Chapter 62: Come to challenge your boss and let him come out to accept the challenge! ...

Guiji Braised Food Shop is becoming increasingly popular.

Two apprentices were busy in the lobby, mainly responsible for attracting various individual customers.

In the relatively secluded backyard private room, the minimum consumption is several times higher, and the guests are all wealthy.

While drinking and chatting, whether it was local rumors, business trends, or official dynamics, they were gradually revealed.

Guizhier also heard a lot of news in bits and pieces.

The issue that has been the subject of endless debate in the court recently is the spring flood.

The warm spring sun melted the ice and snow, and the water levels of rivers in the south of the Yangtze River rose. Coupled with continuous spring rains, floods turned the people living along the coast into refugees.

"This flood is as powerful as the one during the Kangshun years. In my opinion, the most important thing is to open the sluice gates and release the water to protect Hangzhou and Beijing first."

The official stroked his goatee and chewed the braised mutton slowly with his chopsticks.

The thin lamb slices exude the original flavor of the marinated meat, and are mixed with cucumber shreds, minced garlic, light soy sauce, sesame oil and other ingredients, with a refreshing taste.

"Those armchair censors, hoping to leave their names in history, insist on building the river embankment." The middle-aged man across from them slammed the table in anger. "They're simply foolish!"

He swallowed a mouthful of hot wine, shook his head and sighed.

The older official squinted his eyes, watching the sunlight leaking through the roof and shining on the tables and chairs. The light dust slowly fell in the golden light, and he remained silent.

The ups and downs of his career in officialdom for most of his life gave him a kind of optimistic and resigned temperament.

During the spring floods of the Kangshun period, at his insistence, the sluice gates were opened to release the floodwaters, which flooded large areas of farmland in Qingyezhou City and destroyed many villages.

But Hangzhou and Beijing were not affected at all, and Nanyuan Prefecture remained prosperous.

He was the only one who bore the blame for the emperor.

"My family has been destroyed and my family and my people have been killed because of one word from this bastard official. It's absolutely heartless!"

"The lives of the people in the capital are lives, but are we in Qingyezhou not human beings?"

The villagers' roofs were washed off and their homes were flooded. Even though there was a lot of noise and chaos, they soon fled for their livelihoods and scattered to various state capitals.

The older official picked up another piece of braised mutton with chopsticks. He ate very slowly, his eyes revealing a kind of enjoyment and intoxication, as if there were no more worries in the world.

"Teacher, don't blame yourself," the middle-aged man said sincerely, "If the villagers of Qingye Prefecture hadn't disregarded Daliang's laws and illegally cultivated along the slopes, clearing the forests to reclaim wasteland, the soil washed away by the water wouldn't have accumulated in the river downstream."

The spring flood will not endanger Nanyuan Prefecture.

This is a natural disaster, but also a man-made disaster!

"I have made mistakes too." The older official waved his hand.

Before the floodgates were opened to release water, county and state officials were told to move the people to safe areas, but some officials were lazy and some people were reluctant to move.

The surging flood mercilessly swallowed up innocent people.

But now, many years later, he still insists that this is the best solution.

If we follow the censors' advice and start building the river embankment only when the crisis comes, more people will die.

The older official closed his eyes.

Corruption in Daliang has penetrated deep into the bones. The food rations allocated to the workers working on the river repair and the victims can be withheld privately, the project costs can be deducted, and the corvée quotas can be used to extort money.

After peeling off layer by layer, only empty husks are left of the rice.

The censors had the desire to save the world and the people, but they had no practical experience in governing the country, which only led to the flood raging all the way to Hangzhou and Beijing.

By then, Daliang will be in danger!

Guizhi, who was cooking next door, was very observant. She stopped stirring the marinade with the stirrer in her hand and sighed slightly.

She couldn't help but think of the life experience of the courtesan Liu Qianjin.

The misfortunes of the great times, when they befall anyone, may be a turning point in their life.

"My dear, these noodles have been fried in hot oil. What are you going to do with them now?" The bean sprout boy interrupted Guizhier's thoughts.

The fried noodles are crispy and golden, with unique wavy patterns.

"Make instant noodles." Guizhier came back to her senses.

"What are instant noodles?" the two apprentices asked in unison.

Guizhier smiled confidently. Instant noodles can be braised beef noodles, pickled cabbage noodles, mushroom stewed chicken noodles, seafood ramen, and kimchi ramen.

Just add hot water to wake up the spice bag and vegetable bag, and you can enjoy the convenient delicacy at any time.

In an era of slower pace of life, preservation technology is lacking and the concept of “pre-prepared meals” has not yet become popular.

But cinnamon twigs have another wonderful use when made into instant noodles.

"The Spring Imperial Examination consists of two exams, one for copying scriptures and the other for policy essays. We have to stay in the Imperial Academy for three consecutive days," Guizhier explained. "The conditions in the dormitories are poor, so we have to pay more attention to the food."

This is true.

The examination rooms in the Imperial Examination Hall were narrow and cramped, each only three or four feet wide, and were densely packed together like a beehive.

The examinees could barely find space inside. The wooden board served as both desk and bed. The ground was covered with mud and dust, and there were even some small reptiles.

"Ordinary candidates bring their own dry food, breaking up steamed buns and flatbreads and swallowing them with hot water, or eating pickled vegetables and bacon."

"I asked around, and there's a stove at the end of each row of dormitories where you can make your own fire and cook," Gui Zhier added, "but the exam is tight and the workload is heavy."

Therefore, most candidates can only make do with filling their stomachs.

The two apprentices didn't understand what she said, but they roughly understood that the young lady wanted to make a delicious noodle that could be cooked in hot water in a short time.

Boil the broth until it turns thick and white, remove the beef from the boiling broth, drain and roast.

Guizhier's hands flew, extracting salt, five-spice powder, chili powder, etc. from the seasoning jar in turn and mixing them evenly.

"You can turn down the heat to cook the lard." Guizhier always keeps an eye on the goings on in the kitchen.

She took over and continued to stir the pot with a spatula to prevent the lard from sticking to the bottom of the pot. This is the essential soul of making sauce packets.

Seeing Guizhier busying herself, the two apprentices ran around consciously, serving dishes to the lobby and private rooms.

The girl with the ponytail had a lively smile and became more and more confident in communicating with the guests. The young man also cherished the hard-earned opportunity of temporary work and rushed to do the dirty and tiring work.

"Hey, isn't this Gou Sheng?" a sharp voice filled with endless pride and arrogance, "Why are you here begging for food?"

The boy looked up and froze.

The person peeking out from the shop door was none other than Cuiyuanlou's kitchen helper. He was aching slightly from a recent injury, and his expression was wincing.

"My two guests..." The girl with the ponytail was interrupted before she could finish her words.

"We are from Cuiyuanlou." The visitor had no good intentions and did not even step into the front door of the shop. He just said with disdain:

"Let your shopkeeper come out and accept the challenge!"

Daring to take in someone who was kicked out of Cuiyuan Building is a naked provocation.

How can you survive in Beijing by opening a store without any real skills?

The Kwai Kee Braised Food Shop's raging fire cuts into the financial resources of many restaurants catering to the powerful. Cui Yuan Lou, lacking its head chef and facing declining business, is particularly jealous.

"If we want to compete, we can't just limit ourselves to braised food." The challenger sneered condescendingly, "Young lady, do you dare?"

"I understand." Guizhi'er raised the corners of her mouth, revealing a row of white and neat teeth.

Her eyes were as clear as autumn water, and her tone was calm and composed, as if she didn't care at all about the visitor's deliberate provocation.

But I found it funny in my heart: Don’t you think that braised food shops can only make braised food?

What a coincidence, Miss Gui is proficient in all eight cuisines!