Chapter 120 Chapter 120 Deputy Head.
Mr. Qiu put the empty bowl back on the table and placed the chopsticks neatly on the chopstick holder. He sat there quietly, without saying a word or looking up, completely immersed in his own thoughts.
The people around looked at Mr. Qiu's reaction, and the whispers gradually became louder. Some diners couldn't help but stand up and move over to see Mr. Qiu's reaction.
Song Jiaoniang noticed this and hurriedly led the servants forward to persuade everyone to go out and temporarily closed the door.
It took a while for Mr. Qiu to recover. With trembling hands, he took out a handkerchief from his bosom, wiped his red eyes, and wiped away the tear that was falling.
Seeing this, Lin Zhi stepped forward and said softly, "Mr. Qiu, is this the flavor you tasted back then?"
Mr. Qiu shook his head: "No."
Just as Lin Zhi was startled, he laughed heartily and explained, "It is indeed this thing, but it's just rustic food that doesn't taste as good as what Lin's chef cooks. It even has a bit of a fishy smell."
At this point, Mr. Qiu's nose felt sore again. He didn't want to think about the past anymore, so he just asked curiously, "How did Chef Lin come up with the idea of making rope cakes with pork?"
Linzhi explained with a smile, "When I heard you say that Suo Bing was crispy and red the other day, I remembered that it's hard to store food in the countryside during winter. When preparing New Year's goods, aside from pickled vegetables and meat, the remaining pig's blood couldn't be wasted. Therefore, in many places, pig's blood is mixed with flour, rice flour, or even pork to make blood cakes, pork meatballs, or even these pig's blood Suo Bing for easy storage."
After a pause, Lin Zhi continued, "Besides, you said that families were not well off back then, so the street vendors definitely had to save money. The snake cakes made with pig's blood have a special flavor, and the processed snake cakes can be kept for three or four months, which is also a good way to reduce costs. So, I think the shop owner back then might have had the same considerations."
Of course, what Linzhi didn't say is that perhaps Mr. Qiu embellished his own statement and the origin of this pork soup pancake.
After all, ingredients with a strong flavor, such as pig blood pancakes, are mostly produced in residential areas, and there are not many shops selling them.
Everyone has secrets they want to hide, so Linzhi didn't express his doubts.
Mr. Qiu's emotions had long since calmed down. Upon hearing this, he clapped with restraint and reserve: "As expected of Chef Lin!"
He took out a thick stack of Jiaozi from his purse and pushed it all in front of Lin Zhi: "Chef Lin, thank you very much for your help. This is a small token of my appreciation, not just a token of respect."
Lin Zhi only took a glance and found that the money was far more than the reward.
She was a little surprised: "Mr. Qiu, this--" Is it too much?
But just as he said this, Linzhi stopped talking abruptly, and suddenly thought of something: this Mr. Qiu is the current Shaoqing of Guanglu Temple. According to the regulations of this dynasty, he will stay in this position for at least one year and at most three years. If he becomes the deputy head, the exchanges between the two will increase a lot in the future.
Rather than thanking himself, Mr. Qiu is more like - making friends with himself?
In just three breaths, Lin Zhi accepted the money with a smile and said, "Thank you for the expense, Mr. Qiu. If you have any questions about food in the future, or want to ask me for help, please feel free to ask."
Mr. Qiu looked at Linzhi deeply and agreed with a smile.
After Mr. Qiu got on the carriage and left, the new customers couldn't hide their excitement and came up to him to gossip and ask about Mr. Qiu's affairs.
When they learned that Linzhi had really made the food that Mr. Qiu had been looking for for more than ten years, exclamations of surprise rang out one after another.
Soon, this matter was reported to Chef Wei, who also had a bowl of almost identical pork soup noodles in front of him.
In fact, many of the current dried noodles, such as the alkaline noodles in the south, are steamed first and then dried in the sun.
After hearing about using pig blood to mix dough and steaming it before drying it in the sun at Qiu Mansion in Linzhi, Chef Wei returned to his shop and tried making it himself.
Unexpectedly, this method not only allows the rope cake to maintain its bright color, but also makes it chewier than ordinary alkaline noodles. The moment it is cooked and put into the mouth, it really has the "crisp" texture described by Mr. Qiu.
Chef Wei slowly finished the bowl of soup noodles. This pig blood noodle soup was rich but not fishy, mellow but not smelly, red but not spicy, thick but not greasy, and tasted better than he expected.
But before this, he had never heard anyone mention this thing, and thought it might be a specialty food from another place.
Chef Wei sat stiffly where he was, and after a while he let out a breath, a trace of unwillingness flashing through his heart.
The elderly woman who was sewing nearby heard the sound, put down her work, and looked at him worriedly: "Brother Lang, why are you sighing all of a sudden?"
"I was thinking, although Chef Lin is much younger than me, he has a very broad vision." Chef Wei said in a low voice.
"In that case, why not go out for a walk?"
"I finally secured my position as head chef. If I were to travel, it would take at least three to five years before I could return."
Chef Wei frowned. He was similar to Chef Lin, Chef Jiang and others, but also different. Although Haoweizhai was the private property of the Wei family, his father had many children. It was because of his talent and hard work that he was valued by his father and got the job of head chef.
If I leave now, won’t all my previous efforts be in vain?
The woman smiled, picked up the embroidered screen again, and while examining it carefully, she asked, "Do you think the other brothers in your family are better than you?"
"How is that possible?" Chef Wei answered without even thinking.
"That's all." The woman lowered her head and went back to working on her things. "If you can get it once, you can get it a second time."
Chef Wei's mind was swaying, and he finally stood up and left. He was still thinking to himself, unaware that the servant following behind him was already sweating with anxiety.
He had followed Chef Wei for several years, and finally waited until Chef Wei became the head chef, and he also benefited from his success, and his life gradually became better. If Chef Wei left, he would have to leave Bianjing with him and suffer outside.
But if he stayed in Bian Jing without Wei Chu, he would just be an ordinary servant and his life would still be difficult.
The servant observed Chef Wei's expression and walked a distance before saying, "Sir, do you really want to go out for a walk?"
Chef Wei didn't respond, his expression was indifferent.
The servant secretly observed Chef Wei's expression and whispered, "But Haoweizhai can't do without you! Besides, I heard that Sanlang Jun is planning to learn from Chef Cui."
Chef Wei paused and walked forward again.
The servant moved closer and lowered his voice, "Besides, my husband is interested in Chef Lin. If you travel for a few years, Chef Lin might arrange a marriage for you..."
Chef Wei's expression changed, and he finally stopped. The servant, feeling his words were effective, grew even more excited. "If you think Chef Lin's cooking is good, marry her and bring her home. She'll tell you everything she knows, so why would you run around and torture yourself?"
Chef Wei's eyes turned cold, and he cursed inwardly that he didn't realize that the people around him were so careless even before anything happened. They were so happy after just a few days of good life that they didn't want to leave. Just because they didn't want to go on a long journey with him, they instigated this and that.
If I get the money next time, won't I be able to do anything? Chef Wei said nothing, and the servant thought that what he said hit the nail on the head.
It was not until he was gagged in the middle of the night, tied up and thrown into the woodshed, and sent back to the brokerage firm where the contract was signed the next day, that the servant began to regret his actions.
But he didn't even have the chance to beg for mercy, as he was sent to another place by the pawnbroker to work as a servant.
Putting aside Wei Chu's thoughts for now, in the following period, Lin Zhi made steady preparations for the election, and finally got the results a month later.
That day, Song Jiaoniang was busy with business in the shop, and she would look outside the door from time to time, looking very uneasy.
The waiter came forward and said, "Madam Song, someone wants to invite Chef Lin to come and prepare a banquet."
"Okay, I'm here." Song Jiaonian hurried back to the counter from the door, warmly greeted the maid who came to visit, and carefully recorded the other party's family, the number of guests, and the meal standards for Linzhi to check after returning.
In addition to Song Jiaoniang, there were other maids busy registering other meal reservations at the counter, and the place looked very prosperous.
Just as Song Jiaoniang sent the maid away, she saw a familiar donkey cart parked outside the door. Lin Zhi was lifting the curtain, jumped down, and strode towards Song Jiaoniang: "Mother!"
The shouts of joy that could not be concealed immediately made Song Jiaoniang's heart beat faster. She hurried forward and asked in a trembling voice, "Sister Zhi... is it done?"
Not only did the customers in the shop stop what they were doing and look over curiously, but even Madam Yu from next door came running over with Shopkeeper Wu, both pairs of eyes looking at Lin Zhi nervously.
Lin Zhi didn't beat around the bush. She opened her arms and smiled openly, "What do you think?"
There's no need to guess at this appearance!
Almost as soon as the words fell, Song Jiaoniang screamed and rushed towards Lin Zhi excitedly.
"Sister Zhi, you are awesome!"
"Oh oh oh oh! Chef Lin becomes the deputy head?" The customers also became excited.
"Oh my god, how old is Chef Lin now?"
"Chef Lin is probably the youngest deputy head of the guild in history!"
Madam Yu also laughed: "That's right! I asked around, the youngest vice president before was 28 years old, and Chef Lin is much younger than him!"
"Oh My God!"
“That’s a real record!”
Everyone was talking about it, and as they left, they didn't forget to spread the news. Soon, many shop owners and chefs from shoe shops and restaurants came with gifts, wanting to congratulate Lin Zhi in person.
Seeing this, Lin Sen was so delighted that he couldn't stop smiling. He repeatedly said that he would go to the shop to order a plaque to hang outside so that everyone would know that his sister Zhi had become the deputy head of the guild!
Lin Zhi was just about to persuade him not to be so ostentatious, but unexpectedly at this moment Chen Yan came in with a plaque and handed it to her personally.
Lin Zhi was stunned for a moment before she asked softly, "When was this prepared?"
Chen Yan curled his eyes: "Last time you said you wanted to run for election."
He added with a smile: "I told you, Sister Zhi, you can definitely do what you want."
Lin Zhi held the plaque, her fingertips brushing over the words on it. It wasn't an official plaque sent by the government, but it made her heart beat strangely faster. She opened her mouth, and after a long pause, she softly said, "Thank you... I like it very much."
Chef Wei, who arrived late, stood at the door. In fact, he was also holding an identical plaque in his hand. When he saw Lin Zhi holding the plaque given by Chen Yan and smiling at Chen Yan, he suddenly stopped and slowly exhaled after a while. He turned around, put the plaque in his hand back into the donkey cart, and then walked back into the shop.
"Chef Lin, congratulations." Chef Wei bowed.
"Chef Wei." Lin Zhi suddenly came to her senses and quickly turned around to greet him. "Thanks to you for reminding me of this matter, otherwise I wouldn't have known about this opportunity."
"Why thank me? Even if I didn't tell you, someone would have informed you. The fact that you were selected is all due to your own ability!" Chef Wei laughed out loud.
"Everyone, come in and sit down. Don't stand at the door." Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang were busy greeting neighbors and acquaintances who came to congratulate them. Seeing Lin Zhi and Chef Wei exchanging polite words, they hurriedly called them into the shop.
After a lively meal, the guests gradually left. Chef Wei stayed almost until the end, finally speaking: "Actually, I came here today for another reason."
A trace of vigilance flashed across Chen Yan's eyes, and then he heard Wei Chu say, "Actually, I will be leaving Bianjing in a few days."
"Ah?" Song Jiaoniang was surprised. "Where is Wei Lang going?"
"Could it be that someone invited you to a banquet?" Lin Sen thought about it and came up with a guess.
"Or do you want to go and see where the ingredients are?" Lin Zhi asked curiously.
"I haven't left Bianjing since I started learning cooking," Chef Wei said frankly. "After competing with Chef Lin, I felt like my cooking skills had reached a plateau. I wanted to get out and explore new ingredients and cooking techniques to broaden my horizons."
Hearing him say this, Lin Sen nodded repeatedly: "A good man should go out and explore more! But this time, I'm afraid it will take three to five years, right?"
"I guess so." Chef Wei replied.
"Aren't you the head chef at Haoweizhai?" Song Jiaoniang couldn't help but ask, "What will happen to the business if you leave?"
"There are other brothers in the family who can support the family." Chef Wei waved his hand and did not take it to heart.
Seeing that he was determined to leave, everyone stopped trying to persuade him and just repeatedly reminded him to be careful on the road and to put safety first.
Chef Wei agreed to all the requests, and chatted with Linzhi for a few more words about cooking before getting up to say goodbye.
Seeing this, Chen Yan also said goodbye. He walked out of the door, got on the car, and drove a short distance before he met a donkey cart parked in the middle of the road.
As expected, Chef Wei was standing nearby.
Chen Yan did not get out of the car, but just lifted the curtain and looked at the other person calmly.
Before Chef Wei could speak, he said in a deep voice, "In three days, the results of this year's Autumn Examination will be announced."
Chef Wei was stunned when he heard the nonsensical words. It took him a while to come back to his senses and he looked surprised.
It wasn't until the carriage that Chen Yan was riding in left that Chef Wei murmured, "...No way?"
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