Chapter 9.3
Chapter 9.3
GHML – Chapter 9.3: Are You Asking For A Divorce? (3)
“He Jiang! He Jiang!” Shang Jing ran towards He Jiang’s study in shock. He knocked on the door furiously, shouting, “There are rats in the refrigerator!”
“How could there be rats in there? Is the refrigerator not plugged in?”
When he got to the kitchen and saw the moving shadows in the cooling drawer, he was immediately reminded of Auntie Huang’s reminder. He pulled the drawer out and placed it on the floor. “Hairy crabs.”
Shang Jing stared at the big energetic crabs and swallowed his saliva.
He Jiang: “Is there anything else?”
Shang Jing regarded the crabs nervously. “N-no.”
There were so many problems. For one, he did not know how to cook. But if he were to admit that in front of He Jiang, he would definitely get a dressing down.
He Jiang: “I have an online meeting with the studio. It will take an hour. Do not knock on the door unless you have an emergency.”
Shang Jing: “Ok.”
It was music to his ears. That way, he could secretly search for cooking tutorials with his phone.
He Jiang: “Steam the crabs immediately. They will be inedible once they die.”
Shang Jing: “Noted.”
After He Jiang disappeared back into his study room, Shang Jing squatted down to observe the crabs. The more he looked at them, the more helpless he felt. How did others handle crabs? It seemed like no matter what, he was just asking to be pinched by them.
Moreover… They were still alive and moving. How could he have the heart to steam them in this state?
Eventually, he decided to push the drawer aside and work on the other dishes first.
He arranged the foie gras, beef, brisket, celery, green capsicum, etc, on the table, and turned to the internet for easy-to-do recipes.
Stir-fried shredded beef with green capsicum? Braised beef brisket with potatoes? …
All of them seemed to be out of his capacity. Suddenly, he saw the light at the end of a tunnel in one of those food videos.
【Premium Ingredients Only Require The Simplest Cooking Method. ①】
Shang Jing studied the packaging of foie gras and beef. Air-flown…
Is that premium? That was more than premium!
What was he doing looking up recipes? Time to get to work!
Shang Jing placed a pot of water on the induction stove. After bringing it to a boil, he threw the foie gras, beef, and mutton into it.
Ten minutes later, when the water changed colors and scum floated to the surface, he added a teaspoon of salt into the mixture.
As though that was not sufficient, he added another teaspoon of it.
The kitchen was lined with all sorts of seasonings. Cooking wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, MSG, oyster sauce, sesame oil… Shang Jing tapped on each bottle lightly and retracted his hand.
Every recipe he came across had called for seasoning to taste. But he had no gauge on the appropriate amount to add.
What a joke. What kind of seasoning do such premium ingredients need? They will only mask the natural sweetness of them.
Therefore, with the most basic cooking method, Shang Jing made boiled beef, boiled foie gras, boiled brisket… without changing the water once between.
The water had already been salted and the nutrients of the beef and foie gras had been infused into it. It would be such a waste to change it.
Finally, to give the dish some color, he blanched some spinach and bell peppers to complement the proteins.
Cooking was fun.
He stripped off his apron and carefully placed the dishes on the dining table.
To demonstrate his artistic flair, he had even arranged the spinach into the shape of a peony, instantly elevating the appearance of the foie gras by tenfold.
Just as he was done, He Jiang walked out of the study room. With his indoor slippers on, he was a far cry from the proud and cold boss he was during the online meeting.
The thought of Shang Jing cooking a meal for him had him in high spirits.
Moreover, things seemed to be progressing smoothly. At the very least, he had not heard any explosion from the kitchen within the hour. His expectations went up another notch. When he finally saw the six dishes on the dining table, he could not help raising his eyebrows.
That competent?
It was now 1PM. He Jiang’s stomach was rumbling.
This was the first time Shang Jing cooked a meal. He proudly presented He Jiang with a set of chopsticks.
Hurry up and eat. After you are done, remember to give me some pocket money as a reward.
He Jiang gripped the chopsticks with his beautiful slender fingers, and went for a piece of foie gras… and came back with an entire slab of it. His eyes widened.
“It’s uncut?”
“Oh! I forgot about that!” Shang Jing ran into the kitchen to grab a set of fork and knife. “It’s western style.”
He Jiang did not comment. He took over the utensils, sliced a piece of it, and popped it into his mouth.
Three seconds later, his face changed colors. He looked around frantically for the trash can.
The foie gras was not only overcooked and bland. There was an unknown component mixed in that was challenging his palate.
Shang Jing watched He Jiang spit the beef-flavored foie gras out and felt humiliated. “Can you respect me a little?”
He Jiang twisted open a bottle of mineral water. “I’ve tried my best to respect you for three seconds.”
Sparks flew out of Shang Jing’s eyes. “Are you trying to find fault out of nothing? How can that be inedible? Those are all premium ingredients! What a waste of food! Try this one next!”
This was the first time He Jiang had uncut beef, brisket…
At the end of the ordeal, he closed his eyes and gave his review. “Even dogs would not eat this.”