Head Zhao looked into her calm eyes and, without knowing why, agreed, “Fine, let’s give you a try.”

A nearby chubby cook voiced his dissatisfaction, “Dishes for the General aren’t something you just ‘try.’ Either you can make it, or you can’t.”

Head Zhao glared at him, “Then what do you suggest we do now? You want to make it?”

The chubby cook, silenced by Head Zhao’s retort, turned his face away without another word.

The other cooks noticed Head Zhao speaking up for Jiang Yanyi.

Even though they also felt that letting Jiang Yanyi make the braised lion’s head meatballs was rather frivolous, none of them spoke up, remembering what had just happened.

However, they all inwardly decided that there was no way she could make meatballs worthy of being served.

No matter how well she made simple dishes like knife-cut noodles, that kind of cooking skill wouldn’t hold up when it came to a big dish.

Every cook had a few signature dishes, which they rarely shared.

Only after much consideration would they teach these secrets to their apprentices.

After all, there’s an old saying: “Teach your apprentice well, and you’ll starve yourself.”

Braised lion’s head meatballs were one of Chef Li’s specialties.

Whenever he made them, he always prepared the broth away from prying eyes.

Jiang Yanyi knew that every cook had their own preferred broth, but the ultimate flavorful broth in later times was widely acknowledged to be made with old hen, Jinhua ham, and dried scallops.

She glanced at the sun outside, estimating that there were still nearly two hours until noon.

Since there was no ham in the military camp, she asked for some cured pork leg to substitute, combining it with an old hen, pork bones, and dried scallops to make a broth.

A lion’s head meatball is basically a large meatball, about the size of a fist.

To make it delicious, it should be “clear but not bland, rich but not greasy.”

The meat should be pork belly, with a ratio of three parts fat to seven parts lean.

When dicing, the fat and lean parts are separated, which is a test of knife skills.

The lean meat is finely minced, while the fat meat is coarsely chopped.

Scallions, ginger, and garlic are minced, and water chestnuts are diced, then mixed into the meat along with seasonings.

A beaten egg is added for binding, and after mixing thoroughly, the meat is shaped into balls.

When Jiang Yanyi used to make a simple version of braised lion’s head at home, she added chopped scallions to the mixture, causing the scallions to char unattractively on the meatballs’ surface when they were fried.

To avoid this, she reserved some of the meat mixture without scallions, coating the outside of each meatball with it.

This trapped the scallion aroma inside while preventing any charring during frying.

Frying only requires browning the outside of the meatballs, which helps them hold their shape when simmered in the broth.

Without frying, the meatballs would become lumpy and unattractive after cooking.

Jiang Yanyi stir-fried some winter bamboo shoots and shredded carrots in a clay pot.

The bamboo shoots enhanced the umami, while the carrots served as a natural and healthy colorant, adding a hint of sweetness.

However, since carrots could give the broth a strong flavor, she scooped them out after frying and added them to the broth, which provided a nice color without affecting the flavor.

The broth simmered for more than an hour and, though it wasn’t rich yet, it had developed a distinct umami flavor.

After adding other seasonings, she placed the fried meatballs into the pot and let them simmer gently for half an hour.

On the subject of heat control, Xu Ke once wrote in Qingbai Leichao: “Simmer over low heat, stopping for a moment after each few logs, and reheat after about five minutes, cooking until done.”

It was no small effort.

After working all morning, Jiang Yanyi finally finished the braised lion’s head meatballs just in time for the camp’s mealtime.

Just then, a soldier came back carrying Chef Li on his back.

Chef Li had been worried about the kitchen and, after drinking a medicinal brew from the army doctor that stopped his stomach troubles, he had hurried back.

“What dish did you replace the lion’s head with?” Chef Li asked as soon as he was seated.

Knowing no one else could make the lion’s head meatballs, Chef Li had assumed they’d changed the dish.

The kitchen fell silent.

The chubby cook, who hadn’t expected much from Jiang Yanyi in the first place, glanced at her and spoke with a hint of sarcasm, “Your assistant claimed she could make the lion’s head, so Head Zhao let her.”

Chef Li looked over at Head Zhao, who felt a sudden pang of guilt, “Old Li, I just thought of trying something desperate…”

Chef Li interrupted, “Nonsense!”

He understood that Head Zhao had agreed to let Jiang Yanyi make the lion’s head to avoid criticism from above, but he didn’t want to implicate the others in the kitchen.

Chef Li didn’t have any hope for Jiang Yanyi’s lion’s head meatballs and simply said, “Is there a substitute dish prepared? Let’s bring it out.”

Head Zhao replied, “The girl worked all morning; at least have a look at her lion’s head meatballs first. If they’re not up to par, we’ll bring out the substitute.”

As she spoke, she kept giving Jiang Yanyi a knowing look, and Jiang Yanyi quickly understood, bringing over the braised lion’s head meatballs she had prepared.

Chef Li, seeing that Jiang Yanyi had already brought them over, took the opportunity to lift the lid covering the dish.

Initially, he didn’t have high expectations, but when he saw the meatballs, he was stunned.

Four perfectly sized meatballs were nestled together, their glossy, reddish surface sprinkled with a touch of green onions, creating a striking contrast.

Bamboo shoots lined the bottom of the plate, with blanched greens arranged around the edges.

Having made braised lion’s head meatballs for decades, Chef Li could tell how well they were cooked just by the color of the sauce.

But this was the first time he had seen such beautifully crafted sauce, better than anything he’d made himself.

The other cooks, who hadn’t seen Jiang Yanyi’s finished dish before, were equally amazed when they finally caught sight of it.

Chef Li stared at the dish for a long moment before saying, “Pass me a pair of chopsticks.”

Someone quickly handed him a pair.

Instead of immediately tasting the meatballs, he walked over to the stove and dipped the chopsticks into the leftover sauce in the pot to sample it.

His expression shifted from hesitation to seriousness, causing Head Zhao and the other cooks to grow even more anxious.

Although Jiang Yanyi maintained a relatively calm demeanor, seeing Chef Li’s reaction made her question her own cooking.

Could it be that using carrot oil to color the dish had backfired?

After setting down the chopsticks, Chef Li gave Jiang Yanyi a deep look and simply said, “Good.”

He then turned to Head Zhao and ordered, “Send the braised lion’s head to the general.”

Relieved, Head Zhao quickly instructed the kitchen staff to pack the dish and deliver it to the general’s tent.

The other cooks, surprised that Chef Li had given such high praise, couldn’t resist grabbing chopsticks to taste the sauce themselves.

Moments later, their eyes widened in astonishment.

It was delicious—so flavorful that they felt as though they could swallow their tongues!

The freshness lingered on their palates, leaving an aftertaste that was simply exquisite!

Everyone in the culinary world knew that the more refined the dish, the more it relied on the natural flavors of the ingredients to showcase the chef’s skill.

Jiang Yanyi’s previous dishes, like tofu pudding and knife-shaved noodles, had seemed simple to the other cooks.

But this time, her braised lion’s head had earned their respect.

Earlier that morning, Feng Shuo had intended to summon the cook responsible for the knife-shaved noodles, only to be told that the cook had fallen ill with stomach pain and was bedridden in the military doctor’s tent, so the matter was postponed.

At lunchtime, when Feng Shuo saw the braised lion’s head, it appeared just as refined as the dishes he used to have in the palace, leaving him a bit surprised.

—Who would have thought that a cook in the military camp could produce such a delicate and sophisticated dish?

He tasted a small bite.

The sauce wrapped around the meatball was rich and flavorful, while the meat inside was tender and juicy, neither too heavy nor greasy.

Feng Shuo wasn’t a connoisseur of food, but in recent days, whether it was meals or tea in the camp, he had started to regain a faint sense of taste.

He had concluded that what restored his sense of taste yesterday was the tofu pudding, and this morning, it was the knife-shaved noodles.

After all, those were the first things he had tasted before regaining his sense of flavor.

The lion’s head meatballs today were undeniably delicious as well.

Feng Shuo asked, “Which cook in the kitchen made this dish?”

One of the guards, who had reviewed the kitchen’s menu the previous day, recalled that the braised lion’s head was Chef Li’s specialty.

He immediately responded, “It was Chef Li, the one who went to the military doctor due to stomach pains.”

Feng Shuo pondered for a moment, a mysterious look in his dark eyes. “Send this bowl of braised pork to Chef Li and summon him. I have questions for him.”

The braised pork on the table was a bit rough, with the fatty parts being overly greasy, so Feng Shuo hadn’t touched it.

However, to the ordinary soldiers, it would still be considered a rare treat.

The guards, knowing how rarely the soldiers got to eat meat, didn’t find the reward strange and promptly had the dish delivered to the kitchen.

Back in the kitchen…

After lunch, everyone took a break for an hour before resuming their preparations for dinner.

During this time, the women would return to the barracks near the poplar grove.

Jiang Yanyi hadn’t seen Chunxiang much all morning, and it was only during mealtime that she caught a glimpse of her.

When Chunxiang noticed Jiang Yanyi looking her way, she quickly avoided eye contact, whether out of guilt from the morning incident or for some other reason.

Jiang Yanyi couldn’t shake the feeling that Chunxiang was involved in Chef Li’s sudden bout of diarrhea, but she had no evidence.

Moreover, Chunxiang didn’t seem to have any motive to harm Chef Li.

Liu Cheng taking a day off to go home, on the other hand, seemed far too coincidental.

But Liu Cheng was Chef Li’s apprentice—he had no reason to harm his own master.

The more Jiang Yanyi thought about it, the more confused she became.

Seeing that it was getting late, she bid farewell to Chef Li and the others, planning to return to the poplar grove for a brief rest before coming back.

“On your way back, take this list to Old Zhao and tell him to prepare extra ingredients for the dishes on it,” Chef Li said, handing Jiang Yanyi a list as she was about to leave.

Jiang Yanyi glanced at the list and was surprised to see that seven or eight people had requested spicy sour noodles for dinner.

Chef Li, who had previously thought her noodles were subpar, seemed to have changed his opinion after witnessing her skill with the lion’s head meatballs.

Now, even he found some hidden potential in her seemingly humble noodles.

He added, “I’m not sure what ingredients you used for the noodles last night, but when you see Old Zhao, explain it to him in person.”

Chef Li wanted to avoid seeming as though he was trying to pry into the secret of her noodle recipe.

But Jiang Yanyi hadn’t thought that far; she assumed Chef Li simply found it troublesome.

Thinking back to her earlier concerns, she looked around, and seeing no one else nearby, she lowered her voice, “Chef Li, you had that sudden bout of diarrhea today…”

“The old man knows what’s going on. Go back to Head Zhao now,” Chef Li interrupted, seeming to understand what Jiang Yanyi wanted to say.

His gaze softened with a touch of affection.

Realizing Chef Li knew exactly what had caused his sudden illness, Jiang Yanyi didn’t press further and went to see Head Zhao.

After handing Zhao the supply list, she asked him to prepare more starch and sweet potato powder.

Just then, a soldier was cleaning out the storeroom when he tripped over a basket of duck eggs.

Some of them had already spoiled, and the smell was terrible once they broke open.

Head Zhao, distressed by the loss of so many good eggs, pointed at the soldier angrily, “You clumsy idiot! Do you even know how much these eggs cost?”

The soldier repeatedly apologized.

Jiang Yanyi asked casually, “Why are so many of these eggs going bad?”

Head Zhao sighed, “General Fan loved salted duck eggs, so we stocked up on them. But we barely have enough salt for cooking as it is. We can only make a few at a time, and these have been sitting here until now, so quite a few went bad.”

Understanding the high cost of salt in ancient times, Jiang Yanyi looked at the remaining baskets of duck eggs and had an idea.

If making salted eggs was too costly, she could make preserved eggs instead!

She immediately said, “Head Zhao, I have a way to make these eggs just as delicious as salted duck eggs and just as long-lasting!”

Meanwhile, about fifteen minutes after Jiang Yanyi left the kitchen, a military officer entered, holding a bowl of braised pork.

“Is Chef Li here?” the officer called out in a booming voice, drawing the attention of everyone in the kitchen.

Chef Li came out, showing respect, “Yes, sir, that’s me.”

The officer looked him over and said, “The General enjoyed the lion’s head meatballs you made. He’s sent this braised pork as a reward.”

Chef Li was surprised, quickly clarifying, “Sir, I don’t deserve it. Today’s lion’s head meatballs weren’t made by me but by another cook.”

The officer hadn’t expected such a complication and asked, “Which cook?”

“She’s a new one. She’s probably back in the barracks near the poplar grove by now,” Chef Li explained, estimating that Jiang Yanyi had already returned to her quarters.

Hearing about the poplar grove, the officer guessed Jiang Yanyi’s identity.

As the saying goes, heroes aren’t judged by their origins.

The officer didn’t ask further and went straight to find her.

The chubby cook, watching the officer’s assistant holding the braised pork, felt uneasy.

Braised pork was his specialty.

Yet the General had eaten the lion’s head meatballs made by this newcomer, while his own dish remained untouched.

At this time, the women in the poplar grove barracks were resting, while Chunxiang, trying to be sneaky, had brought her soiled clothes from earlier that morning to wash outside.

Halfway through her washing, she spotted the officer and his men approaching and figured they must be here to deliver another reward.

Thinking about how Jiang Yanyi’s lion’s head meatballs had made such an impression today, disrupting her plans, Chunxiang felt bitter.

She vented her frustration by scrubbing the clothes harder than necessary.

The officer approached and, seeing someone washing clothes, called out, “Who made the braised lion’s head meatballs today? The General has sent over a bowl of braised pork as a reward.”

Chunxiang, initially dismissive when she heard it was just a bowl of braised pork, suddenly felt a bit better.

She wiped her hands on her skirt and, noticing the enticing aroma of the pork, her stomach rumbled.

Thinking it was just a simple bowl of pork, she decided to claim credit, figuring no harm would come of it.

She declared, “It was me.”

The officer gave her a quick glance, and Chunxiang’s heart pounded, worried he might see through her lie.

But he simply seemed a bit surprised, as he had thought the cook was the courtesan who had delivered the General’s gift the previous day.

He signaled for his assistant to hand the braised pork to her.

Chunxiang happily accepted it.

The smell of the meat tempted her, and she felt more and more justified in taking the credit. “Thank you, sir,” she said eagerly.

Then, unexpectedly, the officer added, “The General wants to meet you. Come with us.”