I Awakened to a Farming TALENT

**Chapter 85: "Plain" Boiled Cabbage

Lin Zhusheng walked into the back kitchen with the cabbage tucked under his arm.

Even though it wasn't mealtime yet — at the stove stations, chopping stations, prep stations, cold dish stations — the chefs were all busy with their preparations in an orderly fashion.

"Hello, Manager Lin. What's up?" a few younger chefs hurried over to greet him.

"Nothing. Just keep working."

Lin Zhusheng strolled over to the stove area and saw Head Chef Mao standing guard over a deep pot.

Before he even got close, a rich, savory aroma hit him right in the nose.

Chef Mao was completely focused, ignoring everything around him.

He fished out the fat hen, fat duck, ham, and other umami-rich ingredients that had been simmering for who knows how long, then strained the broth carefully to remove even the finest particles.

As he strained, he instructed his apprentice: "Take the chicken and duck breast meat and the pork, chop each into a fine paste separately. Remove all the sinew and fat."

Then he wiped his hands and turned his attention to Lin Zhusheng.

"Xiao Lin, what's up?"

Lin Zhusheng quickly put on a smile. "Chef Mao, your stock smells amazing. Are you making ‘Plain’ Boiled Cabbage?"

The name ‘Plain’ Boiled Cabbage sounds ordinary, but it's actually quite a labor-intensive, skill-demanding dish.

The ‘plain water’ isn't really plain water — it's a stock made from chicken, duck, ham, and other flavorful ingredients.

It gets its name because the stock is repeatedly clarified with meat pastes to absorb impurities, and after multiple rounds of "sweeping," the final product is crystal clear, resembling plain water.

The dish also has a nickname: "Deceptively Simple."

Once the clear stock is ready, it's poured over the tender, sweet cabbage heart, and the dish is done.

Nowadays, to make it more visually appealing, some restaurants cut the cabbage heart into a lotus shape. When the hot stock is poured over it at the table, the cabbage layers open up like a blooming lotus — making it look even more elegant and refined.

“Plain” Boiled Cabbage was one of Tongsheng Restaurant's signature dishes. Many customers ordered it — practically every day. Lin Zhusheng knew the process inside and out, so he recognized it right away.

Chef Mao didn't respond. He just stared at Lin, his eyes conveying one message: *Get to the point.*

Lin Zhusheng didn't dare waste any more time. He quickly handed over the cabbage. "Chef Mao, could you take a look at this cabbage? How's the quality?"

Chef Mao took it, weighed it in his hands, then broke off a leaf and sniffed it.

"Not bad. Good moisture content. Fresh, sweet aroma too. Is the restaurant thinking of switching suppliers?"

As he spoke, he tossed the cabbage to his apprentice. "Process this cabbage. Make ‘Plain’ Boiled Cabbage with it — let's taste it."

Lin Zhusheng quickly replied, "No, no. We can't just switch suppliers casually. I got this cabbage by chance. It looked pretty good, so I wanted to see how it tastes cooked compared to what we use."

Chef Mao went back to his work without looking up. "This cabbage is better quality than what we use."

"!!!!!!"

Lin Zhusheng was stunned. That straightforward? He hadn't even cooked it yet, hadn't tasted it!

Chef Mao glanced up at him. "What? Don't believe me? You'll know when you taste it."

The whole kitchen was extremely proficient at making “Plain” Boiled Cabbage.

Chef Mao skillfully used the meat pastes to "sweep" the stock several times. The resulting broth was crystal clear and beautifully colored.

The apprentice quickly prepared the cabbage heart as well.

Since this was just a taste test, he didn't carve it elaborately — just blanched the tenderest inner leaves in boiling water, poured the stock over them, and arranged them on a plate.

When the dish was brought out, Lin Zhusheng immediately noticed a difference.

Compared to the restaurant's usual cabbage, the lottery cabbage heart had a more translucent, beautiful color. Blanched for the same amount of time, the leaves were neither too soft nor too tough, with a very well-proportioned texture. Visually, it was already ahead.

"Come — everyone have a taste."

Chef Mao waved over a few of his apprentices. Lin Zhusheng also took a spoon and some chopsticks and served himself a portion.

The stock was made by Chef Mao himself — the heat and timing were perfect. Drinking it, even knowing it was essentially a bowl of purines (compounds that can raise uric acid), the umami was so intense it made you close your eyes in bliss.

But usually, when eating “Plain” Boiled Cabbage, the broth flavor was always the same. Today, something was different. There was a special refreshing note mixed in with the savory depth.

Was the cabbage really that magical? Had its flavor infused the stock in such a short time?

Lin Zhusheng quickly picked up a cabbage leaf and put it in his mouth. His heart jolted.

The cabbage was crisp, tender, sweet — fully infused with the rich stock. But what was most remarkable was that the cabbage and the stock complemented each other perfectly. Unlike before, where the stock often overpowered the cabbage.

This natural harmony — light, refreshing, and delicious — was truly amazing!

The apprentice also had a sharp palate. He immediately noticed the difference.

"Chef, this ‘Plain’ Boiled Cabbage tastes even better! Your skills have improved!"

Chef Mao shook his head.

"The flavor is indeed better. But the credit isn't mine. I made it exactly as I always do. The key is this cabbage."

He picked up a bit more cabbage and chewed slowly. A hint of genuine admiration crossed his face. "This tastes even better than I expected."

Lin Zhusheng got very excited.

At a restaurant of their caliber, any improvement in a signature dish's flavor was rare and precious.

Most of their customers were serious gourmands with very sensitive palates. If they could use this cabbage in their cooking, “Plain” Boiled Cabbage would become even more popular — and would attract even more diners!

Chef Mao had clearly thought of this too. He pressed: "Where did you get this cabbage? What are the farm's qualifications? Could they supply us long-term? If it all checks out, we can apply to the board to switch suppliers."

Hearing the words "qualifications" and "checks out," Lin Zhusheng's fiery enthusiasm cooled down.

The blogger from the lottery had mentioned that he'd eaten this cabbage at a little countryside restaurant. The supply stability from such a small place probably couldn't be guaranteed.

"I'll have to ask around first..." Lin Zhusheng said hesitantly.

---

Zeng Fubai never imagined that a random lottery would end up with the manager of Tongsheng Restaurant. And Tongsheng Restaurant was the most famous old-brand restaurant in Yancheng!

He opened his DMs and found that Manager Lin from Tongsheng had sent him over a dozen messages. He introduced himself sincerely, then gushed about how delicious the cabbage was, and finally carefully inquired about the cabbage's source.

Zeng Fubai was completely dumbfounded.

Source? There was no source! He'd barely managed to buy these cabbages from Qionghua Eatery after a lot of begging and pleading.

That Boss Jiang only grew that small amount. How could she possibly supply the huge quantity that Tongsheng Restaurant would need?