self-improvement as a cook

Chapter 20

The old man was also very happy, and nodded: "I can accept a girl like you as my Zheng Chunyang's disciple, and I will have no regrets in this life. What are you two fools doing in there? Why don't you come out to meet your little junior sister? Not one less."

An Ran knew that this sentence was answered, she was overjoyed, knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times, the old man accepted it with a smile, and when she finished kowtowing, helped her up, looked up and down for a long time, and was not satisfied.

At this moment, Gao Deming and Zhao Yongfeng came out from the kitchen room, looked at An Ran with a smile and called out to her junior sister, An Ran hurriedly greeted the two of them again: "An Ran has met the senior brother, the second senior brother."

Mr. Zheng glanced at the two of them: "Don't be so stupid, it's a meeting ceremony, hurry up."

The two of them probably got used to the master's temperament long ago, so they didn't care, Gao Deming smiled and took out the dagger on his waist and handed it to An Ran: "Little sister, this dagger was obtained by senior brother a few years ago, the other one is fine, but The blade of this dagger is thin and sharp, and its shape is considered compact, so it is suitable for my junior sister to handle."

An Ran took it over and looked at it, the dagger sheath was made of iron, with some rust spots, it looked very inconspicuous, probably thrown into a pile of scrap copper and iron, no one would find it.

An Ran would not despise it because of this, but showed a little joy, because she understood a truth, the more inconspicuous things you look at outside, the more difficult to find treasures.

After Gao Deming handed her the dagger, he kept paying attention to her expression. Seeing that the little girl's eyes were bright, showing surprise, he couldn't help but think to himself, she really is a smart girl.

An Ran pulled out the dagger, and saw that the blade of the dagger was shining blue in the sunlight, and its thickness was as thin as paper. For knives, An Ran also found someone to polish a set of thirteen knives for carving.

After passing through it, let alone these, a kitchen knife with a good steel mouth is only seen in the big kitchen, and suddenly there is such a good dagger, I am very happy, thank you, senior brother, take it in your hand I can't put it down, I can't wait to try it right away.

As if knowing what she was thinking, the eldest brother went into the kitchen and brought out a basket of radishes and put them on the ground. An Ran picked out a square one, cut it open and held it in his hand. After a while, a beautiful Chinese rose flower rested on the palm of his hand.

Gao Deming smiled and said: "Junior sister's knife skills are really good." He said that he also took a carrot, and stretched out his hand: "Let me borrow the dagger from my junior sister." An Ran hurriedly handed it over, knowing that the senior brother wanted to carve radish flowers.

Carving is the basic skill of learning to cook. Anyone who learns to be a chef must first start with carving radish flowers. An Ran can tell that he is a top master just by looking at the way the senior brother holds the knife. Especially, the speed is so fast. Spin, then stop, but the radish is still the same.

An Ran was stunned for a moment, but saw that the senior brother smiled at her, took the white disk handed over by the second senior brother, put the radish in his hand on the plate, tapped lightly, An Ran was stunned, the layers of petals unexpectedly As if slowly unfolding in slow motion, a lifelike peony flower reflects the porcelain white plate below, which is indescribably amazing.

Sure enough, what grandpa said is that when cooking is one skill, there are people beyond people and heaven beyond the sky. Even if the senior brother's knife carving skills are practiced by himself for ten years, he may not be able to achieve such accomplishments. This is simply a miracle.

Seeing that the junior sister was stunned, Gao Deming was quite proud, he smiled and returned the dagger to An Ran, Mr. Zheng gave him a blank look: "I know how to show off, I don't look like a senior brother at all." He said kindly and clapped Patting An Ran: "Your senior brother is only good at this kind of knife skills, and he has practiced since he was a child. After a few years, you will definitely be better than your senior brother. Let's not be angry."

The master's obvious eccentricity made An Ran laugh, and he said seriously: "Give me another ten years, I'm afraid I won't be able to practice such unpredictable knife skills as the elder brother, grandpa told me that knife skills also need talent .” Said and looked at the second senior brother eagerly.

Seeing Junior Sister's appearance, Zhao Yongfeng frowned twice on his big furry face: "I think Junior Sister has not had breakfast yet, Second Senior Brother will make egg fried rice for Junior Sister to try." Then he turned and went into the kitchen.

Only those in the know will know that the simpler the food, the more skillful it is. Egg fried rice seems simple but the most difficult. The rice should be soft and hard, and the taste should be salty and light. You can't be short of fire, you have to fry just right to be considered qualified.

If you want to do this, you must be extremely accurate in every step. How much water is used when steaming rice?Freshly steamed rice cannot be used. It needs to be left overnight. Is the egg liquid thick?How much base oil?Oil temperature control?All must be extremely precise in order to fry a plate of qualified egg fried rice.

Obviously, the second senior brother is a master. A plate of fried rice with eggs was cooked. Every grain of the rice was wrapped in eggs. The grains were golden and fragrant. After taking a bite safely, he couldn't help raising his thumb.

Zhao Yongfeng laughed naively, scratched his head, and took out a somewhat old notebook from his arms. The notebook was already quite old, and there were some dirty oily spots on it, and handed it to An Ran: "Second senior brother, there is nothing beside him. Good thing, this book is some of my usual cooking experience, I will write it down when I have it, and it is not very useful if I keep it here, when my junior sister is free, just read it to relieve boredom."

An Ran hurriedly took it with both hands, An Ran knew that every chef is different, this is why, even if different chefs cook the same dish, even if the seasoning of the ingredients is exactly the same, the taste is still not the same. Chefs have different understandings of each dish, and each chef’s experience is learned from failures and successes. This is not something that can be obtained with high comprehension. It is even more precious for this kind of young chef, who can use these experiences to increase their own knowledge and new understanding of each dish, so that the cooking skills can be improved. This is the hard work of the second senior brother.

An Ran took it in his hand carefully: "Thank you, Second Senior Brother."

Zhao Yongfeng smiled naively: "Young junior sister, don't be too polite. Also, I don't have enough books and my handwriting is a bit ugly. Just don't dislike me, little junior sister."

Zheng Chunyang snorted: "What kind of a word are you? Ghost painting talisman is almost the same. Go and take out my knife box."

Gao Deming entered the room in response, and after a while he took out an old-fashioned box and put it on the table. An Ran couldn't help being surprised when he saw the knife box, and couldn't help staring at the knife box again and again, feeling extremely shocked. This is something I am all too familiar with. It is a family heirloom of the An family. Just before I crossed over, when I went to worship the ancestors in the An family ancestral hall, this knife box was placed on the altar table in the middle of the ancestral hall.

Inside is a kitchen knife. It is said that it was the kitchen knife used by the ancestor of An Kee's food list. How could it be here, in the hands of the master?
An Ran found that the master's hand on the knife box was trembling slightly, and his eyes became farther away, as if there was a little sadness and regret, it was very complicated, and after a long while, he said: "This is the master's kitchen knife, the seven I learned how to cook at the age of 64, and this knife has been with my master since the day my master learned how to cook. My master is 57 this year. Counting the years, this knife has been with my master for [-] years. I have followed my master all over the world. Long Live Lord has made imperial meals, and also cooked pig-killing dishes for the old folks in the neighborhood in his hometown, but now, he can only lie in this box and rust. Old chap."

The elder brother's face darkened, and he hurriedly said: "Master, you accepted the younger junior sister today, you should be happy, why are you bringing this up again?"

But Zhao Yongfeng suddenly said: "Master, don't worry, the senior brother and I will definitely learn cooking skills to avenge your old man, drive that old guy Han Zizhang out of the palace, and let the world know that the best chef in the world is you, not him." Mean old fellow."

Hearing this, the old man became angry and slapped the table: "What nonsense, let the disaster come out of your mouth carefully. What's more, it is true that the master lost the competition. I am willing to bet and admit defeat. Why do you talk about revenge? Don't mention this matter again. I heard you say a word, you are not my apprentice of Zheng Chunyang.

"

When the old man said a word, the two senior brothers immediately bowed their heads and didn't dare to say any more. Seeing that An Ran was in a daze, they thought she was frightened, and comforted her: "Don't be afraid, girl, it's all old calendars for more than ten years. What else are you talking about?" Deming said What's more, today is a day to be happy, master, this kitchen knife, your senior brother has always wanted it, but the master refused to give it to him, so I knew that there must be a caring apprentice like you, so the master will keep it for you , this knife should be the master's meeting gift."

An Ran hurriedly said: "How can this be done?"

Mr. Zheng stared: "If you don't take it, you think the master's knife is not good." An Ran had no choice but to say: "Then An Ran will help the master to keep it first."

The old man waved his hand: "It's useless to say less, our chef's knife is not a display, it's the guy we eat, there is no excuse, you have to use it, the knife is used faster, if it is left , sooner or later it will be a rusty lump of iron, what's the use, your master hurt his wrist, otherwise, this knife would not be willing to give you."

hurt your wrist?Only then did An Ran remember that she had heard her godmother mention this matter, but since she saw the old man just now, she didn't find anything wrong with it, so she forgot about it. Now that the master said it, Fang carefully looked at the master's wrist.

Looking carefully, you can see that the master's left wrist is a little weak, and he can't help but say: "Let me see." As he spoke, he stretched out his hand to hold the master's left hand, and carefully touched the master's wrist bone.

Zhao Yongfeng asked curiously, "Does Junior Sister know how to set bones?"

An Ran shook her head: "I have a friend who is a doctor. After a long time, I have learned some superficial facts. But the master's wrist bone was broken?"

Gao Deming nodded: "It was broken, it was smashed, if it wasn't for the help of the imperial doctor who is good at bone setting in the imperial hospital, I am afraid that the master's hand would be useless. Now after all these years, he still can't lift heavy objects. It's rainy and cloudy." It always hurts, too, and I can’t go to the stove anymore.”

An Ran naturally knows what it means to be a top chef not to be able to cook. Such sequelae are probably due to the fact that the original bones were not well connected.

Thinking of this, I have to mention my bad friend Lin Xing'er. Although I always call her Mongolian doctor, she is really a genius in medical skills. Back then, I was fascinated by rock climbing in the wild for a while, and accidentally fell off the mountain wall and broke my body. If it wasn't for Lin Xing'er, even if she recovered, she might have to give up her career as a cook. A cook who can't afford a wok is still a cook.

With Lin Xing'er's bone-setting skills and the plaster inherited from her Lin family, her arm completely recovered after three months without any sequelae. It's a pity that the woman is no longer here, otherwise, even if the master's wrist cannot recover It was the same as before, at least he wouldn't want to be in a half-disabled state like he is now.

An Ran said: "Master, don't worry, when you have a chance, you will find a genius doctor to treat you for the master."

The old man shook his head: "Master is 64 this year. There is a way to stand at thirty, not to be confused at forty, and to know the destiny at fifty. Master has passed the year of ear obedience. What else should we care about? Those old years All grievances have been put down, not to mention, Master 64 can still accept such a caring apprentice like you, what is there to be dissatisfied with, we are cooks, to put it bluntly, we rely on craftsmanship, and the master hopes that the three of you will learn the craft well, Master will be happier than anything else if he can live in peace and stability in the future."

Just as he was talking, An Fu suddenly came in from outside, saw the old man sitting in the yard, hurriedly trotted over a few steps and bowed to him: "Yo, old man, you are here, but it's a small fortune, I greet you here. "

Mr. Zheng glanced at him: "What Manager An said, the old man is now the cook of your An Mansion, where else can he be if he isn't here?"

An Fu, who choked on a single sentence, almost lost his temper, but he also knew the old man's temper. How could he have no temper after serving the royal chef of the Long Live Lord? No matter how capable the master is, I'm afraid he won't be able to invite this big Buddha. He said to himself that it was a blessing from his cultivation, otherwise, with his status, it would not be enough to get the imperial chef to scold him.

However, this girl, An Ran, really came here. I just heard Mrs. Yu say that I still don't believe it. Mr. Zheng is happy and quiet, and everyone in the house knows that the old man has specially sent a message not to disturb the old man. For this reason, he even apologized There are quite a few noisy boys in this small courtyard, except for the three of you, no one else wants to stay in this courtyard for a while, there is no door, but where did this girl An Ran come from.

Moreover, as soon as he came in, he saw that the old man looked at this girl with a very kind and kind gaze, as if he was looking at a beloved junior of his own.

Gao Deming was quite ordinary, so he asked politely: "Guard Fu is here, does the Elder Master have any orders?"

An Fu hurriedly said: "It's not the old man, it's the aunt who wants An Ran to cook some food and send it over." As he spoke, he couldn't help but glance at An Ran.

An Ran's heart skipped a beat, and she thought to herself, this trouble is really coming. From the day she entered the big kitchen, An Ran knew that sooner or later, this girl was really brain-dead. Just by the way Lian Er looked at her, An Ran could guess that this girl might have offended many people before, even Miss Yue, a roommate, had grudges with her, let alone the four aunts above.

In particular, this aunt of the Orchid Courtyard, just by looking at the series of tricks she used to get rid of her, she knew that it was not a good thing, and, moreover, she was probably the one who didn't want her to stand out in the first place.

I succeeded in climbing the bed and was sent down. It can be seen that my aunt hates herself in her heart. Judging from the example of San Yiniang and Hong Mian, if the girl in my room can be liked by the master, she is a ready-made helper. My aunt naturally understands This principle, otherwise, would not buy a girl who can play the Yueqin and send it to the old man. Everyone knows Sima Zhao's heart.

But why put aside myself, a girl who has successfully climbed the bed, and ran outside to buy another one, it must be because I was too hated in front of me, even the master, my aunt, hated me, so naturally I refused to give myself this climb. The master's chance, it happened that the master didn't take it seriously, so he sent himself to the outside kitchen.

Although she was taboo about having such a thing with the old man, and did not dare to take her own life directly, but this trick is not innocuous. Naturally, the aunt knew that she was upset about the people who went out to the kitchen, and she expected that she would go out when she was out of the kitchen. It must be difficult for the kitchen. With the temperament in front of me, I can only die to get rid of the end.

It has to be said that my aunt's predictions were extremely accurate, if she hadn't happened to pass through this girl when she hanged herself, I'm afraid there would be no such person as An Ran in the Anfu now.

If I endured it honestly in the kitchen outside, I might still be able to live in peace, but now that I am in the big kitchen, I am afraid that my aunt will not sit back and watch. Although I used to be a master and servant, after all these things, what is the relationship between a master and a servant? He was afraid that after turning over, he would find revenge on her, so naturally he had to act first. Therefore, now that An Fu came, it must be the auntie who wanted to make a move to clean up herself.

It's a pity, it's different now, I used to be alone and helpless in the kitchen outside, just a handy girl, but now I'm not a handyman in the big kitchen, but a helper, and now I'm the youngest apprentice of the old man, the old man who treats the master well Be respectful and polite, not to mention that she is just an unfavorable aunt.

Thinking of this, I made up my mind, and just about to follow An Fu, but I heard the master say: "There is something that should be known to An Fu, I have already accepted An Ran girl as my youngest apprentice, from now on this girl will be in the big kitchen. , there is an inappropriate post, and I hope steward Fu will take care of you and give me some advice."

An Fu was stunned, thinking that he was a servant: "Old, what are you talking about, old man?"

Zhao Yongfeng said impatiently: "It's hard for you to be deaf. My master said that An Ran was accepted as an apprentice. From now on, An Ran will be our junior sister. The junior sister is young, so let you take care of it."

An Fu was dumbfounded, but the old man said again: "This girl just came into my house, and she is not good at craftsmanship. Deming, you go with this girl. If your aunt wants to eat, you can make it for her, and let this girl watch from the side. study."

Gao Deming agreed, and said to An Ran: "Little Junior Sister, let's go."

An Ran nodded, and was about to go out with the senior brother when she suddenly heard the old man say: "Don't forget the girl's knife, this is what our cook eats." An Ran hurried over to hold the knife box on the table in her hands.

When An Fu saw the knife box, he almost fainted. The old man was serious. He even gave this knife. It was made by the old man. The knife used to cut vegetables for Long Live Lord, according to An Fu, it would take a day The offering of three sticks of incense is good now, and it is directly used as a teacher's gift for this girl.

What kind of shit luck is this girl, I don’t know if I saw it with my own eyes, heard it with my own ears, I wouldn’t believe it even if I beat Anfu to death, my aunt still wants to clean up this girl, let’s dream, Mr. Zheng’s closed disciple, I’m afraid the master will give him some points For saving face, my aunt is a fart.

(End of this chapter)