Translator:NovelMultiverseEditor:NovelMultiverse
Tang Jiu craned his neck to look into the earthen jar, but Lin Dan pushed him away and said jokingly, "You better not fall into it, or you may turn into a piece of braised meat!"
Tang Jiu was amused and looked at her eagerly, "The broth you make is completely different from the others."
Lin Dan explained slowly, "In 'Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals – The Root of Tastes', it says that the root of all flavors is where water is the foundation, and it is boiled nine times with five flavors and three food ingredients to create the most flavorful broth. In my three pots of broths, I used clear and soothing mountain spring water and added several homemade spices and Nanshan pine wood. I'll bring it to boil whenever I add new spices and repeat this step nine times. The flavors will enhance each time before finally becoming a pot of good broth. This technique is naturally different from the others as the broth tastes salty and sweet at the same time, and its aroma is rich and light. It is made by my unique 'Flavor Enhancing Method', which creates a broth that is richer than any other ordinary broths."
Lin Dan fished out the chicken, duck, and pork knuckles and put them into a food box before cutting large chunks of pork belly into slices. She then made a dipping sauce that matched the taste of the meat and continued, "Braised broth that is cooked for a long time tastes better. This is why we must keep adding fresh ingredients. You may take this cooked food back and savor them. This is to thank you for taking care of me in the past few days."
"Don't mention it." Tang Jiu said politely but stretched out his hand to take the food box and said, "I remember you added pigskin into the pot, why don't I see it?" Braised pig skin was one of his favorite foods and he had to ask about it.
Lin Dan pointed to the pork knuckles and pork belly and chuckled, "Did you see that? As I have deep-fried the knuckles and pork belly, it will not disintegrate after cooking for so long because it has a burnt outer layer that protects the tender meat underneath. But as I've added in fresh pig skin that has not been fried before, it liquefies after boiling for a few hours and blends into the broth. A good pot of braised broth must be both fragrant and viscous, but how can we create its viscosity? It's all about making use of rich animal fat and collagen. Freshly made broth wouldn't taste like broth that has been cooked for a long time without dissolving the pigskin. But if you like pigskin, I will deep-fry it the next time, add it into the pot, and let it cool before it is ready for you to collect it."
Lin Dan frequently talked about food literature. At times, she would make casual comments that were actually secret cooking techniques that others would not be able to learn for a lifetime. This had always fascinated Tang Jiu. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and reiterated, "Please add more pigskin. I'll come back and collect the next time. If you have met with any trouble, you may find me at the Ministry of War, I will be there on duty."
Lin Dan did not inquire more about Tang Jiu's identity at all, nor did she feel intimidated by the thought of being acquainted with an official. She nodded and smiled before seeing him off.
Tang Jiu was actually disappointed that Lin Dan did not ask more about his identity. He kept looking back as he walked out with mixed emotions. When he turned into the entrance of the alley, he saw a few people rushing out of the gambling den and shouted: "Why is that delicious smell gone? Is someone cooking at home? That smelled too damn good! I'mma stop gambling and go home for dinner right now!"
After some time, everyone in the alley opened their doors to check on each other's kitchen and were drooling. They could smell an extraordinary aroma of braised broth.
Tang Jiu then slowly walked away with the food box in hand, shaking his head and chuckling. He could hear whispers from passers-by as he walked on, "Who was making braised food just now? Did you smell that? It smelled heavenly!"
As soon as he walked into the yamen, Tang Jiu saw Zhao Liu and Luo Tietou having dinner together, with a tinge of alluring food smell that lingered in the air. Zhao Liu raised his chopsticks and said, "Hey, boss, you are finally back. We've already started having dinner."
"Did you accept Yan Langqing's food box again? I told you many times to not let her in no matter what, let alone take her things, did you even take my words seriously?!" Tang Jiu looked cheerful, but he was now filled with frustration.
He saw an exquisite food box lying on his table with the lid opened. The box was made with a thin jade white porcelain bowl filled with four kinds of dishes, including meat and vegetables that had a unique appearance. Zhao Liu and the others also had a food box in their hands with more dishes in it, but its presentation was not as exquisite as the one on his table. He knew that these food boxes were given to them for bribery purposes.
There was a saying that went, "When you receive favors from someone, it's hard to speak against them." Since Zhao Liu had often eaten the delicacies delivered by Yan Langqing, he had to put on a few good words for her. "Boss, why don't you accept Imperial Chef Yan? Since you love food so much and the noble consort has agreed to the marriage, shouldn't you marry her? We would love to marry her if we could but it's a pity that our statuses are not high enough. Having a wife with such good culinary skills is rare to come by. Why are you acting shy at this moment? Hurry up and make a marriage proposal!"
Tang Jiu stared at the exquisite food box for a long time and sneered, "This food box is yours. You may also take whatever she sends in the future, it's none of my business."
As soon as the crowd showed overjoyed expressions, their leader continued, "But that also means that you will never get to try the food I bring back in the future."
The food box brought back by the leader must have been prepared by the chef of the Duke's Residence. They reckoned that it would not be comparable to the food made by the imperial chef and hurriedly nodded in agreement. "Sure! From now on, we will all be responsible for the food boxes sent by Imperial Chef Yan!" After saying that, they quickly came over and took away the exquisite food box that was placed on Tang Jiu's table.
"It's a promise." Tang Jiu bent over and took out a jar of fine wine from under the table and poured himself a glass of wine after removing the mud seal. He then opened the food box that Lin Dan gave him and placed the steaming braised chicken on a plate. He revealed the next layer and put the braised duck on the plate, before placing the braised pork knuckles that was kept underneath. Finally, he put the thinly sliced braised pork belly that was placed on the last layer on the plate before sprinkling some sesame and chopped green onions and added some red garlic chili sauce. An indescribable scent filled the air and spread all over the place.
Tang Jiu pulled the chicken feet lightly and the whole chicken leg came off easily. The soft yet chewy chicken meat and the tender chicken skin was oozing with a rich and oily juice and was extremely delicious with its saltiness and fragrance. The pork knuckles were so soft after being cooked for a long time and the skin broke away as soon as he sucked it. The tender meat melted in his mouth, but the tendons were still springy. The meat was chewy but was also soft enough to bite it with a light roll with his tongue. The pork belly had an evenly distributed fatty and meaty parts and was filled with the aroma of spices. The meaty parts were springy while the fatty parts were soft and chewy. With just one bite, the juice of the fat meat and the tenderness of the lean meat blended together perfectly. It had created a wonderful taste with the hot and spicy garlic sauce on the side!
Tang Jiu gobbled a few mouthfuls and was seemingly choked on the food. He hurriedly picked up the glass and finished a big cup of sprites before sighing contentedly. As the room got unusually quiet, he looked up and found that Zhao Liu and others had been completely blown away by the food he was having and were staring at his food box.
"Scram!" he sneered.
"Boss, where did you get this braised food from? It smells heavenly! Can you let us try it?" Zhao Liu begged.
As Yan Langqing made food in the imperial kitchen, the food that she sent were all packed in delicate small dishes. The dishes tasted sweet and light and the portions were so small that they could almost finish one whole box with one mouthful. Yan's food boxes were delicious, but not satisfying enough for them. It was unlike the food that Tang Jiu was having. He was enjoying plates of braised meat that were oily and greasy, and the meaty smell was overwhelming. Tang Jiu's men could imagine themselves pulling out a chicken leg with just one hand and shoving it in their mouths before finishing it with a throat-burning wine. That would taste so heavenly that one may feel that they were on cloud nine! The braised meat was something that would definitely satisfy rowdy men like themselves!
"Boss, Boss, please just give us one bite. Just one bite! We promise not to accept Yan Langqing's food ever again!" Zhao Liu and others gathered around and their mouths watered as they stared at Tang Jiu's food. When they got closer, the aroma of the braised meat became even more enchanting that they almost bit their own tongues.
"Go away!" Tang Jiu repeated himself and threw away the bones after eating. He saved some pork knuckles and pork belly and asked his servant to send them home so that he could warm it up and enjoy it as a supper when he gets home later in the evening.
Zhao Liu and some others felt huge remorse and wailed, they swore to the heavens that they would never talk to Imperial Chef Yan again in the future and would never accept anything she sent. They begged Tang Jiu to let them try some braised meat again. The smell was so irresistible that it had almost taken away their souls.
Tang Jiu shook off a few men and went straight back to the barracks. "Why should I share it with them when I can keep it for myself and savor it later?" He thought.
—
Lin Dan had a dreamless night and got up early. She made some dough and covered it with a damp cloth before starting to make some porridge and side dishes to welcome the diners. Most of the servants who returned to Beijing with her have left, leaving only Xiao-zhu and two literate waiters. Shaoyao and Dujian were in charge of assisting Lin Dan in the kitchen.
"Are we only selling noodles and porridge today?" Shaoyao wondered seeing that her master had not prepared any other food ingredients.
"It's good to have lighter meals in the morning. A bowl of porridge or a bowl of noodles is enough. Besides, those who get up at dawn are hard-working people who have to rush to work. They probably don't have a lot of money on hand and will order a bowl of porridge or Yangchun noodles at most, which are some of the cheapest food. We will only sell noodles and porridge in the morning and will let our customers order rice, noodles, and dishes in the afternoon. We close early in the afternoon as there are brothels and gambling dens nearby that will make a mess of this area in the late afternoon and evening." Lin Dan explained patiently.
There was a pier nearby where merchant ships docked and undocked daily. In order to facilitate the transportation of goods, there were also several escort companies nearby. When more merchants from the north and south gather, places like brothels, gambling dens, and inns would flourish and gradually form a unique business cluster. This was why people who got up early in the morning were either porters, boatmen, or escorts, and none of these people were rich. But at noon, people of all sorts would get moving, including the poor, the rich, the mafias, the constables, the officials, and rich businessmen, and one would expect a good mixture of the good and bad company.
Lin Dan was very satisfied to be able to open a restaurant in such a popular place. She did not understand why the Yan family thought she would suffer big losses by setting up a business here.
Lin Dan smiled and shook her head. Seeing that dawn was coming, and footsteps were heard on the streets, she made Xiao-zhu and the two waiters bring out the big pot of braised broth and place it at the entrance. They placed several mini stoves underneath the pot and simmered it slowly over low heat.
"Remove the cloth and the lid. Stir the broth with a long spatula." Lin Dan instructed.
Xiao-zhu did as she said. But as soon as he opened the lid, he suddenly felt light-headed before almost drooling into the pot. He hurriedly covered his mouth, turned around, and handed the long spatula to one of the waiters. He swallowed his saliva and said, "Hurry up and stir it now. I haven't had my breakfast yet!"
"Me neither!" The waiter quickly swallowed his saliva before starting to stir the broth. As he stirred, the overwhelming aroma of the braised broth filled the air and spread to the alleys, the docks, and the whole city in an instant, making everyone nearby restless and fidgety.
Translator:NovelMultiverseEditor:NovelMultiverse
Lin Dan did not stay in the kitchen, she asked the waiter to set up a simple shed at the entrance of the shop with stoves, pots and bowls, chopping boards, and kitchen knives. Meanwhile, she cleaned her hands and face and used a piece of cloth to cover her long hair to prevent her hair from falling into the pot and contaminating the food.
After Xiao-zhu had stirred the braised broth, he pleaded pitifully: "Sister Lin, can you make us a bowl of noodles? We can only work hard when our stomachs are full!"
Lin Dan looked at him and smiled. She cut a piece from the ready-made dough and quickly pulled it into thin and shiny noodles before putting it into the boiling spring water. Then, she lined up five large bowls and scooped a spoonful of the milky bone broth into each bowl. When the noodles were ready, she cut the braised pork into thin slices and placed them neatly on the noodle soup. Next, she added some boiled green cabbage leaves and half of the braised egg before sprinkling some chopped green onion and coriander.
"Here, please get started as soon as you're done eating." After Lin Dan finished her speech, Xiao-zhu, Shaoyao, and the rest cheered. They each took one bowl of soup noodles and started to enjoy their breakfast.
"Master, the noodles are very chewy. The sauce of the braised pork also complemented well with the fresh and aromatic bone broth and created a flavor that is neither too salty nor bland. May I have another bowl?" Shaoyao exclaimed while eating.
"Sure, I'll make another bowl and you'll share it with Dujuan." Lin Dan understood that growing teenagers would naturally want to eat more, and she could afford to provide another bowl of noodles for them. When she turned around to continue making the noodles, Xiaozhu asked, "Manager, why did you bring the kitchen out? Wouldn't it be inconvenient since people are walking in and out of the shop?"
"It is precisely for convenience that I moved out. Customers can tell me what kind and how big a portion of noodles they want when they enter the shop. I can make it right away and serve it to them immediately. The noodles that are freshly removed from the pot taste the best. They are smooth and chewy, and each strand is nicely separated. If we serve the noodles too slowly, the noodles will stick together and affect the texture. But we will return back into the kitchen in the afternoon, as stir-frying the dishes will produce fumes that may choke the customers." Lin Dan had always paid attention to the details when it came to cooking, but she had always placed the feelings of her customers as the top priority. This was why she would make arrangements for the convenience of the customers.
Xiao-zhu and the others nodded repeatedly to express that they had learned something new. At this time, a low voice was heard from the outside, "Lin Dan, being your customer is probably the happiest thing in the world."
"Welcome." Lin Dan smiled and shook her head, "You flatter me. What kind of noodles would you like to have today?"
"I have no preference. You can make whatever you have here." Tang Jiu stepped into the shop. Xiaozhu quickly greeted him and prepared the tables and chairs for him.
Lin Dan knew that Tang Jiu was a true food connoisseur that could accept any taste and served him a bowl of braised sauce noodles. After serving her first customer, she began to stir-fry some minced meat. First, she took out a piece of overcooked pork belly from the pot of braised broth and minced it with a kitchen knife. She then put it in a wok and stir-fried the meat with fire on high before gradually adding the diced bean curd, bamboo shoots, wild rice, and other ingredients. Finally, she added some water and cooked the food ingredients into a pot of thick sauce.
"It smells so good. Can I have some of the minced meat?" Tang Jiu looked at Lin Dan eagerly.
"Of course, but one spoon of minced meat will cost an extra ten cents." Lin Dan joked.
"I don't even mind paying fifty cents for that." Tang Jiu looked at her intently before adding the freshly made minced meat into the noodles. His eyes immediately lit up when he took a big mouthful of noodles. Lin Dan's culinary skill was so good that she could easily turn a large pot of diced vegetables into a dish with a strong meat flavor with only a half-pound of braised pork.
Lin Dan noticed the look of surprise on his face and explained, "Most of the people who get up before dawn to work are not as wealthy and can only afford a bit of meat during the holidays. I'm charging about forty cents for a bowl of braised pork noodles and I believe some of them are unable to afford it. This is why I thought I could sell this flavorful minced meat that is half-filled with vegetables and let everyone share it at a low price. Since the diced tofu, bamboo shoots, and wild rice are all food ingredients that absorb oil and gravy well, it is easy to create a meat taste when it is slightly cooked in the gravy. This is what the 'taste changing technique' is about in the theory of food seasoning."
Tang Jiu had already put down the bowl unknowingly as he was mesmerized by her explanation.
As Lin Dan talked about food literature, many people nearby had already followed the smell and come for the food. With such a strong smell of braised meat, they were sure that it was made by a restaurant ready to serve their customers. Although most people could not afford to have meat, they thought it would be fine to get a bowl of Yangchun noodles. Since the chef of this restaurant could make braised pork smell so good, they were certain that the chef would be good at making other dishes too.
At the thought of this, many people had already made several turns into the deep alley and found the "Homecooked Kitchen" without having a guide. Even if people had lost their way, they could manage to find their way back because the smell of the food was the best signboard.
Within a short period of time, the entrance of the shop was already filled with customers. Seeing the steaming pot of braised broth, people could not help but feel their mouths water and their stomachs churning due to hunger. They felt even hungrier when they saw Tang Jiu eating happily with beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and wearing a face of contentment.
"Hi, how much does a bowl of noodles cost?" A brawny man asked while swallowing his saliva.
"Ten cents for a bowl of Yangchun noodles, twenty cents for a bowl of minced meat noodles, thirty cents for extra minced meat, and forty cents for braised pork noodles. I also sell plain porridge for twenty cents a bowl." Lin Dan said slowly.[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @ ]
Xiao-zhu rushed out and greeted the customers warmly: "Please take a seat inside if you would like to order some food."
"Minced meat noodles for just twenty cents? This kind of minced meat?" The brawny man pointed to the big pot, his eyes sparkling. The braised pork had been completely softened in the pot, while the diced bamboo shoots, bean curds, and wild rice were completely covered and was full of meat flavor. Although it looked exactly like braised pork from the appearance, it had a tinge of freshness and sweetness that braised meat does not typically have.
The brawny man had a look of surprise. He did not know the truth behind the dish that was made with lots of vegetarian ingredients and thought the pot was made of only minced meat. Most of the minced meat noodles were sold at fifty cents on the streets.
"Yes, it only costs twenty cents. This minced meat gravy was made with vegetables which is why it is sold at a lower cost." Lin Dan explained patiently.
"I'll have a bowl, then!" The brawn man stopped hesitating and immediately walked into the shop. He thought to himself happily, "As long as I can taste meat, I don't care whether there's any meat inside!"
He seemed to be the leader of a group as a group of people followed as he walked in. All of them had ordered a bowl of minced meat noodles, they had the same accent and seemed to come from the same place.
Lin Dan said politely, "From your accent, I could tell that you are from northern Shaanxi. Shall I add a taste of your hometown into the noodles?"
"We're allowed to adjust the taste of the noodles? Sure! That'll be great!" The group nodded quickly.
Lin Dan placed a wok on the empty stove, poured some oil, and waited for the oil to heat up before frying the chili flakes into chili oil for use later. Since there were a total of nine diners, she scooped nine spoons of minced meat and combined it with the chili oil before stir-frying it for a while. She then added starch to thicken the sauce and when the gravy was boiling, she added some finely chopped pickled vegetables to the minced meat. In this way, Lin Dan had turned the braised minced meat into a pot of hot and spicy, yet sour and salty minced meat with a taste of northern Shaanxi cuisine.
When the minced meat was cooked and the noodles were ready, Lin Dan quickly scooped them up and put them into the nine bowls. Finally, she sprinkled some chopped ginger, green onions, and coriander on the noodles before asking Xiao-zhu and the rest to serve them.
The brawny men had originally come without having any expectations, but when they saw the bowl of noodles that reminded them of their hometown, they were moved. They could not wait to pick up their chopsticks and start eating. As soon as they took a mouthful of noodles, they started getting teary-eyed. The noodles were thin and chewy, and the minced meat was sour and spicy, and very flavorful. They felt warm when the noodles entered their stomachs – the nostalgic hometown, the childhood memories that they could not bear to reminisce in the middle of the quiet night were flashing in their minds. The noodles had made them miss their hometown more, but it had also relieved them of their homesickness.
"This is delicious! It tastes the same as the one I had when I was a kid!" The brawny man took a few more mouthfuls of noodles and his voice started to turn hoarse as he spoke. His fellow townsmen nodded frequently with a satisfied expression. After eating a bowl of hometown noodles, they felt rejuvenated and energetic. They would certainly be able to move more goods and make more money later.
"It's delicious, I'll be here tomorrow." Before the noodles were even finished, the brawny man had already begun to miss the food. He felt that he had finally found something to look forward to in his miserable life.
"I'm coming, too." Everyone nodded in agreement. Hometown food was the only thing they would never be sick of having.
After a while, a few more people came to the shop. They were a little shorter and had a strong accent that was difficult for ordinary people to understand what they were saying. However, for Lin Dan who was extremely well-traveled and had extensive knowledge, she did not have any problems communicating with them. She was able to explain the prices of the noodles and porridge to them in detail.
Several people came and stared at the pot of braised broth for a while before caving into the temptation and walked in.
"From your accent, I suppose you're from Baiyue? Shall I add a taste of your hometown into the noodles?" Lin Dan asked politely.
They nodded but, were skeptical about her ability. Lin Dan scooped out a few spoonfuls of minced meat and added water to dilute the flavor before adding some sugar to taste. Subsequently, she took a small pot from the counter and scooped out a few spoons of dark sauce before pouring it into the seasoned minced meat. An indescribable fishy smell started to spread in the air, but it quickly turned particularly fragrant after blending with the minced meat gravy and even had a subtle smell of seawater.
The skeptical men immediately had a look of surprise on their faces. They spoke quickly in an incomprehensible language and gave her a thumbs up.
Lin Dan nodded and said: "Yes, this sand crab sauce was specially made by me. Do try it and let it know if it tastes authentic."
The Baiyue people from the west had a great fondness for the sand crab sauce. Regardless of meat or vegetable dishes, they would always add the sand crab sauce to taste. They also like to use sand crab sauce when making noodles and make minced meat with sweet noodle sauce, bean paste, and some other ingredients. Lin Dan spent a few months in the West Yue and had learned how to make the authentic West Yue fried sauce noodles. It was a very unique flavor that was fishy yet fresh at the same time.
Once the minced meat was well seasoned, Lin Dan added a spoonful of thick milky soup on the noodles that were in the bowl and sprinkled it with pink shrimp skin and fresh green onions.
The men did not need Xiaozhu's service at all and did not enter the shop to find a seat. They stood at the entrance and watched Lin Dan as she cooked the noodles. After the noodles were ready, they took them away by themselves and started eating quickly. Indeed, the taste of the hometown was the best.
The smell was still spreading around, and the diners arrived in groups. Lin Dan would adjust the taste of the noodles according to the requirements of each diner, such as adding pepper, bean paste, and other ingredients to make spicy minced meat noodles for the Shuzhou people or creating a fragrant and spicy flavor for the Hunanese people. She also offered all kinds of flavors including the hot and sour flavor and the green onion flavor. Customers could also choose to have soup noodles, dry noodles, or oily noodles.
It was said that satisfying every customer's palate was a difficult task, but it did not seem to be difficult for Lin Dan at all.[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @ ]
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Tang Jiu did not leave after finishing his bowl of noodles. He walked to Lin Dan while holding his bowl and whispered, "There are many clan associations here in the South District as most of the people here are migrants and loves to gather with their townsmen. There are six associations with the most number of members, including the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Clan Association, Shuzhou Clan Association, Baiyue Clan Association, Jiangnan Clan Association, Hubei and Hunan Clan Association, and Yunnan and Guizhou Clan Association. In the future, it will be sufficient to just prepare the six different types of minced meat for these six groups of people. You don't have to worry about the other flavors as it will be too much of a trouble to prepare all of them."
"That's a good idea. In that way, if a customer requests for a special flavor, I will make it on the spot instead. Thank you for your advice, Tang Jiu." Lin Dan smiled gratefully. Although she knows how to save herself from too much trouble, she was not really aware of the demographics of the South District.
"Don't mention it. Can I have another bowl of noodles with the sour and spicy flavor?" Tang Jiu pointed to his empty bowl.
Lin Dan shook her head and chuckled, but quickly made another bowl of noodles for him.
As Qin Er'niang slept late every day to serve her customers, she naturally got up late in the day, and would not get up before noon. But it was different today. She could smell an indescribable scent in the middle of her sleep. It was so strong and overbearing that it had not only made her mouth water but also made her toss and turn in bed. She struggled in bed for a long time before finally deciding to get up, put on her clothes, and went outside to check it out.
"Where does the braised meat smell come from? Go and find it for me, and buy me half a catty of the braised meat!" She instructed several pimps.
"Yes, ma'am." The pimps were just getting prepared to go outside with their sleepy faces, it was no doubt that they were also attracted by the food smell. After a while, the girls who were sleeping upstairs all got up and beckoned on the railing, "We want some braised meat too, please get more food back."
The pimps agreed, but they did not come back. The scent of the braised meat became stronger before it turned into a hot and sour, green scallion scent, and then, various flavors were mixing together. The flavors were making their mouths water. Qin Er'niang first sat in the hall and waited, but she ran to the door to take a look before deciding that she could wait no more. She waved her handkerchief at the girls and said, "I'll go out and have a look by myself. You girls will go back to sleep."
"But how can we get back to sleep with this smell?!" The girls complained while rubbing their stomachs.
Qin Er'niang could not hold herself back anymore and quickly ran to the fork junction. She went round and round following the scent and arrived at the small restaurant that she was sure would suffer losses. She was dumbfounded and thought she went to the wrong place. She craned her neck to take a look but saw some of her pimps gobbling a bowl of noodles in the restaurant.
The big earthen jar at the shop entrance was giving out steaming hot vapor and the scent was tingling her scalp. Qin Er'niang who was struggling gave in completely, she walked into the restaurant sneakily while covering half of her face.
"Welcome, please have a seat." Xiao-zhu greeted her with a smile before showing a look of surprise, "Hey, aren't you the lady from yesterday…?"
"Shush, give me half a catty of braised meat right now and a bowl of minced meat noodles." Qin Er'niang's aged face had turned red.
Lin Dan raised her head in the middle of her busy work. Although she recognized Qin Er'niang, she spoke to her while giving her gentle smiles, "Sure. From your accent, I suppose you're from Qianzhou? Shall I mix chili, litsea oil, and garlic water into your braised meat?" After traveling for many years, she understood better than anyone the principle of making money by maintaining harmony.
Qin Er'niang was initially extremely embarrassed and was afraid that Lin Dan would make use of yesterday's matter to ridicule her, but she instantly felt relaxed and smiled like a flower with her aged face. "Sure, please do so. That's how we enjoy braised meat in our hometown, or it would taste too bland for me! I haven't had this taste in more than ten years!" She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and was afraid that she would drool right on the spot.
"Besides braised meat, people of your hometown also mix these condiments with raw meat, pork liver, pig blood, and chicken blood. It is especially delicious when mixing finely chopping cold raw pork and liver with rice wine, litsea, chili, garlic, and vinegar, and it tastes very refreshing." Qin Er'niang got surprisingly excited after hearing Lin Dan's casual comment.
She stared directly at Lin Dan and agreed, "Yes yes, that's how we'd do. Lady boss, you know a lot, but can you make it?"
"Eating such heavy foods in the morning is not very good for your stomach. Maybe you can come at noon and I will make it for you. I've been in Qianzhou for several months and can make some local specialties." Lin Dan nodded.[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @ ]
Qin Er'niang nodded quickly and agreed before apologizing, "Lady boss, I was wrong yesterday. With your culinary skills, you definitely will not suffer losses even if you start a business at the smallest corner of the town!"
Lin Dan smiled and shook her head with a soft look on her face. Hearing the conversation between the two, one of the diners walked over and asked, "Boss, do you know how to make rice noodles? We used to eat rice noodles in the morning and rarely noodles back in my hometown."
Lin Dan was stunned by his request before immediately answering, "Ah, me and my bad memory! Yes, of course, I do, just that the recipe slipped my mind for a bit. You'll be able to have some rice noodles for breakfast if you're back again tomorrow. By the way, we will also be serving some rice tofu with hot and sour garlic. I'm sure it would be quite a good eating experience."
The people who made the request were so happy that they guaranteed their attendance not only tomorrow but every day in the future. Never had they seen anyone who was better at cooking than this lady chef, and it seemed as though she could make all the dishes in the world.
Seeing that Qin Er'niang and the others could request to have their hometown food, the other diners could not resist anymore and started making their requests one after another with eyes full of hope. Fortunately, Lin Dan was very knowledgeable and could make most of the dishes. For the dishes that she had never made before, she listened intently to the diners describing the recipe in detail and thought about how to recreate the dish.
The atmosphere in the store was very lively. When it comes to hometown food, everyone seemed to have opened up their minds and became talkative. Lin Dan listened to them happily with a smile.
Tang Jiu already had his breakfast earlier on, but he remained seated and did not bear to leave. He enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant, which felt warm like his home, similar to the feeling Lin Dan had given him.
At this moment, a group of people walked in and they looked hostile with scars on their faces. They pushed away Xiao-zhu and the two waiters and shouted: "Where is your boss? Get him out! Anyone who opens a shop in this area must pay a visit to the Big Circle Gang first! Don't you even know the rules of this place?!" Without a doubt, they were here to collect protection fees.
Tang Jiu knew most of the powerful organizations in the South District and was about to handle them, but he had never heard of the Big Circle Gang. There was a saying that goes, "It's easy to talk to the king, but it's difficult to reason with the hooligans." These people were probably hooligans who did not manage to make their names in the area and could only bully the ordinary people who did not have any background.
When Tang Jiu was about to step forward, Qin Er'niang slammed her bowl with a bang and cursed: "You scums, how dare you create trouble in my territory? Scram or I'll cut your tongues!"
These people did not know Qin Erniang and only thought that she was only an unruly woman. When they were about to launch their fists at her, a few pimps threw their chopsticks and were ready to break into a fight. Just as a fierce battle was about to unfold, a group of people came in through the door. The man who was leading the group was a very tall and thin man with extremely handsome features and luxurious clothes. He was obviously no ordinary person. His lips were very pale, but his cheeks had an unnatural flush and his eyes were clear and moist. He seemed to be drunk and had a charming and suave demeanor.
"Where did these little flies come from? Scram, how dare you buzz around the duke?" When he waved his hand casually, a few guards with swords appeared and threw the hooligans aside.
The noisy front hall became quiet for an instant, and everyone looked at each other. They all knew that this man was probably someone wealthy and powerful. He who even brought guards along and must at least have the rank of a general.
"Sit down and continue your meal, everyone. You don't have to care about me." The handsome man smiled pleasantly before turning around to look at Lin Dan. He said hesitantly, "Are you Manager Lin?"
"Yes, it's me." Lin Dan cupped her hands politely.
"Do you still have the Thousand-Days Wine? I'd like to buy a few jars. No, not just a few jars, I will buy as many as you have here." Lin Dan knew his identity right away when he spoke. He claimed to be the duke, he looked drunk and even brought a bunch of guards out to buy wine before dawn. This man was probably the Duke of Weiyuan who was an alcoholic.
But why did the Duke of Weiyuan come to her suddenly? It all started two days ago when the bearded general sent a jar of Thousand-Days Wine to the duke, but was left on the shelf by his steward. One day, the Duke of Weiyuan brought his guests to visit his wine cellar. He ordered his servant to serve the best jar of wine on the wine rack and share it with the guests. However, the servant accidentally shook the rack when he got down the ladder and made the lightest jar that contained the Thousand-Day Wine topple and shatter into pieces.
It was a jar of wine that was not labeled and did not have a luxurious packaging. The Duke of Weiyuan did not notice anything and was about to leave when the strong aroma of wine started spreading and filled the entire cellar. The guest who had the lowest alcohol tolerance started blushing even before tasting the wine and was having problems walking straight. Meanwhile, the Duke of Weiyuan who had an extremely high alcohol tolerance was already feeling tipsy and fuzzy from the smell of the alcohol.
"What kind of wine is this?" He did not care about the dirt on the ground and tasted the wine by dipping it with his finger. His eyes suddenly lit up and said, "This is a very fine wine! It's the best wine I have ever drunk!" He suddenly realized what had happened and quickly used a cotton cloth to absorb the wine. However, it was a pity that the cellar was paved with wooden and earthen flooring instead of marble for the purpose of heat preservation. The wine quickly leaked through the cracks of the floor and was completely gone.
He did not know that a jar of supreme wine was placed right in front of him. Now that it was broken, he did not even get to have a taste of it. The Duke of Weiyuan was unable to accept the harsh reality. He did not bother entertaining the guests anymore and ordered that careless servant to receive twenty heavy sticks as punishment. Then, he asked his steward to quickly find the person who sent the wine and finally found Lin Dan after searching for two days. He could not wait anymore and arrived before dawn.
Lin Dan did not know the twists and turns of the story, but she could tell that the Duke of Wei Yuan was anxious. She looked at him carefully before shaking her head and said, "I don't have the Thousand-Days Wine here. And even if I do, I'm not selling it to you."[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @ ]
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The Marquis of Weiyuan was nearly forty years old, but due to the exceptional martial arts skill and good maintenance of his body, he had looked only in his early thirties. He was thin and charismatic and had the charm of a literati instead of the crudeness of a warrior.
However, when he raised his eyebrows and gazed with a pair of cold eyes, he let out a powerful aura that gave people goosebumps and nobody dared to defy him. Qin Er'niang was shaking in horror. She hurriedly pulled Lin Dan's sleeves and whispered, "Lady boss, you better not go against him! He is the Marquis of Weiyuan, he kills people without batting an eye!"
Lin Dan knew who he was, but she raised her chin slightly to look at him while keeping the faint smile on her face.
Tang Jiu stepped forward and stood in between the two of them. He cupped his hands and said to the Marquis of Weiyuan, "Sir, it's true that there is no Thousand-Days Wine here."
"Young Marquis Tang, did you just come back from the north?" Marquis Wei glanced at him casually with a hint of firmness hidden in his gentle voice. "Hu Feng told me that she's the one who made the wine. I can wait if the wine is unavailable for now, but she said she would not sell it to me even if she has it. What's this supposed to mean?"
"Young Marquis Tang?" Lin Dan ignored Marquis Weiyuan's question and stepped forward to examine Tang Jiu's face carefully. As realization dawned, she said, "Are you the Young Marquis?" His surname was Tang and he named himself "Jiu" which meant he was the ninth child. She should have realized that he was Tang Cheng, the youngest son of Marquis Yongding. She wondered what he had gone through over the years to transform from a pretty and youthful teen to a burly and muscular man. Although he still had the handsome features, he was full of masculinity. The scar on his brow had made him seem brutish and the tight-fitting clothes were unable to cover his strong muscles at all. He was entirely different from the pretty and carefree boy she knew back then.
Even if the owner of this body who was deeply in love with him would not recognize him, not to mention Lin Dan who was usually unemotional.
Tang Jiu stiffened and quickly explained, "Listen, I had planned to tell you…"
Before he could finish his words, Lin Dan chuckled. She did not laugh because she was trying to put on a front or mock herself from being deceived. It was genuine laughter produced from the happiness of meeting an old friend. She said, "It's been a long time, young marquis. I hope you've been doing well. How is the old marquis doing? Has he been in good health?"
Tang Jiu was dumbfounded for a moment before making his reply, "We are both well and fine." He should have heaved a sigh of relief since Lin Dan did not seem angry at all, but why was he filled with disappointment?
"I'm not here to listen to both of you reminiscing about the past. Manager Lin, are you going to sell me the Thousand-Days Wine or not?" Marquis Weiyuan sounded cold and no longer gentle. Several of his guards pressed their hands on the sword handle as if a fight would break out in the next instant.
The group of people blocked the entranceway and the diners in the shop were so afraid that they were unsure if they should leave or stay.
Lin Dan remained calm and composed. She said, "Please do not get upset, Marquis. Have you ever heard of Peng Ya?"
"In 'Master Shi', it was said that the Chixian Prefecture is the ruins of Kunlun, where Peng Ya was grown. If someone consumes the red plants that are grown on Peng Ya, they could get drunk for three years." The marquis had a look of surprise and thought this was merely a legend.
"As I heard that those who drank the Thousand-Days Wine got drunk for three years, I wondered what was the ingredient that produced such a strong wine? I followed the clue and recovered the recipe for making this wine after finding Peng Ya. But Sir, do you know that Peng Ya is only produced once a year? It bears a hundred fruits each time they are produced, and a thousand fruits are needed to brew one jar of wine. It took me three years to produce one jar of wine, but it has been taken away by the bandits and it would be impossible for me to produce one now. That was one of the reasons why I can't sell the wine to you. Secondly, I know that you have returned to the capital this time to treat your illness, but do you know what disease you are suffering from? Your lips are pale, your eyes are bloodshot, and you are easily irritable. These are signs of liver damage and wine is like poison for our internal organs. It is extremely heavy and can cause serious damage to the liver. If I were to sell you a jar of strong liquor, may I know who will be responsible if your condition worsens?"[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @ ]
Lin Dan said slowly, "For the sake of your health, I'm not selling this wine to you. I hope you understand, Sir."
"She made it sound like it's my fault!" The marquis thought to himself. He touched his ring on the finger and his cold expression had slowly softened. The head guard came forward hurriedly and whispered, "Marquis, the imperial physician insists that you should stop drinking so much. Shall we listen to his advice and not buy this thousand-day wine? It is too damaging for your health."
The hostile guards who acted as if they were ready to smash the shop if they did not come to an agreement had all calmed down. They felt it was right not to sell the wine, as they were hoping that the marquis could recover soon and return to the Southeast region as soon as possible.
"Fine." The Marquis of Weiyuan knew that his subordinates were doing it for his own good but was still unhappy to return empty-handed. He sneered, "But I want to have a meal here. Your waiter said that you can cook any dishes and satisfy your customers? If so, I will order several dishes made with wine. Can you do it? If you can't satisfy me, I'll destroy this shop."
As he spoke, the suave Marquis of Weiyuan finally let out an air of dominance and aggressiveness of a warrior.
"Whether he is satisfied or not is totally subjective!" Tang Jiu thought. He frowned and wanted to argue with him. Everyone else was fearful of the marquis but not him.
Lin Dan pulled him back and nodded, "Sure, I can make it."
"Young lady, you don't have much experience yet you're confident enough to agree even before listening to what I'm going to order?" The marquis continued, "You better not think that just pouring some cooking wine into the dish counts as dishes made with wine! What I meant by making dishes only using wine was filling my mouth with liquor without damaging my liver. Are you able to do that?"
As soon as he made his request known, the diners were all causing an uproar. Wine had always been used as a type of seasoning in cooking and nobody had heard of using wine as a food ingredient. Wine is almost equivalent to water, which was at most warmed in a pot before keeping in a jar. None of them had ever heard of any chef who could create a dish using wine as the ingredient. They could imagine the biggest challenge to be adding the various flavors into the wine and make it satisfying at the same time.
"It was obvious that the marquis intended to destroy the shop!" The diners thought.
Tang Jiu glared at him and said, "Marquis, you're making things difficult for her. Why don't you go home, take some medicine, and nurse your health if you have nothing better to do?"
"Little rascal, you better not poke your nose into my business." Marquis Weiyuan sneered again.
Lin Dan tied her headscarf calmly and said, "Use wine to create dishes? Sure, please give me a moment, Sir." Then, she instructed the nervous and fidgety Xiao-zhu to take out a well-kept jar.
Upon seeing the well-sealed jar, the marquis smiled triumphantly, "You said there is no wine, but didn't you just take one out? Let me tell you this, if this jar of wine is not as good as the Thousand-Days Wine, I am still going to destroy your shop. It will be useless to beg for mercy." He thought Lin Dan was conceding defeat by bringing out a jar of wine as she was unable to fulfill his request.
However, Lin Dan smiled while scooping something out carefully from the newly opened jar with a colander. Everyone looked intently and had a look of surprise. They saw something that was half an arm long, it was in long strips and had a crystal-like appearance. It was in emerald green, similar to jade, but was soft and tender when placed on the cutting board. It looked like a kind of food with its great appearance and strong aroma. As soon as it was taken out, the smell was so overwhelming that it had already masked the smell of the braised meat.
Even for Marquis Weiyuan, who had drunk countless wines, he was unable to tell the origin of the ingredient Lin Dan had taken out. He could not help but ask, "What is that?" He swallowed his saliva without others noticing and took another whiff. "Darn it, this smells great and comparable to the Thousand-Day Wine!" He thought.
"I learned the brewing method of this wine in Yanglin County. It is fermented with dozens of medicinal ingredients including codonopsis, jujube, tangerine peel, and cloves. This wine is rich and mellow and is nourishing for the body. One would not get drunk even from drinking hundreds of jars of this wine undiluted. It has the opposite effect from the Thousand-Days Wine. This wine is called the Fatty Yanglin Wine. Why 'fat'? Because the wine also contains an ingredient – the fatty meat."
Everyone who was present could not help but be making a lot of commotion, because nobody had heard of brewing wine using fatty meat. However, they had come to believe it when they saw the emerald object placed on the cutting board.
Marquis Weiyuan's eyes widened. His unhappiness was now replaced with curiosity. As he was a wine lover, he enjoyed listening to wine-making stories. Lin Dan's knowledge of making all sorts of strange wines had made him even more interested in the topic. He suddenly realized that he had misunderstood this young lady. She was confident not because she was inexperienced but because she had seen a lot and knew how to handle the situation.
Lin Dan cut the crystal clear and green meat into thin slices and said, "This jar of wine has only been sealed for three months and is not fully ready yet, but the meat has already turned crystal clear like an ice jade after absorbing the wine. This is nothing fancy. In fact, there also has a similar wine-making method in the Baiyue region called Ice Jade Brew, which was where it got its name."
She put the cut meat into a bowl and poured two spoons of marinade before tossing it slightly using her hands. Next, she took out the glutinous rice that had not been fermented but had been soaked for a day and crushed it before mixing it with soy sauce, pepper, five-spice powder, and other seasonings.
When everything was ready, she poured the marinated Ice Jade slices into the glutinous rice and stirred evenly before steaming it for forty-five minutes. When it was done, she calmly sprinkled some ginger and chopped green onion and a dish was ready. Then, she instructed Xiao-zhu to take out her jar of pickled vegetables and took out some bean sprouts. She scattered each bean sprout on a small dish and added a drop of sesame oil for decoration.
"I hope you enjoy it, sir." Lin Dan gently put the food on the table. There were two "thuds" as she placed the plate on the table and the marquis finally snapped out of his thoughts. He stared at Lin Dan intently with a look of surprise on his face.
Lin Dan said politely, "The name of this dish is Wine Steamed Pork. Although it is made with wine, it does not cause damage to the liver. On the contrary, it can nourish your spleen, lungs, and heart, and is very healthy food. This is Rice Wine Bean Sprouts. It can also nourish your liver and spleen, improve your sleep, and eliminate alcohol from your system. Please give it a try, if it does not satisfy you, you may destroy this shop for all you want. There's nothing else I will say to stop you."
Marquis Weiyuan, who had no appetite for a long time because of his liver damage, had picked up the chopsticks unconsciously.[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @ ]
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The dish in front of him was placed in a semicircular shape in the bowl. It was steaming hot and was giving a subtle yet sweet aroma of rice wine that was not at all overpowering. The fermented glutinous rice flour that formed the outer and was viscous enough to keep the delightful aroma within.
Marquis Weiyuan removed the layer of glutinous rice flour with his chopsticks. He could immediately smell a unique aroma which had not only surprised him but also the onlookers who were starting to make a commotion. Combined with the aroma of wine, vegetables, marinade, meat, and light soy sauce, the smell of the dish was extremely strong but was neatly layered on top of each other that made people desire for the food even more.
Dishes that were delicious in appearance, smell, and flavor were known to be delicacies. The dish that Lin Dan made may look and smell nothing extraordinary, but when the outer layer of glutinous rice flour was removed, the aroma that was kept underneath immediately revealed itself. The dish had somehow seemed to have a soul of its own.
As the emerald ice jade pork slices were soaked in the marinade, the thinner parts had been slightly stained red, looking like delicate petals. The fat of the meat was slowly eliminated by the heat and was absorbed by the bright and brown glutinous rice flour. This had made the two ingredients stuck tightly together. There was meat in the flour and flour in the meat, which created a flavorful dish.
Marquis Weiyuan picked up a piece of ice jade meat that was wrapped in the glutinous rice flour. He had only taken a bite and his eyes widened in astonishment. The meat was just as Lin Dan described – it had fully absorbed the wine and felt as though he had drunk a glass of wine just with one bite. Similar to wine, it had a strong yet mellow taste. This piece of meat was actually unlike a food ingredient but more like a container of wine. It did not only have the freshness and tenderness of meat, but it also had the flavor of the marinate and soy sauce, which produces a rich flavor. The glutinous rice flour that was used to make the outer layer also had a unique taste. It was originally used to make rice wine, but as it was only semi-fermented, it was sweeter and softer than the ordinary glutinous rice flour.
When all kinds of flavors including the sweet and salty, the sauce, and the fermented ingredient were combined, it did not cover the aroma of the wine, which got stronger as he chewed. However, there was no burning sensation of the wine when the meat entered the throat, but it made the stomach warm. Lin Dan actually fulfilled his unusual request. With a pair of skillful hands, she managed to create a dish with wine, and it tasted wonderful. Marquis Weiyuan could not help but glance at her before finally trying the cold bean sprouts.
The bean sprouts were also made with fermented rice and were mixed with some pepper and sesame oil. When the marquis chewed the stems, the aroma of the wine-filled up his mouth with the freshness of plants and created a refreshing taste.
As the marquis wanted to have wine for every meal, he often only had two mouthfuls of food before his stomach was filled with alcohol. Then, he would fall soundly asleep. Although the Emperor had sent him back to the capital to treat his illness, it was due to that reason that he had become thinner instead. Now, his subordinates were overjoyed to see that he was willing to sit down and eat a proper meal and even had a good appetite.
He picked up the food with his chopsticks one after another. His actions were elegant but were carried out in haste. Within a short moment, he had already finished half a plate of Wine Steamed Pork, and only some sauce was left on the plate that contained the bean sprouts. The rest of the diners stared at him eagerly and were swallowing their saliva. "Darn, Manager Lin's culinary skills are impressive. I thought her braised pork was the best, but the steamed pork was even better." The onlookers thought. It was simply torturous for them to be able to smell it but not taste it.
"Gulp, gulp." The sound of saliva swallowing started to get audible in the dining hall. Most people would not be able to catch the sound, but the marquis was skillful in martial arts and had a great sense of hearing. He lifted his head and saw the guards that came along with him were trying their best to maintain a serious look. He instructed Lin Dan, "Give my men a plate of that Wine Steamed Pork each."
"I'm sorry, Sir. I have only made one jar of Fatty Yanglin and you have finished that one piece of meat I have." Lin Dan waved his hand helplessly.
"Wine should be brewed in batches, why are you being such a miser by brewing only one jar at a time?" Marquis Weiyuan looked stern, but he was speaking in a much gentler tone.
"Sir, I am a cook, not a winemaker. I make wine as a hobby and these were not meant for sale." Lin Dan replied composedly.
The marquis squinted his eyes and looked at her. Seeing that she did not look fearful at all, he suddenly felt a little helpless with the situation. This meal was too delicious and was right up his alley. He wanted to eat these foods for the second or third time… or many more times in the future and dared not upset her.
"Never mind. How about giving them a catty of braised pork each? I'm sure you have it, right?"
"Yes, I have braised pork knuckles, pork ears, pork belly, chicken, and braised duck. As for vegetarian food, I have braised tofu, lotus root slices, and edamame. I can also make them into different flavors, such as five spices, hot and spicy, or sweet and sour. Just let me know what you like." Lin Dan patiently served the group of guards. Those people were fierce and hostile a while ago, but they were now all smiles and swarming to look inside the earthen jar, ready to have a feast.[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @ ]
At this moment, Tang Jiu left Lin Dan and sat down in front of Marquis Weiyuan. He picked up a pair of chopsticks and wanted to try the food on the table.
Marquis Weiyuan quickly stopped him with his chopsticks and sneered: "Go order it yourself if you want it."
Tang Jiu ignored him and continued to pick up the food from another direction. Marquis Weiyuan continued to stop him. The two started a fight wielding the chopsticks like swords and went on for several rounds. Subsequently, the fight got serious and they almost broke into a physical fight after rolling up their sleeves.
Lin Dan took time out of her busy chores and shouted, "The glutinous rice is sticky and difficult to digest. It's not good to eat so much of that in the morning. Just half a plate is enough for you, marquis, or you may get stomach issues later."
The marquis' stomach had already been badly damaged by alcohol since a long time ago. Everything was normal when it did not hurt, but when it did, he felt as though someone was cutting his stomach with a knife. He would break out in cold sweat and endure the terrible pain. He was stunned for a moment after hearing what she said, and when he snapped out of his thoughts, Tang Jiu had already picked up the remaining steamed pork.
"You rascal…" He slapped the chopsticks on the table and slowly rolled up his sleeves. But at this moment, Lin Dan walked over with a bowl of porridge and a small dish with small red and white squares. She said warmly, "Do have some porridge if you're still not full. It is best to have some porridge in the morning."
The porridge she served was not an ordinary porridge, but a porridge boiled in a milky broth that was simmered all night. It contains tender stewed chicken and pork knuckles meat and was mixed with the finely chopped shepherd's purse leaves. The white porridge that was decorated with green vegetables looked appetizing and had a particularly rich aroma.
Tang Jiu's victorious moment was ruined in an instant and he said in a deep voice, "Hurry up and eat it. This is made with the pheasant soup that was said to be created by Peng Zu. It is known as the best soup in the world and is very nourishing."
Marquis Weiyuan's gloomy face eased slightly. His eyes lit up and he took a sip of the warm porridge. He had to admit that getting up in the morning to drink a bowl of hot porridge was a great cleansing ritual for an ill body.
"What is this? It has a very strong taste of wine." He pointed to the small dish next to the porridge with his chopsticks. As the family of Marquis Yongding were all food connoisseurs, they were extremely well-versed in food.
Tang Jiu knew what it was and replied, "This is fermented bean curd, which is also soaked in wine."
Marquis Weiyuan took a small piece and was immediately blown away by this unique taste. With the fermented bean curd, he quickly finished the bowl of porridge and had a satisfying look on his face. His guards also finished their food with grease on their mouths. They kept giving Lin Dan a thumbs up and praised her for her great culinary skills.
About forty-five minutes later, Marquis Weiyuan placed a gold ingot on the table and led a group of guards away contentedly. But as he walked away, he turned back as if he had forgotten something and grabbed the hooligans who tried to sneak away. They were pinned down at the entrance of the restaurant and were beaten into a pulp.
"Manager Lin, look, I've already dealt with these scums for you. As for that jar of Fatty Yanglin…"
Before Marquis Weiyuan could finish his words, Lin Dan shrugged, "It will take at least half a year to make one jar of that. Since I took it out when it was only brewed for three months, that wine is ruined. Please wait for another six months if you want to have some of it."
The Marquis's gentle and kind expression stiffened slightly. He stared at Lin Dan and gritted his teeth. In the end, he could not hold back anymore and shouted at the guards, "Let's go deal with the bandits!" Without those bandits that ruined all the good stuff, he would not have to deal with a lady's rejection.
Lin Dan chuckled and shook her head. She walked into the shop and continued cooking noodles, turning a blind eye to the hooligans who were lying on the floor. She may seem to have a mild temperament, but she also seemed to lack certain emotions and desires and would not sympathize with those people. Tang Jiu instructed a few people to carry the hooligans away so that they would not affect the shop's business.
"Lin Dan, this is your father's belongings." He took out a yellowed book and explained, "Even if Marquis Weiyuan was not here today, I already have plans to tell you the truth today. I recognized you the first time we met." It was Lin Dan who taught him that a person's character was far more important than his ability, which also made him fall into a deeper sense of regret and guilt. This was why, even after a decade, he had never forgotten this stubborn young girl. He had always wanted to know if she was doing well and wondered whether she could survive after refusing everyone's help.
It turned out that Lin Dan was able to survive well and even better than he thought.
"Thank you, young marquis." Lin Dan took the book and flipped through it. She realized that it was a book of recipes, which was the second half of the Yan family recipes that her father had added back then.
Tang Jiu explained, "Yan Langqing asked me to pass it on to you. She took away the first 60 pages of the Yan family's recipes and has never used your father's recipes all these years. This is your father's belongings, you should take it."
"She has never used my father's recipes?" Lin Dan repeated with a cold smile.
Tang Jiu felt that her smile was a little weird and wanted to ask her more about it. But he saw Qin Er'niang approaching Lin Dan and said hesitantly, "Manager Lin, are you still gonna make me some braised pork with Qianzhou flavor?" Everyone else was scared away by Marquis Weiyuan, but she was the only one who stayed just to have a taste of her food.
"Of course, please give me a moment." Facing her customer, Lin Dan immediately put away her smirk and returned to the gentle and patient Manager Lin.
Qin Er'niang glanced at Tang Jiu secretly and was a little fearful of him. She knew that he was the son of the Marquis Yongding and had just won a victory on the battlefield. He was recently transferred back to the Ministry of War by the Emperor. His sister was also the most favored noble concubine in the palace and held an immense amount of power because there was no queen.
This restaurant was impressive enough to attract prominent figures and she felt lucky that she did not offend Manager Lin too badly yesterday. As she was lost in her thoughts, she saw a man and a woman entering the restaurant followed by several servants. Both of their facial features were very similar, and she thought they could be siblings. It was also a coincidence that Qin Er'niang knew the man and she shuddered the moment she saw him.
Manager Lin was really something, another respectable man had arrived at her restaurant![Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @ ]
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The man and woman who walked into the store were speaking to each other softly. The man said with concern, "I thought there was no decent restaurant in the South District, but looks like I've underestimated this place. Sis, since you haven't been eating much for the past two days, you have to eat some food today."
The woman held her chest and nodded reluctantly, "Alright, I'll eat some then."
The man approached the shop and saw Lin Dan stirring a pot of braised pork. He could not contain the look of surprise on his face and said, "Oh? Are you able to make Qianzhou-flavored braised pork? It's a coincidence that we are from Qianzhou, can we have a bowl of that, too?"
Lin Dan shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, sir. The braised pork is sold out. Do you want to order something else? We also serve noodles and porridge here."
The man frowned, seemingly displeased. "But I only want braised pork and nothing else."
"I'm really sorry. If you want some braised pork, you can come early tomorrow." Lin Dan smiled.
She did not know who the man was, but Qin Er'niang knew. She quickly waved her hand and said, "It's fine, he can have my plate of meat." She wiped the cold sweat away from her forehead as she spoke, looking all flustered. If she was right, the two siblings were the children of Lord Dianqian, who was the only regional ruler with a different surname from the Emperor in the kingdom of Great Chu. He governed the Dianqian highland all year round and managed an army of 800,000. He was a man whom even the Emperor respected.
In order to display his loyalty, Lord Dianqian sent his son to receive education in the capital when he was very young, and his son was treated as well as the other princes. One year ago, he also sent his daughter to the capital when she was fifteen years old, and it seemed that she was preparing herself to enter the palace as a concubine. In short, the two siblings were extremely respectable people who could not be offended.
The man relaxed his brows, seemingly satisfied with Qin Er'niang's actions. But Lin Dan replied, "No matter what, we must observe the 'first come, first serve' rule. Er'niang has been waiting all morning, and this plate of braised pork should be hers."
Before the man could show his anger, Lin Dan had raised her head and took a close look at the pale lady before continuing, "Besides, I noticed that this lady has been holding her chest and seems to be a little dizzy. I'm guessing she's feeling nauseated from seasickness? In that case, she shouldn't eat greasy food. Shall I make some light food for the lady?"
The woman did not want to eat meat in the first place and nodded her head. "Sounds good, please make me some light side dishes. I don't really want to eat meat." She said that before giving her brother a fearful look.
The man thought about his sister's future and could not bear to see her suffer. He did not go against her wishes and nodded in agreement. When he turned around, he was surprised to see Tang Jiu. "You're here too, Young Marquis Tang? What a coincidence."
Tang Jiu nodded and said, "This shop was opened by my friend. Thank you for stopping by, my lord." What Tang Jiu meant was asking the man not to put the owner of this restaurant in a difficult spot.
The man was bestowed the title of a feudal lord in his early years by the Emperor. Although his status was higher than a marquis, he still had to respect Tang Jiu who was working closely with the Emperor. He immediately replaced his arrogant look with an approachable smile.
Seeing that he had a change of attitude, Tang Jiu handed ten copper coins to Lin Dan, and repeatedly reminded her to send him a message at the Ministry of War if anything happens to her.
Although Lin Dan promised to do so, she had no intention of troubling Tang Jiu again. She thought they were people of different worlds and that it was better not to mingle around too much. She was a cook and he was a diner, and their relationship was as simple as that. After passing the braised pork to Qin Er'niang, who accepted her food with a pair of shaking hands, Lin Dan filled a casserole full of white porridge and heated it on the stove. She then took out a handful of green peppers and threw them into the fire.
The green peppers started sizzling when added to the charcoal fire and a pungent smell quickly filled the air. Xiao-zhu and the rest started sneezing, but the handsome man and the petite woman had a half surprised and half nostalgic look on their faces.
"Are you making fire-roasted peppers?" The woman walked to the stove and said while staring at the soft green peppers in the fire with tears in her eyes. "When I was in my hometown, my mother always made this dish for me and my brother. You probably don't know that my mum brought us to live in the countryside when we lost contact with our dad. We couldn't afford any fish and meat as she had no money, but the most delicious dish in my memory is this fire-roasted peppers. It had a very strong taste but was appetizing enough and could keep us full."
The man could not maintain his stern face anymore and got slightly teary-eyed.
Lin Dan raised her head and smiled at the woman with a comforting look. Next, she smashed the roasted peppers and a few garlic in a bowl before topping it with soy sauce, vinegar, litsea oil, and other seasonings.
"Please give it a try and let me know if it tastes like your hometown food." Lin Dan handed the cold dish to the woman when it was ready, and the woman immediately picked it up to have a taste. The tears rolled down her cheeks as she blinked. "Yes, this is the right taste." She quickly wiped away her tears and smiled, "Brother, come and have a try."
Since they were being taken back to the palace by their father, she had never eaten this dish again. Her mother was no longer around and they were nobodies in the palace. She and her brother were merely "objects" that could be sacrificed at will.
The man took a bite of the dish and his voice sounded a little hoarse, "I believe you've lived in Qianzhou? This roasted pepper tastes very authentic."
"Yes, I've lived there for a few months." Lin Dan served the porridge on a small stove and said warmly, "As the appetizers are slightly spicy, please don't eat too much. I will cut some raw meat and pork liver for you. You may add it directly into the porridge with some leafy vegetables. It tastes fresher if you eat it once it's cooked."
"Thank you, manager." The woman's mood improved after tearing up. She picked up the peppers using a pair of chopsticks and slowly ate it little by little. She had never expected that she was able to eat such authentic hometown food in a remote place of the capital.
With teary eyes, the siblings sat across each other as they ate and did not speak for a long time. To avoid the awkward situation, Lin Dan retreated to the kitchen with Xiao-zhu. Qin Er'niang did not dare to dine with the nobles and followed Lin Dan with her plate of braised pork, rambling about various gossips in the capital. She was now particularly fond of Manager Lin, not only because of her good culinary skills but also because of her kindness. She could feel a harmonious and peaceful aura around her, and this made her feel very comfortable being around her.
After half an hour, the siblings were gone but they placed a shiny golden leaf on the table. Qin Er'niang swallowed hard and exclaimed, "My dear, it's really good to have such good culinary skill! I believe this restaurant is gonna make tons of money!"
From that day onwards, Tang Jiu, Marquis Weiyuan, the children of Lord Dianqian had become loyal diners of the Hometown Kitchen. They came not only for themselves but also packed food for their relatives and friends. With the recommendation of these respectable people, Lin Dan's business got better and better. Besides people in the South District, many people of status from the West and East District would visit the restaurant secretly in ordinary clothes to enjoy some good food in peace. No matter how many delicacies they had eaten, the one they love and miss most was still a hometown specialty.
—-
Two months later, Lin Dan had successfully made her name in the capital. She was busy with her restaurant business in the morning and taught Chef Qiu cooking in the afternoon. As Chef Qiu only learned the culinary skills from his father for three years, he did not even get to master cutting techniques well, let alone cooking. But he was gifted, and he was willing to learn. Subsequently, Lin Dan accepted him formally as her apprentice as she got more interested in teaching him.
One day, Tang Jiu invited a few princes from Mongolia to eat in the restaurant. Lin Dan used almond milk to boil a large pot of hand-grasped mutton before serving it with a sauce made with salty alfalfa and chive flowers. Xiao-zhu wanted to prepare chopsticks and bowls for them, but she shook her head and stopped them from doing so.
"But how can the guests enjoy the food without the utensils?" He thought. The official who came with Tang Jiu immediately got upset. Another young man who had a similar look with Tang Jiu yelled, "Are you blind? How dare you serve food in a big bowl without utensils?! Where are the bowls? Are you expecting us to eat with our hands?! Jiu, this restaurant is ridiculous. Let's go to the Yan's restaurant instead. Sister Yan is not in the palace today and should be in the restaurant. I'm sure the guests will be satisfied with her good culinary skills."
The name of the man who was speaking was Tang Peng, Tang Jiu's cousin who was also serving in the Ministry of War. He was fond of Yan Langqing and naturally strongly recommended going to Yan's restaurant, but he was rejected by his cousin. Now that he saw Lin Dan making a huge mistake, he seized the opportunity to express his unhappiness.
"Shut up if you don't know anything and don't embarrass us." Tang Jiu's tone was cold and unhappy.
"Brother, I am also trying to make sure that our distinguished guests are satisfied. It's not easy for them to visit us in the Great Chu and you're bringing them here to eat something like this? Look at the faces of the princes…" He turned around and looked at them. He had wanted to explain the situation to them nicely before politely asking them to move to another restaurant, but he saw them reaching into the big bowl and grabbing a piece of lamb with bones. They gobbled it up and were speaking in an unintelligible language, their faces full of admiration.
A staff member who knew Mongolian translated, "The princes are very satisfied with the meal. This dish is called hand-grasped mutton, which should be eaten by hand."
Another prince beside him raised his voice and said something which made the staff showed an even more relieved expression. He continued: "They are saying that the smell of the mutton they tried in the Central Plains was too strong and they are not used to eating them. They have lost a few catties of weight from hunger in the past two months after arriving in the capital. They are glad that they will finally satisfy their hunger today. They said that the mutton made by this chef is very fresh and tender and does not have that strong smell. They think it tastes exactly the same as the mutton they have back in the grassland. The Hometown Kitchen is worthy of the name and reputation!"
Tang Jiu replied with a few polite words before grabbing the lamb and started eating. Several officials who were almost dying of embarrassment were relieved that the princes did not understand Mandarin. Tang Peng's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and was speechless for a long time. He yelled and chided Manager Lin for being ignorant, but it turned out that she made a local specialty of Mongolia. It was due to his ignorance that he did not know that the dish should be eaten using hands, which had made him seem even more uneducated than a chef.
Xiaozhu and the others were a little nervous at first, but they could hardly contain their laughter when they saw this scene. "What an ignorant official!" They thought.
Lin Dan did not care about the embarrassing situation happening in the dining hall. She washed her hands and took a carriage to the West District. In order to fight against the sudden rise of Qiaoyuan Restaurant, Yan's Restaurant had recently launched two signature dishes in a row in the past two months. Hearing that they would be introducing a third signature dish today, she had to hurry there and check it out.[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @ ]
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When Lin Dan arrived, Chef Qiu was standing at the back door looking out. When he saw the carriage, he immediately came forward and said, "Master, be careful when you get out of the car. No, don't jump, I'll help you down."
But before he could finish speaking, Lin Dan had already lifted the curtain of the car and leaped out of the carriage quickly before striding into the door. "I heard that Yan's Restaurant has launched another signature dish called Braised Fish Head?"
"That's right. It's a dish made with the silver carp head without bones. It was well-received by diners as soon as it was launched. I wanted to ask a friend to get takeout of that dish, but Yan's restaurant refused to sell any takeouts and only allowed dine-ins. I suppose this is their tactic to guard against us. Master, I heard that the fish head has no bones at all, it is soft and tender after stewing for a long time and is very delicious. How do you think they do it? What kind of cutting technique can be used to remove all the bones from the fish head? It must be really a delicate technique." Chef Qiu exclaimed.
"It's nothing delicate." Lin Dan explained briefly, "There are two ways to remove fish bones, one is removing it raw and the other is removing after the meat is cooked. As the fish head has less meat and more bones, it may seem impossible to be removed, but the flesh can actually be easily removed after boiling in water for a long time."
The question that had been boggling Chef Qiu for the whole night had been solved after Lin Dan had explained to him. In terms of cooking skills, he had never met anyone more knowledgeable and wiser than Lin Dan. Yan's Restaurant had introduced three new dishes – Squirrel Mandarin Fish, Grilled Black Ginseng with Scallion, and Crab Stuffed Lionhead. Initially, the Squirrel Mandarin Fish was selling very well and took away all the regular diners of the Qiaoyuan Restaurant, which almost made Chef Qiu shut the restaurant down. But since Lin Dan introduced the Golden Lion Fish, the regular diners had returned in the afternoon. They were looking forward to Lin Dan's visit to the store to teach her apprentice, so they could seize the chance to try some of her cooking.
In order to help Qiaoyuan Restaurant, Lin Dan would prepare dishes for five tables of diners each time. But these dishes had managed to attract some of the pickiest food connoisseurs in the capital. These people were refusing to patronize other restaurants even if they were dying of hunger and would rather wait in the restaurant.
Seeing that the squirrel mandarin fish could not impress their diners, Imperial Chef Yan developed another new dish called Grilled Black Ginseng with Scallions. The dish was made by simmering the entire black ginseng in a thick sauce to create a unique taste with a soft but chewy texture.
But it had seemed as though Lin Dan was determined to get into their way. The next day, she also came up with a dish called Sauce-stuffed Black Ginseng. This dish was a display of her superb culinary skills with its exquisite seasoning and was even better than Yan's Braised Black Ginseng on multiple levels. "Stuffing" is a unique cooking method. It is done by sandwiching, stuffing, or pouring a food ingredient into another ingredient to make a dish. Some of the common stuffed dishes include stuffed bean curd, stuffed eggplant, stuffed bitter gourd, and so on. But this was the first time Chef Qiu had seen stuffed black ginseng.
The "sauce" did not refer to any other sauce, but shrimp paste. It was made with shrimp roe, which was stir-fried in soy sauce, cooking wine, fine salt, and other seasonings before sealing it in a jar for fermentation. After the fermentation was completed, it was kneaded into a strip and stuffed into the black ginseng. Then, it was simmered in the milky pork broth, before being added to the braised soup. It was simmered on high heat to reduce the soup before simmering slowly in low heat to ensure that the saltiness and freshness of the shrimp paste were completely fused into the black ginseng. When serving the dish on the table for the guests, the server had to cut the black ginseng with a knife into inch-long pieces so that the guests could share their food.
The simmered black ginseng that was covered with the shrimp roe sauce was tender and rich in flavor. It tasted sweet yet salty, and there was also a lingering aftertaste. The filling of the sauce could also be adjusted according to the customer's preference. It could be replaced with the chewy mullet roe or made with fresh roe directly. Slight adjustments in cooking methods and fillings could be made to one dish and three or more flavors could be produced. Would diners have more to ask? This was why the Grilled Black Ginseng did not manage to gain a lot of traction, but the Sauce-stuffed Black Ginseng from Qiaoyuan Restaurant completely took the limelight on the next day.
Yan Langqing was an imperial chef after all and would never give up easily. In half a month's time, she introduced another new dish called Crab Stuffed Lion Head. It was a dish made with minced pork and crab powder to create a tender and juicy taste. Seeing that Yan's restaurant had been revived with the dish, Lin Dan launched a new dish called Fortune Balls. The name of the dish may sound mysterious, but it was also made with minced pork that tasted fresher, soft, and juicer than the Crab Stuffed Lion Head.[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @ ]
Firstly, she soaked the minced pork in green onion and ginger water. This green onion and ginger water must be squeezed from fresh yellow ginger and green onions that came with the roots, or the smell would not be strong enough to conceal the smell of pork. In order to make the meatballs taste fresher and softer, she added the minced fish paste to increase the viscosity and keep it in shape. Finally, the pork bones were crushed and the bone marrow within was completed mixed into the minced meat before being kneaded in shape. After finishing the three steps, the meatballs would be full of flavor and taste delicious and juicy. The meatballs could be deep-fried, braised, or boiled in clear soup. With one bite, the thick juice within the meatball would burst and fill one's mouth.
As a result, the diners who had finally returned to Yan's restaurant had once again flocked to the Qiaoyuan Restaurant. The business of Yan's restaurant was bleak and full of ups and downs.
After two rounds of "fight" between the two restaurants, it was easy for diners to catch a pattern. Seeing that Imperial Chef Yan had introduced another new dish called Braised Fish Head, the diners had all arrived at Qiaoyuan Restaurant after tasting the dish at Yan's Restaurant, and the reason was obvious. The diners got bored while waiting, and the old manager decided to invite some storytellers in the hall and offer melon seeds and fresh fruits to keep the diners entertained.
Lin Dan only cooked dishes for five tables of diners at Qiaoyuan Restaurant each time. If the diners did not arrive early enough to take a table, they would not know how long it would take for them to try her cooking again. For a picky food connoisseur, waiting was worse than torture. Seeing that the hour was approaching, Prince Cheng took the lead in urging, "Manager, is that head chef here yet? Look at Yan's restaurant, the fish head has already been out for the whole day, shouldn't the chef be here to show her hands?"
"Exactly, I've waited since last night, and I'm famished." Everyone laughed at Prince Gong patting his stomach in an unashamed manner.
Although the new dishes of Yan's Restaurant were delicious, they had become the "signpost" for Qiaoyuan Restaurant. The diners swarmed to Qiaoyuan Restaurant each time after they had received a "sign" from Yan's restaurant. The diners were all conditioned to behave in this way after the two consecutive months of fighting between the two restaurants.
Although Yan Langqing was an imperial chef and was also favored by the Emperor, she was merely a chef, and her status was much lower than the princes, marquises, and the first-rank officials. This was why the diners had no reason to please her, they visited her restaurant just because they enjoyed her food. This was the same for everyone else – diners could tell apart good and bad quality food and should be taken seriously.
As soon as Lin Dan entered the kitchen to teach Chef Qiu how to make the Braised Fish Head, the old manager hurried in and asked respectfully, "Chef Lin, will you be making a new dish today? The patrons can't wait to have a taste of it."
"Yes, a new dish of course." Lin Dan rolled up her sleeves slowly and continued, "From the beginning, I have agreed to teach Chef Qiu a new dish each time Yan's restaurant introduces one. This promise will apply unless Yan's restaurant is no longer in business. "
"Is she thinking of taking down Yan's Restaurant?!" Chef Qiu thought and lowered his head to say a prayer for the Yan family. But in the next moment, he raised his head and looked at his master with sparkling eyes.
The old manager was completely relieved and hurried out to tell the long-awaited diners the good news.
Lin Dan washed her hands and picked a four-catty bass. She shocked the fish before placing it on the cutting board and said, "As I said, there are two ways to remove fish bones, one is the cooked meat removal and the other is the raw meat removal. The dish I'll be teaching you today is called the Immortal Boneless Fish which also has no bones. The bones are removed by combining both the raw and cooked meat removal methods. Watch me carefully." Once she finished speaking, she made a cut from the fish spine to separate the spine and ribs completely while ensuring that the flesh of the belly was still intact. After the ribs and spine were separated, the fish could spread into the shape of a pair of beautiful butterfly wings. Then, holding onto the fishtail, she removed the entire fish spine along the direction of the fish head, before making two shallow cuts to separate the ribs.
The bass had few bones, to begin with, it only came with a spine and two rows of rib bones. The bones were all removed with just four cuts, while the meat below the head and above the tail were all intact.
"This is the raw meat bone removal method. This requires your cutting skills to be clean and shallow." Lin Dan combined the two pieces of fish meat and tied them together with green onion leaves so that it looked like a whole fish again. This could also prevent the fish from breaking into pieces when it was stewing in the soup.
"This cooking method was inspired by the Huaiyang cuisine which stewed all kinds of food to create all kinds of flavors." Lin Dan put the boneless fish into the pot and continued: "It can be stewed in the milky pork broth to create the three-treasure flavor, stewed in the braised soup, or stewed in hot and sour flavors in the spicy soup. It can all be adjusted depending on the customer's request. A variety of rich flavors can be created with this dish to satisfy a variety of preferences – this is the biggest characteristic of the Immortal Boneless Fish."
Chef Qiu listened intently, he watched Lin Dan displaying her superb culinary techniques, and listened to her vivid explanations on the different cooking methods. He was so fascinated that he could not help but wonder, "Master, how do you know so much? Dad and my grandfather were old imperial chefs in the palace, but they didn't seem to know as much as you."
Lin Dan smiled and replied, "If you follow the standard, foods are usually divided into the imperial dishes, official dishes, and folk dishes. But did you know that there are in fact no imperial dishes and official dishes in the world because they are developed from folk dishes? True delicacies come from the folks. You will naturally learn a lot by eating, watching, cooking these dishes. In order to hone my cooking skills, I volunteered to be a kitchen assistant whenever I arrived at a new place and helped out at places where banquets were held. There are many varieties of food in a folk banquet, including the big eight bowl style, big nine bowl style, thirteen specialties, and even a table of fifty-two dishes, which was less exquisite than a palace banquet. Think about it, how much effort does it take to make fifty-two unique dishes without repeating it? And as banquets are held at weddings and ceremonies, which are grand and solemn events, it was important not to ruin the appetite of the guests. So, just how much knowledge is needed to prepare for a banquet? I have thoroughly studied these skills and knowledge and learning how to cook will come naturally."
Chef Qiu did not say anything for a long time. When the fairy boneless fish was taken out of the pot, he said sincerely, "Master, Yan Langqing is definitely way behind as compared to you!"
Lin Dan did not reply to his comment but only shook her head and chuckled. She called the waiter to serve the dish before taking another fish and started removing its bones.[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @ ]
Translator: NovelMultiverse Editor: NovelMultiverse
Since the arrival of a new chef at Qiaoyuan Restaurant, the business of Yan's Restaurant had worsened each day. Although Yan Langqing quickly developed new dishes, she was no match for that chef's culinary skill. Whenever they introduced a new dish and had not even made its name yet, they would introduce another new dish. The new dish was usually made using similar food ingredients, but with extremely sophisticated cooking techniques that soon stole the limelight.
Lin Dan's second uncle was as anxious as ants on a hot pan these days, and there were blisters at the corner of his mouth. Since Yan Langqing had entered the palace as an imperial chef, the Yan family had become more arrogant and used various means to seize the other 30% of shares from him. Now that he only was only holding 20% of the shares in the restaurant, he still had to be the manager and purchaser of the restaurant. He worked like a dog handling all the big and small chores of the restaurant, but the amount of money he earned was not even one-tenth of what he had received.
Besides, he still had to support his family. In the past, he was spoiled by Lin Baotian and provided the best things for his family. They lived in a mansion, enjoyed all sorts of delicacies, and wore silk. The family's living expenses were so high that it could even feed an ordinary family for an entire year. At that time, he was still the owner of the Yan's restaurant and pocketed all the income of the restaurant. Lin Baotian did not even ask about the money, and even occasionally offered him some help. Life then was really comfortable for him, but now he only earned as much as a shop manager, yet he had to support his family who were living like royalties.
In the past decade, he had already used up all his savings and he had to rely on pawning possessions to survive. If Yan's restaurant was making money, he would have extra cash on hand, but if the restaurant was not doing well, he would suffer too. This was why he was more anxious than anyone else when Qiaoyuan Restaurant had started to do well. Sometimes when he reminisced about the past, he would regret welcoming the "wolves" into the restaurant, and he reckoned there was no way he would be able to drive them out anymore.
Seeing that it was going to be another quiet day of business, the second uncle said to a waiter with a stern face, "Go and take a look at the Qiaoyuan Restaurant to see if they have introduced a new dish to fight us."
The waiter acknowledged his command and quickly hurried to the restaurant. When he returned after some time, he said with a look of surprise, "Indeed, they came up with a new dish called the Immortal Boneless Fish. There are no bones in the entire fish, and it is braised in the milky and thick pork bone soup. It tastes fresh and sweet and melts in the mouth. I saw the old lady of Marquis Yongding dining there with her eldest grandson. Her eldest grandson never eats fish because he didn't like having bones in the fish, but today he enjoyed the dish and asked for a second serving. The business in the store was booming, diners sitting inside were reluctant to leave while diners outside waited in long queues. The old manager of that restaurant even asked his servants to place many benches at the door for the guests to sit while waiting and even hired a storyteller to entertain the guests. People were eating and laughing, and the atmosphere was lively. I managed to squeeze in but lost one of my shoes."
Speaking of this, the waiter raised his foot to show Lin's second uncle his bare left foot, and asked hesitantly, "Would you pay me for a pair of new shoes?"
"Pay your ass, get out!" Lin's second uncle yelled, and his face turned red. He felt as though his lungs were about to explode. He thought to himself, "We made black ginseng, and they followed suit; we made meatballs, and they followed as well; now that we made boneless fish, they made boneless fish too. And each time they introduced a new dish it tastes even better than ours, isn't it obvious that they are trying to tarnish our reputation?! Yan Langqing is such a useless chef, she's an imperial cook but she couldn't even win a folk chef! She must have not been doing her job all this while!"
Lin's second uncle was so anxious that he wanted to take a knife and kill the new chef of Qiaoyuan Restaurant right away.
At this moment, Yan Shouye walked in leisurely carrying a birdcage in one hand and a smoking pipe in the other. But seeing that there were no diners in the hall, his face turned solemn and gloomy. Lin's second uncle quickly told him about the fight between Qiaoyuan Restaurant and Yan's restaurant, but he sneered and said, "How dare they try to fight against the Yan family? They want to fight us head-on? Sure! Let's see what they can do without having any signature dishes!" After saying his piece, he took out a token and ten silver notes from his waist and asked a servant to find someone at the gate of the palace.
—
On the other hand, as the Immortal Boneless Fish received high praise from the diners, Lin Dan made an exception and served ten tables of dishes. As it was getting late, she washed her hands and face before preparing to go home. But the old manager led a pale-looking young man in, looking as though he was mourning.
As soon as he saw the young man, the smile on Chef Qiu's face quickly disappeared, and anger appeared in his eyes.
The young man said with a high-pitched voice, "Congratulations Chef Qiu, your Golden Lion Fish, Grilled Black Ginseng, Fortune Balls, and Immortal Boneless Fish have all been selected by the imperial kitchen. They would be presented to the Emperor and included as part of the imperial cuisine. Come forth and receive the reward from his majesty." He presented a piece of jade scepter after finishing his speech.[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @ ]
That piece of jade was only the size of a palm, it was not transparent enough and the color was not at all gorgeous. If it were not for the engraving of the words "Made in the Imperial Palace", nobody would want it even if it was thrown on the street. But just for these words alone, Chef Qiu had to kneel down and kowtow. He could not refuse this "reward" no matter how humiliated he felt.
Lin Dan also knelt down, but with a sarcastic smile on her face. Since Yan Langqing became an imperial chef, she had often sought out folk delicacies for the Emperor. If she came across any delicious dishes made by a restaurant with a good reputation, she would recommend them to the Emperor to be included as part of the imperial cuisine.
Initially, the chefs whose dishes were chosen were surprised and grateful, but they later realized that once the dish was selected to be made for the Emperor, they could no longer sell it, or it would be a sign of disrespect to the Emperor. Chefs often took months or even years of painstaking research to develop new dishes. But with just a word from her, she had robbed away all their efforts and fortune, just like what bandits would do.
Lin Dan knew what the Yan family was capable of, and was neither surprised nor angry. She stood up and said slowly, "Could you relay a message for Imperial Chef Yan? Tell her that Lin Dan is back and wants to settle the old scores. She will understand what I'm saying." After giving the instruction, she gave him a big note.
The young man seemed to be in a close relationship with Yan Langqing and actually refused to accept the note. He sneered and said, "She has personally told me the story between both of you. Back then, you were not as good as her, and looks like both of you are now a world of difference. Yet, you're thinking of competing with her again?"
"Then tell her that these four dishes are all my creation and have nothing to do with Qiaoyuan Restaurant. If she wants the recipes, she can come and find me in the South District. We will let the matter rest if she's afraid to face me, of course." Lin Dan took back the silver note with a calm look and spoke in a composed manner.
"You were the one who made the four dishes?" The young man served at the imperial kitchen and had decent culinary skills and a sense of taste. He had already tasted the four dishes that were served in the dining hall and naturally knew the level of Lin Dan's culinary skills. Her cutting, cooking, and seasoning techniques were all at top-notch levels, and not worse than the chefs in the imperial kitchen. He said that Yan Langqing and Lin Dan were "a world of difference", but he was now dumbfounded.
"That's right." Lin Dan nodded, "Thank you for taking the trouble to relay the message for me."
The young man took a long look at her before flicking his sleeves and left. Chef Qiu finally snapped out of his thoughts and exclaimed, "Master, I didn't know you were enemies with Imperial Chef Yan! Did you go all out to help Qiaoyuan Restaurant develop new dishes just to call her out?"
Lin Dan took off her headscarf that was covered with grease and smoke, and chuckled, "It is true that we are enemies, but I did not go all out. I merely responded to her moves, that's all. There are thousands of delicacies in the world, four dishes are nothing."
Chef Qiu saw her out and into the carriage before saying sincerely, "Master, I think you are better than Imperial Chef Yan. You are willing to impart your unique skills to others, while she only robs others of their efforts. Be it culinary skills or being human, she is not as good as you."
Lin Dan tapped Chef Qiu's forehead with her knuckles, before leaving with a smile. When she arrived at South District, she saw that the fork junction was full of people. There was a faint cry of crying from the inside, and the onlookers whispered, "I never expected that the owner of this restaurant was the one who deceived the master and brought shame to the ancestors. Hell, they even had the cheek to take away their late master's money!"
"Never judge a book by its cover. You see how that lady boss is smiling all day, but you'll never know it is a vicious heart that lies within! It must be karma that the mother and daughter have lost their husbands young, isn't it?"
"Exactly! I wonder what filthy means the young widow had used to be able to set up a business like this. It's disgusting!"
Hearing their whispers, Lin Dan knew immediately that the Yan family must have repeated their old tricks and appeared at her restaurant to pick up a fight. She quickly pushed through the crowd and saw Lady Qi sitting on the ground with disheveled hair and scratches on her cheeks and neck. Looks like she had had a fight and was injured. The earthen pot placed at the entrance was smashed, the braised marinade spilled all over the floor and the braised pork was taken away by the onlookers. All tables and chairs in the shop were also missing a leg or two. Xiao-zhu, Shaoyao, and the rest were cleaning the shop and were all injured.
It had been a decade and the Yan family were still so oppressive and enjoyed driving people into a corner. But Lin Dan was no longer the same girl who was unable to fight back ten years ago. She disregarded the accusations and contemptuous gazes of the people and helped Lady Qi up before closing the door.
"From today on, our stop will be closed." She said steadily, "You can take this time to travel around and have fun. When this matter is put to rest, we will head to Jiangnan."
"When are we leaving the capital?" Lady Qi did not want to stay in the capital for another second. She had enough of the Yan family.
"We will go soon. Let's pack up first, mother." Lin Dan did not intend to make money by setting up a shop in the capital in the first place, as she returned to settle old scores. Even if the shop was destroyed, she had suffered no loss, and smearing her reputation could not cause any harm to her as well.
"Okay, I'll go and pack my things right away. Since the beginning, I told you not to come back, but you didn't listen. Let's never come back again after leaving this place, okay?" Lady Qi asked, seemingly had a trauma of what had happened.
"Okay, let's find a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters to live in." Lin Dan calmed Lady Qi down gently. She did not intend to tell Lady Qi about the cooking competition, lest it affected her sleep and appetite. In the eyes of nobles, imperial chefs were merely servants, but in the eyes of ordinary people, they were people that they could not afford to offend.
Everyone helped to tidy up the shop and went to sleep, but unexpectedly, the kitchen caught fire in the middle of the night. If Lin Dan had not learned to be alert after traveling to many places and woke up in time, everyone would probably be burnt to death. After putting out the fire, Lin Dan found a pile of burnt dry wood and noticed a strong smell of kerosene at the corner of the wall. She immediately understood that this was an intentional arson, and the identity of the perpetrator was obvious.[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @ ]
Translator:NovelMultiverseEditor:NovelMultiverse
The kitchen in the small restaurant was charred from burning. Fortunately, no one was injured. After the incident, Lady Qi suffered from the trauma caused by the Yan family and immediately developed a high fever. Lin Dan had not only needed to find a doctor for her, she also had to make a report at the Yamen and did not manage to get a bit of shut-eye the entire night.
But the person who set the fire had long escaped. As Lin Dan was merely a powerless ordinary citizen, the Yamen would naturally not pay too much attention to her case.
After scurrying all night, Lin Dan was exhausted. In order to calm Lady Qi down, she did not dare to live in that fork alley anymore. Before dawn, they left by the city gate and moved to a suburban house. She was not afraid of the Yan family, but she had to consider the feelings of her mother and the others.
The next day, the people of the South District were dumbfounded to discover that their hometown kitchen was closed down. Just the day before, when the Yan family came to create trouble for them, the shop was doing extremely well. But when things happened, everyone took advantage of the chaos and ran away with the restaurant's food. They talked unscrupulously about Manager Lin's personal affairs and speculated her character in the most damaging way, without a care of whether she would be angry. They clearly knew that Manager Lin would not offend the diners as she needed to earn the money to support her family.
But nobody expected that she would actually close the restaurant down. Manager Lin did not want to make any more money and closed the business nonchalantly. These migrants of the South District started to wonder where else can they enjoy a good meal. Now that they were used to the authentic hometown food, nobody wanted to go back to the life of having bland food.
"Manager Lin, are you here? It's time to get up and open the shop!" Someone who did not know what happened slapped the shop door vigorously to no avail, suddenly getting a little anxious. He was a worker who did the most tedious and tiring work. It had become a habit to get up early in the morning to have a bowl of noodles cooked by Manager Lin before getting some takeaway braised pork to enjoy at night. He had looked forward to having the bowl of noodles and meat every morning, which had also given him the greatest comfort. Now that the noodles and the braised meat are gone, he started to panic and wondered what would happen if he was unable to enjoy Manager Lin's cooking anymore.
The more he thought, the more flustered he became, and he started slapping the door harder.
Those who gathered in the alley to watch what happened and even took the food away also carried an anxious look at this moment. From now on, they could only enjoy the most authentic hometown food in their dreams and not in reality anymore. It was not merely food, it had a huge impact on people's mental and physical health.
"What's going on?" Tang Jiu squeezed through the crowd and asked with a frown. Just like everyone else, he would visit the shop rain or shine, or he would not be energetic all day.
Qin Er'niang stood in the corner and said sarcastically with her hand on her waist: "Stop knocking, there is no one inside. Someone came to create trouble for Manager Lin last afternoon and even destroyed the shop. These people took advantage of the chaos and robbed her of the food. At night, another thug came to set the fire and burned the kitchen. Manager Lin dare not live here anymore and moved away overnight. I am afraid she will not come back here to set up a business anymore in the future. She approached me last night and sold the shop to me for ten taels of silver. Just keep wreaking havoc, all of you! It'll be wonderful to make her so frustrated that she leaves the capital so that I will never get to eat the local dishes made by Manager Lin anymore, isn't it? What the hell can I eat now? Manager Lin usually treats all of you well, have you all forgotten it? Look around in this South District, who is as willing to give you some soup for free as her? Who gave you some pickles for free? Who is the one who added braised pork into the vegetarian braised gravy so that you can enjoy some meat? It's fine if you don't appreciate her kindness, but you're scums for robbing her in the midst of chaos!"
"Someone came to smash the shop and set a fire?" Tang Jiu asked with a stern face, "Is Lin Dan hurt? Do you know where is she now?"
"I have no idea." Qin Er'niang dare not act recklessly in front of Tang Jiu, but she was still unhappy and snorted before leaving. As she walked away and glanced at those people whom she berated, they lowered their heads in embarrassment and felt regretful in their hearts.
Manager Lin's culinary skills were so good that it raised everyone's need for good food. Now that she had closed down the shop, nobody would be able to eat that delicious hometown food, and the sadness and nostalgia of leaving home had become stronger. Manager Lin's dishes were not only delicious, but it also contained a trace of nostalgia, which was enough to comfort the migrants' hearts. But they did not offer her any help at the crucial moment even after receiving her kindness.
"If I had known that Manager Lin would be too angry to open a shop, I would do everything I could to drive those people away!"
"What's the use for you to say this now? She's already gone! If I was in the shop yesterday, I would have chased them out with a stick!"[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @ ]
"I have to unload two cargoes today and will be very tired. I wanted to come and enjoy a bowl of noodles in the morning before working hard in the day. Now that the hometown kitchen is closed, I wouldn't be able to enjoy noodles from my hometown anymore. I really don't have any mood to work! Does anyone know where Manager Lin is? Let's bring her back and beg her not to close down the restaurant. I believe everyone is relying on her culinary skills to live by!"
What he said was not an exaggeration. Many of these hardworking people of the South District would get up early to enjoy a bowl of noodles at Lin Dan's shop before heading to work. The noodles she made were not only delicious and cheap, one could even taste a rich meaty taste in the vegetable braised gravy. Not to mention the bowl of milky pork soup she provided for everyone for free. Those who enjoy a warm and delicious breakfast at her shop in the morning would be filled with energy at work.
When she opened the shop, everyone thought it was nothing but another restaurant. They reckoned it would not kill them not to patronize Lin Dan's restaurant. But when she closed down the restaurant, everyone seemed to have lost something important, and their hearts were empty.
Tang Jiu left the alley with a gloomy face, feeling more miserable than anyone else. It was obvious to him that the smashing and burning of the shop were doings of the Yan family. He was utterly disgusted by their tricks, but at the same time, he was extremely upset by Lin Dan's departure and was even a little angry at her.
Despite telling her countless times that she could always look for him if she encountered any trouble, she had still decided to shoulder all the grievances just as she did ten years ago. She did not seem to need anyone and lived alone and stubbornly in the world.
Tang Jiu suppressed the pain and heartache and strode towards Yamen of the South District. He had decided to take the matter into his hands if the officials were not going to handle it. He would cut off the hands of whoever that smashed or burned the shop!
After Tang Jiu left, Marquis Weiyuan also came by and asked about the situation. A menacing smile appeared on his now fuller face and he said, "Someone burned the Manager Lin's shop and forced her to close down the restaurant? Very well, very well!" He flicked his sleeves and walked away after finishing his speech. In the next moment, the son of Lord Dianqian came and sighed helplessly: "I even told her that I'm coming to get some Dianqian exclusive snacks for my sister today, looks like I can't fulfill my promise to my sister this time around. Would Manager Lin not open her shop ever again? Now, this is bad!"
Several luxurious carriages came and left quietly. These people of status had all sent people to search for Manager Lin, as well as investigating what had happened to her in the past. The investigations had led them to the Yan family.
Yan Shouye thought Lin Dan was still that helpless and pitiful girl back then and was very pleased that he was able to beat her in one move. He thought, "So what if she could help Qiaoyuan Restaurant and affect my business? So what if your culinary skills are now better than it was in the past? I would take away your signature dishes and eliminate you so that you can go and be with Lin Baotian in the netherworld!"
Although the fire did not burn Lin Dan to death and ruined Yan Shouye's mood for a day, he rewarded the thugs handsomely for their hard work when he learned that Lin Dan and her mother were so terrified that they had left the capital overnight.
"Go back and guard that alley. If that family returns, you will continue to burn them. I will take responsibility if they are burned to death. Don't worry about the Yamen, they have been taken care of and will not interfere with this matter." Yan Shouye handed over a silver tael and the thugs quickly accepted it and left gratefully.
"How is today's business?" He turned around and asked Lin's second uncle.
"Marquis Weiyuan brought dozens of soldiers to the shop for a drink and occupied all the seats on the first floor. The second floor was also almost full, and the business is doing extremely well." Lin's second uncle said triumphantly.
"Marquis Weiyuan is here? Quick, you must serve him the best wine we have!" Yan Shouye thought for a moment and had a change of mind, "No, I should personally go and greet the distinguished guests instead. Give me the wine." He took a jar of wine and walked towards the dining hall, before greeting Marquis Weiyuan fawnly and in the most respectful manner: "Marquis, this is the pear blossom wine that is brewed by my daughter. It is the most refreshing to drink this in spring. Do you want to have a try?"
He was very confident in Yan Langqing's culinary skills and was sure that Marquis Weiyuan would be satisfied with what he offered. In the past, he had also tried to send him some drinks, but he could not even enter the gates of his residence, not to mention trying to curry favor with him. He thought their restaurant would gain a strong backing after he had a taste of this jar of wine.
"Is your daughter Yan Langqing?" Marquis Weiyuan asked in confirmation.
"Yes, Yan Langqing is my daughter who is now working as an imperial chef in the palace." Yan Shouye said proudly.
Wei Yuanhou pointed to his empty wine glass and said with a smile: "Then, fill it up."
Yan Shouye quickly poured him some wine and waited eagerly for his feedback. But Marquis Weiyuan suddenly raised his wine bowl and smashed it hard on his head. He yelled, "Motherfucker, how dare you serve me diluted wine?! Men, smash this restaurant that scams their diners!"
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers who were already ready to make a move immediately drew out the swords from their waists and smashed all the tables, chairs, doors, windows, and counters on the first floor. Although the guests on the second floor were anxious, they did not dare to go down and could only stand by the fence and look down at what was happening. After about half an hour, the originally luxurious storefront was in a mess. Yan Shouye was moaning and laying on the ground covered in blood, but no one dared to offer him any help.
Marquis Weiyuan still felt that it was not enough to relieve his anger. He grabbed him and kicked him a few more times before sneering and said, "I detest those who sell diluted liquor the most in my life. Count yourself lucky that I didn't take your life today!" As soon as he left, the diners upstairs also left one after another, but there were still many people around the door who were craning their necks to watch what happened.
Lin's second uncle only appeared now to help Yan Shouye up. He felt as though someone had stabbed a knife into his heart when he saw the mess on the ground and thought of the losses the restaurant suffered today.
However, this was not over yet. Before the physician could arrive at the shop to help Yan Shouye dress up the wound, the steward of the Lord Dianqian came in with a dead dog in his hands. He said that the dog had died after eating the mushroom soup packaged and delivered by Yan's restaurant and urged to settle this in court. If one were to think about it, they would realize that the mushroom soup was originally meant for the daughter of Lord Dianqian, who fed the soup to the dog because she did not have any appetite. If the lady had eaten the soup instead, the one who would die now would not be the dog. The young lady of Dianqian was preparing to be a concubine in the palace and it would be a serious matter to report to the officials.
The steward did not even care that the front hall was in ruins and instructed several strong men to take Yan Shouye away before sounding the drum of the Yamen. It was first diluted wine and then poisonous soup in just one morning, and the reputation of Yan's restaurant was doomed. Even if Yan Langqing was greatly favored by the Emperor, he would not reprimand Marquis Weiyuan or offend Lord Dianqian just for an imperial chef, it would even be impossible for the Emperor to clear up the rumors for her in front of the people of the capital!
Lin's second uncle sat at the door of the store with his head in his arms, feeling miserable and helpless.[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @ ]
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Although Lin Dan left in a hurry, she took care of everything before she left. Not only did she sell the shop to Qin Er'niang, but she also sent a letter to Chef Qiu and explained the situation. After reading the letter, Chef Qiu was so angry that his hands were shaking. He had no idea that the Yan family could be so unscrupulous that they would even bully the vulnerable ladies and even set the shop on fire. "There is no justice!" He thought.
Seeing Chef Qiu's angry face, the old manager asked him what happened. He shook his head and did not want to let him know the details. This was Lin Dan's personal affair after all and he thought it was best not to spread the news. He suddenly thought of something and frowned. "Are there any guests in the dining hall? Go out and have a look." He instructed the manager.
After a short while, the old manager came back and reported, "There are guests who filled up five or six tables and are waiting for Manager Lin." There was an unspoken rule in Qiaoyuan Restaurant – whoever comes first would take a number and display it on the table. The tables with the first five numbers would be able to try the dishes made by the mysterious chef, while those with the next five numbers would be able to enjoy the mysterious chef's cooking if they were in luck. Even so, diners who failed to take the first ten numbers would be reluctant to leave. They would rather order some food and sit in the shop to smell and look at the food served to the other tables.
For this reason, a large group of people would arrive at the restaurant early to grab a seat and never move their butts from the stool. Nobody could persuade them to leave.
Chef Qiu asked softly, "Is Prince Cheng here too?"
"Yes, he was already sitting in the shop early in the morning. I've hired a few singers to entertain him at the hall." In fact, it would be unusual if Prince Cheng was not here. Ever since he had a taste of Lin Dan's cooking, he had come to Qiaoyuan Restaurant on time every day. Later, he realized that Qiaoyuan Restaurant was getting more and more popular and got afraid that he would not be able to enjoy Lin Dan's cooking, he sent a servant to stay in the inn opposite the restaurant. As soon as the restaurant was opened, the servant would rush in and take a number to secure a table before waiting for the prince to arrive.
These food connoisseurs in the capital had their own unique personalities, and it was not easy to please them. But if someone's culinary skills were able to satisfy their taste buds, they would protect them like a treasure. For example, it was said that Marquis Yongding used to have a favorite chef and took him along wherever he went. But when the chef passed away, he had lost his appetite for several months and also lost a ton of weight. He no longer stayed in the capital which reminded him of the sad memories and went to fight at the borders.
Chef Qiu used to find this story ridiculous, but after learning that the chef was Lin Dan's father, he suddenly could understand Marquis Yongding's actions. If Lin Dan's cooking skills were already extraordinary, he could not imagine how astounding would Lin Baotian's cooking skills be.
However, since Lin Baotian was no longer alive, his great cooking skills did not matter anymore. It was more important to seek justice for Lin Dan at the moment. Thinking of this, Chef Qiu whispered, "Go and tell the diners that the mysterious chef has already left. As she won't be cooking at Qiaoyuan Restaurant anymore, you may ask them to leave."
The old manager was shell-shocked. "Without Lin Dan, how can the business of Qiaoyuan Restaurant continue?" He thought.
Chef Qiu shoved the old manager and sighed, "Go now and tell everyone to wait no more."
The old manager went out muddle-headed, and everyone complained before he could finish his words. As expected, Prince Cheng had the biggest reaction. Not only did his hands and beard tremble, but his aged face also turned even more wrinkly as if he had taken arsenic. Ignoring the old manager and waiter, he strode into the kitchen that he would never set foot in and grabbed Chef Qiu, "Is that chef really not coming anymore? Where does she live? Tell me and I'll hire her personally!"
In the past, he had the idea of hiring Lin Dan to work as his private chef, and even asked his servant to try and persuade her, but they did not even get to see Lin Dan herself. As he had the utmost respect for people who cook well, he did not want to force her and decided to visit wherever she cooked. Now that she had left without a word and enjoying her food become impossible, he regretted not taking her away by force.
Prince Cheng was filled with regrets and insisted Chef Qiu tell him about the chef's whereabouts. Chef Qiu pretended he was unwilling to reveal before explaining the history between Lin Dan and the Yan family.
But to his surprise, Prince Cheng's eyes widened, and his mouth was wide open like a man who was grieving for his dead parents. He asked in a shaking voice, "Do you mean that the chef who cooked here was Manager Lin from the restaurant in the South District? A-Are they the same person?"[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @ ]
Chef Qiu could feel that Prince Cheng was reacting in an unusual manner, but he nodded.
"Since they are the same person, does that mean that the Hometown Kitchen would be closed as well?" Prince Cheng gradually showed a pained expression. It was actually a coincidence that the prince got to try Lin Dan's cooking. Nobles like Prince Cheng did not usually visit the South District, but his servants would often head to the pier in South District to pick up some goods. At times, they would bring back some braised meat that Lin Dan made. There was once Prince Cheng saw the servants eating near the door and the overbearing fragrance of the meat captured Prince Cheng on the spot. After trying the food, he got even crazier about it that he sent his servants to buy some meat back for supper every night. He was totally addicted to the meat and could not sleep without having it as supper.
Hearing that the chef from Qiaoyuan Restaurant would not be here anymore, he originally thought that he could still enjoy some braised meat from the South District. He thought that Lin Dan's culinary skills were comparable to the chef from Qiaoyuan Restaurant. But little did he expect that they were the same person! This meant that the chef who could satisfy Prince Cheng's picky taste buds had left, and he would never be able to enjoy her cooking anymore!
He was a true food connoisseur who would rather starve to death than having mediocre food, and one could imagine the surprise and shock Prince Cheng was experiencing.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Looks like Imperial Chef Yan is a powerful figure, eh? I didn't know that nobody else could enjoy the dishes that were offered to the Emperor. If that's the case, am I not being disrespectful of the Emperor every day? Why didn't anyone drag me out and annihilate my family? Deceiving the master and shaming her ancestors? Rubbish! I watched how the disputes unfold from the beginning to the end back then, and it was obvious that the Yan family was the one who lied about the matter! I knew they were shady people!" He left angrily after finishing his piece.
Prince Cheng had not gotten enough of that Immortal Boneless Fish yet and had been waiting expectantly all morning. But he did not expect that his wait had delivered him the bad news instead. He got frustrated and thought, "How can I live without Manager Lin's cooking?" Then, he got even angrier and said, "Let's go to Yan's restaurant."
The accompanying guard initially thought they were going to dine at Yan's restaurant instead. But he saw that the prince ignored Lin's second uncle who was sitting at the entrance and pointed at the signboard while walking towards the door. He yelled, "Take it down and smash it!"
Several guards snapped out of the shock and took down the signboard with bamboo poles before crushing it with their feet. Lin's second uncle did not comprehend what had happened, but he dared not step forward to stop him. He could only cry pitifully, "Your highness, why are you smashing our signboard? We've not done anything to upset you. Please accept my kowtow and have mercy on us!"
First came Marquis Weiyuan, the son of Lord Dianqian, and now it was Prince Cheng. The status of these people who came just got higher and higher and Lin's second uncle started to wonder just who did the Yan family offended. He was puzzled for a while and started to panic like ants on a hot pan.
"Hmph, this signboard can never be put up for as long as Manager Lin is gone. Just try me if you disobey my order!" Prince Cheng pointed at the signboard that was broken in seven to eight and said furiously. He was not only the late Emperor's biological brother who helped him in seizing the throne but also the uncle who helped the current Emperor ascend to the throne. He held immense power and status by being put in charge of the Court of Colonial Affairs and the Imperial Civil Court. He was not somebody a mere imperial chef could afford to offend. Now that he had personally brought justice for Lin Dan, even if the Emperor was here, he would not dare to disobey him and let the Yan family hang the signboard back. Yan's restaurant was doomed for sure.
People living in the West District were the most sensitive to power. Seeing that several powerful figures had ruined Yan's restaurant and even created the fake wine and poisonous soup scandals, they had already completely denied the reputation of Yan's restaurant. They stood on the side of the street and watched how things unfolded for a while before leaving the scene. They whispered as they walked away, "I don't know what Yan Shouye has done to make these nobles personally come and punish him. Let's not visit this restaurant anymore in the future, or we would upset those three nobles if we do! It's not worth it!"
The heart of Lin's second uncle sank even deeper when he heard those words. He did not expect that those nobles would actually come to seek justice for Lin Dan. He wondered how she was able to have such good connections when she had only returned to the capital for two or three months.
Meanwhile, Yan Shouye was dragged into the Yamen by the steward of Lord Dianqian to undergo a trial. Although only a dog had died, the dog died for the princess of Dianqian, who will enter the palace as a concubine in two months. Since the imperial decree was given, the Yamen officials did not dare to disregard it and had beaten Yan Shouye to a pulp, ignoring his yelling that he was wronged.
Yan Shouye had acted like a reputable man, but as compared to the nobles like the son of Lord Dianqian, he was as good as a piece of trash. He was beaten up badly and begged for mercy as he was close to losing his life. In the end, he paid the son of Lord Dianqian a hundred thousand silver taels before being dragged before the princess to kowtow and apologize before the matter was put to rest.
When he returned home half-dead, he finally spat a mouthful of blood when he learned that Prince Cheng had smashed the signboard of Yan's restaurant and warned them that they would never be able to open the restaurant for business if Lin Dan did not return.
Lady Zhou was even proud of what she did after she created trouble at the Hometown Kitchen the day before, but she was now as anxious as a hen with one chick, "What should we do? Can this restaurant continue its business after we've done so many things?" She was more afraid of living the old life than anyone else after knowing that the glamorous and glorious days have passed.
"Yes, why not? Langqing is still working as an imperial chef in the palace. We can ask her to beg the Emperor for mercy. If the Emperor has a bit of interest in her, not to mention being an imperial chef, she could even be his concubine." He gritted his teeth and said, "Servant! Go and pass a message to Langqing, tell her that her family is in trouble, and ask her to come back soon."
The servant did not dare to hold up for another second and immediately went to the palace gates after taking some silver notes. Unfortunately, the Yan family had underestimated Lin Dan's connections. Although she did not want to fight for anything in the world, it did not mean that those who care about her would not fight it for her.[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @ ]