Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Triple the price.
Song Jiaoniang's eyes nearly burst out in tears, she was stunned. She exchanged glances with Lin Sen, then dragged her daughter to the next shop to try some.
This is a Sophora japonica Wentao restaurant. Sophora japonica Wentao is also a common food, but Lin Sen soon noticed that the Sophora japonica Wentao sold in this store is somewhat different from that sold in other stores.
I saw the diner sitting next to me stirring the food with wooden chopsticks, and soon the topping and the noodles were evenly mixed, revealing a part of the noodles buried underneath by the topping.
This biscuit looks strange, it's actually hollow!
Lin Sen was surprised to see this kind of suowan for the first time. After asking the stall owner to bring him a bowl, he asked his daughter, "Look at this suowan. What is it made of? Why does it look like this?"
Lin Zhi used chopsticks to stir it once or twice, then picked up a piece and put it into her mouth. "Dad, this Bo Xin noodles also has locust leaf juice, and the raw materials are also northern wheat. I think it's just the method of cooking that's a little different."
"Is this also made from ordinary wheat?"
"How can there be holes inside?" A nearby diner, overhearing the father and daughter's chat, couldn't help but interject, "This type of noodle not only looks unique, but also has a much chewier texture than regular noodles. I've never had it anywhere else."
"Don't you think so?"
"That's right."
“I eat here every year.”
"Hmm... Boss, you're from Yingtian Prefecture, right?" Lin Zhi smiled and looked up at the shop owner. "Over there, they have Boxin noodles. I remember picking out high-gluten noodles, adding a small amount of locust leaf juice, stirring into a dough, then covering it with cooking oil and letting it ferment overnight..."
"Hey, hey, hey, young lady, stop talking." The shop owner quickly stopped talking and smiled awkwardly: "Just as you said, I am indeed from Yingtian Prefecture and moved here more than 20 years ago."
"How do you know?"
"When the eldest daughter got married, a cook named Fan came to the mansion. She was from Yingtian Prefecture." Lin Zhi pulled someone out and said, "She once made this dish for the eldest daughter. I was curious at the time, so I asked her for advice."
Linzhi did not lie, but the content was slightly modified: for example, when the eldest daughter of the Xi family got married, the mansion did hire a cook named Fan, and the cook Fan was indeed from Yingtian Prefecture and had cooked many fresh dishes for the eldest daughter.
As for the rest, it was all nonsense. In my previous life's memory, Cook Fan was cold and indifferent to the servants in the mansion. She wouldn't answer their questions, and even if they looked at her, they would be scolded.
Song Jiaoniang had no idea what Cook Fan was like in private, but she assumed her daughter had developed a keen interest in cooking even while at the mansion. She opened her mouth, then remained silent for a moment before asking any further questions.
Seeing this, Lin Sen changed the subject: "This approach doesn't count."
Linzhi wrinkled her nose at him: "I know."
The diners next to him were surprised, and when they learned that Linzhi claimed that he could taste the recipe, they couldn't help but put down their chopsticks and turned around to watch.
Linzhi picked up a piece of noodles with chopsticks and put it directly into his mouth. This kind of noodles has a very chewy texture, and the hollow inside allows it to take on more toppings and soup, which is very refreshing to eat.
"Although Bo Xin noodles are rare, the boss's toppings are also very good." Lin Zhi slurped up a large mouthful of the Suo Bing. The Suo Bing, made with locust leaf juice, was a light green, and paired with the rosy broth and meat, the red and green colors were visually striking.
"This looks like minced meat, but it's actually a combination of mixed mushrooms, diced winter bamboo shoots, and diced pork. First, they sautéed minced ginger and garlic, then added all the other ingredients and stir-fried them with chicken powder, fermented black beans, and..."
Linzhi was talking freely, but was stopped by the boss halfway through. He then stuffed a few things into the hands of the family of three and asked them to go sit somewhere else.
The family of three looked at each other, preparing to leave. Seeing this, the customer who had just been sitting at the table next to them raised his voice and said, "Why don't you try Fengji Steamed Buns? That shop is one of the best here. I heard their meat buns have a secret recipe that no other place can make them taste this good."
As soon as the words fell, many people echoed them.
Lin Sen wanted to see how far his daughter could go, so he simply asked around and brought his wife and daughter to a shop with a long line. "This is it."
"It's said that this shop's signature dish is the scallion and pork steamed buns. They're incredibly delicious, without even a hint of muttoniness. They're so famous that many passing merchants buy dozens of them and steam them for later consumption on the boat."
Linzhi stood in the queue and looked forward curiously. Sure enough, there were often people in the queue buying dozens or even scores of them.
Lin Sen lowered his eyes to gaze at his daughter's hair, pondering silently. If that method of eating, or the ingredients, were used in the prefectural government, and his daughter had probably heard about it from others, then this scallion and pork steamed bun before her, a commonplace dish yet one that attracted countless repeat customers, must be distinguished from what she normally ate in order to arrive at the answer.
If his daughter could also reveal the secret this time, Lin Sen felt that he needed to have a good discussion with Jiao Niang about his daughter's future.
While Lin Sen was thinking, the team was moving slowly, and soon it was Lin Zhi's family's turn.
"What would you like to order, young lady?"
"Three green onion and pork buns." Linzhi blurted out, pointing directly at the sign of Fengji Buns.
"Okay." The shop owner was a woman about the same age as Song Jiaoniang. She had an indigo scarf wrapped around her head and was dressed very neatly. "Are you sharing as a family? I'll pack separate portions for you."
"Okay, thank you, sister."
"Oh, look at how sweet this little mouth is! My dear husband and wife will surely be blessed in the future." The woman smiled and spoke without stopping her hands.
She neatly wrapped three steamed buns and handed them to Lin Zhi: "Here, take them. Eat them and come back next time."
"Mrs. Feng, why are you so polite?" The diner who had just made the proposal and then followed the Linzhi family laughed: "We are here to challenge them."
"Challenging the opponent?" Madam Feng was stunned.
"Hey, hey, hey, that's not the case." Lin Sen touched his nose and quickly tried to smooth things over, "We're just trying it, just trying it, there's nothing else to it."
"Oh, there's nothing to be afraid of." The diner was happy to join in the fun and recounted Linzhi's previous expression in vivid detail, attracting passers-by in front of the steamed bun shop to stop and look at Linzhi's family with curiosity.
"Can you tell the recipe by taking a bite?"
"There really is such a strange person in the world?"
"I'm afraid it's just for the sake of attracting attention..."
"That may not be the case! The butcher in front of our commercial street is always very careful with everything he does, and maybe the young lady is the same."
"That's practice makes perfect, can this be the same?"
The diners were talking about it. Some believed it, some were looking forward to it, and of course some thought that the Linzhi family was just trying to attract attention.
Compared to the diners' shock, the shop owner, Madam Feng, was exceptionally generous. Perhaps out of confidence, she said in a loud voice, "So that's how it is. Feel free to try it!"
"Sorry..." Lin Sen's face turned slightly red.
"It's okay, I'm curious too." Madam Feng chuckled and her eyes fell on Lin Zhi.
Unlike the doubts of passers-by, Madam Feng actually knew someone who could taste the origins of various spices and even restore their flavors. Even her own secret recipe came from her.
Mrs. Feng was lost in thought as she recalled her past in Bianjing. She lamented that she had been so ignorant when she was young. She had learned a few skills and thought she could gain a foothold in Bianjing, build a career, and become a chef that everyone admired.
However, they didn't expect that Bian Jing was the habitat of geniuses and extraordinary people, and most people spent their entire lives just being a kitchen helper cutting vegetables and arranging dishes.
It is a blessing to be able to get some advice from others like her, return to her hometown with the recipe, open a shop, and accumulate a family business.
Madam Feng withdrew her thoughts and couldn't help but look at Lin Zhi. The one she knew was now a famous chef in Bian Jing. Could she be lucky enough to meet the second one?
At this moment, Linzhi used his hands to slightly force and broke the steamed bun into two halves.
In an instant, the aroma of meat and green onions hits you in the face, and the tempting aroma makes you swallow your saliva involuntarily.
“Smells so good!”
"Look at the gravy!" Song Jiaonian exclaimed.
Linzhi looked closely and saw that the steamed buns were full of meat filling, and the finely chopped green onions and pork were closely together. With just a little force with her hands, the fragrant meat juice overflowed and was quickly absorbed by the dough on the outside.
Linzhi opened her mouth and bit into the fluffy and soft dough, but before she could savor it, she gasped in painstaking heat from the gushing soup.
When the temperature of the soup drops slightly, the aroma of wheat, meat and green onion will bloom on the tip of your tongue.
Linzhi's eyes lit up, his face filled with surprise: I had never imagined that this small commercial street could hold such a hidden talent. There was the old man who used honey from the elm tree in his pastries, and then there was the craftsman who could make meat buns to such perfection.
"How are my steamed buns? How do they taste?" Mrs. Feng said she didn't mind, but her eyes never left the three people.
When she saw Song Jiaoniang praising the shop again and again and saw Lin Zhi's surprise, she was suddenly filled with pride - her shop had been open for more than ten years, and had accumulated many repeat customers thanks to the secret recipe, and even traveling merchants came here to buy it.
Because her business was so booming, it attracted a lot of attention, and many people came to ask about the secret recipe she used.
When Lin Zhi heard Madam Feng's question, she curved her eyebrows and smiled, "It's delicious."
"No wonder the line is so long," Song Jiaoniang nodded frequently as she ate. "Madam Feng, these are the most delicious scallion and pork buns I've ever had."
Mrs. Feng's smile grew wider. Just as she was about to turn around and continue her business, she saw Lin Zhi swallow the last bite, tiptoe close to her ear and whisper.
The diners around saw Madam Feng's smile slowly freeze and her pupils suddenly shrink.
Then, Madam Feng stiffened her body and slowly looked at Lin Zhi, whose face still had baby fat and had not yet fully grown. Her throat was dry: "You, you, you..."
Lin Sen and his wife were stunned: "Sister Zhi, you, you, you figured it out?"
"Yes." Lin Zhi said frankly, "But this is Madam Feng's exclusive secret recipe, it's not something I can tell you in public."
Madam Feng calmed herself down, told the girl beside her to look after the shop, and then went forward to talk to the three people.
This time, her attitude was much more respectful than before. She looked at Lin Zhi with complicated eyes: "Are you from Bianjing? ...Whose family are you from?"
Lin Zhi was slightly stunned.
Song Jiaoniang waved her hands hurriedly and explained, "No, no, my daughter doesn't know how to cook."
Madam Feng: “……???”
Someone who tasted my secret recipe after eating just one steamed bun doesn't know how to cook? You're kidding!
Madam Feng naturally did not believe what Song Jiaoniang said. She thought that the Linzhi family did not want to reveal their origins in front of everyone, so she invited the three of them to the inner hall to talk.
The diners around saw this and immediately started talking about it.
Seeing people gathered around and some making fun of the steamed bun shop, Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang wanted to pull Lin Zhi away early, but Lin Zhi pulled them into the house.
"Sister Zhi, what are you doing?"
"Dad, Mom, just sit quietly and leave the rest to me." Lin Zhi didn't explain in detail, just whispered a few words and went in.
Inside the hall, Madam Feng served tea herself, her manner respectful. She secretly glanced at the three of them and saw that Lin Sen and his wife were fidgeting, while Lin Zhi sat steadily, holding the teacup with a light touch before putting it down. Madam Feng's observation only confirmed her suspicions.
Madam Feng didn't dare to ask about the three men's origins. She just said gently, "I wonder which family invited you three here? How much did they offer? If you're willing to sign a deed of secrecy, I'm willing to pay three times the price."
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