Chapter 7: A Small Trial of Skill

Chapter 7: A Small Display of Skill

Damn! Can this really be called a kitchen? A toilet would be more like it.

This was unquestionably the worst, filthiest, and most rudimentary kitchen Li Qi had ever seen.

In the center of the room stood a large rectangular wooden table. On it lay some bowls and chopsticks, a cutting board with a slab of pork, and nearby scattered bamboo shoots and some garlic and other seasonings. Against the left wall were two large brick stoves fueled by firewood. One held a big iron pot, while the other seemed long unused. Beside the stoves was a small table holding various containers of different shapes and sizes, presumably for seasonings. Next to it sat a large wooden barrel filled with water. At the very back of the room, a small pile of split firewood was stacked.

Li Qi had no interest in exploring further and just wanted to get out quickly. He directly asked, “Hey, Liuzi, what dishes do you have here?”

“Aren’t they all on the table? Can’t you see? Oh, wait, there’s also a carp under the table,” Wu Xiaoliu said impatiently as he tossed a bundle of firewood in front of the stove.

“Uh…” Li Qi stepped up to the table and looked. Besides the piece of pork, only some bamboo shoots remained. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he asked in surprise, “Is this all the food?”

He picked up the pork, which weighed about a pound, and sniffed it. Damn, luckily it hadn’t gone bad.

“That’s what we’re saving for ourselves,” Wu Xiaoliu replied gruffly.

Damn! For such a large tavern, is this really all the food? This is a rip-off.

Li Qi began to regret having impulsively agreed to keep those two guests earlier. But regret aside, he wasn’t the kind of man to back down at the first sign of difficulty. While regretting, he was already thinking about what dishes to prepare next.

In truth, Li Qi hadn’t kept those two servants out of impulse alone. He felt guilty for having eaten and stayed here free of charge for so many days and thought he should at least do something for them—a small repayment for their kindness.

It must be said that Wu Xiaoliu was indeed skilled at tending the fire; within a short time, he had the stove blazing brightly.

Wu Xiaoliu stood up, wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve, and seeing Li Qi still lost in thought by the table, anxiously called out, “Young Master Li, Young Master Li.”

Li Qi was momentarily startled, turned around, and seeing the fire was well established, said, “Alright, you go out and attend to the guests first. I’ll bring the dishes up myself later.”

Wu Xiaoliu gave him a suspicious glance, his face anxious. “Hurry up, and call me if you need anything.”

Li Qi was still mulling over what dishes to make and barely listened, nodding perfunctorily.

What a strange fellow.

Wu Xiaoliu scratched his head and left the kitchen.

After coming out, he went upstairs to the second floor, found the two guests had no special requests, and returned to the counter.

After a while, seeing no movement from the kitchen, Wu Xiaoliu grew uneasy and paced outside the door, muttering, “Why isn’t it done yet?”

Another half incense stick’s time passed. Wu Xiaoliu, still worried, scratched his head vigorously. “Why the hell did I let him cook? What can a drunkard make? If Uncle finds out, I’ll be scolded to death. Sigh… better to go check inside to be safe.”

The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. Just as he was about to enter the kitchen, he suddenly heard Wu Furong’s voice from outside: “Liuzi, Liuzi.”

What one fears always comes to pass.

Wu Xiaoliu shuddered all over, turned to see Wu Furong bustling in from outside, and anxiously said, “Uncle, why are you back so soon?”

Wu Furong frowned and looked at him in surprise. “When else should I have come back?”

Wu Xiaoliu was momentarily speechless. Seeing that Wu Furong had come alone, he quickly changed the subject. “Eh? Where’s Master Zhou?”

“Master Zhou is still at the manor. I came back first to tidy things up.” Wu Furong took a sip of tea and ordered, “Liuzi, close the door.”

Wu Xiaoliu was taken aback. “Uncle, do you mean—?”

Wu Furong nodded. “Yes, Madam has decided to sell the shop.”

“Ah?”

Wu Xiaoliu’s eyes instantly darkened. “Has she found a buyer?”

Wu Furong shook his head. “Not yet. But don’t do business these next few days—there won’t be any customers anyway. Hurry and close the door.”

“Oh!”

Wu Xiaoliu responded, then suddenly remembered the two guests upstairs and froze, unsure what to do.

“What are you standing there for? Go, now!” Wu Furong snapped angrily seeing Wu Xiaoliu dazed.

At this point, Wu Xiaoliu knew he couldn’t hide it anymore. With a mournful face, he pointed upstairs. “Uncle, there are still two guests upstairs.”

“What?”

Wu Furong exclaimed, then lowered his voice. “You idiot, without Master Zhou here, how can you serve guests?”

“It’s all that Young Master Li’s fault. He insisted on keeping those two guests,” Wu Xiaoliu quickly shifted the blame to Li Qi.

“Li Qi?” Wu Furong was surprised.

“Who else? If you don’t believe me, he’s in the kitchen now—you can go ask him yourself,” Wu Xiaoliu said irritably.

Wu Furong gave him a suspicious look and said, “Stay here; I’ll check the kitchen.”

Just then, a fragrant aroma wafted from the back room.

“Wow! What’s that smell? So delicious!” Wu Xiaoliu exclaimed.

Wu Furong stopped and sniffed vigorously, frowning. “Could it be...”

Before he could finish, Li Qi appeared from the back room carrying three bowls of dishes. Seeing Wu Furong standing in the hall, he said, “Oh? Uncle Wu, you’re back!”

Wu Furong nodded stiffly, hurried forward, glanced at the three plates in Li Qi’s hands, and gasped sharply. He had never seen such dishes before and asked incredulously, “Did you make these?”

Li Qi nodded sheepishly. “I saw Master Zhou wasn’t here, so I took the liberty of keeping those two guests. I hope you don’t mind?”

“Wow! Young Master Li, you really can cook!” Wu Xiaoliu, having caught on, came up beside Li Qi and exclaimed excitedly, eyes shining as he gazed at the fragrant dishes.

What nonsense!

Li Qi rolled his eyes but ignored him, turning to Wu Furong. “Uncle Wu, if there’s nothing else, I’ll bring the dishes to the guests.” Though he had learned to cook since childhood, this was his first time serving dishes, which he found quite amusing.

“Oh! Then hurry up,” Wu Furong said quickly, still trying to process everything.

“Li Ge, let me handle the heavy lifting,” Wu Xiaoliu said excitedly, even addressing Li Qi more respectfully now. He took the tray from Li Qi’s hands.

Li Qi smiled, and the two went upstairs together.

They arrived at the second floor to find the young lord in the purple robe sitting by a window-side table, gazing absentmindedly outside. His attendant stood respectfully nearby, the two chatting and laughing, showing no hint of impatience.

Wu Xiaoliu placed the dishes on the table with a smile. “Gentlemen, please enjoy.”

The young lord in purple stared in surprise at the three dishes: a plate of golden pork slices, a plate of carp without a drop of soup, and a plate of crystal-clear shredded bamboo shoots. He exclaimed, “Hmm? These dishes are quite unusual.”

He then looked at Li Qi and asked, “Young sir, did you make all three of these?”

Li Qi nodded. “I hope they don’t disappoint you.”

The young lord examined the dishes again, still puzzled, and awkwardly asked, “May I ask, young sir, what are these dishes called?”

“Of course!” Li Qi pointed to the plate of pork slices. “This is Twice-Cooked Pork.” Then he pointed to the bamboo shoots. “This is Braised Bamboo Shoots in Oil.” Lastly, he indicated the carp. “And this is Pan-Seared Carp.”

“Twice-Cooked Pork? Braised Bamboo Shoots? Pan-Seared Carp?”

The young lord quietly repeated the names, closed his white paper fan, and smiled. “Interesting, very interesting.” He eagerly signaled his attendant.

The attendant immediately took up chopsticks and spoons, picking a small amount from each dish into individual bowls, then placed them before the young lord. “Young master, please enjoy.”

The young lord set his fan down, picked up his chopsticks, and sampled a bamboo shoot. Chewing lightly, his eyes brightened. “Crisp and delicious, with a sweet flavor. Very good.”

He then picked up a slice of Twice-Cooked Pork, savoring it with a look of delight. “Fat but not greasy, tender but not falling apart, smooth and delicious. Who would have thought such an unassuming piece of pork could be so tasty? Remarkable, truly remarkable!”

During the Northern Song, lamb and beef were most popular. Wealthy families generally avoided pork. Even Su Dongpo once said, “Yellow swine are as cheap as dirt; the wealthy refuse to eat it, and the poor don’t know how to cook it,” revealing just how lowly pork’s status was at the time.

Nearby, Wu Xiaoliu’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he listened to the young lord’s praise, his face beaming with joy. Anyone unaware might have thought he was the cook of these three dishes.

Li Qi, however, remained indifferent to the compliments, no surprise since he was used to constant praise.

The young lord then sampled the carp. Before swallowing, he exclaimed in amazement, “Pan-Seared Carp—excellent! Truly as the name suggests, the aroma and freshness of the fish are sealed inside. Crispy outside, tender inside, sweet and mellow. Wonderful, absolutely wonderful!”

(End of chapter)