Yu Jixiang is in his thirties, handsome and elegant, with golden osmanthus flowers embroidered on the lapels and cuffs of his ochre-red robe.
The golden osmanthus is golden in color and has a rich fragrance, and is the symbol of Yuguizhai.
Yu Jixiang is the fourth generation head of Yuguizhai.
Yuguizhai was founded by my great-grandfather, laid a solid foundation by my grandfather’s generation, and finally flourished and reached its peak in my father’s hands.
Yu Jixiang has been the head of the family for more than 20 years. Although he has maintained the reputation of the century-old shop, he has not been able to go any further.
This matter has been weighing on my mind day by day and has become a mental illness.
I first heard about the cinema after the second screening of "The Little Chef of Shengjing".
An old friend told him that there was a play in the cinema. The girl in the play was an excellent cook. She was good at frying, steaming and stir-frying, and was also an expert at making cakes and pastries.
At first, Yu Jixiang didn't believe that a little girl could cook so well, but she went to the cinema with a glimmer of hope, and then she saw something big.
In his eyes, the cooking skills of the young cook in the play were not that sophisticated.
In the newly released fourth scene, the young cook encouraged the dandy prince to write a new article which was praised by the teacher, and she made him a sweet-scented osmanthus cake.
As is customary, a small part of the production process is revealed in the play.
From the perspective of Yu Jixiang, a veteran pastry chef, the young cook’s technique of making pastries is crude and simple, but it always gets a very good response.
Yu Jixiang was not convinced, but he could not help but go to the cinema to watch every new episode of "The Little Chef of Shengjing", and during this time he also watched other films.
He also tried all the food in the cinema, and his favorite was popcorn.
The raw materials for this thing are easy to get, and the method of making it is also simple. The taste is crispy, sweet and fragrant. The usual ones are similar, but the ones in the cinema are obviously different.
The indescribable milky aroma and the slightly bitter sweetness blended into a special taste. No matter how many times he tried, it was difficult to completely recreate the popcorn in the cinema.
During this period, Yu Jixiang noticed the advertising screen in the cinema. Combined with the short films the cinema had made for popcorn and cola, an idea had been lingering in his mind for a long time, and he finally couldn't help but come to find Lu Yao.
Lu Yao sat on the sofa and called Yu Jixiang, "Manager Yu, please sit down."
It was the first time that Yu Jixiang entered the lounge at the back of the cinema. He couldn't help but look around. When he heard the voice, he came back to his senses. He put his hands together and leaned slightly towards Lu Yao, "Manager Lu."
Hongyu served tea to the two of them and then went out.
Less than two seconds later, Ye Xiao pushed the door open, pulled a stool casually and sat down, and didn't leave.
Yu Jixiang secretly let out a breath and relaxed.
Lu Yao picked up the teacup and took a sip. "What brings you here today, Shopkeeper Yu?"
Yu Jixiang Zhengshen was not sure whether Lu Yao would agree to his request, so he was worried and spoke carefully: "Manager Lu may know that I run a pastry shop."
Lu Yao nodded, "Yuguizhai's jujube paste rolls and osmanthus cakes are excellent. I like to eat them with strong tea."
Yu Jixiang's nose trembled slightly, and there was a glimmer of light in his eyes. "I saw a popcorn movie playing on the light wall of a movie theater, and I had an idea. Could you please make a similar movie for Yu Gui Zhai and play it on the light wall? As for the price, Shopkeeper Lu can just ask."
Lu Yao raised his eyebrows, a little surprised.
Yu Jixiang was a little nervous being stared at, and also a little confused: "What is Shopkeeper Lu laughing at?"
Because of the surprise, Lu Yao forgot to control his expression for a moment, and immediately shook his head and said: "Nothing, I just think that Shopkeeper Yu's suggestion is good and worth trying."
Yu Jixiang's heartbeat quickened and his eyebrows raised, "Does Shopkeeper Lu really think so?"
Lu Yao nodded: "My advertising space has been recruiting investors. You are the first person who thought of me and came to me. You are very far-sighted."
Being praised by a young man, who was a woman, he actually felt extremely honored. Yu Jixiang secretly cursed himself for being useless.
"We can shoot the commercial, but I have a better suggestion. I wonder if Manager Yu is interested?" Lu Yao said.
Yu Jixiang recovered from his dazed state and looked at Lu Yao, "Please go ahead."
Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, and Lu Yao was originally considering whether the cinema should also produce a set of mooncakes.
However, the cinema is still under development and there are no employees in the store who are good at pastries, so she is thinking about finding someone to cooperate with.
She had eaten the dim sum at Yuguizhai before. It was nothing fancy, with solid ingredients and complicated craftsmanship, and it had a simple and ancient flavor.
In collaboration with Yuguizhai, we produced a set of mooncakes jointly produced by the cinema and the century-old shop, which were then put together with mooncake boxes from other stores to create a super luxurious mooncake gift box that spans time and space and is jointly produced by five stores.
Yu Jixiang took a moment to react and repeated Lu Yao's words: "Jointly-branded mooncake gift box? Does the cinema also have a pastry chef?"
Lu Yao nodded: "We do have a dim sum chef. If Shopkeeper Yu agrees to this proposal, I will call her over and you can discuss it."
Yu Jixiang became interested and said, "Please introduce me to the storekeeper Lu."
Regarding the mooncake gift box plan, Lu Yao’s plan is very clear - to launch a set of Mid-Autumn Festival joint mooncakes with Yuguizhai, and at the same time launch a five-store joint mooncake gift box, strive to launch mooncake gift box advertisements online two days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and open tasting activities and pre-order sales.
Yu Jixiang said nothing and prepared to meet Lu Yao's pastry chef first.
After Yu Jixiang left, Lu Yao took out his cell phone and poked Zhou Su in the small group, asking her to come to the cinema during the lunch break. He also asked Xiao Ji to notify the clerks in other stores to prepare Mid-Autumn Festival mooncakes and deliver them together with Zhou Su when she came.
When Zhou Su got up in the morning, she saw the message sent by the store owner at around three in the morning. Without thinking too much, she immediately packed up and rushed to the shopping street.
After communicating with Lu Yao, I learned that the cinema was going to have joint activities with local stores, and would also collaborate with other stores in the shopping street, so I was very motivated.
After Zhou Su resigned from the big factory, many of her relatives felt sorry for her, and the acquaintances who had previously talked about introducing her to a blind date also lost contact.
Now she is becoming more and more satisfied with her job in the furry shop. Not only has it realized her childhood dream of making a living from her hobby, but she also has a comfortable working environment and a fulfilling work content. Now she can also participate in new projects and accept challenges of moderate intensity.
-
Yuzhu Street, Yuguizhai.
Yu Jixiang called Feng Yong, the most experienced dim sum chef in the shop, and his son Yu Zhinian, "Close the shop early this afternoon, and come with me to the cinema to meet Shopkeeper Lu."
Feng Yong is in his fifties, with gray hair, and is a pastry fanatic.
When Yu Jixiang's father was in charge of Yuguizhai, he took him in as an apprentice.
Now that he has been making pastries for nearly forty years, his mind is still only on making dim sum. He doesn't know that Yu Jixiang went to the cinema to find Lu Yao in the morning, nor does he know what the purpose of this trip was.
Yu Zhinian knew a little bit that Yu Jixiang had been worried since he came back in the morning, so he didn't dare to ask more questions. He followed up the conversation and asked, "Didn't Dad go there in person this morning? Didn't he reach an agreement?"
Yu Jixiang shook his head: "It's settled, but Shopkeeper Lu proposed a more complicated cooperation. I want to meet her pastry chef before making a decision."
Cinemas are indeed a hot spot, and there are countless people who want to take advantage of it.
Yu Jixiang was the first person to try to take advantage of the new technology in a legitimate way, but he did not expect that the cinemas would also want to take advantage of his fame.
It was not easy for his family to build its century-old foundation. Even if they want to cooperate, they have to see if the other party is qualified.
-
In the evening, Yu Jixiang took Feng Yong and Yu Zhinian out and packed some of Yu Guizhai's best-selling dim sum.
As the three of them walked into the cinema, Zhou Su arrived right after.
Ji Feiming was behind her and took out a mooncake gift box from the ring and handed it to her.
In the evening, the setting sun turned red with fiery clouds across half the sky.
The cinema was playing the last show of the day. Some guests who had just come out of the previous show were sitting in the lounge area, still discussing the plot. Suddenly, the person who was talking lowered his voice and looked away.
Others followed his gaze and saw Zhou Su and the beautiful box in her hand that was so beautiful that they could not take their eyes off it.
Zhou Su was wearing a white T-shirt and a denim overalls skirt, with a pair of thick-soled strappy sandals on her feet, revealing her slender white ankles. Her long hair was tied up and covered with a hairnet, and she was holding a beautiful, sparkling box in her hand.
Her dress style is very similar to that of the movie theater owner. It is shocking at first glance, but after looking at it for a few more times, it seems acceptable.
What is more eye-catching than the people is the indescribably beautiful box - it is in the shape of a golden birdcage, decorated with flowers, sparkling gems, and round and shiny mermaid pearls. There are several small boxes of different shapes placed in the cage. I don’t know what is inside them, but they look expensive and amazing at first glance.
Yu Jixiang noticed the little girl behind him and didn't want to pay attention to it, but the guests in the lounge area were staring behind them, and the surprise in their eyes was really noticeable.
Yu Zhinian couldn't help but look back, and was also surprised when she saw Zhou Su.
He had been to the cinema several times and had seen Lu Yao and Fu Chi, as well as popcorn commercials. He had a certain resistance to such exotic clothing, but his eyes were attracted to the birdcage gift box at the next glance.
Others didn't know what was in the small boxes. Yu Zhinian saw that one of the hollow wooden gift boxes contained a white ball-like object that looked like a snack. He had a guess in his mind and couldn't help but look at Zhou Su again.
Yu Jixiang and Feng Yong also turned their heads and their eyes stayed on Zhou Su.
Zhou Su and Ji Zhixin had talked about going to the cinema several times, but they never made it. This was also her first time to come to Dawu Dynasty.
As the people of the Dawu Dynasty looked at her, she was also observing them.
Just like Fu Chi said, the outside of the cinema looked like Hengdian, and the customers inside looked like extras in costumes.
The sudden change of time and space is a very fresh experience.
Without taking the time to observe carefully, Fu Chi had already walked over and said, "The owner is in the lounge. I'll take you in."
Zhou Su followed Fu Chi, walked past Yu Jixiang and his group, and went straight to the lounge.
Hongyu came out of the lounge and passed by Zhou Su. She glanced at the bird cage snack stand with amazement in her eyes. She came out and saw Yu Jixiang and the other two seemed to be in a daze. She took the initiative to come over and greet them: "The young shopkeeper is waiting inside. Please follow me."
The guests in the lounge looked at each other, their eyes full of questions: What big move is the cinema going to make? What is in that golden birdcage
After entering the lounge, Yu Jixiang saw Zhou Su sitting next to Lu Yao, and he suddenly realized that this girl was really the dim sum chef of the cinema.
After a brief greeting, Lu Yao introduced each other and both sides were very polite.
Yuguizhai’s three signature dim sum are wrapped in oil paper, tied with plain thread, and placed next to the cinema’s gorgeous birdcage dim sum stand, looking simple and inconspicuous.
Yu Jixiang actually felt a little embarrassed and felt that he was being outdone.
Feng Yong and Yu Zhinian also lowered their heads, fidgeting restlessly.
When Lu Yao saw the snacks at Yuguizhai, he pushed them in front of Zhou Su and praised them highly, saying, "The most authentic old-fashioned flavor. No, the most authentic old-fashioned flavor. You can't get it anywhere else except here. Yuguizhai's osmanthus cake, jujube paste rolls, and eight-brocade cake boxes are unique in Liangjing. There is nothing better than this. Come and try it."
Zhou Su usually likes to study dim sum, and her eyes began to light up when she heard the owner's evaluation. She carefully took out a piece of osmanthus cake, and the sweet fragrance filled her nose. When she put it in her mouth, the crust was soft and glutinous, with a tangy rice aroma, and the filling was fruit puree kneaded with osmanthus jam and honey. The taste was sweet and sour with a floral fragrance, and it was blended perfectly, sweet but not greasy.
There aren't too many complicated flavors, more of the original flavors of the ingredients, but the ratio and cooking time of these ingredients are exquisitely controlled. Eating a piece of cake with a cup of tea is so pleasant.
Zhou Su couldn't help squinting her eyes as she ate. "Owner, this is really delicious. It has the simple and ancient taste I'm looking for!"
The three people from Yuguizhai couldn't help feeling proud when they saw Zhou Su enjoying her meal so happily. However, when they heard her and the cinema manager's comments on the simplicity and old-fashioned flavor of their dim sum, they found it a little hard to accept.
Yuguizhai has been popular in Liangjing for hundreds of years. The popularity among diners is enough to show that the taste of its cakes and pastries is unique and irreplaceable. How can it be described as "ancient" or "simple"
There are indeed more than one Yuguizhai bakery in Liangjing that sells delicious cakes and pastries, but Yuguizhai is definitely among the top three.
I wonder what new and rare flavors the cakes in the cinema have
Zhou Su tasted all three kinds of cakes and praised them highly.
Lu Yao saw that it was almost done, and tapped the bird cage dessert stand: "My chef is a madman. He can't stop eating when he sees delicious food. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you three. The four mooncake gift boxes here are all the masterpieces of my dessert chef. They have different flavors and tastes. Please try them first."
The two generations of chefs at Yuguizhai gradually lost themselves in the praises. Their tense emotions gradually relaxed and they almost forgot the original purpose of coming here today. They suddenly came back to their senses when they saw the birdcage dim sum stand.
This box is really luxurious. I wonder how the snacks taste. I hope it’s just for show.
Yu Zhinian stared at the snack shelf for a long time. He couldn't wait to stand up and take out the black lacquered wooden hollow gift box on the bottom layer. The packaging of the other boxes was also very attractive, but this hollow box allowed him to vaguely see the snacks inside, which particularly attracted him.
Open the lid, and you will see twelve round white mooncakes in a black wooden box. A faint fragrance hits you. A dried flower with excellent color preservation is pressed on the surface of the mooncake. The flowers on each mooncake are different, white pear flowers, pink peach flowers, blue endless summer, golden osmanthus, crimson plum flowers...
Feng Yong saw the plump and surprisingly elegant mooncake, his wrinkled face, his eyes narrowed into two lines, and he nodded: "This mooncake is beautifully made."
Zhou Su nodded and said, "Not only is it beautiful, it tastes great too. Please try it."
Yu Jixiang took the plum blossom, Feng Yong took the pear blossom, Yu Zhinian picked and chose, and finally took the one with an osmanthus branch on it.
The three of them tasted the snack bar's "Feng Yue Obsession Mooncake" one after another. The texture and taste were just right when they put them in their mouths. Then a strong emotion came over them, and a picture appeared before their eyes.
After a cup of tea, Yu Zhinian suddenly woke up with surprise in her eyes, "This mooncake..."
Yu Jixiang and Feng Yong woke up earlier than him, and both realized the horror of the mooncake, but they couldn't give it up.
Lu Yao saw their confusion and fear, and said calmly: "You should have felt the specialness of this box of mooncakes. Try the others and compare them."
This time, Yu Zhinian took out the second-level box in the shape of a treasure chest. The gems embellished on the box were eye-catching enough. When they opened the lid, the three of them were shocked and speechless again.
There were ten three-dimensional, brightly colored cakes in the box. They had never seen food with such strange appearances.
Yu Jixiang picked the most normal-looking human mooncake, Feng Yong picked the cute Gemini fairy mooncake, and Yu Zhinian took a long time to choose and finally picked the three-headed dragon mooncake.
The three of them gathered together on the low table, looked at it carefully for a long while, then picked up the silver spoon and started eating. As soon as the mooncakes were in their mouths, they suddenly understood why Zhou Su said that Yuguizhai's cakes were simple and ancient.
They had some guesses in their minds and exchanged mooncakes with each other. Sure enough, each mooncake tasted different, yet all were delicious and rich. They were sweet in the mouth, but each sweetness had different levels.
Yu Jixiang couldn't help but praise: "Delicious!"
Unable to wait to open the boxes one by one, Yu Jixiang and Yu Zhinian picked up a box each and opened the Compass Mooncakes and Seafood Mooncakes at the same time.
The puzzle-like compass mooncakes and the cute seafood mooncakes opened the eyes of the three people. They ate the compass mooncakes first and finally focused their attention on the seafood mooncakes.
Lu Yao smiled and said, "This one is a meat mooncake. It not only uses meat, but it is raw meat. The three of you should try it."
"Raw meat?" Yu Zhinian stood up, feeling like vomiting just thinking about it. "How can I eat this?"
Yu Jixiang looked at Feng Yong with a serious look.
Lu Yao nodded: "Ordinary meat is indeed not suitable for eating raw. My meat mooncakes have been specially processed and are clean and sterile. They are indeed edible."
Zhou Su couldn't help but say: "This set of meat mooncakes was designed by my colleagues and I, and it has always sold very well."
Yu Jixiang and Yu Zhinian didn't move. Feng Yong made up his mind and reached out to take one. He first smelled it closely and found there was no peculiar smell, so he took a small bite.
He chewed tentatively, not daring to use any force, his eyes moving slightly. It was soft and sticky in the mouth, without any of the expected strange taste. The sweetness of the fruit blended into the soft and delicate meat, and it was actually very delicious.
If the shopkeeper hadn’t told me in advance that this mooncake was made with raw meat, I wouldn’t be able to taste it.
I don't know how the meat was processed, but it actually tastes slightly sweet.
Feng Yong looked at the Yu father and son blankly, "It's delicious."
Yu Zhinian didn't believe it: "Uncle Feng, don't lie to me! How can you use raw meat to make mooncakes?"
Feng Yong also looked confused: "I don't know how it is made, but it is really delicious."
Yu Jixiang picked up the squid-flavored mooncake and said, "You won't know if it tastes good until you try it yourself."
Yu Zhinian was still very reluctant, but Yu Jixiang was pleasantly surprised after eating it. "It's really delicious, tender and crispy, without any smell of raw meat."
"Really?" Yu Zhinian tremblingly took a sea urchin-flavored mooncake and was surprised after taking a bite, "Sweet!"
Lu Yao reminded: "People should not try this type of mooncake easily. Ordinary raw meat does not meet the sterility standard and people will get sick if they eat it."
Yu Jixiang suppressed his inner shock and tried to follow Lu Yao's train of thought. "Excuse me, what is 'Wu Jun'?"
Lu Yao briefly introduced some common health knowledge and then began to discuss cooperation formally.
After tasting these products, Yuguizhai gained a comprehensive understanding of the dim sum in cinemas and gained a lot of knowledge.
The cooperation that the cinema discussed with them was to produce a mooncake gift box that has the characteristics of the cinema and the standards of Yuguizhai. The cinema would then promote it, Yuguizhai would provide the finished product, and the two stores would sell it together.
If there is enough time, some small peripheral benefits may be included in the mooncake gift box.
Yu Jixiang and others didn’t understand what “peripherals” were, but they were completely smitten by the charm of the snacks in the cinema. They gave up thinking and left everything to Lu Yao.
The cinema will add this set of mooncakes to its store series, while Yu Gui Zhai will sell the co-branded mooncakes separately.
Yu Jixiang and Feng Yong discussed for a long time and frankly told Lu Yao that they didn't have any good ideas.
The cinema has all types of mooncakes they have thought of or not thought of, and they really can’t think of what else is surprising.
Lu Yao communicated his ideas with Zhou Su in advance. After Zhou Su sorted them out, he exchanged ideas with the three masters of Yuguizhai, and finally determined the prototype of the cinema × Yuguizhai joint mooncakes.
There are only four days left until the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the cinema plans to release the promotional video on August 14, so the schedule is quite tight.
The three chefs tried to make it day and night, and Yuguizhai even closed for two days, but they finally completed the co-branded mooncake gift box before the promotion.
When the finished product was delivered to Lu Yao, she called Zhou Su and Fu Chi to taste it, and they both thought it was impeccable.
Afterwards, Fu Chi immediately re-shot the advertising footage for the co-branded mooncake gift box and edited it into a film overnight.
In the early morning of August 14, Fu Chi handed the backup data to Lu Yao.
Everything is ready, just waiting for Mid-Autumn Festival.