

In such a place where all sorts of people gather, every person and every item may hold the secrets of what is happening in Beiping.

"Good morning, Uncle Wu." Xiao Wu, also known as Zhao Dahu, was carrying a huge bamboo broom as he came in from the backyard, with half a steamed bun still in his mouth.

Xiao Wu had a great time working these past three days. He found that although the waiter's job was tedious, it also honed his observation skills.

He can now tell at a glance who has shifty eyes when they come in, and who has a bulging waist as if they're carrying something. More importantly, the food at Li Chunsheng's place is really good, with big chunks of braised pork mixed with rice, and you can have as much as you want!

"Da Hu, hurry up, the boss is coming out soon," Old Wu instructed without looking up.

As they were talking, the cotton curtain connecting to the backyard was lifted, and Li Chunsheng came out while wearing an apron.

Li Chunsheng was in a good mood. His proficiency with the system panel was steadily increasing, and he was very satisfied with Lao Wu and Xiao Wu's performance over the next three days.

Old Wu not only kept excellent accounts, but he also helped Yunniang sort out those complicated purchasing contracts, saving her a lot of money. As for Da Hu, he was a natural-born waiter, with a loud voice and quick legs. Li Chunsheng felt that he had struck gold.

"Good morning, Mr. Wu," Li Chunsheng greeted him with a smile. "Have you settled yesterday's accounts yet?"

Old Wu pushed up his glasses: "Boss, the inventory has been cleared out. Yesterday's net profit was three yuan and twenty-two copper coins. However, there's something I need to tell you. The price of the dried chilies we use for braised pork has gone up by 20% in the West Market. I think we need to find a different way to source them."

"Alright, Mr. Wu, you handle it. You're an old hand, I trust you." Li Chunsheng waved his hand, now happy to delegate such trivial matters.

At this moment, Yunniang also came out of the west wing with Yaya in her hand. Yaya's little face was flushed, and as soon as she saw Li Chunsheng, she rushed over: "Brother Chunsheng, I helped Mother pick scallions this morning!"

"Yaya is such a good girl." Li Chunsheng patted her head. "Say hello to Mr. Wu and your brother Da Hu."

Ya Ya bent down and greeted Mr. Wu and Brother Da Hu with a serious demeanor.

His comical actions drew laughter from everyone.

Meanwhile, the old site of Qianmen Street.

The spot where Li Chunsheng originally set up his stall has now changed completely.

The once clean wonton stall is gone, replaced by a crooked stall with a dirty banner that reads "Wang's Noodle Shop".

A bald man in a gray mandarin jacket was listlessly stirring the murky soup in the pot. Ever since Li Chunsheng moved away, he had gone to great lengths to occupy this prime location, but his business had plummeted.

For no other reason than the discerning diners who took a sip of the soup frowned and spat, exclaiming, "Pah! What rubbish! It's nowhere near as good as Manager Li's!"

At that moment, a black Ford sedan slowly stopped at the intersection. In Beijing at that time, you could count on your fingers the number of people who could afford such a car.

The car door opened, and Feng Liu jumped out first.

He strode to the stall, first frowning at the pungent, cheap smell of cooking oil, then exclaimed, "Hey! Where's Li's Wonton? Where's Boss Li?"

Wang Mazi rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "Where did this Li Ji come from? This place belongs to the Wang family now! That kid surnamed Li didn't know what was good for him and moved away a long time ago."

Feng Liuzheng was at a loss for what to do when the rear window of the car slowly rolled down halfway.

"Feng Liu, what's wrong?"

It was Mr. Mei Lanfang, who had just finished rehearsing a play at Guanghe Tower.

For some reason, Mr. Mei's throat felt a bit dry when he got up early to rehearse, and he inexplicably thought about the refreshing wontons he had that night.

"Sir, it seems that Boss Li has closed down his stall." Feng Liu turned around. "He's replaced him with a bald guy. The soup looks like muddy water; it's definitely inedible."

Mr. Mei frowned slightly, a hint of regret in his eyes: "So you've moved away? What a pity. Since we're not meant to be, then so be it."

"No, sir, please wait a moment." Feng Liu's eyes darted around. He knew that it was rare for Mr. Mei to have something to look forward to, and if he couldn't eat it today, he would probably keep thinking about it.

Feng Liu turned around, took out a few copper coins from his pocket, and slammed them on Wang Mazi's cutting board: "Hey, you bald guy! I'm asking you, where did that Li's wonton shop that used to be here move to? If you tell me right, this money is yours."

Wang Mazi's eyes lit up at the sight of money, but remembering how Li Chunsheng had humiliated him, he wanted to say he didn't know. However, when he looked up and saw the Ford at the alley entrance, he swallowed the lie that was about to come out.

He pointed in the direction and said, "Look, it's at that intersection over there. That kid took over Old Liu's steamed bun shop, that haunted house, and opened Li's Restaurant."

As Wang Mazi collected the money, he muttered, "That place is haunted. Aren't they afraid of shortening their lifespan?"

Feng Liu was overjoyed and quickly ran back to the car. "Sir, I found out! It's right here on Xiheyan Street. That young shopkeeper has made something of himself; he's taken over the shop and opened a restaurant!"

Mr. Mei raised an eyebrow and a faint smile appeared on his lips: "Oh? You've actually taken over the shop? It seems that young man is indeed ambitious. Since it's not far, let's go over there."

Li Ji Restaurant wasn't at its busiest time of evening yet, but it already had two or three tables of customers.

"One serving of braised pork belly, with plenty of sauce!"

"For braised pork offal, discard the lungs and only use the large intestine!"

Xiao Wu moved with ease in the lobby, carrying a tray and calling out in a waiter's voice, "Alright! Two tables of braised pork with rice, please wait a moment!"

Old Wu sat behind the counter, fiddling with his abacus while glancing at the doorway out of the corner of his eye.

Suddenly, Old Wu's fingers stopped on the abacus beads.

He saw a middle-aged man wearing a gray long shirt and sunglasses push open the cotton curtain first. After entering the room, the man did not rush to ask for a seat, but first turned to hold the curtain and bowed slightly.

Immediately afterwards, a man wearing a dark blue cotton robe and a snow-white cashmere scarf walked in.

Old Wu's heart skipped a beat. As an old hand, he could tell a person's true colors at a glance.

The one who came in first had a steady gait and calluses on his hands; he was clearly a trained fighter.

Then came the person who entered. There were probably not many people in Beiping who didn't recognize him.

Old Wu gave Xiao Wu, who was about to wipe the table, a wink.

Xiao Wu was also stunned. He recognized the face, took a deep breath to suppress his shock, and was about to go forward.

"Sir, Manager Li is just as clean as before, keeping the place spotless." Feng Liu pointed to the clean tabletop.

Mr. Mei removed his top hat, revealing a refined face. He looked around, his gaze settling on the rising steam from the kitchen, and nodded slightly.

Just then, Li Chunsheng came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of braised pork.

He spotted that figure from behind immediately.

"Mr. Mei?!"

Li Chunsheng was startled. He quickly placed the braised pork on the customer's table, wiped his hands vigorously on his apron, and hurried over.

"Mr. Mei! Your presence truly honors our humble establishment!"

When Mei Lanfang saw that it was Li Chunsheng, he smiled warmly and said, "Boss Li, congratulations. Today, while rehearsing at Guanghe Tower, I suddenly remembered your bowl of wontons. I couldn't find the old place, and it took me a while to find it here."

"Oh, thank you for your trouble, sir!" Li Chunsheng said somewhat embarrassedly, and quickly wiped the already clean table in front of Mr. Mei again. "It's my honor that you remember our little shop. What would you like to eat today, sir? Wonton again?"

Feng Liu chimed in, "Manager Li, don't just think about wontons! As soon as I walked in, I smelled a meaty aroma with a hint of sweet caramel. What's that?"

"Sixth Master, you have a good nose!" Li Chunsheng gave a thumbs up. "That's the shop's newly launched signature Mao-style braised pork. No soy sauce is used; it relies entirely on the caramel color and cooking time, but..."

Li Chunsheng looked at Mr. Mei with some hesitation: "If Mr. Mei has another performance tonight, this braised pork is good, but I'm afraid it might be a bit too strong in flavor."

Mr. Mei waved his hand and said, "It's alright, it's alright. Since we're already here, and it's their signature dish, we should definitely try it. We'll have a small portion of braised pork and a bowl of wontons. Feng Liu, don't just stand there, sit down and eat with us."

Old Wu sat behind the counter, watching Li Chunsheng and Mei Lanfang chatting and laughing, feeling somewhat curious.

This is just a small shop, yet it has some connection with Mei Lanfang. Just what kind of person is Li Chunsheng?

back kitchen.

Li Chunsheng was completely focused at this moment.

He knew that someone of Mei Lanfang's status had seen and tasted all kinds of delicacies, so he had to make this braised pork with care.

He picked out two pieces of pork belly from the pot of braised pork, the ones with the best ratio of fat to lean meat.

He cut the braised pork into bite-sized cubes, put it back in the pot, poured a spoonful of the original thick sauce over it, and reduced the sauce.

When the plate of braised pork was placed on Mr. Mei's table, the dark red pieces of meat trembled slightly in the white porcelain dish, their surface covered with a layer of crystal-clear, glossy sheen, making one's mouth water.

Then Yunniang brought out the wontons as well.

"Sir, please have some."

Mr. Mei picked up his bamboo chopsticks, but instead of eating the meat first, he took a sip of the wonton soup.

The soup bursts with flavor on the tongue the moment it touches the mouth, then slides down the throat like a warm current, soothing the dryness in the throat.

"Good soup," Mr. Mei praised, then picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in his mouth.

As you bite into the meat, the soft, chewy pork skin, the melting fat, and the tender lean meat create a wonderful balance with the slightly bittersweet caramel. The subtle spiciness from the dried chili peppers is not overpowering, but it perfectly balances the richness of the meat.

Mr. Mei closed his eyes, chewed slowly, and remained silent for a long time.

Watching from the side, Feng Liu swallowed hard, not caring about anything else, picked up a piece and stuffed it into his mouth, exclaiming indistinctly, "Oh my god! Manager Li, how did you cook this meat? I, Feng Liu, have eaten all over Beijing, and this is the first time I've ever tasted anything like it!"

Mr. Mei opened his eyes and looked at Li Chunsheng. "Young boss, your braised pork reminds me of a saying."

"Please speak, sir."

"The greatest sound is silent, the greatest form is formless. Of all the splendor in this world, in the end, the taste in this bowl is the most moving." Mr. Mei put down his chopsticks, took out a silver coin from his pocket, and handed it to Feng Liu, gesturing for him to put it down.

Feng Liu not only left the money for the meal, but also took out an extra silver dollar from his pocket and put it underneath.

"Mr. Mei, this is too much. This meal is on me."

"Hey," Mr. Mei reached out to stop Li Chunsheng and said gently, "It's a grand opening, how can I not take your money? If you don't accept it, I won't be able to come back next time."

Li Chunsheng had no choice but to give up, and cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Then thank you, Mr. Mei. If you like this soup, please send someone over anytime so I can deliver it to you."

Mr. Mei nodded in acknowledgment, rewrapped his scarf, and, escorted by Feng Liu, slowly walked out of the restaurant.

As the black sedan drove away, the restaurant erupted in chaos.

"Hey! Was that Boss Mei just now? It really was Boss Mei!"

"I knew Manager Li's cooking skills were amazing; even Mr. Mei came all the way here because of the delicious flavors!"

Standing at the door, watching the car disappear into the distance, Li Chunsheng finally felt a weight lifted from his heart.