self-improvement as a cook

Chapter 31

Although Mrs. Su's guest house is not facing the water, it is in a pine forest, which draws a mountain spring from the back mountain, just passing through the guest house, a small bridge is built on the mountain spring, and a small pavilion is built at the end of the small bridge.

The spring water is tinkling, and the pine waves are bursting. As soon as you come in, you will feel the heat disappear. Sure enough, this old man will enjoy it, and there is only one guest courtyard. One can imagine how ingenious the owner's courtyard is.

Seeing two people sitting in the small gazebo from a distance, one is Mrs. Su, the other is a young man, An Ran was stunned, and stopped unconsciously.

The woman who led the way saw her stop, and said with a smile: "Young lady, don't be restrained, she is not an outsider, she is my wife's cousin, and next year will be the year of the imperial court competition. I am afraid that the time will be missed, and the family will ask the young master to come sooner." Come here, I am also familiar with the environment in Beijing while studying, and happened to pass by Jizhou, and came to greet our wife."

An Ran nodded, knowing in her heart that Jiangnan, which can be reached in a few hours in modern times, could only be reached by boat in ancient times. From south to north, it would not take a month to get there. That's why there are so many merchants selling goods from the north and the south. Transporting the porcelain, tea, and silk from the south to the north will still make a big profit after removing the freight and feeding the people along the way.

Because it is profitable, many people who run orders and do business regard it as a way of making money. Although there are some risks, as long as it is beneficial, it will attract people.

With Mrs. Su's background, this nephew's family must not be too rich. Don't you just count on the title of the gold list to confess a student, and honor your ancestors? Mr. Su is now the general judge of Jizhou. Although the official is not big, he is a connection in the county , Since you want to enter the official career, you should naturally move around more frequently.

However, I heard that An Zhi, the steward of the restaurant, mentioned the details of Su Tong's sentence. He has no background, but why he was able to get an official position and was promoted again and again is really puzzling.

An Ran followed her mother-in-law across the small bridge, and before entering the pavilion, she stood outside the pavilion and knelt down to salute: "An Ran greets Madam."

Mrs. Su laughed, walked down a few steps and said with a smile: "The other day I saw that the girl was a neat person, why has she changed today, let me tell you, I am the most impatient with these etiquettes, and so on. It’s fine to talk, what to do to ask for Ann, to ask for Ann, to waste time, come, come, sit inside, that day was thanks to my sister, otherwise, I’m afraid I’m going to sell Yangchun noodles at home right now.”

Mrs. Su's temperament is well-known throughout Jizhou Prefecture, and many people secretly look down on her informal and straightforward temperament, and secretly criticize her background.

An Ran admired her very much, just judging from her performance in the restaurant that day, she knew that she was an exceptionally smart woman, and, with such a personality, An Ran admired her from the bottom of her heart.

But he didn't sit down as she said, but glanced at the man in front of the eye stone table. The man was quite young, and he looked about [-] years old. Paper fan, standing there, tall and tall, exuding a gentle and scholarly air.

An Ran couldn't help thinking, this is what a scholar looks like, An Zihe just looks handsome, An Ran couldn't help but compare the two in her heart, and concluded that the one in front of her was the winner, With his refined and bookish demeanor, Anzi was not comparable to him, his eyes flickered across the fan in his hand.

Mrs. Su introduced her: "This is my nephew, Chengzhi, who is going to Beijing to catch up with next year's competition, and he passed by Jizhou to see me, he is not an outsider, so don't be restrained."

An Ran knelt down and saluted: "I have seen Master Biao."

The man's handsome face was a little red: "Girl, you are so polite."

Mrs. Su looked at An Ran, then at her nephew, and burst out laughing: "Okay, I just said don't say hello, but I'm polite again, sit down." Saying that, she pressed An Ran to sit on the stone bench.

Mrs. Su looked at An Ran for a while, and couldn't help saying: "I was so busy that day, I didn't pay attention to my sister. Looking at it today, my sister really looks good. People outside say that I don't look like the one in the south. I see that my sister looks like this." Her eyebrows and eyes have the charm of our Jiangnan girls." Then, she looked at her nephew: "Cheng Zhi, do you look like that?"

The man's handsome face turned even redder, and he felt a little uncomfortable, and it took him a long time to squeeze out: "What aunt said is true."

An Ran said in her heart, this Mrs. Su is really real, how did her nephew answer her words, and hurriedly said: "Madam is absurdly praised, An Ran is just a cook, she should not be praised by Madam."

Mrs. Su: "What's wrong with the cook, even though I didn't take a bite of the bowl of Yangchun noodles you made that day, I could tell at a glance that you cooked them quite authentically, not to mention the three-thread button on the table. Our master is a rough man. Although he has been in the officialdom for so many years, he is the least particular about his food. He eats meat all day long. Instead of making delicate dishes, it is better to serve him a stewed elbow, which suits him better. As for his heart, I can't compare to your Eldest Master in the An Mansion, he is a delicate and fastidious person, and I can't blame you for having a good cook like you in the mansion, and your Eldest Master is really difficult to serve because of your tricky mouth."

He said with a smile: "Although I don't have much experience, I can tell how many times I have eaten at your house and how skilled the cook is. Your three-thread dish is the most authentic I have ever seen. , Speaking of it, don’t be annoyed, even now I don’t really believe that it was made by your little hands. I heard from the cook in our house that this dish is the most skillful, no one who has worked hard for more than 20 or [-] years Hard training, it is absolutely impossible to have such a knife skill, the girl is so old, she started to learn cooking from the womb, and it was too late, just happened to come here today, tell me, how did you practice? Do you have any tricks? You tell me, let the cook in my house do the same in the future, don't ask her to have a sister's craftsmanship, just show it, save your master every time you go to our house, talk about the cook The food is hard to eat.”

An Ran shook her head: "There's no trick, it's just a matter of working hard and practicing more."

After talking for a while, An Ran was about to get up to leave, but Madam Su called her back: "There is still something I need to trouble my sister, sincerity is rare, I don't have much to entertain as an aunt, I am willing to cook for myself , to cook some hometown dishes for him, but my sister is not good at cooking. She used to cook Yangchun noodles, but now she hasn’t touched the stove for many years. Son, fortunately, my sister is here, so I will trouble her to cook a few dishes from the south, so that we, aunt and nephew, can satisfy our cravings."

Originally, I came to the other courtyard to cook for her, so naturally I would not refuse: "I don't know if Madam and Master Biao have any taboos? Is there anything you want to eat?"

Mrs. Su shook her head: "Sister, just weigh it."

I nodded in agreement, took my leave and left.

Mrs. Su saw her figure walking across the small bridge, and couldn't help saying: "It's a pity that this girl is a cook in Anfu." Turning her head, she found that her nephew was looking at An Ran's walking figure, with a handsome face still A little red, she couldn't help laughing: "Auntie also said that you concentrate on studying and don't care about others. Now it seems that you have taken a fancy to this girl."

Cui Chengzhi hurriedly said: "What did my aunt say? If it gets out, my nephew will be fine. It won't ruin the girl's reputation."

Mrs. Su sighed: "It's useless for you to look at this girl, even your parents can't pass it." Seeing that her nephew was a little uncomfortable, she stopped mentioning it and said with a smile: "However, this girl's craftsmanship is really good. Okay, I heard that your father spent a lot of money last year to hire a good cook, who is a disciple of the imperial cook. It's a coincidence that this girl's master has also been an imperial cook. How can you taste it better than your chef? ?”

Not to mention the family chat between the aunt and nephew, let alone An Ran, all the way back to the kitchen was thinking about what dishes would be more appropriate.

As soon as she saw Mrs. Su's nephew, An Ran overturned her previous thoughts, and Cui Chengzhi deliberately dressed in a low-key manner, but the unremarkable folding fan in his hand was probably worth a thousand dollars.

In modern times, Lin Xinger likes these things, and has collected a lot of them. She talks to herself every day. As the days go by, she knows more or less. Just a small fan has a lot of knowledge, whose words, whose paintings , and even whose seal is particular about everything, a small square inch is a battleground for famous masters of all dynasties.

The knowledge of these fans, An Ran, a layman, can't see it, but the bones of the fan can recognize it, it's rhinoceros horn, how precious rhinoceros horn is, especially with such a fineness that is already as moist as jade, I'm afraid you may not be able to find it even if you have money , it seems that Mrs. Su's natal family is not without power.

Looking at this Cui Chengzhi, one would know that even if the family is not an official, they should be from a wealthy family. If one is from a wealthy family, he would have to spend some time thinking about the dishes he made today.

Besides, I don't see Mrs. Su at the moment, I'm afraid I have something to go out, now that my wife's natal nephew is here, naturally he, as an uncle, can't wait for him, so he doesn't have to accompany him from time to time, at least he has to be around for meals, Mrs. Su I just said that Mr. Su likes to eat meat the most. I think it’s a disguised way to remind myself not to make it too light, so as not to dislike Mr. Su’s taste, and it must be an authentic southern dish.

An Ran thought about it all the way, and finally made up her mind when she got to the kitchen, but she was a little afraid to use other ingredients instead, after all, this is Jizhou Prefecture.

There is a saying that there is no fish in the south of the Yangtze River. The most famous one in Suzhou is squirrel mandarin fish. Mandarin fish is not available in Jizhou Prefecture. Carp, flower lotus, grass carp, crucian carp and melon seeds produced in Jizhou Prefecture can barely be replaced by carp.

This dish is a test of knife skills. The knife skills must be precise, and the diamond-shaped flower knife with just the right depth can be used to achieve its shape. However, the method is very different from ancient to modern.

Anji's food list records the ancient method of squirrel fish, hung with egg yolk paste, fried, and then fired with oil and soy sauce. The finished dish is not beautiful enough.

After the improvement of the chefs of the past dynasties, the method is very different in modern times. In modern times, the bean flour is dried and fried, and then the fried marinade is poured on the fish. This way, the squirrel fish is beautiful in color. , and the shape is more realistic.

A successful dish needs to be complete in color, fragrance, meaning, shape, and both are indispensable.The marinade poured on the fish is extremely important. Cooked shrimp, diced bamboo shoots, diced mushrooms, green peas, Shaoxing wine, salt, scallion, icing sugar, fresh soup, minced garlic, soybean powder, sesame oil, lard, in addition to these, you need More importantly, hawthorn.

Tomatoes are often used in modern times, and the fried marinade is bright in color, sweet and sour. In ancient times, there was no tomato as an ingredient. The sweet and sour taste found in ancient methods is all made of hawthorn.

As long as it is fried properly, the color can meet the requirements, and the sweet and sour taste made with hawthorn is more layered than tomato.

The second dish, An Ran intends to make a first-class sauced pork. This dish is an authentic southern dish, and the recipe is relatively simple. Take the top-quality pork belly, at least seven layers above, it is the top-quality, blanch, wash, add green onion and ginger , Put it on the cage drawer, steam it until it is seven mature, take it out, wait for it to cool down, and change it into cubes.

Put a layer of chives in the pot, add ginger and spices, spread bamboo strips, place the pork belly skin down, add condiments, the rice wine must cover the pork belly, cook on medium heat for an hour and a half, take it out, thicken the original juice and pour it on Even on the meat.The ready-made Yipin sauce square meat is bright red in color, fat but not greasy, moderately salty, and is best served with rice. It is a side dish.

The third course, An Ran plans to make Biluo shrimp, which is a famous Suzhou dish, mainly made of shrimp, fried with Biluochun tea produced in Suzhou. The tender buds are beautiful and elegant, with the deliciousness of river prawns and the fragrance of tea, which has a unique flavor.

For the fourth dish, An Ran cooks steamed lion head. This dish is also a classic of southern cuisine. The most important ingredient is the choice of ingredients. It must be pork ribs that are seven fat and three thin, so that the tenderness of the lion head can be maintained.

Knife skills require fine chopping and coarse chopping, never chopping, fat and thin should be separated, first shredded, and then chopped into diced meat, each piece is as big as pomegranate rice, then mixed together, seasoned, stirred vigorously, tied until the surface is smooth, into Cook and simmer in the casserole soup for at least two hours, so that the lion's head can be fat but not greasy and melt in the mouth.

As for dim sum, An Ran made a dish of glutinous rice lotus root, which can be regarded as an authentic Jiangnan dessert, and with a stir-fried green vegetable, it can be regarded as an authentic southern dish.

When An Ran was cooking, except for the assistant cook, everyone else was doing the task at hand, and they couldn't stop looking at An Ran's side.

An Ran knew that when she became a chef at a young age, these people would inevitably be dissatisfied, so they did not dare to show it, and they must feel that they were in vain, and even because of their good looks and the fact that they were close to the old man. As for the previous matter, it is estimated that she will fabricate a history of the bed-climbing girl herself.Therefore, when you hear that An Ran is on the stove, you will definitely pay [-] points of attention, because you want to see your own jokes.

And Anshou didn't need to take a sneak peek, he just stood on the porch outside, staring at Anran with good eyes, Anran was never afraid of people watching when cooking, compared to the students of Anji Cooking School, this kind of person is really nothing, in modern times When I cook by myself, I will also tell the students around me the points that need to be paid attention to. Now I don't need to speak, and it is easier.

If it wasn't for the lack of tacit cooperation between the helper and himself, these dishes would have been completed long ago, and it wouldn't be delayed until now. Even so, Anshou was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a long time.

Although my own brother An Fu reminded me early in the morning, don't treat An Ran slowly because of underestimation, this person's craftsmanship is better than the two chefs in the house.

An Shou still didn't believe it, the main reason was that this girl was too young, she could have some good cooking skills when she was sixteen, just now when she heard Mrs. Su asked her to cook, An Shou was still a little nervous, for fear that An Ran would mess it up. Bring yourself in too.

But as soon as he got started, An Shou knew that his brother really didn't fool him, this girl's craftsmanship is really good, not to mention anything else, the knife skill of the squirrel fish is beyond the reach of ordinary chefs.

Speaking of which, I have seen two chefs cook this dish of squirrel fish several times before in my house.

It's a pity that there is no fresh mandarin fish in Jizhou Prefecture, so we can only use carp and grass carp as substitutes. Strong far.

Powerful knife skills, fried out a vivid squirrel tail, poured marinade, fresh and lifelike, I have been in the kitchen for so many years, I have never seen anyone make such a beautiful squirrel fish.

Besides, any one of those dishes is quite authentic, even the candied lotus root is the same. Anshou is really convinced. This girl's craftsmanship is definitely a top chef. I don't know how this girl is. How old is the cooking skill I learned, if it goes on like this, will it be great in the future?

Not to mention how shocking An Shou was here, but Mrs. Su, her nephew is from her own family and is very close, so she stopped putting on those useless scenes, and just set up a table in the small flower hall, which is considered a homely meal meal.Master Su finally came back, and the three of them sat around the Eight Immortals table, talking while waiting for the food to be served.

In addition to a few dishes made by An Ran, there were also a few cold dishes made by Er Huo, all of which were braised duck and other southern dishes. When they were served, Cui Chengzhi gritted his teeth after taking two bites.Toast to uncle.

When the squirrel fish was served, Cui Chengzhi's eyes lit up, Mrs. Su picked up a chopstick and put it into his bowl, he felt that the beauty of this dish was ruined, it was a pity, but he also tasted it.

Madam Su looked at him: "How?"

Cui Chengzhi nodded: "The fish meat is smooth, crisp and tender, the marinade is sour and sweet, and it also has this shape. It really doesn't deserve the name of squirrel fish. It's different from other people's methods. It's possible to make such a squirrel fish. I want to come to the front These cold dishes are not made by one person."

Mrs. Su glanced at the boy who was serving the dishes, that boy was also very eloquent and extremely clever, and hurriedly said: "Returning to Madam, the first few cold dishes are made by Erhuo, starting with this squirrel fish dish Chef Ann made it."

Master Su ate two mouthfuls and couldn't help saying: "It's good, but it's a pity it's not meat." He said to the boy, "Go to the kitchen and tell me to burn a knuckle and serve it up, it's not even meat. "

Mrs. Su gave him a blank look: "What kind of meat is it? You know how to eat elbows. Today, Chengzhi came here to entertain him, so I troubled Miss An to do it. They are all southern dishes. Where did the elbows come from?"

Mrs. Su said a few words, Master Su immediately chuckled twice: "Madam, don't be angry, don't be angry, I'll just talk about it casually, but I remember that people in the south also eat meat. If you don't talk about other places, just be honest I’ve eaten Songyuelou at home, not once or twice, but there’s a dish called soy sauce square meat, the big piece of meat is stewed so crispy that it’s full of oil after one bite, and I ate it only once. I still remember it now, and I always want to have a chance to eat again."

Mrs. Su couldn't help laughing: "Look at how promising you are. Fortunately, you are still an official. You are greedy for a piece of meat. What's the problem? Although you can't go back in Jizhou now , but with my little girl, it is not easy to eat meat."

He was about to send a message to An Ran to make another dish of square meat with sauce, but coincidentally, the second dish came up. After opening it, Cui Chengzhi laughed, "It's exactly the square meat uncle was thinking about."

Master Su sniffed: "Well, just by smelling the smell, you know it's a real thing."

Just as he was about to pick it up, the waiter who served the food hurriedly said: "My lord, wait a minute. Chef An specifically told me that this meat needs to be eaten with rice." As he spoke, he took out a small cage from the food box, and there was a fresh scent of lotus. came.

Cui Chengzhi smiled and said: "So it's lotus leaf rice, it really goes well with it."

Speaking of lotus leaf rice, it is actually a Cantonese dish. "Guangdong Xinyu" records: "Dongguan uses fragrant japonica fish and other flavors, wraps it in lotus leaves and steams it.

With such a simple sentence, you can imagine how rich the ingredients are in the rice. In modern times, many tricks have been turned up, such as bacon and seafood.You can also put duck, mushrooms, vegetables, etc. In short, it depends on what taste you like.

Considering the side meat with Yipin sauce, An Ran didn't put anything in it, just took fragrant stem rice, put a few drops of oil in it, asked someone to pick fresh lotus leaves from the lotus pond in front, wrapped fragrant stem rice in the basket Steamed, the steamed rice has the fragrance of lotus leaves, the recipe meat is just right, and it won't feel too monotonous.

A real cook must pay attention to every dish served on the table, whether it is a big dish or porridge and rice, and it must be changed according to the seasons, so that people who eat often have small surprises, so that they can enjoy the pleasure brought by the food .

Moreover, this lotus leaf rice just echoes the last secret lotus root, so it doesn't seem that this dessert is too simple.The order of the dishes, the combination of meat and vegetables is really knowledgeable.

Mrs. Su only stayed in the other courtyard for three days before returning to Jizhou. Before she left, she told An Ran that there were some urgent matters to be taken care of in the mansion, and when she was free in a few days, she would be invited to talk to Tongpan Mansion.

To put it bluntly, An Ran doesn't have much friendship with Mrs. Su, but it's just that bowl of Yangchun noodles that Mrs. Su took the opportunity to train her husband. Handing in is quite rare, and I should be grateful.

It's just that there is still some unspeakable loss deep in her heart, but this loss quickly disappeared. An Ran has never been a character of self-pity, and she will never feel inferior. She firmly remembers her grandfather's words, even in adversity, she should Be frank, and it will pay off.

What's more, my inexplicable loss is meaningless when I think about it carefully. Mrs. Su is not Lin Xing'er, and I shouldn't look for friendship in her. I just miss that naughty and unreliable woman.

Although Mrs. Su left, An Ran didn't return to An Mansion, An Shou didn't tell him to go back, and he was happy to escape the summer heat here.

After Mrs. Su left, the whole other courtyard became quieter, especially the place where An Ran lived. Probably because it was so close to the guest courtyard, few people usually came here. Slowly, An Ran felt like a holiday. The illusion, moreover, is a very high quality vacation.

An Ran also found a good place, which is better than her small courtyard, which is the lotus pond in front of her. The elder is indeed a person who knows how to enjoy himself, and this courtyard is full of comfort and ingenuity.

In this place of Jizhou Prefecture, it is not easy to build a courtyard beside the mountain. He also dug such a large pond here and planted lotus flowers. It is summer now, and the pond is full of pink lotus reflecting the blue waves. Planting the endless green scenery of lotus leaves in the sky.An Ran found a small boat nearby, probably for picking lotus leaves and roots, thinking that if she lay on it and walked among the lotus leaves, it would be very cool.

An Ran didn't dare during the day, even though she was a chef, she was still a girl, rowing in the lotus pond with great fanfare, for people to see, she was afraid she would cause unnecessary trouble, but at night, there would be no one by the water Come here, hang out by yourself all night and no one will know.

Thinking about it, I looked forward to the dark after eating, and finally it was dark, so I ran to the lotus pond with the bamboo baskets I packed early in the morning.When I got to the edge, I jumped into the boat, untied the rope, propped the oars against the shore with a little force, and the boat got into the lotus leaves.

An Ran rowed her boat through the lotus leaves, saw a full lotus pod, picked one and threw it on the boat, and swung into the middle of the lotus pond. As the water got deeper, the surrounding lotus flowers became sparse, so that the moonlight fell down. , The beauty is like a dream.

An Ran no longer rowed anywhere else, and lay on her back on the boat, letting the boat sway with the waves, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, the faint lotus fragrance filled her entire chest, she couldn't tell Comfortable.

Suddenly I remembered Zhu Ziqing's popular prose The moonlight in the lotus pond, isn't it just right for this situation? After thinking about it, I said a few words: "The moonlight is like running water, quietly pouring over the leaves and flowers." A thin blue mist floats in the lotus pond. The leaves and flowers seem to have been washed in milk; it is like a dream wrapped in a light veil. Although it is a full moon, there is a layer of faint clouds in the sky, so it cannot shine brightly; I think this is just right—a sound sleep is essential, but a short nap also has its own flavor..."

Suddenly a voice came: "If you take a nap here, you might catch a cold when you wake up tomorrow."

An Ran sat up and looked at the sound. Sure enough, An Zihe was standing on the stone bridge not far away. I don't know where he had been standing for how long. The moonlight stained his blue shirt. The coldness of the world's independence.An Ran couldn't help sighing again, this man really had an excellent skin.

An Zihe rowed the boat to the side of the stone bridge, looked at him, "Why did you come to the other courtyard?"

An Zihe raised his eyebrows: "What? You are allowed to come, but I am not allowed to come."

An Ran rolled her eyes: "I'm here to work, what are you doing here?" Seeing that An Zihe had already stepped down, he jumped onto the boat, the boat swung from side to side a few times, and An Ran hurriedly poked it on the shore with a paddle , the boat was stable, and he couldn't help giving him a blank look: "If you want to commit suicide, don't drag me to make it."

An Zihe smiled: "You girl really has a crow's mouth. I haven't seen you for so long, don't you miss me?"

An Ran felt that his eyes were too hot, and subconsciously recognized the beginning: "I don't want to."

An Zihe intentionally put on an extremely sad look: "What a heartless girl, I miss you so much that I miss you so much..."

An Ran glared at him: "If you're so dishonest again, I'll go back."

"Don't, don't, such a beautiful moonlight, such a beautiful scene, it's a pity to go back, let's go boating." Said, went to pick up the paddle in An Ran's hand, An Ran did not refuse, there is free coolie, Just saved my energy.

However, An Ran soon found out that she was wrong. This man is a complete idiot when it comes to anything related to water. After rowing the oars in his hands for a long time, the boat was still spinning in place, and then this guy probably felt lost. Face, in a hurry, stood up and started to mess around, the oars poked in the water, and the boat swayed from side to side, as if it was about to capsize.

An Ran is not afraid, the boat capsizes, at worst she can swim back by herself, she is afraid that An Zihe will fall into the water, and she will save him when the time comes, this guy is drowning and sinking to death, dragging him once, almost kills her half life.

In order to avoid trouble, An Ran snatched the oar from his hand, and said angrily: "If you want to go boating, just sit down, if you can't, what can you do?"

An Zihe looked a little annoyed at first, but then he thought of something and smiled wickedly: "Little girl, you know that the consequences of saying that a man is not good are very serious."

An Ran now understands An Zihe's temperament more or less. To put it bluntly, he is a cheap talker, but he is not a bad person. If you don't make it like that with him, don't talk to him, the more you talk to him, the more energetic you will be.

Sure enough, seeing An Ran ignoring him, An Zihe became more honest: "I don't want to say anything." He said in a low voice: "How are you doing in the other courtyard these days? Has anyone bullied you?" ? The place where you live is right? Just tell me if you have anything to do."

An Ran looked at him for a while: "It sounds like you are the master of this other courtyard."

An Zihe was taken aback: "Although I'm not a master, I have some friendship with An Yuan, the chief steward of the other courtyard. It's easy to take care of a little girl like you."

An Ran suddenly sighed: "So what about my thoughts, I just moved from one cage to another, An Zihe, since you want to help me, why don't you tell Ding Shoucai how about letting me redeem myself and go out? Ding Shoucai agreed to me, if you weren't meddling in the background, I would have left the Anfu now, and now that we have shaken hands and made peace, I think you won't embarrass me anymore."

An Zihe shook his head: "I had some bumps with Ding Shoucai before, and this guy still remembers the hatred. Whenever I ask him for something, I never push back. If I tell him about it, I'm afraid you will die in your life." I can't redeem myself."

An Ran was stunned for a moment: "You mean it wasn't your fault?"

An Zihe looked at her for a long while: "Am I really so unbearable in your heart? At that time, there was a misunderstanding between you and me, so how could I make things difficult for you?" Then he suddenly sighed: "Don't think that How decent I am, even though I have a relationship with the old man, I am still a servant, to put it bluntly, I am also a servant, some dignity is just the master's praise."

An Ran originally thought that the matter of redeeming her body was caused by An Zihe, but now that she has talked about it, it is not. I can't tell what kind of feeling it is. Could it be that she just caught up with memorizing words, and when she was redeeming her body, she happened to meet the elder who spoke.

Suddenly seeing An Zihe's expression was gloomy, his tone was quite self-deprecating, and he suddenly felt a sense of sympathy, and he also sighed: "You are better than me, right? Didn't you say that all things are inferior but reading is good? You can leave An Zihe at any time." If you are in the government, you don't want to take the No. [-] Scholar exam, and there are other ways out."

However, An Zihe said very seriously: "Then you said that apart from pursuing an official career, what other options do I have?"

An Ran didn't want him to take it seriously, just now she was just trying to comfort him, so she could only think about it: "You can be a teacher, or you can buy some fields, hire people to plant them, and wait for the land rent to be collected. , you have been a steward for so many years, you can open a restaurant by yourself, it will not be difficult to make a living."

An Zihe's eyes flickered, and he suddenly approached her and said, "Didn't you always want to go out and open a restaurant, why don't you hire me?"

An Ran was stunned: "Well, I'm afraid I won't be able to hire you. Even if I go out, I can only open a small restaurant with the little money in my hand. At most, I can hire one or two assistants. How can I hire a big manager like you."

An Zihe: "Who said that if you become a manager, you can be a clerk. I have never been a clerk in my life. It's interesting to think about it."

An Ran's eyes were wide open, his mouth was wide open, and he didn't come back to himself for a long time. He thought, this man is crazy, how could he quit his job and insist on being a clerk, but suddenly a finger dropped from his lips: "There's nothing to eat, what are you doing with your mouth so wide open?"

An Ran suddenly felt a heat on his face, and hurriedly pushed him away: "If you try again, I will really ignore you in the future."

An Zihe sat back honestly, but still looked at An Ran: "By the way, how did you save me that day by the puddle? There is a mouth to mouth breath, or is there a glimmer of life?"

An Ran couldn't help but think of giving him artificial respiration that day. She didn't feel it at the time, but when she thinks about it now, she suddenly recalls the feeling of the touch at that time, and began to feel uncomfortable: "Well, it's getting late, and it's time to go back." Can't help but hold on The oars paddled towards the shore.

When he reached the shore, he jumped on it and walked back, but he didn't want An Zihe to follow her into the courtyard.

An Ran just wanted to chase him away, but An Zihe said: "You have a kitchen here, which is really convenient. I just remembered it now. I haven't eaten yet after a busy day. No wonder my stomach feels a little uncomfortable."

An Ran couldn't help asking: "Have you eaten all day?"

An Zihe nodded: "There are a few important banquets today, so I had to come forward to agree, but I drank a lot of wine, but I didn't take care of the meal." As he spoke, he pressed his appetite: "It's really important right now. Some are hungry."

An Ran felt a little soft-hearted, not to mention that An Zihe was in charge of the four An Ji restaurants, they were one family, and it was inevitable that they would have to drink and socialize, ordinary guests didn't use it, but if a distinguished guest came, he, the chief manager, would naturally go out to toast a glass of wine and send him off. A dish or something, in order to express respect to the distinguished guests, this is business, the bigger the business, the more entertainment, speaking of it, that old man is very relaxed.

Seeing An Zihe's pitiful appearance according to his appetite, he couldn't help sighing: "I haven't eaten anything all day, so I'll drink a bowl of porridge first, and then I'll eat other things when I'm done. Some, I’ll warm it up for you and you drink first, as for the others, what do you want to eat?”

An Zihe looked at her for a while: "You make it for me?"

An Ran looked away awkwardly: "If you think my cooking skills are not good, forget it."

An Zihe laughed suddenly: "If your cooking skills are not that good, I don't know who else would dare to call them good cooks. I'm not picky about food, as long as it's your cooking." He said, his eyes were extremely gentle Look at An Ran.

An Ran suddenly felt that there was too much ambiguity between the two of them, so he hurriedly turned around and went into the kitchen. After thinking about it for a while, he remembered that he loved to eat pasta, and it happened that there was still some stuffed meat left over from the stuffed stuffing he made at night, so he wanted to come back at night I’m hungry, I’ll pack a few wontons to satisfy my hunger, and now I’m going to make fried dumplings with preserved vegetables...

(End of this chapter)