Chapter 17 Career Planning
Taking the opportunity of delivering firewood, Tang Ying held a brief industry exchange meeting with the chefs of the Tang Mansion, with the mission of promoting the chefs' professional level.
The name of the cook Fei Wenhai also sounds a bit literary. His parents had high hopes for him when he was a child. His fat hands had been used to grind ink and hold pens before. However, his family fell into poverty and he changed his career to become a butcher. Then he entered the Fu family. After Fu Chen set up his own mansion, he was sent by Fu Chen's mother to serve him.
Commander Fu fired all the maids in the mansion, and the housekeeper Zhong Shu was looking for a cook in the mansion. Fei Wenhai, who had changed his career to become a coachman, raised his hand tremblingly - has he never cooked pork, or touched pork?
Tang Ying expressed her understanding of Chef Fei's career experience: "...I lost my mother when I was young. My father and brothers at home didn't pay much attention to trivial matters and the food they ate was also rough. Later, I had no choice but to go into the kitchen and worry about their three meals a day."
The cook of the Tang Mansion was a wounded soldier who had retreated from the battlefield. He limped on one leg and ate the big pot meals in the military camp. The people in the vanguard camp who had never even touched a stove were urgently trained and put on the job by these little kids of four or five years old.
Later, not only did his cooking skills improve a lot, but his knife skills also became superb. He could slice and shred anything he was asked to. When the whole family gathered together to eat hot pot, the thin slices of beef and mutton were always the most popular dishes, and the shredded bean curd were almost as thick as sewing needles. He was a person who had strict requirements for his profession. He was the bravest soldier in the vanguard battalion when he went into battle to kill the enemy, and he took it as his responsibility to serve the Tang family well when he washed his hands and cooked soup. He loved her very much, and for a beef-stuffed pancake that Tang Ying liked to eat, he would get up in the middle of the night to make dough according to when she got up.
Tang Ying seemed to be able to smell the burnt aroma of beef patties coming out of the pot: "It doesn't matter how you get into the kitchen. The most important thing is to do your job well and unremittingly pursue the improvement of your professional level to meet the spiritual needs of all the staff in the government..."
"I understand that one should do one's job." Fei Wenhai was also a person who had been enlightened when he was a child. "But how can eating become a spiritual need?"
Tang Ying sniffed and patiently asked, "When you are in a bad mood, is it better to have a delicious meal to make you happy, or is it better to have a bad dinner to soothe your depressed mood?"
Fei Wenhai: “…” It sounds like it makes some sense.
"Uncle Fei, please don't underestimate this three-foot stove. It is directly related to the mental state of the commander. The commander is busy with many things every day. Do you want him to get angry because of a bad meal? We cooks always have to consider the master more. For example, when the commander comes back from work in the middle of the night and eats a bowl of delicious hot soup and hot rice, his stomach will be warmed, and his heart will also be warmed? He can also relax and think about national affairs, and maybe he can solve a few more unsolved cases?"
"The stove is more than three feet long." Fei Wenhai corrected her mistake : "Aren't you the groom hired by the master?"
Tang Ying spoke even more eloquently about this: "Uncle Fei, what you said is wrong. No matter if we are the cooks, gardeners, grooms, or servants, we all have the same goal, which is to make the master feel more comfortable when he returns home. This is not a single-soldier battle, but a coordinated battle. You can't simply separate the cooks from the grooms and despise the grooms." She found a water tank, scooped half a bucket of water and drank it down.
Oh my god, it’s been a long time since she talked so much and fooled someone!
But Commander Fu could neither scold nor beat the servants in his house, so he could only resort to tricking them.
Fei Wenhai was fooled by her and humbly asked for advice on how to arrange three meals a day. Tang Ying immediately recommended millet porridge and beef pie for him for breakfast. Of course, it would be even better with two fresh side dishes.
Princess Yuan Shu and her subordinates did not know whether Tang Ying was having an affair with anyone, but the next day, Lord Shen, who was staying at the Fu Mansion for breakfast, was attracted by the burnt aroma of the beef pie. After taking a bite, he had a new understanding of the professional level of the chef of the Fu Mansion.
"Achen, has your family changed the cook?"
Fu Chen frowned: "Never heard of it." The position he sat in was too delicate, so all the employees in the mansion were strictly examined, except for the Zhang brother and sister who entered the mansion yesterday.
The housekeeper, Uncle Zhong, was pulled down from the breakfast table. The one who came to call him was Xiong Yu who was beside Fu Chen: "Uncle Zhong, the master is looking for you."
The servants of the Fu Mansion all gathered in the open space outside the kitchen to eat. Uncle Zhong had a special status, so he was able to eat in a corner on the square table in the kitchen. He also had the opportunity to watch with his own eyes how Miss Zhang, who claimed to be "helping uncle", actually ordered Fei Wenhai around, and the other party even asked for her opinion from time to time.
"Ying girl, how is the heat this time?"
Miss Zhang commented promptly: "Beautiful! It smells delicious." She also gave pertinent advice: "But Uncle Wen, I heard that there is a way to make it in the Tianshan Mountains in the northwest. You can build a pancake oven and make dozens of pancakes at a time. It's faster than frying on the stove, and the taste is even better. How about we try it this afternoon?"
During the meal, their relationship progressed rapidly, and they became like a pair of close friends regardless of age difference, and even the way they addressed each other changed.
Uncle Zhong thought: How could it not be delicious? Miss Zhang was even more generous than the daughter of the landlord. She made the filling. Fei Wenhai spent a lot of effort to chop up such a large piece of beef and chives. They were all real ingredients. He ate three beef pies that had just come out of the pot in the kitchen, but he still felt unsatisfied. He reluctantly took another pie and prepared to eat it while walking.
"What do you want from me, sir?"
Xiong Yu took a deep breath of the aroma of the pie as he smelled the fragrance from the kitchen. He glanced at the stove and saw the girl rolling up her sleeves to help Fei Wenhai. He stared at her white wrist and couldn't help but linger for a moment. Uncle Zhong grabbed her ears and pulled her out. After they were away from the kitchen, he started to scold her, "What are you looking at, you little bastard?"
This kid is staring at the girl's arm with his wolf-like eyes. Does he think that he, an old man, is blind?
Xiong Yu: “…”
Uncle Zhong nibbled on a piece of bread on the way and met Fu Chen. When he heard that Fu Chen asked about the personnel changes in the kitchen, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, sir. There is no change in the kitchen. It's just that today's breakfast was made by Miss Zhang and Old Fei together. It was all Miss Zhang's idea." Just as Tang Ying said, after having a delicious breakfast, he was in a good mood.
Fu Chen: "Isn't she...a groom? "
Fei Wenhai, who was summoned after dinner, had a different opinion: "How can you be so prejudiced? Miss Zhang said that no matter the cook, the gardener, the groom, or the servant, everyone has the same goal, which is to make you feel more comfortable after returning home . This is not a single-soldier battle, but a coordinated battle. You can't simply separate the cook from the groom and despise the groom!"
After having breakfast together, it was found that Miss Zhang was quite good at cooking. Fei Wenhai's heart unconsciously leaned towards her, so he repeated her words more powerfully.
Lord Shen had a rare chance to have a full meal at the Fu Mansion, and after hearing Miss Zhang's high-sounding remarks, he could not help but look at her with new eyes. After Fei Wenhai left, he smiled and said, "This girl is really interesting. Not only can she train horses, but she is also familiar with cooking." He also had some regrets: "It's a pity that she is too fierce and doesn't have the gentleness of a woman at all."
Fu Chen thought to himself: She can also rob bandits.
Unexpectedly, Shen Qian caught the expression on his face and asked slyly, "What did you remember? Tell me quickly, you are laughing so strangely."
Fu Chen was puzzled: "Did I laugh?"
Shen Qian was very sure: "He smiled."
Commander Fu: "Maybe you ate too much for breakfast. Why don't you go out and digest it?"
After being reminded by him, Lord Shen remembered the purpose of his staying at the Fu Mansion and went straight to the stable.
Fu Chen packed up and prepared to go out to the Forbidden Cavalry Department. Xiong Yu led the horse over and whispered to him at the gate: "Sir, I found something wrong with Miss Zhang."
"what is the problem?"
"There are several wounds on her arms. Although the scars have fallen off, the new skin is still light pink, completely different from the skin around it. It looks like the scars only appeared in the past few months. Moreover... they don't look like scratches from a fall, but more like knife wounds."
Fu Chen jumped on his horse and said, "Send someone secretly to keep an eye on the Zhang brothers and sisters. It would be even better if we could find out their origins. But I always have a feeling that Miss Zhang... doesn't seem to be prepared to hide her origins." Otherwise, she wouldn't have to shamelessly recommend herself to the Fu Mansion.
Everyone knows that the Forbidden Cavalry Division is specifically responsible for this. Wouldn't it be exposing their own weaknesses if they sent it to the Fu Mansion?
Fei Wenhai received one tael of silver as reward, and he was ready to give half to Tang Ying: "Ying girl, if you hadn't reasoned with me and given me advice, I wouldn't have received the reward today. I'll give you half to buy rouge."
Tang Ying sat down to eat breakfast, her posture elegant but fast: "Uncle Wen, do you think I need rouge and powder?"
Fei Wenhai was happy: "Really? Then take the money and go buy some snacks."
"No need." Tang Ying stood up and piled the dishes on the stove. "Uncle Wen, please keep them and buy some wine. I'm going to go see the Wild Horse King. The weather is nice today, so I'll take it out for a walk."
Fei Wenhai sent her out of the kitchen and reminded her earnestly: "Come back early, I will prepare fish and meat in the evening, and we will discuss the menu then." He was also ready to pick up the pen again to plan the daily dishes. This move was highly praised by Tang Ying, which stimulated his professional enthusiasm and gave him a new understanding of his profession, ready to make a big effort in the vast world of the kitchen.
When Tang Ying said that she was taking the Wild Horse King for a walk , it was really true.
She was walking in front, followed closely by the Wild Horse King and the idler Shen Qian.
Shen Qian envied her intimacy with the Wild Horse King and wanted to touch her several times, but was forced back by the Wild Horse King who raised his hoof in a threatening manner. This guy seemed to be very good at judging people and he kept rubbing against Tang Ying as if he wanted to be inseparable from her, but he was very disgusted with Shen Qian and wanted to put his nose close to his mouth to make him give up.
Lord Shen: It’s so damn hard to please a horse!
