"Hmm, the master chef's skills are truly impressive. How about it? Interested in working at my place?"

Early in the morning, Lin Feng brought some people over to Wang Fan's place, not waiting at home for others to come and pay their respects.

After tasting the meat braised by Uncle, he immediately decided to hire him.

Wang Fan gently pushed Uncle's back, forcing him to take a step forward and awkwardly say, "Well... well then, I am grateful for Boss Lin's kindness."

Lin Feng immediately patted Uncle on the shoulder with delight, "We'll be like family from now on, no need for pleasantries. You can come over whenever it's convenient for you, just report in directly. We'll stick to the terms we discussed earlier for compensation."

Laughing heartily, Lin Feng patted Wang Fan's shoulder again, "Boss Wang, this braised meat is really solid. When my brothers came over for a meal, they said they wanted something light because they'd eaten too much meat during Lunar December. But when I brought out your braised meat, they scrambled for it fiercely, almost starting a fight. They were so overindulgent, it was quite the sight. They left with bulging waistlines, barely able to walk straight, hahaha."

Talking about this made him feel secretly delighted; it was quite an achievement to outwit those old buddies. The prestige from that night was substantial.

After finishing his words and seeing his people almost done packing, he said goodbye, "You two take a rest, it's New Year's Day with plenty to do, so I won't stay long. In a couple of days, you can come over to my place — first, for a soak in the bath and second, to familiarize yourself with the work environment. See you."

Boss Lin is a brisk and energetic person; after saying he's leaving, he turned around, got in the car, and left.

Wang Fan prepared to go back into the camper, but Uncle stood there dazed, so Wang Fan nudged him, "Uncle, get in the car, it's so cold outside."

Uncle asked a bit foolishly, "Did I already successfully pass the interview? Four... forty thousand a month?"

Wang Fan chuckled, "Don't think it's too much. With this pot of soup and our reputation accumulated over these days, if you keep going at it here, it might even be more than that."

"How can that be the same? This is so stable, forty thousand, it's almost what I made in half a year before. Very soon, you'll save enough for a down payment in the city."

Wang Fan shook his head and returned to the camper. He'd eaten too much meat recently, so he planned to braise some vegetables to cut down on the grease.

In the kitchen, there were large basins lined up, including seaweed, black fungus, and peanuts soaked early in the morning, peeled and sliced lotus roots, potato slices, and some shiitake mushrooms and broccoli.

Wang Fan employed his skills in Listening to the Wind and Discriminating the Flavor alongside Observing Facial Expressions at full power, adding and removing each ingredient at the perfect moment, quickly turning the fresh ingredients in the basins into braised vegetables.

After cooling down the braised vegetables a bit, Wang Fan put samples of each into small bowls.

He picked up a braised lotus root slice with chopsticks, which was an alluring reddish-brown, emitting a rich braised aroma.

Wang Fansuan chose the nine-hole lotus root; lotus roots usually have seven holes or nine holes. Seven-hole lotus root has less moisture and high starch content, making it tender after cooking, suitable for steaming and stewing.

Nine-hole lotus root contains more water and less starch, hence is crunchier and better suited for braising.

The heat used in braising was moderate, and the cooking time was short, naturally preserving the lotus root's crispness perfectly, which made Wang Fan enjoy a delightful crunching sound, "crunch... crunch..." when chewing the lotus root.

Each chew released the lotus root's refreshing aroma and tender juice, with a natural sweetness surpassing any seasoning.

The crisp texture of the lotus root left Wang Fan very satisfied, then he picked up a piece of black fungus and popped it into his mouth.

"Crunch... crunch..."

The texture of the black fungus wasn't as crisp as the lotus root, but it had its unique soft crunch.

Indeed, soft crunch, Wang Fan felt this description was spot on.

The texture of the black fungus was somewhat like pig's ears, but softer than pig's ears, with crunchy skin and a layer of soft meat in the middle.

Soft and elastic, flexible yet intermixed with smoothness, its subtle flavors weren't intense but somehow seemed to blend and taste everything.

Its intrinsic sweetness blended with the underlying taste of the braising sauce, creating a texture both soft and crisp with a rich aroma, unmatched by anything else.

Suddenly, Uncle had taken out a bottle of liquor, picked up a few peanuts, and took a long sip directly from the glass.

"Ahh..."

Exhaling a mouthful of liquor aroma, Uncle felt warm all over.

He then popped a mushroom into his mouth, and the mushroom flavor cut through the liquor aroma, dispersing it significantly.

Wang Fansuan had only cut a cross on the thick mushroom cap to let the flavor seep through.

As soon as the mushroom entered his mouth, Uncle savored the fresh taste of the mushroom.

Upon chewing, the thick and succulent texture of the mushroom brightened his eyes.

The thick mushroom had a certain elasticity when chewed, resisting the pressure of the teeth like a defiance, and amid this defiance, the flavor permeating every fiber of the mushroom would continuously be released, merging with the mushroom's distinct taste, creating a rich layering that even eating meat couldn't compare to.

As you take big chews, you find that the mushroom isn't overly soft nor too hard, a just-right texture that's incredibly memorable.

Uncle took another gulp of freshly poured liquor from Wang Fan, feeling exhilarated, "Just this mushroom, I wouldn't trade it for an elbow!"

"Nephew, you have to tell me the timing for this mushroom; I think this is better than meat and will surely sell like hotcakes."

Wang Fan opened a bottle of beer; the spicy sting of liquor was a bit much for him, but beer was just perfect.

Potato slices are the trickiest among these ingredients to get right. Cook them too long, and they get mushy; too little, they remain unflavored with an acidic note, but with his two master skills, Wang Fan handled the little potatoes easily.

Upon biting into it, that crunchy texture made Wang Fan very satisfied; while chewing, he could appreciate the potato's delicate texture and distinctive toughness.

Marinated in the braising sauce, the potato slices absorbed a rich flavor, with a lasting and thick taste, leaving a lingering aftertaste of subtle saltiness and the inherent sweetness of the potato by merely brushing your tongue.

The broccoli's taste was similarly exceptional.

The small broccoli florets, infused with braising sauce, became tender yet retained a certain chewiness and crispness, with a slight elasticity.

The aroma of the braising sauce seeped into the broccoli, enriching its flavor.

Each chew further melded the fragrance of the spices within the braising sauce with the refreshing taste of the broccoli, creating a unique and harmonious flavor when combined.

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