Chapter 73 Tea-Scented Salt and Pepper Chicken: Apprenticeship
Lin Yao slept in late today, which was rare for her. When she got up, Lin Cheng had already prepared lunch.
She was squatting by the yard washing up when Lin Song ran up to her and squatted down too, saying, "Sister, you lazybones, the sun's already high in the sky!"
Lin Yao splashed some cold water on his face with her fingertips, the chilly touch startling the little guy into squealing. "I'd like to see who's calling me lazy." She laughed, grabbing the struggling Lin Song and giving his chubby cheeks a good rub before letting go. "Speaking of which, it's time for Song'er to start his formal education after the New Year. We should find a private school in town."
Lin Cheng nodded in agreement: "Yes, we can't let him run wild outside like a mischievous monkey. He should go to a proper school."
These days, the Lin family's restaurant is thriving. Lin Song often goes out with his older siblings. As he meets more people, he becomes bolder and bolder. Now he is practically the king of the village kids.
Upon hearing that he had to go to school, he immediately frowned: "I don't want to go to school!"
Lin Yao and Lin Cheng were both taken aback and hurriedly asked for the reason.
Lin Song clenched his fist, his tone resolute: "I want to be a great hero, a great general! I'll fight the bad guys and protect my sister!"
Lin Cheng waited expectantly for what would happen next, but when he didn't hear his name called, he couldn't help but ask, "What about my brother?"
The little guy immediately showed a look of disgust: "Brother is a big kid now, you have to figure it out yourself."
Lin Yao looked at the precocious look on his round face and laughed so hard she almost fell over. She said softly, "You still have to go to school. Your older brother and sister can read. If you can't, people will laugh their heads off."
Lin Song, like a deflated balloon, dejectedly agreed, "Okay."
“However,” Lin Yao changed the subject, tapping his little nose with her fingertip, “since you want to learn martial arts, you can go to the Qinhu Martial Arts School in town and see if there is a master willing to take you in.”
"Yay!" Lin Song jumped up and spun around Lin Yao. "Big sister is the best!"
Lin Cheng shook his head helplessly: "Stop fooling around, come and eat."
Lin Song was preoccupied with going to the martial arts school to become an apprentice. He ate his meal hastily, and after finishing the last bite, he urged everyone to leave.
The Tiger-Catching Martial Arts School is located at the west end of the town, only a quarter of an hour's walk from the Lin Family Restaurant, which will make it convenient for Lin Yao to pick her up and drop her off in the future.
As soon as Lin Yao and her two companions stepped across the threshold, they heard shouts and cheers, and about twenty teenagers were practicing horse stances in the middle of the field.
Lu Dazhi watched the boys train, occasionally pointing out their movements. When he saw Lin Yao and the others enter, he was quite surprised: "Miss Lin, are you here to see Ah Heng?"
"No." Lin Yao pulled Lin Song forward a little. "I wonder if the martial arts school accepts children this age?"
Upon hearing this, Lü Dazhi laughed and picked up Lin Song, bouncing him around: "Oh ho, this is incredible! You little brat, you want to learn martial arts?"
"Yes!" Lin Song nodded vigorously. "I want to learn martial arts!"
Lu Dazhi put him on the ground and patted him on the head: "Good! You have ambition!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhiheng came out from the inner hall and added, "Practicing martial arts requires enduring great hardship, so you're not allowed to cry when the time comes."
Lin Song was immediately displeased. "I won't cry. I'm a man."
Xu Zhiheng stopped teasing him and turned to Lin Yao and Lin Cheng, saying, "Recently, the martial arts school is planning to take in a group of children of similar age to him and open a small class to teach both academics and martial arts. In addition to practicing martial arts, they will also attend a one-hour class every day."
Hearing that there was a school within the martial arts academy, some were delighted while others were worried. Lin Yao's eyes lit up: "That's perfect! Young Master Xu has truly considered everything!"
Although Lin Song repeatedly insisted that he didn't want to go to school, Lin Yao had no intention of giving in to him. They didn't expect him to become anything special, much less to pass the imperial examinations; they simply hoped he would be literate and sensible, so he wouldn't be sold off without even knowing why. She had originally worried about having to shuttle between the martial arts school and the academy, but now she was relieved of that worry.
The little bean on the ground, however, hung its head, its face full of sorrow.
"Come here, let me see what your aptitude is like." Xu Zhiheng walked up to Lin Song, squatted down, and looked at him with scrutiny. "Little guy, show me your horse stance."
Upon hearing this, Lin Song immediately straightened his back, spread his feet apart, bent his knees, and assumed what he considered a standard horse stance. But in less than half an incense stick's time, his calves began to tremble, and his round face turned bright red. Beads of sweat slid down his forehead, and he gritted his teeth, desperately trying to keep himself from swaying.
Xu Zhiheng paced around him, then suddenly reached out his palm and pretended to press it against Lin Song's shoulder.
Lin Song subconsciously hunched his shoulders and tilted his head to the side, momentarily losing his balance and his horse stance crumbling.
He looked annoyed, fearing that he would lose the opportunity to become an apprentice because of his poor performance.
Lin Song carefully observed Xu Zhiheng's expression, trying to glean something from it, but Xu Zhiheng remained expressionless, and Lin Song couldn't discern anything. He could only re-establish his horse stance: "I'll start again, the previous one doesn't count!"
Xu Zhiheng didn't speak, but took out a few small pebbles from his waist. "Watch closely!" As soon as he finished speaking, the pebbles flew around Lin Song.
Lin Song's eyes widened, and he hurriedly twisted his body to dodge. Pebbles grazed his clothes and flew past his ear; one even hit his hand, scraping and burning his skin, bringing tears to his eyes. But he gritted his teeth, trying to steady himself in a less-than-perfect horse stance, and defiantly shouted, "I'm not afraid!"
Seeing this, Lin Yao instinctively wanted to step forward, but Lin Cheng stopped her. "If you can't even endure this little bit of hardship, then you're not cut out for martial arts," Lin Cheng said in a low voice.
Lu Dazhi nodded in agreement: "The worst thing for martial arts practitioners is to be delicate, but Song'er seems solid and stubborn, with a strong competitive spirit, so he is a good prospect."
Over here, it seems Lin Song and Xu Zhiheng are at odds. No matter how Xu Zhiheng torments him, he falls down and gets up again, tears welling up in his eyes, which he wipes haphazardly over and over again, until he looks like a little cat covered in grime.
Just as he steadied himself and prepared for the next round of challenges, Xu Zhiheng suddenly stopped, dusted off his hands, and said, "Alright, bring your tuition fees to become my disciple the day after tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Lin Song excitedly forgot the pain he had just endured and gave Xu Zhiheng a crooked bow: "Yes! Master!" After saying that, he skipped back to Lin Yao's side. Lin Yao saw that although he was covered in dirt, his eyes were bright, so she was relieved.
On the way back, to celebrate Lin Song's becoming an apprentice, Lin Yao specially bought three chickens and six catties of shrimp.
As soon as they returned to the restaurant, Zhao Niangzi grabbed Lin Song and tenderly wiped his face and hands, saying, "My goodness, how did you get like this?" Xiao Man also stood on tiptoe and blew on his hands, saying, "Blow on them and the pain will be gone."
But he got all cocky, raising his chin with a smug look on his face: "I went to the martial arts school to become an apprentice! From now on, I'm a martial arts practitioner!"
Lin Yao chuckled helplessly, letting him show off. The little brat was in high spirits right now, but he was likely to suffer in the future.
She dug out some salt and pepper powder that she hadn't used in a long time, intending to make a tea-flavored salt and pepper chicken.
Lin Yao first took out a small packet of Tieguanyin tea she had bought at the tea shop. After opening the paper package, a fragrant aroma of tea wafted out.
She poured boiling water into the rough earthenware teacup, added tea leaves, and watched the curled tea leaves slowly unfurl in the water.
After the tea is strained into a bowl, the tea leaves are spread on a bamboo sieve and the moisture is absorbed with a cotton cloth.
On the cutting board, Lin Yao swiftly chopped the chicken into thumb-sized pieces.
She poured soy sauce, salt, and white pepper into the wooden basin, then added some Shaoxing wine and cornstarch.
Finally, pour in the tea broth, mix well, and coat the meat pieces with a thin layer of sauce. Lin Song, who was squatting by the stove, watched with wide eyes; he had no idea that tea could be used to cook.
Heat oil in a wok until it reaches 70% of its maximum temperature. Lin Yao then carefully frys the chicken pieces one by one until they are slightly set. She turns the chicken pieces over low heat and frys them slowly until the surface becomes dry, crispy, and crunchy. She then removes the chicken pieces and drains the excess oil.
Lin Yao left a little oil in the pan, then poured in the tea leaves and stir-fried them. The aroma of tea mixed with the aroma of oil filled the kitchen.
Next, she added shredded ginger, minced garlic, and dogwood, which intensified the aroma. She poured the fried chicken pieces back into the pan, sprinkled with salt and pepper powder, quickly stir-fried them evenly, and finally garnished them with chopped green onions. This was a dish that Lin Yao loved during her university years. The fragrance of tea balanced the greasiness of the oil, and the chicken pieces were savory, crispy, and infused with the aroma of tea, making them fragrant, spicy, and chewy.
Next up was the braised prawns. Lin Yao poured six pounds of prawns into a bamboo sieve. The stove was burning brightly, and she poured the oil left over from frying the chicken into the iron pot. Lin Yao tested the oil temperature with bamboo chopsticks and saw fine bubbles rising around the chopsticks. Then, Lin Yao poured all the prepared prawns into the pot.
The shrimp's body curls into a bow shape when heated, and the bright red shrimp shell sizzles in the hot oil, quickly oozing out tempting shrimp oil.
Lin Song stood on tiptoe and leaned over the stove, his eyes fixed on the pot: "Sister, the shrimp have turned red!"
"It'll be ready to eat soon." Lin Yao smiled as she sprinkled some shredded ginger and drizzled in two spoonfuls of Shaoxing wine. She quickly stir-fried the shrimp a few times, coating each one with oil, and then poured in the prepared sauce.
Once the lid is closed, the pot is simmered over low heat.
As Lin Yao lifted the lid and stirred, a rich aroma of soy sauce wafted out. The prawns, glistening with oil, were soaked in the thick sauce. She sprinkled on some bright green scallions and gently pushed the sauce around the prawns with a spatula to coat them evenly.
"Here, taste the saltiness." Lin Yao picked up a shrimp with her chopsticks, gently blew on it to cool it down, peeled off the snow-white shrimp meat, and fed it to Lin Song.
Although Lin Song didn't complain of being hungry, he had just been tormented by Xu Zhiheng for half a day, expending a lot of energy and was already starving. The moment the shrimp entered his mouth, he acted as if he were eating a delicacy, circling around Lin Yao with bulging cheeks and mumbling, "Delicious! Even better than sweet and sour pork!" It's worth noting that sweet and sour pork was one of his favorites, so it was rare for him to give it such praise.
Lin Cheng had already set out the bowls and chopsticks. Looking at the tempting braised prawns on the stove, he shook his head with a smile: "Since Song'er has become an apprentice, we're also in for a treat."
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Author's Note: Xu Zhiheng: How was it? Were you impressed by my superior martial arts skills? [Sunglasses]
Lin Song: Sister! This person is bullying a child! [Burning with sobs]
(Moshi Moshi, could you please save this post? [Let me see])
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