Chapter 528: Coming to the Right Place

Huang Zhi sighed: "Lin Sicheng, I've made it hard for you. You actually didn't throw that business card of mine into the trash can?"

Lin Sicheng spoke righteously: "General Manager Huang, although I don't like dealing with people, at least I know my manners."

Not only did he not throw it away, he had specifically asked Li Zhen to keep it safe.

The Second Generation are all like dogs; flipping their faces at any moment is just a basic skill, and this was to guard against the day Huang Zhi might ask for it back.

"It's not that you don't like dealing with people, it's that you don't like dealing with people like me." Huang Zhi shook his head, "You just didn't expect that the card and business card I gave you could actually be useful one day?"

Lin Sicheng didn't speak, because this was a fact.

He hadn't expected that this Private Club of Huang Zhi's was truly just a place to eat, and had absolutely nothing to do with any political brokers. If he had known this situation earlier, and known that the food here was so authentic, and was even the genuine craft of an Imperial Chef, Lin Sicheng would have come long ago. Seeing him silent, as if tacitly admitting it, Huang Zhi was both angry and amused.

It was the first time he realized that his own utility was actually not even as good as a cook's?

But deep down, he wasn't all that angry, and even felt a bit self-satisfied.

At least it showed that his judgment of people was quite accurate: although this kid's personality was like a stone wrapped in dung, his character was still quite firm.

He looked intrigued: "Know it now?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "I know!"

It was indeed him overthinking things; Huang Zhi just wanted to find a protector for his eldest sister.

"But General Manager Huang, I'm not necessarily in Beijing often!"

This is called a problem?

Huang Zhi wasn't worried about this at all.

What he was worried about was his sister.

"Simple: whenever you are in Beijing, that's when my sister will ask you for help!"

Huang Zhi said bluntly: "But there is one point, Lin Sicheng, you know my sister's personality!"

Lin Sicheng, however, wasn't worried at all.

Huang Lan was indeed quite stubborn, but to deal with such a person, you have to prescribe the right medicine and pay attention to technique.

Just like that time at the Police Station.

"General Manager Huang, don't you worry!" Lin Sicheng smiled, "Teacher Huang is just straightforward and quite simple!"

Is that simple? That's stubborn, the kind that nine cows couldn't pull back...

Huang Zhi was stunned: does that mean he just agreed?

Before, he had invited him three or four times, but Lin Sicheng wouldn't loosen his stance even a bit, and kept finding excuses that you could tell were just stalling.

Huang Zhi had already prepared to tangle with Lin Sicheng for a few more rounds. If that didn't work, he would just let Lin Sicheng stay here and let him see for himself whether this Small Courtyard was the den of iniquity and corruption he imagined it to be.

As a result, he made a 180-degree turn on the spot?

Seeing what Huang Zhi was thinking, Lin Sicheng didn't know if he should explain.

It was he who had complicated things, thinking that even if this place of Huang Zhi's wasn't the "Red Chamber" of Beijing, it was definitely not any proper path.

Getting entangled with such a person, sooner or later he would end up eating prison food.

Besides doing this, he suspected Huang Zhi might also want to find a nanny for his sister.

But after seeing those two hundred-plus paintings of his sister's, and the true situation of this Small Courtyard, he realized it wasn't like that at all.

With over two hundred paintings, how much money must Huang Lan have lost?

Recalling the last time at the Police Station, one could imagine how many jokes Huang Lan had made and how much trouble she had caused?

Compared to this Teacher Huang, scammers like Feng Sanjiang could only be considered good little babies.

At least they knew who could be scammed and who couldn't, and furthermore, they knew to run if they couldn't afford to provoke someone.

But Huang Lan wouldn't care about that much: regardless of the circumstances or background, she would just do it first.

Lin Sicheng was thoughtful: "General Manager Huang, was that Division Chief Liu from that day invited by Teacher Huang?"

Huang Zhi sighed: What do you think?

The little bit of goodwill from the old man and old lady was something he and his second brother hadn't used at all; it had all been squandered by his eldest sister.

But seeing that the old man and old lady were nearly eighty, how many more years could they live? Huang Zhi just thought he had to put a tightening spell on his sister. Not to mention how much money she lost, at least she could cause less trouble.

Liu Yiling wouldn't do; she had a good eye, but no heart, and lacked flexibility.

If you run into someone like Huang Lan and try to reason with her point by point, she has more logic than you do.

Believe it or not, in the end, you'll watch her get cheated and have no way to stop it?

Lin Sicheng had a toothache: Why didn't you say so earlier?

He had too much experience dealing with such people. If he had known this was the job, Lin Sicheng would have agreed long ago.

A hobby for collecting, and money is even less of a problem; where could one find such a golden customer?

She wouldn't even need to go hunting for items herself, let alone have him accompany her running all over the market. Whatever Teacher Huang wants, she just needs to give an order, and Lin Sicheng would definitely satisfy her. "General Manager Huang, I couldn't help it before, but from now on, if Teacher Huang gets cheated again, you can hold me accountable!" Lin Sicheng said with conviction, "Of course, the premise is that it must go through me."

Huang Zhi was half-believing: "Lin Sicheng, don't fool me, and don't fool my sister!"

Lin Sicheng smiled: "General Manager Huang, I won't, I have professional ethics!"

He said he wouldn't, not that he wouldn't dare.

Huang Zhi at least knew that Lin Sicheng absolutely would dare.

Just like today, hadn't he blatantly fooled him and his sister all afternoon?

He could clearly have appraised them faster, at least forty or fifty of them, yet he was just dragging his feet there?

"Then it's a deal?"

"Of course!" Lin Sicheng nodded, "It just so happens that my renovation funds are falling a bit short, so I'm counting on Teacher Huang!"

Huang Zhi was amused to the point of anger.

But this was the thing he was least worried about: "Fine, as long as you have the ability, money is not a problem."

Strictly speaking: it's not a problem at all.

The two of them chatted and laughed as they entered the private room.

Behind them, the brother and sister looked at each other in dismay.

"Brother, didn't Uncle say he had a lot of backbone and integrity?"

Li Huaizhang's face was full of sarcasm: "Uncle rushed to give him money, and after persuading him again and again, he only reluctantly accepted it. How much more integrity do you want him to have?" Li Huaiyu thought about it very seriously: It really seemed to be the case?

"And he told you plainly: I will only accept more in the future?"

"Isn't this playing hard to get? Such a simple trick, and Uncle still falls for it?"

Li Huaizhang shook his head: He did not doubt Uncle's judgment, let alone Uncle's intelligence. It stood to reason that this kid must have some real ability. Of course, it didn't exclude the possibility that Uncle was playing along to catch him. At the very least, in a place like Beijing, no one could swindle Uncle's money and still get away with it. "Doesn't that kid want to open some studio? Don't worry, he can't run..."

"I know, the monk can run, but the temple can't!" Li Huaiyu looked distressed, "I'm worried about Mom!"

Taking a step back, if that kid wasn't a swindler but actually had real talent, it would be worse than if he were a swindler.

Because once there was a guarantee, their mother would only become more excessive: endless collecting of paintings, endless being swindled, endless causing trouble, and endless cleaning up after her.

That's right, the two uncles and their grandparents would all provide a safety net. The problem was, they were their biological children, not stepchildren. Their father was even her own husband—was he just going to watch his wife make a mess of things?

Honestly, after all these years, they had had enough.

Under these circumstances, it would be a miracle if they could look at Lin Sicheng with any favor.

Li Huaizhang rested his chin on his hand: "Can we think of a way to squeeze this kid out?"

"Uncle is watching, you know?"

"I didn't say right now!"

In the future?

Li Huaiyu shook her head: It would be tough in the future, too.

This kid was cunning as a fox; they were simply no match for him.

Even their friends, even if their brains were a bit better than theirs, were only limitedly so.

"Then let's find someone to scare him!" Li Huaizhang narrowed his eyes, "I don't believe he's really not afraid?"

Uncle was an elder and reasonable, so of course he wasn't afraid, but among the children of the courtyard, that was a rare minority.

Most of them were completely unreasonable ruffians.

"Brother, will it work?" Li Huaiyu was a bit worried, "If you mess it up, will Uncle skin you alive?"

Li Huaizhang was full of confidence: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Just scaring him, not doing anything for real?

Just as they were whispering, Huang Lan called out from the private room: "Huaizhang, Huaiyu, time to order!"

The two responded and entered the private room.

Two waiters arrived, one serving tea and the other holding a menu.

Huang Zhi took it and passed it forward.

Lin Sicheng didn't look at it, but gave it to Liu Yiling: "Teacher Liu, what would you like to eat?"

Liu Yiling didn't take it.

She wasn't good at socializing, but she wasn't blind. Even with her toes, she could see that today's Painting Appraisal, as well as this meal, were all aimed at Lin Sicheng.

"Teacher Lin, you just order!"

Of course he had to order, but he didn't need the menu.

"It's fine, Teacher Liu, you order yours, I don't need a menu!" Lin Sicheng looked at the waiter, "Beauty, take note..."

The waiter hurriedly picked up a pen.

"Put together a four-color cold platter, and bring eight hot dishes: Red Braised Pork, Twice-Cooked Pork, Tomato Beef Brisket, Lion's Head Meatball. Bring four vegetable dishes: Mapo Tofu, Rapeseed with Shiitake Mushrooms, Braised Eggplant, Steamed Taro. Add a fish: bring a White Sauce River Catfish."

"For the staple, Yangzhou Fried Rice, and for the soup, Clear Soup Bird's Nest—don't use real bird's nest, just use white swallow (shredded radish) is fine—and add one more dish of Boiled Cabbage in Consomme..."

Lin Sicheng reeled off more than a dozen dishes in one breath; the pen in the waiter's hand was almost spinning sparks.

After repeating it once and seeing Lin Sicheng nod, the waiter reminded him: "Sir, we can make dishes from all cuisines here, do you need any Annotation?" "Thank you, no need, just let the master chef make their specialty!"

With the boss sitting here, that went without saying; the kitchen knew what to do.

What the waiter found strange was: why were they all home-style dishes, and most of them were small stir-fries?

It wasn't just the waiter who didn't understand; the brother and sister didn't understand either: Even if you haven't been to Beijing, you've eaten at restaurants, right?

Look at these dishes you ordered: Twice-Cooked Pork, Red Braised Pork, Mapo Tofu, stir-fried greens, Steamed Taro?

There's even radish and cabbage... No, big brother, this is the best private kitchen restaurant in Beijing, not a street food stall.

Thinking Lin Sicheng was too embarrassed to order, Huang Lan persuaded him: "Teacher Lin, there are also chefs here who specialize in Fujian cuisine and Tan Mansion Cuisine. The seafood, bird's nest, abalone, shark fin, and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall are all quite good. Would you like to try them?"

"Thank you, Teacher Huang, these are enough!"

It was mainly because he had eaten too much of it during his time in Guangzhou; his neck itched at the mere mention of seafood.

Huang Lan wanted to persuade him further, but Huang Zhi gave her a look.

His niece and nephew didn't understand, and his sister didn't understand either, but as the owner of the restaurant, how could he not understand?

Only in the ordinary can true skill be revealed; with good ingredients, what chef couldn't make a good dish?

Conversely: the more home-style the dish, the more one could see a chef's true craftsmanship and the standard of the restaurant's cuisine.

Moreover, the dishes Lin Sicheng ordered were not ordinary home-style dishes, but were ordered according to the state banquet menu of the State Guest House: one Huaiyang dish, and one each from Lu, Chuan, and Zhe cuisines.

Whether it was meat dishes, hot dishes, or soup, it was all this configuration, including the final Yangzhou Fried Rice. Therefore, there was no need for special Annotation at all; once the menu was sent to the kitchen, the head chef would know at a glance that an old foodie had arrived.

Not to mention that these were guests invited by the boss, so they would naturally put in 120 percent of their true skill.

Huang Zhi somewhat believed what Lin Sicheng had said earlier: he had studied the famous dishes of every province a little bit.

He was a bit curious: "Lin Sicheng, you are in antique appraisal, why study this?"

Lin Sicheng looked as if it were only natural: "Purely because I'm a glutton!"

He had always loved to eat, and having traveled all over the country, his palate had gradually become more and more refined.

Sometimes when you can't find a good restaurant, don't you have to figure it out yourself?

After replying, Lin Sicheng began counting on his fingers, "General Manager Huang, the Eight Great Cuisines—you can make at least six of them here, right? With so many master chefs on staff, what percentage of the turnover does the labor cost account for?"

"About thirty percent!"

Thirty percent; that is already quite high. In a typical restaurant, labor costs are generally kept under twenty percent.

There is another point: in those restaurants, ingredient costs are higher, roughly thirty to forty percent. But here, it is likely less than ten percent.

If you don't believe it, just calculate: a plate of Wensi Tofu is one hundred sixty, yet the ingredient cost is less than five. The reason it sells for so much is the cost of the knife work. A portion of Braised Intestines in Brown Sauce, twenty at most for the cost, sells for two hundred eighty; what is being sold is the craftsmanship of an Imperial Chef.

The key is that business is still this good, so the turnover cannot be low. With the money coming in and going out, a thirty percent labor cost is absolutely a figure that would make people gasp.

But don't complain that it's high; if you want to hire good chefs, you have to pay this price.

Lin Sicheng began licking his lips again: "It's too late today, and I haven't prepared anything. I'll bring a gift next time I come; General Manager Huang, please help me with an introduction. I would like to ask for some pointers on that Steamed Pork with Rice Flour."

What the hell?

Huang Zhi was stunned, baring his teeth and grimacing with a pained expression.

He could tell that Lin Sicheng was not lying. But precisely because of that, he could not figure it out.

With so many things to learn, why would you choose to learn how to cook?

Huang Zhi held back again and again, feeling it would be too intrusive, so he did not ask.

To each their own. It was just a dish, after all; if he wanted to learn, let him learn.

In a flash, the dishes were brought to the table, starting with four cold appetizers: a deboned Sunflower Chicken, a Zhenjiang Aspic Meat, a Shrimp Roe Winter Bamboo Shoots, and a Jellyfish Strips.

One Su dish, one Min dish, and two Cantonese dishes. It counted as filling in the cuisines that had not been ordered before.

The hot dishes followed immediately, with three served first: the first was Bird's Nest Soup, the second was White Sauce River Catfish, and the third was Lion's Head Meatball.

After some polite deferring, Lin Sicheng tasted the crystal aspic meat; as soon as the meat slice entered his mouth, his eyes lit up: he had come to the right place!

No wonder they set such a high threshold, yet business was still so good?

Then, his chopsticks did not stop moving.

Huang Zhi was both annoyed and amused: if he had known he was so fond of this, why had he gone to such great lengths?