At noon, everyone enjoyed stir-fried hazel fowl and braised rabbit meat. There were nine people in total, so it was not enough. However, Shopkeeper Lin's cooking skills were amazing. He made both dishes very tasty. A spoonful of the vegetables mixed with a bowl of rice was enough. After the meal, there was still a layer of bright red soup floating in the earthenware bowl. Luo Tietou and Zhao Liu hurriedly took out their steamed buns and ate them bit by bit with the soup.
"Comfortable, really comfortable!" Luo Tietou lay on the grass and rubbed his stomach. If he could go on missions with Manager Lin in the future, he would be willing to run around outside every day for 365 days. That's not called running around, that's called enjoying life.
"One hazel grouse is still a little too little and not enough to eat. How about we go hunt a few more later and let Manager Lin continue to cook in the evening?" Zhao Liu said in a low voice.
"I think it's a good idea. Now that the game has been hunted, Manager Lin has to make some dishes even if he doesn't like the same old dishes. Game has to be killed and cooked right after it's been killed. That's when it tastes good." Luo Tietou kept smacking his lips, as if he was still savoring his lunch.
The handsome man glanced at them and said nothing, obviously agreeing.
After resting for half an hour, the convoy continued on its journey. When they reached a dense forest, Zhao Liu and Luo Tietou heard the sound of a small animal running in the grass, and they immediately took up their bows and arrows and chased after it. They had already decided to hunt more game so that they could have a good meal in the evening.
The handsome man just looked back and did not go with them. After walking for a while, he gradually felt something was wrong. Just as he was about to ask the driver to slow down, an arrow hit the horse pulling the cart, and startled the rest of the horses. Several horses raised their hooves and neighed, and suddenly there was chaos. Fortunately, the driver pulled the reins in time and calmed the frightened horse, otherwise Manager Lin would have suffered a great loss.
But the fact that the goods were not damaged did not mean that the situation would get better. A dozen burly men emerged from the dense jungle, holding machetes and bows and arrows in their hands. They were obviously habitual robbers.
The handsome man immediately approached Manager Lin's carriage and said in a low voice: "Don't resist, just follow them first. Zhao Liu and Tietou are still behind, they will find a way to rescue us." Although he was a martial arts expert and could easily deal with a dozen bandits, there were too many people in the convoy and he couldn't protect them all.
Lin Dan bent his knuckles and tapped the car window to indicate that he understood.
The group and the carriage were all taken up the mountain by the bandits. There was a small village built on the mountain with five or six adobe houses surrounded by wooden fences, which looked rather simple. This was obviously hastily built by fleeing bandits and has not yet grown in scale. However, if no one manages it, it will become a major problem for the local area in three to five years.
Lin Dan's hands were tied with ropes. He staggered forward, counting the number of bandits as he walked. The five or six adobe houses could not accommodate many people. From what we saw along the way, it was just a small bandit den of 20 to 30 people. There were also some abducted women working, with numb looks on their faces. After being taken into the largest adobe house, a ferocious-looking man immediately came up and asked in a rough voice, "Are there any good goods this time?"
"Damn, they are just some pickles and dried vegetables, not worth a penny!" A bandit spat, and then said, "Luckily we kidnapped three young ladies, brothers will be blessed tonight."
The bandit leader was a little disappointed at first, but when he saw Lin Dan and the other two, he immediately smiled obscenely, "Okay, okay, although your skin is not white enough, your figure is quite attractive!"
Lin Dan travels outside all year round, so her body is very fit. Her slender waist is tightly bound by a cloth belt, which makes her breasts look fuller and her buttocks look more perky. It is completely different from the morbid beauty that is popular nowadays, but it is also extremely charming. She was used to big storms and waves, so she remained calm at this moment, but her servants started shouting and cursing angrily, so they were quickly gagged and stepped on the ground.
The handsome man raised his head to look at the bandit leader, a dark light flashing across his eyes.
Lin Dan cast a comforting look at everyone, and finally said slowly, "The leader may not know that my ancestors were royal chefs, and I also learned some skills from my father. As long as the leader can let my servants go, I am willing to stay and cook for my brothers."
Naturally, she would not expect these vicious thugs to release the people. She said this just to divert their attention. For ordinary people, the imperial chef is a person they will never meet in their lifetime. If they happen to meet him in real life, how can they not be curious? As long as they are curious, Lin Dan can buy more time for everyone, and with time there is a chance to escape.
"Are you the royal chef?" The bandit leader's lewd smile disappeared and he looked at her in surprise.
"My master's grandfather was the imperial chef, and my father was once the head chef at the Yongding Marquis' Mansion." Lin Dan explained.
This family has served both the Emperor and the Marquis of Yongding. Those two are figures that others could never even dream of! The bandit leader's eyes gradually changed when he looked at Lin Dan. After thinking for a moment, he said, "How do I know whether what you said is true or not? It's just a coincidence that two cows were just robbed from the village. You kill the cows and make us a dinner. As long as everyone is satisfied, I can consider releasing your people."
"Then I would like to thank the chief first." Lin Dan bowed and said, "It takes a lot of effort to kill the cow. I hope the chief will release my two girls so that they can help me." If Shaoyao and Dujuan were left behind, who knows if there would be some uncontrollable bandits who would bully them. How could Lin Dan feel at ease?
Killing cattle is a dirty and tiring job, so the bandits naturally didn't want to do it. Besides, Shaoyao and Dujuan were only twelve or thirteen years old, young and not tall, so they posed no threat, so they were quickly released. The rest were tied up and thrown into the woodshed.
After the bandits left, Xiao Zhu scurried up to the handsome man like a bug and asked in a low voice, "Big brother, do you think Zhao Liu and Tietou can find our trail? When will they arrive?"
The man lay quietly on the ground, his eyelids slightly closed, and said in a low voice, "If you can find me, wait until nightfall."
Xiao Zhu was still a little panicked. He tilted his neck to look out the window and muttered to himself, "I wonder how Manager Lin and the others are doing now."
Lin Dan is doing well now. He is squatting on the ground, carefully sharpening a sharp knife. From time to time, he uses his fingertips to test the sharpness of the blade, with a serious expression. The two bandits had been staring at her with eager eyes, but when they saw that she was busy making a fire, boiling water, and sharpening a knife, and had not spoken a word to the two little girls, nor had she sneaked around to look around, they gradually relaxed their guard and sat aside to chat.
The two cows were very strong and their furs were well-maintained. They were obviously oxen that were stolen from the foot of the mountain.
Lin Dan sharpened the knife and walked around the two cows a few times, feeling around them up and down, as if choosing a target to attack. When the two bandits saw that she was finally going to slaughter the cow, they quickly gathered around to watch the fun. Killing a cow is a technical job. Even three or five strong men working together often cannot do it, let alone a woman?
The two bandits didn't even offer to help. They just stood aside and sneered, their eyes full of malice.
But soon, Lin Dan's actions made them feel cold in their hearts. After she picked one of the cows, she asked two little girls to lead the other one away. She blindfolded it with a cloth to prevent it from getting irritated and going crazy. Then she stabbed the cow's neck with a knife, cutting off the carotid artery. She then stepped back, scooped a bucket of water, and slowly rinsed the bloody tip of the knife.
Five meters away from her, the sturdy ox had slowly fallen down without even having time to scream. Blood spurted out of its neck, quickly dyeing the ground red.
The two bandits were dumbfounded, but Lin Dan did not rest. After the blood was drained, he used boiling water to scald the cowhide and shaved the hair. At last, there were still some hairs that could not be scraped off, so the two little girls used red-hot iron rods to burn them. The smell of burnt skin and flesh accompanied by a sizzling sound made people's scalps numb.
After thoroughly cleaning the cow's hair, Lin Dan poked the tip of the knife into the cow's stomach and cut it open very neatly. The internal organs instantly flowed all over the floor and were sorted into different categories and placed in a ceramic basin. She then inserted the knife into the joints and dismembered the cow in just a few strokes. It took her less than an hour to deal with a 300-pound ox, and her action was both ruthless and accurate.
The two bandits no longer dared to look down on her. They stood outside the pool of blood with their hands and feet hunched. They all thought to themselves: A woman like this should continue to be a cook and not be taken to bed, otherwise she will kill you one day without you knowing.
"Two big brothers, how many people are there in your village?" Lin Dan threw the last piece of beef into the pottery basin and asked casually.
"Why are you asking this?" The two bandits felt uneasy and naturally became more wary of her.
"I need to know how many people there are so I can cook. Otherwise, if the portion is small, there won't be enough for everyone." Lin Dan wiped the blood spots on his face with a handkerchief, his expression very calm.
This was a very good reason. The two bandits counted in their minds and replied, "There are twenty or thirty mouths to feed. You should cook more."
Lin Dan nodded without asking any more questions. She and the two little girls carried the beef into the kitchen, cut it into two-inch cubes, and marinated it with soy sauce, cooking wine, salt and other seasonings. She also processed the beef hooves, brisket, ribs, bones and other ingredients one by one and put them aside for later use.
"Master, how do we escape?" The two little girls couldn't hold back any longer and whispered in her ear.
"Let's prepare this meal first." Lin Dan peeled garlic carefully with a calm expression.
No matter how panicked the two little girls were, it was of no use and they had to resign themselves to washing the side dishes.
An hour later, the beef was marinated. Lin Dan poured half a jar of vegetable oil into a large pot, heated it to 80% hot, then slowly poured in the beef and stir-fried it with a spatula. When the meat was half-cooked, he took it out and set it aside for later use. Pour out the remaining oil, wash the pot, add new oil, stir-fry ginger slices and green onion shreds, then add the half-cooked beef, soy sauce, star anise and other ingredients, and continue to stir-fry. After a quarter of an hour, add water to boil. When the soup boils, remove the excess firewood from the stove and simmer over low heat.
The beef stew was almost done, so she washed the beef tendon, cut it into strips, and fried it in a pan. She was planning to make another dish of braised beef tendon. The two little girls were completely convinced. They never expected that their master would not forget to cook even after entering the bandits' lair. They didn't know what she was thinking. Is life more important or cooking?
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