Running a Food Stall to Support My Deceptive Omega - Chapter 36.2

Any stall or eatery she spoke well of would hang her critique in their shop. Passersby seeing that she had recommended it would inevitably stop to try a bite.

Mu Jinyu’s stall was able to have so many people in line partly thanks to her.

Mu Jinyu said: “Fine, no problem.”

As soon as the four reached the entrance of Yulou, someone third in line waved at Shi Songmu, shouting loudly: “Sister Songmu, Sister Songmu! Over here! It’s almost our turn!”

Hearing this, Shi Songmu led Mu Jinyu and the others toward her, taking a small circular plaque from her hand.

The plaque had a small character written on it.

Shi Songmu explained it meant a small table.

Seeing this little plaque, a flash of inspiration hit Mu Jinyu. She finally thought of a way to reduce the overcrowding at her stall so it wouldn’t be so congested.

She could be like Yulou and make small plaques with numbers and estimated wait times to distribute to those in line.

This would allow the customers further back to browse the night market street first and return at the right time to get their food immediately.

This would save them from wasting time in line and prevent congestion.

She could go find Shi Songmu’s mother, Carpenter Shi, after breakfast to help her make the plaques.

The four of them didn’t have to wait long before they were led inside by a waiter to a small table just big enough for four.

The waiter placed the menu on the table, began pouring tea for them, and asked what they would like to eat.

Shi Songmu was the first to speak: “Regarding your new ‘One Tea, One Dim Sum,’ bring me one pot of the tea and two portions of the dim sum.”

Then she handed the menu to Mu Jinyu and Rong Heng, saying to them: “The Rose Poria Cake and Lotus Pastry are the specialties here. Shall we have one of each?”

Mu Jinyu and Rong Heng had no objections.

The waiter gave a shout of “Coming right up!” and took the menu away to place the order.

The four held their teacups as Shi Songmu’s gaze darted back and forth between Mu Jinyu and Rong Heng. She asked: “I still don’t know the name of your relative?”

Speaking of this, Mu Jinyu had indeed never told anyone Rong Heng’s name.

This place was too close to Bianjing; she was afraid that if someone accidentally overheard Rong Heng’s name, they might guess her identity.

Hearing the question, Mu Jinyu only paused for a moment before saying: “She shares a surname with me. Her given name is a single character, Heng. Mu Heng.”

Her hand squeezed Rong Heng’s hand under the table, signaling her not to be surprised and not to reveal any flaws.

However, after the squeeze, Rong Heng didn’t let her hand go. Instead, she gripped it back and began squeezing too.

She squeezed until Mu Jinyu’s fingertips felt hot and slightly trembling.

Hearing Rong Heng’s name, Shi Songmu had a look of sudden realization and said with a laugh: “It turns out we have three ‘woods’ at this table!” (Note: Songmu and Mu both involve the “wood” character/radical).

She laughed heartily after saying it.

Mu Jinyu: ? Rong Heng: ? The childhood sweetheart: ?

As she laughed, she saw that not a single person at the table was laughing with her, so she gradually fell silent, feeling a bit awkward.

Seeing this, Mu Jinyu instead let out a chuckle and started looking for topics to chat about with everyone.

They were gathered here because of food, so the topics of idle conversation naturally revolved around food.

They discussed foods from all over the world—their flavors and cooking methods—until all four of their stomachs were growling, and they couldn’t wait to eat breakfast.

The main hall of Yulou was already full of people, everyone chatting animatedly, and no one paid them much attention.

Once the pastries and tea were served, Shi Songmu was the first to start. She used a large soup spoon to dish out half a bowl of Yulou’s new dim sum—the “Gold and Jade Stew”—for the three of them.

Only then did she pick up her own small spoon and take a bite.

The dish was named “Gold and Jade,” but Shi Songmu only saw that the stew was golden-yellow; it had no connection to jade.

On the contrary, because the stew was golden and garnished with a stalk of Imperial Chrysanthemum—freshly picked that morning and still covered in dew—the overall appearance was a bit too saturated, making it seem slightly garish.

It wasn’t as stunning as Shi Songmu had expected.

After taking a bite, she used the tip of her tongue to slowly savor the flavor. There was a distinct freshness from the sea—the taste of shrimp.

The shrimp had been handled very well; it didn’t have that heavy, nauseating fishy smell. Instead, it highlighted the salty-sweetness and tender smoothness of the shrimp.

It certainly required some skill to produce such a wonderful texture.

After tasting the shrimp, Shi Songmu keenly detected a hint of the Imperial Chrysanthemum’s fragrance.

The chrysanthemum was noble and ethereal, its scent lingering and flourishing.

It was one of the “Four Gentlemen” among flowers, lauded by scholars for its elegance.

As soon as the scent of the Imperial Chrysanthemum spread, Shi Songmu immediately felt that the fresh flavor, which had been almost too overwhelming, was balanced out by the chrysanthemum.

The two combined; amidst the savory freshness floated a hint of elegance, and within the elegance, there was no lack of savory sweetness.

The vulgar and the refined, the refined and the vulgar, reached a subtle and admirable balance.

It was absolutely perfect, truly living up to Yulou’s reputation!

Shi Songmu, who had been slightly disappointed, was now stunned. she really wanted to gulp down all the Gold and Jade Stew in her bowl in one go.

But that would be lacking in character; she wouldn’t be able to appreciate the elegance of the chrysanthemum.

So she restrained herself, savoring it one spoonful at a time.

To her, eating wasn’t just about consuming food; it was about experiencing the charm and understanding the artistic conception the cook intended to express.

After finishing the bowl, she immediately spread the paper she had brought on the table and began writing wildly with a charcoal pen.

As for the others, her childhood sweetheart was naturally not as excited. After the first bite, besides thinking it was delicious, he had no other thoughts.

Mu Jinyu also thought it was good, but most of her attention was on Rong Heng, reminding her not to take off her veil but to eat with it partially lifted.

Shi Songmu filled the entire page with writing before letting out a breath and beginning to carefully check what she had written for any errors.

Yulou’s food was excellent; every time a new dish appeared, it allowed her to experience a different kind of artistic conception.

However, the more she looked at what she had written, her initial excitement began to cool down.

While the combination of Imperial Chrysanthemum and shrimp was indeed refreshing, she felt something was still missing.

Combining two ingredients—one “vulgar” and one “refined”—was a good idea, and the execution was fine.

So what was the problem that made her feel it was lacking?

While thinking, Shi Songmu looked up to see the expressions of the others at the table, hoping to get some feedback.

But she saw that the three of them, including Mu Jinyu, had looks of surprise, but they weren’t particularly excited.

They didn’t seem to think this dish was particularly extraordinary.

Yes, that was the word—extraordinary!

This dish only achieved the flavor and quality that should result from the combination of shrimp and chrysanthemum. it showed that the cook had a good idea, but it failed to produce a more unexpected, higher level of flavor.

In other words, it was a standard performance, not a stellar one.

Therefore, everyone was surprised by the cook’s idea, but not excited by the dish’s flavor.

Cooking shouldn’t just be “good enough”; it must be taken to the extreme to leave a profound impression on the diners.

Having figured it out, Shi Songmu looked at the page she had written and suddenly felt she had written poorly.

It was all hollow praise and exaggeration.

She called Mu Jinyu’s name and handed the paper over, asking her to help look it over.

Mu Jinyu looked at Shi Songmu with some surprise, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and took the paper.

She began to read it seriously.

The literacy rate among the people of the Great Rong Dynasty was high. Even ordinary citizens like Mu Jinyu and Shi Songmu had attended school for a few years and could read and write.

After finishing, Mu Jinyu nodded. She didn’t think anything was wrong.

She handed the paper back: “I think it’s very good. You have great literary talent!”

“But…” Shi Songmu said distressedly: “I still feel something is missing. This dish is delicious, but it hasn’t reached the level of being unique.”

“Could it be that my expectations for Yulou are too high?”

But…

She shook her head, and just as she was about to give up on the thought, Mu Jinyu spoke: “Indeed. Considering Yulou’s status as the number one restaurant in Louxu County, this dish is indeed a bit lacking.”

Mu Jinyu herself had never eaten at Yulou before.

However, with the title of the number one restaurant, it was normal for diners to have higher requirements.

Shi Songmu said: “Right! But for the life of me, I can’t figure out what is missing.”

She was only a diner, not a chef, so she only had feelings, but she couldn’t think of how to take the dish to the next level.

Mu Jinyu said: “It’s missing tofu.”

“Tofu?” Shi Songmu thought for a moment and asked: “Why tofu?”

Tofu was a bit ordinary, a bit plain. Why would such a dish be missing tofu?

“The shrimp is sweet and savory, and the Imperial Chrysanthemum is fragrant. It’s missing an ingredient that can combine the two flavors without masking them, while maintaining its own unique texture.”

“Tofu can do that very well.”

Tofu had a smooth, tender texture that could blend well with the shrimp. It could also neutralize the overly intense freshness of the shrimp.

Furthermore, the flavor of the chrysanthemum was too light; if not savored carefully, it would be ignored. If one added chrysanthemum to tofu and mashed them together, the tofu would be infused with a rich chrysanthemum fragrance.

When mixed with the shrimp, because of the presence of the tofu, the fragrance would not be covered by the shrimp flavor and would stand out.

And the natural soy aroma of tofu itself, distinct from the “refined and vulgar” nature of the shrimp and chrysanthemum, was a more moderate flavor.

But when tasted within the Gold and Jade Stew, it would be an extremely unexpected flavor, a finishing touch.

Whether refined or vulgar, to the diners’ taste buds, they are both “full” flavors.

Eating is something diners need to savor themselves.

Therefore, adding a more moderate flavor allows the diners to have some “room” after the fullness to savor the differences.

Mu Jinyu explained her reasons for choosing tofu in detail to Shi Songmu.

When she finished, Shi Songmu couldn’t help but gape. She excitedly slapped her thigh: “Brilliant! Tofu is perfect, tofu is great! You actually thought of adding tofu!”

“Heavens, that’s amazing! As expected, you always have such novel ideas!”

Just as Shi Songmu was excited, a slender, pale figure in white stood by their table.

She looked a bit frail, and even her posture while bowing was unsteady.

“To receive guidance from Boss Mu is Yulou’s fortune.”

“Let me introduce myself. I am the owner of Yulou, Yuyu.”

In an instant, the entire Yulou fell silent. Everyone stared in unison at the person Yuyu was bowing to—Mu Jinyu!