"Well, that's Qiao Nan, that's Pei Bi."
Bai Wanqing pointed at the man and woman, then turned to face the skinny old man, and introduced to Chen Xi in a low voice: "This is Old Man Ma, the eldest brother of Qiao Nan and Pei Bi, and all three of them are Sanyeling chefs. "
Chen Xi nodded, bowed and said, "Chen Xi has met three seniors."
Zi La La!
No one paid attention to Chen Xi, only the sound of frying dishes in a frying pan could be heard continuously.
Since childhood, Chen Xi has experienced countless such scenes, and his character has been tempered to be extremely tough, so he doesn't feel embarrassed at all.
Bai Wanqing couldn't stand it anymore, so she walked straight to Old Man Ma, grabbed the iron spoon with her hands, and said fiercely: "Old Man Ma, didn't you see that I introduced you to an apprentice?"
Old Man Ma stared strangely, expecting to get angry, but when he saw Bai Wanqing staring at him without any mercy, he knew there was nothing he could do to help this aunt, so he could only say sadly: "Xiao Bai, don't make trouble, this is a good plate of chopped pepper spirit" Roe deer meat!”
As he spoke, he picked up the iron pot with his skinny bamboo hands and poured all the spicy and shiny dishes onto the plate. The soup was oily red, the meat was as cubed, and it was paired with various auxiliary ingredients that were tender and silky. Overflowing, full of color and taste.
"Old man Ma, please open your eyes and take a look. Chen Xi is good at making talismans, has flexible wrists, keen senses, and is in an innate state. Isn't he qualified to be your apprentice with such qualifications?"
Bai Wanqing had long since lost her quiet demeanor. She curled her lips and said unreasonably: "I don't care, you must accept Chen Xi today!"
Old Man Ma was startled, as if he was remembering something, and he smiled strangely: "Chen Xi? Isn't he the broom star?"
As soon as these words came out, Qiao Nan and Pei Bi, who were busy in front of the kitchen counter, stopped their movements and looked at Chen Xi with strange expressions.
Bai Wanqing's body stiffened, she was so angry that she wanted to strangle this damn old man to death. Is there any way you can talk like this
She looked at Chen Xi, feeling anxious.
But Chen Xi pursed his lips slightly and said calmly: "It doesn't matter whether I am a bad guy or not. What is important is that I didn't expect that Senior Ma was so worldly. Aunt Bai, let's go."
Bai Wanqing said oh, feeling a little guilty for bringing Chen Xi here.
"Wait a minute."
The two were about to leave, but they saw Old Man Ma yelling angrily: "Who the hell is worldly? No matter if he is extremely evil or merciful, in my opinion, it's all fucking bullshit!"
The more he spoke, the louder his voice became, almost roaring: "I accept a disciple. As long as he can inherit my cooking skills, who can afford to care about so much?"
Bai Wanqing said in surprise: "Then you plan to accept Chen Xi as your apprentice?"
Old Man Ma looked stagnant, hesitant.
"Senior brother, accept him. I believe in the person that Beauty Bai is interested in!" Qiao Nan winked at Bai Wanqing secretly and said with a serious face.
"Yes, senior brother, I think Chen Xi is young and steady, and he is good at making talismans, so just accept him." Pei Mei's eyes lingered on Chen Xi for a moment, and she gave him a flirtatious look without leaving any trace, and then she looked pitiful. He begged old man Ma for mercy.
Chen Xi was startled and remained silent, but a glimmer of hope arose in his heart.
The reason he refused before was because Old Man Ma ridiculed him in person. If he begged for mercy in a low voice, even if he succeeded in becoming a disciple of Old Man Ma, if he would still be ridiculed by Old Man Ma from time to time in the future, then he would rather not have this opportunity.
After listening to Old Man Ma's roar, he realized that Old Man Ma was not as unbearable as he thought, and the remaining anger in his heart also dissipated.
It is not terrible for people to be spurned, ridiculed, or looked down upon. What is terrible is that they have no pride, no dignity, and no persistence. What is terrible is that they cannot distinguish between good and evil, black and white, and truth from falsehood!
This is what his grandfather said, and Chen Xi has stuck to it since he was a child, and it is imprinted in his bones.
Old Man Ma snorted coldly, looked at Chen Xi, and said, "In that case, I will give you a chance. There is a green beard bamboo shoot there. You cut it into slices."
Green beard bamboo shoots are green all over, like emeralds, and contain a trace of spiritual energy. They are one of the most common fruits and vegetables.
Chen Xi moved to the kitchen counter. Placed in front of him were a sharp kitchen knife and a green beard bamboo shoot nearly two feet long.
"Knife skills are one of the important ways to measure the level of a good chef. Three-thirds of the stove and seven-thirds of the chopping board. Without knives, you can't make a dish. Mr. Ma wants to test your knife skills, so work hard."
Bai Wanqing explained in a low voice on the side, her clear eyes full of encouragement.
Chen Xi nodded, picked up the bamboo shoot and looked at it for a moment, shook hands with the kitchen knife, and quickly cut it!
Duh! Duh! Duh!
The sound of the fine and compact knife cutting the chopping board was like a rhythmic drum beat. Chen Xi's wrist was as steady as a coiled pine. He controlled the bright and sharp kitchen knife with precision, cutting out slices of snow-white bamboo shoots as thin as cicada wings.
Five years ago, Chen Xi took the place of his grandfather to cook at home. He is very familiar with the use of kitchen knives. In addition, he has been making talismans for many years, and his wrist strength and accuracy are outstanding. Now that he is fully immersed in it, not only his movements are smooth and precise, but his speed is also brisk. abnormal.
Soon, a green beard bamboo shoot turned into a neat row of snow-white bamboo shoots.
In the distance, Old Man Ma didn't look at it and said indifferently: "The wrist is steady and the knife skills are precise. Unfortunately, the thickness varies, only half of it is as thin as a cicada's wings, which is barely better than the average person."
“Ingredients should be sliced at the same thickness, as thin as cicada wings, so that the dishes can have a balanced taste, the same ripening time, and a beautiful shape. If the size, thickness, and length are uneven, it will cause the same dish to have different flavors, including light and dark, as well as raw and cooked. Defects such as old age and unsightly appearance.”
Pei Mei's beautiful eyes were full of color, and she praised with a smile: "Brother Chen Xi, your knife skills are quite good."
"Shred!"
Old Man Ma glared at Pei Bi and made another request in a stiff tone.
Chen Xi took a deep breath and focused on the chopping board again, slicing into slices. It was obvious that he had higher requirements for accuracy and he did not dare to be careless.
Duh duh duh... The kitchen knife fell like mercury on the ground, falling at a more rapid frequency, and wispy bamboo shoots floated out.
Chen Xi felt like he was making a talisman. The kitchen knife turned into a talisman pen, the bamboo shoots turned into talisman paper, and the bamboo shoots turned into talisman patterns as straight as sharp swords.
When drawing talisman patterns, pay attention to the evenness of the ink, so that every square inch forms its own world.
The same goes for slicing into silk. The length should be equal and the thickness should be the same. It shows the skill between the raising and lowering of the knife.
Strictly speaking, the difficulty of slicing into silk is much lower than that of drawing rune patterns. The runes have different twists and turns, different flexibility, and are extremely versatile. It is far from a single action like slicing into silk.
Therefore, after fully controlling the focus and precision, Chen Xi's speed of cutting the knife suddenly accelerated, and the kitchen knife seemed to come alive, moving quickly forward in a cheerful rhythm.
"It's raw at first, but in the middle of the process, I master all the essence. Could it be that this guy is a cooking genius like me?" Qiao Nan touched his chin, pretending to be deep in thought.
"Go away, shameless guy!"
Pei Bi on the side rolled her eyes, then looked at Chen Xi with a face full of obsession, and murmured to herself: "Serious men are the most handsome, little brother Chen Xi, sister is waiting for you to love me, I will be better than sister Wanqing." I love you more..."
"anthomaniac!"
Now even Bai Wanqing couldn't stand it anymore. Two red clouds appeared on her delicate and fair face, and she spat in annoyance. However, she was extremely happy in her heart. Chen Xi could be praised by Qiao Nan and Pei Bi, which was much more than her. imagination.
A flash of light flashed in Old Man Ma's eyes, but his expression remained indifferent.
In Songyan City, as long as the conditions are not bad, almost no family's children know how to cook. Cooking is regarded as not doing their job properly and delaying their spiritual practice. This is indeed the case. Unless they reach the level of spiritual chefs, chefs are generally slaves and maids. As their masters, they only need to enjoy what they have accomplished.
Therefore, after seeing Chen Xi's skillful knife skills, Old Man Ma was indeed slightly moved.
But this is not enough. His cooking skills are the best in Songyan City, and he is a Sanyeling chef himself. He will never decide the choice of apprentice so rashly.
Chen Xi put down the kitchen knife. There was a layer of delicate and bright green bamboo shoots piled on the chopping board. The roots were as thin as cotton wool, crystal clear and eye-catching.
"Chen Xi, you did a good job!" Bai Wanqing was the first to praise.
"Yes, it's half as beautiful as I was back then, but it's already a superb skill." Qiao Nan said seriously.
"Brother Chen Xi, I have fallen deeply in love with your serious look. Oh, is this the feeling that I can't extricate myself from?"
Pei Bi first rolled her eyes at Qiao Nan, who was so talkative, and then held her pretty face with her long white hands, murmuring infatuatedly.
Although he always felt a little uncomfortable hearing the praises of the three people, Chen Xi still felt relieved and raised his eyes to look at Old Man Ma.
"Hmph, my knife skills are far from perfect."
Old Man Ma's face was tense, he stepped forward, twisted a green beard bamboo shoot in his left hand, and picked up a kitchen knife in his right hand, his wrist shook, and an astonishing scene appeared.
Targeting the bamboo shoots in his left hand, the nearly one-foot-long kitchen knife flew rapidly in his hand, splashing out clusters of snowflake-like knife shadows. His movements were like clouds and flowing water, and he could do it at his fingertips.
Chen Xi opened his eyes wide, but he was confused.
"He's carving!"
Bai Wanqing explained in a low voice: "Carving patterns on the surface of ingredients is not only pleasing to the eye, but also easier to taste when cooking. Especially for some meats that are full of spiritual energy, carving patterns on the surface can make the spiritual energy more easily absorbed."
Chen Xi was suddenly enlightened and secretly thought that this old man would let him do this next, right
He was a little embarrassed. Compared with the bamboo shoots as thin as cotton wool, the kitchen knife looked so huge. Not to mention the carvings on it, he was afraid it would break at a touch.
Bai Wanqing snorted coldly: "Huh, it's just a broken bamboo shoot silk. What's the use if it's not carved with flowers? Don't worry, if Old Man Ma really asks you to carve flowers on the bamboo shoot silk, he is deliberately making things difficult for you. I will never agree."
"I don't agree either." Pei Bi interjected, and deliberately glanced at Chen Xi as he spoke, as if he was supporting you.
"Since the beautiful white lady has not agreed, as a man of grace, I also say that I will not agree." Qiao Nan raised his head high and spoke reservedly. Old Man Ma's knife-wielding figure stopped, and he threw the kitchen knife fiercely with his hand. Tiaojiao roared: "Isn't it okay for me to accept this apprentice? Didn't you just scold him and then you all join forces to bully others?"
"This is what you said!"
Bai Wanqing, Qiao Nan, and Pei Bi said in unison.
Chen Xi saw this and felt a long-lost warmth in his heart. He knew that with his knife skills, these guys wouldn't even pay attention to him if it wasn't for Aunt Bai's sake.
He couldn't help but feel curious, who was Aunt Bai? Not only is she familiar with Professor Meng Kong from Songyan Academy, but she can also get along well with the three spiritual chefs. She doesn't look like an ordinary cook at all.
(End of chapter)