Mr. Minguo's kitchen

Yuan Xiaolan woke up to the unique rhythmic sound of the train, the hazy halo of early awakening dissipated, and a familiar figure appeared in her sight.

It is early summer when everything is luxuriant, and various flowers are carefully arranged in the independent carriages of this most advanced train, and the gardenias specially transported from the south are blooming beside the windows.At this time, the car window was not closed tightly, revealing a thin slit that caught the passing wind, and when it blew, the fragrance of gardenias came to the nostrils.There is no place in the carriage that is not exquisite, even on the train, you will never be wronged. The comfortable bed for sleeping, the white hollow tablecloth covering the rectangular dining table, the wooden round desk, the carpet on the floor, and even the curtains are Fabric embroidery.

But none of this is as exquisite and attractive as the young man sitting by the window.His eyes are full of fresh green summer scenery outside the window, his pupils are sparkling, he wears a brown felt hat on his head, and a small waistcoat of the same color, with a beautiful waistline, and inside is a shirt with wormwood embroidery on the cuffs. A white shirt and black trousers wrapped her straight long legs, which were finally tied on a pair of riding boots.He had a glass of water in his hand, his legs were crossed at the moment, he was writing something with a pen in a cowhide-bound book, and he was lightly teaching the children who were playing on the carpet.

"Lin Zhenpeng, don't forget what you promised your fourth brother before going out, I won't save you if you get spanked by him."

Lin Zhenpeng, who was fiddling with the new toy pistol, had a bitter face, so she had to get up and take out her schoolbag, and lay down on the opposite side of her elder brother to start writing big characters.

Yuan Xiaolan laughed unconsciously when she saw the expression of the shrunken version of Young Master Lin who looked five points like Lin Weirui.Hearing his laughter, Lin Weirui wrote down the date of the last stroke, then turned around and said to the person on the bed: "When you wake up, get up."

"Where is this? How long have I been asleep?"

Liu Xiaodie at the side hurriedly replied to the young master, "Young master, you slept all day after your fever subsided, and we are on the train with Mr. Lin."

"Okay, stop scribbling talismans, go and get the dim sum made by your sister Su." Lin Weirui said to Lin Zhenpeng.

Yuan Xiaolan sat up under Liu Xiaodie's service, and said with a smile, "I'm sorry to bother you. But why am I here?"

Lin Weirui paused, her face was still calm, but her eyes were filled with narrow eyes, "Because someone said that he had a close friend who had a big change in his life today and was in a bad mood. I just happened to be going to Peiping, so he entrusted me to take him with him." He came out to relax." He folded his legs gracefully, and called out deliberately, "Yuan Xiaotu, when did you and Lu Laoliu become close friends?"

Yuan Xiaolan was blushed by the ridicule in his words and the weird nickname, he didn't know that the Mr. Lin he knew was such a narrow-minded person, he could even joke about it!It was too horrifying, and for a while, I put aside the previous depression, and even let go of people a lot.He hurriedly explained, "You misunderstood! Liu Liuye just likes to watch my dramas. Will this bother you?" As for the nickname, let's just let it go like this, he really doesn't have the nerve to mention it.

Lin Weirui tidied up the things in her hand and put them into the storage rack on the wall of the carriage. Hearing this, she only said, "Anyway, I brought all the oil bottles with me, and I don't care about you. At least you are much more manageable than Lin Zhenpeng. "

Yuan Xiaolan, who was poisoned by his tongue, knew his temper and didn't pay much attention to his words.Liu Xiaodie was even more afraid to say anything to Lin Weirui. He knew that the young master had dealt with Mr. Lin before, but he didn't expect the relationship to be so good!This is Mr. Lin!Ever since he got on the carriage and saw this legendary figure, he had excitedly said a hundred times in his heart that he would go back to pay homage to the smoldering ancestral grave.

Lin Zhenpeng, who was said to be unmanageable, was drooling, went to get some snacks, and then acted cutely in front of his elder brother.

Lin Zhenpeng ignored him, and handed the snack and a dose of herbs to Liu Xiaodie, "This is a cookie, just to rest your stomach, and you take too much when you are sick. This medicine is for you from the person who entrusted you to me, you Fry according to the method above." The last sentence was said to Liu Xiaodie.Lu Yuduo knew that his sister-in-law had a medicine garden with exotic flowers and herbs, and there lived a very skilled doctor in the medicine garden.After he was cured with western medicine, he still asked his sister-in-law to prescribe a dose of traditional Chinese medicine for his sweetheart to nourish his body.

Yuan Xiaolan seemed to have realized something, all kinds of emotions were in her heart, her head hurt so much, she just lowered her head and said in a low voice, "Please trouble Sixth Master."

When he left Chen's house that day, he found that all the money on his body had been given to the rickshaw driver, and he could only rely on his two legs to get home.When he was walking in the rain, Master Lu Liu who happened to pass by gave him a ride.If it's just like this, I'm afraid there will be no intersection at this moment.

Yuan Xiaolan fell into a coma in the car because of extreme anger and rain.Lu Liuye finally made a decisive move. Not only did he bring him back to his house to take care of him, but he even wanted to prevent Chen Jingyou from finding him. up.Of course, most of this move is in the hope that Yuan Xiaolan can go out to see the scenery elsewhere, so as not to be hurt by the scenery.It was possible to achieve this step thanks to the hard work of the self-assertive subordinate.With Lu Liuye alone, he still has to wait until the year of the monkey to catch up with the beauty!

Why are the two brothers so different!As long as the sixth master learns a little bit about the handsome rascal, he won't let Chen Jingyou take over for two years in vain.

Lin Weirui has no intention of caring about other people's love and hatred. He sees people waking up and enjoys a meal and drink, so he makes people feel free. The first two carriages of the southbound train were packed up, and the interior was specially arranged. When they got to the kitchen, Lin Weirui was snarky, and instead of eating what the conductor gave, she brought her own things to do it.

Yuan Xiaolan got out of bed and walked around for a while. After smelling the fragrance, she unconsciously came to the small kitchen.Lin Weirui, with her sleeves rolled up, was putting the fish that had been prepared earlier into the pot, and stewed them with the bacon. The pot was bubbling, and with the intrusion of oil and water, the pot gradually emitted the unique smell of dried meat. Fragrance imparted by time.After fresh fish and pork are processed, exposed to the sun and air-dried, perishable ingredients can be stored for a long time.Whenever you take it on the road, throw it in hot water without putting anything, it is a delicacy that is not inferior to fresh ingredients, it is very convenient.

Then steamed two cages of Jinsi Shaomai made before boarding the car as the staple food. The small dim sum shaped like a pomegranate has thin skin and a lot of meat. The outside is golden egg skin. The filling inside is probably for children. The colorful ingredients are colorful, but they don't feel abrupt, and the mouth is perfect. The whole looks like a gold thread bag.

The siu mai is cooked relatively quickly, and the pot can be removed soon. The small kitchen is soon filled with the aroma of food, which spreads to the outside through the cracks in the car door.Lin Weirui asked Ah Fu to send most of it to Wu Wen and others in the second carriage, and Liu Xiaodie was also appointed as the serving boy.Cut up a plate of white-cut chicken with tender and smooth yellow skin, and then serve the cured meat soup with fish and caramel, and these three dishes will work together.

Liu Xiaodie is a caring person, her young master's health is just right, so you can't eat too much siu mai that is too greasy, even if the siu mai tastes so good that you want to spread your arms and eat it.He went to the conductor and asked for a bowl of porridge with minced meat.The conductor thought it was Mr. Lin who asked for it, and he brought it in less than half a minute.

Yuan Xiaolan stopped her mouth after eating a siu mai, but the fragrance between her lips and teeth still did not dissipate, "Follow Wei Rui, I am lucky."

Lin Weirui glanced at him, and rarely said a word, "Then eat and drink, and look outside if you have nothing to do. Lin Zhenpeng, go wash the dishes after eating."

Lin Zhenpeng finished grilling the last piece of meat in the pot, and responded with a swollen mouth, "Understood, brother."

At noon, in the No. [-] carriage with two doors across, the gentlemen and ladies who were having dinner smelled the fragrance from nowhere, and suddenly lost interest in the steak and red wine in front of them.

A well-to-do gentleman who was able to answer the question called the dining car attendant, "Do you have anything else to offer for lunch? The steak is removed, serve me a Chinese meal."

"Okay sir, here's the menu, what would you like?"

The decent gentleman looked at the lady walking across the road, and the lady asked: "Is it the same as the guests in the two carriages in front?" They can afford it.

The dining car attendant said: "Sir, we do have other supplies for lunch, but I'm sorry, the passengers in the first and second carriages brought their own food." Looking at the eyes of the passengers around and in front of them, the dining car attendant was helpless. How about the most prestigious business train?The chefs are all well-known chefs. Why do you think the taste is unpalatable like that of a roadside stall?However, she shook her head, even when she smelled the smell in the air, she was greedy.

After dinner, Lin Weirui continued to take out the cowhide notebook and began to write and draw.

Yuan Xiaolan also took a book of poetry and read it aside. He read a few pages before looking out the window. The train slowly passed the village, and there were salesmen, grooms, and haggard refugees dragging their families by the side of the railway from time to time.

This is the most authentic portrait of sentient beings in the early years of the Republic of China.

Seeing that Lin Weirui was drawing a stop sign on the paper that he just passed, he was a little curious, "Is Weirui writing a travel journal?"

Lin Weirui: "There was a poor man who couldn't leave because he was busy with work. Before going out, he gave me a notebook and asked me to write down what I ate, where I lived, and the places I passed by every day, and show it to him later. I’ve read it, and it’s over. I saw that he was very pitiful, and I didn’t have anything to brag about in class reunions in the future, so I wrote it for him. This is to save him some talk.”

Yuan Xiaolan let out a chuckle, he vaguely knew who Lin Weirui was talking about, as long as he thought about the adult who was said to have not gone out to play, so that the classmate reunion did not have to brag about the broken household, he felt very horrified , and funny at the same time.

Lin Weirui laughed as he wrote. He wrote down what he ate at noon, and then commented on the passing scenery. He originally wanted to hurt people, but after thinking about it, he still thought it would be better to go back and talk face to face. , casually pushed the annoying notebook away.

Yuan Xiaolan asked Ah Fu: "Where are we going?"

Ah Fu replied to him: "Master Yuan, our eldest son is going to the capital to watch the cooking competition there. The root of the imperial city has always been a place where delicious food from all over the world gathers. Many famous restaurants are there. We are catering , You have to go and see what other people are capable of."

"I heard that this competition has been held for many years. It was an idea brought up by a foreigner. They specially invited the chefs of these big restaurants in the capital to come to the competition, and then ranked A, B, C, and third. In addition to the one hundred ocean bonus, a sign will be hung on the facade for passers-by to show that this is the best restaurant in the capital and attract more guests."

The capital is the place where Yuan Xiaolan grew up. Naturally, he has heard of such a prestigious competition, and he also knows that no restaurant has valued this title before, but the restaurant that won the first-class in the first year soon became the capital with the largest number of foreigners. Many restaurants also began to compete for this reputation.Because when there are more foreigners, there will be more Chinese people.After the Chinese people came to China in the Sino-Japanese War and the Eight-Power Allied Forces, they felt a little inferior and admiring foreigners. When they saw restaurants with many foreigners, they thought from the bottom of their hearts that this was a good place, so they followed them.

Hearing what he said, Ah Fu was surprised and said: "Is this first-class name so good?"

Yuan Xiaolan nodded and said to Ah Fu: "Yes, the most important thing is such a first-class name."

Ah Fu: "I don't understand it when I'm young. This competition is better than being famous. It's good for opening a restaurant, but what good is it for this foreigner? Is it possible to try something new?"

Yuan Xiaolan shook her head, "These foreigners never do business at a loss. Among them, registration fees, equipment fees, and admission tickets for watching are all very profitable. And now they are getting bigger and bigger, No one can guarantee that there will be no bribes accepted in private or other behaviors such as omissions and side gangs."

Ah Fu felt deeply, "That's the reason."

Liu Xiaodie on the side was puzzled: "But there is no first in literature and second in martial arts. You said that cooking skills are just a matter of one mouth, but thousands of people have a thousand mouths, who has the final say?"

Yuan Xiaolan didn't pay attention to the rules of the competition during the period, so she could only guess: "It is estimated that someone with a certain reputation or a famous gluttonous foodie was invited to judge, and this may be able to convince the public."

Ah Fu smiled and said, "That's right! Mr. Yu and his friend Mr. Wu who invited us here this time are well-known gourmets. It is said that there are a few old royal chefs from the former imperial palace of the Qing Dynasty." We are the judges this year."

Yuan Xiaolan: "This is interesting. With the momentum of Fenglaiju, a new store has been opened. Beiping has been a city of food since ancient times. It is good to open a store here."

Ah Fu is really strange this time, secretly thinking that this young master Yuan is really exquisite, and he can understand it as soon as he thinks about it. There is also a competition, and there is an investigation of the colleagues in the capital and the situation of opening a store!"

Yuan Xiaolan looked around, but did not see the funny and clever Master Xiaobao from Feng Laiju. Seeing his subconscious actions, Ah Fu explained: "Master Xiaobao was specially given a holiday by the young master, let's have a day off first." I’m on my way to visit Master Zhang in Xiangcheng. I’ll be with us later.”

After a while, Lin Weirui put down the "Jingcheng Daily" and said to Yuan Xiaolan: "Actually, Lu Laoliu won't give me a hand, and I have something to look for you."

Yuan Xiaolan had long been very grateful for his help this time, and said hastily after hearing the words: "Please tell me, Wei Rui, I will definitely try my best."

"You are from the capital, can you tell me something about the capital?"

As soon as Yuan Xiaolan heard it, he told him about the restaurants in the capital, and even the local customs.But the latter is relatively weak because he was detained in the theater since he was a child.The former is because Chen Jingyou took him to eat all the famous restaurants in the whole capital, he is very familiar with it.The restaurants in the capital vary from big to small. The biggest one is the one with its own stage inside, occupying more than a dozen mu of land. This kind of restaurant can host large-scale banquets such as weddings, weddings, and banquets for high-ranking officials and dignitaries. For the grand lord’s birthday, the family members book the restaurant, then set up a hundred or so tables, and invite a special troupe to sing for a whole day, spreading out the white flowers, which is a time-saving and trouble-free way.

The next class is those that don’t have a stage but can also host big banquets. People in the capital are used to calling them restaurants, while the rest of the shops are much smaller. The ones that open the door every day are called restaurants, and there are big restaurants. Some small food stalls do not even have a stable storefront.This is especially popular with the common people of the lower class.

There are eight restaurants and thirteen restaurants in the capital, but the best restaurants in the capital are Huixiantang in Shichahai, North City, and Zhongxin Restaurant, Zhongxin Restaurant in Dongcheng. It was the general surnamed Cao who started the famous restaurant.

I heard that General Cao came back from a victorious battle one year, but because of the betrayal of spies in the army, the battle was not only difficult, but a soldier beside him blocked a shot for him.Although the man was rescued, but the weak one seemed to be able to go at any time. General Cao, who loved soldiers like a son, asked him what he wanted, and the soldier said pitifully that he wanted to eat hometown food.General Cao had no choice but to respond.This Zhongxin Restaurant was not called Zhongxin Restaurant in the past, it was called Fushoutang, and the chef of Fushoutang happened to be from the same village as the soldier, so he made such a meal. After the soldier ate, his body recovered immediately, General Cao wanted nothing He praised him very much, and booked the annual party to reward his subordinates in Fushoutang. Since then, Fushoutang has been renamed Zhongxin Restaurant, which is very popular among officers.It is worth mentioning that this Zhongxin restaurant is the first restaurant that won the first class!It can be seen that the taste is also available.

When Yuan Xiaolan heard the story told by the owner of the restaurant, she was moved. Since then, she has grown a little fonder of the famous Cao Kunqian.

Lin Weirui: I always feel that this Cao guy is not the same person as the Beijing ruffian I know.

"Zhongxin Restaurant's business management methods are upright, but this Huixiantang, if Fenglaiju wants to open a branch in the capital, it is best not to offend it. It seems to have a lot of connections."

"Then who is standing behind Huixian Hall?" After Lin Weirui heard this, she was somewhat interested in this Huixian Hall near Shichahai. Behind Zhongxin Restaurant, Cao Kunqian and Jiayi were able to gain a foothold in the top. But this Huixiantang is an old store with a history of many years, and it sounds like it is still a local snake?

Yuan Xiaolan took a sip of tea and said with a smile: "Some people say it's the family business of the man in the palace, but it sounds like it's not true, and no one has confirmed it. After all, no one will ask face to face."

Ah Fu gasped, isn't the one in the palace the one who abdicated!If that's the case, it's still quite a big deal.But this will be the Republic of China, and as long as the common people do business without breaking the law, they don't have to be too nervous.Lin Weirui also thinks the same way, but he has always had the temperament that people don't offend me, I don't offend others, and if people offend me, he will accompany him ten times.According to the luck and strength of having Fenglaiju open wherever it is, all the peers are closed, this capital will be lively in the future.

During the conversation between the two masters, Ah Fu went to change a plate of dim sum. This dim sum was very weird. The white ice-like soft dough was cut open, and fresh strawberries were wrapped inside. The first batch of strawberries in the south after the summer They are also familiar with each other. The railway has been repaired well in the past two years, and there have been no major wars. The railway originally used to transport troops has developed a lively business of transporting goods from south to north.

Miss Gusu made these beautiful snacks, and put them in an ice box for the two young masters in the car. Miss Gusu's craftsmanship is getting better and better. I heard that they were sent to make new snacks before they left. The head chef of the Qianjin Tea and Snack shop he opened can be regarded as a graduate.

Both young masters love this kind of dessert called Strawberry Daifu. The eldest master is not heat-resistant and likes to eat frozen food, while the young master doesn't like sweets. This dim sum with a light fruity aroma suits his appetite.Now it seems that Master Yuan also likes to eat.

He could see it, the original young master is not a young master from a scholarly family, but he is not only talented, but also has a good head. Many things are transparent, but for some reason, he is too modest point.

When he went back, the two young masters had already turned to talk about opera.The young master wrote a large piece of characters, and was lying on the side, counting fruits and playing boredly.Seeing that the eldest brother didn't pay attention, he sneaked out to play with Wu Wen and the others.Wu Wen is currently teaching him kung fu in fists and feet.

Yuan Xiaolan actually noticed it a long time ago, and helped attract Lin Weirui's attention, but unfortunately, the person concerned soon discovered it. Lin Weirui shook his head, "I don't stick to him, he just likes to look at my face."

But in fact, when did Lin Weirui's face become more pleasant, and the poor little Zhenpeng always thought that his elder brother would not let him play, but the one who cared about him most fiercely was Fourth Brother Ye who gave him a lot of toys. He can play, but Chinese must If you pass the test, if you don’t write in big characters, let him jump the frog.Every day, I have to get up early with the guards and practice together. The real civil and military masters have both hands, and both hands must be hard.

Lin Weirui came to a conclusion from this: Ye Honghu is very good at hitting a bag of sweet dates with a stick.He was blamed for nothing!It's annoying!

Because it was a relatively slow train, after a day and a night, Lin Weirui's cowhide book turned three pages, and the group arrived in Peiping.Yu Zuotang, who was already waiting for someone at the station, was about to embrace him warmly when he came up, but was dodged by Lin Weirui.Yuan Xiaolan and Yu Zuotang's subordinates were secretly laughing.Lin Zhenpeng looked vigilant.

Now Yu Zuotang is no longer the frustrated and excluded young man in Xiangcheng. No one in Beijing knows that Yu Zuotang is an upstart in the cabinet and a close friend of the Prime Minister. With such an identity, many people naturally follow his whereabouts secretly.He took people back to the mansion at one end, and at least ten people at the other end received the information.

"I heard that Wei Rui used to be a student of the Peking University. After so many years of change, the university was renamed Peking University last year. This is the second time Wei Rui has set foot in Beiping for many years. I used to rely on There is Feng Lai Ju's delicious food, so I didn't break my body, this time I came to Beiping, Wei Rui and Mr. Yuan want me to entertain you well, and do my best to be a landlord!" Because Lin Weirui never took the name, People who are not familiar with him call him Mr. Lin, people around him are called Young Master, and some close friends can only call him by his first name.Fortunately, it is the Republic of China now, unless you are old-fashioned, you don't care about offending others.

Lin Weirui took the initiative to hold his younger brother's fat hand, so as not to be stolen by traffickers in the crowded station, and the group of people got into the car and went to Yu Zuotang's mansion to stay.

"The cooking competition is the day after tomorrow. I just have a rest these two days. I will take you to go shopping first, call Qi Yimin (Wu Shunyu Biaozi) and others, add Mr. Yuan, we will be ten gentlemen gathered, come to taste Could this famous snack in Beiping catch Wei Rui's eyes?"

When Yu Zuotang came to Xiangcheng with a group of eating friends, Lin Weirui gave him a very elegant gentleman's banquet. At that time, everyone in the meeting called himself the Nine Gentlemen.Lin Weirui refused.

Yu Zuotang did not break his promise, he really declined all the visitors who came to visit, and led people to play around. Lin Weirui has seen these "places of interest" in his previous life, and Yuan Xiaolan grew up here since he was a child, so he is naturally used to seeing them After visiting the Eight Hundred Li Great Wall and the maple leaves in Xiangshan, only Lin Zhenpeng, a child who had only been to Fengtian after coming out of Xiangcheng, ran around freshly.

The days were spent eating, drinking, and playing, and when Lin Weirui's notes had been turned over several pages, Yu's mansion ushered in a special guest.

Lin Weirui looked at the middle-aged man in front of him who was said to be the chief executive of Changfu, slowly picked up the teacup and pushed away the cup, and said casually, "You said, Ms. Liang Yingdie wants to meet me?"

Even the chief steward of the Changfu, a person who has more face than ordinary small landlords when he goes out, has a middle-aged posture, obviously he has been ordered in advance, he said: "Returning to Master Lin, it is Yes, Madam said that she hadn't seen him for many years, and she missed Young Master Lin very much, and wanted to invite Young Master Lin over to the house."

"Just me? Does Ms. Liang still remember that she has a young son?"

The middle-aged man obviously didn't know that his wife had a young one, but he was worthy of being a steward from the big mansion, and he played well in the round field, "Madam didn't know that the young masters were here too, so seeing two young masters at once, it can be said It's double happiness, Madam must be even happier."

Lin Weirui sneered, "Your master doesn't have any ideas?" His wife, oh, to be precise, should be said to be a concubine, and she wants to get together with her sons from a previous marriage to express her affection, wouldn't she feel that the raindrops fell on him? Is this green grass?Such a big man, it should be very particular.

The middle-aged man's expression did not change, and he was still respectful: "Young Master Lin, don't worry, this is what our master mentioned. With such a fate, he also wants to get to know Young Master Lin very much."

Lin Weirui will now remember what was written about him in the newspaper, so this is the reason.It seems that it is not Ms. Liang who wants to see him, but Lord Chang who wants to see him.