Chapter 32
The houses in London all have sloping roofs, which stretch out in a dark mass and stand tall like sturdy trees in the forest.
The not-so-wide road was crowded with all kinds of cars, including luxury sedans with glowing wheels and beautiful retro two-wheeled carriages.
Ragged children squeezed in and out under the wheels, scrambling for apple cores, empty newspapers, cigarette butts, and shiny coins thrown by their masters and ladies.
Lin Weilun stepped on the cobblestones with a frown on his face.
London hasn't changed in all these years; it seems almost impossible to tell the difference between the 20th and 21st centuries. Rotting fish sits atop spoiled cabbage on street corners, while spilled pea soup trickles down from a massive garbage heap.
But this does not prevent the delicious aroma of coffee and roasted chestnuts wafting from the shopping streets on both sides. The bakeries are much better than those in Yorkshire, and there are also groups of mobile vendors who continue to sell delicacies from all over the world.
The roasted lamb's trotters were crispy and shiny, the hot eels were brushed with a layer of crystal sauce, many men in suits gathered around the oysters in their shells, the hot baked potatoes were poured with heavy cream, and the 1p pie was snatched up by everyone.
Lin Weilun also went to buy one, which was very good, salty and sweet. He had to spend another 2 pence to get a large cup of elderberry tea from another stall.
It's no wonder that French chefs are so arrogant and domineering over the people of England - he took a deep breath - it's a strange skill to make a pie taste like hell.
After returning the teacup, Lin Weilun finally lost interest in the neighborhood and took a public bus to Pall Mall, where the Royal Veterinary College was located.
Lin Weilun studied here for four years. He easily found the registration point, submitted his information, and received the exam notice.
The veterinary license exam lasts two days: the first day is theoretical, the second day is practical. During this time, candidates are responsible for finding their own food and lodging, and most chose the Willow Creek Tavern, not far from the college.
This place is very big. The three floors above are hotels, and the first floor is a restaurant like the Fox and the Hound. Many people from the Royal Academy like to come here and sit down.
What's more, the things here are of good quality and cheap. You only need to spend 1 pound 2 shillings a day to get a room and three meals a day.
After ordering coffee, Lin Weilun took off his clothes and started looking at the exam times for tomorrow's subjects.
The hotel's soundproofing was not very good, and the chaotic sounds came through the thin walls.
"It seems like there aren't many people here this time. I only saw six people from the Edinburgh Veterinary School. The people from other schools combined seemed to be less than ten."
"There will be no more labor horses in the future, and even meat will have to be imported. What's the point of being a veterinarian? Anyone with a good job would have changed careers long ago, right?"
"That's not the case, is it? Don't you know? Something happened a while ago in Yorkshire. I heard that a big shot decided to cancel all imported meat. So, veterinarians will be very useful there next time, right?"
"What? How is that possible? Even London eats American beef, how could Yorkshire not follow suit?"
Of course it is possible.
Lin Weilan added cold cream to his coffee, Earl Philip had completely eliminated imported meat from Denhamshire, and other counties in Yorkshire followed suit.
Even Jana changed her mind. She had extended an olive branch to herself more than once, wanting to replace the meat supply of the three Royal Hotels she was in charge with domestic meat.
Something is changing.
Lin Weilun was very happy to testify.
Soon, the waiter brought today's dinner: assorted grilled meat slices with fish jelly, the staple food was the same bread as always and a small bowl of tomato cream soup.
Although the fish jelly is made from the famous conger eels from the Thames River, the processing of their inner lining and fishing line is very unclean, resulting in a pungent fishy smell in the fish jelly.
The assorted grilled meat slices were just boiled vegetable sauce poured over the meat slices. The meat was hard and tasteless. Because England advocates the "original taste of food", blood can be seen inside the meat slices.
Lin Weilun finished his bread and thought deeply about the possibility of checking out and moving to another place immediately.
But he quickly gave up the idea.
The main reason was that it was raining outside.
And another reason is... who can trust the "food" of other shops in London unless he can find a hotel with Hungarian or German cuisine?
As for French food….
In England today, even street vendors can claim that their red wine poached eggs are French food.
After thinking about it, it’s only two days anyway.
Lin Weilun fell into a deep sleep only after the bread was soaked by the coffee in his stomach and he felt full.
The next morning, I had to take three exams: anatomy, physiology, and pathology.
In the afternoon, there are four subjects: pharmacology and therapy, veterinary medicine, animal surgery and veterinary public safety.
Lin Weilun handled this with ease, the focus was on tomorrow's practical exam.
In the past, the only subjects for examinations were usually horses, but since the government issued a policy prohibiting the raising of labor horses, the college has added cattle, sheep, etc. as appropriate.
But the latter are only a minority, and the professors in the college still prefer noble and beautiful animals.
Lin Weilun drew two horses and a sheep. He needed to give them a comprehensive physical examination, prescribe medication for them, and finally castrate one of the horses.
The first horse was fine, except that its left leg was accidentally pierced by a splinter.
Lin Weilun prepared the anesthetic and applied it, then carefully removed the splinter, cleaned up the debris left in the flesh to prevent infection, and finally poured anti-inflammatory medicine and bandaged it.
Then there's the sheep.
Lin Weilun touched the sheep's head, and the words "A sheep with a bloated rumen" immediately appeared in the air.
Then he moved his hand down to the sheep's stomach, pretended to check the sheep's throat, and then wrote down the name of the disease and treatment method in the notebook.
But when he was about to prepare the medicine, the professor in charge suddenly stopped him in a low voice, "You're going too fast, kid. You should check it carefully again."
Lin Weilun shook his head. He just wanted to finish the exam quickly and go home. The food here was a complete waste of his time.
The professor glanced down at the notes on the candidate's file, then glanced around quietly. Undeterred, he added, "Rigorousness is the foundation of a veterinarian. You should take a closer look to see if this is rumen bloating or something else."
"Why do you think this is not rumen bloating?" Lin Weilun turned his head.
Why? Because I had someone feed this sheep last night!
The professor invigilating the exam closed his eyes, feeling inexplicably irritated. In order to make indigestion a part of the exam, his people almost fed the sheep by force.
Moreover, this is the simplest test question, and the college did it to give Morrison some face.
"You'd better take another look," the professor said in a serious tone, "the practical part accounts for the highest score!"
If she fails, the eldest daughter of the Morrison family will definitely tear down the principal's office!
Lin Weilun saw something on the professor's face and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Although the external manifestations of bloating and indigestion are very similar, sir, bloating produces a drum-like sound, while indigestion produces a more prolonged sound."
"And you should have seen this sheep's anus, right? I haven't found any undigested food in its feces from this morning until now. Although both diseases cause diarrhea, the feces show different results."
The professor was stunned. He did not check the smelly feces. He left all these matters to his students.
"This is just a very simple deal. Morrison has spoken, and they just need to help this guy named Lingert pass the exam." The professor invigilating thought so and was too lazy to prepare seriously.
However, Lingert gave him a big "surprise".
The professor invigilating stood up straight instantly and personally inspected the sheep.
"It rained heavily yesterday," Lin Weilun said quietly. "This sheep managed to eat a lot of rain-soaked grass in such a short period of time...it's quite impressive that it managed to hold on without fainting."
As he said this, he took out a long puncture needle, felt for the right position and inserted it.
Suddenly, a "hissing" sound of air leaking from a balloon came out.
Upon hearing that voice, the professor's face changed immediately.
Lin Weilun didn't look at him and turned to prepare the medicine.
When ichthyol, alcohol and warm water are mixed in a ratio of 1:4:20, they can effectively and quickly dissolve gas in the stomach.
The sheep soon calmed down.
After that, the invigilating professor never raised his face again, and cursed the irresponsible student a thousand times in his heart.
However, Lin Weilun didn't care about these. After submitting a detailed record of the treatment process and methods, he left the academy.
The transcript will be sent to them two weeks later. If they pass, they can take the transcript to the local Ministry of Agriculture to apply for a professional qualification certificate.
But there were no train tickets back at this time, so Lin Weilun had no choice but to stay another night.
However, he found the restaurant owner and refused to have dinner tonight.
"I brought my own ingredients and just wanted to borrow the gas stove. Of course, it would be even better if I could have some seasonings."
The boss was a little embarrassed, "Sir, we have never had such a precedent before."
Lin Weilun took out 5 pounds and said, "How about I buy a seat? I just really miss the taste of home."
The boss was immediately delighted. After checking his ID, he happily asked, "Where are you from? Kent? Sussex? But you have to come a little later. Around 5pm is the peak dining time. How about 6pm? You can use whatever you want from the kitchen. We have fresh beef and lamb today."
Lin Weilun followed him to the kitchen and saw fans of lambs hanging from the ceiling.
He went forward and touched it, and found that the meat was fresh and healthy.
The lamb shoulder is especially beautiful, with fat and lean meat forming beautiful stripes. A gentle press reveals the concave muscle lines, revealing a full arc.
This is a goat with a firm feel.
How about making some slow-roasted lamb shoulder with wine and vinegar, a recipe from the Reform Club that I haven't had in ages?
English chefs weren't very good at handling lamb shoulders, and £5 was more than enough, so the boss agreed without hesitation.
It's just that the chefs are very fresh.
The guests have to cook for themselves? How hard it must be to leave home.
Lin Weilun ignored the inquisitive gazes and put the cut lamb shoulder into a small pan to slow-fry, then began to make the sauce.
The most important thing about slow-roasted lamb shoulder is the sauce. Compared to sherry, Lin Weilun prefers the taste of wine vinegar.
He first sautéed onions and garlic until soft, then poured finely ground brown sugar into the pot along with wine vinegar and red currant jelly.
Once the aroma has settled, add a handful of diced ham and beetroot, followed by the beef stock generously provided by the chef.
The soup was simmered over low heat for four or five hours, and a thin layer of fat floated on the milky white color.
"Why not add black pepper?" the chef asked with interest as he watched Lin Weilun's skilled movements. "That would enhance the flavor!"
“That would just make the flavor monotonous and mask the layers of the vinegar,” Lin Weilun replied. “On the contrary, dill, basil, and sage can bring out the inherent flavors of the vinegar.”
Of course, there are also the most important cardamom kernels, cloves and sea salt.
When the sauce in the pot becomes thick and sticky, Lin Weilun sprinkles in some freshly picked and cut cucumber slices to enhance the flavor, and finally adds a teaspoon of Spanish paprika.
The high temperature quickly brought out a rich aroma, which drifted throughout the kitchen along with the swirling clouds of steam, and then slowly diffused into the restaurant hall through the open ventilation door.
The chefs who were originally there to watch the fun were the first to quiet down.
They stared with wide eyes as the young man in front of them gently scored a few slashes on the slow-fried lamb shoulder, and then slowly and carefully brushed the sauce into it with a small brush.
The fat oozing from the lamb shoulder creates a smooth channel, enveloping the sauce and pushing it deeper.
The mutton fat was stimulated by some sudden liquid and jumped up, making a crisp "crackling" sound under the roasting.
Chefs know that it is the sound of muscle fibers breaking, the sound of the mutton smell being completely removed, and the sound of the delicate and complex sauce breaking through the skin and penetrating the tendons.
The lamb shoulder was slowly turning into another color, as if it had been submerged in warm spring water, or buried deep in the deepest tree canopy.
But at this moment, the young man didn't care much and instead picked up the fruit basket beside him.
"What should go with the lamb shoulder? Fruit Crumbs? Or Sabatini?" Lin Weilun was thinking as he looked at the dewy fruit basket. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"No, let's have the citrus crème brûlée. It's from Cambridge and the perfect way to remember London."
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The author has something to say: The fruit körpert at the end of the article is a German dessert, and the szabaon is from Italy, so the male protagonist finally chose the tart, a delicacy invented in Cambridge (UK).
I'm really in a bad state recently. Sorry, there's not much left in this article. I will try my best to finish it. Babies can feed me.
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