Chapter 63 Chapter 63-Two-in-one sauce-flavored pancake
Lin Chuntao handed it to her and then said with a smile, "Don't roll the dough too thin."
Lin Chunhe responded, and the sauce on the stove was ready. Lin Chuntao quickly poured it into a bowl and set it aside. She washed the pot and put it on the fire to dry the water stains. She added a small amount of oil, removed the firewood, and put the pot aside.
They were not skilled enough, so she had to make two more pancakes before putting them in the pan.
After Lin Chunhe got the hang of it, she began to repeat the steps above. It looked simple, but when she was doing it, she always felt like she didn't know what to do next.
After Lin Chuntao had guided her through one move, she looked over excitedly. Lin Chuntao asked with a smile, "Do you want to continue?"
Lin Chunhe nodded.
Lin Chuntao said, "Then keep going. Once you've made four, I'll start firing."
Practice makes perfect when it comes to cooking. After making two in a row, Lin Chunhe had become much more proficient. She was able to make the fourth one smoothly even without Lin Chuntao saying anything.
Seeing this, Lin Chuntao began to prepare to put the dough into the wok. Without an oil brush, Lin Chuntao just held the wok and shook it, and the surface of the wok was covered with oil. After that, she smeared oil on both sides of the dough and put it into the wok.
When she saw some small bulges on the top of the dough and the color of the dough on the edge changed, Lin Chuntao estimated the time and took a spatula to quickly flip it over.
When you turn it over, you can see that it is already fried golden brown and looks very crispy.
Lin Duo'er stood beside the stove, exclaiming frequently. Lin Chunxing patted Lin Chunhe and said with a smile, "Third brother, you do it. I'll go and take a look." Then she ran away.
Seeing Lin Chunxing coming, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Bring over a small dustpan."
The small winnowing basket that Lin Chuntao mentioned was a little bigger than the pancake. Aunt Guizhi and the others made it to hold cooked broad beans, edamame, or other food without soup. It was equivalent to a small plate, and Aunt Guizhi gave her several of them.
When Lin Chunxing took it over, the pancake in the pan was just cooked. She took it out, brushed both sides with thick sauce, cut it into several pieces with a knife, and let Lin Chunxing and the others eat it while she continued to cook.
When it was just fried, it only smelled like noodles. When the sauce was brushed on it, the taste instantly changed. Lin Duoer kept licking her lips, and Lin Chuntao smiled when she saw it.
"Duo'er, why don't you hurry up and get the chopsticks?" After Lin Chuntao finished speaking, she quickly withdrew her gaze from the pancake and ran to get the chopsticks. Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "You're like a little fool."
The chopsticks were brought over. Lin Chunxing took the chopsticks and took the lead to pick up a piece to feed Lin Chuntao. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "You guys eat first, I'll do it myself later."
Lin Chunxing was still holding up her chopsticks, so she had no choice but to eat.
After feeding Lin Chuntao, Lin Chunxing was about to pick up a piece to feed Lin Chunhe. When she picked up a piece, she found that Pei Ying had also picked up a piece and was standing next to her. Lin Chunxing felt her head buzzing. Was she stealing her brother-in-law's job?
He blinked his eyes and pretended to know nothing, then quickly went to the table to feed Lin Chunhe.
Lin Duoer just ate a piece and was completely conquered. This sauce-flavored pancake was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The rich sauce flavor was wrapped with the aroma of wheat and meat. It was so delicious that it made her dizzy after one bite.
Lin Chuntao was very satisfied after taking a bite. She had been thinking that using tomatoes directly without ketchup might not taste good enough, but she didn’t expect it to be just right!
At noon, Lin Lin Chuntao made six cakes, and almost all of them were eaten in the end. The family was full and each took a chair to sit in the yard to bask in the sun. Pei Ying looked at the four sisters who were resting with their eyes closed. The medicine was effective. The sisters seemed to have gained a little weight recently.
He asked Lin Chuntao, "Do you want to go see Doctor He again to check your pulse?"
Lin Chuntao slowly opened her eyes, calculated the time, and said with a smile, "You can go now. I think there are only five days' worth of medicine left. You can go after you finish it."
Pei Ying said, "I think this medicine is quite effective. Keep taking it."
Lin Chuntao nodded slightly.
Lin Duoer listened to their conversation and said with a smile: "My sister makes delicious food for us every day. I think it's okay if we don't eat it."
Lin Chuntao laughed when she heard this. The little brat wished he could use all the money he had saved for medicine to buy meat and vegetables for cooking.
In the Chai Mansion, Guo Jixiang had been waiting in the yard. She was waiting anxiously. In fact, it was not mainly because she was anxious, but because Chai Xingyu had asked, which meant that he wanted to eat.
Guo Jixiang only said that it would be ready soon, but she couldn't tell how long it would take. She was afraid that Chai Xingyu would be unhappy if he waited too long. If he got angry and said he didn't want to eat anymore, that would make her uncomfortable.
Fortunately, Nanny Shen and the others came back quickly, and Chai Xingyu was not angry.
Seeing him coming back, Guo Jixiang hurriedly went to greet him and asked, "Did you bring him back?"
Nanny Shen said, "I brought it back. The lady cooked half a pot and asked the old servant to bring it all. She also made half a pot of soup and said that if it's not enough, go buy some noodles, put some tomatoes and leeks in it and cook it."
Guo Jixiang was stunned for a moment when she heard this. "She really thought it through."
Aunt Shen said, “After all, she is a business woman.”
Guo Jixiang smiled. In her eyes, what Lin Chuntao and her friends were doing was nothing but a small stall. There were many small stalls like this in the county. It didn't matter what their attitude was or whether they could serve customers well. It was just a temporary means of making a living for them and they didn't have any long-term vision. Plus, Lin Chuntao and her friends were young, so they were surprised.
But she didn't explain it in detail to Nanny Shen, and personally carried the pottery jar to Chai Xingyu's small courtyard.
The door was open and Chai Xingyu was pacing back and forth in the house. He was hungry. He had been waiting for so long and still hadn't come back. It would be better for him to go out and eat by himself. If he had gone out, he would have eaten long ago.
When he was getting anxious, he finally heard familiar footsteps outside the courtyard. He rushed to the door, looked at the pottery jar in his mother's arms, and asked anxiously, "Did you buy it?"
Guo Jixiang looked at Chai Xingyu's smile. The horrific scar was still hideous, but he still smiled, his eyes sparkling with hope. Her nose suddenly felt sore, and she explained to Chai Xingyu, "Mother was a step late. The young shopkeeper had closed the stall, so I asked Madam to go with her to her house to make it, so we were a little late."
Chai Xingyu swallowed his saliva and waited for Guo Jixiang to enter the house. He then took the pot and breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that it was more than half full. He knew it was enough for him to eat. The bowl he had that morning was too little. It was all soup. He felt full when he ate, but he got hungry quickly.
The servants behind him were holding bowls and chopsticks. Chai Xingyu thought they were too slow, so he served himself and told them to leave without being served. Only Guo Jixiang was left in the room.
He ate the noodles happily, and after slurping down two bowls, his stomach felt a little less uncomfortable. She looked up and asked Guo Jixiang, "Mom, do you want some?"
Guo Jixiang shook her head: "Mom is not hungry, you eat."
Chai Xingyu acted as if he didn't hear it and said lightly: "Mom, have some too. It's delicious." Watching him eat would make him think of the scar on his face all the time. Even if his own mother was watching, he would feel uncomfortable.
Hearing what he said, Guo Jixiang nodded, asked someone to bring bowls and chopsticks, and also filled a small bowl, and the mother and daughter ate together.
Guo Jixiang had eaten it that morning, and at that time she was only thinking about what was in the sauce inside the noodles, and didn't think they were very delicious. But now, listening to the sound of Chai Xingyu slurping the noodles, she felt that the soup noodles were more fragrant than ever before, and tears filled her eyes.
Chai Xingyu saw his mother's tears falling into the bowl, and he said softly, "Mom, are you crying because you're eating so much?"
Guo Jixiang almost burst into tears when she heard this. She looked up at Chai Xingyu, tears on her cheeks and a smile on her lips. She nodded: "Yeah, it's so delicious that it makes me cry. This is the most delicious thing I have eaten in all these years."
Chai Xingyu smiled and said, "Mom, you are a bit exaggerated."
Guo Jixiang was genuinely happy to see that he was still joking.
"Mom, how did you find this noodle soup restaurant?"
Guo Jixiang said, "Your third uncle bought it and sent it to me."
"Let me and your dad taste the sauce inside?" Chai Xingyu continued to slurp his noodles, as if it was just a casual remark. Guo Jixiang looked at him and asked, "Don't you never care about the sauce factory?"
"You don't expect me to care."
Chai Xingyu spoke calmly, and Guo Jixiang was a little confused about what he meant. Was he ready to accept it? Or did he have other ideas?
Originally, Chai Xingyu was just playful and unmotivated, with a good temper. But since the incident, he often got angry, which made Guo Jixiang cautious when talking to him about this, for fear of upsetting him, so she had to wait for his next words.
After a long time, Chai Xingyu must have been almost full, so he scooped two spoonfuls of soup into the bowl.
"It's great that they can make such a delicious sauce and even think of using it to make noodle soup. I think the shopkeeper is very creative and loves food."
Guo Jixiang took over the conversation and said, "The one who made this noodle soup is a teenage girl. She is really thoughtful. Your nanny went with her, and I only asked her to make two bowls. She made half a pot of this and gave me half a pot of soup, saying that if I wanted to eat it in the evening, I could cook it myself."
Chai Xingyu said: "There are thousands of people and thousands of flavors."
Guo Jixiang didn't respond to him. Looking at her like this, Chai Xingyu felt that he was just wasting his breath. He sighed lightly, picked up the bowl and started drinking the soup.
Chai Xingyu's attitude is exactly the same as before the accident.
Guo Jixiang wanted to improve her relationship with Chai Xingyu, and he had already mentioned it on his own initiative, so she didn't want things to get cold.
"Yu'er, if you have any ideas, you can tell your mother directly." After Guo Jixiang finished speaking, Chai Xingyu put down the bowl and drank the soup clean. He took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, and after a long time he looked up at Guo Jixiang.
"I remember that soy sauce maker whose family was ruined. Even if you got the recipe in the end, our Chai family just couldn't make it taste exactly like his. Imitations are always imitations. There are a thousand different flavors of soy sauce made by a thousand people in this world. Can our Chai family grab all those thousand flavors and bring them to our soy sauce garden?"
Guo Jixiang thought about the past and his face looked unhappy.
"The incident with that guy was caused by your Third Uncle's excessive behavior. It's definitely not what your father and I want to see."
Chai Xingyu looked at Guo Jixiang steadily, "But my father is the head of the family. If he didn't do it himself, then we can't be blamed for this, right?"
"Uncle San's behavior was due to my father's connivance. You are all too arrogant."
Facing her son's accusations, Guo Jixiang wanted to preach a moral lesson. She wanted to tell Chai Xingyu that businessmen are profit-driven, and it's always like this, either you die or I die!
But she had talked about such profound truths with Chai Xingyu many times before, and he was most reluctant to listen to them, so he swallowed the words back when they came to his lips.
Looking at Guo Jixiang's expression, Chai Xingyu said darkly, "The reason my face has become like this is retribution. You owe it to me."
This one sentence made Guo Jixiang's eyes widen.
"What did you say?"
Chai Xingyu remained silent. Guo Jixiang stood up and asked in a deep voice, "Yu'er, tell me clearly. Do you know who hurt you?"
Chai Xingyu also slowly stood up and met Guo Jixiang's eyes: "Mom, no one is harming me, this is God's will!"
Guo Jixiang didn't believe it. She shook her head and said calmly, "We'll find out eventually!"
Upon hearing this, Chai Xingyu chuckled and lowered his head.
"Mother still doesn't understand her son's feelings."
Guo Jixiang took a deep breath. She wanted her son to be healthy, to be motivated, to be smart, to be united with them and to carry on the family's soy sauce business. She wanted a son as decisive and ruthless as she and her husband.
But Chai Xingyu is not like that. He looks neither like her nor like her husband.
He always liked those vague things that sounded unrealistic and useless, so she rarely listened. Because of their different ideas, mother and son rarely opened their hearts. She had heard Chai Xingyu say many times, "You don't understand! You don't understand at all!" But never like today, when he said nonchalantly, "Mom still doesn't understand me."
It seemed full of disappointment, like a thorn that pricked her heart and hurt her.
After a long silence, she asked, "Then according to Yu'er's opinion, how can we ensure the continuity of the sauce factory and the survival of our Chai family?"
Chai Xingyu said: "The inheritance will never be broken. If it is not in the hands of our Chai family, it will be in the hands of the Li family or the Wang family. Our Chai family will not be able to stand forever. Dynasties will come and go, let alone a family."
Guo Jixiang was almost so angry that she almost fainted. She took a deep breath and controlled her tone: "Yu'er, have a good rest. If you still want to eat tonight, send someone to tell your mother."
Chai Xingyu nodded, and when Guo Jixiang was leaving, he said, "Mom, please send Sanbao and the others back to me. I haven't seen them for a long time, and I miss them a little."
Guo Jixiang: "...Okay."
Those servants were all Chai Xingyu's playmates growing up. They spent their days eating, drinking, playing with cats and walking dogs. After the incident, Guo Jixiang wanted to sell them all off. It was Nanny Shen who persuaded her several times, saying that if Chai Xingyu couldn't find them when he wanted to, wouldn't it make him even more unhappy? So she kept them.
Sure enough, as soon as he felt better, he started looking for it!
Guo Jixiang was so angry thinking about his discouraging words just now that she went to find Chai Songchuan to talk to him.
Chai Songchuan was also angry, and the couple stared at each other in disappointment.
"This wicked son, if this family business is handed over to him, I think he will squander it all!" Chai Songchuan said angrily. Guo Jixiang felt reluctant to belittle his son so much and took over the conversation: "Squashed all, that shouldn't be the case."
Chai Songchuan laughed when he heard his wife's words: "No, Madam, you still have hope for him?"
Guo Jixiang turned away, and Chai Songchuan said, "Why not pick a wife for him who can manage the household?"
Speaking of the housekeeper's wife, Chai Xingyu once had one, but the engagement was broken off and the family moved away. I heard they were getting engaged again. With his condition, it was hard to find someone of equal status.
Guo Jixiang remained silent, and Chai Songchuan also understood what his wife was thinking.
"If you can't find someone of equal social status, find someone of lower social status over there, and we can still teach them."
Lin Chuntao's face flashed through Guo Jixiang's mind. She thought for a moment and said, "Now that you mention it, I have an idea of a candidate, but wait until I make some inquiries."
Just mentioned such a candidate? Chai Songchuan was shocked and immediately asked, "Who is it?"
Guo Jixiang looked at her husband's expression and said with a smile, "Just cook the noodle soup for the lady."
Chai Songchuan frowned, and Guo Jixiang said, "Why are you frowning? If this lady is not lying, she made this sauce herself. She knows how to make sauce! She can even put this sauce into the soup powder, which shows that this girl is not a stubborn person and can think things through. I gave her money to make two bowls, and she made half a pot for Nanny Shen and also cooked a portion of soup. She is very thoughtful. I just don't know if she is engaged. I have to find out."
Upon hearing this, Chai Songchuan laughed and said, "Are you sure that if this girl is with your son, they won't become like-minded? In business, what else can we talk about if not making money? This is also a simple-minded person. I don't think it's okay."
Guo Jixiang: "...This can all be taught."
Chai Song said, "Then you should ask around. We can't rely on our son anymore."
The next day at 3:30 AM.
Lin Chuntao picked up all the mushrooms pointed by the arrow of the system, and picked up a backpack and a bamboo basket of chanterelles. Seeing that the sky was getting greener and it was almost dawn, she had to go to help Lin Chunxing, so she started to go down the mountain and prepare to rush to the county town.
It was not yet the hour of Mao when Lin Chunxing arrived at the county town. Lin Duoer and Lin Chunhe were not there today, so she was alone. After moving the stove rack out, she went to the noodle shop to get thirty kilograms of noodles. After returning, she arranged the vegetables and meat sauce one by one on the rack and started to light a fire and boil water.
It was still dark at this time, and apart from the neighbors opening their shops and the shop assistants talking, the market was still very quiet.
After the water boiled, she took a small stool and sat down. Thinking that all the preparations were done, she felt a little bored and was concentrating on watching the sparks in the pottery stove jump again and again.
"Can I cook the noodles now?"
Lin Chunxing raised her head when she heard the voice, and Chai Xingyu's terrifying face rushed into her eyes. She was so scared that she screamed, rolled over and fell off the stool, and fell on her back.
San Bao followed behind Chai Xingyu and said angrily, "Is my young master really that scary? Madam, you are going too far!"
Chai Xingyu glanced at Sanbao and said in a deep voice, "What are you talking about? If I don't scare you, why would I come out to eat noodles before dawn?"
Sanbao silently shut his mouth. Chai Xingyu looked at Lin Chunxing and asked, "My dear, are you okay? I'm so sorry!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Chunxing supported herself on the ground and tried to get up. Pei Ying in the backyard heard the scream and thought something had happened, so she rushed out quickly.
When I came out, I saw Lin Chunxing getting up and the fallen stool.
"Haru Xing? What's wrong?"
Lin Chunxing looked back at Pei Ying and shook her head: "Brother-in-law, I'm fine. I accidentally fell."
Pei Ying looked at Chai Xingyu and Sanbao, still feeling a little worried, so he walked directly to the stall and asked, "Would you two like some noodle soup?"
Chai Xingyu said: "Yes, I'm sorry, I accidentally scared this lady."
Pei Ying looked at his face, which was indeed terrifying. Lin Chunxing, who was standing next to him, said, "It's not your fault, brother. I wasn't paying attention and scared myself."
While the two were talking, Sanbao looked at Pei Ying intently, his eyes so excited that Pei Ying frowned slightly. He felt that the man looked familiar. After thinking for a long time, he remembered that this was the servant who ran over when the horse was startled that day.
"Young... Young Master, this big brother is the one who saved you that day!"
Chai Xingyu looked up at Pei Ying and swallowed. For a moment, he didn't know how to start. It was Pei Ying who spoke first, "It's you guys?"
As he spoke, he looked at Chai Xingyu. His limbs were intact, with only some minor skin injuries. He had thought he was doomed that day.
"You're recovering well."
This was the first time Chai Xingyu heard someone say that he had recovered well and that he was his lifesaver. He clasped his hands and said, "Thank you so much for saving my life, big brother. I heard from Sanbao that if you hadn't cut the reins in time and restrained the horse, I would have died!"
Pei Ying said, "It's just a piece of cake."
Chai Xingyu looked at Lin Chunxing, then at Pei Ying. He hadn't expected such a fate to happen! He had left in a hurry today and hadn't brought anything worth mentioning. A simple thank you seemed a bit too superficial to his lifesaver.
You will be greatly rewarded!
"Excuse me, big brother, what's your name? My name is Chai Xingyu."
"Pei Ying!"
"Brother Pei, are you working in a butcher shop?"
"Yeah, killing pigs."
"I've been wanting to find my big brother, but he's been recovering at home. I'm glad to see you today. Could you please come by for lunch? I'll treat you to a meal!"
Pei Ying said, "It's really a piece of cake. Don't worry about it, little brother. You guys cook the noodles. I'll go get busy now."
Pei Ying said he was busy, and Chai Xingyu didn't want to keep talking to him, so he just nodded and asked Lin Chunxing to help cook the noodles.
"Boss, please cook five bowls for us."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chunxing looked up at him again. Scarlet scars covered his face, and only his eyes and mouth were intact. Fortunately, this man had a kind look, otherwise it would have been really scary.
Chai Xingyu asked, "Can you finish it? How much are five bowls?"
"Fifty cents."
After Lin Chunxing finished speaking, Sanbao took out the money and handed it over. After Lin Chunxing received the money, she said, "Wait a moment. Please sit next to me."
Chai Xingyu nodded. He originally wanted to ask about Pei Ying, but when he remembered that he had scared Lin Chunxing so much that she fell down, he had to take Sanbao and sit down next to him.
Sanbao was also very excited to meet Pei Ying today.
Pei Ying is not only Chai Xingyu's savior, but also his savior. If Chai Xingyu is gone, he will also be dead!
"Master, are you going to tell Madam that she has met her savior?"
Upon hearing this, Chai Xingyu slowly raised his eyes to look at him and asked indifferently, "What did you say?"
Sanbao chuckled. Chai Xingyu thought that his parents at home were still thinking about other people's sauce recipes. If he tried to steal the recipe, Pei Ying would definitely regret saving him!
Chai Xingyu would never do such a thing.
The soup in the pot was already boiling, and the rich aroma was blown everywhere by the wind. Sanbao sniffed. Chai Xingyu noticed his little action and smiled, "Don't you think it smells good?"
Sanbao smiled foolishly and nodded. Chai Xingyu said, "The Chai family's sauce factory can't make such a fragrant sauce."
Guo Jixiang and others always want a recipe for this or that. In fact, many times, the most delicious dishes made by chefs are often not made by any recipe, but just a momentary inspiration. They just mess around and can create delicious dishes.
Over the years, apart from the one left by their ancestors, their own improvements have never surpassed it.
In fact, Chai Xingyu believes that cooking delicious food requires some casualness, but unfortunately, the Chai family doesn’t think so.
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