"It smells so good," Zhan Ning said, "is it pork ribs?"
"Hey," Xu Yinjun was curious, "Did the chef change?"
Xia Zhaoyi suddenly raised his legs and walked quickly towards the dining hall.
The men were busy and kept up.
The closer you get, the stronger the smell of meat becomes. When you step into the dining hall, the men are salivating.
The table is full of ribs, fried, boiled, deep-fried, steamed, braised...
In addition to the ribs, there are also vegetables and fruits in the middle of the plate.
There are three plates of each type of identical ribs, as well as fruits and vegetables.
Several maids were bringing the rice, the rice was hot and full of grains, and the small white Qingxi jade porcelain bowl in which the rice was served was covered with small valleys.
"Second Miss..." Fan Yu looked at Xia Zhaoyi, almost crying with greed, waiting for her order.
Xia Zhaoyi came back to his senses and said, "Let's take a seat and eat."
The pork ribs are full of color and flavor, fried to a crispy golden color, braised to a caramel color, cooked in a delicious soup, white jade green onions, fried and still smoking, with oily boiling bubbles on top...
The meat was well cooked but still chewy, juicy and flavorful, leaving a fragrant aroma on the lips and teeth, and soft and smooth when removed from the bones. Within a moment, the men were already having their second bowl of rice.
Zhan Ning and the others were full of praise for Xu Yinjun. Xu Yinjun also enjoyed the food and couldn't stop praising the chef.
"Look at our second young lady," Zhan Ning's words were choked with sobs. "Second young lady had no appetite at all before, but we are so worried that our bowl of rice is almost gone."
His choking was really choking. Zhan Ning never knew that one day he would be moved by delicious food.
Everyone looked towards Xia Zhaoyi.
The men devoured the food, and she always took her time, but there were still a lot of bones in front of her.
Since there were three plates of each kind, they brought all the sets to her, not daring to share the same dish with her.
However, although she had been eating, her mood seemed to be wrong. Only then did everyone realize that she had not spoken since she sat down.
"Second Miss?" Zhan Ning said.
Xia Zhaoyi looked at him and smiled lightly: "Huh?"
Although she has always looked calm and indifferent, everyone can tell at a glance whether her smile catches their eyes after being together for so long.
"...Second Miss, aren't these ribs delicious?" Zhan Ning said.
"delicious."
"Then... why are you in a bad mood?"
"I'm in a good mood," Xia Zhaoyi smiled again, "This is the most delicious pork ribs in the world."
She tried hard to control her emotions and did not dare to tell them that the ribs reminded her of her second brother.
If she mentions her second brother or the past, everyone's good mood will be ruined by her.
However, she didn't lie. She was in a really good mood now. After all, she thought she would never taste this taste again in her life.
She is also a greedy person. How can anyone in this world not be greedy?
Xianfeng Taoist is as good as his master, and he also likes to drink ginseng chicken soup.
Her two favorite things to eat are both in the capital, one is the Baihua Cake at Changweixian, and the other is the Ten-Spice Pork Ribs at Fangchenlou.
The ten-flavored pork ribs from Fangchenlou were currently held on the chopsticks in front of her.
The same taste, the same technique, the same color.
"Everyone, let's eat," Xia Zhaoyi said, "I have to go back to find Kang Jian later."
"But Miss Second, you..." Liang Dechang said.
"When did you see me having such a good appetite?" Xia Zhaoyi asked back.
This is true.
The meal was finally finished, everyone's stomach was bulging, and the men ate several bowls before they could finish the ribs in front of them.
Xia Zhaoyi would definitely not be able to finish the meal by herself, so she asked Xu Yinjun to inform the servants to keep the plates of ribs she had eaten so that she could eat them tomorrow.
"There will definitely be more tomorrow," Xu Yinjun said. "We can let the cook cook as much as the second lady wants to eat from now on."
Xia Zhaoyi said: "Maybe the cook will go back."
"Want to go back? Where to go?"
Xia Zhaoyi didn't answer. She put down the handkerchief she had wiped her mouth with and looked at Liang Dechang and Guan Chi Fan Yu: "You can follow Supervisor Xu and let him take you to your residence. Zhan Ning will also go take a bath and rest. I'll go find Kang Jian."
.”
She left alone, but not for long. After Liang Dechang, Zhan Ning and others had left, she turned back to Chengming Pavilion.
The maids were clearing the table, and when they saw her, they all said hello.
Xia Zhaoyi asked for directions to the back kitchen. The fire in the stove had stopped and the cooks were chatting in the courtyard. Xia Zhaoyi did not go there, but asked the servant girl to call the man who made the ribs.
The chubby middle-aged master came over and said respectfully, "Miss Ah Li."
"Thank you for your craftsmanship, master," Xia Zhaoyi said, "May I ask, who invited master from Yong'an?"
"This... I'm not from Yong'an," the fat cook smiled naively, "I'm from Tangzhou."
"Tangzhou?" Xia Zhaoyi said, "But I hear your accent sounds like Yong'an."
"This...it's a long story. There were wars in the six provinces of Tangzhou Tongqu. I was originally the manager of Zhuxinyuan. Later, I encountered those clansmen from the country houses in the countryside who came to the city to destroy them. Our manager
I was dragged to the street and beaten to death by those beasts. A few waiters and I ran fast to save a small life. Later, we met Mr. Ping on the way to escape. Mr. Ping heard that I was in charge of ladles, so he specially tested me.
They even asked me to carve radishes from vegetables. I didn’t have any other skills, so I got attached to the stove since I was a child. When Mr. Ping saw that I had some skills, he asked me if I would like to follow them. Of course I would,
There are many of them, they are well-dressed, expensive to use, and they are kind-hearted, who wouldn’t want to!”
"Do you think this Mr. Ping is...?"
"Mr. Ping Yuefeng, Mr. Ping. Miss A Li, don't you know me?"
Xia Zhaoyi shook his head.
"Then, where is General Xu Lixu?"
Xia Zhaoyi paused: "We know you."
"Xu Lilang will be with Mr. Ping. After Mr. Ping asked me if I would like to follow them, he asked a team of guards to send me to Yong'an."
"..."
If it is Xu Li, then it will be obvious who is Mr. Ping's subordinate...
The fat chef continued: "I learned these ribs in Yong'an, and I also learned a lot of pastries."
"Is Fangchen Building still there? Is it closed?" Xia Zhaoyi asked.
"They are still there, but the old masters are no longer there. After we arrived in Yong'an, Lin Zhonghu went to the neighbors to ask if the taste was still the same. When they learned that it was different, they took me to search for three days before we found it.
A former master."
"Then, is the master willing to teach?"
The second brother knew that she liked to eat, and he wanted the cooks at home to learn from her. However, those old chefs said that this was a century-old inheritance of Fangchen House and should not be passed on to others, so the second brother did not continue.
"I refused at first," the fat cook said with a naive smile again, "Isn't it because of your sincerity? We talked for several days, repeatedly promised not to open a shop, and gave you enough money, so you were willing to teach me."
