After his daughter had finished eating the fruit salad, Feng Yifan let her play with the puppy and duck for a while. When they were almost cool, he asked everyone to prepare for lunch.
Ning Cheng also said goodbye and left with the bowl of eggplant jerky.
The family sat down at the small square table under the persimmon tree, and Feng Yifan brought out the dishes one by one and arranged them.
Seeing the various dishes, Feng Ruoruo was naturally very happy: "Oh, Dad made a lot of delicious dishes again today."
When Su Ruoxi heard her daughter's words, she couldn't help but smile and asked, "You haven't even eaten yet, and you know your father's cooking is delicious?"
Feng Ruoruo turned her head to look at her mother, and said very seriously, "Mom, the dishes Dad cooks are all delicious."
Su Ruoxi continued, "That's not necessarily true. Before we eat it, we can't say that what dad cooks must be delicious. We can only say it after we eat it."
When Feng Ruoruo saw that her mother disagreed with her, her little mouth pouted and her cheeks puffed up with anger.
Seeing her daughter's look, Su Ruoxi reached out and gently poked her daughter's puffy cheeks: "Hey, our Ruoruo is still angry? What's wrong? Mommy can't say anything, right? Is what mommy said wrong? Before we eat it, can't we just say whether it tastes good or not?"
Feng Ruoruo pouted and said, "But you don't even need to eat dad's food to know it's delicious."
Su Ruoxi smiled and asked, "If you don't eat it, how do you know it's delicious?"
Feng Ruoruo said to her mother seriously, "Because the dishes that Dad cooks are made according to what Ruoruo likes, so Ruoruo thinks they must be delicious."
Su Ruoxi asked again: "It is made according to Ruoruo's taste. If Ruoruo thinks it is delicious, we may not think it is delicious."
Feng Ruoruo thought for a moment and continued seriously, "Then whenever Ruoruo likes to eat a dish, Mom will eat a lot of it. Grandpa, grandma, grandpa, and many other people will also like the dishes that Ruoruo likes to eat. So if Ruoruo likes it, everyone must like it."
I have to say that Feng Ruoruo's perfect logical explanation really left Su Ruoxi speechless.
After a moment of silence, Su Ruoxi smiled helplessly and gently pinched her daughter's face: "Okay, our Ruoruo is getting more and more talkative. Well, let's consider it as Ruoruo's winner and let's eat."
The whole family didn't pick up their chopsticks. They were all watching the mother and the two arguing, thinking it was a very interesting scene.
Hearing Su Ruoxi say let's eat, Lu Cuiling also quickly said: "Yes, let's eat. We will know whether it is delicious or not after we eat it."
Feng Ruoruo listened to her grandmother and said seriously, "It's delicious. Dad made it."
Lu Cuiling could only smile and say, "Good, it's delicious. Let's eat it quickly. If we don't eat such delicious food, it will get cold soon."
Then the family started to eat, and Feng Yifan specifically recommended the eggplant fish to his family.
"Everyone, try this. This is the eggplant fish I modified. How does it taste?"
Everyone was curious when they heard Feng Yifan say that a dish on the table that looked like braised chicken in sauce turned out to be the legendary eggplant fish.
Feng Ruoruo also stretched her little head to look, but the little girl didn't know what eggplant fish was
Then the little girl turned her head and looked at her grandparents, grandfather and mother, and found that they all seemed to know what the eggplant fish her father was talking about. Feng Ruoruo suddenly became more curious.
"Dad, Dad, what is this eggplant?"
Feng Yifan smiled and replied to his daughter: "Dried eggplant fish, that's the name of this dish. This dish is called dried eggplant fish."
Feng Ruoruo continued to ask curiously: "Then is this dish made by Qieqie?"
Feng Yifan nodded: "Yes, it is made of eggplant. Come and try it."
As he spoke, Feng Yifan used a clean spoon to scoop a spoonful of soup for his daughter and put it in her small bowl so that she could taste it.
The other people in the family also used a serving spoon to scoop a small spoonful each.
Then everyone picked up small pieces one by one and tasted them.
As soon as I took a bite, I immediately tasted the flavor that was like eggplant yet not like eggplant.
At the same time, what makes everyone feel very fragrant is the rich flavor of chicken fat in the whole dish, which really tastes very delicious.
After tasting it, Feng Jiandong was the first to say, "Well, this is a great dish to go with wine."
Feng Ruoruo heard it and immediately said, "Grandpa, you can't drink."
Feng Jiandong laughed when he heard this: "Okay, if Ruoruo doesn't allow me to drink, then Grandpa won't drink."
Su Ruoxi smiled and said to her daughter, "It's okay. Grandpa and grandpa can drink a little less. It's okay to drink just a little bit, right?"
When Feng Ruoruo heard what her mother said, her lips pouted immediately. It was obvious that the little girl didn't like seeing her grandfather drinking.
Seeing this, Feng Jiandong smiled and said, "No more drinking. Let's all listen to Ruoruo and not drink."
Lu Cuiling ate several mouthfuls in a row and couldn't help but say, "Well, this dish really tastes great and is very refreshing. I thought it would have a strong sauce taste, but it doesn't taste that salty. Son, you cooked this dish really well."
Feng Yifan smiled with satisfaction: "Of course, I have been researching this dish for a long time."
Su Ruoxi took a few bites and asked, "Is your method different from that in the book?"
Su Ruoxi has also read the book "Dream of Red Mansions" and has done special research on some of the dishes in it. However, she is not a cook after all, so she has never cooked them herself.
Today, her husband made the most famous dish, "Eggplant Dried Fish", which still made Su Ruoxi feel very special.
Feng Yifan nodded and replied: "Yes, I didn't follow the instructions in the book completely."
Su Jinrong said at this time: "Yifan has made some improvements. After all, following the method in the book completely is a bit too extravagant, and it is not something that ordinary people like us can do. The complicated process of nine steaming and nine drying will probably take several months to eat."
Feng Yifan then briefly explained to everyone his improved method.
Listening to Feng Yifan's instructions while tasting this dish of eggplant fish really makes people feel that it has a unique flavor.
Lu Cuiling finally said: "Well, this dish can be used as a dish of your Su Ji when Su Ji reopens in the future. It will definitely receive unanimous praise from many people."
Su Ruoxi also agreed: "Yes, this dish will be kept at Su Ji, and you can't make it for Fujinglou this time."
Feng Yifan was a little surprised by his wife's words, but then he couldn't help laughing.
"Hahaha… "
Seeing her husband laughing without hiding his laughter, Su Ruoxi couldn't help but said, "What are you laughing at? Tell me, what happened last time when you gave Fujinglou some Red Mansion dishes? Now that Fujinglou's reputation has spread, many people who come to Huaicheng know that they have to go to Fujinglou for a meal to taste the original flavor of Red Mansion dishes.
But the reconstruction of the ancient street has not yet been completed, and Su Ji's renovation still needs time. By the time we go back and reopen, people will have already formed a fixed mindset and will only go to Fujinglou when they come to Huaicheng. What do you want?"
After hearing his wife's words, Feng Yifan stopped laughing and reached out his hand over his daughter to hold his wife's hand.
"Don't worry. Su Ji and Fu Jing Lou have different positioning, so don't worry that our business will be taken away by Fu Jing Lou in the future. In the future, we may not target the same group of diners."
When Su Ruoxi heard her husband say this, she couldn't help but feel a little strange.
Why do people say that because of the different positioning, future diners will not be the same group of people
Su Jinrong explained, "Yifan is right. From now on, we will be a fine private kitchen restaurant that caters to customers with exquisite tastes, while Fujinglou will be more popular. In other words, Fujinglou is a face of Huaicheng, while Suji is just Suji."
Lu Cuiling was also a little puzzled after hearing this: "Father-in-law, don't you want Su Ji to become the signature dish of Huaicheng cuisine?"
From a business perspective, Lu Cuiling believes that if Su Ji becomes a symbol of Huaicheng cuisine, Su Ji's business will become more popular, attract more people, and further spread its reputation, which will allow Su Ji's business to be better and make more money.
So Lu Cuiling didn't quite understand why the in-laws' association was willing to let Fujinglou become the representative of Huaicheng cuisine instead of Suji
Feng Jiandong pondered for a moment and understood what his in-laws and son were thinking.
"Well, my father-in-law means that Su Ji doesn't need to cater to the masses, but should create Su Ji's unique characteristics. The diners we are targeting are not those who come to Su Ji to eat a full meal, but those who hope to taste traditional food at Su Ji and understand our own food culture."
After hearing what his father said, Feng Yifan smiled and nodded: "Well, Dad is right. These are some ideas of mine and Dad. They can be regarded as inheriting the legacy of those predecessors of Su Ji."
Su Ruoxi then asked: "So, will you still teach this eggplant fish dish to Fujinglou?"
Seeing that his wife was still confused, Feng Yifan smiled and said, "As for this eggplant fish, I will definitely not teach Fujinglou how to make it. After all, this is my original creation after improvement. But I can teach Fujinglou some other ways to make it so that everyone can taste it."
Su Ruoxi said: "If they want to eat, can't they come to our Su Ji?"
Su Jinrong smiled and said to his daughter, "Su Ji should make dishes that belong to Su Ji. After all, eggplant fish is a dish served at the Red Mansion Banquet."
After hearing what her father said, Su Ruoxi immediately understood.
Yes, Su Ji naturally wants to make dishes that are unique to Su Ji, rather than copying the dishes of their predecessors. So if a dish like eggplant fish is to be launched by Su Ji, it should be Su Ji’s improved version, rather than a complete copy of the version in the book Dream of Red Mansions.
At this point, Su Ruoxi finally understood.
She understood what her father and husband were thinking.
The two of them hope that Su Ji will have its own unique characteristics, and every diner who comes to Su Ji comes for the unique taste of Su Ji, so that diners will be impressed by the taste of Su Ji after tasting it.
This taste is unique to Su Ji and is not found in popular restaurants.
In this way, it can be said that it is worthy of the words "Food Taste" on the old plaque of Su family's ancestors.
While grandparents, grandfather, parents and others were chatting, Feng Ruoruo had already eaten a lot by herself.
The little girl doesn’t care what the adults say. She just wants to eat the food her father cooks because her father’s food is the best. So Ruoruo likes to eat her father’s food.
When the adults finished their discussion, they saw that Feng Ruoruo had already eaten a lot by herself.
Su Ruoxi smiled and pulled her daughter aside and said, "We were so busy talking that Ruoruo ate a lot by herself. Let's eat quickly, or else Ruoruo will eat it all."
When Feng Ruoruo heard what her mother said, she turned her head and looked at her mother and said, "Mom, Ruoruo didn't finish her meal. She left some for grandpa, grandparents, mom and dad. You guys shouldn't talk all the time. You should eat well when you're eating. If you keep talking, you won't eat well."
Lu Cuiling laughed and said, "Yes, our little baby Ruoruo is right. We should stop talking all the time and eat well."
In the following time, the whole family began to eat seriously.
Feng Yifan’s dishes can still satisfy the whole family.
Moreover, both his father-in-law and his parents can taste Feng Yifan’s careful cooking and his love for the whole family in every dish.
After lunch, Feng Ruoruo obediently followed her grandmother to take a nap.
Su Ruoxi directly pulled her husband to wash the dishes together. In fact, she wanted to ask about Lin Ruifeng's competition.
"Tell me the truth. Did the senior sister give the score after she went to eat yesterday? Did Xiao Lin win or lose?"
Feng Yifan did not hide it from his wife and simply repeated what the senior sister had said in the morning.
Hearing the final result, Lin Ruifeng lost, Su Ruoxi couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
"Really? Xiaolin tried so hard, but he still lost in the end."
Feng Yifan looked at his wife's expression, put his arm around her and said, "Don't be like this. Senior Sister's judgment is actually very fair. She didn't favor Ruifeng just because she is more familiar with him and Ruifeng calls her uncle. Isn't this good? At least it can let Ruifeng know his own problems."
Su Ruoxi was still a little dissatisfied: "But Xiaolin has worked so hard."
Feng Yifan added: "Effort is a must. Without hard work, how can we achieve the current results?"
Su Ruoxi thought for a moment and asked, "Who will go next? If this continues, I think it will be hard for Xiao Lin to win. In the end, it may be that Ma Xiaolong who wins."
Feng Yifan comforted his wife and said, "We have said that whether we win or lose, it is a test for Ruifeng. We should respect everyone's evaluation and let Ruifeng correct the problems in the future. This will allow Ruifeng to learn something and he will be able to go further and become stronger in the future."
Su Ruoxi also understood that her husband was right, so she finally nodded.
"Well, I won't tell Xiao Shen the score for now. I don't want to dampen Xiao Lin's enthusiasm. I'll tell Xiao Lin the results once all the judges have tasted them."
Feng Yifan shook his head and said, "No, I think you should tell them this time."
Su Ruoxi looked at her husband in confusion: "If I tell him now, won't it be a blow to him?"
Feng Yifan said seriously: "Telling him now may be a blow to him, but it is also an encouragement to him. Telling him that he has not done his best yet and urging him to keep working hard."
Su Ruoxi felt that her husband's words made sense, so she nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go call Xiao Shen."
Then Su Ruoxi dropped the work in her hands and went out to make a phone call, leaving the task of washing the dishes to her husband.