Chapter 50 Old Shadows of the Republic of China (4)
After confirming all the ingredients, Jiang Weiguo took out two potatoes, cut a small piece of bacon, and selected three relatively fresh green peppers. Jiang Feng guessed that he was going to make fried bacon with shredded potatoes and green peppers.
Eleven-year-old Jiang Weiguo's cooking skills are not as good as Jiang Feng's.
The knife skills are good, probably due to helping Jiang Chengde on weekdays, but the heat and seasoning are much worse. Jiang Feng could tell that there was too much salt in the spicy shredded potatoes, and since the potatoes were not very fresh, the taste would definitely not be much better.
Not to mention the fried bacon with green peppers. The bacon itself is not well marinated. The green peppers are even more dehydrated and wrinkled. The seeds inside are all dry. You can imagine the taste of the fried bacon.
These two dishes are home-cooked dishes and are not difficult to stir-fry. Manager Wang asked for at least three dishes and one soup. Jiang Weiguo thought for a while and took out the only cabbage in the cabinet.
The outer leaves of the cabbage were all wilted. Jiang Weiguo peeled off several layers before revealing the slightly moist leaves inside. Although it's not fresh, it's still edible.
Peel off a few vegetable leaves, cut into sections, and stir-fry.
The stir-fried Chinese cabbage that didn't look good came out of the pot.
Jiang Feng felt that if Mr. Huang in the first-class cabin didn't eat fish, his dishes would not be so ordinary. The most abundant thing in the river was fish. Jiang Feng saw at least two large buckets of fresh fish placed in the corner, still flopping around, and they were very fresh.
The soup is spicy soup, flour, fungus, kelp, bacon, and cabbage leaves that have been peeled off before and have no moisture at all, all chopped into pieces and thrown into the pot. After adding salt, chili powder, sesame oil, and soy sauce, Jiang Feng also saw Jiang Weiguo add a handful of spices to it, and stewed it in a pot. It was almost impossible to see the ingredients. It was full of fragrance, but it was the best among these dishes. Yes.
The soup was thick and steaming. Jiang Weiguo went out to find Manager Wang, but found that there was no one outside. He remembered that he said he wanted help and went next door to find someone, so he turned around and went next door.
Next door is also the kitchen, which is a little bigger than where Jiang Weiguo stayed. It may be because there are two large pots. One pot is boiled with paste, and the other is porridge with more water and less rice. Presumably the people in the bilge only have rice soup for three meals a day. From this pot.
There were two people inside, a fat aunt and a girl who looked somewhat similar to her, who should be her daughter.
The aunt was a little stunned when she saw Jiang Weiguo coming in, but she quickly realized it and asked with a smile: "Are you the new cook hired by Manager Wang? Wait a minute. I haven't cooked the paste yet. I need help. I'll go over and help." You.”
This was the first time Jiang Weiguo had met such a friendly stranger since he had fled, and his tone unconsciously softened: "No, aunt, I just want to ask where Manager Wang is? My food is ready."
When she heard that she didn't need to help herself, the fat aunt smiled even more enthusiastically: "Wait a minute, I'll find Manager Wang for you."
After a while, the fat aunt came back with Manager Wang, followed by two people.
When the fat aunt passed by the small kitchen, she peeked inside and asked Jiang Weiguo: "Xiao Jiang, what did you cook that smells so good?"
"Aunt Li, don't ask if you shouldn't ask." Steward Wang warned sternly. Aunt Li was obviously not afraid of him. She rolled her eyes at him and continued to cook.
There was a large pot of soup that hadn't been stirred for ten minutes. Jiang Feng guessed that 80% of it was burnt.
The two people who came with Manager Wang went to the small kitchen to serve the food, and they went to Aunt Li's kitchen to serve the food. I don't know whether they were worried that Mr. Huang would be angry with Jiang Weiguo because he was not good at his craftsmanship, or for other reasons. Manager Wang asked Jiang Weiguo to follow him. .
The first class cabin was on the third floor, and there were people guarding the door. Steward Wang asked Jiang Weiguo to wait at the door, and he and the two people serving food went in. Jiang Feng followed Steward Wang in out of curiosity.
The first-class cabin was very large, just like the presidential suite of later generations. Mr. Huang's servants and family members were all inside. He was sitting on the sofa reading a book, and his wife was sewing buttons next to him.
"County Magistrate Huang, the original cook on the ship fell ill and died. Today he replaced him with a new one. I don't know if the food he cooked will suit your taste." Manager Wang said respectfully.
Jiang Feng couldn't help but look at this adult. At first, he thought that Manager Wang said he was an adult just as an honorific, but he didn't expect that he was really an adult. Even the county magistrate abandoned his official duties and fled to Shanghai. One can imagine how serious the disaster in the north was.
County Magistrate Huang looked to be in his fifties, slightly wealthy, and had a beard. After listening to Manager Wang's words, he reluctantly raised his eyes and glanced at him: "If you die, you will die. The food you cook will not taste good and is useless."
"That's what you said." Manager Wang smiled apologetically and retreated to a corner.
The maid next to the madam started serving dishes. Despite the simple environment, there were only three dishes and one soup. There was only one maid, but her posture was not small at all. Those who didn't know it thought she was a prince or noble from somewhere.
Mr. Huang took a bite of the stir-fried cabbage first and said nothing, but his expression was not very satisfactory. Then, I took a bite of shredded potatoes.
"Yes, it's better than the previous one." Master Huang said.
Mr. Huang was obviously more satisfied with the shredded potatoes, while his wife had a lighter taste. She only ate a few mouthfuls of cabbage and rice, then said she was full and stopped eating.
Maybe it was because of the shredded potatoes, or maybe it was because he had a large appetite, but Mr. Huang finished three bowls of rice before he stopped and motioned with his eyes to the maid to scoop soup for him.
The maid was clever and scooped out half a bowl of soup for him and placed it steadily in front of him.
Master Huang took a taste.
"Where did you find this cook?" Master Huang asked, putting down the bowl.
"The chef of Tai Feng Building." Manager Wang replied.
"It's a joke, the chef from Tai Feng Building can come here to cook for you." Mr. Huang smiled, his expression changing for the first time.
Seeing Mr. Huang smile, Manager Wang smiled even more exaggeratedly than him, but his voice was softer than him, and said: "Sir, you are really perceptive. He is just a child in his teens. He probably said this after doing odd jobs in Tai Feng Building for a few days. He is the chef of Tai Feng House. I wonder if Mr. Huang is satisfied with him?”
"How many days do we have until we arrive at the Magic City?" Master Huang asked.
"Five days, five days at most."
"It's him. He's very good at his craftsmanship. I'll reward him." Mr. Huang raised his hand and the maid handed Steward Wang two oceans.
This feels like a huge sum of money.
Manager Wang beamed with joy and said his kind words for free: "Master Huang, you are really kind-hearted and generous. I would like to thank you on behalf of that boy. That boy also cultivated many blessings in his previous life, and today he has the opportunity to cook this meal for you. , it is his honor to cook for you, and now that he has been rewarded by you, it is really a shame for his ancestors.”
Master Huang thought Manager Wang was noisy and asked him to go out.
Manager Wang stuffed Dayang into his underwear.
Jiang Weiguo was still standing at the door. It was now like autumn. He was wearing a single coat and had been blowing in the wind on the river for half an hour. Jiang Weiguo's hands and feet were a little numb. When he saw Manager Wang come out, he went up to him.
"You cooked well, Mr. Huang rewarded you." Manager Wang threw him three copper coins.
Jiang Weiguo quickly followed.
After coveting Jiang Weiguo's two oceans, Manager Wang was in a good mood, and even looked at Jiang Weiguo a lot. "You can go to Aunt Li's kitchen to eat later. Eat as much as you want. I'll add more white flour steamed buns for you." One, four, you can stay in the kitchen during the day, and you don’t have to worry when you go back at night, I will make the decision for you if your things are stolen.”
"Thank you, Manager Wang." Jiang Weiguo said quickly. In fact, with his size, the group of scrawny weaklings in the cabin might not be able to snatch him away.
Seeing how knowledgeable he was, Manager Wang nodded with satisfaction and left.
Jiang Weiguo walked quickly towards the kitchen. (End of chapter)