Chapter 8: Small Trial of Bull Knife

Qi Yunshu wandered aimlessly for a while, feeling hungry, she stopped in front of a steamed bun shop. Her stomach grumbled, and she really wanted to eat a steamed bun, even if it was just a vegetarian filling.

But when she touched her empty purse, she felt heartbroken because she had no money at all.

As if sensing that she was penniless, the middle-aged woman selling steamed buns frowned and waved her hand in disgust, "Go, go, go, if you're not buying, leave!"

Qi Yunshu had never been treated like this before, her face turned red with embarrassment, feeling awkward and helpless, but with no money in her pocket, she could only walk away.

A woman with a green cloth scarf came out of the neighboring shop and quietly called out to her, "Are you hungry, miss? A customer of mine ordered a tray of steamed buns but couldn't finish it. Would you mind having some?"

Qi Yunshu glanced over and saw two steamed buns neatly arranged in a bamboo steamer, untouched and emitting a tempting fragrance.

"Miss Huang didn't touch the chopsticks, I was planning to save them for myself..." Tian smiled and picked one to eat first.

Qi Yunshu held her purse tightly, feeling embarrassed but still admitted, "I didn't bring any money!"

"No need for money, no need for money!" Tian waved her hand.

Qi Yunshu hesitated to refuse, but suddenly heard the sound of dishes and chopsticks clattering from the restaurant.

Worried about the business inside, Tian hurriedly handed the steamed buns to her and went back in.

The warm and fragrant steamed buns, when eaten, warmed her heart. Qi Yunshu chewed and chewed, her eyes moistened, and tears almost fell.

She wanted to go in and say thank you, but she heard someone inside shouting loudly, "What kind of crap is this stir-fried vegetable? Pig feed? Look, even dogs wouldn't eat it, and they dare to serve it to our esteemed master!"

After the scolding, there was Tian's pleading voice.

Listening to the commotion inside, it seemed that there was a very picky customer who found the food not to his liking, and the staff were making a fuss to please him.

Tian bent over, knees bent, almost burying her head under the table. The person at the head of the table was relentless, and with no one from the host's family intervening, seeing Tian almost kneeling down, the person didn't back down. There was no way to resolve the situation. Qi Yunshu thought of the kindness of the steamed buns and bit her lip, standing up and speaking out, "It's just stir-frying vegetables, isn't it? Who can't do it?"

"Who are you?" Liu Yiding was about to show off her power, but was interrupted by a young girl who looked no more than ten years old, and she glared at her with a fierce and nasty look.

Qi Yunshu was not someone to be trifled with, and she was confident in her cooking skills. After looking around the hall, she walked straight to the middle-aged person sitting with his eyes closed, about to speak, but Tian hurriedly came to pull her away, "Miss, this is Mr. Huang, a wealthy man in our town, you can't afford to offend him, you better leave!"

Qi Yunshu didn't back down, and carefully looked at Mr. Huang. He was dressed in a stone-blue silk robe with a gold round collar, and wore a purple gauze and black-brimmed official hat on his head, looking like a wealthy man.

But such a person had a face that completely contradicted his attire, with a sallow complexion, drooping eyelids, listless, as if suffering from insomnia, anemia, and gastritis.

Qi Yunshu thought for a moment and suddenly realized that this person might have a mild form of anorexia, no wonder he was so picky, the restaurant's food was probably not to his liking.

"Mr. Huang seems to have not eaten for three days, why not try my cooking!" When it came to cooking, Qi Yunshu was completely absorbed.

In modern times, besides studying medicine, she had no other interests. Her favorite thing to do was to bury herself in the kitchen, cooking Chinese, Western, and other cuisines... she was unstoppable.

Later, with the help of Liang Tian, she even opened a themed restaurant and became even more engrossed in researching recipes!

"Where did this wild village girl come from..."

"Yiding, let her cook, as long as I can eat, there will be a reward, but if it's not good, cough cough..." Huang Songkang said with a stern face, not finishing his sentence, and Qi Yunshu understood that if she didn't cook well, there would be consequences.

So she had to take it seriously. She turned to Tian and asked, "Where is the kitchen?"

"Ah... I... I'll take you!" Tian was completely bewildered by Huang Songyuan's stern face and almost reflexively led Qi Yunshu to the backyard.

She opened the back door and pushed her out, "Hurry, hurry, miss, I don't want to harm you, Mr. Huang is really not someone to mess with!"

Qi Yunshu laughed, "Manager Tian, what will you do if I leave?" She promised to help her, but if she ran away, Tian's fate could be imagined!

"It doesn't matter, I'll just stop cooking!" Tian was holding back her anger. Her skills were limited, and the restaurant's business had never been good. She barely made ends meet by managing everything herself. It was exhausting to keep it going!

When Qi Yunshu heard how serious it was, she quickly pulled her back, "Don't worry, it's just stir-frying vegetables, trust me, I'll do it for you, even if it's a desperate move!"

The kitchen was clean and tidy, with a complete set of pots, bowls, and utensils, and a row of condiments on the shelf. On the cutting board were neatly arranged pieces of meat. Qi Yunshu suddenly became interested and felt like she had returned to where she belonged. Without saying a word, she rolled up her sleeves and was ready to get to work.

"This pork belly is so good, I'll stir-fry it first!" Qi Yunshu said as she started cutting the meat.

Apart from being unfamiliar with the location of the ingredients at first, everything went smoothly after that. She cut the meat to a thickness of about five millimeters, heated the pan and added oil, then added the sliced meat. After it changed color, she scooped it out. Then, using the hot oil in the pan, she sautéed the ginger and garlic, added the chili, and after a few stirs, she added the meat back in, stir-frying it repeatedly over high heat. Soon, the fragrance filled the air.

"Get the wok ready!" Qi Yunshu called out softly, and a plate of fragrant and enticing twice-cooked pork was placed on the table.

"Auntie Tian..." Tian Shi could hardly believe her eyes as the aroma attracted even the guests outside.

"What are you waiting for? Bring it out quickly!"

"Auntie Tian, you bring it out first, and I'll stir-fry some diced chicken with peanuts over this fire!" Su Zhi saw the prepared chicken on the cutting board and the peanuts for drinking, so she quickly added some cucumber.

"Ah, ah..." Tian Shi, being an expert, knew that she had encountered a master when she smelled the aroma, and she responded with joy.

Twice-cooked pork was one of Qi Yunshu's favorite dishes, but due to the poor conditions of the Zhao family, she hadn't had the opportunity to cook it since she arrived, let alone eat it, so she put extra effort into cooking it this time.

Smelling the aroma of the cooked chicken, it felt like she was back in the days of running a themed restaurant!

After making two dishes, Qi Yunshu became more and more enthusiastic. When she saw some fresh mushrooms, she made a soup as well.

After all the hard work, she didn't feel tired at all, but rather a sense of indescribable satisfaction!

She found it quite enjoyable to cook, but she didn't know if it would meet Mr. Huang's standards and satisfy his taste.

As she lifted the curtain, Tian Shi was arranging the dishes, and Mr. Huang was staring at the colorful twice-cooked pork with chopsticks in hand.

He took a deep breath and savored the aroma through his nostrils, furrowing his brow.

Then he moved to the diced chicken with dried red chili peppers, and as soon as he inhaled, his throat felt itchy, and he coughed loudly.

Tian Shi's face turned pale, muttering to herself, "It's over, it's all over!"

Qi Yunshu was also a little nervous. No, it couldn't be. She didn't cook these dishes casually; she had done research and specifically tailored them for people with mild anorexia.

In modern times, she had encountered such clinical conditions, and mild cases were caused by psychological effects after a certain setback.

"Master, do you have any favorite dishes?" Liu Yiding stepped forward, and seeing Mr. Huang shaking his head, she gave Qi Yunshu a sideways glance, looking smug.

Tian Shi's face became even more unsightly. Just as she was about to step forward to explain, Qi Yunshu calmly suggested that Mr. Huang try the soup first.

It contained fresh mushrooms and had a natural umami flavor, which was perfect for someone used to greasy cuisine. Coupled with her Sichuan-style spicy flavor, he wouldn't be able to resist picking up his chopsticks.

As usual, Huang Songkang first sniffed the aroma through his nostrils, and his eyes immediately lit up. With his thin hands tightly gripping the blue-and-white porcelain bowl, he took a sip and then another...

Soon, the bowl was empty!

"Taste the dishes!" Tian Shi timely handed over the chopsticks. She remembered clearly: as long as he picked up the chopsticks, it would be a success!

Qi Yunshu waited nervously, her hands clenched tightly together, feeling anxious.

Suddenly, Tian Shi nodded with joy and whispered to her, "He's eating, he's eating. Mr. Huang picked up the chopsticks!"

Liu Yiding, who wanted to cause trouble, felt very uncomfortable seeing the master eating a few bites.

He had prepared his words to pick out faults, but who could tell him why the master was eating?

Tian Shi looked at Qi Yunshu, her face almost creased with a smile. This girl was truly a godsend to her. She had simply given the clean leftovers to nearby people who couldn't afford to eat, as usual, and unexpectedly, she had brought such a wonderful person. It must be fate!

After seeing off Mr. Huang, who had finished the soup and eaten a few bites of the dishes, Tian Shi warmly shook Qi Yunshu's hand and asked where she was from, her surname, and where she was going.

Qi Yunshu introduced herself, and suddenly remembered something. "Oh... no!"

She had come to find Zhao Jing, and this busy period had taken at least an hour. She didn't know where Zhao Jing was now!

"Excuse me, where is Guanpinge?" She vaguely remembered Zhao Jing mentioning copying books there.

If she couldn't find her way, she would just go there and wait for him!

Tian Shi pointed her the way and tidied up the plates on the table, looking at her expectantly. "Miss, will you come back tomorrow?"