Chapter 238: Royal Chef
Translator: Xiong Guoqi Editor: DesTheSloth
The old man was dressed decently, but he spoke in an absolutely inconsiderate manner and, furthermore, was quite blunt.
Nonetheless, Yuan Zhou wasn’t angry at all. Instead, he just asked peacefully, "Could I know who’s speaking please?"
"It’s none of your business to know who I am," with a frown, the old man turned around and prepared to leave after saying that.
"You must be Mr. Ma, aren’t you?" said Yuan Zhou affirmatively.
"Do you know me?" The old man turned his head and asked him with an unfriendly tone.
"No, it’s just my instinct." Yuan Zhou was also a person of frankness, therefore he replied straightforwardly.
"Humph." The old man grunted and then directly turned around and left, paying no attention to Yuan Zhou.
"Excuse me. Could you please wait a moment?" Yuan Zhou went up for a few steps and directly walked to the old man despite his cold face.
"I have nothing to talk with you. You’d better return wherever you come from." Dressed in the crease-free Chinese tunic suit, every step the old man took was steady and he just kept his head upright. He appeared to be quite influential.
"Mr. Ma, you seem to know my purpose. So let me make it short. I wish I could have the honor to savor the dishes cooked by you personally." Yuan Zhou revealed an expression of solemnity and seriousness.
"Huh, this young man really talks big. Why would I cook dishes for you?" Although it was an interrogative sentence, the old spoke in an affirmative tone.
"You said just now that it’s a reckless waste of the god’s gift to cook that way. So I don’t think you would like to see the delicious food ingredients recklessly wasted?" said Yuan Zhou affirmatively.
"That has nothing to do with me. Get away from me." Without knowing why, the old man suddenly got angry and directly drove Yuan Zhou away.
Seeing the determined manner of Mr. Ma, Yuan Zhou found it inappropriate to go up and question him anymore. He could only to return to the house that he rented. After all, unwillingness cannot produce desired results.
"Ha Ha. I heard you were scolded by Mr. Ma just now," said the aged man at a distance with an ironic tone.
"Not really. It’s just that he doesn’t agree to cook the chicken soup for me." No secret could be kept in such a small village. Therefore, Yuan Zhou just admitted frankly.
"Young man, you are truly brave. But Mr. Ma isn’t the right person. He hasn’t cooked dishes for a long time," the aged man said after a sigh with emotion.
"Why?" Yuan Zhou made a close observation of Mr. Ma today and found he was healthy with a rosy face and besides talked vigorously. There should be no problem with his physical health.
"I have no idea about that. The old man is fairly weird. He never cooks and yet always complains that dishes cooked by others are terrible," the aged man knocked his long tobacco pipe and then said peacefully.
"Does Mr. Ma go to other people’s home for his three meals?" Yuan Zhou was a little curious.
After all, he was a chef and still preferred to cook dishes for himself to eat unless he heard rumors of delicious dishes at other places. No one could match him in culinary skills.
"Yeah, that’s true. The old man is truly eccentric. But I do know his ancestor was a royal chef and he indeed cooked for the state banquet before. Otherwise, who would believe and respect him so much?" The aged man smoked the dried tobacco leaves heavily, making the surroundings smoggy.
"State banquet?" Yuan Zhou had never heard of that before. He only knew Mr. Ma was originally a Manchurian and from one of the eight most influential families in ancient times. His ancestor had cooked dishes for the emperors before and he also followed along to learn the culinary skills. It was said that he was a great master in cooking.
"Yes, absolutely. When he came back to the village at first, all the villagers were quite excited. But now, no one likes to talk to him anymore." The aged man continued to smoke and meanwhile talked about the old man while Yuan Zhou listened to him seriously.
Occasionally, he asked some questions. "Why don’t they want to talk with him?"
"After he came back, he refused to teach anybody his culinary skills, saying that it was a waste of time if they didn’t have the natural endowments. What’s more, he never cooked by himself and just had his meals around in other people’s home every day, not to mention he often complained harshly about their dishes," said the aged man indignantly. It seemed that he had also suffered from the old man’s bad temper.
"Thank you. I got it." Hearing the aged man’s words, he suddenly thought of an idea that could help him to reach his goal.
"What do you understand?" The aged man was made puzzled by Yuan Zhou.
"Could you lend me your stove and the food ingredients?" Instead of answering him, Yuan Zhou asked sincerely.
"Ok, sure. The ingredients are all in the cabinet. You just pay for what you use. Certainly, I will not charge you for cooking the noodles." The aged man was rather generous.
"I am preparing to cook the Clear Broth Noodle Soup. Do you want a bowl?" Yuan Zhou was a little embarrassed when he heard cooking noodles wouldn’t be charged, therefore he asked.
"That’s great. The noodle soup is easily prepared. I want a small bowl to fill my stomach," the aged man set down the long tobacco pipe and said leisurely.
"Uncle, I also want one." Before Yuan Zhou answered the aged man, the voice of the small boy came from the side.
"Ok. A small bowl of the noodle soup for you." Yuan Zhou indicated that he didn’t bear grudges at all. As the boy was little, he couldn’t eat it up even if Yuan Zhou cooked more.
"Thanks, uncle." The boy answered with courtesy. Despite the several red spots on his face, he still looked lovable.
What Yuan Zhou intended to cook was naturally the Clear Broth Noodle Soup, the specific type in his restaurant, although there weren’t the same flour and water. The wheat flour produced here was also purely natural and pollution-free while the water was likewise from the clear springs of the mountain. Plus, with Yuan Zhou’s craftsmanship, the noodles would definitely be quite delicious.
The cooking procedures of the Clear Broth Noodle Soup were quite familiar to Yuan Zhou. He straightforwardly cooked about three bowls of the noodle soup at one time and scooped it into two big and one small white porcelain bowls.
The white noodles with a hint of yellow, the clear broth and the gradually spreading fragrance all made people drool.
"Whoops. Aren’t there any eggs inside? The chopped green onions are also in the cabinet. Didn’t you find them?" The aged man received the bowl and said with puzzlement.
"Yes, I found them. But the noodles don’t need those things." It was not a problem for Yuan Zhou who was good at looking for things to find them. However, Yuan Zhou was quite confident. They were not needed to flavor the noodles. He only required the taste and chewiness of the wheat itself.
"Alright. Let’s just eat like that." The aged man wasn’t really picky with that. He put down the bowl and prepared to eat.
"May I borrow your bowls?" Asked Yuan Zhou tentatively.
"No problem. Take it." The aged man said generously.
"Take care, uncle," said the little boy obediently, yet still calling him uncle.
"Thank you." Yuan Zhou slightly nodded the head and thanked them. He took out a plate to cover the bowl in case the dirt got into the bowl and affected the chewiness and taste.
Naturally, this bowl of noodle soup was prepared for Mr. Ma. Yuan Zhou believed his own culinary skills to be top-notch and he might be able to eat the royal dish if his culinary skills could be improved to a higher level.
Human’s desire for foods was infinite. Numerous people advanced wave upon wave to enjoy the freshness and delicacy of even the poisonous globefish.
Yuan Zhou, nevertheless, would go great lengths in order to eat the royal dish too. For example, Yuan Zhou felt he had performed about 120% of his abilities, thus was awfully satisfied with himself.
It was very easy to find Mr. Ma’s home as he was truly a famous person. In just 5 minutes, Yuan Zhou walked quickly to the gate of Mr. Ma’s home.
"Mr. Ma, here’s your lunch." It was 2:20 in the afternoon at that time. Mr. Ma presumably hadn’t had lunch yet since he just came back from outside.
"What? Somebody offers me food voluntarily today? I’m not lame yet." Every time Mr. Ma talked, they weren’t nice words. It seemed that he talked that way to everyone rather than to Yuan Zhou alone as if to say "I don’t look down on you alone, but to everybody."
"Please, try it." Yuan Zhou spoke little. He wasn’t a person who was good at interacting with others.
"It’s you, again." Mr. Ma grunted. Yet, he didn’t refuse the offer and directly sat down to eat the noodles calmly.
However, the grandfather and grandson could no longer calm down...