dkrc Chapter 12 Wang Facai's Sky Has Collapsed
Chapter 12 Wang Facai's Sky Has Collapsed
These days, truck drivers make a lot of money; it's quite normal to earn 2000 yuan a month driving long distances.
For drivers like Mr. Liu who own their own cars, earning more than 5000 yuan a month is very easy.
In terms of purchasing power conversion, Mr. Liu's salary is equivalent to about 3 yuan in 2026, and in 1996 he did not have the problem of a mortgage.
Moreover, these days, drivers who drive on national highways rarely go into the city and don't have much to spend money on.
Eating became their biggest form of entertainment.
For Chef Liu, Xiao Lu's Farmhouse Restaurant was a delightful surprise. He was as excited to share it as a fisherman finding an empty bridge pier and catching fish with a simple cast.
As the sun rose higher and it passed 11 o'clock, there were noticeably more cars parked on the roadside in Luwangtan Village.
Every shop has some regular customers, and Wang Facai's shop is no exception.
A Changhe van skillfully turned from the national highway and pulled up in front of Wang Facai's house. Several middle-aged men wearing white helmets and carrying briefcases got out of the van.
"Mr. Li, we're short on time at noon, so let's just grab a bite to eat."
"You can arrange it as you see fit."
Just as the group was heading to Wang Facai's house, they suddenly smelled an enticing aroma.
"Mr. Wang, this smells amazing! Is it from the restaurant next door?" Mr. Li stopped and pointed to Xiao Lu Farmhouse Restaurant not far away.
"This store seems to have closed a few days ago; it looks like it's undergoing renovations and upgrades."
Mr. Wang, who was leading the way, also looked over. The construction site he was in charge of was nearby, so he often came here to eat and was very familiar with the situation.
"How about we go eat at the place next door?"
Mr. Li, with his sharp eyes, noticed that Wei Yinghong was frying dough cakes. He had loved eating them since he was a child, but they were too poor to afford them when he was young. Now, the craving was irresistible.
"Okay, whatever you say!" For Mr. Wang, it doesn't matter where he eats; the key is to take good care of the client.
The group had already reached Wang Facai's house, but suddenly turned and headed towards Xiao Lu's farmhouse restaurant.
Wang Facai had just come out from behind the counter, ready to enthusiastically greet them, when he witnessed this heartbreaking scene.
You should know that Mr. Wang has been frequently dining at his house lately, always with several people, and he's very generous, often spending over a hundred yuan.
This time, General Manager Li went to the front and headed straight for Wei Yinghong's large pot.
"Young lady, your fried dough sticks are really well made!"
Standing in front of the oil pan, Mr. Li smelled an even stronger aroma and couldn't help but swallow as he watched the golden-brown fried dough sticks tumbling in the pan.
"It's hot outside, why don't you all come inside and rest? Have some cool tea and order some dishes. Just tell the girls inside if you'd like a few fried dough sticks!"
The uncle, who was taking a break to the side, saw Wei Yinghong's slightly murderous look and immediately helped the group lift the curtain with great enthusiasm.
Mr. Wang and his party of six, most of whom were quite portly, sat together and completely filled the square table.
"Young lady, what are some of your family's signature dishes? Could you recommend some?"
As the host, Mr. Wang was mainly responsible for taking orders, but Lu Yuan's menu was too simple, and he didn't know where to start.
Lu Ying was struggling to pour cool tea through the crowd, unsure how to recommend it, when fortunately Lu Yuan arrived just in time to answer:
"You can order 2 jin of stir-fried lamb, 2 jin of braised meat, 1 jin of lamb neck, and 1 jin of hand-pulled lamb. If you can't eat spicy food, you can order a separate serving of braised lamb."
Mr. Wang listened and nodded, finding it reasonable. He immediately asked if anyone didn't eat spicy food, and after receiving a negative answer, he added:
"Let's serve it like this, and give each of us a fried dough stick."
"Okay!"
This was a large order, with both cold and hot dishes, so Lu Yuan decided to start with the stir-fried lamb.
Because stir-fried lamb requires a stewing process, dishes like lamb neck and hand-pulled lamb are most suitable during this process.
Moreover, the stir-fried lamb is the restaurant's signature dish, and serving it in the middle order is quite reasonable.
Lu Yuan grew to love the earthen stove in the shop more and more with its use; its intense and powerful firepower was something that gas stoves simply couldn't match.
After several large stirs, add a ring of the original broth from cooking the meat to reduce the sauce.
While waiting, Lu Yuan took out a plate of lamb ribs, reheated them in the broth, and then chopped them up with a large knife.
The lamb ribs, each distinct, are stacked on a sheet of lettuce, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, the meat a pinkish-white color, each rib separate and not sticking together.
Serve with garlic and vinegar sauce and spicy dry dipping sauce for a simple yet exquisite presentation.
Lamb neck is prepared in the same way. In fact, this dish is also hand-pulled lamb, but the lamb neck is a special part and is mostly eaten cold, so it is sold as a separate dish.
The only difference is that the lamb neck comes with an extra serving of onions (purple onions) and garlic cloves.
"Brother Jie, serve the food!"
When it was time to eat, Lu Yuan no longer had time to run to the front of the room, so Lu Jie became the dedicated server.
In the lobby, Mr. Li was eating a fried dough stick, and his eyes were actually a little moist.
Mr. Li's mother used to add some white sugar when making fried dough sticks, which made them taste sweet, somewhat similar to Wei Yinghong's honey version.
When Lu Jie served the hand-pulled mutton, a sweet, milky aroma instantly brought him back to his senses.
"Mr. Li, the lamb from Jinling Town is very famous, please try some!" Mr. Wang gently pushed the plate towards Mr. Li.
Mr. Li understood that as the client, no one dared to touch their chopsticks unless he did.
So after picking up a piece with his chopsticks, he waved his hand to signal everyone to eat together and not to make things too complicated.
The others had already been salivating from the aroma and immediately picked some up.
Hand-pulled mutton is firm yet tender, fatty but not greasy, and lean but not dry. You can easily separate the meat from the bone by gently pulling on a section of the bone.
Mr. Li took a bite first, then picked up another piece and exclaimed, "This tastes really good! I've eaten at almost every hand-pulled noodle restaurant in northern China, and this is definitely one of the best!"
Mr. Wang was surprised by Mr. Li's high praise, so he picked up a piece and tasted it. The milky aroma instantly filled his mouth.
He regretted not having eaten at this restaurant before. He had been to Wang Facai's restaurant several times and thought it was pretty good, but compared to Xiao Lu's restaurant, it was far inferior.
As the client, Mr. Li was completely at ease, picking up pieces of mutton with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, chewing them with increasing delight, and showing them off one piece after another.
The others wanted to eat but didn't dare to, so they could only swallow their saliva and watch Mr. Li's performance.
Fortunately, Lu Jie appeared just then, carrying a plate of stir-fried lamb.
At this moment, Lu Jie was like a savior, bringing lamb to rescue these poor, suffering clients.
Another exquisite aroma wafted over with the rising steam, and Mr. Li unconsciously stopped using his chopsticks to pick up the mutton and instead picked up a piece of stir-fried lamb.
The spicy, charred, tender, and refreshing flavors immediately replaced the previous milky aroma, further whetting his appetite.
"It smells amazing! I've never tasted this flavor in any other restaurant. The chef at this little shop is something else!"
(Hand-pulled mutton)