Chapter 119 Miracle

The lecture that Si Li had originally agreed to give with Master Di was postponed due to the academy's holiday. It was February not long after the beginning of the new year, and rumors of the Autumn Examination in August had already leaked out from the officials of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites. Just as Jiang Hengyun said, it was a combined examination.

The news soon spread to every corner of the street. Anyone with ears could hear people criticizing the women's censorship. Some street scoundrels said that they didn't know what would happen if women went in. The scholars were more refined and only talked about the rules of their ancestors. The poems and songs in the teahouses and brothels were full of derogatory words. It was said that someone had offended the girls in the brothels, and the one who cursed the most wanted to go out for fun but was thrown out.

In this atmosphere, the county examination in February of the 20th year of Jingwen was intensively prepared. The three-part boy's examination before the provincial examination was held for both men and women after the women's special examination was established. In previous years, the sour scholars did not think much of it, and their eyes were full of contempt and arrogance. After all, the number of people selected for the women's special examination was far less than that of the formal imperial examination. Even if one did well in the boy's examination, it would be difficult to stand out in the special examination. However, this year, the imperial examination was held together, and the number of female students squeezed out in bookstores and private schools increased dramatically. If it were not for the Jingzhao Yin and the Wucheng Bingmasi who specially increased the patrol team, and if it were not for the deputy head of the Qunying Academy and the chief of the Imperial College who also stood up and said "There is no first place in literature, and the fate is clear", who knows how many troubles would have been caused.

Although the bad incidents were stopped, verbal abuse and cold violence were not uncommon. For a while, the female students who were going to take the exam this year were all eager to stand out. Even the first-time students in the elementary school class who were not yet ready for the exam were nervous. The two schools that were preparing for the autumn exam stopped studying any subjects other than the imperial examination and focused on preparing for the exam.

Si Li's first class after marriage began in such an atmosphere.

The dining hall is now connected to the courtyard for culinary students on the side of the college. The serious female students and culinary students under the podium are clearly separated. Although they are arranged to sit together, they still don't mix. One group of people are reading books and reciting, while another group is carefully looking through the kitchen utensils on the table, fearing that they will break something. Xiao Que is an outlier among the people reciting books. After helping to distribute the kitchen utensils, she wiped her sweat and smiled at Si Li with her head raised.

Di Leyu spoke first, "The basics of cooking will be taught by Mr. Si, who was newly invited this year, and I. On the table is the book "Introduction to Cooking", one for each of us. If you don't recognize a word, you can ask the classmates next to you. You can't take it away after you leave."

There is no need for unnecessary introduction. In Qun Ying Academy, they only have one common identity: teacher and student.

Si Li smiled and winked at Xiao Que, then continued Di Leyu's words, "Of course, those who are not good at cooking can ask their classmates for help. Today, we will start by peeling potatoes. Those who have done it first can come to the stage to demonstrate, and use the potatoes you peeled to make a plate of shredded potatoes."

Daning's reputation as a country of gourmet food is not undeserved, but for children who are still studying in elementary school, especially those whose families have at least some wealth, they don't have to light fire and peel the skin by themselves. - Really poor families usually skip elementary school, which is the first level of school before entering high school. Elementary school is more like a preparatory course for better grades, and it is optional.

The catering department has always been mainly focused on storytelling and eating and drinking, learning to make snacks, and most of the work is done by the servants. Everyone in the hall listened to Si Li's words, some moved, and some showed confusion on their faces.

"Oh, no, no, you have to wash the potatoes first."

"Be careful not to cut your hand!"

"The book says that it should be a little closer to the skin...ah!"

The child who almost cut his hand was rescued by Si Li in advance. The little girl with an agate necklace around her neck pouted and threw away the half-peeled potato, "I don't want to eat this! It's pig food!" The girl next to her was a culinary student. She wanted to pull the little girl to comfort her, but she stood still awkwardly after hearing this: Although potatoes are pig food, who among the poor doesn't eat them secretly?

Si Li frowned and said, "Go and pick up the food. Don't waste it." As the elementary school student was young, she did not scold him.

The atmosphere of respecting teachers is still strong nowadays. The little girl picked up the dusty potatoes step by step with tears in her eyes, washed them in the basin prepared by her deskmate, and then sniffed and said, "Teacher, it's done."

Si Li took the potato and brought it to the front counter. Only a piece of the potato's skin had fallen off and there was still some dirt on it. She pressed the potato, slowed down the knife in her hand, and peeled the potato a few times, and the skin fell off.

"Wow--"

In the past, there were chefs invited to be lecturers, but they mostly showed off their skills, and the students only saw the speed, but didn't see the knocking at all. This time, after I tried it myself and watched Si Li's demonstration, I realized that it was obviously very simple for the chef to do, but I couldn't do it, and the exclamations I made were much more sincere than before.

"What's wrong with pig food? The potato yield per acre is more than 3,000 kilograms, which is a life-saving weapon in case of famine. And in a good year, its yield per acre happens to make the price low, isn't it just right for you to practice your knife skills?" Si Li mentioned the yield per acre as if inadvertently, and the girls in the audience exclaimed again.

Many students in the elementary school classes had family members who were officials in the court. They were sent to study here, so they had some political sensitivity. They only knew that this thing tasted bad, but they didn't know that it could save lives.

Si Li did not let lofty thoughts occupy too much of their time. Seeing that most of them had peeled the potatoes with difficulty, and some simply left it to their deskmate to flatter, Si Li turned a blind eye to it and moved on to the next step.

Knife skills training is quite boring and time-consuming. Si Li is a freak who relies on the system. Fortunately, the seats of the students are arranged, and the culinary students help one-on-one, so the progress of a class is not slow. Although the new culinary students may not know how to read, the peeling and cooking skills have been tested by the entrance examination. In addition, they have a natural sense of taste or smell. Although they may not have touched a spatula, after a class, with their help, they broke the boundaries of the little girls in the elementary school class and gradually became familiar with it.

...just ignore the scene of the tragic crime caused by the over-the-top girl swinging a spatula.

Whether it was sour, salty or mushy, it was the first finished product of the girls. Si Li prepared bowls and divided a pot for every two people. Most of the girls in the elementary school class were confused and were excited to take it back to their families to taste their cooking skills, while the culinary students looked cherished. Although it was not delicious, it was also food and could not be wasted.

The most popular dish was the two pots of stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar that Si Li made as an example. One pot was cooked by her, and the other was cooked by the little girl who finished first. They were sour, spicy, and crispy, completely different from the potatoes that the students had eaten in the past, and their taste was clearly different from the potato snacks sold in Wanglaiju.

There was still a long line in the lobby of the catering department where the class had ended long ago. The girls who were waiting in line to try the food handed it to Di Leyu's assistant. Si Li touched the head of the girl who couldn't believe that "she" could cook such delicious shredded potatoes, said goodbye to Di Leyu, and walked out the door.

The hushed voices from inside the door reached my ears. "Potatoes are so delicious, so it's because other people are stupid and can't cook them! Are sweet potatoes delicious too?"

Si Li had her own selfish reasons for using potatoes and sweet potatoes to demonstrate the dishes. The Queen's past efforts should not be tarnished, and these things should not be buried. Seeing that the students were all on the path she wanted to see, she smiled softly.

Jiang Hengyun, who had changed into the standard robes of a scholar in the academy, was standing under the corridor not far away. Si Li saw him at first sight. The scholar's robe with a cross collar made him look more like a scholar. If he did not have the status of a prince, the emperor might have been troubled by whether to choose him as the top scholar or the third scholar during the imperial examination.

"You said it very well." Jiang Hengyun restrained himself and smoothed the wrinkles on Si Li's sleeves.

"I just did what I could do." Si Li shrugged, "I don't have the ability to turn potatoes and sweet potatoes into something. This kind of impact should have happened a long time ago."

Jiang Hengyun curled his lips and hooked her finger hidden in her sleeve, "It makes me look useless."

"No way, those working behind the scenes also need encouragement." Si Li interlocked her fingers with his and leaned against him intentionally, "Will you accompany me to see Ah Xiang and the others today?" The limited dishes of Wanglai Ju are still being prepared, but except for the scorpion hotpot, it has become the job of Ah Xiang and others. Si Li is very confident in handing over her store to the employees who have watched her grow.

"good."

The cuffs of the scholar's robes of similar styles intersected, and the couple walked away from each other, leaving behind a lot of envy.

After returning home, most of the elementary school students who had taken the Princess's Dietary Course went to their parents and mentioned the potato production in an amazed tone. Some were really amazed, while others just thought that the Princess was just playing around and coaxed her children to find a chef who could cook potato and sweet potato dishes. But no matter what, the trend of potatoes and sweet potatoes that had been popular since Wanglaiju has been revived from another angle.

"...Master, what is this?" The Secretary Wu Fang looked at the red and purple food in Master Liu's hand with a dazed look on his face.

Mr. Liu broke the sweet potato into two halves. The sweet aroma of the freshly baked sweet potato filled the small tea room in Wenyuan Pavilion. The old man muttered and complained, "I really don't know what to eat. Here, someone gave me a sweet potato as a gift. Try it." He peeled the sweet potato and chewed the soft and glutinous sweet potato with his teeth falling out. As he ate, his eyes turned red.

Wu Fang took half a sweet potato and felt that it was heavy in his hand. Tears welled up in his eyes. "Sweet potato, sweet potato!" More than ten years ago, he was a clerk in the Ministry of Revenue. He witnessed the miracle of sweet potato and potato with his own eyes. His ancestral home was outside the Great Wall, so he knew how many people would die in winter without food. In order to promote planting, he ran around and was eventually transferred out of the Ministry of Revenue. He became a person that everyone could step on. It took him more than ten years to get a promotion and become a secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. But after many twists and turns, this miraculous crop appeared before his eyes again.

"Hmph!" As soon as the door of the tea room was pushed open, Si Baifu saw what the people inside were eating, slammed the door again and left with a green face.

Wu Fang came to his senses from his sudden emotional shock, wiped his face, and asked cautiously, "Master, did I do something wrong?"

Liu Ge Lao leaned back in the rocking chair and squinted his eyes comfortably, his voice so soft that it sounded like he was humming, "As a student of Master Ji, he naturally cannot stand these crooked and evil people. Our Crown Princess is a capable person."

Wu Fang, who had seen the confrontation between the Crown Princess and Chief Assistant, did not dare to say a word. He looked at the sweet potato in his hand and frowned. This could save lives, how could he bear the evaluation of the evil ways? He thought of the wonderful ideas that Wanglaiju was good at and the unexpected Crown Princess, and he felt a little bit of anticipation in his heart.

Maybe this time, the miracle will not disappear again?

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The author has something to say:

Alas, yesterday's article was posted on time. When I saw the news yesterday, I was completely confused. Someone who was apparently so healthy and happy suddenly passed away...

There is only one update today. I will calm down and write the last part carefully.

I wish Grandpa Yuan a good journey