Shokugeki: Start with an izakaya, making everyone cry

Chapter 144 The relationship between mother and daughter
5 hours!
Soon, this izakaya will be closing.

Today, Mujiu Zhiyuanguo, who has just become a kitchen assistant, seems to be full of energy and has been working hard until now.

But in front of the cooking table, Zhang Fan cut the marinated beef into thin slices.

And Mu Jiuzhi next to him had just taken a break.

She chose a place to sit down and rest, holding her chin with her hands, but her bright eyes were staring straight at Zhang Fan, with a look of doubt in her eyes at the right time.

"Shopkeeper Zhang, aren't there any diners? Why do you still want to cook?"

Zhang Fan, after cutting the beef, took back the kitchen knife and replied softly: "Aren't you hungry?"

"what!"

"This...is a bit."

The popularity of the izakaya business is indeed beyond Kikuchi's knowledge.

Regardless of the entire business hours, which is only a short 5 hours, during this period, as a kitchen assistant, she did not take a break for almost a quarter of an hour.

Now, after being reminded by Zhang Fan, she felt a sense of hunger after feeling dizzy.

……

In the northwest region of China.

People live at a slower pace and like to taste delicious food in their spare time, and beef ramen is the embodiment of this leisurely lifestyle.

Just like the ancient Silk Road that stretches thousands of miles, beef ramen also has a long history.

Legend has it that beef noodles originated in the Tang Dynasty.

It's a pity that it can no longer be verified because of its long history.

The current authentic beef noodles were created by Ma Baozi, a Hui nationality, in 1915.

At that time, his family was poor and he was forced to make a living, so he could only make hot pot beef noodles at home and sell them along the streets in the city.

Later, he added beef and mutton liver soup to beef noodles. The aroma was so fragrant that everyone liked his beef noodles, and gradually he became famous!

Then, Zhang Fan took less than half a minute to skillfully put the noodles into the pot.

After another minute has passed, pick up the cooked ramen noodles, put them into a bowl, and add an appropriate amount of stock and beef slices.

Then, add the blanched vegetables and chopped green onions, ginger, and minced garlic.

Sprinkle an appropriate amount of chili powder and coriander leaves, and drizzle with a spoonful of special spicy oil.

In this way, two bowls of beef ramen are completed.

Taking a closer look, the pieces of beef seemed to be very lonely, floating quietly on the top of the noodles, just like the feeling of standing alone on the top of Mount Huashan.

At this time, the atmosphere in the entire izakaya was extremely quiet, and even the heat of the warm soup was stagnant.

……

Pick up a pair of chopsticks.

Slowly pick up a small piece of beef as thin as a cicada's wings.

Through observation, Mu Jiuzhi found that the beef was very crystal clear, like a delicate and elegant work of art.

Involuntarily, she quickly placed the piece of beef in her mouth carefully and began to taste the delicious aroma of the beef melting on her tongue.

fresh!
soft!
And juice!

The rich aroma of beef touched her greatly.

Even though the beef is cut very thin, it really has a "melt in your mouth" feeling when you eat it.

Just like the snow in early spring, it is slowly melting.

Gradually, Mujiuzhi Yuanguo closed his eyes.

She began to enjoy and experience the unique deliciousness that "amino acids" brought to her.

As the teeth continue to chew, every taste bud cell inside the tongue is also moistened, and is completely stretched in this wave of delicious meat juice!
The most high-end ingredients require the simplest cooking methods.

This sentence is very appropriate when applied to the bowl of beef ramen in front of me.

Slicing beef and boiling it, just such a simple process can make Kikuzhi experience a short and rapid "climax".

……

Suck, suck, suck!

Suck, suck, suck!

Finished a small piece of beef.

Mu Jiuzhi finally aroused all the greed in his stomach.

She was stunned and just picked up the steaming noodles and ate them in one gulp.

Suddenly, I felt a warm current flowing through my body.

Finally, combined with radish, beef, garlic sprouts, coriander... these simple ingredients, and the delicious soup keep rolling in the stomach.

And the increasingly warm feeling made her face flush.

I can't help but be immersed in this fragrant beef noodles, and I can't extricate myself for a long time!

Although at first, I didn't feel anything special.

But at the end of the meal, she gradually realized that this bowl of beef noodles was indeed not as simple as she imagined.

The deliciousness of the beef and the elasticity of the noodles brought her an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

What’s more, what surprised her even more was that the ramen soup base actually contained:

Spices such as red oil watercress, dried red pepper, onion, ginger, garlic, angelica root, astragalus, bay leaf, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.

It is no exaggeration to say that the "soup", the soul of ramen, has been fully utilized.

If she hadn't tasted it herself, I'm afraid she wouldn't have known that a bowl of ramen could be so complex and unforgettable!

Think about yourself, from the high-spiritedness of running Chunguo Pavilion to the current stagnation.

The experience of the past two years also made her understand that many things are just like the bowl of beef ramen in front of her, and she should not draw premature conclusions.

Judging something by its superficial impression while ignoring its deep connotation.This kind of impatient attitude may miss many precious opportunities, and even miss the true essence of things!

……

Time gradually passed.

In the peaceful and joyful atmosphere, Zhang Fan and Mu Jiuzhi both finished their beef ramen quickly.

"It's really enjoyable."

"This kind of ramen noodles is better than all kinds of ramen noodles in Neon Country."

Exhaling a breath of turbid air, Mu Jiuzhi said to himself with still unfinished meaning.

Thinking of becoming a chef, you can have a delicious meal at an izakaya.

And I'm afraid she could have this kind of life every day in the future, and she couldn't help but almost fainted with happiness.

"Shopkeeper, they say beef ramen has one clear, two white, three green, four red and five yellow, so what does this mean?"

Afterwards, Mu Jiuzhi calmed down a little and continued to chat with Zhang Fan while he still had some free time.

"It's not that complicated, it just corresponds to the colors of various ingredients."

"Clear means the soup should be clear; white means radish; green means coriander and garlic; red means spicy; and the last yellow means the noodles are bright and yellow."

"Generally speaking, if the noodles, soup, meat, taste, and color can be integrated into one, then this bowl of beef ramen will be considered a great success."

Zhang Fan replied slightly vaguely.

"Soup and beef, I can understand a little bit, but noodles...are they that important too?"

When Mu Jiuzhi heard this, he was a little stunned.

After all, in her impression, a bowl of beef ramen is simply soup base and noodles.

It turns out that the food is quite particular, and even the noodles are required.

"Many people, like you, think that the soul of ramen lies in the soup base, but they don't know that noodles also play a very important role."

“The quality of flour, various parameters, and dough-stretching techniques are actually closely related to the quality of flour.”

"In other words, according to the requirements for ramen flour, wheat flour should be high-quality wheat flour with a gluten content of more than 30%. The requirement for gluten is that the more elastic the better."

After hearing this explanation, Mujiuzhi Yuanguo couldn't help but think deeply.

Soon, she understood something and continued to ask: "Does even the thickness of the noodles have to be taken into consideration?"

"clever!"

"As for ramen, it definitely depends on the individual's taste requirements."

"None of the ramen restaurants outside will indicate the noodle type. By default, they all have thin noodles."

"The reason why we default to thin noodles is because they cook quickly and can be taken out in 40 to [-] seconds." "And diners usually don't order other shapes deliberately."

"But generally speaking, there are three types of beef ramen noodles: round noodles, flat noodles, and special-shaped noodles."

"Then, it can also be divided into thin noodles, capillary noodles, second-thin noodles, third-thin noodles, wide noodles, leek leaves, etc. These noodles with different thicknesses naturally have their own texture and taste."

"The noodles we eat tonight are two-thin noodles!"

"The width is 4mm!"

"I see."

"It seems I still have a lot to learn!"

Mu Jiuzhi finally sighed again.

"The chef industry is constantly changing. If you remain stagnant, you will easily be eliminated by this era."

After saying this, Mu Jiuzhiyuanguo nodded, even more convinced.

……

Late at night.

All the scenery was shrouded in darkness and seemed even more dead.

Kikuchi Sonoko finally went back. As a kitchen helper, she could actually stay at the izakaya.

But the two restaurants were only separated by a wall, so she didn't need to sleep with Zhang Fan, ah bah, they were living together.

All you have to do is show up at the izakaya on time every night and return to Harukotei after closing time!

"Ding dong!"

"The host successfully signed in once!"

"Ding dong!"

"Congratulations to the host for getting the recipe Lion Head."

Now, the residential training activities are about to begin.

Freshmen such as Tagumi, Mito Yumei, and Nakiri Alice must be busy honing their cooking skills.

The top ten heroes, such as Kobayashi Ryodan and Nakiri Erina, are busy with various affairs in the school.

Therefore, no Totsuki students came to patronize the izakaya tonight.

However, thanks to the help of Kukuchiengo, this izakaya has started to get on the right track and is developing in a better direction!

……

At the same time, at Totsuki Academy.

In a bedroom full of cute girly style, Erina was flipping through a comic book.

"Yu!"

"Love...love me!"

"Huh? Are these two finally going to kiss?"

"Speaking of which, what does a kiss feel like?"

Suddenly, Erina was stunned and began to imagine some messy and dirty scenes in her mind.

After that, her pretty face suddenly turned red.The shame that came from her heart forced her to quickly close the comic book "The Sky of Fate" that Zhang Fan had lent her.

"Fish Sand."

"Tell me, what is he doing now?"

"All the izakayas are closed, so it's time to take a break, right?"

Next to him, Fei Shasha, wearing glasses, was browsing a comic website on his computer.

She naturally knew who the "he" in Nakiri Erina's mouth was referring to.

Upon hearing this, Erina murmured: "I wonder what he is busy with when he is not running the izakaya?"

Feisako glanced at Erina and suddenly chuckled: "Miss, do you know what you look like now?"

"What does it look like?" Erina asked.

"Like...like a little woman looking forward to her lover."

Fei Shasha replied.

"what?"

"Freeze said."

"Besides cooking, I...don't crave anything!"

Erina's expression changed, and she added with a guilty conscience: "Although it's still too early to talk about graduation."

"But there really isn't much time left for me. If I can't improve my cooking skills as soon as possible and become the first among the top ten, then..."

"I'm afraid, I am not qualified to lead the future of Totsuki Academy!"

Hearing this, Fei Shasha shook his head and sighed.

Of course she knew that as the default successor of the Nakiri family, Erina had a heavy responsibility on her shoulders.

"Miss, is that why you rely on Zhang Fan even more these days?"

"After all, his cooking can conquer even the commander-in-chief, WGO executive, top ten, and many others."

"rely?"

"I'm not relying on him!"

Erina crossed her arms and said disdainfully.

"Really? Then who wants to work part-time at an izakaya after the residential training is over?"

Fei Shasha couldn't help covering his mouth and smiled.

"Fish sand..."

Erina, who was struck to the core, couldn't help but glare at her, with a look that seemed to kill someone.

Helpless, Fei Shasha had no choice but to shut his mouth.

But I have to admit that Erina has indeed changed a lot compared to the previous month.

And the person who changed her was none other than Zhang, the owner of the izakaya!
……

The two of them were silent for a long time.

Erina's expression gradually softened, but her eyes were filled with confusion.

Although she has been thinking about Zhang Fan in her mind, there is also a person she often thinks of.

Yes, this person is her mother:
Nakiri Magi!

Although she had resentment whenever she was mentioned.

But since she knew that she had arrived in Neon Country, she was looking forward to it.

I look forward to this mother coming to see her daughter who has been separated for ten years.

As a result, what was waiting for her was the news that she had gone to see the commander-in-chief!
This was hard for her to accept, and she couldn't understand the relationship between mother and daughter. Could it be that they were really so broken?

"Fei Shasha, you said that if my mother and I meet one day, what should I do?"

Erina, who had complicated thoughts, looked at Haisako with helpless eyes.

Hisako was startled. This kind of thing also made her feel overwhelmed. In the end, she could only say reluctantly: "I think Master Shingi will apologize to you properly, right?"

"Over the years, I'm afraid she no longer has me as a daughter in her heart, right?"

"Miss, you must not think like that!"

Seeing Erina actually thinking this way, Hiisako was frightened and quickly comforted her.

She knew Erina's pain.

She also understands that she has not been living well in these years because of the lack of her mother's company and the "extreme education" of her ghost father.

Of course, in recent days, I can feel that she has become much more cheerful.

Maybe you feel there is some hope?

Or maybe it's because everyone knows about Zhang Fan's existence, so no matter what happens, there's no need to worry?
"Yes!"

"Isn't there Zhang Fan?"

Thinking of this, Fei Shasha suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

(End of this chapter)