Chapter 87: Peace and Peace
Seeing Qi Huan was stunned, Shen Ye shook the remaining half piece of Dacquoise in his hand in front of his eyes and reminded him, "It's a mess."
"What the hell." Qi Huan waved his hand away, the spatula hitting the wall of the pot with a crackling sound, and continued to stir-fry the chops in the pot.
Shen Ye smiled and whispered teasingly, "Why, are you heartbroken to hear that our boss is getting married?"
"I'm fine." Qi Huan said stubbornly. He put the fried pork chops into the jar, added two bowls of amber aged wine, covered the lid, pretended to be busy, checked the green plums that were going to be put in later, and then went to check the soup of the braised eel.
White-braised green plum ribs and red-braised eel are both recipes from Suiyuan Food List.
The original menu calls for the stewed dish to be cooked directly with wine after blanching, and then other seasonings are added after it boils about twenty times.
Qi Huan added a step before adding the wine. He fried the ribs first. On the one hand, the surface of the ribs would be dehydrated after frying, making it easier to absorb the flavors of the subsequent aged wine and other seasonings. On the other hand, it would also allow the protein and fat in the ribs to undergo the Maillard reaction and produce aroma. This was said by the chemistry student in the dormitory. Although he was not a good cook, he was very knowledgeable when it came to theory. Qi Huan remembered some of it after listening to it many times, but he couldn't remember the more specific details about things like amino acids and reducing sugars.
In fact, the basic theory of Chinese cooking is to "bring out the flavor", such as various methods of removing the original fishy smell of ingredients, and to "bring in the tasteless", such as adding various auxiliary ingredients and seasonings to stew, but no matter how things change, the essence remains the same.
Red stewing is similar to white stewing, and needs to be stewed slowly until it is dry and flavorful. The only difference is the seasonings used, especially the use of sweet sauce instead of soy sauce, which can make the final dried soup thicker and smoother.
Shen Ye came closer to him and whispered devilishly, "Are you really not worried?"
"What's there to worry about?" Qi Huan immediately replied, and then muttered stiffly, "A high degree of compatibility does not necessarily mean that they will get married."
"That's true. After all, we haven't reached the 95% mandatory match marriage line." Shen also nodded. He was so close, and he was a sentinel with five sensitive senses, so the muttering naturally didn't escape his ears.
He took a bite of the dacquoise in his hand and changed the subject. "But, the number of Guides is much smaller than that of Sentinels, and even fewer are able to match them. In real life, if the matching rate of a Sentinel and a Guide exceeds 80%, it is considered a match made in heaven. If the number of 92% happens to you, it sounds like it is almost 100%."
Qi Huan: ...
"Do you know why those elders were so anxious to send people here?"
"Wait." Seeing Ah Tu, Er Pan and others carrying things towards him, Qi Huan quickly stuffed a few more pieces of Jinyu Egg Yolk Pastry into the shallow plate in Chen Ye's hand to block his mouth, so as to prevent him from talking nonsense in front of others.
Ah Tu brought over fish balls, sparrow meat balls, earthenware balls and other ingredients for the Yu Lin Xiang Yao, while Er Pan brought over the marinated mandarin fish in Huadiao wine.
Yulin Fragrant Kidney is a Hunan dish, said to have been created by the chef of Peng Yulin, a famous official in Hengyang during the Qing Dynasty. He put local specialties in one bowl, stacked them layer by layer, and built an eight-story pagoda shape. It uses rich ingredients, bright colors, and a unique taste, so much so that this dish later became the first dish used as a reservation at local banquets.
Huadiao Mandarin Fish is a famous dish from Shaoxing. It is said that in order to let the emperor taste the local specialty mandarin fish, Xu Wenchang, a talented scholar in the Ming Dynasty, thought of imitating the folk "single abalone" method. He smeared the mandarin fish with fried pepper and salt all over the body, and then marinated it with Huadiao wine. After marinating, the mandarin fish can be preserved in its freshness, and the flavor of rice wine is added. Thus, it became a famous dish and spread widely.
Later, the locals used yellow croaker instead of mandarin fish. Mandarin fish was naturally not available here, so they used the Ben fish brought by Jiang Huai.
After checking that both of them had done everything right, Qi Huan waved his hand and signaled them to proceed to the next step.
After everyone left, Qi Huan picked up the winter melon for the Sun and Moon Triple Rings and began to carve the winter melon cup. He then casually brought up the topic he had just interrupted, "Why are those elders in such a hurry to send people over here?"
Chen Ye's lips curled slightly, "I heard that the guide is from the Yao family of the Seventh Star Region. You know the Yao family, right?"
"I know." Qi Huan glanced at the Taibai beast meat in the pot, and his voice was as soft and lingering as the hot steam rising from the pot. The only two allies of the Jiufang family among the ten great families were the Fifth Family and the Yao Family.
"Originally, the old men of the Jiufang family gave the waste planet No. 7 to our boss in order to sever ties with them and let them fend for themselves in the future. But now that it is confirmed that the beast tide is not a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster caused by Jiufang, the situation over there is a bit awkward. Once this matter is publicized, the Jiufang family will lose all their face for many years, so they are now anxious to repair their relationship with the boss, or at least suppress this scandal. This highly compatible guide is their urgent bargaining chip, so they are in a hurry to send him over."
Qi Huan frowned. Why did it sound a bit like the ancient practice of sending a princess to marry?
Chen Ye took a bite of the egg yolk pastry and continued, "I heard from others that if the match between the sentinel and the guide is more than 90%, it is like the two poles of a magnet, with a strong attraction. Just think about it, if that person comes and meets our boss, wouldn't it be a perfect match?"
“It’s not that exaggerated, right?” Qi Huan paused in the carving motion.
Chen Ye looked up at the ceiling of the kitchen, as if imagining the scene. He chewed dessert in his mouth and his voice was a little vague, "Huanhuan, don't blame me for not reminding you. Our boss has a strong sense of responsibility. If something happens after the two of them meet, you will have no chance in the future."
"You don't stand a chance!" Qi Huan scolded him, "You can't even talk sweetly while eating dessert."
Shen Ye immediately retorted, "You can make so many desserts, but I've never seen you speak sweetly."
Qi Huan raised his knife and pretended to hit him. Shen Ye quickly bowed and begged for mercy, "I was wrong, please spare my life, hero."
Qi Huan gave him a look that said 'I don't want to bother with you' and continued carving flowers on the winter melon.
"Hey," Shen, who was sitting on the stool, was quiet for less than ten seconds. He couldn't help but lean over to Qi Huan, patted his arm gently, and asked curiously, "Didn't you test your mental strength on the starship this time? Did you also do a compatibility test with the boss?"
"Of course not." Qi Huan denied it immediately. Who would do this kind of test for no reason?
"Hmm," Shen Ye shook his head and stuffed the last half of the dessert into his mouth, "So you are such a coward. You can't even take advantage of such a good opportunity."
"You can?" Qi Huan rolled his eyes at him, "Then tell me how to use it?"
"Isn't this simple?" Chen Ye leaned towards him, "Our boss is a slow-moving person. He looks gentle, but he's actually very cold inside. He also pays special attention to the false etiquette of the aristocratic family. Even if he's really interested, he'll be worried about this and that and won't say anything. Don't people say that the truth comes out after drinking? Just find an opportunity to drink with him, get him drunk, and then you can get the truth first and then the person, and then everything will be done, right?"
Come to think of it, it seems like I really went out drinking with Jiu Fangyu one night? Qi Huan recalled the situation that day and rolled his eyes at Chen Ye, "Let's not talk about anything else. Have you ever considered a situation where your boss can drink more than me?"
Shen also choked, then shook his head with a bitter face, "Then you're done, you definitely can't beat him in a fight, the beauty trap is useless against his face, and your alcohol tolerance is not as good as his..."
"I wasted ten minutes listening to you." Qi Huan changed the angle of the winter melon in front of him and continued carving, "You can't do anything about it."
"Who said I have no way?" Chen Ye rolled his eyes. "Otherwise, we can use the strategy of inflicting pain on one's self. You can pick an opportunity to pretend to be injured or something..."
"Forget it. Thank you, but my arms and legs are no match for your sentinels. Don't make things worse and hurt yourself." Qi Huan felt that the more he spoke, the less reliable he became.
"Then there is only one last trick left," Chen Ye stuffed the last half of the egg yolk crisp into his mouth, revealing a determined expression like a hero cutting off his arm, "I'll force myself on you."
The tip of the knife in Qi Huan's hand tilted, almost cutting his finger. He couldn't believe what he heard, "Me? Forced myself on Jiufang Yu? Are you okay?"
Who said half a minute ago that he couldn't beat Jiufang Yu? Not to mention that he couldn't beat him, he would probably be slapped against the wall and become flatter than a pancake.
"That's not what I meant. I just want you to force me, to be more forceful, without any scruples. I'm not asking you to do anything else."
Qi Huan looked at him speechlessly, "Explain it to me, what's the difference between this sentence and the previous one?"
"Ah~ah~" Chen Ye scratched his hair anxiously, "Let me put it this way, do you know why the boss took us mentally disabled people as his younger brothers?"
"Do you guys get along well?" Qi Huan didn't understand why he brought up this topic again.
"We were assigned to the same group by chance in a military assessment competition. He was very popular at that time, and others were deliberately trying to trick him and use us to hold him back. We were a bit cynical because of our own experiences, and we also disliked him, a child of destiny," Shen Ye recalled the situation at that time and sighed angrily.
"I won't go into the details of what happened in between. In short, at the beginning we called him 'big brother' and pushed him to the front in everything. In fact, we were bullying him, and he knew it. Although, he did teach us a lesson and beat us up, but as we kept calling him that, he really got into the role of 'big brother' and rushed to the front in everything. Even in the most critical moments, he would prioritize protecting us little brothers instead of the results of the competition."
Shen Ye spread his hands, "Then he really became our boss, understand?"
"I don't understand." Qi Huan shook his head, "I only know that you must have been beaten badly at the time."
Shen Ye choked, with an expression that seemed to have been hit upon.
"Oh!" Chen Ye was so anxious that he scratched his head. "Weren't you very brave before? Why are you so cowardly now? Just say to him those words you said in private before. Say it a few more times, and he will be brainwashed by you. After all, you are a guide, and the boss will never do anything to you. You don't have to worry about any danger at all."
Qi Huan's face was calm. "The one who is coming is also a guide, and the match is as high as 92%. According to what you said, if he directly proposed to Jiufang Yu and asked a few more times, would he be able to get married?"
Shen Ye: ...
Shen Ye wanted to say something else, but a message popped up on his personal terminal, informing him to go over for another small meeting.
"Think about it carefully." Seeing that the other end was urging him, Chen Ye grabbed Qi Huan's shoulders, shook them twice, and ran away.
Qi Huan is actually not as calm as he appears to be.
Before today, he was quite enjoying his relationship with Jiufang Yu. They were more than friends, but less than lovers. The vague relationship and the occasional warmth made people's hearts beat fast, and the ambiguity was mixed with indescribable joy and happiness. It was as if one could see the bowstring in Cupid's hand tightening little by little, and people's expectations were rising little by little, waiting for the moment when the arrow tip would hit them.
The TV dramas he watched before also said that the most beautiful part of love is the time before the future comes, and he deeply agrees with that.
But now, it seems like there are two little people in my heart, having a fierce debate.
Party A said that Shen was right and that it was better to strike first than to gain the upper hand. By the time the guide with a 92% match rate arrived, the opportunity might have been lost.
Party B said, you have secretly confessed your feelings so many times before, and you also said it to Xiao Ba. He is so smart, it is impossible for him not to understand. Since he has not expressed it, it means that he has no such intention, or at least he is not considering it in this direction at the moment.
Party A said, that’s not the case, he didn’t reject her and was so caring towards her, which means he has a good impression of her, and Xiao Ba’s intimacy is also supporting evidence.
Party B said that Xiao Ba is a glutton, he is affectionate to you because of the food you cook, and he takes care of you because he promised Si Liang. Adults should handle things decently and know when to advance and retreat. If they continue to rush forward, won’t it embarrass both parties and make everyone lose face? Another ending for being more than friends but less than lovers is that they are nothing.
The two sides were arguing fiercely, making Qi Huan extremely upset.
Thinking about how Jiufang Yu's sister married the young master of the Si family because they were a perfect match, Qi Huan felt depressed. Would Jiufang Yu accept the arrangement of fate like Jiufang Yu?
The family dinner started at seven in the evening.
Although it was called a family dinner, the banquet hall of Tianfeng Pavilion was almost full with many people.
Jiufang Yu sat in the main seat. On one side sat the owner of the Ferocious Beast Squad, Senior A Luan, No. 2, No. 4 and others. On the other side sat the Po Zhan couple, Diwuyuan and his uncle, as well as Wen Liang, No. 7, No. 9 and others.
Cooked and drunken crabs, cooked and drunken shrimps, Dong meat, white-braised pork ribs, Taibai meat, and pig’s trotters…all kinds of dishes filled the snack tables in front of everyone.
Qi Huan placed the last dish, the freshly fried wine vanilla and rice wine pudding, on the table and sat down in the seat specially reserved for him between Shen Ye and the owner.
"Huanhuan said that today is a family dinner to celebrate the smooth start of construction of our new base and Jiufang Kuang's retribution for his evil deeds. It just so happened that I accidentally got a few jars of fine wine yesterday. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their help over the past few days." Jiufang Yu raised his glass and toasted the owner, No. 2, and Diwuyuan. "I have to make up my mind in an emergency. Because of the emergency situation, I have offended many of you. I hope you can forgive me."
Everyone smiled knowingly and drank a cup with Jiufang Yu. Diwuyuan, who couldn't drink yet, also took the tea in front of him and forced himself to drink a cup.
After everyone drank the first glass of wine, they started eating enthusiastically, clinking glasses in groups of three or four while eating.
The young master's uncle, Diwuwei, was a gentle and elegant young man, dressed in a suit and wearing a pair of half-frame glasses. This was the first time Qi Huan had formally met him, so he raised his glass and toasted him from a distance.
The shop owner next door ate a few cooked drunken prawns, which were sweet and chewy with a hint of rich and mellow aroma of wine. This special taste added another charming flavor to the shrimps. The shop owner was still not satisfied, and then happily picked up a piece of the wine-scented prawns with chopsticks. As soon as he put it in his mouth, his face changed.
"What's wrong?" Qi Huan put down his wine glass and noticed that the owner's face looked strange.
Looking at the side, Kong Hu and Diwuyuan, who scooped a spoonful of rice wine pudding at the same time, also frowned.
"Huanhuan, who made you unhappy today? Tell me, and I will teach him a lesson for you. No one will share the hardship with him." The owner said immediately after swallowing the food in his mouth with difficulty.
Qi Huan quickly picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and tasted it. A strong greasy smell rushed into his throat. Oops, he messed it up!
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