pjbooks Chapter 66: Chinese Cuisine
Chapter 66: Chinese Cuisine
The next morning, Xing Ronghua and Li Guoming had breakfast, loaded their luggage into the car, checked out of the hotel, and headed straight for Jason's mine.
The road conditions were indeed not good, but for Li Guoming, it was commonplace.
Driving the pickup truck, it bumped and jolted forward.
At the edge of the mine, Xing Ronghua stopped Li Guoming from driving any further.
"What's going on?" Li Guoming asked, somewhat puzzled. "Old Xing, it's four thousand dollars a month, you're not backing out, are you?!"
As Chinese citizens, they don't easily find high-paying jobs here, and Li Guoming didn't want to miss this opportunity.
Xing Ronghua took out his secondhand phone and explained, "Old Li, don't worry, I need to make a call to let you know."
"Yes, yes, I am Xing Ronghua."
"My friend and I are right next to the mine, on the road we took to enter the mine yesterday."
"Okay, okay, we'll wait here for a bit."
After hanging up the phone, Xing Ronghua nodded to Li Guorong: "Alright, someone will take us in in a bit."
Glancing at the pistol tucked into Li Guoming's waistband, Xing Ronghua warned, "Don't be nervous later, and whatever you do, don't pull out your gun randomly. This mine has a security team."
"So strict?!" Li Guoming's face showed some surprise and uncertainty.
"It's a gold mine," Xing Ronghua nodded, not finding anything wrong with it. After all, it's about mining gold, so it's normal for security to be tight.
"It seems this boss is indeed quite capable."
Li Guoming has lived here for two years and has some understanding of gold mining in the area.
Generally speaking, few people would hire security personnel specifically to guard their premises; each mining area usually handles it themselves. So, having a security team like this indicates that their capabilities are indeed exceptional.
A newly acquired mining area, with buildings under construction and people constantly being recruited, clearly indicates that money is no object!
"He is indeed quite capable." Xing Ronghua nodded unconsciously as she recalled the first time she met Jason, who was accompanied by three bodyguards.
The two chatted for a while, and then a pickup truck pulled up in front of them.
Dolino leaned against the car window, sized up the two of them, and chuckled, "Welcome to the mine! Follow me, I'll take you to the living quarters."
The two cars were positioned one in front of the other.
Soon, the car stopped in the residential area.
Jason smiled and welcomed them in fluent Mandarin: "Welcome to the team."
Li Guoming stepped forward, grabbed Jason's hand, and shook it up and down: "You must be Boss Jason. You speak Chinese very well. My name is Li Guoming, and I'm from Xing Ronghua's hometown. Please take care of me in the future."
Jason was a little taken aback by the sudden enthusiasm of "Hello, hello."
Xing Ronghua patted Li Guoming, signaling him to calm down.
Jason led them to their accommodations and then took them to the kitchen.
The kitchen isn't big, but it has everything you need, including a full range of kitchen utensils.
After introducing the two to her mother, Lillian, Lillian's smile never stopped, and she took the initiative to introduce them.
"There are currently 29 people in the mine. Seven of them are installing houses and will be leaving in the next couple of days. The meals are simple, mainly hot dogs and some noodles, with potatoes as the staple food. You can decide what to eat."
"Of course, you can cook your specialty dishes, but don't make them too strong in flavor. Keep it simple and quick, and see how they react after they try them."
Taste is a very important factor; some people like it, and some don't, so we can only cater to the general public's taste.
Jason was worried that people who usually preferred simple, quick meals and mild flavors wouldn't be able to accept authentic Chinese food all at once.
"Boss, I understand what you mean. Don't worry, there won't be any problem." Li Guoming had been living here for two years and understood Jason's meaning.
The two of them quickly and efficiently started cooking in the kitchen!
With the 'battlefield' handed over to the two of them, Jason and Lillian were finally able to disband.
"Old Li, are you sure you want to do this?" Xing Ronghua asked in a low voice, glancing nervously toward the door.
Li Guoming assured Xing Ronghua, "Don't worry, I've been here for two years, I know better than you what they like to eat!"
The two weren't discussing anything fancy, just simple fried potato strips.
Xing Ronghua felt that doing this was unfair to her salary, while Li Guoming didn't think so much. He believed that what was suitable was the best, and no matter how complicated it was, it was all for nothing if no one ate it.
"Have you considered the boss? He's a China expert," Xing Ronghua reminded him.
Li Guoming slapped his forehead, regretting, "I almost forgot about this. Here's what we'll do: Lao Xing, you make a few authentic Chinese dishes, and I'll make these simple ones."
Anyway, it's just meals for about twenty people, and most of them are fast food, so it's not difficult for them.
Knead the dough to make pizza, cut the potatoes, and cut the fish into chunks.
The pork chops are simply marinated, then coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried.
Pizza, French fries, fried fish, fried pork chops!
The meals were simple, especially for Li Guoming, who had lived here for two years, he had a good grasp of the flavors.
As for what Xing Ronghua made, it wasn't complicated. The main problem was that there were very few Chinese seasonings available in the kitchen, so he could only make something simple based on the ingredients he had on hand.
I pulled some noodles, intending to make soup noodles, but at Li Guoming's suggestion, I made stir-fried noodles instead.
I also quickly stir-fried two dishes: twice-cooked pork and hot and sour shredded potatoes, a combination of meat and vegetables.
The three dishes Xing Ronghua made were all modified under Li Guoming's guidance, so they weren't exactly authentic Chinese cuisine. Even so, the portions weren't very large, in case they didn't suit everyone's taste.
"It smells so good!"
As the aroma of food wafted through the air, Ellie, who had been listless, was now drooling and her eyes kept glancing towards the kitchen.
Lillian exclaimed, "Jason, it seems the chef you chose is really good!"
"Mom, China is a great food country. There are so many delicious foods there. I'll take you to visit sometime." He had tasted Xing Ronghua's cooking before, and the Chinese food was very authentic!
"I think I'd better not go to China," Lillian said with a smile, mainly because in her mind, China was too backward and too unsafe.
She doesn't discriminate against anyone or any country; she's just worried about security.
"Jason, I want to go!" Ellie raised her hand, her eyes shining.
For a foodie, nothing is more important than delicious food!
Ellie's expression made Jason and Lillian laugh; they were clearly well aware of Ellie's love of food.
The people mining were relatively far away, so the smell didn't waft that far, but those building houses near the residential area kept turning their heads away.
Clearly, the taste alone was enough to attract them.
They cook very quickly; after all, they are professional chefs, and they finished lunch in about an hour.
After cleaning the kitchen utensils and table, the two put the cooked food into the warmer.
The two approached Jason, and Xing Ronghua asked, "Boss, is there anything else we need to do?"
"Please sit down," Jason said with a smile, noticing that the two were still a little reserved. "You don't need to be so formal. I'm only eighteen years old, and I don't like things to be too serious."
"Your usual job is very simple, just to ensure the meals for the miners in the mining area, of course, you have to adjust them according to their tastes."
"Besides that, if you need to buy any special ingredients, you can drive there yourself. Don't worry, it will all be reimbursed."
"Apart from these, as long as you do your job well, you can do whatever you want with your time outside of work."
Li Guoming gave Jason a thumbs up: "Boss, you're the most generous boss I've ever met!"
Jason glanced at Ellie to the side and asked curiously, "By the way, do you guys make snacks and desserts?"
"I'm an expert in this area!" Xing Ronghua said confidently.
"Then when you have free time, make some snacks and desserts. Of course, they can be on the sweeter side, since you know what foreigners like," Jason said, clearly unaware of his own status.
Xing Ronghua didn't have any objections, after all, it wasn't a big deal.
Xing Ronghua and Li Guoming immediately wanted to go to the kitchen to make some snacks and desserts, but Jason persuaded them not to.
After all, they've just arrived, there's no need to rush, and these two are being a bit too reserved.
Jason chatted with the two in Mandarin, especially talking about the delicious food he had eaten during his recent trip to China, which opened up a conversation between them.
The distance between them has been reduced considerably, and both sides have gained a better understanding of each other to some extent.
Li Guoming arrived here relatively early and has been moving between various restaurants. After all, at this time of year, it's still quite difficult for people with yellow skin to survive here.
As for why he doesn't return to China, Li Guoming's answer is simple: to make money.
Jason expressed his understanding, since wages in China are indeed not high at this time. He was just curious why Li Guoming, as a chef, didn't open his own restaurant and start his own business.
Jason didn't ask about that either.
As for Xing Ronghua, he is from the same hometown as Li Guoming. He came here with Li Guoming this year, and his purpose is very simple: to make money!
Xing Ronghua and Li Guoming also expressed their sympathy after learning about Jason's experience.
A young man who has just come of age has built such a large business in less than a year, making them feel like they've wasted their lives.
Time always flies when you're chatting.
We alternated between working and eating!
"My God, this is so delicious!" Brent exclaimed in surprise after taking a bite of the twice-cooked pork.
Dolino, standing nearby, explained, also exclaiming in surprise, "This was made by the new chef today! I never expected it to taste so delicious!"
Brent ate while recommending, "Andy, you guys have to try this, it's really delicious."
After the meal was served, Li Guoming and Xing Ronghua, who had been watching everyone's reactions closely, were finally relieved.