Quick mission: We don't make trouble

Let’s not talk about Zhu Yingying and the others showing their team spirit upstairs, and let’s talk about Zhu Qingqing taking green onions and garlic sprouts and pumpkin to find the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper said that he had already bought rice and kept it in the kitchen.

Zhu Qingqing said they wanted to cook for themselves and wanted to borrow the kitchen.

It was still early to cook dinner and the stove was empty. The shopkeeper agreed and asked the chef to help.

Yang San smiled and said, "Just let me help Master Zhu."

He knew that Chef Zhu would definitely make a new dish.

This is a great opportunity to learn!

He doesn't want others to take advantage of him.

Zhu Qingqing glanced at him but did not respond.

He just smiled and said to the shopkeeper: "Then I'll trouble the chef."

She only wanted to do simple things and wasn't afraid of others learning. As for how much they could learn, it all depended on their individual understanding.

The shopkeeper nodded and said, "It's not a bother, it's not a bother, I'll send someone to call him over right away.

Yang San didn't dare to say anything more and obediently followed Zhu Qingqing to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, all kinds of cooking utensils, tableware and ingredients were neatly arranged, and the stove was also very clean. Zhu Qingqing nodded in satisfaction.

The cook was a little annoyed when he heard that the distinguished guest was not satisfied with the food he cooked, but when he heard that Mrs. Zhu was going to cook herself and was not averse to his presence, he became curious and wanted to see what difference she could make.

He came as soon as the shopkeeper called him.

Zhu Qingqing said to the cook, "Master, please take a piece of bacon, two pounds of flour, ten eggs, and this rice. We'll settle the bill together when the time comes."

The cook had received instructions from the shopkeeper that he must satisfy the lady no matter what she needed.

So he said, "Don't bother me, Madam, just tell me what you need. My last name is Li, I'm the eldest child, and everyone calls me Li Da or Li the Chef."

Seeing that the lady was polite to him, he did not dare to be arrogant and spoke in a humble manner.

Zhu Qingqing: "Then I'll call you Master Li."

"Don't dare, don't dare."

So he immediately took out a piece of bacon and picked out ten eggs.

Yang San asked curiously, "Master Zhu, what are you going to do?"

Zhu Qingqing smiled and replied, "Today we're having fried bacon with garlic sprouts and pumpkin rice. We'll also give the caravan some scallion pancakes as a snack. It's my treat. Now, let's get to work! First, light the fire. Cook the rice in this big pot. When it's half done, drain it with a colander and catch the rice soup in a basin. Don't waste it... Cook the bacon in this small pot... Once it's cooked, remove it and slice it for later use. Do you understand?"

Yang San nodded and said, "I understand."

The cook also nodded to show that he understood.

Then he called the old woman who was usually in charge of lighting the fire to come in and help.

Zhu Qingqing cleaned the bacon and put it into the pot to cook.

Yang Sanze began to wash the rice and put it into the pot.

Zhu Qingqing found a large bowl and poured flour into it. She then washed and chopped scallions and added them to the flour. She then cracked an egg, added an appropriate amount of salt and a little vegetable oil, and stirred with water to make a batter. "Hmm, I finally found vegetable oil here. I must put this good stuff to good use. Scallion pancakes fried with vegetable oil are even more delicious."

Time passed quickly and the rice was almost cooked. Zhu Qingqing picked up a spoon, scooped up some rice, looked at it, nodded with satisfaction and said, "Okay, it's done." Then she used a large ladle to scoop out the rice, and then put it in a colander to filter it. The rice soup naturally flowed into the basin.

"We'll eat this rice soup with scallion pancakes later. It's sure to taste amazing!" Zhu Qingqing said to Yang San with a smile. Hearing this, Yang San couldn't help but swallow his saliva, his heart full of anticipation.

Chef Zhu doesn’t use any particularly precious or rare ingredients, but why is the food he makes so delicious?

Yang San pondered in his heart.

The cook seemed accustomed to this and didn't react much. After all, he worked around the stove every day and had tasted all kinds of delicious food countless times.

Zhu Qingqing instructed the old woman to turn down the heat, clean the pot, wipe it dry, and then pour in a suitable amount of vegetable oil. Once the oil heated up, she used a small spoon to scoop the batter into the pot...

Seeing this, Yang San hurriedly said, "Master Zhu, I know how to do this. Let me do it... Just like how we made wild vegetable pancakes before, right?"

Zhu Qingqing smiled and replied, "Okay, I'll leave it to you then. This is just the simplest scallion pancake recipe. There are actually many other varieties, but they require more steps and are relatively more troublesome. We'll try them again when we have the chance."

Yang San smiled and nodded, indicating that he understood. He knew that Master Zhu must have many unique skills that he had not yet demonstrated.

As spoonfuls of batter were slowly poured into the pot, the originally bland batter gradually became thicker and expanded.

Yang San flipped the scallion pancake skillfully to ensure even heating. After a while, the pancake turned golden yellow with emerald green, emitting bursts of tempting aroma.

At this point, the aroma of the scallions is fully unleashed, blending with the aroma of the wheat flour and the fragrance of the eggs to form a unique, complex fragrance. This smell is mouth-watering, as if it can penetrate the nasal cavity and directly stimulate the taste buds. The entire kitchen is filled with this rich aroma, intoxicating.

Chef Li couldn't help but take a deep breath and exclaimed sincerely, "It smells so good!" He couldn't wait to taste this delicious scallion pancake.

Zhu Qingqing brought a pair of chopsticks and a ceramic bowl, put the fried scallion pancakes into the bowl, and handed one to Chef Li.

"Master Li, try it..."

Chef Li took it and took a bite without caring about the heat. Ah, it was so delicious, crispy and burnt, leaving a lingering fragrance in his mouth.

Zhu Qingqing picked up another one for the old woman who was stoking the fire, "Grandma, you should try it too..."

"Oh, this is for the nobles to eat, how dare an old woman like me taste it?"

Zhu Qingqing: "Thank you for your hard work in keeping the fire going. I'll treat you."

Chef Li also said, "Just try it if I tell you to. Why are you nagging?"

The old woman stood up tremblingly, wiped her hands on her clothes, took the scallion pancake, and took a light bite. Hmm, this scallion pancake smells good and tastes even better.

Chef Li finished his meal in a few bites, rubbing his hands together and saying, "Well, Madam Zhu, Chef Yang, let me fry the rest, okay?"

It takes some effort to eat it. And he also wants to try it.

Zhu Qingqing: "Okay, Master Yang, let him come."

Yang San handed the spoon to the cook with some dissatisfaction: "Be careful, don't burn it."

"No, no."

In fact, this doesn’t require much technical skills, so Zhu Qingqing was not worried and just left it to Chef Li.

Turning around, she told Yang San to pick up the bacon and cut it. She took a slice while it was still hot and tasted it, saying, "It's well-cured, not too salty or too bland."

Chef Li smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment, Madam. I pickled it."

Zhu Qingqing: "Yes, you can add a few more stir-fried dishes to your inn in the future. In winter, stir-fried bacon with garlic sprouts, in spring, stir-fried bamboo shoots, in summer, stir-fried peppers... and stir-fried mushrooms... they are all great with rice..."

These are home-cooked dishes that are so common in later generations that Zhu Qingqing cooked them casually without any intention of hiding anything.