Chapter 5: Smoke Rises from the Jade in the Warm Sun of Lantian (Part 2)_1

The waitress who heard Nian Bing say the food tasted bad was impatient and said grumpily: "What's your problem? This is the taste of the dishes here. If you want something more delicious, you can go to Dacheng Restaurant or Qingfeng Vegetarian Restaurant in the city. They serve delicious dishes, but I'm afraid you won't be able to afford them."

Cha Ji cast a cold glance at her and threw a gold coin, "Less chattering, take us to the kitchen. We will cook a dish ourselves just using your ingredients. It's just one dish."

Looking at the shiny gold coin in her hand, the waitress's eyes lit up immediately and said, "Sir, this way, please." A gold coin can be used to afford a feast, and they were only going to cook one dish, even if they used the best ingredients there was still a huge profit to be made.

The kitchen was just separated from the dining room by a wall. Although the kitchen couldn't be considered rundown, Cha Ji frowned at the sight of the obviously worn-out kitchen utensils. There were only two chefs in the kitchen. Presumably, they were the ones who cooked the food Cha Ji and Nian Bing just ate.

The waitress went up to one of the chefs, leaned in close to his ear, and whispered something. The chef looked a little puzzled and, after a glance at Cha Ji, said impatiently, "Fine, whatever. The ingredients are all here, and we're happy to have a break. Come on, let's go take a break." He left the kitchen with the other chef for the back yard to rest.

Cha Ji looked at Nian Bing and asked softly, "Today I want to teach you how to cook your first dish, how long can you keep your Fire Technique going?"

Nian Bing thought for a moment and replied: "If I only use the Fire Technique, I can keep it going for an hour."

"Good, let's start now. Clean a frying pan."

Nian Bing agreed and quickly picked up a frying pan and washed it clean. In the meantime, Cha Ji had gone over to where the ingredients were stored. These ingredients had been cleaned already. He glanced over them and selected a few to place on the chopping board. He then checked the various spices on the kitchen counter.

"Chop the vegetables into strips. The only exception is the tomato."

"Yes, Master." Nian Bing picked up a kitchen knife and immediately became focused. His year of hard practice had not been in vain. He felt at one with the knife. Even though the various ingredients were different shapes and sizes, to him, they were no different than blocks of wood. His chubby hand grabbed each ingredient, waving the knife effectively. In a flash, potatoes, carrots, and onions were neatly diced into uniform pieces. In just the blink of an eye, Nian Bing had easily finished.

Cha Ji gently smiled and handed Nian Bing an empty spice box. "Spices are an important part of cooking. For this dish, the technique is not hard, so it's all up to you. Chop the tomatoes, prawns, and oysters into paste and put them in this box."

"Okay." Nian Bing followed Cha Ji's instructions, chopping swiftly. The sound of the knife hitting the cutting board was rhythmic. Cha Ji wasn't idle, taking another spice box and putting different spices into it, stirring them together. When Nian Bing finished his task, Cha Ji was ready too, pouring the finished sauce into the box containing the tomato, prawn, and oyster paste. He handed Nian Bing a pair of chopsticks and said, "Stir it well."

Once everything was prepared, Cha Ji faintly smiled and said, "Next, we're going to start officially. Take a small brush and spread a third of the sauce in the bottom of the pan, layer the chopped ingredients on top, and brush another third of the sauce on them."

Although it was Nian Bing's first time cooking, he wasn't unfamiliar with this work thanks to his past observations. Despite being slightly unfamiliar, he quickly completed everything.

Cha Ji then added a plate of sliced fish on top of the sauce in the pan. "Waitress, please leave the kitchen." He did not want her to discover that Nian Bing could use magic.

The waitress was taken aback, "But..."

Cha Ji said impatiently, "Don't worry, we won't burn down the kitchen."

Because of the gold coin given by Cha Ji earlier, the waitress had no choice but to exit the kitchen, leaving only Cha Ji and Nian Bing.

Cha Ji smiled faintly, "Apply the remaining sauce to everything, then heat the pan with the flame."

"Passionate Fire Element, I call upon you to form a glow of flame and bring warmth to the world. Fire Technique." A red flame radiated from Nian Bing's right hand. With the pan in his left hand, he allowed the flame to burn steadily beneath it.

Cha Ji faintly smiled and said, "The heat from your magic flame is higher and more uniform than a normal flame. We'll be able to eat sooner. Remember the steps I just taught you. This is the simplest dish called Three Sauces Braised Fish. Because of the mediocre ingredients here, the taste might not be the best, but we'll have to make do."

While maintaining the flame, Nian Bing said to Cha Ji, "Master, aren't you afraid that the waitress from earlier will learn this recipe?"

Cha Ji cracked a smile, saying, "I made the combination of seasonings myself using over ten different kinds. Can she remember that? Besides, the amount for each seasoning is also carefully measured, so it would not be easy to learn. Keep your flame steady, and within half an hour, we will be able to eat. The key to this dish lies in the sauce. The so-called 'three sauces' are the sauce, seafood juice, and tomato juice, then layered with potatoes, carrots, and onions. The three layers absorb the three sauces simultaneously, enhanced with the freshness of the fish which brings out the essence of this dish. As for the specific sauce mixing method, I'll teach you in detail when we get back." As he spoke, he took a lid from the side and covered the iron pot with it.

Nian Bing cast a low-level ice magic to protect his left hand from getting burned by the hot pot. Under the flame's heat, within a short time, an aroma began to gradually waft out from the iron pot, so enticing that Nian Bing couldn't help swallowing hard.

Half an hour later.

"It smells so good! What is this aroma?"

"Yes! It's too fragrant, I've never smelled such aromatic food before. Did that old man make it?"

The two chefs who had gone outside earlier came running back. Upon entering, they saw Nian Bing holding the iron pot, the fragrant aroma was emanating from it. Cha Ji glanced at the two chefs and said casually, "There's no need to taste the food, just looking at the person is enough."

Seemingly ignoring Cha Ji's words, the two chefs had their eyes focused on the iron pot, swallowing hard just like Nian Bing earlier. One of them said, "Hey, what did you make? It smells amazing!"

Nian Bing was about to reply but was interrupted by Cha Ji. Looking at Nian Bing, Cha Ji reminded, "Remember, you have to consider who you are cooking for, not everyone has the right to eat. Chefs have their dignity. The food we make is only for the worthy. Let's go."

Whether the Braised Fish with Three Sauces tasted good or not could be determined from Nian Bing's eating behavior. He cleared at least 80% of the pot all by himself and also ate two steamed buns joyfully. By the time he finished, his clothes had been stained by the sauce in several places. From the pot, only some remaining sauce and fish bones were left. The sight astonished the waitstaff.

"Master, I admire you more and more. This tastes absolutely delicious. I don't know what I'll do without you in the future." Nian Bing patted his bulging stomach with satisfaction and moaned comfortably.

Cha Ji chuckled and said, "You need not worry. You will soon know what to do. If you want to eat delicious food all your life, you can't rely on others. You can only rely on yourself."

Nian Bing faintly felt something was not well, but knowing Cha Ji, he knew he would not get an explanation if he asked. It seemed his days after returning would likely be challenging.

Gazing at his grubby apprentice, Cha Ji asked with irritation, "Are you going home to sleep now, or are you coming with me to earn at the weapon shop and find a suitable knife for yourself?"

Nian Bing's eyes lit up, "Let's go, of course. Master, let's leave now."

Cha Ji pretended to be thoughtful and said, "Before the meal, someone claimed they were too tired to move. How come they are now energized?"

Nian Bing chuckled and said, "Master, I know you are the best. Isn't this motivation? If I get my own beloved knife earlier, I can familiarize myself with its character!"

Cha Ji stood up, "Then hurry back and change your clothes. Going out like this would only embarrass me."

"Yes, yes, I'll do it now." Nian Bing revealed a speed that was out of proportion with his chubby physique, quickly running towards the inn's backyard to get his clothes.

When Cha Ji and Nian Bing appeared on the streets of Bing Xue City, the sky was slowly darkening. The reddish glow of the sunset brought forth the beautiful penultimate scenery of the day, casting residual light upon the streets.

After walking a while, Nian Bing pointed to a large store not far in front of them and said, "Master, that is a weapon store, isn't it? Let's go in and have a look!" The sword-shaped sign at the entrance of the weapon store was very eye-catching, with the words 'Treasure Instrument Pavilion' written on it. Although it was evening, there was still a steady stream of customers, indicating good business.

Cha Ji pinched Nian Bing's chubby cheek, "Fool, if you come to a place like this to buy a kitchen knife, it would be strange if you were not thrown out."

Nian Bing touched his chubby face, "How would I know, you said we were going to the weapon store, didn't you?"

Cha Ji discerned the direction, "Follow me. There is a weapon store, but it's not here." Saying this, he pulled Nian Bing into a small alley next to them. He seemed very familiar with the place and led Nian Bing through the meandering bylanes. After about the time it takes for a meal, when night had finally fallen, a panting Cha Ji finally stopped and pointed ahead, saying, "here it is."