Daily life with the ship girl

These drivers looked at Bai Kuang and others and said flatteringly:

"Everyone, take my car. It only costs 300 Ocean Coins per hour."

"Take my car. I can take you around the entire Qiyun Port. It only costs 280 Ocean Coins per hour."

……

The enthusiasm of these drivers made Li Ran feel like he was back on Earth. Isn't that how all the illegal taxi drivers pick up passengers?

He found it very interesting, and then asked Bai Kuang:

"Which one do you want, Mr. Bai?"

"No need, I have a special car, it will probably be here soon."

Bai Kuang looked at his watch. When the drivers saw the plain-looking watch on Bai Kuang's hand, they were a little disdainful at first. However, one driver was quite knowledgeable and he exclaimed:

"This is the Xia Kingdom's royal watch, the Qiyunxia watch!"

"Don't bother, guys. I have my own car."

When the drivers heard Bai Kuang was so polite, they dared not to bother him anymore. And seeing that the watches he was wearing were all out-of-print Qi Yunxia watches, they politely said goodbye one by one, and then the area around the three men was empty again.

Li Ran was secretly a little shocked, then laughed and teased:

"Mr. Bai is indeed the big boss."

"Don't make fun of me, I just make a little money." Bai Kuang sighed, then looked around and said:

"The car is here."

Li Ran looked in the direction Bai Kuang said and saw a convertible car that was obviously more upscale than the black cars in front of Baiyunjian Hotel driving towards him.

When the car stopped in front of the three people, a man who was familiar to Li Ran got out:

"You are on time as usual, sir."

"Butler Li, thank you for your help. How are things going at the store?"

"With the young lady here, everything is done. Admiral Li Ran, we meet again."

"Butler Li, why are you driving yourself?" Li Ran was a little curious.

"The young lady hasn't learned to drive yet, and I'm worried about the shop assistants, so I'll be the one to pick up the master these days."

"Brother Li, stop talking. Let's get in the car. Butler Li, let's go to the Governor's Mansion first, and then you can help me take the two of them to Qiyun Port for a stroll."

"Well, thank you for your hard work, Butler Li." Li Ran did not refuse. He was also curious about the difference between sitting in the cars in this other world and the cars on Earth.

Li Ran opened the door for Bismarck, showing his gentlemanly manners. Bai Kuang teased:

"Brother Li really has the demeanor of an English gentleman."

"No, you're too kind." Li Ran smiled and shook his head, then watched Bismarck get into the car, and he also got in.

"Butler Li, let's drive." Bai Kuang felt in a good mood. He got in the car, sat in the passenger seat, and then closed the door.

"Okay, sir." Although Li Sanyan is fifty years old, he drives very steadily.

Li Ran felt that this car was really good. The seats inside were all leather sofa cushions, and it was actually a very fashionable convertible. He looked at the shops on the street with some curiosity. Now they were all open one after another, and most of them were snack bars. He asked curiously:

"Why does this Qiyunnan Street look like it's filled with delicious snacks?"

"Brother Li is right. Qiyun South Street is full of snacks. There are some local specialties of Xia Country, as well as many snacks from all over the world. It can be said that if you want to taste delicious food in Qiyun Port, you can just come to Qiyun South Street."

"So that's how it is. Bismarck, what do you think?" Li Ran turned and asked Bismarck.

Bismarck was stunned for a moment, then said:

"It's up to me, the admiral has the final say."

"Okay, okay. By the way, Mr. Bai, since there is Qiyun South Street, is there also a North Street?"

"Yes, North Street is behind the Governor's Mansion. That area is full of places selling jewelry and clothes, as well as many small accessories with Qiyun Port characteristics. What's up, Brother Li, do you want to buy a gift?"

"Yeah, it's not easy to come out here, so we can't go back empty-handed."

"That's right. How about I ask Butler Li to drive you around later?"

"No need. If we want to go shopping, Bismarck and I can just walk."

"Okay then. By the way, Butler Li, when you get off the car later, please write down the address of the branch so that Brother Li won't be lost when the time comes."

"I understand, sir."

……

The car passed through the busy Qiyun South Street and finally arrived at the square in front of the Governor's Palace.

After getting off the car, Li Ran said goodbye to Bismarck and Bai Kuang.

Li Ran put the note with the address of Sihai Trading Company's branch in Qiyun Port into his pocket, then turned to Bismarck and asked:

"Bismarck? Let's go get something to eat first."

"Ah."

"Now, put your hand out."

"how?"

Bismarck stretched out his hand in confusion, and was then grasped by Li Ran. He only heard his own admiral say:

"There are so many people here, don't get lost."

Bismarck was helpless. This admiral was becoming more and more daring.

However, it seems that this feeling is not bad.

Bismarck just let him lead him.

The two held hands and left the square in front of the Governor's Mansion, and then came to the crowded entrance of Qiyun South Street. Li Ran smiled and said:

"I'm going to eat my way through this snack street this time!"

Bismarck saw how happy Li Ran was, a soft look flashed in her eyes, and she walked into Qiyun South Street with Li Ran.

Chapter 01: The Mysterious Gourmet

Li Ran held Bismarck's hand and merged into the crowd on Qiyun South Street. He then felt as if he was back on Earth, shopping in some delicious food city, except that the buildings on both sides were not those Western-style buildings with modern decorations, and there were not so many cars honking their horns.

All you can hear are the vendors' shouts and the crowds' discussions. The shops are all classical buildings, with many features similar to ancient Chinese architecture, but many of the patterns are very different from those in ancient Chinese buildings.

Li Ran brought Bismarck with him, which naturally aroused the envy of many people. Those men couldn't help but feel jealous when they looked at the women around them.

Although Qiyun City is close to Qiyun Port and there are many ship girls coming and going, many admirals are proud of their status and generally do not walk in the downtown area like Li Ran. In the eyes of the admirals in this world, they have an inexplicable sense of superiority from the moment they become admirals.

But Li Ran is different. He is a time traveler and he once served in the Marine Corps. He knows that only among the people can one experience a purer life. Hanging out in high-end hotels and luxury restaurants does not mean that one has a high standard of living. Many people are actually just following the crowd because of fame and fortune. Li Ran thinks that being an admiral is not a big deal, so in his opinion, going shopping with his ship girl is a very normal thing.

Li Ran never dreamed that this seemingly insignificant matter would become a topic of discussion among ordinary people in the future.

Back to the point, Li Ran took Bismarck and wandered in front of the stalls without stopping. At this time, he and Bismarck stood in front of the popular Qiyun Shrimp Cake stall. Li Ran took a fancy to this small stall because it had a flag of a century-old brand. He felt it necessary to try it. Such a big-name snack, and so popular, should not be bragging. Li Ran was born in a family of chefs. He would go to various places to eat whenever he had the chance, but he didn't have so many opportunities after serving in the army for a year. Now he finally has the opportunity to learn new food. Although this is not the earth, no matter where he is, the snack street is always the most popular place and the source of inspiration for his cooking.

As a chef, Li Ran always kept in mind his family motto, that is, no matter where he eats or what kind of food, even if it is just a bowl of wonton on the street or a pancake on a stall, he must think about the pros and cons of this food. So he tasted the Xia Guo Qiyun shrimp cake he had just bought, which is one of the most authentic snacks in Qiyun Port.

After all, Qiyun City is close to Qiyun Port. As a port city, there is no shortage of seafood. Many seafoods are very cheap here. Moreover, because the level of industrialization is not high, unlike when Li Ran was on Earth, most of the seafood he ate were artificially farmed and tasted less wild.

Li Ran bit the Xiaguo Xiyun Shrimp Cake in his hand and felt that the meat of this Xiyun Shrimp was very tender. Moreover, wrapped in the special dough, it greatly retained the flavor of the whole shrimp. When he ate it, his mouth was full of the freshness of the shrimp and a light sweetness. He didn't feel sleepy at all. He turned around and asked Bismarck:

"How is this shrimp cake? Is it delicious?"

"Well, it's delicious, but I always feel that the taste is a bit bland."

"Well, you can taste it too. This way of making shrimp cakes really preserves the flavor of Qiyun shrimp. It's a pity that they don't have vinegar, otherwise the shrimp cakes might taste even better."

"Hey, little brother, I don't know what vinegar you are talking about?"

Li Ran and Bismarck were standing at the shrimp cake stall eating and talking. Just as they were about to leave the stall, they heard the owner of the stall pushing through the crowd and running to them to ask questions.

The customers were a little stunned. Seeing that the boss had stopped doing business, they looked at Li Ran and Bismarck curiously.

Li Ran looked at the boss of Qiyun Pancake who was blocking him. Bismarck suddenly became nervous. Li Ran patted Bismarck on the shoulder, signaling her not to be too nervous, and then asked:

"Um, uncle, don't you have vinegar here?"

"No, we have oyster sauce and soy sauce, but what is this vinegar?"

"How should I put it? It's a sour condiment."

"Sour seasoning?" The shrimp cake stall owner frowned, and then he heard Li Ran say:

"Uncle, the light flavor of shrimp cakes can indeed preserve the fresh flavor of the Qiyun shrimp, and the noodles are also delicious, but if you pursue the freshness too much and ignore the addition of seasonings to the food, it is inevitable that you will lose sight of the main purpose."

After saying that, Li Ran looked at the stall owner who was lost in thought, and said to the people in front:

"Give way."

Then, Li Ran led Bismarck out of the crowd.

When the stall owner reacted, he saw that Li Ran and Bismarck were gone. He couldn't help but stamp his feet, but seeing that the customers in front of his stall had already started complaining, unfortunately he was not in the mood today. Li Ran's words made him wake up.

"Boss? Are you still going to do this business?"

"Sorry everyone, I'm going to close the stall today and get up early tomorrow."

"Boss, you are such a weird person. You believed the nonsense that kid just said?"

"Do you know how to cook? Do you know how much that speech is worth? Did you see my stall and the banner on it? That was awarded to my great-grandfather by the Royal Cooking Selection Hall of Xia. Do you know how important the words that young man said just now are? I can tell you, young man, even if the officials from the Royal Cooking Selection Hall came, they wouldn't dare to say that, because they couldn't say it. I won't talk to you anymore, you lazy guy, please go away. I won't sell my shrimp cakes today."

As he said this, the old man put away the remaining shrimp cakes and said:

"Please disperse."

The young man still thought what he said made sense, but he found that everyone subconsciously moved half a step away from him. He heard the crowd talking:

"This kid is really blind. He dares to speak so arrogantly in front of a small stall with a hundred-year flag."

"If you ask me, I'm jealous of that guy. Look at that guy. He ate the shrimp cakes and he can tell you about their advantages. By the way, have you heard of vinegar? It's a really fresh condiment. I just don't know where to buy it."

The young man left the Qiyun shrimp cake stall in shame, and this seemingly insignificant incident soon spread throughout the entire Qiyun South Street.

Li Ran never imagined that the small stall where he stopped was actually the oldest snack stall in the entire Qiyun South Street, without a doubt, dating back to more than a hundred years ago, when the Emperor of the Xia Kingdom loved eating shrimp cakes, but unfortunately he searched all over the world and could not find the flavor he liked, until the ancestor of the owner of the Qiyun shrimp cake stall just now boldly tried using Qiyun prawns, steaming the whole piece without adding any extra seasoning, which unexpectedly made the emperor fall in love with it.

But in fact, no one knew that the emperor just liked light seafood. Because he was awarded the Centennial Flag of the Royal Culinary Selection Hall, the old man never thought that there would be problems with the shrimp cakes he made. It was not until Li Ran said that the shrimp cakes were delicious but the taste was too bland that he finally understood. No wonder his family had the Centennial Flag but had never been able to grow big. It turned out that the problem lay here.

"No, I have to go ask that guy what the vinegar is that he's talking about?"

At the same time, Li Ran breathed a sigh of relief:

"Huh, I finally squeezed it out."

"Admiral, what you just said feels so profound."

"Not profound. I think you can feel it after eating the shrimp cake. It's too bland. Although it's delicious, it's also bland. And the cake itself doesn't have much flavor, not even sesame seeds. To be honest, I can only give that shrimp cake a 7 out of 10. It seems that we can't trust the reputation of a century-old store too much. Let's go to the remote streets and alleys, maybe we'll find some surprises."

"Admiral, can you teach me how to cook? I feel like it's a very happy thing to let those people taste delicious food."

Bismarck said this, but in fact he added in his heart:

Actually, I want to cook for you, Admiral.

"You want to learn cooking?" Li Ran frowned, then thought it was nothing. After all, the game didn't say whether Bismarck could cook or not. He thought about it:

"Well, but before we learn how to cook, let's start by learning how to eat."

"Eat?" Bismarck looked puzzled, looking at Li Ran with a mysterious face, half believing and half doubting.

"Well, you need to know how to eat. Learn about life and experience delicious food from the snacks that ordinary people eat. Then you can understand what cooking is. Let's talk about it while we walk. Cooking is not a simple thing."

"Ah."

Chapter 02: The Mysterious Gourmet

Li Ran and Bismarck finished their shrimp cakes, and then they actually found a small shop with a long queue outside the door in a less crowded street.

Li Ran held Bismarck's hand and lined up quietly.

"Admiral, there are so many people here, let's go to another one."

"It's okay. You just need to queue up. Besides, a restaurant with many people means the food tastes good. Don't you want to learn cooking? This is actually the first step in learning."

“Does this have anything to do with cooking?”

“Why do you think they lined up willingly?”