6kv Chapter 18 Cooking Yourself: The Entry Requirements for a Chef's Profession
Chapter 18 Cooking Yourself: The Entry Requirements for a Chef's Profession
This morning,
Qin Chuan then took a general look at the things in Aunt Liu's kitchen.
Although there was food, there was not a single piece of meat.
Aunt Liu runs a wonton stall, and she only earns so little each day.
After deducting their own costs, market rent, and protection fees paid to the gangs,
In the end, all that was left was enough to buy some brown rice and other grains to fill one's stomach.
Even if there is some spare money,
She also wanted to save the money to send to her son who was studying away from home.
Aunt Liu has helped me so much, and I think I'll be staying here for a long time to come.
Qin Chuan naturally couldn't let Aunt Liu cover all his expenses, so he still had to go to the market to buy some rice, flour, and cooking oil to store.
Half an hour later,
Qin Chuan bought a lot of miscellaneous things, and then went to a pork stall, intending to have the owner cut two catties of pork.
Behind the pork stall stood two people, an old man and a young man, seemingly talking about something.
Upon seeing Qin Chuan approach, he quickly stopped talking.
After weighing out the two jin of meat, they were sent off to Qin Chuan.
The old man put down his knife and said, "Stone, why isn't Master Xu at the stall again today?"
"Boss Song, Master Xu has some family matters to attend to and needs to go back to take care of them." Shi Tou lowered his head, his eyes fixed on the meat on the cutting board, not daring to look at the old man's face.
Song Tou chuckled, shoved the knife into the cutting board, and patted Shi Tou on the back of the head.
"Something's wrong at home? Master Xu's family matters are always made up. Don't try to pull that on me. Has he skipped work again and gone to the gambling den? Last time he said he had something to do at home, but someone saw him gambling all day at the Everlasting Victory Casino and almost lost his pants."
Stone shrank back, not daring to utter a sound.
Song Tou slapped him again: "Go, go find him and bring him back to me. Tell him what I said, if he doesn't come today, he can forget about getting paid this month. He still owes me money, and if he dares to skip work again, he can pack his bags and leave. I'm hiring workers here, not hiring rich people."
......
Qin Chuan carried the things he bought back to Aunt Liu's house to put them away first.
When I came out, it was already getting late, so I headed towards the area where the beggars gathered.
He still has to collect the money he received today.
Upon arriving at the gathering place,
When the beggars saw Qin Chuan arrive, they all lowered their heads and respectfully handed over their copper coins.
However, when it was Wang the Cripple's turn and another beggar named Xiao Wu's turn,
The two hesitated for a while, their hands rummaging in their pockets for a long time.
In the end, one of them took out two copper coins from his pocket, while the other only took out one.
Seeing Qin Chuan looking over, Wang the Cripple hurriedly began to explain.
"I could have gotten some, but for some reason, the constables patrolling the streets were unusually fierce today. They saw us and chased us away with knives, one by one, not even letting us squat at the alley entrance. I tried several places, but I was chased away each time. It wasted a lot of time, which is why I couldn't get any."
Xiao Wu chimed in, "That's right, it's not that we didn't want to ask, we just had no choice today. Those yamen runners were like they were on fire, they cursed at us as soon as they saw us, and then they beat us."
Listening to their conversation, Qin Chuan knew that what Wang the Cripple and Xiao Wu said was mostly true.
The change in the constables today must be because Skinny Monkey died at the entrance of the gambling den, causing a death.
A beggar can die, but he cannot die openly and honestly in the street.
The constables were afraid that if something went wrong again and their superiors found out, they would likely be punished, or even lose their jobs.
It is estimated that patrols will be intensified in the next day or two, and they will be particularly ruthless towards beggars and idlers on the streets.
After thinking for a moment, Qin Chuan looked at the two of them and said, "I can make up for the money you gave today, but you have to do something for me tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Wang the Cripple and Xiao Wu agreed without hesitation.
Qin Chuan glanced at the two of them and continued, "Remember to make sure you're clean and tidy later. I'll come find you tomorrow."
......
The money received as a gift was handed over to Zhou Bapi.
Qin Chuan went to the street again to help Aunt Liu tidy up.
Aunt Liu pulled the cart in front, and he pushed it from behind, and they returned to Sanjing Lane one after the other.
Back inside, Aunt Liu bent down and rummaged through the bamboo basket under the cart, pulling out a palm-sized piece of pork belly from an oil paper package.
"I was busy cleaning the house yesterday and didn't have time to properly entertain you." Aunt Liu waved the piece of meat in front of Qin Chuan with a smile on her face. "Today I specially asked the butcher to save a good piece so I can cook you a nice meal. Now that you've left that wretched place, you deserve a decent meal."
As she spoke, she carefully rewrapped the meat and headed towards the kitchen.
Qin Chuan followed behind, not saying a word, but the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
Aunt Liu pushed open the door and walked to the water vat as usual, preparing to scoop water to wash the pot.
But as soon as she looked up, she froze. The stove, the cutting board, and the small table in the corner were all covered with things.
Finely ground white flour, snow-white rice, and a full jug of oil, all neatly arranged.
Two slices of pork belly, clearly separating the fat and lean meat, were strung together with straw rope and hung on a hook.
There were also scallions, ginger, garlic, dried chili peppers, and a jar of Shaoxing wine, all scattered around the table.
Aunt Liu stood there, her mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time.
She looked at this and touched that, as if trying to confirm whether she was dreaming.
She had seen these things countless times at the market, always glancing at them briefly before walking away.
These things are too expensive; she can't afford them.
"Where...where did this come from?" Aunt Liu's voice was shaky. Then, as if she had just realized something, she turned around, looked at Qin Chuan, and stared wide-eyed.
Qin Chuan leaned against the doorframe, his hands tucked into his sleeves, nodded, and said in a flat tone, "I bought it."
"You bought it?" Aunt Liu's voice rose several octaves. "Where did you get so much money?"
Aunt Liu's tone tightened, and a look of worry appeared in her eyes, along with a hint of inexplicable panic.
A boy who has just escaped his status as a beggar suddenly has so much silver. Could it be that he stole or robbed it?
Qin Chuan did not avoid her gaze and replied, "I won a little at the gambling den today, not much, but enough to last me a while."
Aunt Liu's expression changed immediately.
It wasn't happiness, but worry, and a kind of inexplicable fear.
She threw down what she was holding, walked over, and grabbed Qin Chuan's arm.
"A gambling den?" she asked in a low voice. "You went to a gambling den? You gambled?"
Qin Chuan did not pull his hand away from hers, but simply nodded.
Aunt Liu looked at Qin Chuan, her lips trembling several times: "Qin Chuan, listen to me. Gambling is not a good thing; it's a dead end!"
"Auntie isn't saying you can't make money," Aunt Liu's voice softened, her words full of worry and advice. "I'm happy for you if you make money. But this money can't come from gambling dens. It's easy to get in that place, but hard to get out. If you win today, you'll want to win again tomorrow; if you lose the day after, you'll want to win back your losses. If you keep going back and forth, in the end you'll have nothing left... You're still young, you have a long road ahead of you, so please don't go astray."
Qin Chuan offered no explanation or argument.
He knew, of course, that Aunt Liu was telling the truth.
Gamblers never have a good ending!
He reached out and gently patted Aunt Liu's hand: "Auntie, I'll remember!"
After saying that, Qin Chuan turned and walked into the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves: "Auntie, don't stand at the door, I'll cook for you today!"
"You can cook, kid?" Aunt Liu's eyes were full of doubt.
Qin Chuan replied, "Auntie, don't underestimate me. Just start the fire for me and watch my cooking skills."
Aunt Liu looked at Qin Chuan with a skeptical expression.
A few quarters of an hour later,
Aunt Liu's voice rang out, one after another, like popping beans.
"Why cut so much meat? We have enough for the two of us, about the size of our palms. Let's not waste it."
......
"Hey, just a little bit of these scallions, ginger, and garlic is enough. Don't make so much; we can save some for several meals."
......
"You're really pushing your luck, putting so much oil in the stir-fry. That one spoonful is enough for me to cook ten dishes."
......
"Oh my, this meal you prepared is enough to feed me for a month. How much money did it cost!"
......
While cooking, Qin Chuan replied with a smile, "Auntie, we're happy today, so it's okay to eat well. Just think of it as going to a restaurant."
He picked up a piece of freshly cooked pork belly, blew on it, and held it to Aunt Liu's lips. "Try this, how does it taste?"
Aunt Liu took a bite with some skepticism, chewed it a couple of times, and then her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Mmm, smells good!"
The voice just fell,
A familiar light screen suddenly flashed before Qin Chuan's eyes:
[Obtain new career information - Chef]
[Entry requirements for the profession: Independently prepare five dishes (one meat dish, one vegetable dish, one soup, one staple food, and one cold dish), and obtain approval from at least five people.]