blogombal Page 19
Page 19
Huang Rong turned her slender waist, leaving Zhang Xiaoshan with a graceful silhouette.
Zhang Xiaoshan devoured the entire table of dishes, a feast with over a dozen courses, enough for almost ten people.
The Golden Cauldron Iron Shirt technique is an external martial arts style that consumes a great deal of blood and energy, which is why Zhang Xiaoshan's appetite has been steadily increasing.
"Damn bastard!"
Outside the hall, Huang Rong looked at the red thread on her wrist, feeling extremely ashamed and angry.
At first, she thought Zhang Xiaoshan was joking with her, but when she actually saw the red thread on her wrist, Huang Rong panicked.
At this moment, the red thread in Huang Rong's eyes was like a venomous snake that could devour her life at any moment.
"Miss Huang, the young master is usually a very nice person!"
As the servants cleared away the dishes, Jiang Xue looked at Huang Rong with pity.
She didn't tell Huang Rong the truth, partly because she had her own wicked sense of humor.
Besides, Huang Rong is spoiled and willful, so tempering her will be a good thing.
"He's a good person? This bastard is so vicious, you must have something wrong with your eyes."
"Miss Huang will know once she spends more time with the young master. He is actually easy-going and kind, and has no intention of harming you."
"By the way, Miss Huang, you haven't eaten yet, have you? We're dining in the side hall, and it's mostly vegetarian food. If Miss Huang doesn't mind, you can join us."
"Thank you sister!"
Looking at Jiang Xue, her kind and understanding older sister, Huang Rong truly couldn't understand why she would follow a scoundrel like Zhang Xiaoshan.
However, Jiang Xue would smile knowing Huang Rong's thoughts.
Due to their different upbringing, Huang Rong was pampered and spoiled from a young age, never having to worry about anything; while they were sold into the Zhang family at the age of three or four, and their very bones were marked by the Zhang family.
Unless the Zhang family treats them too cruelly, they will not betray the Zhang family.
In the side hall, Huang Rong looked at the dishes that smelled delicious as soon as she entered.
The six dishes and one soup were specially prepared by the kitchen for Jiang Xue and the others.
As Zhang Xiaoshan's personal maid, the experienced chefs in the kitchen naturally knew her status, which was basically equivalent to that of the mistress of the house.
"Miss Huang, please try this vegetarian dish."
This is a vegetarian dish made with three kinds of mushrooms, six kinds of fungus, nine kinds of bamboo shoots, and one kind of shiitake mushroom. It's what Grandpa Lu prepared for Shana and Tina's welcome dinner today.
Upon hearing this, Huang Rong looked at the light and elegant vegetarian dish in front of her, which was actually full of meaty aroma.
There was also braised pork, but Huang Rong immediately recognized that it wasn't real meat.
"Sister, that bastard only let you eat this?"
"Hehe, little sister has a prejudice against young master. These dishes were specially prepared for us by the kitchen at young master's request."
Because the young master mainly practices external martial arts, he mostly eats meat, which is considered a highly nutritious food. If we eat it, most of us will become fat because we simply can't digest it.
These vegetarian dishes are different; they're not only highly nutritious, but you don't have to worry about gaining weight even if you eat a lot.
Upon hearing this, Huang Rong did not refute it, as she had just tasted it.
Eighteen dishes, fifteen of them meat dishes—she wondered why Zhang Xiaoshan hadn't turned into a fatso.
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Imperial Chef's Successor Plans in the South
"Bastard! Shameless! Scumbag!"
Huang Rong looked at the beef in front of her as if she were seeing an enemy, and slashed it with every knife.
For half a month, Huang Rong was tortured. Looking at the red line that had extended from her jade arm to her fragrant shoulder, Huang Rong felt even more fear and hatred.
"Girl, be gentle, this meat is about to be chopped into mincemeat."
An experienced chef watched as Huang Rong chopped the beef into minced meat, and he was both amused and exasperated.
They all adored Huang Rong, treating her as their granddaughter and successor.
Not only is the little girl cute and clever, but she also has a high talent for cooking. In their eyes, Huang Rong's cooking skills were already quite good, and in the past half month, her daily progress has been visible to the naked eye, reaching a high level of mastery.
At this point, Huang Rong only lacked experience.
They have all been chefs for decades, and some are either imperial chefs or their successors, so their talent is already quite high.
Otherwise, most of the recipes Zhang Xiaoshan mentioned would only be approximate, yet they could perfectly replicate them.
"Grandpa Lu, that bastard is going too far!"
Thinking about Zhang Xiaoshan's demands today, Huang Rong almost wanted to draw her sword and kill him.
At the same time, she never expected that such a small country as Japan would have such filthy and disgusting dishes, which was simply outrageous.
"Young Master is actually quite nice. I think you two are a perfect match."
"Young master, you are knowledgeable and learned, and young lady, you are clever and quirky; you are a match made in heaven."
"A genius and that chaotic, handsome man and beautiful woman!"
Huang Rong almost vomited when she heard what the old man said.
They were playing matchmaker haphazardly, and these old people had no idea how shameless and treacherous that guy was.
"That's because you don't understand the young master, girl."
Most of the dishes we make now are based on the young master's ideas.
Furthermore, the young master is well-versed in Western recipes. Besides desserts, he even had us cook a Western dish before, but he wasn't satisfied with the result, so we didn't make it again.
"Western cuisine? Hu cuisine?"
"Hmm! They said it was caviar and foie gras, but it was either too fishy or completely tasteless."
Upon hearing this, Huang Rong couldn't help but pout.
It didn't sound very appealing, but she was still curious.
However, she wasn't curious about Zhang Xiaoshan, but rather about the Hu people. Clearly, Zhang Xiaoshan knew a lot about the Western Regions, and even the world west of the Western Regions.
As for Tina and the other two enchantresses, Huang Rong didn't gain much from their conversation.
"Alright, little girl, today I'll teach you a famous dish from the Hong family—Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth!"
···
[Host: Zhang Xiaoshan]
Reputation: Buddha of Ten Thousand Families
True Qi: Early Stage of Innate Realm (Power of Seven Cauldrons)
Talent: Copper Skin and Iron Bones, All Meridians Open
Martial arts: Golden Cauldron Iron Shirt, Heavenly Crippled Kick, Nine Yin Manual (incomplete)...
Merit: 115924!
Zhang Xiaoshan looked at the stagnant merit points. He realized that after living comfortably in the Zhang family mansion for so long, the merit points would naturally decrease.
Moreover, disasters don't happen all the time, and with so many natural and man-made calamities, even the Zhang family's vast fortune wouldn't be enough to cover the losses.
If the Zhang family hadn't stockpiled tens of thousands of bushels of grain in advance last time, they probably wouldn't have been able to reap 100,000 merits even if they had invested 100,000 taels of gold.
After all, food is life!
Therefore, Zhang Xiaoshan wanted to accumulate merit:
The first option was to go out and uphold justice, and the second was to find new ways out. Distributing relief and porridge, and building private schools were all old tricks.
Zhang Xiaoshan has been pondering how to accumulate merit during this period.
Finally, they set their sights on food, because feeding countless people was the greatest act of merit.
The solution Zhang Xiaoshan came up with was naturally potatoes and sweet potatoes.
But these things are not available in the West now, let alone in the Central Plains, so we have to find another way—the tropical regions of the south.
It is known that the tropical south is rainy, and crops can be harvested three times a year; the only problem is how to transport them.
Moreover, if these savings are accumulated, they will become a great act of merit in the event of a disaster.
"Son!"
Jue Wu, Jue Tong, and Jue Ming looked at the young man who was still deep in thought, not understanding why Zhang Xiaoshan had suddenly sought them out.
"Distinguished masters, please be seated!"
"Amitabha!"
Zhang Xiaoshan, seeing that the three of them had no further explanation, spoke directly:
"I have an important matter to discuss with you all today, and I may need to trouble you."
"What brings you here, sir?"
Zhang Xiaoshan looked at a map on the desk.
This is a map of the Nine Provinces. Compared to maps of later generations, due to the geography of the four warring states, it is no longer the landscape Zhang Xiaoshan was familiar with. However, it still retains the characteristics of maps from later generations.
At this moment, Zhang Xiaoshan pointed to the foreign lands of Tianzhu and Biaoguo, and slowly said:
"During this period of time, I have studied carefully and found that these places are all places that produce a lot of grain."
Food is the most important thing for people, and grain has always been of paramount importance to the people of the Central Plains. Moreover, in every disaster, grain is a matter of life and death.
But the Zhang family's resources are such that they can be saved once, but not twice!
Upon hearing this, Jue Wu and the others became serious.
They had vaguely realized something. Zhang Xiaoshan's plan was so grand and seemingly legitimate that they could not refuse it.
"Please enlighten us, young master. We will certainly do our best if there is anything we can do to help!"
"This time, I would like to trouble you masters to establish a transit station in the Kingdom of Escort or India to purchase grain from India and the Kingdom of Escort, and then transport it to the Central Plains."
Both India and the Kingdom of Biao are Buddhist countries, making it difficult for ordinary merchant ships to establish a foothold there.
What I mean is that I would like to invite a master to oversee the area.
"Amitabha!"
Far from home, wandering in foreign lands.
Undoubtedly, none of them can leave the Central Plains, but this matter necessitates that one of them leave the Central Plains.
"In addition, I would like to invite a Buddhist Zen master to go to the Biao Kingdom to establish a temple. He can bring books on food cultivation and medicine to spread faith and benefit the local people."
"Young master's merits are immeasurable; we are willing to go through fire and water, even die a thousand deaths, for you!"
“Masters, there’s no need for that. It’s only a two or three-month sea journey from here to the Kingdom of Escorts. If you were to depart from the south, it would take ten to half a month. You masters could easily take turns every two or three years!”
The three nodded, understanding that Zhang Xiaoshan was right.
They are still young and strong, and are not afraid of crossing the ocean; they are just stationed there for a period of time.
"In that case, I will inform the masters after I have discussed it with my father!"
"Amitabha Buddha, we will obey your command."
Zhang Xiaoshan watched as Jue Wu and the others left; now it was just a matter of details.
It's important to understand that Zhang Xiaoshan wanted more than just food; the southern rainforest was rich in spices, gems, sugar...
As long as the Zhang family establishes a foothold in the south, it will be a gold mine.
Chapter Twenty-Six: The Father-in-Law Arrives with a Hot Potato
"It's been over ten years since we last met, Brother Huang, you're a rare guest indeed!"
"Brother Zhang, how have you been? I hope your business is booming."
Inside the hall, Zhang Yuan was entertaining a customer in a blue robe.
As the only son of the Zhang family, it was undoubtedly proper etiquette for Zhang Xiaoshan to come out and offer his greetings.
With Zhang Xiaoshan's appearance, Zhang Yuan's smile widened.