Iris brought over a small dish of vinegar and reminded Han You that he could dip it to suit his own taste.
When she turned around, she felt as if someone was staring at her. Peeking back secretly, she discovered it was Shen Zhengze, and she couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated.
Why did this official keep looking at her? His gaze was strangely sharp.
Before she even reached the kitchen, she heard a sizzling sound—the sound of oil bubbling in a pot grew louder and louder—followed by the rich, savory fragrance of fried meat.
This aroma was even more potent than the steamed buns, sweeping from the kitchen, through the main hall, and straight out the front door of Taoyuan Residence into the street.
The steamed bun in Han You’s hand didn’t smell as appetizing anymore.
Iris grinned and lifted the kitchen curtain to slip inside. Her mistress had made something delicious again!!
The people on the street also smelled this overpowering aroma and began searching for the source.
“What is that smell? It’s so fragrant.”
“It seems to be drifting from that newly opened little eatery…”
“Let’s go take a look. It smells so good; how much oil must they be using?”
Han You swallowed the bun in his mouth and, seeing that Shen Zhengze wasn’t paying attention, snuck over to the kitchen entrance.
As Iris lifted the curtain, she bumped right into his face.
“What are you doing?” she asked, becoming alert.
Han You scratched his head. “I smell something so fragrant; what delicious thing is Boss Jiang making?”
He poked his head around, trying to catch a glimpse through the gap.
Iris blocked him firmly.
“No, you can’t come in. The kitchen is full of oil fumes.”
“I’m not afraid,” Han You immediately replied.
“That still won’t do; the kitchen is a restricted area, and customers are not allowed inside,” Iris said, shaking her head rapidly. This was something her mistress had instructed early on.
Just as Han You was about to say something else, his nose twitched, and he suddenly asked, “Did you eat something inside just now?”
Iris covered her mouth. “I did not!”
“No, you definitely did; I smelled it!” Han You insisted.
Iris: “…” Why was this man’s nose so keen?
Han You swallowed his saliva, a thought suddenly occurring to him. He worked so hard as a laborer at the yamen, yet his life wasn’t even as good as that of a little maid in a restaurant. At the very least, this girl got to eat such delicious meals, while he only had boiled vegetables and steamed buns.
From inside the kitchen came Jiang Mo’s voice.
“Iris, take this plate of crispy fried meat out.”
“Okay, I’m coming.” Iris turned and went back in; a moment later, she brought out a plate of incredibly fragrant crispy fried meat.
Fine strips of meat were coated in starch, the outer layer fried to a beautiful, eye-catching golden yellow. It was served on a square black porcelain plate lined with oil paper, accompanied by a small dish of salt and pepper powder as a dip.
“Miss, what dish smells so good?” A crowd of curious townspeople gathered at the entrance.
“This is crispy fried meat made personally by our boss,” Iris said, quite proudly.
“Wow,” they responded, instantly lighting up with stars in their eyes.
“Does this crispy fried meat sell?” someone finally couldn’t help but ask.
Even though they had already eaten breakfast, they couldn’t move their feet after smelling this; it was their first time hearing that fried meat could smell this amazing.
Iris smiled and placed the crispy fried meat in front of Shen Zhengze.
“Of course it’s for sale, but since there are few people in the restaurant, the wait might be a bit longer.”
“That’s not a problem. Give me a plate of crispy fried meat to go!”
Watching the crispy fried meat he had been yearning for being placed on Shen Zhengze’s table, Han You cheekily sat down beside him.
Shen Zhengze: “?”
“My Lord, look, I accidentally ordered too many steamed buns at my table, and you don’t have any there. Why don’t we share the table? I’ll share my buns with you, you share your dishes with me, and this will free up a table for Boss Jiang to serve other guests.”
Han You was willing to do anything for the sake of food.
Shen Zhengze offered a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. Why hadn’t he thought about sharing the table with him just a moment ago?
Han You’s heart drummed, but he slowly moved his bowl and chopsticks over. Seeing that Shen Zhengze didn’t seem to object, he didn’t hesitate to use his chopsticks to grab a piece of the crispy meat.
To hell with it—he’d eat first and worry later. Whether the Lord was happy or not was the Lord’s own business; he, for one, was very happy, hahahahaha.
Lovely little crispy meat, here I come~
Han You took a bite. As the crispy sound echoed in his ears, the transition from the crunchy shell to the tender meat brought an unparalleled sense of texture. The savory, salty aroma of the salt and pepper, combined with the smooth, tender texture, created another marvelous taste.
Mmph, mmph, mmph, it’s too delicious!!
What should he do? Boss Jiang’s cooking was addictive! If this continued, his wallet would be emptied.
Han You chewed the crispy meat fiercely, thinking hard.
It’s fine, he still has Song Xianyu!
He vowed to fight to the end for the sake of delicious food, just to see who would win—the abundance of tasty dishes, or the thickness of his wallet!
The aroma of the crispy meat attracted quite a few diners. Fortunately, Jiang Mo had prepared three large pots, or she wouldn’t have been able to keep up.
She wanted to finish the dishes for Shen Zhengze first.
The third dish was Sweet and Sour Carp.
The freshly slaughtered carp was marinated and coated in starch, then deep-fried until firm. The head and tail were curled in mid-air, looking exactly like a fish leaping over the dragon gate, and it was arranged on a porcelain white and blue-patterned fish plate.
She started the pot to make the sweet and sour sauce. The translucent, amber-colored liquid was poured over the whole fish, slowly soaking in. The entire fish now looked like a piece of finely carved jade, glowing with the fragrance of sweet and sour sauce.