Chapter 40 (Second Update) The Cat and the Dog's Knife
Chapter 40 The Cat and the Dog Knife
When I went to fetch water from the old man this morning, I prepared a separate bucket of well water.
The well water was delivered by farmers from the other side of Guishan Mountain. The water was clear and sweet, and had a cool sensation when drunk.
Wash the grapes, wrap them up, and temporarily store them in cool well water to keep them chilled.
After rinsing and washing the grapes, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to pick up the bamboo, but I also forgot to make bamboo skewers.
Wang Sumo called out from the kitchen window, "Grandpa, I need some bamboo skewers, as thin as candied hawthorn skewers~"
Wang Sumo finished speaking with a smile. Old Qu was demonstrating how to kill a chicken. After all, Master He had raised free-range chickens as pets, so he found it rather gruesome. When he heard Wang Sumo say that he needed bamboo skewers, Master He volunteered.
You can sit in the small courtyard and slowly shave bamboo skewers.
Before any guests arrived, the kitchen curtains were not drawn, allowing Master He to see Wang Sumo washing grapes in the living room and then wiping each grape clean.
Because if there is water, the sugar won't stick and it won't form a proper candied hawthorn.
Therefore, King Sumo carefully wiped every single grape.
Through the window where Wang Sumo was standing, you could see outside, where Lao Qu was continuing to teach Xiaobai how to kill chickens.
This time, let Xiaobai do it himself.
Although Master He felt a little reluctant, seeing that Lao Qu was rather fierce and Xiao Bai was nervously grabbing the chicken, the two of them were fighting back and forth, making it look a bit chaotic.
As Old Master He bent down to whittle bamboo skewers with a dagger, he savored the peace and tranquility within his heart.
This trip out of Qingyun Manor felt like a return to the martial arts world he had been away from for over twenty years.
Everything around me was new, unfamiliar, yet familiar.
Because the old man is there.
He still has many places he wants to go and many people he wants to see.
Those who may not be in the martial arts world, but who left a significant mark on his past adventures.
Old Master He smiled as he shaved bamboo skewers.
He likes this kind of life.
"Girl, is this length and width alright?" Old Master He asked gently and kindly, holding up the first piece he had just shaved.
Wang Sumo glanced back and said with a smile, "Grandpa, make it a little longer, let's make a couple more!"
"Alright!" Old Master He chuckled and continued.
Wang Sumo added, "Let's not waste that, we'll just have some smaller skewers~"
"Good!" Old Master He was actually quite proud of his achievement.
The sense of accomplishment seems no less than mastering some kind of martial arts technique.
Old Master He quickly shaved two or three bamboo skewers and took them to the kitchen for later use. Wang Sumo and Old Master He chatted and skewered grapes while watching the chaotic scene outside the window or listening to the sounds of chickens and dogs running around outside.
Cooking, especially making desserts, is a very therapeutic process.
The process of simply stringing the grapes together took Old Master He a long time to complete.
Later, while Master He was making his own skewers, Wang Sumo had already taken advantage of the time to start a fire and begin boiling sugar.
A copper pot is better for boiling sugar.
To make candied hawthorn, just use maltose. Heat a copper pot until it's very hot, add the maltose, and then add a little water to make the maltose melt more easily.
Use a low flame; a small flame is fine from the very beginning.
When boiling sugar, the most important step is stirring. Stir constantly to prevent it from becoming a mushy mess that is unusable.
As the maltose slowly began to melt, the aroma of caramel was released by the heat of the copper pot. "Heh~" Old Master He couldn't help but sigh, "If He Lin were here, he would definitely like it."
Even Master He remembers it!
Wang Sumo's mind was filled with He Qingque's joyful expression when she ate candied ginkgo nuts last time, and also with the cheers and jubilation when Old Master He said he didn't need to provide white sugar!
Desserts are the best harmonizer.
The maltose was slowly simmered and stirred. The syrup started to bubble a little bit and then continued to bubble. The syrup became thick and sticky.
But don't trust your eyes, even those of an experienced chef.
Wang Sumo picked up the chopsticks beside her and gently dipped them into the copper pot. She didn't dip them too much, just to check the consistency so they would stick to the surface.
Next, place it in a basin filled with well water.
Candied hawthorn berries are made by coating the grapes with a crisp and sweet sugar shell. If the syrup on the grapes does not solidify quickly in cold water to form a crisp sugar shell, it means that the sugar itself has not been cooked long enough, and a perfect candied hawthorn berry cannot be made.
Wang Sumo wiped it and found that it could be hung, but when she quickly put it into the cold well water, there was no crisp sound, and the sugar shell did not become brittle.
We have to keep going.
The right heat is something you have to test to find out.
Wang Sumo doesn't make candied hawthorns very often. If a vendor makes candied hawthorns every day, he would be much more familiar with the temperature and cooking time.
The syrup was stirred and simmered for a while longer, and it should be almost ready now. Wang Sumo wiped it again using the same method as before, and... hmm~
When the sugar shell is immersed in clear well water, a crisp sound is heard, indicating that it has solidified into a crunchy sugar shell.
Wang Sumo picked up her chopsticks, put one end into her mouth, tasted it, and said, "Mmm, it's very crispy and delicious!"
Grandpa He could tell from Wang Sumo's expression that the candy was almost ready. Wang Sumo then said, "Grandpa, would you like a bunch of grapes?"
Grandpa He is very proactive.
Wang Sumo took the skewered grapes. Since it was for making sugar syrup, a deep pot wasn't used. The skewered grapes were placed in a flat pan. Wang Sumo held the gap at the end of the bamboo skewer and rolled it around very quickly to ensure that each grape was coated with syrup.
Grapes are different from hawthorns. Grapes have thin skins that are easy to break, so you have to be gentle and coat them with a layer of syrup, also known as sugar coating, relatively evenly.
This process requires meticulous attention, but once the grapes are coated, they must be immersed very quickly in the cool well water.
Maltose cools too easily; immersing it in well water allows the outer sugar shell to solidify firmly on the surface of the grapes in a beautiful shape.
Once you hear a crisp sound, and after a short while, you can take the bunch of grapes out.
In Bazhenlou, there are stone cutting boards. They are not used for cutting vegetables, but for temporarily placing things. Grape bunches that have been soaked in cold water are taken out and placed on the clean stone board to cool. Once cooled, the sugar coating will become completely crisp and hard.
This process takes about half an incense stick's time.
While waiting, Wang Sumo continued to add bunches of grapes, one after another, coating them evenly with sugar in the copper pot, then quickly immersing them in the cool well water, and finally placing them on a stone slab to cool and set.
The grapes, glistening and translucent, are nestled in clusters, filled with purple berries. They look as if they might melt into syrup in the sunlight if you look at them too closely.
Wang Sumo herself liked it very much.
With one bite, the crisp, hard sugar shell bursts open with a "crack," leaving a sweet, honey-like taste on your lips and teeth.
But amidst the sweet and sour taste, you suddenly taste the tartness of grapes, as if a refreshing sip has just arrived, blending the two sweetnesses together in a layered and complementary way.
"Hmm~" Even Wang Sumo himself couldn't help but nod, "Grandpa He, you must try it!"
Grandpa He had tried the candied ginkgo nuts at Qingyun Manor before and liked them very much, so he will definitely like this grape-flavored candied hawthorn skewer as well.
But when Grandpa He took it, he hesitated for a moment, then closed his eyes, took a bite, and quietly savored it.
As the two enjoyed the candied grapes in the kitchen, the chaotic chicken-killing scene outside the window finally came to an end. Bai Cen, panting, looked at the chicken feathers scattered all around him, and the chicken that had finally been plucked and cleaned, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
I never imagined, I never imagined, that he would one day kill chickens, ducks, and fish like this!
Fortunately, there were only two live chickens. He and Old Master Qu each killed one, otherwise...
Bai Cen washed his hands and then wiped the sweat from his forehead.
I've never been this thrilled, not even when someone chased me and made me jump into the river.
Meanwhile, the old man had already brought over a duck, saying, "You brat, this one."
Bai Cen had just taken a sip of water when he looked at the majestic duck in the old man's hand. Bai Cen wondered whether he would kill the duck or the duck would kill him.
The old man laughed and said, "You think coming to Bazhenlou is so easy? Hide well, don't let me find out your purpose."
Bai Cen laughed, "If I had known I would be doing this chicken and duck slaughtering work, I wouldn't have begged the employer for it."
These are my honest thoughts.
But then I thought about it again, and considering the spinach pancakes, it seemed alright. I just didn't know that killing chickens and ducks was such a physically and mentally taxing task.
"Stop dawdling, it'll be almost noon soon," the old man urged.
"Alright." Bai Cen propped himself up. Before he and Master He arrived, wasn't it just the old man himself?
Then Bai Cen thought of the old man. Before bringing him here, Wang Sumo had been doing all of this by himself.
Thinking of this, Bai Cen couldn't help but turn around and look at the Eight Treasures Pavilion.
Just then, through the open kitchen window, they saw Wang Sumo handing a bunch of grapes to Old Master He. Both of them took a bite and then showed satisfied smiles, especially Wang Sumo, whose eyes narrowed into slits with laughter.
Bai Cen couldn't help but laugh along.
It's so delicious, it can make you feel completely satisfied...
Bai Cen was laughing when she suddenly noticed a dark figure beside her leaning closer. The figure looked at her with cold, menacing eyes and asked, "Is it good to look at? Have you had enough?"
He was startled, so engrossed in looking at Wang Sumo that he forgot the old man was still there.
The old man's appearance is really creepy.
The key point is that if this Cloud-Piercing Mountain-Splitting Hand were to strike him, it wouldn't just cleave him in two, but it would probably cause him pain for several months.
He doesn't want to be bedridden and unable to handle the situation for the time being.
Bai Cen quickly took the duck from the old man's hands and killed it. After all, he was a guard and a handyman!
A handyman has to do all sorts of odd jobs, unless, one day, the Eight Treasures Restaurant gets a sous chef who can butcher chickens and sheep...
He was already starting to look forward to it.
"Grandpa, Xiaobai!" Wang Sumo's voice came from the direction of Bazhenlou. The two turned around, and Wang Sumo said with a grin, "Grape's candied hawthorns are ready, come and eat them, they'll melt in a bit!"
In this weather, not in the dead of winter, candied hawthorns won't melt in a short time.
If it melts, it's no longer called candied hawthorn.
Bai Cen's eyes lit up; he couldn't be more eager to stop killing the duck for the time being.
The old man was also happy to marry her.
The kitchen of Bazhenlou wasn't too crowded even with four people. Bai Cen felt once again that the person who designed Bazhenlou must be someone who was very familiar with kitchens, or rather, someone who discussed and designed it with someone who was very familiar with kitchens.
Moreover, the two of them must have a very good relationship.
Judging from the layout of this kitchen, it's a place for two or three people to share.
Bai Cen looked around as he took a sip.
When you bite into the sugar coating, you don't really notice it, but you feel that the sugar coating on Wang Sumo's candied hawthorn is not only crisp but also hard, just like the candied hawthorn in your memory.
But when you bite into the grape encased in that sugary shell, the whole taste seems to undergo a complete transformation.
The sweetness is wrapped in a hint of sourness, which seems to suddenly take you back to your childhood, but it is not entirely the taste of hawthorn from your childhood. It is the freshness of grapes, a completely different sense of novelty and imagination, and a touch of the unique coolness of grapes.
God has no idea how much he loves grapes!
This string of candied hawthorns is better than any string of candied hawthorns he ever ate as a child!
Bai Cen kept eating them one after another, and couldn't resist taking another one.
The crisp sound of biting into the sugar coating, and the smooth and sweet taste of the grapes on the tip of the tongue.
He felt he was going to fall in love with eating this candied hawthorn skewer!
Wait, this bunch clearly had six or seven pieces, how did it all disappear so quickly?!
Bai Cen was slightly dazed. Did he eat it all by himself?
But indeed, the bamboo skewers in his hand were empty.
While he was still wondering, Wang Sumo handed him another bunch of grapes. "You really like grapes."
The implication is that they ate so quickly.
He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I like this."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the old man chimed in, "After we finish eating, let's go kill the duck."
Bai Cen: ╰（￣▽￣）╭
Alright, let's kill the duck then. At least we got to eat some delicious candied hawthorn berries!
"Let's have this as dessert." Wang Sumo saw that everyone's feedback was good, and even Lao Qu ate two skewers in one go.
He used to say that anything sweet was too sweet, but not this time.
"I'm done eating. I'm going to kill the duck. You stay here, brat." Old Qu suddenly said this and got off the carriage without saying anything else.
Bai Cen: ╰(*°▽°*)╯
Bai Cen was still incredulous at such a good thing, and leaned out of the window, asking, "Grandpa, are you serious?"
Without turning his head, the old man waved his sleeve and gestured for him to acknowledge him.
Bai Cen turned around and said, "The sun has risen in the west."
Grandpa He lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "Jinniang likes to eat grapes."
Jinniang, Wang Sumo suddenly remembered this name.
Yes, the girl that both the old man and Master He liked. But I don't know if she's already...
Wang Sumo hesitated for a moment, then decided not to ask further. Old Master He also didn't bring it up. Only Bai Cen leaned closer and asked curiously, "Hey, who is Jinniang?"
Wang Sumo gave him another string of candied hawthorns, saying, "Take this and shut up your curiosity."
Bai Cen accepted it without ceremony, but after taking only one bite, she leaned closer and asked, "Is this to marry the old man's sweetheart?"
Wang Sumo stared at him with wide eyes.
Bai Cen knew he had guessed correctly, and then sighed softly, "It feels like a story that is epic and full of twists and turns, but ends in sadness..."
Wang Sumo looked out the window and said, "Grandpa, Bai Cen said he's coming over to kill some ducks!"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Bai Cen tried to stop him, but it was too late.
The old man had already turned his head and said in a deep voice, "Then come over here!"
Bai Cen felt like dying!
Wang Sumo picked up the last string of candied hawthorns and ate it in one go. She looked out the window at the sky and realized it was almost time to start work!
Wang Sumo lowered the curtain at the window.
The curtains on the kitchen window are just halfway up, ensuring ventilation while also blocking outside views.
Many people in the martial arts world are curious about Bazhenlou and its chef. Lowering half of the curtain can prevent them from being disturbed while cooking.
The chicken, duck, and fish needed for today have all been killed and cleaned simply, so that it's quick to prepare them according to the customers' orders.
The ingredients were all estimated.
Bazhenlou has been around for quite some time and has accumulated its own expertise in food preparation.
We don't prepare too much food, as we can't finish it all. But if there's leftover meat and vegetables from today's business, we'll often cook a nice meal for dinner.
With the stove heated up, Wang Sumo prepared all sorts of knives, pots, spatulas, chopsticks, bowls, and basins that she would need later, so that cooking would be quick.
However, if there were also a sous chef in the kitchen, the speed and taste of the dishes served at Bazhenlou would be much better.
Wang Sumo hadn't thought much about it before, but now that there are more people in Bazhenlou, more runners and general laborers, there's no reason not to cook a few more tables.
Previously, there were two tables on the second floor, and Xiaoyuan could sit at one table. She cooked by herself, and basically, she wouldn't turn over tables or expand the seating area downstairs at Bazhen Restaurant during a meal. Firstly, she simply couldn't handle it all, and secondly, the tasks of preparing ingredients and serving as a sous chef were probably beyond the capabilities of both Old Master Qu and Old Master He. Although Bai Cen was agile, she clearly didn't go into the kitchen often and wasn't familiar with cooking; she probably couldn't even cut vegetables properly.
Learning takes time.
If we can find a suitable sous chef, Bazhenlou will be able to turn over tables.
Alternatively, set up two more tables downstairs at Bazhenlou.
This makes it look more like a mobile restaurant in the martial arts world.
While preparations were underway, Bai Sumo heard someone ascending the steps of the small courtyard. Old Qu led Bai Cen to settle the guests.
Grandpa He keeps bowls, chopsticks, and other tableware on the second floor.
Wang Sumo stepped on the pedal to turn on the blower; at this point, the stove needed to heat up as quickly as possible.
I could hear intermittent sounds of people ordering food from the small courtyard behind me. They were probably a few middle-aged men, but they were quite loud and boisterous.
They seemed to have mentioned it briefly. This is the Eight Treasures Restaurant. We should hurry and go take a look. It seems the old man stopped them outside the kitchen. It wasn't unpleasant, but he wasn't very cooperative, and his tone wasn't very good either.
Later, it seemed like Bai Cen's voice was soothing, and then things calmed down.
A short while later, the old man came in, put the menu down next to the stove with a displeased look on his face, and muttered, "What a bunch of lousy cats and dogs! They didn't tell me to order much, so I'll just make two or three dishes to feed them!"
Wang Sumo couldn't help but laugh; this was what it meant to encounter a guest the old man didn't like!
The old man was very clear about his likes and dislikes. When he met guests he liked, he would be happy and give away all his ornamental crucian carp if he wasn't prepared to. But when he met guests he didn't like, he would even chase them away when he was unhappy.
But everyone knows it's Bazhenlou, so even if they're kicked out, it's unlikely anyone will retaliate, since it wouldn't sound good if word got out; besides, there are other customers at Bazhenlou, all watching each other.
At that moment, the old man left, saying, "What a worthless piece of trash!"
Wang Sumo glanced at the menu. She clearly heard at least four or five people outside ordering a whole bunch of dishes while she was in the kitchen, but the two men's menu only had three dishes, and they hadn't even written down a soup.
The old man couldn't wait for them to finish eating and leave; he didn't want to look at them for even a second longer.
Wang Sumo couldn't help but want to laugh.
But since the old man was in charge of running the errands, she only needed to cook according to the recipes.
Soon, the sound of people going upstairs could be heard again.
Bazhenlou is never short of customers. As long as you stop at the intersections around the restaurant, whether you are a merchant or a martial arts practitioner, anyone who knows about Bazhenlou will stop and stop, and will exclaim that they are having a really good day.
In addition, the Bazhenlou restaurant only has three tables, so it can be filled up in an instant.
Bazhenlou doesn't discriminate against its guests, but it doesn't accept impolite ones.
It's all local cuisine, not very fancy, and doesn't offer much service. It's just for the convenience of people traveling around, and it's the same for merchants and travelers.
Soon, Wang Sumo heard a bustling noise outside the window, accompanied by sighs. "It's so hard to find Bazhenlou here, but we were a step too late, and it's already full!"
"One more table would be great! It's really rare to encounter the taboo of Bazhenlou."
...
Wang Sumo herself knew that with only three tables, there would indeed be no seats available very quickly.
With one sous chef, it's actually possible to serve six tables at a time.
Wang Sumo began cooking according to the recipe.
The old man was already skilled at it; he would quickly order the dishes for the first table, and then start cooking them immediately without delay.
The second and third tables should order their food slowly.
Because it takes time to prepare the dishes for the first table, if the next two tables order too quickly, she can't keep up with the demand by herself, and the customers will feel that the wait is too long.
The old man knew the way like the back of his hand.
Starting from the second table, they started making random guesses. Anyway, everything Wang Sumo makes tastes good, so he could just do whatever he wanted. In any case, the two tables upstairs wouldn't be able to finish ordering their food in less than fifteen minutes.
Bai Cen stood to the side: (⊙o⊙)…
I've learned something!
*
While people were taking orders on the second floor, the kitchen was already buzzing with activity.
After ordering from the second floor, the first hot dish was served downstairs. Wang Sumo pressed the bell and then placed the dish at the pick-up point.
As Master He retrieved the food, amidst a crowd of surprised and expectant gazes, a plate of stir-fried shredded mutton with young ginger, still steaming hot, was served!
"Wow!"
The martial arts practitioners in the small courtyard on the first floor were visiting the legendary Bazhenlou Restaurant for the first time. When the first dish, stir-fried mutton with young ginger, which smelled incredibly appetizing, was served, they exclaimed in amazement.
"Grandpa, rice! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
No one could sit still; they all picked up their chopsticks and began to wolf down their food.
By the time the old man served the rice, the plate was almost completely devoured, and even the dried dogwood fruit had been eaten.
The plate was completely empty, with only a few shredded ginger left, making it impossible to tell what the dish had been!
Good heavens!
Old Master He's heart skipped a beat. He had just been thinking about how Su Mo had put such a big plate on the plate, but when he looked back, there was only a plate left!
The group shared the soup from the plate with their rice.
Bai Cen came to the kitchen to deliver the menu from the second floor and couldn't help but exclaim, "Those guys outside with their 'Deadly Dragon Tiger Knife' thing almost ate the plates!"
Wang Sumo: ? ? ?
Wang Sumo was confused. "Isn't it 'A Cat and Dog Knife'?"
[Author's Note]
I've finished writing this today, so I'm posting it now. I won't wait until 5 PM. See you tomorrow!
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