Chapter 197: Good News from Heaven
Afternoon.
On the long dining table in Deng Shirong's house, more than a dozen dishes were laid out. The most eye-catching were the four plates of delicious wild rabbit meat lined up in a row. If someone from Sichuan Province were to see it, they would likely recognize the dish at a glance.
However, except for Deng Shirong, everyone else present was seeing this dish for the first time and naturally couldn't identify it.
Once everyone was seated, Deng Yunzhen looked at the plates of rabbit meat and said, "Dad, you should have cooked the rabbit later and served this as the first dish. It's cold now. Should I heat it up?"
"No need to heat it up. This is the most representative dish to pair with wine in Zigong, Sichuan. It's called cold rabbit," Deng Shirong explained with a smile as he picked up his chopsticks.
"You can tell from the name that this dish is meant to be eaten cold. It actually tastes better cold than hot. You'll understand once you try it."
Everyone exclaimed in amazement upon hearing this. They hadn't expected Sichuan to have such a unique dish.
Then, everyone reached out with their chopsticks and took a piece from the four plates of cold rabbit.
Deng Shirong also took a piece and tasted it. He felt it was even better than he remembered—perhaps because wild rabbit meat was superior to that of domestic rabbits!
"Wow, this tastes amazing!"
"It's delicious. Really delicious!"
"It's so fresh and flavorful, and the texture is perfect. No wonder it's a famous Sichuan dish!"
The children ate and praised the dish, instantly won over by this classic recipe.
Chen Bangguo also praised it highly. As he ate, he said with emotion, "My mom really knows herself. When my dad brought the rabbit back this morning, she said it would be a waste to cook it at home. Thankfully, she didn't insist on keeping it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known rabbit could be cooked so deliciously."
Deng Shirong smiled and said, "I've set aside two plates. You can take them back tomorrow for your parents to try."
Chen Bangguo didn't refuse and replied with a smile, "Alright, I'll bring it back to them tomorrow and let them experience it too."
Zhang Xiuping's interest was piqued, and she said, "Dad, if we introduce this dish at our restaurant, do you think it'll be popular?"
Deng Shirong smiled and said, "That's a good idea. You can try it later. However, most people in Bobai can't handle spicy food, and chili peppers are one of the key elements of this dish—they're absolutely essential. So, this dish will likely remain a niche specialty in Bobai and won't appeal to the masses. You'll need to be mentally prepared for that."
Zhang Xiuping nodded and said, "It's fine if it's a niche dish. A little bit can add up over time. As long as our restaurant offers more dishes that others don't have, we'll definitely have an advantage over other restaurants."
Deng Shirong said, "You can experiment with this slowly when the time comes."
Hearing the conversation between his uncle and cousin, Chen Bangguo couldn't help but ask, "Uncle, what's this about a restaurant you're talking about?"
"Even if you hadn't come today, I would've told your family during the Spring Festival," Deng Shirong said, taking a sip of wine.
"I plan to open a restaurant in the county after the Chinese New Year and have your cousin and his wife manage it. We'll need to hire a lot of people to help. If you and your siblings, as well as your third uncle's sister, are willing to work in the county, I'll reserve positions for you."
Chen Bangguo's eyes lit up at this. In this era, it was extremely difficult for rural folks to find jobs. Take him and his siblings, for example. Apart from helping out at home, their only option was to go to the mountains to cut reeds or do similar tasks to earn pocket money.
But such work paid very little, and the pocket money he could earn was extremely limited. As a young man about to turn 20, he had always been tight on money. It would be a lie to say he didn't want to change this situation.
Now, his uncle was offering him a job in the county town—it felt like a blessing from heaven.
Immediately, Chen Bangguo said excitedly, "Uncle, of course, we're willing to go. I've never been to the county town since I was a child. If I can work there, the young people in the village will be so envious of me!"
Deng Shirong understood his excitement. In that era, rural people would only visit the county town if their commune was nearby. For remote mountainous areas like Double Prosperity, which was 76 kilometers from the county town, only brigade and production team cadres had ever been there.
Being able to work in the county town, no matter the job, was something to be envied.
"Alright, as long as you're willing. Tell your sisters later. If they're both willing, I'll reserve positions for both of you when the restaurant opens."
Chen Bangguo quickly said, "Uncle, I don't even need to go back and ask. I can tell you right now—they'll be thrilled to have such a great opportunity to work in the county."
Deng Shirong smiled and said, "You still need to ask them. Working in a restaurant can be quite demanding. You'll have to help wash vegetables, dishes, chopsticks, clean up, and so on. It's tiring work by the end of the day."
Chen Bangguo raised his glass, clinked it with his uncle's, and said with a smile, "Uncle, don't worry. These tasks are nothing compared to what we're used to."
This was true. Rural people of that era, both men and women, had been accustomed to hard labor since childhood. They carried seedlings during rice planting, hauled rice during harvests, carried firewood from the mountains, fetched water daily, and more.
Compared to those tasks, washing dishes and vegetables was nothing.
Deng Shirong was just being cautious. He didn't think washing dishes would be hard for people of that era. Seeing Chen Bangguo's enthusiasm, he nodded and said, "Alright, just keep it in mind. When you get to the county, do your job well. I'll help you find a partner then."
Chen Bangguo took a sip of wine, patted his chest, and promised, "Uncle, I'll do my absolute best."
Deng Shirong nodded. He had long planned to bring his nephew and his late wife's nieces and nephews from her side to work in the county town. On one hand, it would help a group of relatives, and on the other, it would ensure the safety of his eldest son and daughter-in-law.
If he simply let his eldest son and daughter-in-law run the business in Bobai, given his daughter-in-law's appearance, there might be trouble.
With more relatives helping out, the safety factor would naturally increase. Additionally, having his son, daughter-in-law, and relatives stay at home as much as possible would ensure harmony and reduce the risk of accidents.
Of course, Deng Shirong also planned to ask Uncle Zhang and Captain Zhou to keep an eye on his eldest son and the others, ensuring everything ran smoothly.
(End of this chapter)