After lunch, Jiang Shang drove the horse under the tree, fed it some grain to eat, and then spread a mat under the tree, and took a nap with Sima Mingze.

Xiaoguo was surprisingly energetic on this day, she saw a few red fruits on the tree, which looked very similar to apples, so she took off her shoes, climbed the branch and picked one, and played with it in her hand.

She put the fruit in front of her nose and smelled it, only to notice that the smell was unusually fragrant.

Looks like it should be edible! But why didn't anyone pick it?

Xiao Guo stared at the tempting fruit in his hand, and was hesitating to take a bite and taste it.

Suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

Xiaoguo looked back, and a pair of round and blue eyes appeared in front of him.

She shuddered with fright, and the fruit in her hand fell under the tree.

A white shadow, as fast as lightning, rushed down with the fruit, and the fruit was caught before it hit the ground.

The shadow quickly returned the way it came, holding the fruit, and sat down behind the fruit.

Xiaoguo saw clearly this time, it was actually a snow-white animal that looked like a cat, but its tail was umbrella-shaped like a squirrel.

"You're a cat?" Xiaoguo asked.

The animal glanced at Xiaoguo, and Xiaoguo saw a look of disdain in its eyes, and couldn't help but be taken aback, and looked at this unknown species carefully.

The animal sat gracefully on the branch, ignoring the fruit's gaze, but gnawed on the fruit in its hand with relish, and when the fruit was finished, it stretched out its paw to the fruit and pointed to the other fruits of the tree.

Xiaoguo was surprised: "You let me pick the fruit for you?" ”

The animal seemed to understand her and nodded.

Xiaoguo picked another one casually and put it in the palm of his hand: "Please use it!" ”

The animal grabbed the fruit from her hand, and soon ate it again.

Seeing him repeat his previous actions, Xiaoguo smiled and said, "Since you want to eat it, why don't you pick it yourself?" ”

The animal jumped to the branch and grabbed a fruit, but because the fruit swayed from side to side with the branch, it always failed to grasp it.

Xiaoguo understood and said, "I see! Then I'll pick some more and eat them with you! ”

She plucked all the fruit she could from the tree.

The animal eats the fruit so fast that no matter how much it picks, it will eat all the previous fruit before it leaves its new fruit.

Is this fruit really so delicious? I'm going to keep one for myself later!

Xiao Guo stretched out his hand as he thought about it, trying to pick the top fruit.

"Master, come down quickly, this fruit can't be eaten!"

I heard Sima Mingze wake up at some point and shouted at her.

Xiaoguo lowered his head and smiled at him: "This fruit can be eaten by cats, why can't I eat it?" ”

"What cat?" Sima Mingze said strangely.

"That's it...... Hey? Where did it go? Xiaoguo looked around, and the little white animal had left at some point.

"Son, come down quickly, this fruit is poisonous!" Jiang Shang opened his eyes and saw Xiaoguo climbing up the tree, frightened and sleepy, and hurriedly shouted.

Seeing that they were so nervous, Xiaoguo smiled and said, "You don't have to worry, I didn't eat!" ”

She climbed down from the tree: "Zeming, do you see a white animal that looks like a cat and a squirrel?" ”

Sima Mingze shook his head and said, "No, I woke up and found that Master, you were picking fruits on the tree alone!" ”

Xiaoguo was skeptical: "Is this fruit really poisonous?" ”

Jiang Shang said solemnly: "This fruit has another name, it is a ghost fruit, just one bite can kill people!" Child, you can't just eat something you don't know in the wild, the more bright-looking the fruit, the more toxic it is! ”

Xiaoguo wanted to joke with him, but seeing that he was nervous, he had to put away his hippie smile and said honestly: "Father-in-law, don't worry, I promise you that what you haven't seen in the future will not be eaten!" ”

Jiang Shang breathed a sigh of relief and sighed: "Good boy, it's good if you know!" If you have a mistake, let the father-in-law do! ”

When they arrived in town, it was still early.

Xiaoguo pulled Sima Mingze and picked up a few kitchen knives and machetes in the blacksmith shop.

"If you want to be a good cook, knife skills are mandatory!"

Xiaoguo bought a few baskets of radishes, potatoes and other vegetables, on the one hand, for Sima Mingze to practice, and on the other hand, because of the needs of another food plan.

"Let's learn a few points that you need to pay attention to if you want to practice knife skills! First, standing. The waist is not stiff, the abdomen is not straight, the knees are not bent, and the head is not crooked; Feet shoulder-width apart; Keep a punch between the abdomen and the pier! ”

Xiaoguo said as he picked up the kitchen knife and demonstrated to him: "Keep your hands and look at the edge of the knife!" ”

Second, gestures. Stretch generously, walk the knife freely, light and heavy, slow and urgent, make it steady and sluggish, light and floating, free and empty. ”

"Third, skill. A dish often uses several different knife techniques, and strength alone cannot meet the actual needs, and it is necessary to use the dexterity of both rigidity and softness. ”

"Fourth, it is the quasi-head. In particular, the structure of animal raw materials is very complex, and it is not easy to make every knife, only by mastering and understanding their natural structure and position, will we be able to endure and solve them, and achieve a unique realm of handy! ”

Xiaoguo took out a washed white radish from the basket.

Seeing that she was flying with a knife, her left and right hands cooperated seamlessly, and where the knife passed, the radish had become a thin and transparent slice, which shocked Sima Mingze and admired.

Xiaoguo handed the knife to Sima Mingze's hand: "Mingze, you can try it!" At the beginning, don't ask for too much speed, just practice the head, and be careful not to hurt your fingers! ”

Sima Mingze held the handle of the knife, only to feel that the kitchen knife in his hand had completely lost its dexterity in the master's hand.

Xiaoguo continued to correct and guide on the side, and his movements, when he gradually comprehended, said: "You practice slowly here, don't be in a hurry, take a rest when you are tired." My stepfather and I went out to buy some things to take with us on the way before it got dark! ”

Sima Mingze looked up in response, and saw that Xiaoguo had walked out of the kitchen, and he was engrossed in the blade in his hand.

When Xiaoguo returned to the inn, it was already dark and the kitchen was lit with candles.

Sima Mingze was still practicing hard under the lamp, and a large basket of radishes was cut in half.

"Mingze, take a rest, beware of grinding your palms!" Seeing him working so hard, Xiaoguo was both relieved and a little distressed.

Sima Mingze put down the kitchen knife and said, "Master, no, I've been used to working since I was a child, and the skin on my hands is thick!" Look, how did I cut it? ”

Xiaoguo came to the front and took a closer look, although the slice was not as thin as hers, the thickness was very uniform, compared to her strength before leaving, and she couldn't help but praise: "Not bad, not bad!" Mingze, you're really talented! ”

Sima Mingze smiled embarrassedly: "It's far worse than the master!" ”

Xiaoguo smiled: "It's not far, it's not far!" With such talent and hard work as yours, it won't be long before I have to worship you as a teacher! ”

Through these days of getting along, Sima Mingze has roughly figured out Xiaoguo's temper, knowing that she is joking, and he doesn't take it to heart, he only smiles honestly, he points to a few pots full of diced vegetables and says, "But, Master, after cutting so many vegetables, can we finish eating?" ”

"We can't finish eating now, we can keep it and eat it on the road!"

"Eating on the road? By then, will they not have spoiled, or will they become dried vegetables? Sima Mingze was surprised.

Xiaoguo smiled mysteriously: "Don't worry about it!" ”

Xiaoguo shook the beef in his hand in front of Sima Mingze: "Come, Master will teach you to cook a few dishes tonight, with beef as the main ingredient!" ”

The errand of burning the fire was stopped by Jiang Shang, who had just walked into the kitchen, and he said: "Mingze, you learn to cook with your heart, don't rob the old man of this job!" ”

"Uncle Jiang, let me come, you go back to your room to rest, the meal will be ready in a while, I'll call you!"

Xiaoguo said with a smile: "Zeming, you come to take charge of the spoon, don't rob it with your father-in-law, his old man's favorite work to add firewood!" ”

Sima Mingze had no choice but to give up and return to Xiaoguo's side.

Since then, the division of labor between the three has been completely clear, Xiaoguo is responsible for instructing the apprentices, Sima Mingze is responsible for cooking, and Jiang Shang is responsible for cooking stoves.

"Our first dish is called Sichuan-style braised beef!"

Xiaoguo Mingze sliced the beef, added salt, a little soy sauce and water starch, grabbed and marinated for a while, and then slid it in the oil pan and took it out.

Then, leave the bottom oil at the bottom of the pot, add the green onion, ginger, garlic and chili pepper and stir-fry until fragrant, then put the beef into the pot, put a small amount of water, sauce, a little white wine, salt, stir-fry evenly, until the flavor is out of the pot.

"We were too hasty to prepare this time, and we didn't have time to deal with it in more detail. In fact, it is best to soak this beef in cold water for two hours before cooking, which can remove the blood and fishy smell inside! Xiaoguo said to Ming Ze.

Ming Ze nodded again and again, and took every word of the master to heart.

Xiaoguo taught him again, and made a hot shredded beef and tomato brisket soup with beef.

In addition to these beef dishes, two vegetables were stir-fried for dinner.

Cleaning up the dishes and chopsticks, Xiaoguo and Ming Ze naturally couldn't let Jiang Shang do it.

The master and apprentice cleaned up the kitchen, and dried the vegetable slices cut by Ming Ze's hands in the basket, where the weather is hot and dry, and the water must soon evaporate and turn into dried vegetables.

Xiaoguo wiped his palms clean and said to Ming Ze: "Go back to the room to rest early, tomorrow, Master will let you see how to eat these dried vegetables!" ”

"Master, go back to your room and rest first, I want to practice a little longer!" Ming Ze Road.

"Okay, don't be stubborn, rest for a while when you're tired, and the future will be long!" Xiaoguo smiled slightly.

"Good!"

Xiaoguo and the small kitchen they rented were not extinguished until the golden rooster reported the dawn and the candle flame was lit all night.

Let's say that when Xiaoguo passed by Jiang Shang's room, he found that the candle flame had been extinguished, and he knew that his father-in-law had fallen asleep, so he went straight back to his room.

She poured a cup of tea, and as soon as she took a sip, she heard a subtle "rustling" sound from the couch, as if something was moving there!