Chapter 76 Braised Chicken
When Wen Zhu came out after the exam, he saw the old man waiting at the door with his hands behind his back.
Before going in, he clearly said that he was not in a hurry at all, and that he would go have some tea and that I would come to him after the exam.
I was very happy when I saw him as soon as I came out.
"I just sat for too long, so I got up to move around a bit and check to see if you've finished your exam. I wasn't waiting for you." Seeing Wen Zhu coming out, the old man coughed lightly and quickly explained.
"Okay, I get it, I get it. Your legs are sore. I'll make you a plaster when I get home. It'll be effective in relieving your cold legs."
Old Man Wen was no longer arrogant, but beaming with joy. Facing the curious glances from those around him, he quickly showed off, "This is my little apprentice!"
"Why are you accepting a girl as your apprentice? Aren't all Chinese medicine students boys?" someone couldn't help but interrupt.
"What's wrong, young lady? Didn't you hear that my little apprentice wanted to make me a plaster to treat my old cold legs? Do you have such treatment? No! It's just that my apprentice is filial, which is something that ordinary people can't compare to. I can understand. Don't be too sad. Just look at my apprentice and be jealous!"
The man was speechless and left angrily.
Other people around: .....
They just looked at me a few more times and didn't ask any questions!
Forget it, I won’t say anything more. My teeth are sore.
Wen Zhu saw that it was still early, so he took a short walk around the county town with his master.
She found that there were obviously more people setting up stalls to do business in the county than in their small town, which showed that everyone was tacitly moving towards the market economy advocated by the country.
As expected, the closer you get to a larger city, the more you can feel the gradually emerging commercial atmosphere.
Wen Zhu observed carefully and found that most of the stalls were selling vegetables, eggs, insoles, noodles, and buns. There were also some snacks, but they were relatively rare. There were no clothing stores, only tailor shops that altered clothes and made ready-made clothes.
I had a clear idea in mind and decided not to continue shopping. After having dinner with my master, I asked him to sit in the teahouse and wait for me. I had something to do and would be back soon.
Wen Zhu found the state-owned restaurant where he had eaten before by himself.
She walked in and found the waiter, "Hello, I want to see the person in charge here."
The waiter was not as arrogant as the waiters in their town, but after taking a look at Wen Zhu, he politely refused.
"Sorry, our manager may not be here right now. Please come back later."
As he said this, he went back to his work.
Wen Zhu didn't give up and continued, "Can I meet the head chef in your kitchen? He can't be away from home, right?"
The waiter couldn't get away with it, so he had to ask, "Miss, what's wrong with you? Tell me, and I'll solve it for you if I can."
Wen Zhu said directly, "I came here for lunch at noon and have some suggestions for your dishes. I would like to mention them to the chef. I wonder if it would be possible for me to talk to him directly?"
The waiter had no intention of taking her in, so Wen Zhu casually handed her a small box.
"I made this Chinese herbal ointment myself, specifically for repelling mosquitoes. It's not expensive." Then he glanced at the nameplate on her wall that showed her who was on duty today and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Sister Xiaolin. I'll just talk to someone."
The waitress, Xiaolin, picked up the small box and sniffed it. It had a light, herbal aroma. The bamboo box was cute and small. Thinking that mosquitoes had been getting more and more frequent recently, she looked around and saw that no one was looking at them, so she quickly stuffed the box into her pocket.
Thinking that Wen Zhu was just a little girl and wouldn't cause any trouble, he led her to the kitchen.
"Come with me."
It was already past lunchtime, and there were only a few people eating, and they were all finishing up, so the kitchen was not busy.
A bald man wearing an apron was instructing someone who looked like an apprentice to wash and prepare vegetables.
Seeing Xiaolin leading a little girl in, he asked, "Xiaolin, what's going on?"
The waiter, Xiao Lin, smiled and said, "Brother Zhang, this is a guest who had lunch at our restaurant today. He said he wanted to talk to you. I have something else to do outside, so I'll be leaving first. You guys chat."
With that he left.
Wen Zhu looked at the chef with a smile, and instead of offering suggestions, he asked, "So you're the head chef of this restaurant. The roast chicken I had for lunch was made by you, right?"
The bald chef saw the little girl talking about the roast chicken and thought, is she here to cause trouble? There have been people like this before.
"Yes, I did it, so what?" His tone was already filled with dissatisfaction.
Wen Zhu quickly said with admiration, "I'm still savoring the taste. I couldn't resist the urge to meet the chef and broaden my horizons!"
This flattery immediately made the chef, who was initially starting to get angry, smile brightly. He waved his hands modestly and said, "Not really, not really. I'm just a bit more skilled. After all, I've been working here for years. I've been here as long as this restaurant has been open. The taste is just barely acceptable."
Wen Zhu didn't forget his goal and quickly said, "I've eaten a chicken recipe before that was even better than this, but it's been so long and I haven't eaten it again. I don't know if no one can make it."
When the bald chef heard this, he asked, "Is there any dish that can't be made?"
Wen Zhu: "It's not that you can't do it, it's just that the method is new and may not have appeared here yet."
"What on earth do you want to say, little girl?"
"Isn't this a coincidence? I've researched this recipe and thought I'd borrow your stove and ingredients to make it for my master to try."
Without waiting for the bald chef to speak, he immediately said, "I've paid for the ingredients, seasonings, and coal. I just want to borrow some land. Do you think this is feasible?"
When the bald chef heard this, he thought that this little girl was also a person who could appreciate delicious food and was filial, so he agreed, "Okay, you can do it. When you are done, just clean up the place while you are at it."
Wen Zhu immediately agreed with a smile.
Then the chef went to lie down on a small bed at the side of the kitchen and took a nap.
The apprentice was a young man of about twenty years old. When he saw Wen Zhu, such a beautiful girl, he kept his head down and busy himself, not daring to stare at her.
The sleeping chef was awakened by a burst of fragrance.
He sniffed, climbed up from the small bed, and went to the kitchen to see that Wen Zhu was holding a lunch box with greasy chicken with green and red peppers on the chopping board and was washing the pot.
"Girl, what delicious food have you made? I can smell the fragrance from far away. What is this dish called?"
Wen Zhu didn't hide it and handed over a pair of chopsticks, "Try it, this is called braised chicken."
The chef took a look at the bowl. It contained wood ear mushrooms, tofu skin, green and red bell peppers, dried chilies, onions, and a few slices of greens. The broth was thick and rich, and the chicken was tender. He picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth.
It was smooth and tender when eaten, covered with sauce, with a slightly sweet front taste and a spicy aftertaste. The bald chef nodded repeatedly while eating it.
I couldn't help but pick up another piece and taste it carefully.
I still don't know how the meat is so tender.
Wen Zhu saw that the time was almost right, so he gave the money and planned to leave with his lunch box.
"Hey, little girl, wait a minute."
Wen Zhu stopped and asked, "Do you have anything else to do?"
"I'm going to go find the manager. Please wait a moment. Don't leave. I'll be right back!"
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