Tianxuan was already used to being watched, and he wasn't reserved or shy at all. Whenever he was in the kitchen, all he could see were the ingredients, and all he could think about was the menu he had already prepared.
So, he casually selected the knives he would need for lunch, then rolled up the leather bag and placed it in a way that wouldn't get in his way and was within his sight.
Then, he took out the seasonings he would need later from the thick cloth bag and placed them in a convenient position for himself.
Master Cai's gaze was fixed on the various knives. The young master's knives were not only more complete than his own, but also nearly half as many. Some of them had strange shapes, and he couldn't even figure out what they were used for.
There was another thing that made him jealous: the young master's knives were all made of the finest steel. Although he didn't have any, it didn't stop him from being able to tell, because his master's family had a knife made of the same material.
It is said to have been used by a master chef who once worked in the imperial kitchen, and was made by order of His Majesty the Emperor.
All of this young master's knives are made of that material. Where did he get them? Did he spend a lot of money to have them custom-made?
Master Cai gritted his teeth and forced himself to look away. If he didn't look, he wouldn't be envious; if he couldn't see, he wouldn't feel jealous.
But as he turned his head, he was drawn to a row of bottles and jars of varying heights, each decorated with a pattern.
Are these seasonings? But are there really so many kinds of seasonings?
Although we haven't seen the young master actually cook yet, it's getting more and more like the real thing. This young master probably, maybe, possibly does have some culinary skills!
The kitchen staff no longer stayed there with the initial expectation of seeing him make a fool of himself; they genuinely wanted to see how the young master would handle the ingredients and cook the dishes.
Also, take a look at Chef Cai, the head of the kitchen, with such a longing expression – it's quite a rare sight.
They had all tried their best to find the least obstructive spot to stand, but in the end they still couldn't stay in the kitchen because the old man, the old lady, and the madam had all come over.
The steward ordered a small table to be set up in the kitchen, along with a pot of tea and some nuts and snacks. Everyone else, except for Chef Cai and a cook, was ushered to the courtyard to wait, just in case the young master needed help.
After Tianxuan greeted them, she began to busy herself with her own things.
Grandpa Ye didn't really want to come. Although he accepted that his grandson liked to cook, he was still a little uncomfortable.
However, he couldn't resist his wife's persuasion.
The old woman said, "Think about it from another perspective. People of their status, who has the good fortune to have their own grandson cook for them?"
On the way there, his wife warned him that after eating the dishes his grandson had prepared at noon, no matter how hard it was to swallow, he had to pretend that they were delicious and to his liking.
Grandpa Ye didn't want to agree. Good food is good food, bad food is bad food—can't he just tell the truth? To please his grandson, he'd lie through his teeth? Is that really good for his grandson?
If the grandson doesn't know the truth, his cooking skills won't improve!
However, even when he was young, Old Master Ye was afraid of his wife. But in front of outsiders, the old lady always gave him face. When the tigress was about to unleash her fury, she would only discipline him when she got home and the door was closed so that no one could see.
All these years have passed, and Mr. Ye is still as afraid of his wife as ever.
So, I had no choice but to come.
The old lady and Xia, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, found Tianxuan's current outfit more and more adorable. Old Master Ye's lips twitched repeatedly as he looked at her, but he didn't dare to say anything, let alone get up and leave.
Looking at the apron her youngest son was wearing, Xia was inspired again. She decided to embroider a few more in the same style for her son to use in rotation.
Watching Tianxuan roll up her sleeves and start cleaning the fish, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were a little nervous; the knife looked rather sharp.
But the two of them held back and didn't say anything, watching nervously with their hearts pounding.
Upon seeing Tianxuan's skillful movements in butchering the fish, Master Cai immediately realized that he had been mistaken and couldn't help but step forward to ask, "Young master, is there any particular reason for removing the gills before killing a live fish?"
"When slaughtering a live fish, draining the blood makes the flesh whiter and reduces the fishy smell. First, cut off the gills, because the gills are the main blood circulation sites for fish. After cutting them off, the fish will bleed naturally due to its struggle."
"Master Cai, look, the gills of fish are rich in blood vessels. Cutting them off will effectively drain the blood. Although opening the fish's belly will also release blood, it won't drain it completely." Tianxuan explained to Master Cai as she processed the fish, without holding anything back.
"Oh, I see. That explains why the fish still smelled fishy even though it was cleaned very thoroughly." Master Cai suddenly realized, and as he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, waiting for his chance to assist the young master.
As they were talking, a fish was cleaned and placed on an empty plate.
While preparing the pork, Tianxuan asked someone to boil some water for her to use later to remove the duck feathers. She also asked for a small bottle of liquor to keep on hand, when she suddenly remembered another important matter.
I poured some homemade detergent from the bottle I brought with me, washed my hands carefully, rinsed them clean, and smelled them to make sure there was no fishy smell left. I quickly dried them, found a small cloth bag in the thick cloth bag, took out a large bowl, poured in more than half a bowl of dark but fragrant crumbs, and poured in the boiling water I used to make tea for the old man.
Hmm, I was still a little nervous, otherwise how could I have almost forgotten to soak this beforehand? Tianxuan mentally apologized.
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