Chapter 34.1 - A Pair of Prodigal Sons (17)
The couple carried their luggage, preparing to enter. Some new customers mistook them for queue jumpers and were about to criticize them for their lack of respect for the elderly. However, some regulars recognized the couple and the neighbors nearby helped explain that they were actually the owners of the shop, the original chef who had gone out traveling. With this clarification, they were allowed to pass and enter the shop.
“Grandpa, Grandma, you’re back! Weren’t we supposed to pick you up around 3 in the afternoon?”
Su Tianyuan was busy, spinning around. Sometimes he worked as a prep cook, sometimes he helped serve dishes, and occasionally he took time to watch his father cook, wishing he had more hands and eyes. Seeing his grandparents return, he couldn’t help but show a joyful expression. Finally, he could catch his breath.
But his happiness didn’t last long because he realized how unfilial his thoughts were.
Previously, he hadn’t noticed it, but now without the help of his grandparents and with the business of the shop booming, he had almost no rest during the day. Even during the non-operational times, he had to prepare by washing and cutting vegetables.
Every night after attending his father’s beloved tutoring classes, he could almost fall asleep as soon as he hit the pillow. If he, a strong young man, felt this exhausted, how much harder must it be for the elderly?
Moreover, when neither he nor his father were helping in the shop before, there was only one general worker at home doing odd jobs. Didn’t it make it even harder for Grandpa and Grandma?
He had never thought about these things before because he hadn’t experienced the busy life of the kitchen and had no concept of such exhaustion. But now that he had experienced it firsthand, he could better understand the hardships of his grandparents.
He had indeed grown up and matured a lot, and he felt guilty for his fleeting thought just now.
“We changed our high-speed train tickets at the last minute and arrived early. Besides, do you think we don’t know the way? There’s no need for you two to bother coming to pick us up.”
Su Quangen waved his hand and looked at the restaurant full of customers enjoying their delicious meals, smelling the fragrant aroma wafting through the room. His stomach growled twice. If it weren’t for the obvious feeling of hunger, he would have thought he was still dreaming.
My son… truly a genius!
“Hiss—”
The old man was pinched on the side of his waist, grimacing in pain.
It turned out to be his old wife beside him, Miao Yinhua, who couldn’t quite believe that with her old husband absent, their son taking over as chef had actually boosted business to a whole new level.
The old man pursed his lips, feeling somewhat aggrieved.
His old lady had gone out for a while, and who knows what she had learned from those other wives. She seemed to be less and less considerate of him, even pinching him now. He wondered if she was dreaming; couldn’t she just pinch herself?
But the old man kept his lips pursed and only thought about it in his heart.
***
“What’s this?”
One old man curiously eyed Su Quangen and Miao Yinhua, this elderly couple. He wasn’t online or from around here; he just happened to pass by one day and saw a long line outside the door. Intrigued by the crowded place, he decided to give it a try and queued up, ordering a few dishes to taste.
Well, from then on, he couldn’t stay away.
He clocked in for meals on time every day, treating Su Family’s Snack Shop as his own canteen. With his children successful and a good pension, despite the distance from home, he didn’t hesitate to take taxis back and forth every day, unconcerned about the fare.
According to him, a meal at this place with one meat dish, two vegetable dishes, and a soup barely cost a few dozen yuan. The same taste could only be matched by some retired chefs who once worked in renowned restaurants, and even then, a meal prepared by them would easily cost upwards of four digits, if you could even get a reservation.
So, forget taxis back and forth; he even joked about taking a flight here regularly.
A regular customer nearby pointed to a notice posted on the wall, looking dismayed.
“See, that’s the former head chef who took leave for a vacation. Looks like he’s back from his trip, and now his son is filling in the kitchen,” someone remarked.
At these words, the old man’s eyes lit up.
By conventional wisdom, culinary skills only get spicier with age, especially in this kind of family tradition. The elderly man before him surely must be more skilled than the middle-aged chef currently in the kitchen.
“Now that the original chef is back from vacation, does that mean he’ll be taking charge from tomorrow?”
His stomach rumbled with anticipation as he savored a mouthful of tender braised meat. He wondered what even more delicious flavors awaited.
“Sigh—” Beside him, a seasoned customer who seemed to know the restaurant well sighed audibly, showing no happiness about the situation, and quietly remarked,
“The Yangtze River’s waves push the ones before; the previous wave dies on the beach.”
Now, what’s so hard to understand about that? It meant the middle-aged chef in the kitchen now is better than his father, the old man who just returned from vacation.
This won’t do. A gourmet’s palate has already been spoiled by the variety of dishes made every day during this time.
“Well, actually… my son runs a travel agency. They have incredibly cost-effective and high-value tour packages every day. If you mention my name, you can even get a discount. I feel like I have a connection with this place. After finishing our meal, I’ll go give the boss my business card. We can all exchange contacts.”
As soon as he said that, others nearby cast hopeful looks towards him.
Hurry, hurry, hurry and deceive the old man—no, I mean, please leave!
“It’s not that we don’t want to eat the meals made by the old man, but we just want him to take a break.”
Yes, that’s right!
Everyone nodded enthusiastically.
Su Quangen: “…”
Do you think you’re funny? Do you think I can’t hear you when you whisper?
Humph!
Su Quangen pursed his lips, holding back his frustration, holding it in, until he couldn’t hold back and burst into silent laughter.
Well, even though he felt rejected by some, his son had received recognition. To have such an outstanding son, one he had raised himself, showed that Su Quangen carried quality genes.
Now that he didn’t need to worry about his son anymore, it was just a matter of waiting for the grandchild.
Su Quangen passed a look full of affection to his grandson.
Oh, Grandpa must really like the camera I gave him!
Su Tianyuan caught the glance and understood. He truly was Grandpa’s favorite grandson.
***
The elderly couple greeted some familiar neighbors and regulars from the street, then went upstairs to unpack their luggage and sort out some local specialties they had brought back from their trip, preparing to distribute them to friends and neighbors later in the evening.
After putting away their things, they returned to the kitchen to help out. Su Aobai quickly fried up a few extra dishes, allowing the elderly couple to have their lunch in the kitchen.
Simple stir-fried Buddha’s hand shoots with steamed pork, along with lotus root slices and radish taken from the pickling jar by Su Tianyuan, and a freshly brewed bowl of shrimp and seaweed soup. The elderly couple ate with such delight, their faces beaming.
As people age, their appetites usually diminish, but with dishes like these, each of the elderly managed two large bowls and wanted more.
Su Aobai stopped them, afraid they might overeat and upset their stomachs.
The elderly couple could only look pitifully at the remaining crispy and sour pickles in the jar, finishing off the last of the shrimp and seaweed soup.
Then they both let out satisfied burps, truly feeling full.
The shrimp and seaweed soup wasn’t particularly difficult to make; without any special tricks, even a master chef wouldn’t elevate its taste much. However, some other dishes truly showcased their son’s culinary prowess to the elderly couple.
Perhaps because their son had already set a high culinary standard with his exceptional palate, the elderly couple were momentarily shocked but didn’t find their son’s transformation unacceptable.
Su Quangen thought that if his son didn’t mind, he could really retire now. Otherwise, he feared that the demanding customers outside might tarnish the shop’s reputation.
Su Aobai shared the same sentiment. So, after the lunch rush, they held a small meeting at home.