“Kitchen? You also think our mutton tastes bad?” Jin Xiaoyu asked.
Ye Xiaoxian smiled and said, “Daqi is such a big country that the places vary greatly in fashion and tastes. We are from the south. On our journey, we found people in different places have different tastes. Southern people prefer light meals, northern people enjoy wheaten food, and those in midlands have heavier tastes, so they always add star anise or pepper in their dishes. These two roast lambs may be perfect for you, but we’re not used to their taste. I don’t mean to complain about them, I just want to alter them slightly in your kitchen. We can pay for the ingredients.”
Her explanation sounded polite and reasonable. Besides, she promised to pay for seasonings, which gave Jin Xiaoyu no chance to say no.
Just then, Li Chengru also rose and said, “We just want to live comfortably here after a long journey. If you can’t satisfy such a small requirement, we won’t come here again.”
Jin Xiaoyu smiled and walked up to Ye Xiaoxian. “How are you going to be with the two lambs?”
Ye Xiaoxian replied, “I need only an oven, coal and fire.”
“Okay. Let me see how delicious they’ll be.” Jin Xiaoyu turned to a waiter and commanded, “Help this lady get the lambs back to the kitchen.”
Ye Xiaoxian curtsied and said “thank you” before going to the kitchen.
I must have become more courageous after being threatened with knives so many times.
She would regret it if she remained silent. Two lambs cost them ten silver taels which Xiao Tieshe and Xiao Tongshu had to earn for several months. It would be a pity if they spent a lot of money on an awful meal. That was why she nerved herself to protest.
The kitchen was spacious. Standing around her were some waiters who looked as odd as she had seen in the movies. She knew they were not people to be trifled with, but they wouldn’t hurt her as long as she was well-behaved.
She put the lambs on the grill and turned up the heat. Then, she began rolling the lambs while sprinkling cumin on them. After all, this was a gangsters’ inn. The lambs were braised before being roasted casually. But Ye Xiaoxian knew how to make them tasty again.
Soon, the oil began to pitter-patter on the lambs whose skins gradually turned golden-yellow. The delicious smell filled the entire kitchen and spread to the dining hall. When the yellow became darker, she brushed some honey on them.
Then, she sliced off a piece of meat and caught it with her mouth. It was crispy on the outside and soft inside, with a perfect combination of saltiness and sweetness.
“Done!” She asked two waiters to help her get the lambs out. A second later, the mouth-watering smell permeated the entire inn. Jin Xiaoyu couldn’t resist the temptation to look down from upstairs.
Many customers gathered around Ye Xiaoxian begging her to reroast their lambs and promised to give her money in return. She declined all of them. This was not her domain; how could she usurp the role of the host?
At the same time, Squire Liu was beaming with joy. He had regretted ordering the roast lambs, but Ye Xiaoxian made everything worthwhile again. The meat was tastier than anything else he had tried.
He praised her excitedly, “It’s our fortune to have the world’s best cook here. As far as I think, nobody can surpass you in cooking!”
Ye Xiaoxian said hurriedly, “Squire Liu, we should keep a low profile outside. Besides, how could I rival the world’s top cooks? My cooking is not as good as you said.”
Squire Liu shook his head and waved his hands. “You’re looking down upon yourself. Although I’ve spent most of my life in Qinghe county, I’ve been to many other places and tasted various food. If you don’t believe me, you can ask our distinguished Mr. Li. He’s young, but he must have been to more places and have tried more delicacies than me. So Mr. Li, what do you think of Little Ye’s cooking?”
Li Chengru was stuffing his face with mutton. Although it had been spoiled by the cooks here, Ye Xiaoxian gave it a real taste of the roast. But he wasn’t a man would easily praise other people. So he just nodded and said, “Not too bad.”
He didn’t have time to waste on talking. Otherwise, the meat would soon be wolfed down by the Xiaos.
Just then, Jin Xiaoyu went down the stairs. She walked closer to Ye Xiaoxian and gazed at the honey-yellow lamb. The meat had been almost eaten up, while two large pieces of lamb skin were hanging over them. “Can I have a taste of this? I’d like to see what flavor southern people like.”
Ye Xiaoxian guessed Jin Xiaoyu didn’t like fat meat, so she sliced down a lean piece with crisp skin. As Jin Xiaoyu chewed it, her eyes lit up with satisfaction. But she commented, “It tastes a little bland. It’ll be better with some pepper.”
Ye Xiaoxian smiled generously and went on enjoying the meat.
…
Having satisfied her stomach, Ye Xiaoxian ordered two buckets of hot water. The water here was so expensive that they had to share it. Although it seemed not that sanitary, they still felt fortunate that they could bathe.
Wong Mudan called out loud in the bathtub, “I won’t go anywhere else tonight. Let me go to bed after having a bath.”
Being the first to finish bathing, Ye Xiaoxian fell asleep soon after she laid on the bed. In a daze, she dreamed about Xiao Baoshan holding a woman in his arms.
Irritated, Ye Xiaoxian felt an urge to ask him why he divorced her and betrayed her. Just then, the woman turned around and gave her a smile of victory.
“Jin Xiaoyu?”
Ye Xiaoxian woke up with a start and almost bumped into Li Hongmei.
“Little Ye, are you all right? Had a nightmare?” Li Hongmei asked with concern.
Ye Xiaoxian nodded.
“What kind of nightmare?” Li Hongmei asked.
Ye Xiaoxian didn’t answer, so Li Hongmei comforted her with a smile, “Don’t worry. Dreams are opposite to the fact. The more horrible they are, the more peaceful the real life is. It’s true. If you don’t believe me, you can ask your aunts.”
Wong Mudan and Chen Ju echoed with her immediately. Ye Xiaoxian smiled and clapped her chest with relief.
At this moment, Wong Mudan and Chen Ju had also finished bathing. After asking a waiter to get the empty buckets away, they collapsed onto the bed and soon fell asleep.
