Chapter 6

"Are these the stoves you mentioned?" Cheng Chubi asked with a look of disdain, pointing at the stoves with his finger.

"Yes, but is there something wrong with them?" Cheng Ji and Chef Mei looked puzzled. Aren't these stoves? Could they be something else, like stoves?

... Can these even be called stoves?

Cheng Chubi was truly impressed. He had seen all kinds of stoves, from the mud stoves and cement stoves in rural homes in the new era, to the iron stoves and gasoline drum stoves used for banquets, and even modern gas stoves and induction cookers. He had seen it all.

But these obviously outdated stoves were truly disappointing. No wonder in this era, they could only steam, boil, fry, and grill. A stove with six burners, fueled by a pile of dry grass nearby, was all they had.

To think of making a mouth-watering stir-fried kidney and various vegetables on this thing was just a dream...

The dream of delicious food shattered once again, and Cheng Chubi's eyes instantly moistened.

"What's wrong with the Third Young Master? Is he sick?" Cheng Ji was scared stiff, asking Cheng Lao Si in a low voice.

"Shut up! What kind of sickness is this?" Cheng Chubi said with a dark face. "I'm just feeling melancholic, reflecting on life. Do you understand?"

"..." Cheng Lao Si and Cheng Ji closed their mouths tightly, not daring to say a word. What does sickness have to do with a hammer? And what are you melancholic about, standing in front of a smoky stove, reflecting on what?

It seems we need to continue persuading the Third Brother to take his medicine tonight. Unfortunately, the bear heart and leopard liver are all gone. Should I talk to the First and Second Brothers again and ask them to get more wild animal organs for the Third Brother to continue his tonics?

Cheng Lao Si's expression was very complex, finally showing some maturity.

OOXX## (For those who asked what this is, it's a proper divider.)

Is it really that hard to have a decent meal? Cheng Chubi sat on a small stool usually used by the fire-tending servants, his face full of melancholy.

All the kitchen staff and servants of the Cheng household huddled together, looking at each other. Cheng Lao Si cautiously approached. "Third Brother, are you okay?"

"Without a hot pot, not even stir-frying is possible. How can one live like this?" Cheng Chubi said with a sad expression.

Chef Mei's eyes lit up when he heard the word "stir-frying." "If the Third Young Master wants to eat stir-fried dishes, it's not difficult."

"You can do it?" Cheng Chubi was taken aback, vaguely remembering that stir-frying only appeared during the Song and Yuan dynasties, as the cooking utensils had been improved by then.

Facing Cheng Chubi's gaze, Chef Mei's face showed a very confident smile.

"I've worked for over ten years at the famous Dengyun Tower in Chang'an. Although I can't say I'm an expert at stir-frying, I've done it many times."

"What can you stir-fry?" Cheng Chubi was somewhat excited by this answer.

"Stir-fried eggs and stir-fried fatty duck. These are the two most popular dishes at Dengyun Tower."

"Third Brother, I often eat Chef Mei's stir-fried eggs. They are very fragrant," Cheng Lao Si testified.

Seeing that Cheng Chubi didn't object, Chef Mei immediately took four eggs and assumed the air of a head chef. "Someone, add more firewood, blow the fire, and bring a wok."

"..." Cheng Chubi silently watched as a servant brought a pot at least one centimeter thick, which was placed on the fire.

Then, one servant stuffed dry grass into the stove, another blew the fire with a bellows, and the chimney began to emit blue smoke.

At this moment, Chef Mei, who had already beaten the eggs, added a spoonful of animal fat to the pot and waited quietly... quietly... for the fat to melt, slowly and silently...

As soon as the fat melted, Chef Mei, like a Tai Chi master, slowly poured the beaten eggs into the pot, picked up a spoon, and began to stir clockwise and counterclockwise...

Cheng Chubi's face gradually turned black from the smoke.

"How about it, Third Brother? Chef Mei's skills are quite good, aren't they? He handles the spoon so skillfully." Cheng Lao Si drooled and praised.

Chef Mei became even more excited, stirring the pot with the spoon while proudly showing off his skills.

"Stir-frying eggs is different from steaming, simmering, and stewing. It's all about the heat. If the heat isn't right, the eggs will be raw and can cause diarrhea. If the heat is too high, the eggs can burn."

Thanks, I had such skills when I was seven. Talking about heat control, it took almost as long to stir-fry the eggs as it would to smoke a cigarette. Even frying eggs doesn't take this long.

Cheng Chubi tried to make his expression look less dull and boring. "Hmm, such skills are almost blinding my eyes."

"The Third Young Master is joking. But I must say, I have been studying cooking since I was young, for nearly thirty years. In all of Chang'an, there are no more than ten people who can surpass me..."

Seeing the short-necked, narrow-eyed Chef Mei boasting, Cheng Chubi just chuckled. It seems the culinary culture of the Tang Dynasty needs more development.

To be ranked in the top ten in Chang'an with these skills? If I were to show my skills, wouldn't the people of the Tang Dynasty cry and beg to place me on a pedestal as the new culinary god?

A plate of strongly flavored stir-fried eggs was finally placed in front of Cheng Chubi. The overcooked eggs were sprinkled with scallions, which was normal, but they were also mixed with fermented black beans, reminding Cheng Chubi of the rat droppings he saw in the grain storage of a poor family during a poverty alleviation visit.

Encouraged by Cheng Lao Si's drooling and Chef Mei's hopeful face, Cheng Chubi reluctantly picked up the chopsticks and took a bite.

The texture was so old it was hopeless, and the strong flavor of fermented black beans filled his mouth, making Cheng Chubi's expression very complex. It felt like he was eating a plate of expired hot feces.

This is not the Tang Dynasty I imagined. This is just a Tang Dynasty with a strong smell...

Cheng Lao Si also picked up the chopsticks and quickly finished half the plate, smacking his lips in satisfaction.

"Third Brother, hehe, Uncle Ji specially stir-fried this for you. Eat it quickly, or it will be gone."

"Is it good?" Cheng Chubi looked at Cheng Lao Si seriously, seeing him nodding frantically. "Is it still good with fermented black beans?"

Cheng Lao Si continued to nod frantically. "It's good, Third Brother. It's not good when it's cold."

"It doesn't suit my taste." Cheng Chubi said.

Cheng Ji picked up the chopsticks, put a bite in his mouth, and looked incredulous.

"This is the taste, Third Young Master. How can you say it doesn't suit your taste when the eggs are so fresh and delicious?"

"Right, Third Brother. The taste is so good, I could eat five plates by myself." Cheng Lao Si nodded in agreement.

Cheng Lao Si's unstoppable eating made Cheng Chubi feel like a child from a poor mountain area finally getting to eat a pack of cheap spicy snacks.

Although they are cheap and unhealthy, to a child who has never seen the world, they are the ultimate delicacy.

I never thought that Cheng Lao Si, from the prestigious Lu Guogong household, would find a plate of such a terrible, unappealing stir-fried eggs so delicious. Cheng Chubi couldn't help but feel sad. The culinary taste and standards of the Tang Dynasty need to be improved.