Chapter 257 - Great Buddha (2/2)
Yu Xiaocao, who was struggling with the honey abalone, didn't seem to hear him as she was trying to mix the sauce over and over again. Yu Xiaocao didn’t know how to make everything. In her previous life, she had made a lot of homemade dishes and she had some talent at cooking, so naturally, the taste of the food was quite good. However, abalone was very precious and her home wasn't near the sea in her previous life, so she hadn’t seen much abalone, let alone cooked with it.
Thankfully, the current Head Chef of Zhenxiu Restuarant, Yang Feng, who was also the apprentice of the previous Head Chef Wang, once made honey abalone in front of her. It didn't look hard when she saw him make it, so why was it so hard now that she was making it?
”Yu Xiaocao, I'm talking to you. Are you deaf or mute?” Ever since he had further contact with the Yu Family, Zhu Junyang had also become more and more impolite with Yu Xiaocao. He used to politely call her ‘Miss Yu’. Now, he not only called her directly by her given name, but he also ordered her like she was his servant. He always commanded her to do either this or that; Yu Xiaocao was almost annoyed to death by him!
”Neither deaf nor mute! The cook can't be distracted while cooking, otherwise, the food that comes out won't be edible! Young Royal Prince, go stay where you are supposed to stay!” Yu Xiaocao had also found out the truth about the Young Royal Prince's temper. He looked ruthless, but he wasn't actually that aloof and didn't seem that bad-tempered. At least, after being in contact with him so much, she had never seen him really lose his temper. Yu Xiaocao, who didn’t have the consciousness of someone from the lower class, was speaking more impolitely to him the more tired she became.
Madam Liu and the rest of the family broke out in cold sweat from her antics from time to time. The royal prince looked young but he wasn't easy to get along with. If she infuriated the royal prince, getting hit with wooden planks would be the lightest punishment she would receive while losing her life could be the harshest punishment. Wasn't this how the plays always turned out? Their little daughter was really brave to challenge the royal prince's bottom line over and over again.
”I think the kitchen is a pretty good place. Staying here wouldn't be bad!” Zhu Junyang didn't get angry and even made a rare joke!
Head Steward Liu was so surprised that his chin could have dropped to the ground and hit his foot. This...was this the cold faced prince who scared children into crying and the one who wouldn't allow strangers close to him? When did he change his personality ah?
Yu Xiaocao was speechless for a moment, ”Alright. If you're not afraid of breathing in oily smoke, then you can stay all you like!”
Zhu Junyang watched as she poured the sauce for the third time and couldn't help but say, ”There are dishes that you can't make! Actually, I'm not actually that picky. When I was on the boat, I even ate raw fish. Don't be nervous, just cook it until it’s not raw anymore. I won't think what you made is bad!”
In truth, he only said that because he didn't want her to keep attempting only to face failure again and again. Yet, the words that came out of his mouth still made her want to beat him up!
Yu Xiaocao ignored him and finally blended the flavor that she wanted. Only then did she peel the abalones, wash, and scored them with cross-shaped lines on top. Next, she put them in a bowl and added egg whites and starch before evenly mixing it together. She then steamed the abalones for a few minutes in the pot. The abalones she caught was on the larger side, so they needed to be steamed longer before they were cooked all the way through.
She cleaned the fresh mushrooms that she found from the coral, cut them into small pieces, and quickly blanched them in boiling water before taking them out. Then, she sauteed them in oil with ginger, scallion, and garlic. Afterwards, she added the seasoning she had just mixed using savory broth, salt, pepper, MSG, and sesame oil, and simmered the whole mixture into a thick sauce. After the abalone was steamed, she poured the sauce on top. The sweet-smelling honey abalone was finally done!
”It smells authentic, I wonder how it will taste?” Zhu Junyang gently sniffed the fragrance floating in the air and praised.
Yu Xiaocao walked over to him and took the tomato from his hand. She rolled her eyes and said, ”This is my first time making it, so I can't guarantee if the taste is good or bad. Make do with it and eat it! Young Royal Prince, our family is just an ordinary family. In the future, can you please not order dishes with abalones or sea cucumbers?”
”Oh! Are you complaining to me? Your family is just ordinary farmers, yet ten carts of vegetables and seven to eight carts of watermelons are sold every day. Even if a business in town is booming, their monthly income can't match the money your family is making in a day. I just ate some of your abalones and your heart is already hurting? Stingy!” In front of Yu Xiaocao, Zhu Junyang was no longer the cold-faced prince with few words, one wrong move and he could become a chatterbox! Head Steward Liu had a frightened expression——he couldn't have followed a fake prince, right?
Yu Xiaocao had a glib tongue, so of course, she wouldn't lose to him, ”Young Royal Prince, we are only making money these past few days. Watermelon is only in season for at most one more month. With just vegetables, how much money can we earn? We, the common people, depend on the weather for food. When we have money, we have to think about the days when we won't have any money. Unlike you, your salary isn't going down while you are walking around and free-loading meals off of people. You have a royal occupation, so how can you know the sufferings of the common people ah!”
Zhu Junyang knew about the Yu Family's situation. When they hadn't separated from the main family, they didn't have enough to eat or wear and had to work and be scolded...Thinking of this lass being on the verge of dying several times due to serious illnesses, a tender and protective feeling rose from his heart.
Zhu Junyang softly said, ”Don't worry! As long as the corn and potatoes grow well, the imperial court definitely won't treat you badly! With your family's talent in farming, I can help put in some good words with the emperor. Maybe, he'll approve you to be an agricultural official. At that time, you guys can also eat public meals and receive an imperial salary!”
”No, please don't!” Yu Xiaocao's face was so frightened as if he were a monster. Stepping to the side a bit, she continued, ”Young Royal Prince, I know that you are trying to be kind, but us, common people, have no roots or foundations in the imperial court. Even if we become a small official, in the ranks of the court, we are still cannon fodder. Let's not do this, alright?