The Heartbeat at the Tip of the Tongue

She knew she shouldn’t have thought those things, but she couldn’t help it.

“I…… didn’t doubt your capabilities…..”

This sentence, even Lin Ke Song found it hard to believe what she’d just said.

“Lie.”

In the short moment of him slightly separating his lips, she finally got to see the place that made people full of imagination faintly.

Her heart felt like something soft and invisible had passed it by, just at the moment she was trying to desperately catch the thing, everything disappeared.

Jiang Qian Fan went around Lin Ke Song. He kept the cane, because he knew this house like the back of his palm.

His steps were at ease, making Lin Ke Song doubt if this guy was really unable to see.

Mayer winked at Lin Ke Song, signalling her to follow.

This was the first time Lin Ke Song saw the astounding kitchen.

On the spacious countertop without a speck of dust, there was an array of knives of different lengths, the variety of professional cookware were so bright and clean it looked like they had never been used before. On the bright floors, there were refrigerator cabinets that were installed on the wall, with all sorts of vegetable, fruits and meats. There were so many types, Lin Ke Song couldn’t name some of them!

Mayer looked at Lin Ke Song and smiled: “this is where Mr Jiang studies various foods. Six dishes that are the signature dishes of 3 Michelin stars rated restaurant of which they were entered into the Michelin Red guides were created here.”

Lin Ke Song blinked her eyes.

Even though she didn’t know much about this industry, but she knew that “3 Michelin stars” to some diners are cuisine worth the wait of a lifetime.

An average chef who can have a couple of dishes recommended but the Michelin Red Guides is already considered a great feat, but Jiang Qian Fan already had six dishes at such a young age?

And the most most most unbelievable thing was, his eyes were obviously unable to see ah!

At this time, Jiang Qian Fan took off his coat, and put on the head chef’s uniform. The high collar was attached to his collar, his broad shoulder and narrow waist lines looked like they were sketched out.

He turned on the tap, and washed his hands with the running water. When the water flowed between his long slender fingers, it was an extremely nimble beauty.

Lin Ke Song was totally stunned.

“What was the dish you made that was in the TOP10 Rotten Tomatoes?”

He took a clean white towel, wiping his fingers as he asked her.

Lin Ke Song was muddled, how is she supposed to answer the other party? Hell’s red soup?

Even she herself doesn’t know what that thing was.

She could only grudgingly answer: “Tomato omelette.”

The commonest and simplest dish.

But Mayer couldn’t control his laugh anymore: “Even though I don’t know about the various cuisines of china…… but tomato omelette, seems to be a common dish that no matter what will never be described as hell’s soup right?”

Lin Ke Song laughed a little.

That was Song Yi Ran’s idea! At that time it was really fun making fun of the three judges, but now it was so embarrassing her face was thrown all the way home!

“Then it’ll be tomato omelette.”

Jiang Qian Fan walked towards the cabinets, his hand smoothing across each one, picking three eggs in a hand. He walked towards the fruits and vegetables cabinet, lightly touching those red tomatoes, taking them to his nose to smell, and picked two tomatoes.

His action of cracking the eggs was elegant and agile, when the eggs collided with the eggs of the table, the wrist and arm folded in the most artistic way. Even the sound of breaking eggs had a kind of rhythmic beat to it.

Jiang Qian Fan’s actions of cutting the tomatoes were swift, when his fingers slid away from the tomatoes, they bloomed like they were petals of a flower, it was like when Jiang Qian Fan’s knife blade cut through, it wasn’t a death, but a rebirth.

Under Jiang Qian Fan’s focus, Lin Ke Song felt like she was looking into another purer world.

The air was filled with the fragrance of the sweet and sour blend of the eggs and tomatoes.

Her thoughts were attracted to the smells, her tongue and teeth could not keep still.

When she made a tomato omelette she needed half an hour to toss it, but Jiang Qian Fan only needed a few minutes.

The soft yellow and red together, was a fusion pleasant to the eyes.

“Gudu”, Lin Ke Song swallowed.

Mayer who was at the side could not help laughing.

“This is the difference between you and me. There will never be anyone who would call this dish ‘red soup’ in my territory. ”

His tone had no indication despise, like it was right and natural for him to make other people feel ashamed.

Mayer gentlemanly passed a spoon to Lin Ke Song, smilingly said: “Many people wish for their whole lives to taste his food once, you are very lucky.”

No matter how good it is, it is only tomato omelette. That is how Lin Ke Song feels.

She scooped a spoon of eggs and tomatoes, blew on it, and sent it into her mouth. The eggs still tasted like eggs, and the tomatoes tasted like tomatoes ma……

But the next second, Lin Ke Song blinked her eyes.

The eggs were fluffy on the outside and soft on the inside, the sweet and sour juice of the tomatoes and the aroma of the eggs fused together. The tomatoes weren’t boiled to mush, the heat used was perfectly right.

Lin Ke Song wanted another to have another spoon, when Mayer smiled asking: “is it good? Or is it a normal tomato omelettes?”

“…… good.”

When the first mouth was swallowed, there was a richly salty and sour flavour but a one that you would never get tired of that was left behind on the tongue, it clung on to Lin Ke Song’s nerves, controlling her hands to lifts the spoon.

“It’s only good? There’s no other comment?” Mayer shook his head disappointedly.

“‘Good’ in itself is an intuitive feeling. Where would the other adjectives or comments come from ah!”

While talking, Lin Ke Song had already sent 2 or 3 spoonful into her mouth.

It was so good! It was like all the taste buds on her tongue had been awakened, this was the best tomato omelette that Lin Ke Song had ever had in her life!

When Lin Ke Song lifted the plate from the table, intending to drink all the soup at the bottom of the plate, Jiang Qian Fan’s finger held on to the edge of the plate.

Lin Ke Song looked up.

“Do you think I’m unable to teach you? Or do you think that people who can’t see are unable to be chefs?”

His voice fell from a high, each word pressing on Lin Ke Song’s heartbeat.

“Sorry, because you weren’t able to see, I had a biased perception towards you. The tomato omelette you made…… I don’t know what nice words to use to describe it, but it is the best omelette I’ve ever had since I was born.”

Lin KE Song has never been the type to stubbornly refuse to admit the wrong judgements. The truth was right there, it wouldn’t change whether she admitted her wrong or not.

Jiang Qian Fan’s had not the slightest change pf expression.

Lin Ke Song twisted her mouth, even if he were blind, couldn’t he tell that it was praise sincerely from her heart?

Mayer coughed gently.

Lin Ke Song then finally understood.

“And…… with your standard, it’s more than enough to teach me! With the way you were cooking just now, it was so fluid and pleasing to the eyes, even people who can see may not even be able to do it as well as you, like you knew the kitchen like the back of your palms!”

“Then from today, your mentor will be me.”

“What?” Lin Ke Song was stunned, she looked at Mayer, and Mayer only nodded, smiling.

“Mayer, regarding the ‘MasterChef’, how long more till it starts?”

“Three more months.”

Jiang Qian Fan turned towards her, “then please make a plate of tomato omelette, to let me gauge your standard.”

No way! Tomato omelette again! I totally have no standard!

But since things have come to this, she could only do as asked.

Mayer found a white apron for Lin Ke Song, when she can to the station, thoughts of the smooth moves of Jiang Qian Fan lingered in her brains.

She took a breath, its only tomato omelette! This time can guarantee the person won’t die eating it!

Her mood calmed down.

Lin Ke Song picked out eggs and tomatoes, locking down all the ingredients that she needed, and imitated everything that Jiang Qian Fan had performed.

The eggs were beaten till there was a thin layer of foam, the tomatoes were sliced in equal moderate thickness, the leaves in the middle removed.

Jiang Qian Fan’s knife skills were too good, the juice of the tomato was intact in each lobe, and the working area was extremely clean. While compared to Lin Ke Song, it seemed like she was “appalling”, even of Jiang Qian Fan didn’t say anything, Lin Ke Song also felt that she has let the essence of the tomatoes flowed away on the table.

Stir fry, flip, put in the ingredients, boil, thicken…… even though Lin Ke Song imitated Jiang Qian Fan’s every step. Her nerves were uptight, her attention fully on the details of every movement of her hands,

But every step was a poor imitation like attempting to draw a tiger but making it end up looking like a dog.

When Lin Ke Song scooped her tomato omelette, flipped it over, she deeply realised what master pieces meant ah!

Jiang Qian Fan as a Michelin chef, had high expectations towards food.

Lin Ke Song could suddenly understand why when she brought him around to taste dishes, he had only taken a bite.

Mayer gently placed a spoon on the edge of the plate.

Jiang Qian Fan reached out, and first ensured the position of the plate, then bent his head, scooped up a spoonful, and stopped it in front of his nose for a second.

For that short moment, it looked like the poster of a gourmet movie.

He opened his lips slightly, the moment the tip of his tongue touched the spoon, Lin Ke Song felt like her heart was swept past by something soft.

She prayed in her heart, he would swallow her tomato omelette…… please not ever spit it out1

And please don’t use the tone of voice judging panel had when they commented on my tomato omelette I used to enter the competition.

She was serious, only because she knew it would be sent to him.

Lin Ke Song realised that she finally could understand how the participants were feeling that day while waiting for the judges’ comments.

Apprehension, nervousness, palms producing a thin layer of sweat.

Mayer looked at Lin Ke Song with pity, like he was comforting her saying: no matter what Jiang Qian Fan says, don’t take it to heart.

But Lin Ke Song knew, no matter what he said, it was going to leave a deep impression on her.

“The saltiness of the eggs and the sourness of the tomatoes are not in a layer, the taste is out of balance. The tomatoes were cooked for too long in the pot, resulting in a softer texture. The oil was not hot enough while cooking the eggs, so the eggs are not fluffy enough. I personally do not understand why Winston would call it ‘hell’s red soup’.”

His voice was calm and objective, like someone was passing the law, making other not have any doubts about his strength.

And because of that, all the more Lin Ke Song did not want to hear him put her failure in a “nutshell” like everyone else did.

“Your tomato omelette isn’t good, but it’s not so bad to the point of hell.”

With her head kept bent, Lin Ke Song who was feeling like she was riding a heavy bike for 25 000 miles suddenly lifted her head, and looked at Jiang Qian Fan incredulously.

Jiang Qian Fan’s “not so bad” to an average person is such a high praise ah!