Here Comes The Lady Chef

Chapter 2

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After dinner, there is usually nothing else to do. Household after household closed the doors and turned off the light.

Within one of the bedrooms, Zhou Shi lied down beside Wen Shouzhen. She was tossing and turning, and found it difficult to sleep.

"Hubby, did you discovered that Rou Er seemed have changed a lot. She is no longer as naughty or as mischievous?"

"Yeah! Rou Er has finally grown up, and become more understanding." Wen Shouzhen turned around and faced his wife.

"Tomorrow the proprietor had an event and I do not need to work. I will have one day off. Our family had not gone for an outing for a long time, let"s …." After a short while, Wen Shouzhen"s deep voice rang out, and his voice was full of warmth.

"That is great! Ting Er has also indicated that his teacher has something on. Therefore, he had 3 days of holiday. He also had nothing to do." Zhou Shi"s voice sounds really happy.

"Talking about this kid, he is not good in his studies, and he refused to learn cooking skills from me. To think that I, Wen Shouzhen, with my skills, having achieved acclaim within Xianyang…."

"Well, you have already boasted of your skills for decades. Now go to sleep!"

Wen Rou was in the room next door, quietly lying on the bed. She was trying to recall what had happened. There was a sudden sharp pain in her heart - it was as if the arrow that pierced her chest was still there, as if her family had been executed in front of her eyes again. Once she thought of these issues, two streams of tears uncontrollably flowed down from her eyes, slipped down her beautiful face, and disappeared into her blanket without a sound.

In her past life, Wen Rou was forced to watch as all 19 members of her extended family were executed.

The miserable look of her brother Wen Ting as he was tortured and his body ripped apart; The despair on her mother Zhou Shi"s face as she hanged herself; The screams of her father Wen Shouzen as he was tied to hot iron pillar and burned alive; and the face of the two lovestruck gentlemen who, in order to save her life, destroyed their future, sacrificed their lives, and finally died on the blood-stained snow.

All these were as clear as if it was yesterday!

Wen Zhou dared not to close her eyes. At least her family members were nearby. She was so afraid that when she wakes up, she would return to the snow-filled night.

At that moment when the ten thousand arrows pierced her heart, she died and seemed to go back in time to the time when she was a teenager, with her family intact. This must be the heavens blessings to:allow Wen Rou to have a second chance in her life, and not leave any regrets;let the simple and kind-hearted her avoid the misfortunes of her past;allow her to protect her family and loved ones;open her eyes and see the character of the people around her, and not let herself be fooled by fancy talk.

Therefore, she will not waste this second chance at life, and must do her best!

In the past, she was only an obedient daughter of her father, native and trusting. After the great misfortune occurred, she could not do anything. At the moment before she pa.s.sed away, she could only curse her helplessness and resigned herself to her fate.

In this life, she is determined to become a big and strong tree, and shelter her family from the oncoming storm. She is determined to turn her life around!

Wen Rou buried her head in her blanket, and her tears soaked the cotton blanket.

She swore that she will not allow the tragedy to befall on her family, and also seek revenge against the men who had framed her family and cause the family downfall.

In the darkness, Wen Rou"s eyes seemed as bright the stars in the sky.

Within the darkness of her blanket, she could have sworn that she has seen her two suitors smiling at her.

28 years into the Great Zhou Dynasty, it was a time of peace, and you would hardly see any soldiers on the streets. The commoners have a place to call their home, and they need not worry about lack of clothes or food.

It is winter time.

On this day, the sun shone brightly, dissipating the chill of the winter winds with the warmth it brings.

The silence and quiet of the Xianyang suburbs were interrupted by a voice of a teenage girl singing.

"Rou Er, why are you so happy today?" Zhou Shi grinned as she asked her daughter.

Wen Rou just stuck out her tongue in a mischievous smile. In her heart, she thought: With a strange twist of fate I suddenly returned to the time when I was only 12 years old. This is really a blessing.

"Ting Er, Rou Er, come and help!" the loud bellow of Wen Shouzhen rang out, as he placed a large blue color bundle on the floor and slowly untied it.

"Coming!" Wen Rou replied with her crisp voice. She was holding on a stick of firewood as she excitedly ran towards her father.

Zhou Shi was tending to a pot, and adding some firewood below the stove to keep the fire going.

Looking at the familiar face of her parents, Wen Rou could not help feeling touched and her eyes turn moist. It is such a blessing to see her family safe and sound! She blinked and tried hard not let the tears fall from her eyes.

"Mother, let me help you!" Wen Rou reached out and toss a few tree branches into the fire.

"It is hot, be careful!" Zhou Shi was worried that the firewood may burn Wen Rou"s hand.

"Where is Ting Er?" Wen Shouzhen stopped what he was doing, and stood up and looked around the room.

His gaze stopped on a young man who was quietly sitting on a stone nearby. This young man was about 13-14 years of age, wearing a grey-blue robe. In his hand, he had a book, and he looked like he was absorbed in reading.

Looking at the face of this young man, you could see that he is quite handsome, and to a large extent resembles Wen Rou.

Her brother is still the same old weakling as ever, and continued to read as if his life depends on it. The warmth of the sun invigorated the body, and today this young man actually sat outside in the sun. Looking at this scene before her, Wen Rou could not help but smile, and at this moment, everything seemed so perfect.

"Yo! Get your a.s.s over here!" Wen Shouzhen roared several times. Seeing that Wen Ting did not seem to hear him and continued to sit there and turn the page of his book, Wen Shouzhen was livid.

From his bundle, he grabbed a fistful of peanuts that were still partially covered with soil, and throw them towards Wen Ting.

Wen Ting was caught by surprise. The peanuts hurt. He immediately put down the book, and jumped up and yelled, "Which b.a.s.t.a.r.d thrown the peanuts at me?"

Wen Shouzhen face turned black. Pointing at himself, he hollered, "The b.a.s.t.a.r.d is me!"

Wen Ting was shocked, but he had a quick wit. "Oh dad, it is you! What a great throw, a really impressive throw…." He immediately smiled and flashed his pearl white teeth, while using his hands to dust the soil off his clothes. From his neck, he removed a piece of dirty rock that was struck between his neck and the string that tied his winter coat. He then unwillingly closed the book, and keep it in his pocket before walking towards his dad.

"Study Study Study! All you know is to study! 3 times you took the children graduation exam and you did not make it. Why don"t you stop studying and learn how to cook from me?" Wen Shouzhen busied himself and ignore Wen Ting, who was standing beside him as he berated the later.

Wen Ting winced, but he did not dare to say another word.

Seeing that the situation is getting awkward, Wen Rou immediately tried to change the topic. "Dad, there are so many tasty food arhhh!"

"En, these all the leftovers and sc.r.a.ps from the Drunken Immortal Restaurant. I thought that it would be a pity if we just toss these away, and sneak them home." Wen Shouzhen fell for Wen Rou"s ruse to change the topic, and one by one, continued to take the items out of the bundle.

The first few items are considered normal sc.r.a.ps, pieces of sweet potato, cabbage and radish etc.

But when Wen Shouzen took out the pork, ham, duck eggs and mushroom…..

Wen Rou was so astonished that her mouth fell open.

There is common saying in mandarin

厨子不偷，五谷不收！

that if a chef does not steal from the restaurant,
the restaurant does not charge for its food [1].

Looking at the food that her dad had smuggled out of the restaurant, it looked like this saying is true.

Wen Shouzhen finally brought out a large chicken from his bundle. This chicken was completely intact. The feathers have been removed, and this revealed how fat the chicken was.

"Dad, this is also sc.r.a.ps and leftovers from the restaurant?" Wen Rou finally could not resist teasing her dad as she reached up and grabbed the chicken. She purposely lifted it by its wings, and wave the chicken at her dad with a mischievous smile.

"En." Wen Shouzhen shamelessly replied.

"Such a big, fat chicken is just sc.r.a.ps from the kitchen? Don"t tell me that the Drunken Immortal Restaurant used chicken feathers to cook?" Wen Rou giggled as she poked fun at her dad.

"Humph! Go away~!"

Wen Shouzhen was stunned by the question, but he understood that Wen Rou was teasing him. He reached out and grabbed the chicken. But his face seemed to turn red with a mixture of shame and anger.

"Dad, I am hungry." Wen Rou immediately reached out, and gently swing her father"s free hand, as she pouted.

"Wait a moment!" Wen Shouzhen roughly replied. From his chest, he took out a box for holding food. The box was decorated with elaborate designs on the cover.

This is the Jing City"s Golden Thread Roll, give it a try. Wen Shouzhen has already opened the box. Inside the box were several oval delicacies, and it looks like b.a.l.l.s of golden threads.

"Oh, it is tasty!" Wen Rou took out a piece and tried it.

"Of course! This made from a 100 years secret recipe. Even the emperor could love this!" Wen Shouzhen could not help but brag again.

"100 years secret recipe!" Wen Rou was surprised. Then suddenly she was stunned. As she tasted the Golden Thread Roll, for some reason, she could "see" the chef making the golden thread roll and suddenly visualise how this delicacy was prepared.

Maybe it was just her imagination, and Wen Rou did not give it any further thought. She grabbed another piece of the turnip roll and put it into her mouth. "Dad, you are really awesome! Such a lovely delicacy must be very expensive?"

"You are really stupid! When had dad ever become so generous before? This tasty delicacy must be stolen from the restaurant!" Wen Ting picked up one piece in each hand and mumbled aloud while rapidly stuffing his mouth.

"Go away! When you are studying, you were never so smart!" Wen Shouzhen was annoyed at losing some face, and immediately kicked Wen Ting and drove him away.

Wen Ting was kicked and immediately ran to somewhere else to finish the food.

These two rascals are going to anger me to death! I stole all these food for you two to eat and you had to tease me about it? Don"t you know that some things should be left unsaid?

Wen Shouzhen ignored the two rascals and began to cook the chicken.

Wen Rou recalled that in her past life, she had seen a book by a food lover that mentioned "White Cut Chicken", saying that this is the "juicy meat that stands at the apex" [2] taste. From here you could see how much the glutton love this dish.

At this time, Wen Shouzhen is preparing the White Cut chicken.

The chicken was tied to bamboo frame. It was partially cooked. The white colour fresh of the chicken contrast nicely with the yellow colour chicken skin. The entire chicken seemed to exude heat.

Wen Shouzhen open a pot beside the chicken, and use a ladle to carefully scoop up the shiny black brine, and poured them over the chicken.

Although Wen Shouzhen usually loves to brag and grumble, but when he was cooking the chicken, his actions were very serious and he concentrated on the task. Ladle after ladle, he made sure to soak the chicken with the brine, until the chicken was from head to toe covered.

Wen Rou asked in curiosity, "Dad, this brine seemed to be an old recipe."

Wen Shouzhen smiled as he nodded his head, "You have a pair of sharp eyes! This pot contains the brine the Yang City best chicken shop "Happiness Chicken" used to prepare their chicken. For over a hundred years, the recipe has been handed down from one generation to another. Even during the war, the recipe for this brine was protected and preserved. Boss Li had a spent a fortune to procure a small jar of this brine from Yang City. I just happened to use a bit of this brine to try to cook with it."

Zhou Shi, Wen Ting and Wen Rou were rendered speechless.

Wen Shouzhen"s hands did not stop moving at all while he explained the brine. He picked up a knife and sliced apart a small piece of the chicken.

"This is a new recipe that I have invented and adapted from "Happiness Chicken Restaurant". Instead of boiling the chicken in water, I heated up the brine and used the brine to soak the chicken and cook it. In this way, the flavour of the brine is infused into the chicken. Try a piece and you will see the difference. The chicken smells better and the taste is even more amazing."

Wen Rou glance at the pot, and discovered that the water that was used to cook the chicken was a crimson-clear colour. No wonder! This water had brine added to it.

While they were chatting, the chicken had already been cut, and arranged neatly on a plate. Then the dip was poured over the chicken.

The chicken was cut in a way that maximise the presentation of the dish. The chicken head was arranged at the front of the dish, and its two wings were on the left and right side of the plate. It was as if the chicken was about to flap its wings and fly into the sky.

Wen Rou could not resist grabbing a piece of chicken and placing it into her mouth. The taste of the chicken skin was very smooth, the chicken meat very tender and delicious, and the taste make you want to eat more. The most amazing thing is that even the bones seemed to have the delicious taste of the brine. Overall, it makes the people who tried it forget about everything for a moment and just enjoy the amazing taste of the chicken.

"This is really tasty!" Just one taste of the chicken and Wen Ting cried out in shock. Looking at him eat like a starving beggar, you could not tell that he is a scholarly type of gentleman.

The flesh of the chicken was made into White Cut Chicken, and even the chicken gizzard could be used to make other dishes.

Wen Shouzhen then mixed the chicken egg, chicken gizzard, red dates, wolfberries and rice wine together with the stock that was used to cook the chicken. The soup was mildy sweet, and the smell of the wine lingers after you taste the soup, creating a pleasant after taste that warms the heart.

Zhou Shi felt so comfortable after drinking a spoonful of the soup that her eyes closed and almost become silts.

Wen Shouzhen continued to display his cooking skills as he used the remaining ingredients to make food to feed his family. His cooking skills are indeed top notch and the whole family was smiling as they shared the food, while their tummies were swollen.

"This is…." With a greedy look on her face, Wen Rou set her sights on the brine and tried drinking it. Suddenly she was stunned. Again the image of a strange elderly man who she had never met appeared in her head. For some reasons, she could tell that this elder is the creator of the brine. The elder shown her the recipe – all the 30 ingredients, and 19 steps.

Does that mean…..

Wen Rou was thinking about the images she had just witness, when he suddenly heard her brother remarked

"Dad, this brine is so expensive, and you stole so much of it. Are you not scared that boss Li will discover your thief?"

Wen Rou turned back, and glanced at her dad. Looking at the wrinkles appearing on his forehead and his frown, she sighed and prayed for her brother in her heart.

As expected, with a "pai" sound of a slap, Wen Shouzhen roared, "You rascal, why do you keep harping on this!"Notes:

[1] If the owner of the restaurant collects the money from its customers, how can he watch over the chef in the kitchen and guarantee that the chef did not steal any food? So only if the owner of the restaurant does not collect any money and just supervise the chefs can he guarantee that the chefs did not steal any food from the restaurant. i.e. all chefs will steal food from the restaurants they work in.

[2] 太羹元酒 is a very ancient way of describing food. This is not commonly used in today"s term, and translating it is very difficult. Here is my attempt: 太羹 means meat juices that excite all five senses. 元酒 is the an imaginary quality of alcohol that said to stand at the apex. Hence I interpret this word as "juicy meat that stands at the apex". The closest reference I can find for this explanation is at White Cut Chicken RecipeThis article is about White Cut Chicken recipe. It provides a step by step guide to making the dish, “White Cut Chicken “. It includes a video as well as the recipe. Note that this recipe is a simplified version ...
February 25, 2018 / ,

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