Quick Transmigration: The Supporting Female Lead Stays Out of It - Chapter 26: Chef 25

A man and a woman, who had just entered the shop, were whispering. The man said with concern, “I thought there weren’t any decent restaurants in the Southern City, but I didn’t expect I underestimated this place. Little sister, you haven’t eaten much for two days, you must eat something today, no matter what.”

The woman covered her chest and reluctantly nodded, “Then let’s eat a little.”

The man walked up close and saw Lin Dan was stirring a pot of braised meat, and couldn’t help but reveal a surprised expression, “Eh, you can actually make Qianzhou-style braised meat, that’s perfect, we are from Qianzhou, give us a portion.”

Lin Dan shook her head, “I’m sorry, sir, the braised meat is sold out, can you order something else? We also have noodles and white porridge here.”

The man frowned, seemingly displeased, “But I only want to eat braised meat, nothing else.”

“Then I can only apologize to you. If you want to eat it, you can come earlier tomorrow.” Lin Dan smiled shallowly.

She didn’t know who the man was, but Qin Erniang knew, and immediately waved her hand, “It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter, I’ll give him this plate of meat, I won’t eat it.” With that, she wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, her expression very terrified. If she wasn’t mistaken, these brother and sister should be the direct descendants of the King of Dianqian. The King of Dianqian was the only non-related king of the Great Chu State, stationed in the Dianqian Plateau all year round, holding 800,000 troops in his hands, a person even the emperor would be wary of.

To show his loyalty, the King of Dianqian sent his eldest son to the capital to study early, the treatment was not much different from that of a prince. The year before last, he also sent his fifteen-year-old daughter, who looked like she was going to enter the palace as a concubine. In short, these brother and sister were both people at the top of the mountain, not to be offended in the slightest.

The man’s eyebrows relaxed, seeming very satisfied with Qin Erniang’s understanding, but Lin Dan said, “Everything always has to follow a first-come-first-served rule. Erniang has been waiting for a whole morning, this plate of braised meat should be hers.”

Before the man could show a look of annoyance, Lin Dan had already raised her head and carefully looked at the pale-faced young lady, and continued, “Moreover, I see that this young lady has been covering her chest, as if she feels a little dizzy and nauseous, should be unable to adapt to the sea route and get seasick? You can’t eat these greasy things when you feel sick, how about I make some refreshing dishes for the young lady instead?”

The woman didn’t really want to eat meat, and after hearing Lin Dan’s words, she immediately nodded, “That’s fine, thank you, shopkeeper, for helping me make some refreshing side dishes, I really don’t want to eat meat now.” With that, she glanced at her elder brother timidly.

The man thought of his sister’s future destiny, his heart full of pity, and how could he refute her words, so he nodded in agreement. He turned around and realized that Tang Jiu was also there, and couldn’t help but be surprised, “Young Master Tang, you are also here to eat at this restaurant? This is truly a coincidence.”

Tang Jiu nodded, “This shop was opened by a friend of mine, thank you for the County Prince’s patronage.” The hidden meaning was—you can be domineering anywhere, but please don’t make a scene in this shop.

The man had been granted the title of County Prince by the Emperor in his early years. It seemed that his status was higher than that of a Marquis, but in front of a close official of the Emperor like Tang Jiu, he had to restrain himself a bit. His arrogant expression immediately disappeared, and his smile became approachable.

Seeing that he was being honest, Tang Jiu handed ten copper coins to Lin Dan, and repeatedly instructed her to send him a message at the Ministry of War if anything happened.

Lin Dan agreed on the surface, but in reality, she never thought of bothering Tang Jiu again. They weren’t people of the same world, why should they force themselves together? She was a chef, he was a diner, the relationship was that simple. After handing the mixed braised meat to Qin Erniang, whose hands were trembling, she ladled a full pot of white porridge, heated it on the stove, and then took out a handful of green peppers and threw them into the fire.

The green peppers were roasted by the charcoal fire, emitting a crackling sound, and there was also a pungent, burnt, spicy smell that quickly filled the air. Xiao Zhu and the others were choked and sneezed repeatedly, but the handsome man and the petite woman revealed expressions that were half surprised and half nostalgic.

“Are you making roasted peppers?” The woman walked in front of the stove and stared at the green peppers that were gradually softening in the fire, her eyes filled with tears, “When I was at home, my mother loved to make this dish for me and my brother. You probably don’t know, we were separated from our father when we were young, my mother took me and my brother and hid in the countryside. Without money, we couldn’t eat meat and fish, and the best dish in my memory was roasted peppers, because the taste was strong enough and could be eaten with rice, which could fill us up.”

The mask on the man’s face also cracked a crack, and his eyes were slightly red.

Lin Dan looked up and smiled at the woman, her eyes full of comfort, and then she crushed the roasted peppers and a few cloves of garlic in a bowl, and then drizzled with soy sauce, vinegar, and wood ginger oil, and other seasonings.

“Taste it, is it the taste of your hometown?” After the cold dish was made, Lin Dan handed the bowl and plate to the woman. The woman took a bit of the roasted peppers and tasted it carefully, her eyes blinked, and tears came down, “Yes, it’s this taste.” She quickly wiped away her tears and smiled, “Brother, you come and taste it too.”

Since she was taken back to the Prince’s Mansion by her father, she had never eaten this dish again, because her mother was no longer there, and there was absolutely no place for them in the Prince’s Mansion. She and her brother were just two items that could be sacrificed and used at will.

The man took a bite of the dish, his voice a little hoarse, “The shopkeeper should have stayed in Qianzhou, right? This roasted pepper is made very authentically.”

“I stayed there for a few months.” Lin Dan placed the pot of porridge and the small stove on the table and said in a gentle voice, “The appetizer is a bit spicy, so it’s best to eat less, I cut some raw meat slices and pig liver for you, and also paired them with leafy vegetables, which you can directly put into the porridge. Cook and eat it fresh, the taste will be even fresher.”

“Thank you, shopkeeper.” The woman’s mood improved a lot after she had cried, and she slowly ate the roasted peppers bit by bit with her chopsticks, her eyes full of cherishment. She never expected that in this distant place of the capital, she could actually eat such authentic home-style dishes.

The brother and sister sat opposite each other and ate, saying nothing for a long time, but their eyes were red. Lin Dan, in order to avoid embarrassment, retreated to the back kitchen with Xiao Zhu and the others. Qin Erniang also didn’t dare to be in the same room with the nobles, and followed Lin Dan, carrying a plate of braised meat, and chattering about various gossip in the capital. She especially liked Shopkeeper Lin now, not only because of her good cooking skills, but also because of her kind heart. When you are with her, you can feel her peace and tolerance everywhere, and this is the most comfortable thing.

After two quarters of an hour, they came out again, and the brother and sister were gone, but a piece of shimmering gold leaf was placed on the table. Qin Erniang swallowed hard, and sighed with admiration, “My goodness, it’s good to have excellent skills, Shopkeeper Lin, your shop is going to make a fortune!”

From that day on, Tang Jiu, the Marquis of Weiyuan, the King of Dianqian, and others became loyal patrons of the home-style restaurant. They not only ate it themselves, but also often packed it for relatives and friends. With these living signboards, Lin Dan’s business was getting better and better. Not only did people from the Southern City come, but even the dignitaries from the Western City and the Eastern City would change into the most ordinary clothes and come quietly, enjoying a meal. No matter how many delicacies and delicacies they had eaten, the dish they loved the most and missed the most was still this plate of home-style dishes—

Two months later, Lin Dan had completely gained a foothold in the capital. She was busy with her own shop’s business in the morning, and went to teach Qiu Xiao, the chef, to cook in the afternoon. Qiu Xiao had only learned three years of cooking skills from his father, and his knife skills hadn’t been trained well, not to mention going on the stove. But he was very perceptive and willing to study, and as she taught, Lin Dan developed an interest in teaching, and officially accepted Qiu Xiao as her disciple.

That day, Tang Jiu invited several Mongolian Swaziland princes to eat at the shop. Lin Dan cooked a large pot of hand-grabbed mutton with almond milk, and also used salted grass head and chive flowers to make a sauce, and directly brought it out for the guests to use themselves. Xiao Zhu was going to prepare chopsticks and plates, but she shook her head in denial.

Without utensils, how would the guests eat? The officials who accompanied Tang Jiu immediately turned their faces, and there was also a young man who looked very similar to Tang Jiu, who shouted loudly, “You, you have no foresight, we’re here to eat with so many people, you just bring out a big pot, what about the bowls? What about the chopsticks? Are we supposed to grab them with our hands? Ninth Brother, this restaurant is too unreliable, let’s go to Yan’s restaurant, Sister Yan is out of the palace today, and should be in the restaurant, she has good skills, and the guests will be satisfied.”

The man’s name was Tang Peng, he was Tang Jiu’s cousin, and now he also held a position in the Ministry of War. He harbored affection for Yan Langqing, and naturally strongly advocated going to Yan’s restaurant. It was a pity that his suggestion was rejected by his cousin, and now, seeing Lin Dan making such a big blunder, he had to make a good point.

“You don’t have any experience, so speak less, lest you lose face.” Tang Jiu’s tone was cold, and he looked displeased.

“Ninth Brother, I am also for the sake of entertaining the distinguished guests. They’ve come to the Great Chu, you just bring them to eat this? You don’t even look at the faces of the several princes…” As he spoke, he turned his head to look at the several princes, and originally intended to explain in a nice manner, and then ask them to move to another place, but he saw them put their hands into the large pot, grabbed a piece of bone-in mutton, and wolfed it down, while jabbering something, their faces full of praise.

A member of the staff who understood Mongolian translated, “The princes are very satisfied with this meal. This dish is called hand-grabbed mutton, which is meant to be grabbed and eaten directly with the hands.”

Another prince next to him said a sentence in a loud voice, and the staff’s face became even more amiable, and continued, “The princes said that the mutton in the Central Plains was too stinky, and they couldn’t get used to it. They had lost several kilograms in the capital for two months. They could finally eat their fill today. The mutton cooked by this chef was very tender, and there was not a trace of the stench of the mutton of the Central Plains, and it was exactly the same as the mutton they ate on the grasslands. Home-style restaurant is worthy of being a home-style restaurant, truly worthy of its reputation!”

Tang Jiu humbly said a few words, then grabbed the mutton and started eating. The several officials practically wanted to burrow under the table, inwardly exclaiming, “Thank goodness, thank goodness,” that the several princes didn’t understand Chinese, or else they would have been utterly humiliated today. Tang Peng’s cheeks burned red, and he couldn’t speak for a long time. He had been shouting and scolding there, directly accusing Manager Lin of being ignorant, yet it turned out that this dish was a specialty of the Mongols, meant to be eaten with hands, which made him appear shallow and inferior even to a cook.

Xiao Zhu and the others, who had been a bit nervous, almost burst out laughing at this scene. Pfft! What dignitaries and nobles, truly without any experience!

Lin Dan paid no attention to the farce in the front hall, washed her hands, and boarded the carriage to go to the Western City. The Yan Family Restaurant, in order to counter the suddenly rising Qiao Garden Restaurant, had successively launched two signature dishes in the past two months, and it was said that they would be launching a third today, so she had to go and take a look.