pjbooks Chapter 18 doesn't seem like a respectable family!
Chapter 18 doesn't seem like a respectable family!
"Jasmine, why don't you try it first?"
Li He grabbed Zhang Moli's wrist and half-dragged, half-pulled her to Tiger's side. The three of them gathered around the pot of braised quail eggs that Ling Yun had abandoned, like three cats huddled near a fire.
Unable to resist Li He's persistent pleading, Zhang Moli bit her lip and finally reached out, her fingertips trembling slightly, and pinched a pearl.
The quail eggs were stained with brown marks from the braising liquid, and they gleamed with a dull sheen under the light.
Just put it in my mouth.
A salty, astringent shock suddenly hit her, feeling as if someone had crushed her tongue with a dry, rough stone. It not only hurt her, but also instantly sucked away all the moisture in her mouth, making her teeth clench.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! It's so salty!"
Zhang Moli frowned, turned around as she jogged, grabbed the cup of cola she hadn't drunk earlier because she was afraid of gaining weight, tilted her head back and gulped it down in one go. Her Adam's apple bobbed up and down several times before she finally let out a long breath.
Ling Yun shook his head helplessly.
We told you not to try, but you still insisted on trying.
He kept all the C-grade food that was barely edible, intending to feed it to stray dogs later.
Among those quail eggs.
The best is D-, which is the kind that's so salty, numbing, spicy, or fishy it's almost unbearably cloying.
Most of them have no rating.
"It's just a bit salty, how bad can it be?"
Li He still didn't believe it.
She put her hands on her hips and raised her chin slightly, as if encouraging herself.
Ling Yun is such a great chef; he can make street-side steaks taste so good. So how bad could these braised quail eggs be?
At most, it's a bit too salty, like what Jasmine ate.
What if you happen to find a good one?
Her main concern was that no one could simultaneously distinguish the quality of over forty different types of braised quail eggs; would that even be human?
She nudged Tiger with her elbow and whispered:
"Let's try again!"
"Um!"
Tiger nodded sullenly, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Since he's already suffered a loss, having more people try it will make him less conspicuous.
of course.
I'm still a little resentful.
Although Ling Yun was appreciated by the boss, he knew even better that Ling Yun's specialty was steak, and this braised egg dish was a first for him.
He really doesn't believe in superstitions!
Li He and Tiger Brother reached out with their chopsticks and each rummaged through the pot for a piece of food.
Tiger was much more cautious this time.
He first held the quail egg up to his nose and sniffed it carefully.
Suddenly, an indescribable, strange smell assaulted his senses, like a moldy rag soaking in vinegar. His eyebrows furrowed, and he prepared to give up.
Li He scoffed at the sight.
"bring it on!"
She raised her hand and gently patted Tiger's hand to help him put the quail egg in, then quickly put it in her own mouth as well.
Wow!
Both of them turned pale at the same time, as if something had twisted them from the inside.
Li Hexian couldn't hold on any longer and bent over, letting out a "vomiting" sound.
Tiger also covered his mouth, letting out a muffled sound, and the two quail eggs fell into the trash can almost untouched.
"Make sure you clean the ground up later, so you don't cause trouble for the sanitation workers."
Ling Yun didn't even look up, just laughed and cursed, but his hands didn't stop working as he started preparing the second batch of braised quail eggs.
"Shall we...try again?"
Tiger clutched his throat, his knuckles turning white, his voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing together.
I recall the taste from just now.
Li He felt as if a lingering, metallic taste remained on her tongue, and a foul odor rose in her throat. Her hand trembled, and she disgustedly tossed aside the disposable chopsticks, which arced through the air before landing in the trash can.
"Forget it, even Lucky Jasmine doesn't work, it seems like it really won't work."
Done.
The two turned around simultaneously and looked at Ling Yun, who was cooking the second batch of braised quail eggs.
His figure was faintly visible in the steam, his movements fluid and graceful.
"As expected, someone who can be a head chef is different; he was right."
Tiger crossed his arms; this time, he had no choice but to admit defeat.
"yes!"
Li He's eyes shone with undisguised admiration.
"Other people's success isn't without reason; it's due to exceptional talent!"
She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled:
"In anime and novels, this would be called absolute sense of smell? Or even god-like sense of smell!"
She chuckled to herself twice, then turned and went to get a broom to sweep up the leftovers.
Tiger was taken aback, his gaze freezing.
He stared at Ling Yun for a long time, his gaze growing deeper and deeper, as if recalling something extraordinary.
After a while.
He took out his phone, quickly tapped the screen a few times with his thumb, and sent a message to Li Yi.
The second batch is complete.
Lingyun obtained two more usable spices.
He redistributed the six spices into the cooking container and put the remaining four hundred quail eggs in to braise.
All the previous braised quail eggs received negative reviews for not being flavorful enough.
this time.
After cooking, Lingyun simply put the lid on and let the batch of braised quail eggs soak until the night market opens, which will basically solve the problem.
He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, then turned to Li He and instructed her:
"Each of the eight compartments here represents a different flavor. In the evening, you take out one of each flavor, put six in a paper cup, and it'll cost ten dollars. We'll call it 'Blind Box Quail Eggs.' Each one has a different flavor. It's while supplies last. You can come up with the slogan."
Quail eggs cost around 6.5 yuan per jin (500g), and there are about 40 eggs per jin. It's impossible to make up for the cost of the damaged spices with these, but at least we can get back a few hundred yuan.
As for the losses...
It all depends on how Uncle Chen handles things.
Mr. Li's side.
Ling Yun really didn't know what tricks the other party could have.
"I see."
Li He carefully made a few notes in her notebook, then looked up and said, "I'm going to find GG Company now."
"Then I'll go buy some more paper cups."
Tiger packed up the trash bag, held it in his hand, and took the initiative to find himself a job.
Seeing everyone busy, Zhang Moli stood there for a while, thought for a moment, and made a decision.
She gently bit her lower lip, walked to Ling Yun's side, and whispered her farewell:
"Then I'll be going now."
"Okay, go ahead."
Seeing that she had recovered, Ling Yun was relieved and nodded.
Next comes work time.
Wait until the braised quail eggs are finished.
Lingyun then began preparing the steak for dinner.
Unlike his previous attempts, he also needed to prepare pasta and broccoli. These two ingredients weren't anything special.
Boil a pot of water, add a little salt and a few drops of oil, swirl the broccoli in the emerald green water for two minutes and remove it, cook the pasta until it is 90% done and drain it.
He didn't prepare any ketchup.
With such a divine sauce, there's no need for basic sweet seasonings.
Lingyun took the steaks out of the refrigerator and laid them out one by one on the cutting board, letting them slowly revive at room temperature.
While we're at it, let's start mixing some divine exotic-style sauces.
To meet the demand of the night market, he made a huge basin of it.
Seasonings.
Generally speaking, the larger the quantity, the less likely it is to make a mistake.
He deftly sliced the mushrooms and cut the asparagus into sections. He melted the butter on the hot plate, sautéed the chopped onions and minced garlic, poured in the prepared sauce, and simmered it over low heat until it thickened and coated the spoon. Then he set it aside for later use.
Next, we'll cook the beef.
Cutting, pounding, and marinating are all done in one go.
Carefully apply the general marinade evenly to every inch of the beef.
"Chef Ling, it's almost time!"
At 4:30, Tiger knocked on the window of the dining car, his knuckles tapping against the glass with a dull thud.
Ling Yun submerged the last batch of steaks in the marinade, covered it, and the three of them jumped onto the food truck. The engine roared, and they drove off toward their destination.
The destination was a secluded spot in the bustling city center.
The car drove through several narrow alleys, and the surroundings gradually quieted down.
Looking at the sign for Fuyuan Residential Area, Ling Yun swallowed hard.
This place... doesn't seem like a respectable family's home!