Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 300: Help the County Magistrate to Cook Some Fresh Dishes

"I don't have a suitable gift for the moment. Wait a minute, I'll pack some meat skewers and meat patties for you to take back as a thank you gift."

Qi Xi thought that the young master really liked the food of the Shen family, so he did not refuse and said with a smile: "Thank you very much, Madam."

Li turned around and took a bamboo basket, picked up various meat skewers and lasagna, filled the basket up, and then let Qixi go back to the county government office.

For a chef, a good kitchen knife is something that is hard to come by.

Many famous chefs have their own set of kitchen utensils, which they carry with them wherever they go. They are their only tools for eating and they do not allow others to touch them easily.

The smelting and forging technology of this era was still at a relatively primitive level, and the kitchen knife that Shen Yu originally used was rough and heavy.

When she went to the kitchenware store to buy pots and pans, she saw that the kitchen knives in the store were all similar, so she had to make do with them, thinking that the kitchen knives at the moment were just like this and couldn't be much better.

Fortunately, most of the dishes are home-cooked dishes, and nothing requires good knife skills, so it doesn’t matter whether the kitchen knife is good or bad. You just need to sharpen the knife more frequently.

Shen Yu didn't expect that the knife Lu Lang brought back was so good.

The capital city is really great. The top figures in every industry are all there. It is not comparable to this small county town, Shen Yu secretly admired in his heart.

It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to downgrade again. After using this knife to cut vegetables, I immediately felt that the original knife was clumsy and heavy.

When the shop closed in the afternoon and they began to prepare ingredients for the next day, the whole family, including Yutao, took turns trying out the new knife to cut vegetables.

Except for Zhou Dalang who felt that the kitchen knife was a bit small and did not fit his hand well, the three ladies and the little girl Yutao all agreed that the kitchen knife was really easy to use and it cut quickly and efficiently, making cutting vegetables quick and smooth.

Li was the last one to try it out. After using it, he carefully washed the kitchen knife with water, wiped it dry with a cloth, and put it back into the wooden box that contained the knives.

Li handed the wooden box to Shen Yu and said, "This knife may look inconspicuous, but it is very useful to use. It is not an ordinary kitchen knife."

"It's better to keep it and use it in dishes that require fine chopping."

"When we cook these home-cooked dishes, such as cutting radish, cabbage, onion, ginger and garlic, we still use the original kitchen knife."

Everyone also felt that the knife should be put away. If it was used regularly, it would become dull and there would be no other knife to buy in the county town.

Shen Yu originally wanted to use this knife to cut vegetables in the future, but then he thought about it and realized that what everyone said made sense. It was indeed impossible to buy such a good kitchen knife in Anping County.

If it broke, there would be no second one, so I had to reluctantly put the wooden box into the kitchen cabinet.

Early the next morning, Shen Yu was busy greeting customers in the shop, but Lu Lang and Qi Xi came over together in a carriage.

This was the time when many customers were having breakfast and the shop was busy.

Seeing that the store was packed with people and it was inconvenient to talk, Lu Lang did not go in, but asked Qi Xi to call Li and Shen Yu out.

The two Lis knew that it was Lu Lang who came, so they hurried out of the shop, walked over, bowed and greeted him.

Lu Lang waved his hand quickly, telling the two not to be polite, and then greeted Li.

After greeting each other, Lu Lang got straight to the point and said, "Madam, I'm here to pick up Miss Shen to cook for the county government office."

"Father has been preparing for the Wanshou Festival recently. In the next few days, the governor of Ji'an Prefecture, Mr. Liu, will come to inspect the counties. Father will host a banquet then."

"The banquets in the restaurant are the same every year, there is no novelty, so my father wants to ask Miss Shen to make some fresh dishes."

When Li heard that the county magistrate asked Shen Yu to cook, she thought it was such an honor and could not help but smile, and wanted to agree on Shen Yu's behalf.

But on second thought, this sounds like a very honorable thing to do, but if the dishes are not to the liking of the county magistrate, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Li thought of going to the Song Mansion to cook. Because the chef was difficult, Shen Yu had to taste all kinds of seasonings herself. After accidentally offending the second young lady, the whole family was worried.

Even the wealthy businessmen cannot be offended, let alone the powerful county magistrate.

When Li thought of this, she couldn't help but hesitate, but she didn't dare to refuse, and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Shen Yu was originally worried that when Li heard the county magistrate asked her to cook, she would agree without hesitation.

Seeing that Li didn't say anything, he felt relieved, knowing that Li's thoughts were similar to his, so he smiled and said, "Mr. Lu, you know that what I cook are home-cooked dishes, which are ok for ordinary people to eat."

"If I am to entertain the prefect, how can I show off my humble cooking skills? If I make the county magistrate lose face, how can I bear the consequences?"

Lu Lang smiled and said, "Madam, Miss Shen, I know what you are worried about. You are worried that the food will not be cooked well and the governor will not be satisfied with the food, and father will blame you."

Li and Shen Yu felt a little uncomfortable after Lu Lang revealed their secrets.

But Lu Lang continued to explain: "You two don't know, that Mr. Liu is an old friend of my family."

"He is kind and gentle, not difficult to please, nor a talkative person."

"His only hobby is to eat fresh dishes that he has never seen before. If he hears that there is delicious food somewhere, he will never get tired of it even if he has to take a carriage for a whole day to eat it."

"Qi Xi went back yesterday and told me about the piece of tofu that Miss Shen cut. I also felt that it was unheard of."

"At noon, my father mentioned that Lord Yang was coming over and complained that he had tried all the dishes made by the chefs in the county restaurant and they were all mediocre and there was nothing new."

"I'm worried about having no fresh dishes to serve to satisfy Lord Yang when we host a banquet."

"Speaking of fresh dishes, I think of Miss Shen. Although the dishes you cook are all made with common ingredients, they are all fresh and unique."

Lu Lang paused here, with a proud expression on his face: "So, I recommended you to my father."

"Father remembered you because you made great flower cakes. He also heard that you are a good cook, so he urged me to pick you up and cook a few dishes for you."

"So Miss Shen and Madam Shen don't have to worry. If you don't do well, your father will be unhappy."

"You don't have to prepare all the dishes for the table. Father will invite the chef from the restaurant to prepare the banquet."

"Miss Shen can cook a few fresh dishes to make it even better. It will also be a help to father."

Lu Lang spoke very frankly and sincerely. Shen Yu and Li felt relieved after hearing his explanation.

Li nodded slightly to Shen Yu, and Shen Yu responded: "Since Master Lu said so, I will do my best and not let Master Yang down."