Chapter 108

Chapter 108: The Taste of Hope

The kitchen at the book bar was indeed much more functional than the one at Hope Primary School.

Considering the number of fans, there was even equipment for cooking in large pots. Chen Ran took a quick look around and thought that she could even cook meals for Hope Primary School here.

Tang Su followed behind Chen Ran, showing her the ingredients in the fridge: “Chef Chen, take a look! These ingredients were all bought by me this morning!”

Even if Chen Ran wasn’t on board, so many fans still needed food. Tang Su’s cooking skills weren’t exceptional but were definitely good enough, much better than searching for a meal in this small county.

Chen Ran immediately noticed the pig intestines in the fridge and couldn’t resist taking them out.

“These intestines look good.”

The intestines in the pot were thick, with a very clean color of water and oil inside. They felt heavy in her hand, and they were clearly from an older pig.

What was even rarer was that these pig intestines weren’t packed in plastic bags but wrapped in several large leaves.

Chen Ran was a little surprised and asked Tang Su, “Are these from the stupid pigs?”

“Yes! The black-haired stupid pigs! Don’t worry about there not being enough intestines, there’s more coming! General Manager Xu has ordered pigs from several nearby villages. The pig slaughterers are running out of stock, so they’re slaughtering them slowly over the next few days.”

Seeing such high-quality ingredients, Chen Ran couldn’t help but feel a bit excited!

As a chef, seeing a good kitchen and high-quality kitchenware would make her itch to cook, but seeing such excellent ingredients made her even more eager.

“Do you only have pig intestines? What about other parts?”

“We also have pork belly. Oh, right, we also bought a few stupid chickens this morning! What dish would you like to make? I’ll help you prep!”

When they were still on the sightseeing train, Tang Su had been thinking of helping Chen Ran with prep work. Now, he finally had the chance.

It wasn’t that Tang Su didn’t want to be a chef, but as a prep assistant, it was the best position to learn.

“How many chickens do you have? Have they all been cleaned?”

“There are over twenty... we cleaned ten this morning.”

Chen Ran suddenly remembered that she had heard a lot of chicken clucking in the morning and thought it was from the free-range chickens at nearby residents' homes... but she hadn’t realized they were being kept here at the book bar.

It was already past dinner time, and most of the fans at the book bar had already eaten. Chen Ran wanted to practice her skills before trying the Nine-Turn Large Intestine, so she decided to cook a few Double-Delicacy Roasted Chickens.

Roast chicken that’s suitable for cold consumption is best eaten the next day after being left overnight.

The Double-Delicacy Roasted Chicken, a dish Chen Ran created herself, took less time than traditional roast chicken. Moreover, with Tang Su as her assistant, after demonstrating with two chickens, she could leave the rest of the work to him.

“Yes, the heat here is just right, turn it. It’s good.”

The whole chicken, after being brushed with a crisp skin glaze, gradually took shape during the deep frying process, and then it was soaked in brine and steamed.

Watching the roasted chicken steaming, Chen Ran picked up the pig intestines and prepared to try making the Nine-Turn Large Intestine for the first time.

“Are you testing the Nine-Turn Large Intestine?”

Chen Ran nodded, “Later, help me check if Wang Zhaoshan is free. Ask him to come help me taste the dish.”

Wang Zhaoshan had tasted Wu Chaomei’s Nine-Turn Large Intestine before, and since he was a food critic with a discerning palate, he would be the perfect person to help with tasting.

After giving instructions to Tang Su, Chen Ran no longer paid attention to the noise around her and fully focused on the pig intestines in front of her.Washing, blanching, boiling, frying, and stewing.

From the cleaning process, she slowly entered a state of flow.

A chef’s most skilled tool is their hands.

Chen Ran rejected the disposable gloves that Tang Su offered and insisted on feeling the thickness and elasticity of the pig intestines in her hands.

The next steps of blanching and boiling all depended on her understanding of the intestines. Different breeds of pigs and different ages led to varying textures and thicknesses of the intestines.

Only by understanding the ingredients during this process could she cook the pig intestines to the perfect texture.

During her time at the Qingstone Temple, Chang Nian had always taken her to work with vegetables in the fields to teach her this principle.

Understanding the ingredients comes first! Everything else, like heat control and seasoning, must be based on this foundation.

Soon, she had cleaned and blanched the pig intestines, added spices, and started boiling them.

Wang Zhaoshan had arrived early!

When Tang Su went to find him, he didn’t come immediately, afraid others might smell the aroma. After playing a game of cards and pretending to go to sleep, he finally showed up.

“Hey, Chef Chen, are you making the Nine-Turn Large Intestine?”

“Yes, just trying it out. But I can’t taste it, so I called you over to taste it for me.”

Wang Zhaoshan didn’t say anything, sneaking a glance at Chen Ran’s face. When he saw her calm expression when she said she couldn’t taste it, he was relieved.

“Don’t worry! My taste buds are far superior to Bai Qing’s! I’m one of the top food critics!”

Chen Ran nodded, timing the dish perfectly, as she fished the large intestines from the pot.

“Wow, this elasticity! Amazing! Once it’s done, it’ll be both crispy and chewy!”

“Chef Chen’s control over the heat is incredible. If it were me, I’d have to poke it with chopsticks halfway through to check!”

Chen Ran smiled and started cutting the intestines.

Wang Zhaoshan gave Tang Su a pat, signaling him to stop talking.

He had worked with Chen Ran for a long time, from the early days of the kindergarten lion’s head dish to now. He knew her somewhat.

That smile just now from Chen Ran was likely a sign of her nervousness.

This young lady had an introverted personality, had high standards for herself, and was indifferent to outside opinions. If she was really confident, she wouldn’t have smiled like that.

In that moment, Wang Zhaoshan seemed to empathize with Chen Ran.

As a chef without a sense of taste, he could still control the other dishes through precise techniques, but this dish, which claimed to have all five flavors—sweet, sour, salty, fragrant, bitter, and spicy—was incredibly difficult for Chen Ran.

He watched as Chen Ran swiftly sliced the intestines, cutting them into small pieces. In the pot, she added oil and white sugar to caramelize before putting the intestines in.

Though the flavor was hard to grasp, Chen Ran still had confidence in the whole process. The difficulty of this dish lay in seasoning. Although the technique was challenging, it wasn’t enough to stop Chen Ran, who could flip the spoon with 3S-level precision.

With fluid, effortless movements, the Nine-Turn Large Intestine was quickly ready and taken out of the pot!

Chen Ran served the intestines, and Tang Su hurriedly handed chopsticks to Wang Zhaoshan, watching him pick up a piece and put it in his mouth.

“The taste of these intestines... there’s something slightly off.”Wang Zhaoshan struggled for a long time, originally considering whether to compliment Chen Ran first, since the texture of the intestines was quite good, but the flavor was slightly different from the one Wu Chaomei made.

However, after some thought, he decided to swallow those compliments that were meant to soften things up.

For a proud, skilled chef like Chen Ran, those empty praises wouldn’t have the desired effect.

“I can only taste the sweet and sour... the bitterness lingers okay, but the saltiness and spiciness aren’t really pronounced...”

He cautiously described his experience, watching Chen Ran’s face, which still showed no expression.

Chen Ran was deep in thought.

She tried to recall the steps Wu Chaomei used to cook, but she couldn’t figure out where she had gone wrong.

Tang Su, on the side, cautiously said, “Chef Chen, this is the most difficult Nine-Turn Large Intestine. Even the same chef making it multiple times probably won’t get the exact same taste. You’re making it for the first time and you can’t taste it…”

Before he finished his sentence, Wang Zhaoshan quickly covered his mouth!

This guy was just rubbing salt in the wound!

The two of them exchanged glances for a while, but suddenly, they heard some movement from Chen Ran’s side.

Wang Zhaoshan turned his head and saw Chen Ran pick up a fresh pair of chopsticks and pick up a piece of the intestine, placing it into her mouth!

Neither of them dared to breathe a word, as it seemed obvious that Chen Ran had been somehow triggered.

What’s more, after finishing one piece, she picked up another!

Wang Zhaoshan carefully asked, “Chef Chen, has your sense of taste... come back?”

Chen Ran shook her head and picked up a third piece of Nine-Turn Large Intestine and put it in her mouth.

She had no sense of taste, yet she was eating piece after piece—was she somehow triggered?!

“Chef Chen, don’t rush, this dish needs to be learned slowly!”

Chen Ran turned a deaf ear.

She wasn’t triggered; it was just that Tang Su’s words reminded her of something Wu Chaomei had taught her that day.

“If you can’t taste it, remember this feeling! Remember this world where the taste doesn’t interfere with you!”

She slowed down her chewing, carefully tasting the subtle differences in the intestines.

Indeed, this was a world unperturbed by flavor, so she was able to detect the finer differences in texture.

Compared to the Nine-Turn Large Intestine that she had tasted from Wu Chaomei, this piece seemed slightly more tender, and the sauce on the surface of the intestine was a bit thicker.

Chen Ran remembered what Wang Zhaoshan had said earlier about the dish being too sweet and sour—it fit perfectly!

She had used too much sugar, making the sauce thicker, and too much vinegar, which had softened the proteins, making the intestines less crispy and a little tender.

When people stew meat, they also add vinegar to help tenderize it.

Chen Ran closed her eyes, picked up another piece of intestine, and placed it in her mouth.

This time, she chewed even slower, as if pondering each bite.

Wang Zhaoshan grew increasingly worried. He even took out his phone, ready to call someone to come and talk to Chen Ran.It was just as he had clicked on Wang Qing'an's chat window when he saw Chen Ran move!

The intestines in the fridge had only been used halfway, with the other half remaining. After all, Chen Ran hadn't expected to perfectly recreate such a top-tier famous dish on her first attempt.

Her heart was eager, but her hands moved slower and steadier.

After washing the pig intestines clean, she blanched them and rinsed them again before putting them into the pot to cook.

Once cooked, she cut the intestines into sections and placed them into the pan. This time, Chen Ran chose to use water and rock sugar to make the caramel color. Stir-fry! Braise! Simmer!!

When the sauce was reduced, Chen Ran flipped the pot, and the nine pieces of intestine were neatly arranged on the plate, perfectly presented.

"I'll do it..."

After waiting for a long time, Wang Zhaoshan was about to step in and help taste the dish when he saw Chen Ran pick up a piece of intestine herself and gently place it into her mouth.

She couldn’t taste it, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t sense other things!

One bite, and the thick sticky sugar glaze on the surface of the intestine was just right. The warm meat juice flowed out, spreading through her entire mouth.

Crispy, chewy, and bouncy—this was the perfect texture!

Chen Ran closed her eyes as she chewed, savoring the last bit of flavor, and then opened her eyes.

“Alright, come taste it.”

Wang Zhaoshan and Tang Su, each with a pair of chopsticks, immediately moved forward to taste the dish.

He paused for a moment, feeling the blend of several competing flavors in his mouth. The corners of his eyes became unexpectedly moist.

Sweet, sour, bitter, salty, spicy...

This was the taste of life.

However, unlike Wu Chaomei’s Nine-Turn Large Intestine, which had a somewhat desolate flavor, Chen Ran’s version had a fragrance from sand ginger and cinnamon, which rose subtly amidst the competing tastes, leaving a lingering sweetness.

Wang Zhaoshan, looking at the confident Chen Ran with her arms crossed, suddenly understood the difference between the two Nine-Turn Large Intestines.

This wasn’t the lingering sweetness from the spices; it was the hope of her life.