Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

After watching the waiter walk away tremblingly with the dishes, Jiang Shangxian moved to the whole lamb in the corner. Now it could not be called a whole lamb, as a master chef was chopping the lamb on the stone platform next to it.

"Why, young lady, you want this mutton too?" Since ancient times, great chefs have always been fat, and the one in front of him was just like that. He was very fat and dark, holding a big knife in his hand. He looked very capable and spoke with full energy.

Jiang Shangxian bowed politely: "Yes, I would like some lamb chops. Is that convenient for you?"

"Hahaha, what's the inconvenience? Should I keep it as a whole or chop it into small pieces?" The fat chef gestured with a knife.

"Please chop it smaller, thank you."

"Okay!" The fat chef responded and started chopping the lamb chops. "You are quite skilled, young lady. I have never seen the dish you just made before. It is really delicious and beautiful, but there is one thing that is not good."

"Oh?" Jiang Shangxian asked modestly, "I hope you will be so kind as to teach me."

The fat chef chopped the meat very quickly. After a while, he had chopped a small bowl of meat and pushed it to the side, indicating that Jiang Shangxian should take it away. "I didn't give us a taste! You have to make more of this dish. It's tempting me to eat it!"

Unexpectedly, this fat master was quite humorous. Jiang Shangxian smiled and responded, "Then I would like to thank you all for helping me taste it."

In the lobby of Lexianlou, there were already a few tables of guests sitting there who had just woken up from a hangover and had come directly for lunch without having breakfast. They were all sitting there listlessly, ordering food.

The young man walked all the way with the squirrel mandarin fish, he was so careful. He was afraid that if he was too slow, the fish would get cold and not taste good. He was also afraid that his feet would slip and he would waste such a good dish. In addition, the dish kept emitting an attractive sweet and sour aroma, which made his mouth water. He had to walk this road countless times every day, and today he was sweating all over his forehead.

"Boss! Here I come! Here I come!" He started shouting from more than ten meters away.

"What are you shouting for! Just put it there..." Shopkeeper Wang was still chatting with the customer, but he cursed impatiently, turned his head and saw the plate of tempting dish. The rest of his words were quickly swallowed into his stomach along with the saliva that was secreted instantly.

"Come on, come on, put it here, put it here, slowly!"

Shopkeeper Wang managed to remain calm in front of the guests. He pointed to an empty table, signaling the young man to put the dishes there, and continued to chat with the guests.

But the customer was also curious about the dish. "Manager Wang, I consider myself a regular at Lexianlou, so how come I've never had this dish before? Could it be that Manager Wang is keeping it a secret?"

As he spoke, he looked towards the place where the menu of Lexianlou was hung. Strangely, there were no new dishes.

Restaurants and hotels in the Tang Dynasty did not have menus. Only places like Lexianlou would write the names of dishes on small wooden signs and hang them up, while most of the time they relied on the waiters.

Just like a modern crosstalk performer announcing the names of dishes, if he can do it in one go without any mistakes or lags, that’s what a good guy is!

This is probably an example of art coming from life.

"Liu Qilang, what are you talking about? You're so embarrassed! This Lexianlou can't do without the support of you gentlemen. We just have a new chef today. Look, he's tasting the dishes in the back."

"Oh? In that case, how about I try it with you? I'll pay for the dishes." This man was also a wealthy man, and he walked straight to the table.

Shopkeeper Wang had no chance to refuse, so he could only follow with a smile: "How dare I refuse Liu Qilang? Just try it, and you don't have to pay for the dish. It looks good, but I don't know how it tastes."

It was just a food tasting. Why would he charge money for such a small request from an old customer? Lexianlou is not a place where you can't afford to live with your superficiality!

Liu Qilang was also a gourmet. He smiled without saying anything and picked up his chopsticks to pick up the eggplant-red fish meat. When he heard the crisp sound, his eyes lit up and he tilted his head and squinted: "Okay, listen to this sound."

Without waiting for Manager Wang, he put the fish covered with sauce into his mouth.

Seeing this, Shopkeeper Wang quickly picked up his chopsticks and picked up a piece. After all, he was the shopkeeper, and he felt a little uncomfortable that his first bite was eaten by someone else. However, this discomfort was instantly forgotten after he tasted the fish.

The two of them just sat opposite each other, squinting their eyes and shaking their heads in enjoyment, which made the young man scratch his head, because he wanted to eat too!

Not only was he curious, but even the guests who had arrived early at the tables all stood up and gathered here.

"Shopkeeper Wang, how does this new dish taste?" someone couldn't help but ask.

Liu Qilang was the first to recover. He took another piece of shrimp and fish with his chopsticks, swallowed it carefully, and then replied, "The fish is fresh and tender, and it's wrapped in something I don't know, but it's very crispy. The sauce is sweet and sour. I've never tasted such a special delicacy before. Shopkeeper Wang, what is the name of this dish?"

"This..." Shopkeeper Wang came back to his senses from the delicious food and was dumbfounded when he heard this question. He didn't know, no one told him!

Fortunately, the waiter, even though his mouth was drooling, knew his job responsibilities: "The young lady said this dish is called squirrel mandarin fish."

"Oh?" Liu Qilang carefully looked left and right at the dish in front of him, and finally sighed, "It's really unique and interesting. Very interesting!"

The guests watching the excitement nearby were also tempted by the food and asked, "Manager Wang, can you give me a dish of this squirrel mandarin fish?"

Shopkeeper Wang was surprised and delighted, but as a professional shopkeeper, he hadn't yet agreed on salary with Jiang Shangxian, so asking him to start work right away was out of the question. He could only bow and apologize, "Gentlemen, today is a food tasting, so we can't order the squirrel mandarin fish just yet. If you don't mind, you can try it. If you like it, how about you all come back to support us when Lexianlou officially launches this dish?"

After this was said, the others were helpless. They had said they were still tasting the food. There were no descendants of the five surnames and seven famous families, nor high-ranking officials or royal family members present, so they naturally could not force Lexianlou to cook for them.

After all, it would be impossible for Lexianlou to become the biggest in this place without some backing.

Everyone had no choice but to take up their chopsticks and bowls and divide the whole plate in an instant, fearing that if they were a step late, they would not be able to get even a single bamboo shoot!

The waiter returned to the kitchen with a sad face, carrying an empty plate with only a little sauce left.

"How come you eat so cleanly?!" Jiang Shangxian had already finished cutting the side dishes and was diligently giving the lamb chops a massage. When he heard the noise, he turned around and saw that he was eating too fast.

The waiter was so upset that he couldn't even cry. He watched for a long time and wanted to try it too: "The customer in front of us ate up the whole plate..."

Before Jiang Shangxian could say anything, the chefs started to get anxious: "I want to try it!"

"You're a street slave, you can't even keep an eye on the dishes!"

This is taking out your anger. The customers and the shopkeeper want to eat, and can a waiter jump out and say that you are not allowed to eat?

Seeing the waiter almost crying out of grievance, Jiang Shangxian's heart softened: "What's the big deal? It's just a plate of food. Look at all those lamb chops. This dish is quite filling! I'll take one plate to the front later, and I'll trouble you all to taste the remaining one for me."

The young man stood by with red eyes and a wronged look on his face. After a while, his attention was drawn to him. He stared blankly at Jiang Shangxian as he took out a small jar from his bag like a magic trick, picked out two small, red things, and put them into the casserole that was already overflowing with fragrance.

"My dear lady, your bag looks like a treasure chest."