self-improvement as a cook

Chapter 24

An Zihe looks like a local snake in Jizhou Prefecture, and he is very familiar with this place. An Ran originally thought he was talking about the most common bookstore, but he didn't want to pass by. Seeing several bookstores passing by, Anran couldn't help saying: " Why don't you go in?"

But An Zihe laughed: "There are only a few books in these bookstores, just follow me, Gubao won't disappoint you." Saying this, he turned around and walked into a small alley next to him.

An Ran was stunned, and had no choice but to follow. The alley was a bit long, and there were no houses. The walls on both sides were quite high, making the alley a bit narrow. The ground was paved with bluestone slabs, which had been eroded by wind and rain for a long time, and the bluestone slabs had become potholes. Coupled with the mottled walls on both sides, it adds a bit of a different taste. It is very quiet, and only the footsteps of the two can be heard, whether light or heavy, sometimes urgent and sometimes slow.

An Ran couldn't help but look at the man walking in front, wearing a green shirt and holding a folding fan, he was still the same as he had seen him the last two times, but when he saw him during the day, he was different, besides being handsome, there was an indescribable sense of mystery, There is a bookish air, but there is a natural free and easy suaveness in every gesture.An Ran felt that such a person really shouldn't be a restaurant manager, so what should he be?An Ran couldn't figure it out.

He was in a trance when he suddenly heard An Zi say: "You stare at me so hard, maybe I will misunderstand that you are interested in me."

An Ran regained her senses and curled her lips: "Just be careful, I don't have such thoughts for you."

An Zihe raised his eyebrows, "Why do you know that? Could it be that I still can't get into your little girl's eyes, but why don't you tell me that I don't suit you?"

An Ran looked him up and down: "To tell you the truth, don't be annoyed, it doesn't fit anywhere." After saying that, she stopped bringing up this topic, looked at the small courtyard in front of her, the two courtyard doors were closed tightly: "Here Is it the bookstore you mentioned? It doesn’t look like a business, but someone’s private house.”

An Zihe said with a smile: "Who says it's for business? This is the residence of a friend of mine in Jizhou." An Ran was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help frowning: "Why did you bring me to your friend's house? Go to the bookstore just now." He was about to walk back, but he didn't expect that this guy had already gone up and knocked on the door, and almost immediately, the door opened, and a small head poked out from inside, it was a twelve-thirteen The kid, with delicate eyebrows and eyes, is quite clever.

Seeing An Zihe, he hurriedly opened the door to greet him, "Mo Tong, please greet me."

An Zi and he waved to An Ran, but An Ran had no choice but to walk over. The kid named Mo Tong took a look at An Ran, his surprise flashed in his eyes, and he bowed and waved his hands: "Please, girl."

An Ran felt a little uncomfortable, couldn't help but glared at An Zihe, and was ready to bring herself to someone else's house to do something, but An Zihe said: "You don't have to be so restrained, although this is a friend's house, but now he is not here, my friend has nothing in his life. There is no other hobby of loving books. Although this is his residence, it is also the place where he collects books. There are thousands of volumes of books in his collection. If people borrow it to read it, even the only handed down copy is willing to show it to others.”

An Ran felt even more inappropriate, if the master was at home, it would be inappropriate for them to visit rashly.At any rate, it's passable. Now that the master is not here, it's too rude for them to come in to read other people's books. It seems that this guy's familiarity is not only for himself, but it's really unlucky for him to be his friend .

Moreover, this guy came in with ease, as if he had entered his own home, walking through the corridors and houses in a familiar way, and came straight to the backyard of others.

This house is not too big, it only has two entrances, after passing the front hall, it is the courtyard where the owner lives, once entering An Ran can't help being stunned, not to mention how many books are in the surrounding rooms, even in the courtyard, Probably because the sun was good, mats were spread in the yard, and there were two boys in green clothes and short jackets, kneeling on the mats and spreading their books to dry.

An Ran looked carefully, there were really all kinds of books, An Ran wanted to bend down to read carefully, but she heard An Zi and said: "I can't find what you want if you find Tian Hei like this." He told Mo Tong: "Take Bring over the food recipes."

Mo Tong obediently responded and went, An Ran looked at him in astonishment, this guy did not treat himself as an outsider too much, it was fine to barge in while the master was no longer there, and ordered the servants to be like his own, It should be said that An Zihe completely regarded this place as his home, and went straight into the house.

An Ran raised her head and glanced at him, this guy seemed to be at home since entering the house, he was extremely familiar with him, and now he was enjoying drinking tea on the couch under the window, An Ran couldn't help doubting: "There is no place here. Will it be your home?"

An Zihe smiled: "How can I see that?"

An Ran couldn't help rolling her eyes: "If you go to someone else's house, you'll be kicked out a long time ago, and you can still let you eat tea like this."

An Zihe didn't nod but didn't shake his head, he just asked, "How is it here?"

Hearing this, An Ran couldn't help looking out of the window. The spring day was fine, the breeze was warm, and the green screen was opened to give a panoramic view of the entire small courtyard. The courtyard was small but exquisite. Two Xifu Begonias were planted, and now it's blooming. Layers of blooming crabapple flowers among the leaves are like clouds and brocades, pitched and scattered, with different shades, and they are so beautiful under the sun.

What's more, the courtyard is full of books, and the quiet courtyard makes people feel a sense of forgetting the mundane and worrying once they step in. And this room, although it looks very simple with only tables, chairs and kangs, is full of ink everywhere. Xiang couldn't help but nodded: "If you can cook tea in front of the flowers and read books under the moon, this life will be worthwhile." She said and looked at him: "You still haven't said if this is your home?"

An Zihe: "It doesn't matter if it's right or not. From now on, you can come if you want. I promise I won't let you be rejected, and no one will kick you out."

An Ran understood this as an affirmative, and secretly heaved a sigh of relief, since the master is not here, he is always uncomfortable staying here, since it is his place, and he invited him in, it is considered impolite.

Mo Tong came in, moved a stack of books and put them on the table in front of An Ran: "Girl, take a look at these, are you looking for them?"

An Ran thanked him, picked it up and looked through it, and found "Yi Ya's Last Will" and "Dinning is about to" in modern times, I have read it before, but it is not the same as here, after correction There have been discrepancies between multiple publications, and because the correctors may not know how to eat, some places have been deleted as useless, and some places have lost their original meaning when translated into vernacular. Therefore, Anran’s favorite place to visit in modern times Convenience is the old book market.

Lin Xing'er and I have been there since we got up in the morning. We can go shopping for a whole day without being tired. We roam among the piles of old books, looking for what we want. Every time we find a useful old book, we feel like we have found a treasure. , It was a pleasant surprise. She and Lin Xing'er spent many rare holidays in the second-hand book market. Thinking about it now, it seems like a dream. I don't know if I will have a chance to go back in this life.

While in a trance, he suddenly heard An Zihe say, "Are you literate?"

An Ran was taken aback, yes, how could she explain that she knew how to read?The previous An Ran bought Anfu from Ren Yazi, how could he know how to read, the master accepted him as an apprentice, this cooking skill can barely explain, but how can this literacy be explained?Do you continue to use the reason of fooling the godmother, An Ran secretly shook her head, that reason might not work in An Zi and here.

It's even more impossible for her to say everything on impulse like when she met her master that day, An Zihe is not a master, nor is she a senior brother. The senior master and senior brother made An Ran feel inexplicably close to her. Even if you don't believe it, it's the same, but An Zi's reconciliation failed, and this kind of thing was impulsive once, and he was able to read a book here, which is definitely luck against the sky. Since it is against the sky, there will never be a second time.

What's more, I and An Zihe have only met three times including today, and we can only barely know each other, and we can't even call them friends. Wouldn't it be a bit shallow to say that.

Thinking about it this way, I noticed something, yes, why should I explain this to him? The two of them have nothing to do with each other. Thinking of this, I followed his example and raised my eyebrows: "Why, can't you? Who stipulates that the girl can't Literacy is coming."

An Ran's decision to play tricks gave her confidence. Originally, she said that she had studied early in the morning, so what, and she was a girl in the Orchid Court before. Could it be that the aunt would still pay attention to her knowledge of reading and writing? I am afraid that the elder My aunt was illiterate, but before An Ran entered the mansion, even though she was in the hands of Ren Yazi, who could say that there was no chance of being able to read? how.

An Zihe really couldn't help laughing, looked at her and said, "I thought she was an honest girl, but unexpectedly she is also a trickster."

An Ran couldn't help but said, "Without you, can you lend me these two books for a few days?"

An Zihe was also generous: "As long as you remember to change it back when the time comes." An Ran thanked him, took out the fur skin she brought out, carefully wrapped it in a book, stood up and said, "I've been bothering you for a long time, so I should go back. It's too late, I'm afraid I'll miss the time to return home."

An Zihe glanced sideways, the sun was gradually setting towards the west, Mo Tong and the others were already packing up the books in the yard, and the afternoon passed without knowing it, and he couldn't help but glance at the girl, really nostalgic He didn't mean anything, and he had already left.

An Zihe had no choice but to follow out, gave Mo Tong a few words, followed An Ran out of the gate, An Ran looked back, and couldn't help saying: "Although your small courtyard is nice, if I can't stay here."

An Zihe: "Why do you say that?"

An Ran smiled and said: "Have you forgotten, I'm not a scholar, I'm a cook, of course a cook can't do without a kitchen, and a stove is indispensable in a kitchen, and you have a collection of thousands of precious books in your yard, and you're most afraid of charcoal fire. I guessed right, your yard is not inhabited in winter, right?" Just now An Ran noticed that there was no kang in the house, and there was not even a single lamp, and when it got dark, no one would be allowed to enter the yard. Of course, there is no need to light up the lights.

Moreover, it is not popular at all. Even though it was his residence, An Zihe did not stay here. Such a quiet location in the midst of hustle and bustle, this small courtyard should be worth a lot, but it is only used for collecting books. What a luxury. It can be seen that, as An Fu said, even though An Zihe is the steward of Anji Restaurant, he is also considered the half-master of the An Mansion. Otherwise, how could he be so particular about a steward? Silver goes.

In modern times, An Ran also had contact with several well-known literati, and visited the so-called snail houses of those people. Although they were called snail houses, they were full of unusual and seemingly simple furnishings. One of the most inconspicuous pen washer paperweights, all have a lot of origins, and they are probably rare treasures at auction.

The so-called snail dwelling is nothing more than the self-righteous hypocritical mentality of the literati. If it is really like Kong Yiji who can't eat three meals a day, and has to pay for a few fennel beans, how can he pay attention to these things?

Just like food, with the development of society and the prosperity of the people, the ingredients become more precious as they are used, and the recipes become more and more complicated. Over time, even their chefs began to focus on the rare ingredients and exquisite techniques, but forgot the true nature of the dishes. The meaning is not to pay attention or to show off wealth, but simply to eat well and eat well.

Thinking about this, An Ran didn't say much all the way back. The two walked back. An Zi and Ben said they wanted to find a carriage, but An Ran refused. Isn't it too ostentatious?

What's more, An Zihe is not an ordinary manager. After today, maybe I should keep a distance from him. I thought too simple before. The status difference between myself and him is too big, and it is impossible to become friends. Moreover, she has a kind of Intuition, although An Zihe looks easy-going, he is not someone she can provoke. In order to avoid future troubles, it is better to keep a distance from him.

With this in mind, An Ran stopped when he saw An's Mansion from a distance, and returned the book in his arms to him despite being reluctant. What are you doing for me?"

An Ran's eyes flashed: "Suddenly I remembered, I am working in the big kitchen now, and I have no time to relax from morning to night. When I go back, I wish I could lie down and sleep right away. I don't have the time to read a book. Besides, I live in a There are many people in the place, and I am afraid that I will lose it, and I can't afford it."

Seeing that An Zihe's expression was a bit cold, An Ran smiled and said, "Don't think too much about it, it's not returning it to you, it's just putting it in your place first, and when I'm resting next time, I'll go out of the house to see it in your place, wouldn't it be better."

Hearing this, An Zihe's face softened: "Isn't your place good? Last time I saw you go to the outside kitchen, why don't you live in the big kitchen?"

An Ran: "I'm used to living here before, I don't want to move, besides, my godmother is in the kitchen outside, where is it more convenient to live." She looked him up and down and said: "You are in charge, I am a girl, although you want to I'll leave it at the end of the day, if the people in the house see you returning home with a little girl, I'm afraid it's not appropriate, why don't we just separate here and I'll go back first, which will save unnecessary trouble."

An Zihe frowned slightly, but seeing her cautious and terrified look, his heart softened, thinking that they would meet again in a few days, so he nodded: "Then when you are resting next time, I will call you brother-in-law." Send me a letter, just send it to Anji Restaurant, and I will wait for you here."

An Ran smiled and nodded in agreement, and waved her hands: "Then I'm going back." Turning around and running away, the braids behind him flicked and flicked, and the small figure disappeared into the corner door after a while.An Zihe looked at the book in his hand, and suddenly had a feeling that she wished that tomorrow would be her rest day.

Don't talk about An Zihe, let's talk about An Ran. After entering the corner gate, I went to An Fu to hand over the wooden sign. An Fu was very kind, and even chatted with her for a few words. It's the manager, maybe he knows it, so he said: "Manager Fu, An Ran has something to talk to you about?"

An Fu was not happy: "Everyone calls him Uncle Fu, could it be that he has become the old man's apprentice, so he looks down on Uncle Fu?"

An Ran had no choice but to call him Uncle Fu, and An Fu immediately smiled: "That's it, don't be polite to Uncle Fu in the future, by the way, is there anything you want to listen to?"

An Ran: "I want to ask a girl like me who bought into the house, can she redeem her body? How much money is usually needed to redeem her body?"

Anfu was really surprised. Most of the maids in Anfu were bought. Although they can redeem themselves, they have not seen anyone wanting to redeem themselves for so many years. Anfu is a place where outsiders want to get in even if they sharpen their heads. Don't worry about it. Whether it's a handyman or a girl, even if it's a janitor picking dung, it's a good job that you can't ask for. After entering the mansion, even if you find a job, the treatment in the An mansion is much better than those of the aristocratic family in the capital. Clothes for all seasons, single, padded, cotton, full meals three times a day, and even the shoes on the feet are made of human hair.

Not to mention, there are also private benefits, even the least oily outside kitchen, you can eat a few meals of meat a year, let alone other places, where there is not a radish and a pit, just take the mountain willow in front Speaking of which, as soon as he was sent out, there were no less than two hundred pairs of eyes staring at him. It wasn't that the two chefs in the big kitchen were too difficult to serve, and this job couldn't be dreamed of by An Ran.

This is also a few years ago, when I was in a hurry to employ people, I bought a girl from Ren Yazi, and this girl followed her into the mansion. It would be difficult to get in now, but I never thought that someone else would want to come in. Being a girl, this girl wants to redeem herself and go out, isn't she full of food?

Thinking about it, she couldn't help saying: "Girl Anran, since you call me Uncle Fu, Uncle Fu treats you like a junior in the family. Uncle Fu advises you, it's hard to find errands in our house, it's so easy for you After entering the big kitchen, he became a help cook, and let Mr. Zheng accept him as an apprentice. After a few years, it is not difficult to be the chef of the big kitchen. Not to mention you, it is the godmother, godfather, and the two godbrothers outside who you recognize. They can live a good life with you. What do you do when you go out? What good job can you find as a girl after you go out? It is the apprentice of the old man. At most, it’s nothing more than finding a job as a cook in another mansion. I didn’t say that, but we Dayan, there is nowhere as safe as the job in our An Mansion. Don't be overwhelmed with what you're doing here with us."

An Ran nodded: "I know Uncle Fu is doing it for my own good, so I just asked casually."

An Fu felt relieved: "If there is no precedent in the Redemption Mansion, I do know some rules in the Biefu. Normally, girls who go out to redeem themselves have served the master for many years, and they always have some affection. The redemption money is just a meaning. It is as much as it was when it was bought, and the master will take his own ladder to serve as the master and servant."

An Ran said in her heart that although she had served her aunt for a few years, her aunt cared about cleaning herself up. How could she be a master and servant, and said, "If someone like me wants to redeem himself, how much money will it cost?"

An Fu shook his head and sighed: "Anyone who gets a job like yours, who would be willing to redeem himself and go out? I wish that generations of children and grandchildren would work in the mansion as errands."

An Ran hurriedly said: "What if you insist on redeeming yourself?"

An Fu had no choice but to say: "If you insist on redeeming yourself, you want to listen to the big housekeeper, but as your father's apprentice, he will never dare to embarrass you, and maybe he will be eager to give you a favor, at most, he will buy your money back then. Bar."

An Ran: "Does Uncle Fu know how much money a girl like me bought into the house?"

An Fu: "Speaking of which, this person is the most worthless person. I can't remember the market at the time, but I know the market now. Don't say that you are young and have no skills. Even someone who can cook But you can buy it back with three taels of silver, for someone like you, at most you can give one tael or two taels, and that person will be happy to see his teeth but not see his eyes, happy to meet a generous buyer."

It's only one or two, which is really beyond An Ran's expectations. As An Fu said, people are the least valuable, and a girl is even worth less than a donkey. No wonder people outside don't want to have daughters. The boy can inherit the incense and carry on the family line, but the girl can only lose money in this ancient times.

Although I sighed in my heart, I was really relieved. One or two taels of silver should not be difficult. If I think about it, I don’t have any foreign money. I only have my own monthly account, and it should be enough to save for a few days. Thinking of this, I hurriedly asked: "Uncle Fu, now I come After entering the big kitchen, has the monthly money grown?"

An Fu felt a bit embarrassed: "Well, even though the old man accepted you as an apprentice, he still can't compare with the two chefs. You can only take the monthly account of the assistant chef. Now your monthly account is two taels."

An Ran was really pleasantly surprised. This does not mean that she can redeem herself with one month's salary. Before that, she was only five hundred dollars in the kitchen outside, and it was all miscellaneous money. An Ran only recently figured out that the exchange of silver and copper coins is generally Speaking of which, a tael of silver can be exchanged for a dime, that is, a thousand copper coins. However, silver is more expensive, and it is not easy to exchange a dime for silver.

The [-] miscellaneous coins from my previous salary included all kinds of coins. One tael of silver could be exchanged for such miscellaneous coins as two or three taels, so silver was much more expensive than gold.

However, she can't redeem herself to go out now, the master is here, the master is the imperial cook, and the most skilled imperial cook is the palace official cuisine. There are hundreds of imperial cooks in An family ancestors, so the palace official cuisine is the most important one in the An family's menu. The class is also the most incomplete. Many dishes only have names, but the ingredients for the recipe have long been lost. Now that there is a master, it should be of great help to add to the food list.

Thinking of this, he left Anfu's place and went straight to the master's small courtyard. As soon as he walked in, he smelled a tempting fragrance. Anran smelled it and couldn't help saying: "Fried chicken slices, shrimp oil tofu, eight-treasure meat Round, fried eggplant."

The old man looked at her in the yard and asked with a smile, "What else?"

An Ran sniffed it vigorously for a while, then shook her head: "There is one more but I can't smell it." However, the senior brother brought out a porcelain basin from the kitchen, and there was an unknown fragrance in it.

An Ran hurriedly took it and put it on the table, looked carefully for a long time, but didn't see what it was, the second senior brother handed her a pair of chopsticks: "Little junior sister will know after trying it."

An Ran took a chopstick and put it in her mouth, tasted it: "Why is this fragrance so familiar?"

The old man laughed, and raised his finger to the locust tree on his finger: "Aren't you familiar with it? Look at how many locust trees are missing."

An Ran raised her head and couldn't help laughing: "So it's Sophora japonica."

Although An Ran has never eaten it, she has heard from her grandfather that Sophora japonica is edible, not only Sophora japonica. In the famine years in the past, ordinary people would eat bark, grass and roots. As long as they can fill their stomachs, they would swallow them like Guanyin Well, sophora elm money, at that time, became an extremely delicious food bestowed by God, just like the alfalfa cake that grandpa likes to eat, it can be made into a lot of food.

However, I didn't expect it to be so delicious. Anran didn't eat much else for this dinner, but this Sophora japonica rice, I ate two small bowls. After eating, Anran washed the dishes and put them away, and cleaned up the kitchen. , and then came out, the first senior brother had already taken out the teapot made by the master's hand, and the second senior brother brought a pot-bellied teapot and three large rough pottery bowls, and put them on the table.

Squeeze a cluster of jasmine high foam, boil the water to boil, then pour a pot of scented tea into a bowl, the golden tea soup, strong jasmine fragrance, drink it in your mouth, it is indescribably delicious.

The four masters and apprentices sat around this small table, drinking tea and chatting, it was as warm as home, An Ran thought of the Sophora japonica rice just now, and couldn't help but said: "The Sophora japonica rice that the big brother just made is really delicious, how do you make it? An Ran Didn't see it."

The elder brother pointed at her and said, "You girl has never been hungry at first glance. This is the treasure of the people in the famine years, and they are counting on it for tooth sacrifices. However, what the people make at home is far less complicated."

Seeing that An Ran was still looking at the big apprentice eagerly, the old man said with a smile: "Look at the pitiful spirit of this girl, just tell her quickly."

The elder brother laughed: "My method is not difficult. Pick off the Sophora japonica flowers, wash them, blanch them in boiling water, coat them with a thin layer of flour, and steam them in a pan for 10 minutes."

An Ran blinked: "Then why did I eat a bit spicy just now?"

The second senior brother: "Scramble eggs with hot oil, put in peppercorns, chopped prickly ash leaves, and stir fry the steamed sophora japonica flowers together, and the fresh sophora japonica rice will be ready when it comes out of the pan."

An Ran was stunned: "No wonder I just ate it with a faint scent of peppercorns. So the pepper leaves were put in. Why did the senior brother think of making this?"

Eldest brother looked far away: "Seeing this pagoda tree today, I suddenly remembered something from the old year, when I was still in the palace with my master, there was also such a pagoda tree in the courtyard where we lived, and it will end in spring. The tree is full of Sophora japonica, and the strings are fragrant, and my junior brother and I were mischievous, so we went to the tree and picked it off, imitating others to make Sophora japonica rice."

The second senior brother: "Yes, but the pagoda tree flowers in the palace are bigger than here, and there are more..." Speaking of this, I couldn't help but sneak a glance at the master, and didn't dare to say any more.

An Ran didn't dare to speak. She didn't know what happened back then, and she was afraid that if the master would be unhappy if it was brought up, the old man sighed: "The matter is over and it's over. The reason why I didn't let you mention it was not for other people's sake. I just don't want you to feel resentment, not to mention you, I can't not think about it as a master. After all, I have been in the palace for several years, and you two can be regarded as growing up in the palace. common sense."

As he said that, he seemed to be immersed in memories too. Under the moonlight, the faces of the master and the two senior brothers were full of nostalgia and unknown sentimentality.

An Ran was afraid that the master would be immersed in the past and would inevitably feel sad, so she said: "Master has been an imperial cook for so many years, he must have served many royal banquets, can you talk to An Ran about it? An Ran has only heard of it, but never Have you seen it with your own eyes, are those cumbersome palace dishes all made by the master?"

The elder brother laughed: "The royal banquet is not comparable to the small banquet in Anfu. How many dishes? What are there? How do you serve it? How do you eat it? There are rules, and it is generally divided into six banquets. Among them, there are many famous dishes. Take seasonal fresh seafood and search for exotic animals. Seriously, there are 190 hot and cold dishes in the whole table, 120 four items of snacks and tea, a total of 320 items. If all these are cooked by the master, wouldn’t you be exhausted, master? Just cook a few big dishes, and leave the rest to the other royal chefs in the imperial dining room."

An Ran asked curiously: "Is there any other imperial chef in the imperial dining room?"

The second senior brother couldn't help laughing: "In the big kitchen of Anfu, there are dozens of people working on the second fire and the third fire, not to mention the imperial dining room in the palace. There are dozens of famous imperial chefs alone. However, we Master is ranked number one in the imperial kitchen, unlike other imperial chefs."

The old man shook his head: "What is number one? It's just a false name. After all, he is a cook." He said and looked at An Ran: "You girl want to know about the royal meal so much, maybe you are thinking about making up for your An family's food bill."

An Ran was a little embarrassed to be interrupted by the master, and said with a chuckle, "It's still the master's wisdom."

The old man nodded at her: "You are so careful, how can you hide it from the master."

An Ran: "I heard from my grandfather that rare and rare ingredients are often used in imperial meals, such as the eight treasures mentioned in "Book of Rites Internal Rules", such as dragon liver, phoenix marrow, leopard fetus, carp tail, sunburnt, and scarlet lips. , Bear's paw, and Buttercicada, right?"

The old man shook his head: "How can it be so simple, there is only one eight treasures, and they are divided into eight treasures from the mountains, eight treasures from the sea, eight treasures on the top, eight treasures on the bottom, eight treasures in the north, eight treasures in the heavenly kitchen, and the famous eight treasures in water and land. , the so-called purple camel's peak comes out of the emerald cauldron, and the crystal plate has plain scales." Palace banquets are divided into dragon and phoenix banquets, burnt tail banquets, agarwood banquets, etc. The dishes of each are different. It's not something that can be explained clearly in a short time. When the master has time, he will explain it to you one by one. Speaking of it, the master accepted you a little late. If you have seen the master a few times in the past few years, what's more, If you can cook a few imperial dishes yourself, it will be much easier to add to the palace dishes on your Anjia food list. "

An Ran hastily said: "Master's words are wrong, if Master doesn't come to Anfu, how can An Ran respect you as his teacher?"

The old man was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "It's true, this is really the fate of our master and apprentice." He looked at her while talking: "Where did you go shopping today? What's new?"

An Ran thought that the master would be bored in the mansion all day long and would not go out, so he must want to hear about the outside world, so she told about going to Lao Zhao's house to eat noodles. The master laughed and said, "The old man at the stall here is really good." A little cunning, and will act as a cover to prevent people from learning his soup recipe."

The second senior brother said: "The soup is milky white and sticky. I think it contains pork knuckle and trotters. What is the secret recipe passed down from the ancestors?"

The master shook his head: "The poor people just hope to set up a noodle stall to make ends meet. If it is broken, it will ruin the jobs of his family. Moreover, his noodle stall has been in the downtown area of ​​Jizhou Prefecture for so many years. Is there no one?" Experts can see that it is not possible, but no one has ever revealed it. It can be seen that they all have a kind heart, and we should do the same. You remember the words of the master, even if we cooks are said to be unpopular, we should also keep a share. Kindness, kindness to others, will always have good results.”

The master is getting old and can't bother his mind very much. After talking to his son for a while, he gets tired.An Ran helped the master into the house, waited for him to wash up and went to bed, and when he returned to his small courtyard, it was still early.

Not long after she came back, the godmother came over, pulled her and asked who was the steward she met during the day?How did you meet?
An Ran didn't want to have anything to do with An Zihe anymore, so she told her godmother, Aunt Liu couldn't help feeling worried, she hesitated to speak, and finally said: "I don't know if I should say something, last time you mentioned it Manager An, mother only said that he was joking, so she also said some nonsense, I don't think you actually know him, so you have to be more cautious, although An Zihe clearly is the manager of the restaurant, In secret, it is not comparable to ordinary management. Not to mention the relationship with Anfu, even his relationship with the third master since childhood is almost as small as that of the master of Anfu. , afraid of being wronged in the future.”

An Ran blushed: "What did you say, marry or not? I just met him a few times by chance, and we didn't have any friendship. Moreover, I don't want to have anything to do with him in the future. An Ran just wanted to Properly learn the craft from my master, wait until next year to redeem yourself, or open a small restaurant, or set up a shop that sells food, and when you are stable, go around and have a look around, then you can live a safe life."

Aunt Liu breathed a sigh of relief, but said: "Don't worry if you think about mother so much, but when the girl grows up, she can't always be alone. When you go out, mother will show you how to choose someone to marry. The couple will be harmonious and beautiful." Living a small life is better than nothing."

An Ran didn't refute the Ganniang either, knowing that the Ganniang is the most traditional woman here, she thinks that a woman has to marry in order to live a life, and she can't accept the idea of ​​a woman wanting to be single.

But An Ran thinks it's good to be single. In modern times, she has fame and status, and she's not bad looking. Although she doesn't have as many suitors as Lin Xinger, there are not many, but she always puts her mind on her career. , Thinking about supplementing Anjia's food list, thinking about revitalizing Anjia's cuisine, never thought about getting married, let alone now that I'm wearing a girl who crawled over the old man's bed.

People in ancient times valued chastity more than life. I guess I can't marry a good person like this, so I can marry. In modern times, I haven't found anyone who makes her fall in love. Looking around here, everyone has three wives and four concubines. Hugging the scumbag on the right, she couldn't bear to think about it so much that she would find a man here. Speaking of which, it would be great if that girl Lin Xing'er also crossed over. With her temperament, she doesn't know who will suffer.

After seeing off the godmother, Liu Xier came over with hot water in a short while, took a bath in An Ran, then lay down and fell asleep, thinking that he would not go out to rest in the future, called Liu Xier Defu, and tidied up his small courtyard Let’s set up a small stove, so we don’t have to bother Liu Xi’er all the time when we use hot water in the future, and we can also cook some food. In addition, the kang in this house needs to be tidied up. Even though it’s only spring, we have to prepare for the winter. In winter, don't freeze yourself to death.

Thinking about it, he fell asleep, and the next morning, he went to the big kitchen and asked Anfu if there was nothing wrong, so he went directly to the master, cleaned up the house, and sat in the yard with the master and talked for a while. I ate lunch there and came back.

Originally, I wanted to go to the outside kitchen to have a look, but when I thought of Aunt Jiao Ma Dazu seeing her appearance now, I gave up the idea, went back to my small courtyard, and went to clean up the green onions and cabbages in the half of the courtyard, living a very leisurely life .

Time always flies by quickly, and a month has passed in a blink of an eye. During this month, An Ran seldom stayed in the big kitchen. As long as there was nothing to do, she would go back to her small courtyard if she wasn't at the master's place, and she didn't leave the house when it was her turn to rest. , but tidy up their own yard.

After Liu Xier Defu's own efforts, the small courtyard she lives in has changed a lot now. A shed is built on the side of the house, a small stove is installed, and a large water tank is placed in the corner of the shed. An Ran takes a bath every day, which is enough for a few days.

The cabbage, shallots and leeks planted in the yard have grown up, and the greenness reflects the sun, which is very pleasing. Anran's favorite thing now is to move the table and bench out in the shade when he is free, and find a pen and paper to record the master. The process and experience of each imperial meal that I told her.Immersed in it, and occasionally look up and see the green of the yard, I feel tired and relieved, and my heart is full of comfort.

The only pity is that this small courtyard is not my own. If it is my own, I can make it more comfortable. I can build a room dedicated to bathing, which saves water in the sleeping room, and I can also build a kitchen. Bigger, just like the master, put up a few rows of shelves, on which you can put bowls and chopsticks, plates, seasonings, ingredients, and you can also get a big tank and put it in the yard, stock a few carp, usually raise it, if you are greedy Take it out and stew it to eat.

You can also plant a tree. If you don’t plant a crabapple, you can plant a pagoda tree. It is hardy and grows fast. In spring, you can pick acacia pancakes to make pagoda rice. In summer, you can enjoy the shade under the tree. Isn’t it more useful than crabapples? .

Thinking of Haitang, I couldn't help but think of An Zihe. I didn't stay in the big kitchen this month, so I didn't have the chance to see him. Sometimes An Ran thinks that many troubles can be avoided, as long as she has the heart, but An Ran forgot one thing. She has the heart to avoid it, if others have the heart, how can she avoid it if she wants to...

(End of this chapter)