This familiar figure is none other than the cook lady from Lizhou who used to enter the palace for me by order, and I also watched it for a long time before I finally recognized her. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 info used to be as thin as a dried cowpea, but now she looks as white and fat as a big winter melon, round and smooth, dressed in silk and satin, and her head is also surrounded by beads, if you don't look carefully, you really don't recognize it, and the pampered life in the palace has made her reborn, completely like a different person, and she has changed her appearance.

I hurriedly said hello to her from afar, it was really "Don't let go of the spring and autumn days, the most difficult wind and rain old people come." She recognized me at first glance, was very excited, and walked quickly towards me.

She said that it was a thousand days in the palace, but it was rare to go home, and she missed her family very much, and she missed her big fat and chubby, and asked me how good they were, and I explained the details in detail, and she couldn't help but burst into tears. I quipped, I didn't expect that Shibei March, now you have become a lady with fine skin and tender meat, she smiled and said where, but near the water and the building first get the moon, near the imperial dining room first to eat, every day brocade clothes and jade food, eat the delicacies of the mountains and seas, big fish and meat, delicacies, drink more Qiong brewed jade liquid, gold syrup and jade liquid, exercise and less, every day, naturally grow well, and stay in the kitchen all the year round, do not see the day, not like in the sun and rain in Lizhou, so the skin is also better.

After a simple greeting, I explained my intention, hoping that she could help me enter the palace, she said with a sad face: "Miss Ziyue, in fact, this position is yours, I am also thanks to your good luck, only to get a good job in the palace, the grace of dripping water, when the spring reciprocates, you are even more kind to me, I very much hope to help you, scoundrel I am humble, people are soft-spoken, I am afraid that I can't speak, the father-in-law opposite is the head palace of the imperial dining room, everything has to be nodded through him." ”

I said that I expected it for a long time, but I hope you can introduce me, I have important things to do, and I must go to the palace. She readily agreed, and that would be easy. She took my hand, walked quickly to the steward, and talked for a long time, but the stern steward looked at me suspiciously for a long time, and saw that I was uncomfortable all over my body. Fortunately, our China has been a society of human affection since ancient times, a society of acquaintances, and acquaintances are easy to do.

It's just that in the end, he still shook his head vigorously like a rattle: "This ugly monster wants to enter the palace, no, what should I do if I scare the emperor, we are not enough to cut off ten heads, I am the head of the imperial dining room, the first unlucky one is me, no, absolutely not." ”

I began to lobby with my three-inch incorruptible tongue: "But I stay in the imperial dining room all day long, and I don't have the opportunity to see the emperor at all, you don't have to worry about this superfluous problem, it's just groundless." "And I promise that when the time comes, the emperor will be impressed with you, and you will be happy." As the saying goes, if one person attains the Tao, the chicken and the dog ascend to heaven. At that time, the entire imperial dining room will be raised by three levels, no, everyone will be greatly rewarded. I said calmly.

"It seems to make some sense, but I'll have to rely on your cooking skills. Real gold is not afraid of fire. My words reached his heart, and his heart moved, and he secretly thought: "This recruitment is that the nobles are disgusted with cooking in the imperial dining room, and they have not innovated, and lowered his monthly salary, which makes them anxious to recruit people, originally this girl's appearance must have categorically refused, but if it can really make Long Yan happy, Coco has a relationship with her own monthly salary, if it is really as this little woman said, wouldn't everyone be happy? Then reluctantly let her try." ”

"What are you going to do?" he bowed his head arrogantly and gave me a disdainful look, still with an arrogant expression.

"Although the little woman is not omnipotent and omnipotent, she is still quite accomplished and proficient in cooking—" I said deliberately and proudly.

"It's a piece of nonsense, it's just that the princess sells melons, she sells herself and boasts, at a young age, she dares to say that she is proficient, how old are you, I am so old, and I don't dare to be arrogant and arrogant. He said with some disbelief.

"Excessive modesty is pride, and I'm just telling the truth. "I'm understated, and I said lightly.

"You do brag about your kung fu, but be careful that it will break if you blow too much, and your original form will be exposed, and you will weigh a few pounds and taels, don't make an axe, be pretentious, stay for a while, and make everyone laugh out of the big teeth, don't blame me for not reminding you. He said with a smirk.

"She's not really talking big, she has a few brushes. Her cooking skills are outstanding, and she is my master, so she is naturally more than blue-"The cook is busy helping me with good things, it's really old-fashioned."

"Okay, the old student estimated and believed, in order to make the saint happy, feast on his mouth, and be healthy. And this is where our duty as a subordinate lies, anyway, the imperial dining room is special, and it is rare for them to see you, it doesn't matter what you look like, just give you a chance. Let me test you-" Seeing that I looked calm and calm, he was so confident that he said: "I don't think you are a country girl, and you haven't seen any big market, and you don't let everyone think that I bully the weak, just be simpler, test you as an ordinary person who has seen things, what do you say about this tofu!"

There was silence around, everyone was in contemplation, the atmosphere was serious, holding their breath, and a needle could be heard falling on the ground, as solemn as the college entrance examination.

Fortunately, I have read Wang Zengqi's "The Taste of the World" and Liang Shiqiu's "Yashe Talks about Eating", which have a special description of tofu, so it is easy to read: "This simple, tofu has a long history, according to legend, in 164 BC, it was invented by Liu An, the grandson of Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Chinese Han Dynasty - Huainan Wang. And Liu An was burning medicine and alchemy on Bagong Mountain at the junction of Shou County and Huainan in Anhui Province, and accidentally used gypsum to point bean juice, thus inventing tofu. I won't go into details, tofu can be made into snowflake tofu, dried tofu, tofu skin, tofu brain, tofu flower, stinky tofu, moldy tofu, tofu milk, edamame tofu, frozen tofu, its practice can be strange, everything, the more famous is mapo tofu, tiger skin tofu, Wensi monk tofu, casserole tofu, Wang tofu, snowflake tofu, Luohan tofu, chicken shaved tofu, toon mixed tofu, pot collapsed tofu - "It's really a book to use when the hatred is less, and now I have found the benefits of reading idle books."

I spoke endlessly, my mouth was like a river, and I spoke the truth, and he was dumbfounded when he heard it, and he was willing to bow down. There is a modern society of tofu practice, the manager has heard of some of it, some of it has never heard of, but in order to show that he is well-informed and knowledgeable, he said thoughtfully: "You say all kinds of things, your mouth is like a river, the sky is full of flowers, you say it is good, who knows if you are sharp-tongued, nonsense, open-mouthed, this cooking is not as simple as talking about it." Since you are right, why don't you show us in person, what you get on paper is shallow, and you never know that you have to do it. There are fresh ingredients, cooking utensils, charcoal fire, you can make a tofu for us to see? Let everyone taste it, how about it?"

I thought to myself, "This man is so picky, I'm going to be a surprise." The methods in the palace are complicated, there are many fancy, no matter how good it is, it is difficult to come up with new ideas, and these ordinary people do not have the blessing to enjoy these delicacies, so naturally there is no way to judge, just like Grandma Liu entered the Grand View Garden to eat eggplant, and did not eat anything for a long time. It is necessary to know that this is the eggplant skin that has just been picked, keep the meat, cut it into broken nails, fry it with chicken oil, and then use the chicken breast meat and fragrant mushrooms, new bamboo shoots, mushrooms, five-spice dried curd, all kinds of dried fruits, all cut into dices, and then simmer dry with chicken soup, collect the sesame oil, add the bad oil, put it in a porcelain jar and seal it tightly, take it out when eating, mix it with fried chicken melon, the method is complicated, and it is naturally difficult to judge with more than ten chickens. And seeing that the ingredients on it are limited, they are very limited, and they must be surprisingly successful, so it is better to-" I suddenly had an idea, and I had a way.

I gently put the tofu into the boiling water, quickly take it out with a soup spoon, use a sharp knife to cut the snow-white jade tofu into blooming peony flowers, and then use a verdant lotus leaf to lay out the silver plate, in one go, the flowers are clustered, the condiments are just sesame oil, sauce, shallots, poured on, it is really fragrant, the flowers are rich.

I arched my hand and said: "The little girl makes a dish of peony tofu for everyone, and I hope everyone's life will be so prosperous, colorful, rich and auspicious." The surrounding officials were full of praise.

Some said: "This girl is really skilled in knife work, knife skills are strong, it is not easy to make ordinary tofu like this, turning decay into magic." ”

Some said: "It looks like not only has all the color and flavor, but also has a clever mouth, which makes everyone happy, what a wonderful girl." ”

"But it's useless to look good, this food is mainly about the taste, let's taste it for yourself. "The steward is still unyielding.

He took a bite, and then judged the two of them, and praised me: "It's so delicious, it's really delicious, the taste is incomparably refreshing, it's delicious, it melts in the mouth, like in the fields and countryside, the spring water is tinkling, the children are playing, it's wonderful, it's like under the bean lamp and the candle, the line in the mother's hand, the wanderer's shirt, warm and happy, it's happy, all kinds of tastes, it's intertwined, wonderful, pouring into the heart——"

He burst into tears, burst into tears, was excited, choked up and continued: "Little girl, although you are not good-looking, I didn't expect that it is really a real person who does not show his face, and his appearance is not a real person, your tofu reminds me of the taste of my hometown when I was a child for a long time, it is so delicious and delicious." I have been away from home for many years, and now although I am past the age of old, I have just eaten what you made, and the past is vividly remembered, imprinted in my heart, as if it were yesterday. The deliciousness of this food is various, there are delicious things that the eyes see, there are delicious things that jump on the tip of the tongue, and the best thing is that the delicious food that touches people's hearts is the top quality, and the girl is really ingenious and stands out. ”

"Can the Purple Moon girl still be admitted—" The cook asked busily.

"Naturally, I have to admit it quickly, this kind of talent is not hired, it is simply a misrepresentation of the country and the people, just now I really condescended to the girl, the girl will definitely make the best use of her talents in the imperial dining room, and she will definitely show her skills and feet, and she will be famous in the capital." This concludes today's recruitment process. The steward is the final word.

"All the newcomers who have been admitted, why don't you hurry up and kneel down and thank the emperor. The crowd of people under the black pressure were pious and knelt down respectfully. There was no way, I had to follow them and behave.

"Thank you for your appreciation, I will definitely live up to expectations. I was about to immediately when the manager suddenly changed his attention: "There are many dreams in the night, you hurry up and ming'er, no, come into the palace with us now-" I was grateful to Dade for agreeing.

"By the way, that Xiaofei just now, can he also follow me into the palace?" I asked a little worriedly, knowing that it was unlikely, but I still wanted to give it a try.

"No, this is absolutely not possible, he is a person with lung disease, this sick person must not ask for it, it may be an infectious disease, it is really difficult to do. The cook said with an embarrassed face, hey, it's really feng shui in turn, although he was exempted from the palace punishment because of cough, but he couldn't enter the palace because of this, I explained to him and left silently.

As the sun sets, the sunset is red, the layers of the palace are draped with a layer of golden ribbons, and the boundless white mist is shrouded in the unreal patchwork and layers of palaces and temples. Xiao Fei said goodbye silently, as a farewell to the clouds of the western sky, but I entered the deep palace alone, the road ahead is long, its cultivation is long, this is dangerous and unpredictable, but whether it is the sword mountain and the sea of fire, or the abyss, there is no turning back, can only move forward. I looked back at the bustling bazaar outside, the bustling crowd, the mood was sad, I don't know if I can return safe and sound, the sense of tragedy arises spontaneously, like Jing Ke stabbing the king of Qin, like Lin Xiangru offering jade, life and death are uncertain, the future is unpredictable, it is really a deep sea in the Hou Gate, since then Xiao Lang is a passerby, the wind is Xiao Xiao Xi is easy to be cold, the strong man is gone, I feel that I am not into the prosperous palace, but as if entering the prison of Sensen. I don't dare to think about it, I can't imagine it, I just hope that the auspicious people have their own natural appearance, even if it can't be smooth sailing, they can turn evil into good fortune.