The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 455 Life and Death (Part Six)

Qin Huai watched Zhao Cheng'an make pastries in the Li family's kitchen for over an hour, and roughly figured out the current situation.

Six years had passed since the last time, and Xia Sheng was already 13 years old (not counting his age in the traditional Chinese way of counting age), so it was no wonder he had grown into a teenager. Everyone readily accepted that Zhao Cheng'an's appearance hadn't changed at all in six years; Zhao Cheng'an had always looked like a 12 or 13-year-old boy, and one with an extremely robust physique—something many adults in this era could only achieve in their entire lives.

In addition, everyone generally assumes that Zhao Cheng'an has mental problems and is an idiot, so it's normal for an idiot to have some differences in appearance from a normal person.

Believe it or not, from the perspective of a spirit undergoing tribulation, being a fool is actually quite good. As long as you're a fool, all strange behaviors are reasonable.

For the past six years, Zhao Cheng'an and Xia Sheng have been learning their craft at Taifeng Restaurant. Zhao Cheng'an specializes in traditional Chinese cooking, while Xia Sheng learns whatever is available. Both of them were paid apprentices at Taifeng Restaurant, the only difference being that Xia Sheng was taken in as a personal disciple by Chen Qiusheng at the beginning of this year.

Of course, the wages are the same.

The Li family, where they worked, was just an ordinary wealthy household in Beiping. They couldn't compare to princes and nobles, but their ancestors had produced a Hanlin scholar, which made them quite distinguished. The current Master Li had abandoned his literary pursuits and gone into business after the abolition of the imperial examination system, so he was very wealthy.

The young master Li that Xia Sheng mentioned earlier is the only legitimate son of Master Li. He is still studying and got married at the end of last year. His wife is Jiang Chengde's younger sister, Jiang Huiqin.

Because of this connection, Chen Qiusheng was recommended by Jiang Chengde to work as a cook at the Li residence, and he also brought Zhao Cheng'an and Xia Sheng with him.

The work in the kitchen of the Li family was obviously not as busy as that at Taifeng Restaurant. Taifeng Restaurant was a restaurant with a constant stream of customers every day. From the servants to the head chefs, everyone was so busy that they wished they had eight hands and feet to keep them from touching the ground.

The Li family's kitchen had over a dozen people, from kitchen helpers to assistant cooks and general laborers, all serving only the Li family. There were many masters, but they were also divided into different ranks.

The most honored were naturally the old lady, Mr. Li and his wife, and the eldest son of Mr. Li and his wife, who were of the direct line. Next were Mr. Li's illegitimate sons and his brothers who lived in the mansion and had not separated from the family. Then came the illegitimate daughters and concubines, and the lowest rank were the poor relatives who came to beg for money.

The kitchen is always the place with the most gossip, and the sound of the stove fire can easily cover up everyone's gossip. Qin Huai wandered around the kitchen, listening to the helpers talk about the masters of the mansion with great interest, feeling as if he had returned to the time when he was in college and watched palace dramas and family dramas with Qin Luo.

While Mr. Li was studying the Four Books and Five Classics, he was also doing business. Mr. Li was studying at university, preparing to study abroad in the future, while also dating and getting married to his wife and acting out an idol drama. Meanwhile, the eldest daughter had just made a big fuss about divorcing her husband and taking her daughter home. Mrs. Li had already been crying at home for four or five days, lamenting the misfortune of her family, which had produced a daughter who had been abandoned.

The concubines were obsessed with power struggles within the household, the old lady was addicted to sweets, and the young master Li's several half-brothers were studying in modern schools but were living a life worse than death and had no interest in fighting for the family fortune.

What a magnificent Li residence!

If the current version of Zhao Cheng'an were working in a place where gossip emerges every day, he would probably be so engrossed in the gossip that he wouldn't know what the world is like anymore.

But Zhao Cheng'an in his first life was clearly not like that; he still had a high level of professionalism. Whenever he was working, he would do it conscientiously, and even if his skills weren't great, he could still make up for it with his dedication.

Yes, Qin Huai felt that Zhao Cheng'an's cooking skills were not very good these days.

Both his kneading skills and his filling preparation were very average, even poor. The red bean paste filling Zhao Cheng'an used for his red bean buns contained almost a lethal amount of sugar. If such red bean buns were sold at Zhiweiju, one bite would make any child with a sweet tooth not want to eat anything sweet for six hours.

Qin Huai estimated that Zhao Cheng'an's pastries were currently between C+ and B grade. That wasn't bad, considering Zhao Cheng'an had only studied pastry making for seven years, and for a long time he was undoubtedly an apprentice doing odd jobs and didn't learn much skill. This level was acceptable.

He's just a bit inferior to Xia Sheng next door.

In the same six years, Xia Sheng seems to have blossomed.

Not only is he extremely efficient at his work, able to complete all the cutting and preparation that Chen Qiusheng needs in the shortest amount of time, but his skills also cover a wide range. He can handle all kinds of ingredients, massage shoulders and legs, chop wood, start a fire, and even cook a couple of dishes by the stove when necessary.

Because of the banquet tonight, the kitchen was quite busy this afternoon, and everyone was busy. If you had to pick the least busy person, it would definitely be Zhao Cheng'an—

He was only responsible for making the steamed buns; he had nothing else to do.

With such an easy and lucrative job, it's no wonder Zhao Cheng'an was begging to work at the Li residence.

Of course, Zhao Cheng'an's life soon became much more difficult.

Someone has come to the kitchen.

The lady who arrived was dressed in a light green new dress, with her hair tied up with two gold hairpins, gemstone earrings, and a jade bracelet on her wrist. She was followed by a maid.

Qin Huai guessed that this master must be Jiang Chengde's sister, Jiang Huiqin.

Jiang Huiqin ran into the kitchen with a smile, took a deep breath in an exaggerated manner, and said to Chen Qiusheng in an equally exaggerated tone, "Wow, the dishes smell so good today, Chef Chen. I could smell the aroma of the braised pork knuckle and fish soup from far away."

"Master Chen, you really favor one over the other. I've been asking for fish soup for half a month and you haven't made it for me. Tomorrow I said tonight is a family dinner and asked you to cook some good dishes, and you only made fish soup."

Faced with Jiang Huiqin's teasing, Chen Qiusheng calmly ladled out a bowl of fish soup: "Yes, yes, it's my fault. I'll secretly serve this first bowl of fish soup to the young mistress as a special treat, as an apology to her."

Jiang Huiqin took the fish soup with a smile, took a small sip, and her eyes lit up: "So fresh! Chef Chen, what did you add? I didn't even know you had a secret recipe for stewing fish soup. Tell me quickly, I want to use this recipe to stew a pot of fish soup for Mingyi in a couple of days, so he can know my skills."

"Ahem, young mistress, the madam asks you to avoid going into the kitchen," the maidservant gently reminded her from the side.

“My mother told me to cook less, saying that the smell of cooking oil would affect my clothes. Now I’m making soup, which doesn’t have that smell.”

Chen Qiusheng couldn't help but tease, "Yes, yes, stewing soup, the kind that's made in a big pot."

The maidservant whispered a reminder: "Young mistress, the eldest young lady and the others will be here soon."

"Oh right." Jiang Huiqin realized and quickly got down to business. "Master Chen, are you free now? My eldest sister brought Fen back today and just sent someone to say that Fen caught a cold last night and has been vomiting and having diarrhea since she woke up this morning and can't eat anything. My mother asked if you could make some easy-to-digest snacks suitable for children. It has to be you who makes them, not me."

"His desserts are too sweet. Grandma likes them, but Fen'er can't eat too many. Eating too many is bad for her teeth."

Hearing Jiang Huiqin say this, Zhao Cheng'an, who had been eavesdropping, immediately became indignant and defended himself: "Huiqin, how can you say that? You've known me for so many years, don't you know my skills? I make sweet desserts because the old lady likes sweets, but I can make non-sweet ones too!"

Upon hearing Zhao Cheng'an address Jiang Huiqin as "Huiqin," the maidservant was immediately enraged. She glared at Zhao Cheng'an fiercely, her voice becoming stern: "How dare you address the young mistress so directly..."

Then Jiang Huiqin interrupted the maid's spellcasting: "Alright, Xiaoqin, you should watch less of those plays. Hey, your brain isn't very sharp. You call everyone by their names. Last time he called his mother Xiuzhen, no one minded. You'll get used to it."

Jiang Huiqin looked at Chen Qiusheng: "Master Chen, do you have any suitable snacks here?"

Chen Qiusheng thought for a moment: "How about yam cake? It's easy to digest and not too sweet, making it perfect for people with spleen deficiency and diarrhea. I'll start making it now, and it should be ready by dinner time."

"That's wonderful," Jiang Huiqin said with a smile, standing there without any intention of leaving.

It was obvious that she was going to stay in the kitchen to watch Chen Qiusheng make yams, but to make her presence seem less abrupt, Jiang Huiqin started a conversation while watching. "Master Chen, are you really not going to give Ai a name? It's been seven years, and he still doesn't have a name. We can only call him Ai. Last time, my mother and grandmother both asked me if he really didn't have a name."

Zhao Cheng'an quickly replied, "Madam Huiqin, a name is very important and cannot be chosen lightly. This name will stay with me for life. If I live to be 120 years old, this name will stay with me for more than 100 years, so of course I must be careful in choosing a name."

It was clear that Zhao Cheng'an had taken the maid's advice to heart and was now calling Jiang Huiqin "Madam Huiqin".

Chen Qiusheng smiled helplessly, gave Jiang Huiqin a look that said, "Look, that's just how he is, what can I do?", and started making yam cakes.

Making yam cake is actually very simple. Wash the yam, steam it until it is soft and tender, let it cool, then mash the yam into a paste, add a little white sugar and steamed flour, and knead it into a dough.

To make the simplest version, roll the dough into small pieces, cut them into strips, and then steam them.

If you want to make it more complicated, you can add some ingredients to the dough, such as candied fruit, dried fruit, or jujube paste. If you add jujube paste, it becomes jujube yam cake; if you add milk, it becomes hibiscus yam cake; and if you add a bunch of other ingredients, it becomes eight-treasure yam cake.

When Master Chen was making yam cakes, not only Jiang Huiqin was watching, but Zhao Cheng'an also came over to watch, and even Xia Sheng would occasionally glance at them. With so many eager students watching and learning, Master Chen's movements naturally became very slow.

"Master Chen, is Ping An still attending school?" Jiang Huiqin asked.

“Yes, Ping An is a good student. If he studies for a few more years, he might have the chance to go to university like Young Master Li and become a college student!” Chen Qiusheng said proudly. “When he graduates from university and works for the government, our Chen family will be honored. Although Ping An didn’t learn my skills, having Xia Sheng as his apprentice makes me feel like I’ve done right by our ancestors.”

"When I get old, I'll go back to the area outside the Great Wall to retire, and I'll have the face to go back."

"Then what about him?" Jiang Huiqin looked at Zhao Cheng'an. "You've been teaching for so many years. Although you're not very good at storytelling, are you really willing to not take him on as an apprentice?"

Chen Qiusheng said irritably, "What do you mean I won't accept him? He didn't even want me."

Zhao Cheng'an quickly explained, "Master Chen, it's not that I didn't like you, it's just that I felt your pastries weren't as good as Master Jiang's, especially the steamed buns."

"The steamed buns he makes are not as good as Master Jiang's."

Even shumai is not as good.

Even the Lantern Festival is not as good.

"Rice cake too."

"Master Jiang has made this yam cake before, and it tastes better than yours."

"No, actually it's not just the snacks; your cooking is also inferior to Chef Jiang's. Chef Jiang's dishes are universally acknowledged as the best in Beiping; even the old prince praised them personally."

Xia Sheng:......

Xia Sheng, who had originally gathered around to watch Chen Qiusheng make yam cakes, quietly took a few steps back, pretending that he had other things to do, and slipped away.

Judging from Chen Qiusheng's expression, he was only a little short of throwing the steamed yam in Zhao Cheng'an's face because he couldn't bear to waste food and was afraid of losing his job.

After a long silence, Chen Qiusheng finally managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth: "I know, shut up."

Jiang Huiqin almost choked on her laughter.

“But there’s one thing that Master Jiang can’t compare to you, Master Chen,” Zhao Cheng’an said. “You’ve been better to me and Xia Sheng than Master Jiang has.”

Chen Qiusheng was initially a little angry, but after hearing what Zhao Chengan said, he couldn't stay angry anymore. He was just helpless, helpless that he had to argue with a fool.

Hearing Zhao Cheng'an say this, Jiang Huiqin felt indignant on behalf of her brother: "How can that be the same? You and Xia Sheng both live at Master Chen's house, so naturally Master Chen treats you well. If you lived at my house, my brother would treat you very well too."

“It’s different. Master Chen is so good to Xia Sheng and me. He even wants to name us! Although I haven’t been able to choose a name yet, and I don’t know if Xia Sheng will ever be able to choose one, Master Chen is willing to help us choose names. No one in the world is better to us than Master Chen!”

"Oh, you're something else! I've also come up with seven names for you, okay!"

"Wait, Master Chen, are you going to name Xia Sheng?" Jiang Huiqin stared at Chen Qiusheng with a face full of curiosity.

Chen Qiusheng: ...

"how do you know?"

“The other day, Master Chen, you and Young Master Ming were whispering outside, and I was eavesdropping from the corner.”

Chen Qiusheng: ...

"Don't eavesdrop next time!"

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. At that time, I heard that there were leftover smoked chicken butts in the kitchen that were going to be thrown away, and I was thinking about whether I could sneak a bite.”

"And you absolutely mustn't steal any food!"

"It can't really be called stealing. I just wanted to squat down and throw the chicken's rear end outside so I could be the first to pick it up and eat it."

Chen Qiusheng: I'm tired. Let's destroy it.

"Master Chen, you still haven't told us, what's the new name?"

"It's nothing. I just asked Young Master Li to give Xia Sheng a name that sounds more respectable," Chen Qiusheng said. "Didn't I take Xia Sheng as my apprentice? They say a master is like a father, but I don't have much money in my pocket, so I can't leave anything for Xia Sheng in the future."

"We can only give him a good name."

"A new name, a new beginning."

"I've been hearing him say all these years how important names are, and how you have to be careful when choosing one. I've kind of taken it to heart. I always feel that the name Xia Sheng isn't good enough, and I want to give him a better name, but I haven't read many books and I'm not very cultured, so I can only ask Young Master Li to help me think of a good name." Chen Qiusheng said, shaking his head with a smile.

Zhao Cheng'an said loudly and proudly, "Miss Huiqin, you see, a name is very important!"

(End of this chapter)