One month was a limited time. In order to quickly train his apprentices, Su Yu arrived early every day. His two apprentices were also very diligent, so they lived in the kitchen. Seeing the two of them sleeping on the floor in the utility room, Su Yu couldn't stand it anymore. He discussed with Mr. Yuan and rented a small courtyard next door. There were three rooms in the courtyard, which were enough for his two apprentices and a few waiters to live in.
Speaking of which, the waiters in Xian Mantang were all manservants transferred from Prince Zhao's residence. All the expenses were paid by Prince Zhao's residence. Su Yu carefully looked at the accounts and felt that it was inappropriate to do so. He wanted to work with Prince Zhao for a long time. It wasn't good to take advantage of him.
"The new waiters have already been hired. There's no need to trouble them." Mr. Yuan stopped Su Yu from dividing the accounts. "They are servants. They can't leave Prince Zhao's residence."
"I was confused." Su Yu suddenly understood. Although the servants of the Prince's residence were servants, many people didn't want to give up their position. In the eyes of others, the waiters in a restaurant were naturally different from the servants of the Prince's residence.
The new waiters were still in training. They would be able to work in a few days. Su Yu wasn't good at this, so he handed everything over to Mr. Yuan. He only repeatedly reminded him to separate the accounts in the future. He couldn't let the Prince suffer losses again. Then he focused on teaching his two apprentices.
The two apprentices each learned seven dishes. One month should be enough.
The most difficult part of cooking was the control of heat and seasoning. Time was tight, so Su Yu prepared the seasonings for the 14 dishes and put them in different small jars. The jars were labeled with the seasonings for each dish. What Zhang Cheng and Wang Feng needed to learn was the control of heat and the handling of ingredients.
Seafood ingredients were more particular than other ingredients. Where to eat, where to use as the soup base, where to cut in advance. The order couldn't be wrong. Su Yu picked simple fish, shrimp, and scallops. It wasn't difficult to make 14 dishes with these three main ingredients.
"Today, we're going to make stir-fried prawns with soy sauce." Su Yu took out a plate of prawns and handed it to Zhang Cheng.
Stir-fried shrimp with soy sauce was not as simple as stir-frying it with soy sauce. In Su Yu's previous life, chefs were often lazy and directly used prepared Meiji sauce. There was no industrial production of Meiji sauce here, so it had to be mixed by hand.
"For a seafood dish, the most important thing is not after it's cooked, but before it's cooked." Su Yu checked the processed prawns and handed a pile of seasonings to Zhang Cheng.
To get rid of the fishy smell, one needed cooking wine. Naturally, the Da An dynasty did not have cooking wine. When Su Yu flipped through Su's Restaurant's menu, he found that many dishes included a type of seasoning called "Huadiao".
Huadiao, also known as Huadiao Wine, was a type of yellow rice wine. Su Yu bought Huadiao Wine, Zhuangyuan Hong, Jintan Wine, Hubaiyang Wine, and more than ten kinds of yellow rice wine. He tried them all and found that these yellow rice wine had the same effect on getting rid of the fishy smell. He didn't know why the ancestors of the Su Family only wrote Huadiao Wine, which made him guess for several days.
Minced garlic, grated ginger, soy sauce, white sugar, pepper, yellow rice wine, and all the seasonings were prepared. The heads of the fresh prawns were cut off and marinated in the seasonings for half an hour. After that, they were drained and ready to be cooked.
This was the first time that Zhang Cheng carefully watched Su Yu process the ingredients. He saw his slender and white fingers moving swiftly, spreading the ingredients, scattering the powder, and adding the sauce. His movements were as smooth as moving clouds and flowing water, as if he was performing an exquisite tea ceremony. He couldn't help but be fascinated.
There would always be some people who looked very ordinary when they had nothing to do, just like Su Yu. His appearance could only be considered above average, and his conduct in the world was also mediocre. However, when he stepped into his domain, he could instantly transform into a god. That kind of radiance was boundless and unparalleled.
"Have you memorized it?" Su Yu stopped what he was doing and turned to ask his little disciple.
"Master, why do I feel like you're not cooking, but more like …"
"Bang!" A crisp sound interrupted the conversation between the master and disciple. Su Yu looked up and saw that a small bowl of flour, which was originally used to make snacks, had been knocked to the ground by the window. A fluffy ball covered in flour looked very angry. It sneezed and didn't forget to slap away the bowl that dared to block its way.
"Sauce!" Su Yu's eyes lit up. He quickly ran over and picked up the white kitten.
Stupid slave! An Hong-chul's amber eyes were full of anger. It raised its paw and slapped away Su Yu's hand. It struggled back to the chopping board and shook its fur. Damn it, pickled prawns are pickled prawns. Why did you have to put on such a seductive look for me! Looking up at the stunned Zhang Cheng, the Cat King became even angrier. It couldn't help but bare its fangs at him.
"Okay, okay, don't be angry." Su Yu held back his laughter and picked up the kitten again. He leaned over and kissed the cat's ears, which were still covered in flour. "Come, let's go wash it. It won't be so uncomfortable anymore."
Damn it, damn it!
After using his usual method, the flour cat in his arms stopped moving. Su Yu patted the cat's head with satisfaction. He told Zhang Cheng to make another bowl of flour, and left his disciple to bathe the cat.
The weather was getting hotter. It was noon, so Su Yu didn't need to worry about the cold. He took a small wooden basin, scooped some hot water from the steamer, and mixed it. He tested the temperature of the water before putting the fluffy ball in. The depth of the water was just right. It could completely submerge its body. The cat lay down comfortably and rested its head on the side of the basin.
"Sauce, why did you come out in the middle of the day?" Su Yu hadn't seen this guy in the daytime for a long time. In the past month, he had only come in the middle of the night twice. Now that he looked carefully, it seemed to be bigger than before.
The kitten, who was enjoying the bath with its eyes closed, raised its eyelids and looked at him. It raised its front paw. The cat slave immediately grabbed it and carefully cleaned the flour between its paw with his fingertips.
It's a break today, so I'm here to take a bath! An Hong-chul yawned and answered casually.
However, this sentence sounded like a few "meowww" to Su Yu. He couldn't understand it at all, but he was still interested in chatting. "What do you want to eat? I'll make something delicious for you in a while. You're still growing, so you should eat more … Oh, right, do you remember where I put my name card? I didn't even hand it in. Why did Minister Zong ask me to participate in the election?"
An Hongche didn't bother to pay any more attention to him and simply let him ramble on and on.
After washing the cat, Su Yu wiped the cat from head to toe with a cloth towel. He wiped the cat's fur until it was half dry. He was afraid that it would be blown by the wind, so he simply took a dry cloth towel and wrapped the cat up in his arms.
An Hong-chul uncomfortably broke away from the cloth towel. The damp fur rubbed against Su Yu's inner shirt. It was already summer. Su Yu didn't wear anything else except this shirt. The touch of his skin was transmitted through the soft wet shirt. The Cat King couldn't help but be stunned.
"Boss, there's a problem in front." The waiter who served the dishes hurriedly ran over. "A man claims to be your elder brother and wants to keep the account. Mr. Yuan refuses, so he's asking you to do it."
Su Yu frowned. He raised his hand and wanted to take the cat out of his arms so that he could go over and see the situation. An Hong-chul, who was in a daze, subconsciously used his claws to hook Su Yu's clothes, so he couldn't take the cat out. Su Yu, who had always spoiled him, didn't force him. He simply took the cat and went to the lobby.
Sure enough, Su Yu's cousin, Su Ming, was standing in front of the counter, yelling endlessly. The guests in the lobby were eating and watching the scene.
"Su Yu, tell me, am I your brother?" When Su Ming saw Su Yu, he suddenly became more energetic and banged the table loudly.
These days, Su Ming couldn't stand Su Yu's smug look. He originally wanted to eat and drink for free. After eating, he would wipe his mouth and put it on Su Yu's tab, making him suffer in silence. However, he didn't expect that the Xian Mantang would be served after payment was made. The shopkeeper refused to put it on Su Yu's tab. Seeing that the people in the lobby began to whisper and laugh at him, Su Ming couldn't help but lose his temper.
Su Yu had a headache. He took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Yuan, I said that anyone who causes trouble will be sent to the government in the capital."
"Got it." Mr. Yuan smiled. "I've already sent someone to invite someone from the government."
"Su Yu, what do you mean?" When Su Ming heard that someone from the government was going to invite someone from the government, he panicked. However, he didn't want to show his cowardice, so he bluffed and grabbed Su Yu's clothes. "Ouch!"
As soon as he got close, a sharp claw scratched him and left a deep bloody mark.
"I'm really sorry to disturb the guests' meal. Today, no one here has a table. I'll send a pot of sour plum soup." Su Yu comfortingly patted the furball in his arms and bowed to everyone.
In front of a table by the window, An Hongzhuo stared at the tuft of golden fur on Su Yu's clothes. His narrow eyes revealed a playful smile. He turned his head and looked at Su Ming, who was still cursing after being kicked out by the waiter. He raised his chin slightly and said, "Follow him."
"Yes." Someone answered and followed Su Ming's footsteps, gradually disappearing into the busy East Street.
In the evening, Su Yu finished the last dish. He rubbed his sore shoulders and turned to look at the golden kitten, who was concentrating on catching fish by the fish tank. He couldn't help but smile. "Sauce, let's go home."
The golden furry ears moved. An Hong-chul looked up at him. Under the warm candlelight in the kitchen, the not-so-handsome face looked softer. He let go of the fish tail that he had just hooked and swung his claws. Really, just because I pamper you, you can't act like a spoiled child in front of others.
Returning to the Su family, Su Yu's courtyard was dark. As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, the kitten in his arms suddenly jumped onto his shoulder. At the same time, there was a muffled sound from behind the door, and a black shadow rolled out.
"Ouch!" The black shadow fell to the ground and cried out.
"Su Ming? Why are you here? " Su Yu lit the candle and saw the person clearly. It was his cousin Su Ming, who had caused trouble during the day. He had probably been hiding in the dark and somehow fell down. He was holding a net in his hand. Su Yu didn't know what he was going to do.
Su Ming's face was pale. He nervously looked into the dark, then glanced at Su Yu and ran away.
"What's going on?" Su Yu scratched his head. He didn't think that Su Ming was hiding in his room to do anything good. If he didn't want to steal money, then he wanted to beat him up. But why did he fall down himself and get scared?
An Hong-chul, who was standing on his shoulder, had a cold look in his eyes. He wanted to catch me with a net used to catch rabbits? What wishful thinking.
The next day, Su Ming fell ill. Eldest Aunt didn't let it go. She said that he fell down in Su Yu's room and broke it. Su Yu was annoyed and didn't want to live at home. He lived in Xian Mantang for some peace and quiet.
In the blink of an eye, it was the third day of the seventh month, the day of the palace election.
The Jhao Clan called Su Yu back the day before and taught him a lot. They reminded him to make friends with the nobles and gave him a few sets of clothes and accessories.
Early in the morning, Su Xiaozhang drove the donkey cart to send Su Ying to the Imperial Ancestral Bureau. Su Yu didn't catch the donkey cart and could only walk there with his bag. When he arrived at the front yard of the Imperial Ancestral Bureau, there were many nobles there. They were all wearing brocade clothes and gathered in groups of twos and threes.
Su Yu didn't know anyone and could only hide in the corner like a quail.
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