War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1880 Getting the Ticket

"If you want to learn how to make sesame cakes, you have to start with the hanging oven."

In the kitchen of Mengji Shaobing Shop, Mr. Zhao pointed to the hanging stove near the window and said, "We use a 200-liter barrel to run our business. We cut off one-third of it, cut out the stove opening in the remaining barrel, paste yellow mud inside, put a grate on it to let out ash, and put a shallow iron pancake maker on top. This hanging stove is half done."

"And the other half?"

Qin II asked while eating, holding half a sausage in one hand and a pancake skin in the other.

He admitted that the taste was good and worth driving a special trip for, but he definitely wouldn't become a disciple just to satisfy his appetite.

"For the remaining half, we used to use the wheel hub of a rickshaw and No. 8 iron wire to make a hemispherical shape, and then paste it with yellow mud mixed with wheat straw. The bottom of the hanging oven for this hemisphere also has a shallow iron pancake pan, but it has to be placed upside down."

As he spoke, Mr. Zhao pressed down the "weighing rod" on the hanging stove and continued to explain, "These two pots are buckled together, and the middle one is used to make pancakes. In fact, it is the same as the double-sided heating electric pancake maker now. The upper and lower parts of the two pots are usually burned with fruit wood charcoal, and the temperature is just right.

But it’s strange, I can’t make the pancakes taste like those made in the hanging oven even when I use the electric pancake maker myself.”

"Now there are ovens specifically for making sesame cakes, which are not as painful as this one, but my father won't allow us to use them." Mr. Zhao's son said.

"The food baked in the iron box doesn't taste right," Mr. Zhao said with disdain. Obviously, he has his own insistence.

"The sesame cakes in your house are really delicious," Qin II said immediately, and his active response looked as if he was learning a skill.

"I guess big bosses like you are unlikely to set up a breakfast stall even if you learn it."

Mr. Zhao smiled and said, "So we don't need to pay homage to the master, and we don't need to make the hanging stove ourselves. Let's just start with kneading the dough."

"It's all up to you"

Wei Ran said, and then looked at Qin Er Shi, "What about you? If you want to learn from me, then pay the tuition quickly. If you don't plan to pay the tuition, then go back early and stop stealing teachers from here."

"I'm already here"

Qin II was extremely curious about why Wei Ran would learn this. "Are you afraid that I will learn better than you and steal your business in the future? Besides, even if I don't learn, can't I eat and drink for two days? Right, Uncle Zhao?"

"Enough sesame cakes"

The old man named Zhao Wenqi laughed and said that he had enough reasons to be happy.

His son, the pancake shop owner named Zhao Chunfeng, can take his wife to the theater troupe mentioned by Wei Ran to serve as a chef at any time - even though he can only make pancakes and cook some home-cooked dishes.

These were the promises Wei Ran and Qin Ershi had made when they were competing in eating sesame cakes. They had even made arrangements and said that anyone who was willing to come over at any time would have someone and a car to pick them up.

As for doubt, Mr. Zhao Wenqi had no doubts. Before they could react, Wei Ran had already scanned the code and paid a full 20,000 yuan.

This is a deposit and also one month's salary for his son and his wife, not to mention that the other party also promised a lot of other things like five insurances and one fund.

As for refusal, who can resist money?
It is for this reason that, regardless of the considerations, both Zhao Wenqi and his son Zhao Chunsheng, the father and son, were particularly enthusiastic towards Wei Ran and his friend Qin II who suddenly came to their house.

Compared to their inner curiosity about the "greedy boss's" weird hobbies, Qin II was really confused. He really couldn't understand what Wei Ran was doing.

Originally, he thought that learning to make sesame cakes from an apprentice was just a cover, and the purpose was just to lure this sesame cake stall that seemed to have some connection with the Canhua Opera Troupe to the Wuming Troupe to take care of it.

But at this moment, Wei Ran, who was learning step by step very seriously, starting from adjusting the pepper and salt and kneading the dough, had a crazy idea popping into his mind, which he only adjusted occasionally but not most of the time -

Could this great scholar really be here to learn how to make pancakes? Could he be having a conflict with the Queen and be upset?
"Brother, what are you doing?"

Qin II finally couldn't hold back his curiosity, and found an opportunity to pull Wei Ran aside and asked in a low voice.

"Learning to make pancakes, what else can you do?"

Wei Ran, who was wearing an apron with the word "fertilizer" on it, answered as a matter of course, "What's the matter?"

"What's the matter? Are you having a conflict with your queen?" Qin II asked in a low voice, "Why are you learning this?"

"Sui Sui likes to eat it, what's wrong?" Wei Ran asked back with a confused look on his face, pretending to be stupid and as if it was a matter of course.

"Snapped"

Qin II slapped himself on the face and said, "I am so stupid for asking this question."

"Okay, stop guessing. Finding a girlfriend as soon as possible is better than anything else."

Wei Ran said, "I really just came here to learn how to make sesame cakes and sausages. You don't know if you haven't lived abroad. There is really nothing you want to eat. You have to learn everything by yourself."

"Okay." Qin II felt it was more reasonable at this time.

After all, in his eyes, a scumbag like Wei Ran who was surrounded by twenty or thirty, or even thirty or forty beautiful girls, must have something special about him. Maybe he was caring?
When he thought of this, the father and son of the Zhao family just came in carrying some pork belly and other things. Seeing this, Qin II also hurriedly said, "Uncle Zhao, please pack a few dozen sesame cakes for me and sell me some sausages. Put it on his account. The heating pipe at my house exploded again, and I have to go back quickly."

"The heating pipes in your house are covered with paper, right?" Wei Ran shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. The excuse this guy made was too perfunctory.

The Zhao family father and son seemed to have realized that he was a fun-loving person, so they happily filled a large bag of sesame cakes and half a bag of sausages, and specifically told him not to freeze them in the freezer. Then they let him carry them out and got into a car that had been parked at the door at some point, and drove away.

At the same time, Zhao Chunsheng turned on the lights in the pancake shop, then locked the roller shutter door outside and pulled the curtains.

In the words of the father and son, the seasoning recipe for the sausage was a secret passed down from their ancestors. If it weren't for the fact that he had a close relationship with Grandpa Tao Canhua, he wouldn't have sold it even if they offered money.

Regardless of whether this statement was true or not, when Wei Ran was concentrating on learning skills from the Zhao father and son.

When Suosu returned to Kazan later, she also met Mora and Anna, mother and daughter, who had come with Diane, and gave them a warm welcome.

In comparison, Wei Ran was like a newly hired waiter at Mengji Shaobing Shop. He got up early before dawn every day to set up the stall, and when he was not busy in the afternoon, he started to prepare sausages.

By the way, he also learned the skills of stewing meat and frying pickles from Mr. Zhao, and learned the skill of cooking salt water tofu soup from Zhao Chunsheng's wife.

In general, because everyone was willing to learn and everyone was willing to teach, it took only five days for Wei Ran to become a master.

In the words of Mr. Zhao Wenqi, even if he were asked to set up a stall, the most he would do would be a little slower, but the taste and cooking time would not be much different.

At the same time when Mr. Zhao made this comment, Wei Ran felt a fleeting burning sensation on the tattoo at the base of his left hand.

He knew that he had obtained a ticket to that period of history.

"I know you, a greedy boy, will never set up a stall to sell breakfast."

As Zhao Wenqi was speaking, his son Zhao Chunsheng had already moved a small hanging stove from the backyard.

"This is the special dish that I asked Brother Chunsheng to make for you."

Zhao Wenqi smiled and said, "It's definitely not possible to set up a stall outside, but it's definitely no problem to make sesame cakes at home. I can make seven or eight at a time."

"Master, if that's what you said, then I'll accept it."

Wei Ran agreed with a smile. The small hanging stove specially prepared for him by the Zhao family father and son was obviously modified by cutting off the head and tail of a commercial liquefied gas tank.

Perhaps it is due to his personality. Although the materials are a bit simple, this small hanging stove, which is less than one meter high when stacked together, is made with extraordinary precision. Not only are there several circles of steel bars welded around it that can be used as handles and to prevent scalding, but even the "weighing rod" that lifts the hanging stove is made of a one-meter-long jujube wood rolling pin.

Just as Zhao Chunsheng and Wei Ran were carrying the hanging furnace made of solid materials into the car borrowed by Wei Ran, Chen Luoxiang, who had received the news in advance, also drove over.

After some communication, Zhao Chunsheng and his wife got into the car driven by Chen Luoxiang with the luggage they had prepared in advance and left the quiet little village first.

"Wei Ran, is what you said before true?"

Zhao Wenqi asked, "Will my son still have a chance to perform abroad with the troupe?"

"That depends on whether Brother Chunsheng can capture everyone's appetite."

Wei Ran smiled and said, "But don't worry, if he doesn't want to go abroad, he can work in the canteen at the troupe's residence until retirement."

"That's good." Zhao Wenqi was obviously relieved.

"In the near future, the Canhua troupe will come to the village for a charity performance. Master will have to prepare enough sesame cakes in advance." Wei Ran said with a smile.

"Hey! Enough!"

Mr. Zhao made a promise openly and said jokingly, "You have to come and help when the time comes."

"If my schedule doesn't conflict, I'll definitely come."

Wei Ran made a serious promise, then said goodbye to Mr. Zhao and his wife, drove the borrowed car, and couldn't wait to go to the city and drive into the small Western-style building.

With some difficulty, he moved the small hanging stove little by little to the outside of the back door of the kitchen on the first floor and placed it against the wall. Wei Ran slowly took out the flour and seasonings he had bought on the way and started preparing by kneading the dough.

By the time it got dark and the lights came on, and the yard became quieter as there were fewer and fewer tourists outside, he had prepared a small basket of baked cakes, a roll of smoked sausage, a casserole of stewed meat, a pot of salted tofu soup, and a plate of fried pickled vegetables.

“It should be OK.”

While muttering to himself, Wei Ran picked up a piece of pancake, cut a hole in it, stuffed it with sliced ​​sausage and took a big bite.

Only when he was sure that the taste was the same as in his memory did he breathe a sigh of relief, finish the pancake in his hand, take a good shower, take out the big knife that had been in the trunk, and then take out the metal notebook.