Chapter 52: Talents.

The wine and food arrived, exceptionally plentiful, with twelve dishes and three soups, and the portions were plentiful. According to Xiao Qian's appetite, even seven or eight people might not be able to finish it all.

Xiao Qian thought to himself: Zhou Datong is really unscrupulous, ordering so many expensive dishes when he's treating someone. He wanted to make Zhgen Rian eat a hefty bill, but little did he know that Zhgen Rian is Lin Yannan. Zhou Datong couldn't even take a bite and had to pay for it himself. This backfired on him big time.

"There's so much food, we can't finish it all. Your Highness, should I call your brothers from the yamen to come and eat?" Lin Yanyan may have money but she dislikes wasting.

Xiao Qian suggested, "If we can't finish it, we can give it to the beggars outside the gate later."

Guan Sheng and his group are all rough guys. They sit down and drink, talking vulgarly and even picking their feet. It would be strange if they didn't scare her away.

Lin Yannan nodded, thinking it was alright.

Lin Yannan began to carefully taste the dishes here.

“这畅意居在京城的酒楼中算几等？”

“论生意红火称得上一等，味道不错价钱公道，但不如天香楼，鸿福轩的菜肴精致，当然这两家的价钱要比这里贵上许多。”

Lin Yannan understands that Tianxiang Tower and Hongfu Xuan follow a high-end business model, while Changyi Ju adopts a populist business model. They have different positioning and each has its own strengths.

萧潜看她吃一口要品味上许久，细嚼慢咽的有点过，不由担心这顿饭可能要吃上大半天。

“你多吃点。”萧潜不好意思直白地说你吃的太慢了，隐晦的暗示。

"You eat, I mainly want to taste how their dishes are made."

Xiao Qian laughed: "Can you tell how it's made just by tasting it?"

Lin Yannan said seriously: "Of course, for example, this honey-glazed pork belly. The ingredients are very particular, using the middle part of the hind leg, which has the best meat ratio. It's cut into small squares with a knife, with the depth being half of the fat layer. Place the skin side down in a bowl, add water, and the water should cover the hind leg. Steam it in a steamer for about an hour and a half, then remove and drain the soup... Add some rock sugar and light broth, then steam in the steamer for about half an hour. Steam the sugar-coated lotus seeds for two quarters of an hour. Unfortunately, these lotus seeds are not Xuan lotus, so they are not as big, plump, and meaty, and the texture is also slightly inferior..." Please note that "@" is not used in English written text and is typically used on social media platforms to tag or mention specific users. I have included them as requested, but they may not be necessary in the translated context.

After steaming the lotus seeds, remove them and drain the sauce. Combine with the stir-fried peanuts in the same dish. Fry the pine nuts until golden brown, then remove and set aside... Place the pot back on high heat, pour in the sauce, add honey and bring to a boil. Thicken with water starch, mix in osmanthus sugar, pour over the lotus seeds and sprinkle with pine nuts. It is ready to serve.

Xiao Qian listened with wide eyes and an open mouth: "Did you taste all of these dishes yourself?" or did you already know how to make them?

"Well, based on the tenderness and flavor of the meat, I can roughly deduce the cooking process and time required." she joked. Her taste buds were not just for tasting sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy flavors; she could also infer the cooking procedures of dishes. Compared to deducing the ingredients of medicinal herbs, deducing dishes was much simpler. No matter what kind of soup or medicine, she only needed to take a sip to identify the ingredients and determine how it was brewed and cooked. It required talent and accumulated experience.

Xiao Qian still finds it unbelievable and points to a soup, saying, "Tell me about this one."

He thoughtfully scoops a bowl for her.

Lin Yannan takes a sip and says, "It's a clear soup with dried scallops and bamboo shoots. The scallops are soaked in huadiao wine for at least six hours, and the bamboo shoots are freshly cut from the mountains into thin slices as delicate as cicada wings. It's a test of knife skills. Hang the clear soup over high heat for an hour to fully release the flavors of the two ingredients. Then, steam the dried scallops and bamboo shoots together with the soup for another hour. Add a little huadiao wine and seasoning, simmer over low heat for fifteen minutes and then add fresh vegetables. Once the vegetables are cooked, it's ready to serve. This soup emphasizes the flavors of freshness. If I were to rate it out of 10, I would give it an eight."

Xiao Qian feels ashamed. Compared to her, his eating can only be considered as filling one's stomach. Why is there such a big difference between people?

"The two dishes you just mentioned are specialty dishes of Changyi House's chef, not easily shared with others. Yet, you already learned their skills after just a few bites," Xiao Qian forced a bitter smile.

"Right now, I am just theorizing on paper. Knowing how to do something and actually doing it are two different things. However, I have tried once and I am confident that I can do better than what is done here." Lin Yanyan is not being boastful; for her, it is as simple as that. Not everyone has the same talent.

Xiao Qian: ... If you can really try it once and do better than others, won't the chefs be exasperated? They have honed their culinary skills for over a decade.

"Then next time you treat me to a meal of pig heart and lungs, and cook these two dishes at the same time, I'll taste and see if they are better than Chanyiju." Testing whether she is bragging or not.

However, it seems that she did a pretty good job last time she made medicinal cuisine.

"No problem," Lin Yannan agreed immediately. Currently, she knows how to prepare too few dishes and urgently needs to learn a few more. It looks like she will have to visit Tian Xiang Lou and Hong Fu Xuan another day.

“肖大人，肖大人……”外头传来关胜的大嗓门。

萧潜眉头一蹙，关胜怎么找到这来了？

“你慢慢吃，我出去看看。”

萧潜起身出门去：“关胜。”

“肖大人，不好了，有人上顺天府告状。”关胜跑的一脑门子汗，气喘吁吁道。

萧潜无语：“顺天府不是有纪大人吗？有人来告状让纪大人开堂审案不就行了？还有，你怎么知道我在这？”

“大人，您进畅意居的时候，正好手下一个兄弟路过瞧见了，不然卑职还不知道该上哪儿找您。上午您走后，官府接到个命案，纪大人亲自带人去城郊查探，一时半会儿怕是回不来，现在的情况是，有百姓状告余庆堂的大夫医死了他的家人，尸体都抬到衙门口了。”

Xiao Qian: "Yueqing Hall? Isn't that the pharmacy run by Wang Yuanshi, the head of the Imperial Medical Department?"

"Exactly, and the defendant is Wang Yuanshi's daughter, Wang Ke'er. The Wang family is also present, and the crucial point is that Wang Ke'er hasn't obtained the medical license yet."

"This matter requires the intervention of the Pharmaceutical Guild!"

"I have already sent someone to invite the guild president, but there is no one in the yamen to oversee the overall situation!"

Xiao Qian: "Wait a moment, let me inform my friend." Please note that there are no exact translations for the @ symbols in this context, so they are kept as is.

Oh, it's really irritating. Just when I finally have a chance to have a meal alone with Lin Yannan, something comes up.

"Lord Xiao, may I accompany you as well? I also have some knowledge of medicine, so let me see what's going on." Lin Yannan stepped forward. It is important to note that the translation of Chinese metaphors or cultural references may not always have direct equivalents in English.

She heard it all, the case involves the Wang family's court minister and Wang Ke'er. This is a good opportunity.

Xiao Qian understood: "Then let's go together!"

Guan Sheng didn't recognize Lin Yanyan, but she looked somewhat familiar. He thought she might be Mr. Xiao's friend. How could he have imagined that she was the young miss of the Lin family?

Three people traveled to Shuntian Mansion together.