Chapter 13 Tie You to the Bed
The second course was pan-fried foie gras with fig jam.
Pei Song was about to reach for his phone when the waiter started introducing:
"This dish uses foie gras from Perigord, France, served with homemade fig jam and port wine sauce. It is recommended that you taste the foie gras on its own and then eat it with the sauce."
Following the suggestion, Pei Song first tasted the pure foie gras.
The delicate and dense texture contains a rich aroma of oil and melts in your mouth.
When he tastes it with fig jam, it's a completely different taste experience.
"The jam has just the right amount of sweetness and acidity," he exclaimed, "and the texture is layered, with the graininess of the figs."
Shi Yanchen looked at his focused expression, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised: "These details can be applied to your dishes."
Dishes were served one after another, and each one was like a perfect cooking lesson.
For the main course, it was a perfect Beef Wellington.
The waiter gracefully cut the puff pastry, and the pink beef shone attractively under the light.
Pei Song found himself holding his breath.
"Look at this puff pastry," Shi Yanchen pointed out. "To wrap the beef perfectly and bake it to golden brown, it must require extremely precise temperature control."
Pei Song tasted it carefully, marveling at the tenderness of the beef and the texture of the crispy skin: "Can this technique be used in..."
"If you have an idea, just try it." Shi Yanchen looked at his focused expression, "Although I don't know how to cook, in business, the attitude of striving for excellence is common."
During the entire meal, Shi Yanchen commented more from the perspective of a diner and investor.
He points out details of presentation, plating and service of each dish.
As for the specific cooking techniques, Pei Song was the only one who was studying them seriously, asking questions and taking notes from time to time.
Shi Yanchen looked at his densely recorded memo on his phone and said, "You know, the first time I saw you cooking, I thought you should open a restaurant."
Near the end, Shi Yanchen said: "This meal is not just for you to enjoy the food, but also for you to see the standards of a top restaurant. "
Pei Song nodded thoughtfully. This meal not only broadened his horizons, but also gave him a lot of inspiration.
"Remember this feeling," Shi Yanchen said. "This is the level we want to surpass."
"Surpass?" Pei Song was stunned.
Shi Yanchen's eyes were filled with unquestionable confidence: "If you want to do it, you must do it to the best of your ability." He paused, "I never invest in mediocre projects."
At this moment, Pei Song suddenly felt that opening a store was not as far-fetched as he had imagined.
…
That night, Pei Song was preparing lunch for the next day in the kitchen when Shi Yanchen suddenly appeared at the door.
"There's a group meeting tonight," he said, leaning against the door frame.
"Oh." Pei Song continued to work, "Then I'll prepare some midnight snacks for you. The temperature has dropped recently, how about making some ginger soup?"
"Don't bother."
"We have to prepare hot drinks anyway." Pei Song said with a smile, "You guys stay up late to discuss, so you should drink something to warm your stomach."
Shi Yanchen looked at him silently for a while, and suddenly said: "I will try to come back as soon as possible."
These words made Pei Song pause.
This was the first time Shi Yanchen adjusted his time for others.
At the group meeting that night, everyone was surprised that Shi Yanchen, who was always known for his rigorousness, ended the discussion early.
"That's all for today." He closed his notebook, "We'll deal with the rest tomorrow."
It was almost eleven o'clock when I got home, but there was still an insulated box on the dining table.
Open the lid and the aroma of steaming ginger soup hits you.
There was also a note next to it: "Remember to drink it while it's hot. If it's too late, warm it up. - Pei Song"
Shi Yanchen looked at the note and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously.
On a weekend morning, a rare day off, Shi Yanchen discovered that Pei Song did not show up at the morning jogging meeting point on time.
He went upstairs with a frown on his face, and when he opened the door he saw Pei Song curled up on the bed, shivering.
He touched his forehead and the scorching temperature made his face change.
Shi Yanchen called the family doctor directly from home.
"It's just a common cold." The doctor said after examining it, "but you need to rest and stay away from cold water for the next two days."
Shi Yanchen sent the doctor away, and when he came back he saw Pei Song still wanted to get up.
"Lie down." He said in a cold tone, "I'll take care of today's three meals."
"It's not that serious..."
"I said lie down." Shi Yanchen pushed the man back to the bed, "If you dare to move again, I will tie you to the bed."
He stayed in the room all day long, taking Pei Song's temperature, feeding him medicine, and changing his towel on time.
Although the movements were still quick and neat, the cautious attention made Pei Song's heart warm.
"If you feel unwell in the future, tell me right away." Shi Yanchen said as he prepared the antipyretic medicine, "Don't try to be brave."
After this incident, Shi Yanchen's behavior became obviously different.
I must go home on time for dinner every day, and even the laboratory group meetings were moved to the afternoon.
His classmates joked that he was trapped by the delicious food, and he was too lazy to explain.
One day, a junior student came over excitedly and said, "Senior, I follow your roommate on Instagram, and his food looks amazing! Can we also go to your house for a meal?"
Shi Yanchen looked up expressionlessly: "He needs to rest recently."
"Then some other time..."
"You all need to rest recently." Shi Yanchen interrupted him directly, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
From then on, whenever someone mentioned wanting to visit his "chef roommate", Shi Yanchen would refuse with various reasons.
Even team members who had come to his house before to discuss issues were arranged by him to meet in the cafe.
Pei Song was completely unaware of this and was still moved by this hard-earned friendship.