pjbooks Chapter 71 [1-on-3 Service]
Chapter 71 [1-on-3 Service]
Chapter 71 [One-to-Three Service]
The atmosphere on the street on the day of the shoot was completely different from usual.
A wall of onlookers had unknowingly gathered around the food truck, with cell phone cameras, curious glances, and whispers among themselves.
This area seems to be separated from the rest of the night market.
On several tripods, rows of somewhat professional-looking action cameras, their red lights flashing, silently recorded everything in front of their lenses.
"Please cooperate and follow the rules."
"Don't push, they're filming up ahead."
"Everyone, just watch the show and then leave. Don't crowd around here."
Liu Zhuohao stood behind the food cart, looking ahead at the community service center staff wearing armbands, the stall owners around him, and Cheng Bing and Yang Boran, two newcomers.
They stood in front of the human wall to maintain order.
Huang Weixiong and Li Zekai, holding cameras, looked over with inquiring eyes.
Liu Zhuohao didn't delve into the meaning behind those gazes; his attention had already returned to what was in front of him.
Right now, most of the people in the night market are gathered here, creating a scene comparable to watching fireworks during the Lunar New Year.
In such a situation, if someone falls, a stampede would be a terrible disaster.
In comparison, the open and covert struggles in the business world become trivial matters.
It is unwise to rely on this scene to determine who is watching you from the shadows.
He raised his hand to adjust the miniature microphone on his collar, his voice clearly recorded, his tone more even than usual: "Welcome to this episode of street video shooting. It's still me, Boss Liu."
He smiled and tried to keep his tone relaxed, but his gaze subtly swept over the crowd of onlookers, finally settling on the slightly awkward family of three in front of him—the lucky customers of the day.
The father wore a crisp shirt, the mother held her son's hand, and the boy, who had just started junior high school, looked around curiously.
Unlike the lucky customers from out of town last time, these were all locals.
"The scale of the last giveaway got me to third place on the Bilibili rankings for that period, and you can still see the corresponding red badge now. It was my highest ranking ever, third place."
"However, the video went viral, and there were also quite a few comments."
As Liu Zhuohao heated up the iron plate, the movements in his hands had long become muscle memory. He spoke to the camera as if he were talking to the family of three in front of him.
"Isn't this too bland for people from this mountain town?" "Do they really have to add alcohol?" "Isn't this all rushed?" "It looks kind of scary to the onlookers." — There are all sorts of opinions.
As the hot steam from the iron plate rose, Liu Zhuohao twirled the tongs in his hand.
"So this time, I learned my lesson."
He looked up and faced the camera: "I communicated thoroughly with these lucky winners beforehand, asking them what they liked, what they disliked, and what flavors they preferred before deciding on the dishes."
"Don't worry, everyone. This time, there won't be any dishes that our customers can't touch. When we eat out on the street, we're looking for something that suits our tastes and that we can eat with peace of mind."
The family of three in front of them simply nodded without saying a word.
Some people in the crowd behind were already impatient: "Let's get started!"
"Boss Liu, it's too far away to see clearly!"
"Don't push forward! They're taking pictures of the first three people, not you!"
The sounds flooded into my ears like a tidal wave.
Liu Zhuohao's fingers rubbed the cool handle of the clamp, and the heat from the iron plate mixed with the aroma of oil wafted upwards.
This is no longer just about cooking.
This was an impromptu performance stage set up on a busy street.
Liu Zhuohao had a clear idea of the filming pace, but neither the audience nor the three "protagonists" in front of him knew the script, so he had to control everything on set.
If the rhythm is disrupted, or if something goes wrong, you have to start over.
Either reschedule, or — select new people.
That takes too much effort.
Liu Zhuohao picked up a long ladle and scooped out beef bones, chicken carcasses, and a piece of dried tangerine peel from a bucket simmering over a small fire.
Three beef balls were sinking at the bottom of the pot, slowly rising to the surface with the boiling broth.
"This broth has been simmering for over an hour," Liu Zhuohao said in a low voice, as if talking to himself, but his hands were very steady. "There are also three meatballs that were just put in."
Three warm, white porcelain cups were already prepared on the table.
Liu Zhuohao scooped up a spoonful of piping hot beef bone broth. Under the fill light, the broth was a lustrous grayish-white.
With a tilt of the spoon, the soup poured steadily into the bowl like a small waterfall, without spilling a drop.
Three cups, served in one go.
Just as the soup was about to be poured, Liu Zhuohao flicked his wrist, and the three meatballs in the bucket flew out with a "plop plop plop" sound, landing on the scorching hot iron plate with a muffled thud.
Then came the cheerful "sizzle" sound as steam exploded on the iron plate, and in just a few seconds, the surface of the meatballs was coated with a golden-brown, crispy crust.
Liu Zhuohao quickly scooped up the three crispy-on-the-outside, piping hot-on-the-inside meatballs and placed them into the soup bowl.
"Here, we have a habit of drinking soup before eating."
He greeted the guests, "Tonight's not some long-simmered soup, just the beef ball soup we always make at home, after all, beef is the theme."
He pushed the three bowls of soup over, saying, "Eat while it's hot, and watch this. Be careful not to burn your mouth."
Huang Weixiong immediately crouched down and moved closer, the camera following the family of three intently.
What he wanted to capture was the moment when his teeth bit through the meatball and the juice burst out.
No matter what he was filming, Liu Zhuohao's hands didn't stop; he pulled out a piece of beef short rib.
The short ribs are thinner and longer than regular steaks, and are sprinkled with coarse sea salt, making them glisten.
Under the overhead camera, he picked up a long knife and, in front of the three of them, quickly trimmed off the excess fat from the edges. Olive oil slid into the pot, and as soon as the oil surface began to ripple, the short ribs were put into the pot.
"Sizzle—"
'
First came the crisp crack of the skin breaking, then the satisfying groan of the meat juice hitting the high temperature, and finally the series of fine, lively crackling sounds as the Maillard reaction began.
Liu Zhuohao didn't move.
The meat needs to form a caramelized crust in the first ten seconds or so to lock in all the juices.
Flipping the food takes only a few seconds, although in the culinary industry, this is something a novice would do.
But he, who came from an unorthodox background, relied on this adherence to rules and regulations.
When someone else teaches you in a video how many seconds to start, you follow the instructions exactly. You add exactly how many grams of seasoning, without any mistakes or shortcuts. You never try to be clever by adding random, haphazard things.
When the time was up, the clip was lifted and the wrist was flipped.
The caramel crust at the bottom has formed beautifully, with a deep, rich color that looks incredibly tempting.
After letting the steak rest, Liu Zhuohao scooped up the remaining juices and oil from the hot plate, added some chopped shallots, and it sizzled and released a fragrant aroma.
Next, the red wine was added to the pot.
"Whoosh!"
The moment the liquor hit the scorching hot iron plate, a large cloud of white mist filled with a rich aroma rose up.
The family of three across the street had just finished eating their beef balls and drinking their soup until the bowls were empty. Now they all stared wide-eyed at the rising fragrant cloud.
Liu Zhuohao turned the heat down to low and let the red wine slowly reduce.
While waiting, he took the rested short ribs to the cutting board and, with a knife and fork, cut them into even pieces in a few quick snips.
The red wine sauce on the hot plate had thickened and become glossy. He patted in a large chunk of butter, then gently turned the pan by the handle.
The butter melts and emulsifies in the blink of an eye, rolling with the deep red wine to form a smooth, glossy sauce that clings to the spoon.
The sauce was just the right thickness, like whipped cream, slowly sliding down the back of the spoon.
He poured the incredibly fragrant sauce all over the cut steak pieces with a "whoosh".
"First serving, red wine sauce, medium-rare, please enjoy."
Liu Zhuohao divided the steak into three plates and pushed them in front of the guests.
During this shoot, he paid special attention to interacting with the diners.
"After you finish this, we'll have the black pepper sauce, and the last dish will be the creamy mushroom sauce."
He paused, then picked up a bag of pasta and a can of porcini mushrooms: "But before that—if you're hungry, I can cook you a pot of porcini mushroom pasta to tide you over."
He asked the three guests in front of him for their opinions.
Unlike the first video, which focused on preparing each "package" dish one by one and then presenting them all at once, this one video is different.
Compared to the first time, Liu Zhuohao's gaze this time hardly left the hot plate, the ingredients, and the three guests in front of him.
The surrounding noise and figures seemed to fade into a blurred background.