The tone was calm as could be, but it made the woman's outstretched hand tremble unconsciously.
Jiang Yanyi's attitude made her believe that if she dared to take it, Jiang Yanyi would definitely chop off her hand.
The woman withdrew her hand embarrassedly, picked up the knife and continued to peel the taro.
She was the most capable of handling things among the women. Now that she had stopped, the other women did not dare to cause trouble for Jiang Yanyi anymore.
Her ears were finally quiet, and Jiang Yanyi continued to concentrate on peeling taro. She moved the knife quickly and her technique became more and more skilled.
When Liu Cheng brought a few firemen to get the peeled taro, Jiang Yanyi had already peeled two large basins, while the three women opposite had only peeled less than half a basin.
Liu Cheng's first reaction was that the three women were being lazy. He said gloomily, "If you delay the army's meal, you'll end up with your head moved away!"
The three women opposite shrank back and concentrated on peeling taro.
Liu Cheng then looked at Jiang Yanyi, with a touch of amazement in his eyes. He had been in the military camp for a few years, but he had never seen such a beautiful woman. He put on a kind face and asked, "What's your name?"
"Ginger flower."
Jiang Yanyi made up a fake name.
When the emperor sent the original person here for exile, he did not go through the Dali Temple to register his name.
After all, if a girl from a noble family was exiled to the frontier to serve as a prostitute, it would inevitably cause an uproar in the court. The woman he loved was also from the Jiang family, so her reputation would also be affected.
The only one who knew her true identity was the small leader who originally managed the camp prostitutes. However, the small leader was chopped off by the newly appointed general three days ago, and her identity became a secret here.
She is now just an illegal resident in the Xizhou camp.
Liu Cheng looked at Jiang Yanyi greedily for several times: "The kitchen is in need of a fireman, come with me."
As soon as these words were spoken, the other three women who were peeling taro looked at Jiang Yanyi with envy and jealousy in their eyes.
Liu Cheng was sure that Jiang Yanyi would not refuse.
He asked Jiang Yanyi to peel the taro, not entirely because of Chunxiang, but because he saw that she didn't quite understand the rules here.
Who doesn’t love beautiful women, but obedient beauties are the most lovable.
Let her know the hard work of peeling taro, and then let her take over to make the fire, then she will be grateful to him and obey him in everything.
Jiang Yanyi saw through Liu Cheng's plan at a glance. She felt a chill in her heart, but she still said politely, "Thank you, General."
Liu Cheng spoke in front of so many people. If she didn't go, she would be slapping Liu Cheng in the face.
I have no power now, and offending such a local tyrant is much more troublesome than being hated by Chunxiang. There are so many people in the kitchen, and Liu Cheng can't do anything to her.
Her current identity is just a camp prostitute. Today she is called to help in the kitchen, and tomorrow she doesn't know what she will be called to do. She has cooking skills, and if she can work in the Huotou Camp, it will definitely be better than her current situation.
She washed the mud off her hands and followed Liu Cheng into the barracks.
The three women peeling taro behind her were whispering "vice-pair" and other things, but she was too lazy to pay attention.
There were more than twenty large pots in the barracks, each of which was emitting white hot steam, and the firemen were busy.
Several firemen who were familiar with Liu Cheng saw him bringing Jiang Yanyi in, and they all smiled knowingly at Liu Cheng, saying that this boy was very lucky.
Chunxiang, who was sitting behind the stove, was so angry that her mouth almost twisted. She kept winking at Liu Cheng, but Liu Cheng pretended not to see. Chunxiang was so angry that her teeth were itching.
The empty space for burning fire was the fire pit next to Chunxiang.
After Jiang Yanyi walked over and sat down, Chunxiang said sarcastically, "Weren't you so chaste and ruthless before that you wanted to bang your head against the wall? Why aren't you holding up your chastity archway today?"
Jiang Yanyi glanced at her coldly: "Have you forgotten what I told you?"
Facing Jiang Yanyi's cold gaze, Chunxiang felt a chill on her neck as if it was pressed by a piece of porcelain, and she dared not say a word.
After Jiang Yanyi withdrew his gaze, Chunxiang felt a little annoyed again. Why was she always intimidated by this new girl? No matter how capable she was, what could she do with so many people in the barracks
In order to avoid fire, not much firewood was placed outside the fire pit. The firewood in Jiang Yanyi's fire pit had been burned out, and only one dry firewood was burning inside the fire pit.
She glanced at Chunxiang's pile of firewood, and Chunxiang quickly protected the firewood: "It's outside the barracks, take it yourself."
It wasn't a big deal to get some firewood, so Jiang Yanyi didn't waste any more words with Chunxiang and got up to leave.
Chunxiang was determined to get back at Jiang Yanyi for having embarrassed him, so when she saw Jiang Yanyi walking away, she quickly moved the firewood from the fire pit over there and put it into her own fire pit.
When the cook comes over and sees that the fire is out, he will definitely scold Jiang Yanyi. Don’t even think about staying here to make the fire!
Chunxiang's plan is very happy.
When Jiang Yanyi came in with firewood, he happened to see Chef Li losing his temper.
The person he was scolding was none other than Liu Cheng.
"They say that a master can only teach you the way, but it's up to you to practice. How many times have I taught you? Look at what you ordered. What kind of tofu is this? You've wasted a whole pot of beans!"
Liu Cheng acted so majestic outside, but he didn't dare to say a word in front of Chef Li.
"Hurry up and ask the women outside if any of them knows how to make tofu! I still have soup hanging in the pot here, which is for the general. You have to keep an eye on it all the time and not be careless." Chef Li was busy and exhausted.
Jiang Yanyi took a look at the big pot for making tofu. The tofu in the pot was pitch black, obviously because too much brine was added.
She returned to the fire pit with firewood in her arms, only to find that the fire she was watching had gone out. Chunxiang, who was standing beside her, gave her a gloating look.
Jiang Yanyi knew that the firewood could not have burned out so quickly. This was definitely Chunxiang's work.
She didn't say a word to Chunxiang, she just stood up and went to find Chef Li: "Master Jun, I know how to make tofu!"
When Chef Li first heard that someone could make tofu, he was a little happy, but when he saw Jiang Yanyi's expression, his face darkened: "You look like you have been in the kitchen before?"
Not to mention anything else, just look at Jiang Yanyi's hands, which are as white and tender as onion roots, and it is obvious that he has never touched water.
Jiang Yanyi said confidently: "The tofu in the pot turned black because the brine was used half too much."
Chef Li has been cooking for decades, and he could tell at a glance why Liu Cheng's tofu was not cooked well, but this little girl has such a keen eye, maybe she can really make tofu.
This is a welcoming dinner for the 100,000-strong army. The Huotou Battalion is short of manpower and is pressed for time.
Chef Li tried his best to save the situation. "Okay, I'll let you make the tofu. If you can't make it, I'll only hold you responsible!"
After hearing this, Jiang Yanyi quickly rolled up his sleeves and went to the stove.
Chunxiang was dumbfounded watching from behind the fire pit. Jiang Yanyi just went to work on the stove. What should she do about the frame-up on her side
After Chef Li finished giving the instructions, he turned around to look at the soup in his pot. To his surprise, the water wasn't even boiling!
He was so angry that his beard was shaking. He pointed at Chunxiang and started to curse: "How did you light the fire? Are you blind with a pair of eyes? You can't even see when the fire is out?"
Chunxiang was speechless: "I... I am not responsible for this fire..."
Cook Li had no time to listen to her nonsense. He knew that Chunxiang could cook here because of Liu Cheng. He was even more dissatisfied with his apprentice and turned around to scold him: "Look at what you have done! Get her out now!"
Liu Cheng was so embarrassed by the scolding that he didn't dare to refute a word and just nodded with his head down.
Chunxiang was scolded by Chef Li. Most of the people in the barracks were her old acquaintances. Some people outside the barracks also heard the noise and were looking inside. She felt a burning sensation on her face, which was more painful than being slapped in the face. She ran out of the barracks covered in dust.
Jiang Yanyi had no time to care about Chunxiang. The raw pulp in the pot had already boiled, and she was busy scooping up the raw pulp and filtering out the bean dregs with clean gauze.
After filtering out the residue, the soy milk was put back into the pot and boiled over high heat. Because the beans contain soybean oil, the soybean oil floats to the top. Jiang Yanyi saw the soybean oil condensing together and a layer of oily bean skin forming.
This time the boiled soy milk can be drunk directly. If it weren't for the fact that there were so many people in the barracks, Jiang Yanyi would have wanted to taste a bowl of soy milk squeezed from ancient pure natural beans.
She took a look at the amount of soy milk in the pot and took some brine and poured it into a large wooden barrel.
When making tofu, the amount of brine is the key. If there is too little brine, the tofu will not take shape, and if there is too much brine, the tofu will be black and have a strange smell. How to achieve the right amount depends on experience.
In his previous life, Jiang Yanyi's ancestors made their fortune by opening a hot pot restaurant. However, by the time of Jiang Yanyi's grandfather's generation, the hot pot restaurant declined for various reasons and was never reopened.
When it came to Jiang Yanyi's father's generation, he felt that there were hot pot restaurants in every street and alley in the mountain city, and he wouldn't make much money if he opened another one, so he switched to learning Sichuan cuisine.
Jiang Yanyi's grandfather said that her father did not have the talent to make hot pot. The old man always hoped that one day the old hot pot passed down in the family could see the light of day again. Since Jiang Yanyi was old enough to understand, he has taught Jiang Yanyi how to stir-fry ingredients and make the base of the old hot pot.
The old man also has a unique skill, which is making tofu.
Cook the tofu in the red soup pot, and eat it after it has absorbed the flavor. It tastes so delicious!
The tofu used for hot pot is different from the tofu bought in the market. The tofu in the market has small pores, while the tofu used for hot pot has to have more pores so that it can absorb the flavor easily, but it should not be so tender that it falls apart at the touch.
In order to make qualified hot pot tofu, Jiang Yanyi worked hard.
Now it is very easy to make ordinary tofu.
She poured the soy milk into a large wooden barrel sprinkled with brine, and the soy milk in the barrel solidified into white and tender tofu at a speed almost visible to the naked eye.
The bucket was full, as if it were solidified milk, and it was really eye-catching.
Chef Li ruined a pot of tofu because of his apprentice's mistake before, so he kept an eye on this side when Jiang Yanyi was making it again.
He was really surprised to see that the tofu ordered by Jiang Yanyi was large in quantity and tender in white, and was not inferior to that of an old hand like him who had been busy in the kitchen for most of his life.
This girl looks delicate, but she is actually good at doing things.
He asked, "Did the girl's family make tofu?"
Jiang Yanyi was busy putting the soft tofu into the mold to shape it, and made up a half-truth: "My father is a cook, and I learned a little from him."
After hearing this, Chef Li looked a little disappointed for some reason. He just said, "It's good to have a cooking skill. You won't be hungry no matter where you go. Can you cook?"
Jiang Yanyi thought this was an opportunity and said quickly, "Yes, it can provide hot meals for hundreds of people at the same time."
This is the truth. In his previous life, Jiang Yanyi's father learned Sichuan cuisine and worked as a chef in a restaurant. Later, he started his own business and went to the countryside to host buffets. Jiang Yanyi would go with him to help whenever she was free. She was not good at other things, but she was quite talented in cooking. No matter what dish she learned, she could cook it. When her father was too busy, she would often rush to take over.
There was a hint of disappointment in Chef Li's eyes, and he obviously thought Jiang Yanyi was lying.
If Jiang Yanyi said that he could cook some home-cooked meals, he would believe it. But he was also responsible for making hot stir-fried dishes for hundreds of people. I'm afraid that few chefs in the barracks would dare to make such a boast.
The entry threshold to become a chef may seem low, but it is actually very demanding. Cooking requires not only savvy but also diligence. Just practicing knife skills alone takes a year and a half before you can wield a knife properly.
Jiang Yanyi's hands were delicate and tender, and I'm afraid they had barely touched water, let alone holding a knife.
In his life, he has always been down-to-earth in his life and cooking. He thought that his apprentice was too impetuous, so he didn't dare to pass on his unique skills to him and wanted to train him for another two years.
The little girl is a good seedling, but she needs some training.
Chef Li said sullenly, "I want to make three kinds of shredded pork. Cut the chicken breast, ham and bamboo shoots over there into shreds for me to see."
The other chefs shook their heads secretly. They all knew that Chef Li wanted to teach Jiang Yanyi a lesson, but cutting the ingredients for the three-shredded chicken right away was a bit too harsh. Chicken breast was soft and the ham was too hard, so cutting it into thin strips would require a lot of knife skills.
Liu Cheng was preparing dishes on the other side and didn't dare to look up at Chef Li. In his heart, he resented Jiang Yanyi and Chunxiang for being more troublesome than the other, but at the same time he felt that Chef Li was making an example of him.
Jiang Yanyi could sense the change in Chef Li's attitude towards her. She didn't say much, but just responded and went over to cut the shreds.
This was clearly ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth in the eyes of others, and some even openly snorted and laughed.