Chapter 9

This Commander Liang was named Liang Yi. He was not a native of Raozhou but from the northwest. Ten years ago, his family perished in a famine, leaving him as the sole survivor. He joined the army and, with his skills, killed many enemies on the battlefield, even taking the head of an enemy general. By his thirties, he had become a commander and settled in Raozhou City. A few years ago, he married a widow and had a daughter, living a contented life.

Yu Kingdom had rarely attacked Raozhou in the past year or two, making life even more leisurely. Besides training soldiers, he enjoyed finding good food in the city to satisfy his cravings.

Having grown up in poverty, he valued food greatly. He had lived in Raozhou for over ten years and, as a commander, was known by most of the city’s residents.

Hearing Innkeeper Zhou’s explanation, he became interested and asked, “Oh? What kind of food did this guest make? It smells quite delicious.”

Innkeeper Zhou cheerfully brought his bowl of porridge to Commander Liang, saying, “The young lady said this is raw fish slice porridge.”

Up close, the fresh aroma was even more intense. The fish meat was tender and white, and the rice porridge was thick, looking quite appetizing.

However, Liang Yi was a bit disappointed. “Just fish slice porridge?” Although it smelled fragrant, he didn’t want to eat porridge. On his rare day off, he wanted to find some hearty meat to satisfy his cravings.

Seeing Commander Liang’s disappointment, Xu Qinyu immediately understood his thoughts and quickly said, “Sir, I made this raw fish slice porridge. Besides the fish slice porridge, there are also fish heads, which can be stewed with tofu, fish belly, fish offal, and fish bones, which can be cooked. They all taste excellent. Would you like to try?”

Xu Qinyu knew that commanders in this era were not hereditary positions but earned through military achievements. A commander was a fifth-rank official, and becoming a commander in his thirties meant that Liang Yi had accomplished many great feats, proving his true abilities in defeating many enemies and protecting the country.

The official ranks in this dynasty were different from those in the historical dynasties Xu Qinyu was familiar with, somewhat confusing.

Liang Yi’s gaze finally fell on Xu Qinyu. This young lady had bright and beautiful features but was too thin, looking like a refugee, and dressed quite poorly. He asked, “Can the fish heads and offal you mentioned taste good?”

Except during times of famine, who would eat fish offal? It had a strong fishy smell and wasn’t tasty, and fish heads had little meat and were mostly bones. He remembered the fish his mother cooked during the famine when he was a child, which was so fishy it was hard to swallow, making him dislike fish for years. Of course, it was also because the fish in various restaurants and taverns were mediocre, and he had never tasted delicious fish.

Xu Qinyu smiled and said, “Sir, would you like to try? I guarantee you’ll want more after tasting it. If it’s delicious, I hope you’ll give me some reward. If not, you can punish me as you see fit.”

Liang Yi hesitated, but the aroma of the fish slice porridge in front of him made his stomach growl, and he couldn’t help but feel interested in the fish head stew with tofu and braised fish offal that the young lady mentioned. “Alright, go ahead and make it,” he said, shaking his fist, which was almost as big as half of Xu Qinyu’s head. “Young lady, don’t deceive me.”

Xu Qinyu was not intimidated by the commander’s show of force and turned back to the kitchen. She could tell that Innkeeper Zhou, who was standing nearby with a smile, was not alarmed, indicating that this commander was a good person.

Back in the kitchen, Xu Qinyu began preparing the dishes.

Chef Zhou had been helping her all along and was about to leave when he saw Xu Qinyu start cooking.

Xu Qinyu said, “Chef Zhou, if you want to learn, you can watch me cook these two dishes.”

The chubby Chef Zhou exclaimed in disbelief, “Young lady, are you willing to let me watch?”

His voice even changed tone. It was no wonder he was shocked. Most chefs had their own secret recipes and methods, which they would never easily share with others.

Xu Qinyu smiled and said, “It’s no big deal. Chef Zhou, just watch. If there’s anything you don’t understand, I’ll explain it to you in detail.”

With five thousand years of culinary heritage, she had benefited from this legacy and was not stingy with her cooking skills.

Moreover, Innkeeper Zhou and Chef Zhou were both kind people. They didn’t charge her for hot water and were willing to let her use the kitchen. If they had ill intentions, she certainly wouldn’t teach them anything.

Chef Zhou, feeling a mix of admiration and respect, looked at the young lady and finally decided not to leave. He stayed to watch how she cooked the two dishes.

The fish head stew with tofu was simple. The fish head had already been cleaned and marinated with ginger, green onions, and strong liquor to remove the fishy smell. She heated the oil, fried the fish head until both sides were golden brown, added a few slices of ginger to fry and remove the fishy smell, then added the appropriate amount of cold water. Once it boiled, she added salt and tofu, transferred it to a clay pot, and simmered it over low heat for half an hour.

The green onions here were similar to small onions but with larger bulbs. People here called small onions “green onions.”

This fish head weighed over two jin, and she added two and a half pieces of tofu, filling a whole clay pot.

The proportion of ingredients in a delicious dish was very important. The other dish, braised fish offal, was more complicated. The fish offal had to be washed several times to remove the blood and fishy smell thoroughly. Finally, it had to be blanched with ginger, green onions, and a few drops of strong liquor to remove the fishy smell.

After blanching, the fish offal was washed with warm water and set aside.

Since the fish offal included fish belly and bones, she heated the pot, added oil, and first fried the fish belly pieces and bones. The oil from the fish belly sizzled in the pot, releasing a fragrant aroma. Once the fish belly and fish bones were fried until fragrant, she added seasonings. The most important seasoning for this braised fish offal was dried Zanthoxylum.

There were no chili peppers here either, only Zanthoxylum, which was considered the ancient version of chili peppers and had a spicy flavor.

Once the Zanthoxylum was added, the aroma became even more intense. After adding all the seasonings and stir-frying for a while, she added warm water and brought it to a boil. Finally, she added the blanched fish offal and cooked it until the sauce was reduced.

In the front hall, Liang Yi could hardly wait. The aroma was much stronger than the fish slice porridge, stimulating his taste buds, and he couldn’t stop swallowing.

Not only Commander Liang, but other guests in the inn were also awakened by the aroma. They came to the hall to ask the innkeeper what was being cooked today.

Innkeeper Zhou explained, and the guests were reluctant to return to their rooms. They all sat in the hall, waiting to see what kind of food could smell so good.

Soon, everyone saw Chef Zhou carrying a large clay pot with a cloth, with steam continuously rising from it.

Following him was a young lady holding a large white porcelain bowl filled with fish offal, sprinkled with green onion segments and crushed Zanthoxylum, looking very appetizing.

They placed the two dishes in front of Commander Liang. Xu Qinyu uncovered the clay pot, revealing the fish head stew with tofu inside.

The fish head stew with tofu was milky white, the fish head was still intact, and the tofu had absorbed the broth, looking plump.

Liang Yi quickly picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of fish roe from the braised fish offal. Compared to the milky white fish head, he found the other dish more to his liking. As soon as he tasted it, his expression changed, startling Innkeeper Zhou and Chef Zhou, who thought it was not good.

Liang Yi never expected this young lady’s cooking skills to be so superb. The fish roe had no fishy smell, and it was fragrant and spicy, with a dense texture and a fresh, savory taste that became more delicious with each bite!

No, her cooking skills were not just superb; he had never tasted such delicious food in his life, especially not fish dishes.

It turned out that fish wasn’t inherently bad-tasting; it was just that no one knew how to cook it properly.

After swallowing the fish roe, Liang Yi took a piece of tofu from the fish head stew with tofu. The tofu had absorbed the broth completely, not only retaining its tenderness but also the freshness of the fish. While the fish roe was fragrant and spicy, the fish head stew with tofu was fresh – so fresh that it made him want to swallow his tongue.

“Is it delicious?” Someone nearby couldn’t help but ask.

Liang Yi didn’t have time to answer and just called out to Innkeeper Zhou, “Innkeeper Zhou, please bring me two food boxes.”

Such delicious food, he couldn’t forget to bring some home for his wife and daughter to taste.

After packing the food boxes, Liang Yi started eating. He had also asked his subordinates to buy ten large steamed buns, and now he was eating the buns with the two dishes, his mouth full of oil.

His two subordinates, sitting opposite him, also started eating. They were amazed by the taste and, without saying a word, followed their leader’s example and buried their heads in their food.

The meat on the fish’s head and lips separated from the bones with a gentle push. And the fish brain, with a light suck, slipped into the mouth, filling it with fragrance. The braised fish offal included fish bubbles, fish belly, and fish intestines, especially the fish belly. With one bite, the oil burst in the mouth. Although all parts were from the fish, the texture in the mouth was completely different.

Liang Yi had never thought that fish could be so delicious!

The surrounding guests were all drooling, and someone asked if it was good. Another shouted, “Didn’t you see how this diner is eating? It must be extremely delicious!”

Liang Yi ate while glaring at his subordinates, who were still trying to grab the food from him. But his subordinates knew his usual demeanor and pretended not to see, as the fish was just too delicious.

Xu Qinyu also watched in amazement as Commander Liang devoured ten large steamed buns!

Each bun was bigger than her four or five fists combined!

In the end, even the remaining broth was soaked up with the buns and eaten clean, leaving the clay pot and porcelain bowl spotless.

“Refreshing!” Liang Yi wiped his mouth and laughed, turning to Xu Qinyu, “Young lady, your cooking skills are truly exceptional, even better than the dishes at Zuixian Tavern.”

Xu Qinyu smiled and said, “I’m glad you enjoyed it, sir.”

Liang Yi was also straightforward and gave Xu Qinyu one tael of silver. Although it pained him a bit, today’s dishes were the most delicious he had ever eaten in his life. Even the most famous Zuixian Tavern in Raozhou City couldn’t make such flavors. It wasn’t just that the fish couldn’t be made to taste like this, but the young lady’s two fish dishes were better than any signature dish at Zuixian Tavern, far surpassing them.

Seeing this, the surrounding people couldn’t hold back.

“Young lady, will you make these two dishes again? I’m willing to pay for them.”

“Me too…”

“Young lady, please make these two dishes for me as well. I can pay in advance.”