Quick Transmigration: The Supporting Female Lead Stays Out of It - Chapter 23: Chef 22

After finishing his noodles, Tang Jiu didn’t leave and walked to Lin Dan’s side with his bowl, whispering, “The people in South City are mostly from other places and like to stick together. Each place has its own association. The associations with the largest number of people are the Shaan Gan Ning Association, the Shu Zhou Association, the Baiyue Association, the Jiangnan Association, the E Xiang Association, and the Dian Qian Association. In the future, when you stir‑fry the “saozi”, just take out six pots and season them with six different flavors. You don’t need to worry about the other flavors; it’s too much trouble.”

“That’s also a method. If a customer specifically asks for a special flavor, then I’ll help them. Thank you for the advice, Brother Tang Jiu.” Lin Dan smiled gratefully. She knew how to save trouble, but she really didn’t know the population structure of South City.

“No need to thank me; give me another bowl of noodles, the sour and spicy flavor.” Tang Jiu tapped his empty bowl.

Lin Dan shook her head and smiled, then skillfully cooked a bowl of noodles.

Because Qin Erniang had to entertain customers, she slept very late every day and naturally woke up late during the day, not opening her eyes until the sun was high in the sky. But today was different. In a daze, she suddenly smelled an indescribable fragrance. This fragrance was so strong and overbearing that it not only made her salivate but also made her toss and turn, unable to fall asleep. She struggled in bed for a long time and finally had to get up in one go, put on her clothes, and run outside to check.

“Where is this braised meat smell coming from? Go find it for me; bring back half a jin of braised meat when you find it!” She instructed several pimps.

“We’ll go look right away, Erniang.” Several pimps were just about to go out, their faces still bearing the sleepiness of waking up, and without a doubt, they were also drawn by the fragrance. After a while, the girls upstairs also got up, leaning on the railing and coquettishly waving: “We want to eat braised meat too; bring back more.”

The pimps agreed, but didn’t come back, and the braised fragrance grew stronger, and then it turned into sour and spicy flavors, onion fragrance, and so on. All kinds of flavors mixed together, making people’s mouths water and salivating. Qin Erniang first sat in the hall and waited, then ran to the door to look, and then she really couldn’t wait any longer and waved her handkerchief at the girls: “I’ll go out and take a look myself, you go back and sleep.”

“So fragrant, how can we sleep!” The girls complained, rubbing their stomachs.

Qin Erniang was also drawn in, and quickly ran into the alley of the three‑way intersection, and after going around, she came to the small restaurant of yesterday that was bound to lose money, and couldn’t help but be a little stunned. She thought she had gone to the wrong place, and stretched her neck to take a look, but saw that the pimps from her own shop were sitting in the hall eating noodles, wolfing it down, and their appearance was no less eager.

The large earthenware crock pot at the door was gurgling, emitting heat, and a rich fragrance that made her bones itch was constantly emanating. Qin Erniang, full of struggle, completely compromised and, half covering her old face, walked in furtively.

“Please, sir, come in,” Xiao Zhu greeted with a smile, and then said in surprise, “Eh, aren’t you the one from yesterday…”

“What one, what that one, quickly give me half a jin of braised meat, and another bowl of saozi noodles.” Qin Erniang’s old face flushed red.

Lin Dan, in the midst of her busy schedule, raised her head. Although she recognized Qin Erniang, her eyes were full of a gentle smile, “Okay, it seems from your accent that you’re from Qianzhou? How about I mix the braised meat with chili powder, May Chung oil (Litsea cubeba oil), and minced garlic water for you?” Having traveled for many years, she understood the principle of harmony brings wealth better than anyone else.

Qin Erniang, who was originally extremely embarrassed and afraid that Lin Dan would make fun of her about what happened yesterday, immediately felt at ease, and her old face smiled like a flower, “Okay, okay, you can help me mix it, that’s how we mix the braised meat in my hometown; otherwise, it has no taste! I haven’t eaten this taste in over a decade!” She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, for fear of drooling.

“Not only do you mix it like this when making braised meat, but raw meat, pig liver, pig bl00d, and chicken bl00d can also be mixed. Especially the cold mixed raw pork and raw pig liver, finely cut and mixed with rice wine, wood ginger, burnt chili, minced garlic, and vinegar, it’s especially refreshing to eat.” Lin Dan casually added, and unexpectedly, Qin Erniang was excited.

She stared straight at Lin Dan, and hoped: “Yes, yes, that’s exactly what we do there. Little boss, you know so much, can you make it?”

“It’s not good for your stomach to eat such a heavy flavor in the morning. How about you come at noon, and I’ll help you make it. I stayed in Qianzhou for several months, and I know how to make some local specialty dishes.” Lin Dan nodded.

Qin Erniang quickly nodded in agreement, and then apologized: “Little boss, I was wrong yesterday. With your skill, you won’t lose money even if you open a shop in a remote corner!”

Lin Dan shook her head with a smile, her expression very gentle. Hearing the conversation between the two, a diner walked over and asked, “Boss, can you make rice noodles? The people in our place are used to eating rice noodles in the morning, and rarely eat noodles.”

Lin Dan’s expression was suddenly enlightened, and she immediately made amends: “Look at my memory, I can naturally make rice noodles, I just forgot. If you come again tomorrow, you can eat rice noodles, and also rice tofu, and it tastes particularly good when eaten with sour and spicy garlic sauce.”

These people were as happy as could be, and said that they would definitely come tomorrow, not only tomorrow, but every day from then on. They had never seen a person with better cooking skills than this little boss. It seemed that there was no food from all over the world that she couldn’t make.

Seeing that Qin Erniang and the others could eat home-style dishes, the rest of the diners couldn’t sit still and ran to Lin Dan to order dishes one after another, their eyes full of hope. Fortunately, Lin Dan was knowledgeable and could make most of the dishes. For some of the dishes she hadn’t made, she could also describe them in detail and then figure out how to recreate the flavor.

The atmosphere in the shop was very lively, and when they talked about the hometown cuisine, everyone seemed to have opened a treasure trove, and could talk endlessly for a long time. Lin Dan listened with a smile, her expression joyful.

Tang Jiu had already eaten his fill but sat in the chair, unwilling to leave. He liked the atmosphere of this restaurant; it was as warm as a home, just like the feeling Lin Dan gave him.

At this moment, a group of people walked in through the door; each of them had a face full of flesh, and they didn’t look easy to mess with. They pushed aside Xiao Zhu and the two runners and shouted loudly, “Where is your boss? Call him out! Everyone who opens a shop in this area has to first pay respects to our Daquan gang. Don’t you know this rule?” It was obvious that they were here to collect protection money.

Tang Jiu basically knew all the powerful people in South City, and could handle them, but he had never even heard of this Daquan gang. It was said that “it’s easy to see the King of Hell, but difficult to deal with the little devils,” these people were probably the little devils who couldn’t get on the table, and they specialized in bullying ordinary people without any background.

Tang Jiu was about to step forward when Qin Erniang slammed her bowl down and cursed, “What kind of trash are you, daring to make a fuss in my territory? Be careful I cut your tongues!”

These people didn’t know Qin Erniang, so they only thought she was a shrew who was sticking her neck out, and they were about to pick up their fists to beat someone. Several pimps threw down their chopsticks and stepped forward, ready to fight. Seeing that a fierce battle was about to break out, a group of people walked in through the door again. Leading them was a man who was eight feet tall and slender, with extremely handsome features, and his clothing was also very luxurious. He didn’t seem to be an ordinary person. His lips were very pale, but his cheeks were flushed with two unnatural blushes, and his clear eyes seemed to be drunk, which was considered to be a charming and romantic appearance.

“Where did the little flies come from, buzzing non-stop, all of you, get out of the way for this Marquis!” He just waved his hand casually, and several bodyguards with swords walked out from behind him, pushing the small hooligans to the side.

The noisy front hall was instantly quiet, and everyone looked at each other, knowing that this person was probably a very wealthy big shot, and even went out with bodyguards. This kind of ostentation had to be a general at the very least.

“Everyone, sit down, and continue eating. Don’t mind this Marquis.” The handsome man smiled humbly, then turned to look at Lin Dan and hesitated: “Are you Shopkeeper Lin?”

“It’s indeed this Lin.” Lin Dan cupped her hands neither humbly nor arrogantly.

“Do you still have the Thousand Day Wine for sale? I want to buy a few jars. No, no, don’t want a few jars, I’ll buy however much you have here, take it all away.” As soon as the man opened his mouth, Lin Dan guessed his identity. Calling himself this Marquis, with a drunken look, and personally bringing a group of bodyguards out to buy wine before dawn, this person was probably the Wei Yuan Marquis, who was addicted to alcohol.

Why would Wei Yuan Marquis suddenly come, this story still had to be told from two days ago. That day, the big, bearded general delivered a jar of Thousand Day Wine, which was stored away by the steward of the Marquis’s mansion. Suddenly one day, Wei Yuan Marquis became interested and took a guest to visit his wine cellar, ordering the servants to take the best jar of wine from the wine rack and share it with several guests. The servant stumbled when going down the ladder, and shook the lightest jar of Thousand Day Wine down, and it fell to the ground and shattered.

It was just a jar of nameless wine without a label and a not luxurious packaging, and Wei Yuan Marquis didn’t care, and raised his foot to leave. However, the strong aroma of alcohol that was so intense that it reached its peak suddenly spread out, and covered the aroma of all the wines in the entire wine cellar. One guest, who had little tolerance for alcohol, flushed and his steps faltered, and the Wei Yuan Marquis, who never got drunk even after drinking a thousand cups, was already in a daze, as if intoxicated.

“What kind of wine is this?” He didn’t care about the dirt on the ground and dipped his finger in some wine and put it in his mouth to taste. His eyes suddenly lit up, “Good wine, it’s really the best wine this Marquis has ever drunk!” Before the words had fallen, he realized what had happened earlier, and immediately used cotton cloth to absorb it. It was a pity that the wine cellar had wooden floors and a ground dragon for insulation, rather than marble, and the wine soon leaked out through the cracks in the floor and completely disappeared.

A jar of wine with a true immortal within was right before his eyes, yet he didn’t discover it. The moment he did discover it, it was smashed, and he didn’t even get to taste a hint of its sweetness. How could Wei Yuan Marquis accept this cruel reality? Immediately, he had no mind to entertain guests either, and ordered the clumsy servants to take twenty lashes each. After that, he had the steward quickly find the person who had offered the wine. After searching for two days, they finally found Lin Dan, and he came before dawn, unable to wait.

Lin Dan didn’t know the inside story, but she could also tell that Wei Yuan Marquis was very anxious. She carefully sized up the other party for a few moments and shook her head, “I don’t have any Thousand Day Wine here, and even if I did, I wouldn’t sell it to you.”

TL Notes:
Saozi (臊子) refers to a type of minced or diced meat topping, often stir-fried with seasonings and used in various Chinese noodle dishes, especially in Shaanxi cuisine.
Ahh I’m hungry again haha