Chapter 6

Lin Zhao had anticipated that Li Shi would deliberately make things difficult or sabotage him from behind, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly!

That evening, when Uncle Gu Qi returned home, his face was full of worry, clearly indicating that he had encountered some trouble. Under Lin Zhao's persistent questioning, Gu Qi finally revealed the truth!

It turned out that Old Lady Meng was a food lover and cherished delicious cuisine. For her seventieth birthday, exquisite dishes were naturally indispensable. Li Shi demanded that Gu Qi prepare a signature dish to celebrate the old lady's birthday. It was obvious that this dish was not going to be simple!

At the same time, they received news that Chen Xuan, in an attempt to please Old Lady Meng, had hired a renowned chef from Bianjing at a high price. If Gu Qi's dish were to pale in comparison, it would be said that he had disgraced the Meng family, and who knew what further trouble that might bring!

It's just cooking, right? Lin Zhao initially didn't take it seriously, but after delving deeper, he realized that the matter was not as simple as he had imagined...

Frying, boiling, steaming, and stir-frying are all basic cooking methods, but they were not always available. Stir-frying, for instance, only became popular during the Northern Song Dynasty. Initially, stir-frying was considered a secret technique, cherished and kept confidential by the chefs of the major restaurants in Bianjing.

Clearly, Gu Qi was not one of them, and now he had to compete with a chef from Bianjing, which was quite a challenge.

Gu Qi seemed at a loss, deeply worried...

Even Gu Yuelun was somewhat concerned, saying, "What can we do? I've never seen Father so worried!"

However, Lin Zhao couldn't help but smile...

"What are you smiling about, Cousin? At a time like this, you can still smile? Do you have a solution?" Gu Yuelun's innocent and clear eyes stared at Lin Zhao, filled with a hint of dissatisfaction and doubt.

Lin Zhao might be helpless in other matters, but when it came to stir-frying... hehe, he did have a solution!

In his previous life, his parents ran a Sichuan restaurant, and during every winter and summer break, Lin Zhao would help out in the shop. From initially learning by osmosis to later hands-on practice, he had picked up a few cooking skills...

With a thousand years of accumulated experience, Lin Zhao even thought that if he brought a few housewives from the future, they might easily outshine the so-called great chefs of the Song Dynasty!

Chen Xuan had hired a chef from Bianjing, but Lin Zhao was confident he could compete! He would make them regret their actions and let them trip themselves up!

When Lin Zhao shared his thoughts, Gu Yuelun was stunned, unable to speak for a long time. She couldn't believe that her cousin, who had always kept his distance from the kitchen, could cook...

"You don't believe me? Looks like I need to prove myself..." It was frustrating when his abilities were always doubted!

"Alright!" To satisfy her curiosity and solve her father's problem, Gu Yuelun decided to give it a try!

The next day, while Gu Qi and Liu Shi were out, Gu Yuelun strongly urged her cousin to show his skills.

The Gu family had lived in the Meng residence for many years, and their small courtyard had a simple kitchen. The New Year's goods and festival rewards were still available, which Lin Zhao could use to demonstrate his skills...

As soon as he entered the kitchen, Lin Zhao picked up a winter bamboo shoot and started working. Gu Yuelun watched in amazement as her cousin wielded the knife with incredible speed, slicing vegetables as skillfully as a professional chef. The winter bamboo shoot was cut into chunks, the tofu was neatly arranged in a square on the plate, and the raw meat was quickly sliced and placed in a bowl. He then cracked an egg and mixed it with the egg white.

Gu Yuelun was so stunned that she could hardly believe her eyes.

Lin Zhao smiled, "Alright, stop standing there. Go start the fire!"

Gu Yuelun nodded numbly and lit the fire in the stove. As the wood burned, the temperature of the iron pot gradually increased.

Lin Zhao said, "Remember, stir-frying requires a high flame!" He then poured vegetable oil into the pot. When the oil started to smoke, he added the meat strips and stir-fried them. He then added pickled cucumber, radish, garlic, cardamom, Sichuan pepper, orange peel, and sesame oil, stirring them together. He added a little vinegar and mixed it well before removing the dish from the pot.

Gu Yuelun watched in amazement, completely curious about how her cousin, who had never entered the kitchen, could cook. While she was lost in thought, Lin Zhao had already washed the pot, added oil, and soon a plate of exquisite braised winter bamboo shoot was ready.

Next, he prepared the tofu. Lin Zhao wanted to make Mapo Tofu, but the crucial ingredient, chili peppers, were still in America. However, there were alternatives, such as Sichuan pepper, mustard, and especially Wu Zhu Yu, which was a spicy and fragrant condiment.

Soon, the stir-fried meat strips, braised winter bamboo shoot, and Mapo Tofu were ready. Gu Yuelun stared at them in shock, speechless for a long time.

"Try it!" Lin Zhao smiled and handed her a pair of chopsticks.

Gu Yuelun took them hesitantly, picked up a piece of winter bamboo shoot, and chewed it slowly. The taste was completely different. She then tried the meat strips, which were delicious and refreshing. As for the Mapo Tofu, the spiciness had a unique flavor, making it very tasty.

"Is it good?"

"Mm-hmm!" Gu Yuelun enjoyed the food, completely disregarding her ladylike image. But after a moment, she put down her chopsticks and asked calmly, "Cousin, how can you cook?"

Uh... Lin Zhao smiled, "I learned by osmosis from a young age, and a bit of inspiration. Don't worry about that. Now, do you believe I have a solution?"

Gu Yuelun nodded, "Cousin's skills are much better than Father's, but such dishes for a birthday celebration seem a bit..."

Lin Zhao smiled, "These are not enough, but I have an idea. I promise it won't disappoint you!"

"That's good! I'll assist you! Or maybe Father can help..." Seeing a glimmer of hope, Gu Yuelun felt much lighter.

Lin Zhao shook his head, "No, you and Uncle will complete this dish..."

"You and Father?" Gu Yuelun hesitated, "A gentleman keeps his distance from the kitchen, Cousin can't easily enter the kitchen!"

Uh... Though it was a misunderstanding, it saved him from further explanation. Lin Zhao continued, "Not only that, I want you to become the most beautiful chef in Jiangning City!"

"The most beautiful chef?"

"Exactly!" Lin Zhao nodded emphatically. He wanted to leave the Meng family, but what would he do after leaving? Today's events made him think that opening a restaurant might be a good choice, and his cooking skills would be a valuable asset. The grand banquet in a month would be a great opportunity for advertising...

"Cousin, what preparations do we need to make?"

Lin Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Everything else is fine, but we need to find a jar of aged liquor!"

"That's difficult. Father never drinks... Even an empty jar of aged liquor is hard to find..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the accounting room, Meng Ruoying stood by the table and asked, "Have you calculated it? How many strings of cash?"

The accountants整理了一下满桌的算筹，起身道：“回小姐，总计应该是一万六千三百一十六贯！”

“啊？”孟若颖不由地一怔，眼中满是不可思议，喃喃道：“他竟然真算对了……”

几个账房先生面面相觑，不明所以。若他们知晓辛辛苦苦计算一天的账目，林昭只用了不到一个时辰就得出了相同结论，会不会羞愤的立即想要自杀呢？真相太残酷，孟若颖本着慈悲为怀，没有告诉他们。

孟若颖打发他们走的同时，手中拿着林昭计算的手稿，看着那些乱七八糟的符号，不由地开始发呆。不行，得找他问个明白，可是……唉，算我看走眼了！

林昭正在为酒坛子的事情发愁时，被孟大小姐再次请到了账房……

瞧见孟若颖桌上的手稿，林昭便明白个八九不离十，笑问道：“找人核算过了吗？结果是多少！”

“算你厉害！”

林昭嘿嘿一笑，能让自视甚高的孟大小姐屈服，已经是很有成就感的事情了！

“你……你能告诉我，你鬼画符的这些东西是什么吗？”孟若颖最终还是决定不耻下问，这些简便的计算方式对她实在太有吸引力了！

“这可不是什么鬼画符，而是宝贝……你想学？那先拜师吧！”孟小姐竟然向自己求救，破天荒啊！林昭顿时有些心花怒放！

孟若颖秀眉一横，愤然道：“林昭，你太过分了！”

“好了，既然大小姐想学，我教你就是了……”林昭略微停顿，说道：“不过我有个条件……放心，拜师就算了，你帮我找一只陈年老窖的酒坛子！”

“你要酒坛子做什么？”孟若颖很是好奇，她觉得林昭要一坛子好酒似乎更为合理。

林昭摇头道：“暂时保密，到时候会告诉你的，记得要多年的坛子，最好是百年陈酿！”及时雨啊，林昭相信以孟若颖的实力，一只酒坛子应该不在话下，问题迎刃而解！

“要求还真多……”

林昭笑道：“好了，现在为师……我来教你这个计算方法，这些呢叫阿拉伯数字，1、2、3……7、8、9、10你都认识了吧？好，现在我们来学习加减乘除！

The accountants整理了一下满桌的算筹，起身道：“回小姐，总计应该是一万六千三百一十六贯！”

“啊？”孟若颖不由地一怔，眼中满是不可思议，喃喃道：“他竟然真算对了……”

The accountants looked at each other, puzzled. If they knew that Lin Zhao had calculated the same result in less than an hour after they had worked hard for a whole day, would they be so ashamed that they would want to commit suicide immediately? The truth was too cruel, and out of compassion, Meng Ruoying did not tell them.

As she dismissed them, Meng Ruoying held Lin Zhao's calculation manuscript in her hand, staring at the messy symbols, lost in thought. No, she had to ask him for an explanation, but... sigh, I must have misjudged him!

While Lin Zhao was worrying about the wine jar, he was summoned to the accounting room by Miss Meng again...

Seeing the manuscript on Meng Ruoying's desk, Lin Zhao understood the situation and asked with a smile, "Have you had someone verify it? What was the result?"

"You're impressive!"

Lin Zhao chuckled, feeling a great sense of achievement in making the proud Miss Meng yield!

"Can... can you tell me what these strange symbols are?" Meng Ruoying finally decided to ask humbly, as these simplified calculation methods were extremely attractive to her!

"These are not strange symbols, but treasures... Do you want to learn? Then you must first become my disciple!" The fact that Miss Meng was seeking his help was unprecedented! Lin Zhao felt elated!

Meng Ruoying frowned and said angrily, "Lin Zhao, you're being too much!"

"Alright, since Miss wants to learn, I'll teach you..." Lin Zhao paused and said, "But I have a condition... don't worry, no need to become my disciple, just help me find a jar of aged liquor!"

"What do you need a wine jar for?" Meng Ruoying was very curious, thinking that a jar of good wine would be more reasonable.

Lin Zhao shook his head, "I'll keep it a secret for now, but I'll tell you later. Remember, it should be a jar that has been aged for many years, preferably a century-old vintage!" It was a timely rain, and Lin Zhao believed that with Meng Ruoying's capabilities, finding a wine jar would be no problem, solving his issue!

"You have so many requirements..."

Lin Zhao smiled, "Alright, now as your teacher... I'll teach you this calculation method. These are called Arabic numerals, 1, 2, 3... 7, 8, 9, 10, you know them, right? Good, now let's learn addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division!