Chapter 2: My Daughter-in-law, My Decision

Qin Shaoyou crossed his arms and looked up with his nostrils flared: "Hmph!"

Qin Shou spoke eloquently, leaving Qin Shou dumbfounded.

Li Erniang was so angry that her teeth itched, and she hated the pair of cousins to the core, so she complained: "You two brothers are no good, one doesn't even know his own surname, and another..." Thinking of Qin Shou having snatched her minced meat eggplant, Li Erniang's anger intensified: "One is a glutton devoid of conscience." After saying this, she stamped her foot and left.

As for the seasonings, there is no need to gather and identify them; Qin Shaoyou already has a clear understanding in his mind. In addition to oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, there are also ingredients like scallions and ginger, which are not worth mentioning.

Qin Shaoyou's gaze was clear, yet at this moment he suppressed his anger. As a gourmet, he had tasted the delicacies of the world and was a leading figure in the culinary industry. With a discerning palate, he found this food intolerable, which instantly provoked his fury.

His momentum is quite strong, and his tone is indisputable; where is there even a hint of the previous submissiveness?

However, at this moment, there is little time to consider many things. Upon examining the pots and pans, the stove is constructed of bricks and stones, similar to those of later generations. However, this pot is different from the pots of later times. This is during the early Tang Dynasty, when Wu Zetian ascended to the throne, and lightweight iron pots had not yet been produced. This implies that in this era, one cannot stir-fry; one can only boil food in water

I was wrong. Qin Shouke is not foolish at all; this cousin has suddenly become enlightened. Regardless of the reason behind his sudden culinary skills, at least the revival of the restaurant is promising. Qin Shou has no skills, is lazy, and only because Qin Shaoyou is his relative is he willing to take him in. If he were to leave the restaurant, he would likely have to return to farming in his hometown. Thus, he revealed a signature smile characteristic of the Qin family and said: "Cousin... no, Boss, from now on I will definitely take the kitchen seriously; please teach me how to cook."

However, next, Qin Shaoyou swiftly picked up the kitchen knife, chopped the eggplant, and directly poured it into the pot. The pot immediately began to boil, and the eggplant just happened to form a circle, steadily and neatly soaking in the oil

Last night he indeed made fish sashimi, and he was also indeed too lazy to wash the pot. Anyway, the restaurant was about to go out of business, and he felt there was no future here, so he thought of settling his wages and leaving for good, but...

Qin Shou felt somewhat displeased, yet he obediently washed up

If we say that Li Erniang, who is watching the play, might still be in a fog, not knowing whether what Qin Shaoyou said is true or false, Qin Shou, on the other hand, knows that his method of making this dish of eggplant is exactly the same as what Qin Shaoyou described... He did not skimp on the salt, indeed it was half a coin's worth, and he boiled off the water, resulting in some being burnt, and the flavor was indeed a bit strong. He also added some sesame oil, but Qin Shou was reluctant to use too much, so he only added a few drops...

His chubby hand reached out to grasp Qin Shaoyou's sleeve, but Qin Shaoyou found him dirty and quickly took a step back, saying: "Let's speak properly. Do you realize your mistake now?"

The white minced meat contrasts beautifully with a ring of vibrant green eggplant, while the sesame oil nearly submerges the minced meat in the center, emanating a rich meaty aroma that makes one involuntarily salivate

Qin Shou wore a look of suspicion, and Li Erniang also harbored doubts, as the two exchanged glances with each other

Qin Shaoyou continued, "At this stage, you initially used a fierce flame to cook, but you did not realize that the pot should first be heated with a gentle flame before adding the ingredients. Only then can you increase the heat to ensure that the ingredients are evenly cooked, preventing some areas from being undercooked while others become burnt. If you cannot even master the heat, how can you dare to be a chef?"

Qin Shaoyou placed the plate on the stove, embraced it with both hands, and confidently said: "Eat"

Li Erniang, standing nearby, rolled her eyes and realized that Qin Shaoyou had suddenly become enlightened, understanding that he no longer valued the young ladies of the Zhou family. She then chuckled and said, "Qin Ge'er, I truly have no insight; I didn't expect you to possess such exceptional skills. It seems that your Qin family can continue to uphold its old business. You are not young anymore, and it is time for you to marry. I will find you a suitable match, and I guarantee you will be satisfied"

Qin Shaoyou declared with authority: "I will make the decisions regarding my wife; there is no need for you to interfere"

Seeing Qin Shou's uncertainty, Qin Shaoyou said sternly: "With your way of doing things, it is no wonder that there are no customers coming in. Even now, you still refuse to change. Go to the kitchen and stoke the fire for me; I will let you see what real eggplant is!"

To easily forgive you would truly be the mark of a bookworm; when dealing with such individuals, Qin Shaoyou has plenty of methods at his disposal

Qin Shaoyou could not help but frown; for him, culinary skills were no longer merely a means of cooking, but rather a form of art. Therefore, in his view, the place where culinary skills were displayed should be clean and tidy. Qin Shou, this fellow, was so messy that he truly was unworthy.

Qin Shaoyou smiled, a smile filled with disdain

"Putting so much oil..." Qin Shou couldn't help but feel a bit distressed

Qin Shaoyou had made up his mind and directly instructed Qin Shou.

At this point, Qin Shaoyou said decisively: "What is even more detestable is not this; you have wasted the ingredients, and while it is one thing not to understand the art of cooking, that is merely a matter of skill. What pains me the most is that you even have a problem with your attitude towards cooking. You used that pot to make fish tartare yesterday, and after cooking last night, you didn't even bother to wash the pot. As a result, the leftover food from last night stuck to the bottom of the pot. Although the eggplant today masks the fish flavor, the fishy smell still lingers in the eggplant. Tell me, can you eat this dish?"

Qin Shou, unexpectedly, felt a sense of awe towards this cousin. However, he was still unwilling to concede defeat. As he made his way to the kitchen, he remarked, "I want to see if you can still create something impressive."

As a result, Qin Shaoyou picked up a piece of "vegetable" with a look of disdain and said: "This... this is eggplant. Hey, when you boiled this eggplant, you added too much water and some sesame oil, but it would have been a pity to add it after boiling. This is eggplant; you should have used less oil. You added half a penny's worth of salt, which, in theory, is just right, but you ended up boiling the water out of the eggplant, making the flavor a bit stronger. You added a handful of green onions, but the flavor of the onions was overshadowed by the mushy skin of the eggplant... This is eggplant; you should have used less oil. You added half a penny's worth of salt, which, in theory, is just right, but you ended up boiling the water out of the eggplant, making the flavor a bit stronger. You added a handful of green onions, but the flavor of the onions was overshadowed by the mushy skin of the eggplant..."

This bookworm, while chopping vegetables, moves his wrist with such agility, swift as lightning, that one can only see the shadow of the dark kitchen knife and hear the rapid, rhythmic sound of chopping. In an instant, the eggplant is swiftly sliced into thin pieces, and what is even more astonishing is that each slice is identical, as thin as paper

Next, Li Erniang's eyes suddenly brightened, the rosy glow emanating from within was so vibrant that it even shone through the rouge. Her lips trembled as she let out a sound that was almost a moan: "It's so delicious"

Just now, he was still overbearing, but now this call of "cousin" makes one feel all weak and tender

She has eaten no less than eighty eggplants, if not a hundred, but the minced meat eggplant she had today made her feel as if she were floating in the air

He lifted the lid of the pot, and the aroma of the sesame oil immediately wafted through the air. At that moment, both Li Erniang and Qin Shou felt their stomachs rumble with hunger. It was fragrant, so fragrant that they were astonished to discover that ordinary oil combined with eggplant could emit such a delightful scent

Qin Shou was taken aback, unable to help but take a step back. He found it hard to endure his cousin's aggressive demeanor. This frail body, for some reason, exuded such an imposing presence when it came to the art of cooking. Naturally, the most important thing was that... Qin Shou felt somewhat at a loss because... the cooking techniques he had just employed, even the use of heat, were described by Qin Shaoyou with such precision that it left Qin Shou feeling utterly deflated.

The meat sauce was directly scooped up with a knife and then thrown right into the center of the eggplant. As soon as the meat came into contact with the hot oil, it immediately burst forth, releasing a rich aroma of meat.

They no longer recognize Qin Shaoyou.

With a single command, resembling a grand general full of vigor, Qin Shou swiftly took the meat. After Qin Shaoyou received it, he directly slammed it onto the cutting board with a loud thud. Grasping the kitchen knife, he quickly chopped it into pieces. His knife skills had been honed over ten years in his previous life, excelling in the use of finesse. Although the kitchen knife in his hand was somewhat unwieldy, he quickly assessed it and grasped its characteristics. By adjusting the force according to the knife's attributes, he managed to chop the small piece of meat into minced meat in just a brief moment.

When did this fool acquire such abilities

This stern inquiry caused Qin Shou to immediately soften.

Thus, Qin Shou was furious: "How can the dishes I prepare not be fit for human consumption? You are not good at managing, and now that there are no customers, you shift all the blame onto me. What kind of reasoning is this?"

In just a moment, an eggplant was sliced, and at that time, the pot had also heated up, glowing red hot. Qin Shaoyou did not even glance at it; he directly picked up half a pot of oil from the table and poured it in. With a loud sizzling sound, the few ounces of oil met the scalding iron pot and instantly erupted.

This eggplant is rich yet not greasy, with a meaty aroma that envelops the palate. The flavor emanates from within, achieving an exquisite smoothness and refreshing taste, prompting Li Erniang to exclaim in admiration

Qin Shou couldn't help but take a piece of the overcooked eggplant and put it in his mouth, savoring it carefully. There was no trace of the flavor of fish paste; how did this fellow manage to discern it?

Qin Shou licked the plate and said confidently, "What does it matter to you if I can't marry a wife? I have a cousin!"

Li Erniang was quite taken aback; the bookish youth had suddenly become enlightened. She felt quite annoyed with Qin Shaoyou for failing to connect the dots. However, as a woman, witnessing the previously muddled young scholar transform into someone so imposing, she found herself captivated by Qin Shaoyou, whose eyes sparkled with brilliance and exuded an unstoppable aura of determination. Remarkably, Li Erniang found herself inexplicably following him.

The kitchen of the restaurant occupies a considerable area, yet it is covered in grease and filth, clearly having not been cleaned for a long time, with oil stains everywhere

Qin Shaoyou was very serious while chopping vegetables, completely focused, yet he was unaware that at that moment, Qin Shou and Li Erniang were both wide-eyed in astonishment

Seeing him like this, Li Erniang became even more suspicious, so she imitated him and pinched a small piece of eggplant to put it in her mouth

Wash the eggplant thoroughly

He curled his lips and said slowly, "Are you still going to quibble? Alright, let us clarify this matter thoroughly"

A wave of fragrance wafted out, and with an iron lid, the pot was covered. Qin Shaoyou exclaimed: "Meat!"

During this process, not a single drop of oil fell. Qin Shou and Li Erniang were momentarily dazzled, and then they saw a plate of eggplants steadily land in the dish

Li Erniang, filled with anger, scolded: "You, this fellow, are utterly clueless. You deserve to be poor for your entire life, working as a servant here. You will never marry a wife in this life or the next, and your lineage will come to an end."

Qin Shaoyou's hands were not idle; it was as if he did it effortlessly, pinching a handful of salt and sprinkling it in evenly. He didn't even raise his eyelids, focusing intently on the cooking time. Finally, he suddenly picked up a plate beside him and swiftly scooped it up with a spatula

Qin Shou almost burst into laughter; his cousin is just a bookworm. A bookworm is a bookworm; how can one debate about cooking? Do you think this is a matter of scholarly inquiry?

However, the minced eggplant in the dish still aroused their appetite. Qin Shou cautiously extended his plump hand, pinched a bit of minced meat, carefully placed it in his mouth to lick and savor, chewing it slowly, and then he became still.

At this moment, Qin Shaoyou had already picked up the kitchen knife. The knife was heavy, and this body lacked sufficient wrist strength; however, it was of no consequence, as it was merely a matter of not being able to execute certain knife techniques. After taking the eggplant, Qin Shaoyou's hands moved like a nimble snake, and immediately, rhythmic sounds of chopping began to resonate on the cutting board

In Qin Shou's view, his cousin was nothing more than a bookworm, always tilting his head and speaking in an affected manner, weak and feeble, easily defeated. Moreover, he owed wages, which was already unreasonable. Although he could be considered his employer, he acted like a mouse in the presence of a cat. However, today, for some unknown reason, he was in a fit of rage.

Just as she was marveling, Qin Shou had already buried his head in the food, extending his "pig hand" and voraciously devouring it. This fellow not only had no table manners, but also seemed afraid that Li Erniang would snatch his food, deliberately letting countless drools fall. With a few slurping sounds, he cleared the minced meat and eggplant in no time.