Chapter 45 Manager Qian's mutton has too strong a gamey smell
The shop fell silent as Shi San Niang arrived, and they all stopped what they were doing.
Lu Qiong frowned even more. The shop had just started to improve and was making money. Was it really going to be shut down now?
She straightened the ceramic pot, walked towards Shi San Niang, and asked with a smile, "What brings you here today, San Niang?"
I don't want to talk about the shop, and I don't dare to.
Unexpectedly, Shi San Niang just laughed and said that she had noticed that she hadn't been there for the past few days and thought something had happened, so she came to ask out of curiosity.
Lu Qiong finally relaxed her tense body and smiled more sincerely: "It was just a trip home, which delayed me for a few days."
Shi San Niang seemed to be deep in thought, and inadvertently glanced at Lu Xuan before turning her gaze back and smiling, with a strangely warm feeling: "Manager Lu's home must be a good place, that's why you all keep it in your homes every day."
Lu Qiong wondered if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Shi San Niang was looking at her head the whole time. But was there something strange about it?
Moreover, Shi San Niang hesitated several times before finally praising her for looking good today.
Why is that?
Lu Qiong was still confused and didn't understand what Shi San Niang meant, but since she was now considered a "landlord" and couldn't be offended, she smiled and accepted her praise.
Shi San Niang also inquired about the scenery of Shangyuan Village, its customs, and its unique food.
Speaking of Shangyuan Village, Lu Qiong's smile spread from his eyes to his eyebrows: "Outside of Bianjing, the scenery is no different. It's just that I have a bit of nostalgia for this place. I can't say that it has anything special about it, but there are people I miss here."
It's unclear which words touched Shi San Niang, but her eyes suddenly became a little moist.
Shi San Niang left with the final words: "If you have the chance, you must visit this place properly in the future."
After she left, Sister Yang, who had been hiding to the side, finally came out: "Third Sister, did you come all this way just to chat with you? When did you two become so close?"
Lu Xuan also suddenly said, "I thought she was going to kick us out."
Kick us out? Lu Qiong looked down at her, puzzled. "Who told you she would kick us out?"
Realizing she had said the wrong thing, Lu Xuan quickly covered her mouth, revealing only a pair of innocent, round eyes that stared straight at Lu Qiong, mumbling indistinctly, "I would never betray Sister Li..."
Lu Qiong sighed helplessly, wondering how there could be such a "clever" person.
Yang Jie'er didn't pay attention to their conversation. She imitated Lu Qiong, resting her hand on her chin and rubbing it, saying, "Is this Third Sister Shi trying to gather information?"
Another clever little devil. Lu Qiong didn't want to know what the "news" Yang Jie'er was talking about, so she called her back: "It's getting late. If we don't go back now, it will get even later, and it will be pitch black. I'm afraid you won't be able to find your way."
Sister Yang was terrified of the dark. As soon as she heard that they had to travel in the dark, she cried out and forgot what she had said earlier. After carefully checking everything in the shop, she said goodbye to them.
Lu Qiong and his companion didn't linger. After Sister Yang left, they also returned home with lanterns in hand.
Once night falls, the Lu family courtyard becomes completely silent, and then footsteps can be heard.
After playing with Xue'er for a while, the two returned to their respective bedrooms.
Lu Qiong's bedroom has been recently furnished with many new items. She had previously asked Pei Yu to make two dressing tables, with another one in the next room. In the center of the dressing table is a bronze mirror, reflecting her delicate face, with a hairpin in her hair.
By the candlelight on the table, Lu Qiong took the hairpin off, held it in her palm, closed her eyes, and gently caressed it.
Today, Shi San Niang was probably examining this hairpin repeatedly.
But what does this have to do with Third Sister?
Lu Qiong couldn't understand it, so she put the hairpin in the wooden box, closed it, changed her clothes, and went to bed to rest.
She was still covered with the bedding she had brought from Shangyuan Village. The familiar scent was comforting, and she snuggled into the blankets, quickly falling asleep.
It seemed like she had a dream in which a man and a woman were arguing, and Lu Qiong was standing to the side, trying to call out to them but to no avail.
...
Today is an important day, and everyone at Lu's is busy, inside and out. The two helpers are also doing some simple chores, such as serving dishes, making tea, washing dishes, and cleaning up leftovers...
I soaked the ceramic pot in boiling water yesterday and washed it thoroughly inside and out, leaving no nook or cranny untouched.
Lu Qiong was in charge of cooking in the kitchen, simmering rice porridge in a pot, while imparting her experience to Sister Yang: "For porridge hot pot, the most important thing is the porridge base. How to cook a good pot of porridge? It depends on the heat and the time spent cooking it. It has to be cooked for at least one or two hours..."
A pot of plain white porridge, nothing special, Sister Yang nodded in agreement, keeping it in mind.
In order to make the "congee hotpot" famous, Lu Qiong spent a lot of money to buy a batch of crabs, pork offal, and all kinds of meat, and finally some vegetables. She also asked one of her helpers to cut them into small portions.
Lu Qiong's knife never stopped cutting meat, her wrist aching from the effort. She clicked her tongue in exasperation, realizing how hard it was. If no one else had helped her, it would have been even more tiring.
Suddenly, she felt a chill down her spine. It was Yang San Niang who had quietly approached her and whispered in her ear, avoiding the presence of others, "Just now, Shi San Niang was looking this way again. Perhaps she saw us promoting new dishes and wanted to steal their recipes... We need to be careful of her..."
Shi San Niang?
Lu Qiong was puzzled. She put down the bamboo knife and turned around to ask her, "Isn't Third Sister's shop supposed to open around noon? Why is it open so early today?"
"Oh dear, young lady, why are you still so slow-witted? She's trying to learn by stealing our techniques! She sees something selling well and wants to copy it. Ever since she came, no one has been eating the dough I knead..."
Lu Qiong didn't understand where she got so many strange ideas from, and even how she secretly learned them?
The place was already small, and now with three people crammed in, they urged her to go outside: "Sister Yang, the dipping sauce hasn't been mixed yet, hurry up and prepare it, the guests are coming soon."
The only sounds in the shop were chopping vegetables, bubbling porridge, customers talking, and someone nearly burning themselves...
Not only did the diners from last night come, but even Manager Qian came upon hearing the commotion, bringing with him a group of onlookers.
Manager Qian is the leader of the nearby restaurants. Every time he comes up with a dish, it becomes a sensation in Bianjing. But recently, a young lady has appeared and is vying for his attention.
He has to take a good look.
For the people of Bianjing, they may never see the emperor in their lifetime, but they cannot help but know about Manager Qian, who has superb culinary skills! And they certainly cannot help but have tasted his dishes!
Legend has it that Manager Qian's ancestors were chefs in the imperial kitchen, and they left behind a thin notebook. Someone even accidentally glimpsed it; the notebook was filled with secret recipes!
Cooks are usually depicted as sturdy and robust, but Manager Qian was different. He looked thin and frail, more like a sickly scholar from elsewhere, perhaps even a pharmacy addict. He was also kind and gentle, yet despite his achievements, he was not yet thirty and remained unmarried and alone.
The diners next to him now looked at him with a fawning expression: "Manager Qian, are you here to check out Lu Ji's new dishes too?"
Shopkeeper Qian smiled and said, "I just happened to be passing by and saw that there was a long line of people. When I asked, I found out that it was some kind of 'congee hot pot' and I became a little curious."
He wouldn't say that he wanted to know who was the powerful figure vying for his attention.
Lu Qiong brought out the well-cooked porridge and scooped out the rice, leaving only a pot of pure white rice water.
Shopkeeper Qian shook his head silently, but continued reading anyway.
Lu Qiong had no idea that a powerful figure who was popular in Bianjing was scrutinizing her. She focused on doing her job well, washing the crabs, cutting off their claws, and placing them on a plate.
Other ingredients were also brought out by the helpers and placed one by one on the outermost table.
The ceramic pot was opened, revealing a generous amount of charcoal already inside. A flint and steel quickly ignited a small fire with the dry grass, and with a whoosh, the charcoal burst into flames.
However, the porridge is hot, so the ingredients can be poured in quickly.
Lu Qiong picked up a plate of crab: "There's a specific order to adding ingredients to this congee hot pot: first the crab, then the meat, and finally the vegetables..."
I thought everyone would get impatient, since it takes time for the crab to cook, but the aroma of the crab kept spreading out, and you could smell it even across the street.
Everyone swallowed hard, staring intently at the bubbling crab, not daring to be distracted.
Once everything was cooked, Lu Qiong ladled out several small bowls, still steaming hot: "Does anyone want to try a portion first? This whole pot is free."
Diners are used to the tasting of new dishes, and they all clench their fists, ready to snatch one.
Unexpectedly, someone spoke up first.
However, upon seeing that it was Manager Qian, the others lost their anger and all recommended him as the first person to taste the food. After all, Manager Qian was not only a good cook, but also a picky eater. If he encountered a dish that did not suit his taste, he would definitely find fault with it.
Lu Qiong knew that this young man was a good cook, and since everyone was happy to try it, she didn't have to bother choosing anyone. She smiled and handed over the porridge, saying, "Then please let this young man taste it first!"
Seeing her confidence, Manager Qian sneered inwardly, but chuckled and said, "Thank you, Manager Lu."
There was a spoon in the bowl and dipping sauce on the table, but he refused to use it. In his opinion, only the original flavor could reveal whether the ingredients were good or bad.
He first scooped a spoonful of porridge, and as soon as he brought it to his mouth, he could smell a rich aroma—the scent of crab, the aroma of meat… It was clearly a jumble of flavors, yet they blended together unexpectedly.
Moreover, the taste was very fresh, much better than I expected.
Seeing that he had eaten several bites but remained silent for a long time, the others were extremely worried.
Is this delicious or not?
Under the intense gazes of the crowd, Manager Qian slowly put down the bowl, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, leisurely wiped his fingertips a few times, folded the handkerchief, and then said unhurriedly, "This porridge..."
It doesn't taste good?
Lu Qiong raised an eyebrow and looked at him without saying a word.
Keeping everyone on edge, Manager Qian finally continued, "This porridge isn't cooked long enough; it needs to simmer a little longer... The crab wasn't chosen well either, the mutton has too strong a gamey smell, and the radish is sliced too thinly..."
"But the taste is not bad, it's worth a try."
This sudden outburst startled Lu Qiong, but he did point out the problem, not just nitpicking.
Although she didn't know who he was, Lu Qiong humbly accepted the answer and smiled, "Time was short, and I haven't had time to prepare properly. If there's a chance next time, I definitely won't disappoint Manager Qian."
Manager Qian smiled back, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "That's not the case. Being short on time is not an excuse. If we really wanted to, we should make sure that every diner who comes here is not disappointed."
Lu Qiong wasn't angered by his words and didn't intend to argue with him further. She distributed the remaining hot pot and won over a new group of diners.
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