NOVPUB59: Chapter 40 Yin Miaomiao Visits
59 -40 Yin Miaomiao Visits
Shao Ming squatting in front of the stove was adding firewood, but his eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the flurry of knife shadows in Ran Yan’s hands.
Coupled with Ran Yan’s cold and stern face, Shao Ming felt a tingling on his scalp and thought to himself, “Is it really necessary to be so serious about just cooking a meal?”
Ran Yan’s culinary skills were complex, covering Shandong cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Su cuisine, and Western food; she had a rough understanding of each and a few specialties in all.
To her, cooking was like performing a dissection—mastering every aspect with precision would undoubtedly yield results.
Seeing a crystal-clear, jade-like flower take shape in Ran Yan’s hands, Shao Ming was so astonished that he even forgot to add wood to the fire.
“Add some wood,” Ran Yan reminded him, as milk soup Eight Treasures stuffed chicken was still simmering in the pot, and the fire could not be allowed to die out.
Shao Ming snapped back to attention and hastily stoked the fire. 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝖔𝔪
As the saying goes, one’s heart softens towards those who provide a meal.
Determined, Ran Yan resolved to deploy her full arsenal of skills to conquer her thrifty master’s taste buds.
Thus, she poured tremendous effort into her cooking, ensuring novelty, aroma, and flavor in every dish.
Wu Xiuhe was squatting on the porch, squinting while basking in the sun, when suddenly he caught a whiff of an enticing fragrance.
His eyes flicked open slightly, and he looked towards the small kitchen.
Inside, the resounding chop-chop sounds mingled with the tantalizing aroma, prompting Wu Xiuhe to swallow hard.
After waiting for quite some time without any indication that food would be served, Wu Xiuhe’s rumbling stomach begrudgingly protested.
After much hesitation, he tiptoed into his wooden clogs and stealthily approached.
Wu Xiuhe peered in through the window, deeply inhaling the delicious scent and swallowing again and again, peeking through the crevices.
After watching for a long time but not being able to see the stove area, he grew anxious and was about to poke a hole in the paper window with his saliva when the door suddenly creaked open.
Caught off guard while still in the act of poking the window, Wu Xiuhe faced the other party, and without a blush or skipped heartbeat, he hid his hands behind his back, cleared his throat twice, and said, “The sun is quite strong on the porch; I came here to avoid the sunlight.”
“Master, please have your meal,” said Ran Yan with a silent chuckle, feeling reassured that her choice to cook had been the right move.
No matter how eager Wu Xiuhe was on the inside, he still needed to maintain his dignity.
Straightening his wrinkled robe, he sauntered into the hall.
Shao Ming followed Ran Yan with a tray into the room.
Once Wu Xiuhe was seated at the table, Ran Yan personally brought dish after dish to the table.
In a refined off-white porcelain plate lay a cluster of jade-like flowers, cradled by several “leaves” of vivid green.
The petals were intricately detailed and nearly transparent, clearly revealing the light green veins within.
Beside this cluster of flowers, the orange-red crispy prawns seemed especially tempting.
Ran Yan announced, “These are oil-blanched prawns.”
Another dish gleamed golden, its red-brown gravy shining and emanating a rich, meaty fragrance.
Ran Yan added, “This is ginger-flavored chicken.”
“This one is Wen Si tofu soup.” Another pristine white shallow bowl appeared, with strands of fine white, like flowers that bloom in an instant, spreading from the center to the edges amidst the translucent, egg-yellow soup adorned with bamboo shoots and mushrooms, clear and beautiful.
Next was a white bowl, its lid lifted to reveal glistening, red, translucent meat wafting a strong and tempting aroma, “This is…
Braised Pork Belly.” In fact, it was prepared using the method for Dongpo Pork, but since the esteemed Su Dongpo had not yet been born, Ran Yan changed the name accordingly.
The milk soup Eight Treasures stuffed chicken that followed was much plainer, but the thick soup greatly stirred the appetite.
There were also a few refreshing appetizers.
Despite the variety of dishes, each portion was small.
For instance, the Braised Pork Belly amounted to just two pieces the size of a small egg in a petite bowl, and the oil-blanched prawns were carefully selected to include six evenly-sized, attractive pieces.
Whether it was due to the ingredients of the Tang Dynasty all being organic, the effect achieved by the dishes far exceeded Ran Yan’s own expectations.
“Master, greasy food is not suitable for the summer, so the portions prepared are rather small.
I’m also not sure what flavors you prefer; would you like to taste first?” Ran Yan offered Wu Xiuhe a pair of chopsticks, ignoring his ravenous stare.
Wu Xiuhe took the chopsticks and immediately picked up a piece of the shiny red Dongpo Pork from the pale white bowl.
Ran Yan mentally noted that her bargain master indeed loved pork.
The Dongpo Pork was fatty without being greasy, crispy and flavorful, melting in the mouth and nearly causing Wu Xiuhe to swallow his tongue.
After one bite, his mouth filled with even more saliva, nearly drooling, but to preserve his dignity as an elder, he reluctantly took one more glance at the pork before reaching for the ginger-flavored chicken.
