Ai Cao and Qing Kui looked at each other and nodded silently.

The two of them understood each other and took a chopstick into their mouths.

The three flavors of fishy, ​​astringent, and bitter…

The three flavors quickly merged in their mouths, blending into an indescribable taste that surged straight to the heavens, bringing tears to the eyes of Ai Cao and Qing Kui instantly.

“Why, this food is so delicious that you are crying with joy?” Zheng Mingyuan said with a smile on his face.

Ai Cao and Qing Kui became masks of pain and did not even bother to answer Zheng Mingyuan.

“Most people can’t tolerate the taste of fishwort, so it’s understandable if you find it hard to bear,” Su Yujin said. “Go rinse your mouth quickly and have some baked cakes to suppress it.”¹

Ai Cao and Qing Kui hurriedly searched for a corner and removed all the food in their mouths. After chewing a mouthful of fishwort, they spit it out, rinsed their mouth with Zeng Dayong’s help, and ate half of the sesame seed cake in their hand. Only then did they feel that the strange smell in their mouth had dissipated a lot.

But there was still a strange smell inside, making the two of them feel extremely uncomfortable.

“Have some century eggs, they can help suppress the taste,” Su Yujin suggested. “This stuff is like stinky tofu; it doesn’t look appealing, but it’s actually delicious.”

Century eggs?²

The name was very unique.

Seeing that Su Yujin was so sure about the dish, Ai Cao and Qing Kui each took a piece to eat.

When they first took it into their mouth, they felt that the taste was a bit strange, but after chewing it for a while, they felt that the mellow taste gradually spread and the fragrance slowly emerged.

And this kind of fragrance had a strong aftertaste. If you ate too much in one go, you would probably feel a little greasy. However, the sauce contained vinegar and minced garlic, which almost completely neutralized the mellow aroma and made the century eggs taste delicious. You could eat a hundred times and never get tired of it.

“It turns out that this kind of egg is called Songhua(Century) Egg.” Zheng Mingyuan said thoughtfully, “I saw someone pickling it before, and I just said that it was a pickled duck egg that was accidentally made. Although it tastes good, it doesn’t have a good name. Speaking of Songhua this word is quite unique, but what’s the meaning?”

“It doesn’t have any special meaning,” Su Yujin said with a smile. “But just look at the patterns formed by the coagulated egg white on top; don’t they resemble pine flowers?”

“That’s true.” Zheng Mingyuan nodded, “How about these two dishes of tàn kǎo zhūtí³ and Diaochan tofu?”⁴

“The tàn kǎo zhūtí are roasted at an excellent temperature, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the taste is also excellent. So, if the tàn kǎo zhūtí were served elsewhere, they would surely be praised. However, if I were to make them, I would split the trotters in half, and sprinkle some soybean powder, crushed peanuts, and sauce on top. This would enhance the flavor even more.”

“As for the Diao Chan tofu stew, it’s cooked to perfection, with a delightful fragrance and an incredibly delicious broth. This dish is truly exquisite, and if I were to make it, achieving the level of excellence demonstrated by Uncle Zheng would be fortunate. I wouldn’t be able to find any shortcomings.”

Seeing Su Yujin’s sincere and specific attitude, Zheng Mingyuan chuckled and nodded at her. “Your words are worth listening to.”

“Eat quickly, especially more of this.” Zheng Mingyuan moved the plate of fishwort to Su Yujin complacently, “I spent a lot of effort to get it so fresh, the taste is the most authentic.”

“Thank you, Uncle Zheng,” Su Yujin expressed her gratitude, but her chopsticks did not touch the fishwort at all.

This thing was really not something that most people could stomach, and she was no exception!

Apart from the fishwort dish, the rest of the dishes on the table were all delicious.

It was also quite evident that Zheng Mingyuan’s culinary skills were truly exceptional.

Su Yujin, who has a picky taste, could be said to be satisfied with the food, and Ai Cao and Qing Kui were also full of praise. After all the dishes and chopsticks were put away, Zeng Dayong brought the tea. Zheng Mingyuan took a sip and glanced at Su Yujin, “Say, what do you want?”

“Indeed, Uncle Zheng sees through everything,” Su Yujin said with a smile. “To be honest, I used to run a small eatery called Su Ji on the street. Business was decent, and I’ve saved up some money. I’m thinking of opening another restaurant in the county town. I’ve almost found a suitable location, but I haven’t been able to find the right head chef yet.”

“Brother Zeng happened to go to the store to sell this shísānxiāng a few days ago. I saw that the ingredients of the shísānxiāng were very good, and they were mixed with glutinous rice flour. After asking, I learned that they were made by his master, so I guessed that Brother Zeng’s master must be a good cook. This is why I tried every means to meet you, Uncle Zheng, to see if you would be willing to be the chef of my restaurant?”

“Be a chef.” Zheng Mingyuan smacked his lips, “Speaking of which, I haven’t cooked for others for some years. The last time I cooked for guests was seven years ago.”

Then he narrowed his eyes and said, “You want to invite me to cook for your restaurant as a chef, I wonder what the salary is?”

“Uncle Zheng will be given 30% of the restaurant’s profit every month,” Su Yujin said.

“Thirty percent silver, that sounds like a lot.” Zheng Mingyuan asked again, “What else is there?”

“As for kitchen management and dishes, Uncle Zheng’s wishes shall prevail.” Su Yujin answered again.

This time, Zheng Mingyuan raised his eyebrows. “You’re entrusting everything to me, are you sure? My temper and disposition aren’t very good. Aren’t you afraid I’ll turn the kitchen into chaos and mess up the dishes?”

“Everyone has their expertise, and Uncle Zheng will surely not disappoint in this regard,” Su Yujin replied with a smile. “Moreover, Uncle Zheng will be taking thirty percent of the profits from the restaurant. He will certainly strive to improve the restaurant and has no reason to deliberately deceive me. Isn’t that right, Uncle Zheng?”

“That’s true.” Zheng Mingyuan nodded, “The little girl is not old, but she can see things clearly.”

Zheng Mingyuan glanced sideways, a hint of cunning in his eyes. “But you’ve got quite the nerve,” he remarked.

Being able to use him as a chef was not something that ordinary people could do.

“Everything will overwhelm the bold and starve the timid. If you want to make money, you have to take some risks. There is no reason to take full advantage.” Su Yujin said with a smile.

“That’s the truth.” Zheng Mingyuan patted his thigh and laughed loudly, “I’m just saying these words to you. I’ll be on call when your restaurant opens.”

Su Yujin was overjoyed, “Then we have an agreement?”

“There was no problem with signing or stamping, but as far as I’m concerned…”

Zheng Mingyuan chuckled, “Now I want to try to make a pot of stew to eat. You have to help me. That kid Dayong’s hands and feet are really bad. He is so stupid that he is completely useless.”

Zeng Dayong, “…”

Was there any master who said that about his apprentice?

Su Yujin agreed to help Zheng Mingyuan with the braised food and called Qing Kui and Ai Cao to help deal with the pig waste.

The main raw materials for braised pork were pig intestines and pig lungs, both of which were difficult to clean.

Both needed to be cleaned repeatedly with plant ash, salt, rice wine, vinegar, etc., especially pig intestines, one had to be very thorough with cleaning both the inner and outer walls.

After these two items were washed, Zeng Dayong lit the stove fire and Zheng Mingyuan picked up the big iron spoon.

(End of chapter)

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Footnote

1. I personally had encounter with this herb. In my visit to Vietnam, we were often given a plate of herbs to be eaten (the pic of fruits and herbs were from me) with the noodles or pho we orderd. And there was one herb that was bitter, tasted funny and we didn’t know which one it was!! And now I know. The moment I googled fishwort and saw its Wikipedia page, I knew the culprit that somewhat damned our appreciation of Vietnamese food!
2. Ah a dish that is forever in my I want to try once list. Here is the Wiki page for it.
3. Charcoal roasted pig trotters. Check the Youtube video below.
4. What an interesting dish with such a history!!! You can read it here.