Cute Wife Gourmet

Chapter 42 Show Your Hands

After walking about four or five miles, we saw a village with several hundred households, which was considered a large village.

"This is Lijiazhuang. Most people in the village have the surname Li. Our boss is a wealthy man in the village. He is in the medicinal materials business. Oh, by the way, he also has business dealings with Jinling. Brother Li, if the wedding banquet goes well, you can go back to Jinling with our caravan." Butler Li said.

"Really?" Ye Jiayao was overjoyed. If she could follow the Li family's caravan, she wouldn't have to endure such a hard journey.

Helian Jing's eyes also lit up, and then he looked at Ye Jiayao hopefully, as if to say: Brother Jin, this time it all depends on your ability.

The Li family's house was decorated with lights and many guests had already arrived. Butler Li first took Ye Jiayao and Helian Jing to change into clean clothes. Poor little Jingjing finally didn't have to wear cropped pants anymore.

There were more than a dozen maids busy in the kitchen. The ingredients had already been prepared and were just waiting for the chef to cook.

Ye Jiayao took a look at the menu prepared by the original chef Lao Mingtou. There was nothing wrong with it. She could cook chicken, duck, fish and meat, but the names of the dishes were a bit ordinary and tacky.

He asked Butler Li for a pen and paper and drew up a new menu.

The whole chicken was changed into Fengming Xianghe, the roast duck was changed into double-flavor duck rolls with the character "flying together", the family portrait of delicacies from land and sea was changed into "full house of high guests", and a dish of fried shrimp with celery and lily was added and named "happiness for a hundred years", and so on.

Helian Jing was stunned watching from the side, this guy was always good at taking shortcuts and catering to others' preferences, but he didn't know whether the things he made were worthy of such a nice name.

"Butler Li, please take this menu to your boss for review. If it's okay, I'll follow it." Ye Jiayao handed the prepared menu to Butler Li.

Butler Li left happily, and came back a short while later, saying with a smile, "Our boss said that this menu is very well prepared, and he is very satisfied. Please follow it, little brother Li."

As he spoke, Butler Li took out two red envelopes and said, "This is a reward from our boss."

Ye Jiayao declined, "The banquet hasn't even been prepared yet, how can I ask for a reward from your boss?"

Butler Li said, "Our boss said that just by looking at the menu, we know that you are an expert. There is no doubt about it. Take it, for good luck."

Ye Jiayao then accepted it embarrassedly and handed it to Helian Jing.

Helian Jing took the red envelope and was full of admiration for Ye Jiayao. He kept saying that he was helping, but he earned the reward money without making a sound.

After passing the menu and receiving the tip money, Ye Jiayao put on an apron and started working.

First, take a slaughtered hen weighing about one and a half pounds. A hen of this weight will taste good no matter how you cook it, and the meat will not be too tender or too tough.

Ye Jiayao skillfully deboned the chicken, which shocked Helian Jing again. Such skilled knife skills were not something that could be boasted about.

The chicken was soft after the skeleton was removed. Ye Jiayao brushed the seasoning all over the chicken inside and out with a brush. Then she took the peeled chestnuts and cooked quail eggs and put them into the remaining seasoning, stirring evenly. She left ten chestnut kernels for serving on a plate and stuffed the rest into the chicken's belly, making it bulge out, to symbolize many children and grandchildren.

Tie a knot around the chicken’s neck and steam it in a steamer for forty to fifty minutes.

"Xiao Jing, help me check the time." Ye Jiayao gave him a task to save him from being idle. The key point was that she was still a little unfamiliar with the ancient time conversion, so she left it to the ancients.

Helian Jing moved a chair and sat upright beside him, staring at the steamer intently. He also received the reward money, so he had to do something.

Ye Jiayao wanted to laugh when she saw his serious look. What a naive child he is.

Once the dish was ready, Ye Jiayao started to make the Flying Couple.

Chop the shrimp meat, mix with chopped green onions, and adjust the seasoning. The duck is already roasted, so peel off the duck skin and cut it into a rectangle. Beat the egg and spread out the egg skin with an even thickness, and cut it into a rectangle as well. Then roll the shrimp paste into it and dip it in the egg liquid. Since there is no bread crumbs, roll it with crispy almond pieces and fry it in the pan.

The characteristics of this dish are crispy outside and tender inside, double rolls and double flavors, crispy and refreshing.

But for the audience, the highlight lies in Ye Jiayao's patchwork skills.

Remove the naan inside the tomato and cut it into thin strips about two centimeters wide. Arrange them on the plate to make a blooming flower. Use the green cucumber peel to cut into thin strips and arrange them into the shape of leaves. The red flowers and green leaves are paired with the golden fried and neatly arranged double rolls. An exquisite double-flavor duck roll is ready.

The old women helping in the kitchen stared with their eyes wide open, exclaiming in admiration. After all, he was a chef from Jinan Fu Restaurant. His cooking skills were truly extraordinary. Not only did the food taste great, but it also looked good, making people drool just by looking at it.

Ye Jiayao is quick and agile. She uses all eighteen skills, including stir-frying, frying, cooking, deep-frying, steaming, boiling, braising, stewing, and carving, to prepare ten dishes at the same time. She coordinates the arrangements, is busy but not chaotic, and everything is well organized. She finishes everything in the shortest time.

Helian Jing's eyes were almost unable to turn around. Brother Jin's posture and aura when cooking, as if his whole body was glowing. He was the king here, controlling everything, and his skillful hands turned decay into magic. No one dared to question his cooking skills even if he said he was the chef of Wangxian Tower. Helian Jing couldn't help but have an idea. When he returned to Jinling, he would let Brother Jin work as the chef in the palace and cook for him. That would be the best of both worlds.

Butler Li came in to check, and couldn't help but smack his lips when he saw the dishes so exquisite that they made people reluctant to eat them. Then his eyes were different when he looked at the young man. Wow, this cooking skill is so good that it can beat the most famous old man in the area by several streets.

I secretly felt lucky that I had found the right person today.

When the auspicious time arrived, the banquet was set up, and the guests were seated outside, gongs and drums were beating, while Ye Jiayao, Helian Jing and the kitchen maids were eating in the kitchen. Helian Jing finally enjoyed the delicious food that Ye Jiayao had carefully prepared.

Fengming is peaceful and harmonious. The chicken wrapped with chestnuts and quail eggs has been steamed and stewed for a long time, fully absorbing the aroma of chestnuts, and the chestnuts have absorbed the juice of the chicken, making the chestnut aroma rich and the meat tender and mellow.

Happily Ever After, the refreshing taste of celery, the sweetness of lily and the freshness of shrimp combine to create a unique flavor.

The restaurant was packed with guests, and the dish included sea cucumbers, abalone, fish lips, fish maws, as well as fresh bamboo shoots and mushrooms. It was so delicious.

“Jin…”

As soon as Helian Jing opened his mouth, Ye Jiayao glared at him and he quickly changed his words: "Brother, I haven't seen you for many years. Your cooking skills are getting better and better."

Ye Jiayao grinned: "Of course, my master often praises me for my talent in cooking. No matter what dish it is, I can guess its texture almost exactly after just one look."

Ye Jiayao put extra emphasis on the word "brother" and boasted about herself.

Helian Jingxue rolled his eyes at her, thinking: Look at how you show off, can't you be a little more modest and reserved? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?

Looking at those old women, they didn't have any intention of making fun of him. Instead, they looked at Brother Jin with admiration.

Helian Jing rolled his eyes unhappily again, what a bunch of ignorant old women.

Ye Jiayao picked up a quail egg for him: "Eat more, it's very nutritious, you're growing taller now."

His attitude was completely that of an elder brother caring for his younger brother, which made the old women admire him so much that they even wanted to trick this young man home to be their son-in-law.

Helian Jing also picked up an egg for her and took the opportunity to tease her: "Brother, you should eat more too. Look at you, you have been a cook for several years, but you haven't grown any taller. People who don't know you would think you are my brother!"

Ye Jiayao disagreed: "Xiao Jing, as a person, the most important thing is to learn some skills. If you have a skill, you can make a living wherever you go. Otherwise, if you only grow taller but not more skilled, you won't be destined to be a parasite like those rich playboys."

The old women nodded one after another, agreeing with Ye Jiayao's opinion.

Helian Jing was depressed again. He couldn't win the argument with her no matter what, not even with words.

After a while, Butler Li came back, smiling broadly, and said, "Little Brother Li has great cooking skills. The guests all praised him and said they had never had such a good banquet. The host was very happy and said he wanted to meet you two after the wedding."

Ye Jiayao returned the greeting modestly: "As long as everyone is satisfied."

He secretly raised his eyebrows and winked at Helian Jing, as if to say: Look, brother is so awesome!

Helian Jing turned his eyes away expressionlessly, humming in his heart: Let you be beautiful...

After the dinner, Mr. Li specially invited Ye Jiayao and the other person to come over, and expressed his gratitude verbally and with a large sum of money, a full ten taels of silver.

In the past, Helian Jing would not even bat an eyelid at ten taels of silver. But now is a special period, and they are almost going crazy with poverty. Ten taels of silver have become extremely precious, and they are so happy that they can't stop smiling.

Ye Jiayao rolled her eyes at him in disdain. "Little Jingjing, although your dimples are very pretty, the corners of your mouth are almost stretched to your ears. This is embarrassing, don't you know? After all, you came from a wealthy family. It's just ten taels of silver, isn't it? Is it really necessary to be like this?"
Someone completely forgot how embarrassed he was when he won ten taels of silver from the stupid donkey and rolled off the couch to the ground in joy.

"I heard from the housekeeper that you are going to Jinling. It just so happens that my caravan will go to Yangzhou in three days. You can stay here for a few days and then we can set off together!" Rich Man Li made an invitation.

Ye Jiayao said: "That's great, I can even cook for the caravan along the way."

As a person, you should try your best to demonstrate your own value and not always think about taking advantage of others. Hardworking people will be welcomed wherever they go.

That night, the two of them could finally sleep in a comfortable big bed.

But Ye Jiayao began to worry.

Why? Because she introduced herself and Xiao Jingjing as brothers, so they only arranged one room for her, with only one bed.

Although she and Xiao Jingjing had slept in the same bed, it was a large bunk bed with more than a dozen people sleeping on it, so it was different.

Now she is asked to sleep in the same bed with Xiao Jingjing, a single man and a single woman. This... is not only a bit of a psychological barrier, but there is also the risk of being exposed.

Helian Jing saw the big bed with arms and legs spread out and lying on it, and said with emotion: "I have been sleeping in the pavilion every day. I almost forgot what it feels like to sleep in a big bed."

Ye Jiayao looked at him rolling around on the bed with a worried look on her face. Damn, I want to roll over too!

(End of this chapter)