The Heartbeat at the Tip of the Tongue

Mint Cabbage Soup = Nightmare

Lin Ke Song started getting nervous, she scooped a spoonful, and placed it at her mouth, while thinking in her heart that since this was mint cabbage soup, then there definitely had to be cabbage and mint ma! If things were as expected, then there would definitely be salt. Apart from these, what else will there be?

There was a very flavourful fragrance at the tip of her nose, but what was the fragrance? Lin Ke Song found it very familiar, but she could not put a finger to it.

In the end, she put the spoon of soup into her mouth.

The temperature was just right, the texture clear and rich, the flavour of the cabbage was not as strong as she thought, which made the fresh fragrance of the mint slowly overflow as she circulated the soup.

The saltiness of the soup was weaker than Lin Ke Song’s imagination, but there was a sweet aftertaste.

But this sweetness was more gentle and subtle than sugar…… it was from the fresh sweetness of the cabbage!

And together with this fresh sweetness was a slightly fruity taste, and a light sourness that belonged to a fruit, this tartness made the drinker feel an increase in appetite momentarily.

If Jiang Qian Fan did not ask her to take note of the different levels of flavours, she’d probably have treated this soup and drunk it as a refreshing and appetising soup, never taking note of the many mysteries within the dish.

“Tell me, what is the first flavour you have come in contact with?”

“…… a unique fragrance. It smells very good, makes people work up an appetite, like a nut’s flavour…..” Lin Ke Song furrowed her brows, trying her best to think. This was the first exam that Jiang Qian Fan gave her, she did not wish to hand up a blank paper.

“What kind of nut?”

Lin Ke Song searched in her mind. It wasn’t peanuts, the fragrance of peanuts was different from this. It seemed like a little like roasted cashew nuts, but the fragrance was not as strong as cashew nuts. It was lighter, gentler, and…… it did not overpower the fragrance of the cabbage.

“Is it almonds?” Lin Ke Song asked unsurely.

“Right.”

Jiang Qian Fan’s voice was very calm, like Lin Ke Song being able to figure out the almond flavour was as expected.

But with the answer of “Right”, his lips opened for a moment, and Lin Ke Song felt inexplicable regret.

Because, just a little bit more, only a little bit more, and she would be able to see the tip of his tongue.

“What else is there?”

“There’s also the flavour of cabbage. But I’m curious …… how did the sweetness of the cabbage get into the soup? Was it simmered for a very long time?” Lin Ke Song started regretting after she asked the question.

“If the cabbage leaves are stewed for too long, not only will the nutrition of the cabbage be damaged, the cabbage will also lose its sweetness. The proper technique is to select the most tender parts of the cabbage to boil, and remove the tender cabbage leaves before they turn yellow, the timing has to be seized right at the appropriate time. The ratio of the water to the tender cabbage leaves have to be similar. If there is too much water, the sweet fragrance of the tender cabbage leaves will be bland.”

Jiang Qian Fan held the top of his cane with booth his hands, and the cane was maintained by the ground. This was the exact position he was in when Lin Ke Song saw him in the villa for the first time. Relaxed, calm and as cold as the cold in the high mountains.

Lin Ke Song suddenly understood that this man was not arrogant.

His world was too mysterious and too delicate, not a world that ordinary people can get a glimpse of, and not a world that ordinary people can understand.

He was the only king of that world, and everything was in the palm of his hand.

“What other flavours are there?”

“And mint?”

“The fragrance of mint is very obvious. When do you think the mint was added?”

“With such a refreshing flavour, it should’ve been added at the very start of making the soup base?”

“No. it’s when the soup is about to be scooped from the pot. If the mint was simmered with the cabbage for too long, the soup would have a medicinal taste, and spoil the fresh sweetness that the cabbage carries. ”

Lin Ke Song was stunned, she had never thought that there was so much thought gone to even the timing of adding the mint.

“What about the others?”

When Jiang Qian Fan asked that, it really put stumped Lin Ke Song. Apart from almonds, cabbage, mint and salt, what other ingredients would there be?

Lin Ke Song drank another mouth.

Almond, cabbage, mint…… and another unique fragrance……

“Parsley! It’s parsley right?”

“That’s not difficult.”

Not difficult? This is considered not difficult? That slight taste of parsley is considered not difficult?

“It’s the parsley’s most tender branches, and after removal of the leaves, the soup is filtered through for 30 seconds. The goal is to increase the levels of aroma, and not let the flavour of the parsley overpower the cabbage.”

Lin Ke Song pursed her lips, first it was the almonds then the cabbage, and then the parsley, how is this cooking ah, she’s about to catch up with perfume makers.

“What’s the last ingredient?”

Lin Ke Song almost spat a mouth of soup in the other party’s face.

There was actually another? This is only a soup! Why must it be so complicated!

Jiang Qian Fan sat still opposite her, full of patience.

Lin Ke Song swallowed the fifth mouth, and felt that the aftertaste had a light and gentle sourness. This sourness seemed like it was subtly pushing the majority of the taste buds, and yet disappeared quickly.

What was it? What on earth was it?

The soup that was originally little, was drunk by Lin Ke Song till the bottom of the bowl could be seen.

She looked up into Jiang Qian Fan’s eyes, and decided to answer honestly: “I feel like I’ve tasted some fruit…… but I just can’t figure out the taste……”

Jiang Qian Fan did not scold Lin Ke Song, he only calmly said: “don’t limit yourself to only the Chinese cuisine you’re familiar with, open your mind.”

Lin Ke Song pursed her lips, continuously trying to recall.

At this time, the waiter walked up, serving a portion of appetizers, but it wasn’t the frozen prawns that was seen today.

The dish that was in front of Lin Ke Song, was the exact same soup.

It looked like, if she could not find the answer, Jiang Qian Fan would not let her eat the good food.

She was really so hungry…… and wished to eat some food with more substance ah!

She lowered her head, and depressingly scooped a spoonful of soup, just as she was about to eat, Jiang Qian Fan suddenly spoke.

“You’re not happy.”

“Ah? Not happy?” Lin Ke Song forced herself to smile, “Why wouldn’t I be happy? This is a 3 Michelin stars restaurant soup ah! No matter how many bowls I drink I won’t get sick of it!”

“Then continue to drink it.”

The sides of Lin Ke Song’s mouth twitched, blue veins pooping from her forehead, but she just couldn’t get angry.

Why wasn’t the person sitting in front of her not Song Yi Ran? If it were him, she would be able to directly pour the bowl of soup onto his head!

And Jiang Qian Fan just lifted the knife and fork, the fork didn’t even touch the prawn on the plate, the knife gently glided through, a piece of prawn was picked, and slowly entered his mouth.

The whole time, his knife and fork had no sounds of collision, even as the angle of his raised arm changed, the sense of coordination between his wrist and the utensils were like moves that were carefully calculated, pleasant.

The process of him eating was neither fast nor slow, everything here went according to his rules, including time.

Lin Ke Song lowered her head, and continued to drink the soup. In her mind, she continuously wondered what fruit could be used to make soup?

It seemed like there was only the tomato right?

But from the colour of this soup, no matter what, it wouldn’t be tomatoes ah.

Lin Ke Song stealthily retrieved her phone from her pocket, muted the phone, and then quickly searched: fruits used in western cuisine.

One search, and she did not expect a multitude of fruits.

So Lin Ke Song decided to narrow her search, and directly searched “mint cabbage soup”, immediately the recipes came up, suddenly her eyes lighted up.

Ai! So it was this ah! The foreigners seem to use this fruit a lot when they cook!

“It’s oranges right?” Lin Ke Song asked.

Jiang Qian Fan’s face continuously had no expression.

“Not right.”

These two words made the originally happy Lin Ke Song suddenly feel depressed.

It’s actually not oranges! The recipes on the web had obviously written oranges, okay!

“Pineapple?”

“Not right.”

“Apple!”

“Not right.”

Let’s all have a fruits party everyone!

Lin Ke Song was full of tears in her heart.

Has she really eaten this fruit before?

The appetizer in front of Jiang Qian Fan had already changed to the main dish, but Lin Ke Song was starting on her third bowl of mint cabbage soup.

The originally sweet and refreshing soup had lost its charm, she really wished she had a smaller head, to directly drown herself.

“Was the search engine good?”

When Lin Ke Song had finished the third bowl of soup, Jiang Qian Fan finally opened his mouth.

“Cough cough cough……” Lin Ke Song coughed till there were golden stars in her eyes.

This chap actually saw it? How did he see it?

Didn’t Mr Mayer say that he could only differentiate light?

“I can give you a hint. It’s not bananas, not grapefruit, not American red grapes, not blackcurrants, not blueberries, not strawberries. Has your search range narrowed a little?”

Jiang Qian Fan’s voice was like the water overflowing through cracks in the ice fountain, calm and indifferent.

Even if Lin Ke Song were and idiot, she would also know that he was mocking her!

She could only silently put her phone back into her pocket, and go red due to her trying to be smart.

“You figured out almonds, cabbage, mint, parsley, but you are unable to figure out the last fruit, have I overestimated you?”

Jiang Qian Fan put his knife and fork down, that pair of eyes was obviously empty, but it made Lin Ke Song feel inexplicable pressure.

His voice had no intonation, but it was sharp as a sharpened needle piercing through Lin Ke Song’s heart.

She was angry, really furious. The other party had already finished the main dish, she was still with a bowl with nothing in it!

Did she miss something here?

When the entrée was removed, and changed to the dessert, Lin Ke Song had already drunk the fifth bowl of soup.

She still did not know what the fruit was.

And Jiang Qian Fan’s posture to his expression did not change at all.

What’s the point of clinging onto this?

This isn’t even some soup that must be drunk! Apart from this mint cabbage soup, isn’t there the cream of mushroom soup, borscht, or the Chinese style chicken soup, duck soup and pork rib soup!

Lin Ke Song propped her forehead on a hand, Jiang Qian Fan did not eat the dessert, but held his cane with both hands, and looked at Lin Ke Song.

He was like a barbaric ruler.

It was obvious that he himself had the answer, but he wanted the whole world to know everything like the palm of their hands, just like him!

When the eight bowl of soup was served, she had absolutely no desire to lift the spoon.