novelraw Chapter 36 Stepmother
Chapter 36 Stepmother
This store is actually very special, its name is Private Kitchen Cuisine, it is located in the only small alley left in the city, the cars are basically parked outside the alley, relying on regular customers to find this restaurant through the winding and complicated alleys Like an ordinary small courtyard.
The wall is made of blue bricks, and the roof is made of black tiles. There are no complicated patterns or paintings, but there are only two red lanterns hanging at the door. The lanterns are even a little faded when you look closely. There is not even a signboard at the door, and the door is even closed. .If it wasn't for Ai Fan to lead the way, it would be really hard to know that there is still an excellent restaurant hidden in this kind of place.
Ai Fan stepped forward, knocked on the door a few times, and explained to Ai Ye: "The chef and the owner of this restaurant are the same person, and this store is also his home. The craftsmanship has been passed down from the ancestors, but they only accept people who are pleasing to the eye. I only make a few tables every day, and no one will do it if I am in a bad mood. Don’t look at the temper and the rules, the things you make are really unique.”
The door opened quickly, and it was a young man in his 20s who opened the door. At first, he only opened a crack to reveal his head. When he saw Ai Fan, his eyes lit up: "Mr. Ai hasn't come for a long time." Hurry up and close the door completely. Open it, step aside, and made a gesture of invitation.
"Let's go." Ai Fan whispered to Ai Ye.
The young man seemed to have noticed the existence of Ai Ye just now, and the small flames in his eyes were a little dim, which made Ai Ye, who was highly focused, a little dumbfounded, I didn't care about you, did I?But this distraction made me a little relaxed.
When the two of them entered the door, they saw a garden with a big grape trellis. Unfortunately, it was already late autumn, and the leaves began to wither and turn yellow. The tiger cat sleeps leisurely on the table, its tail wagging occasionally.Through the garden, the two were led to a side room.
"I'll go and inform the master, both of you can do what you want." After speaking, the young man who led the way withdrew.
Ordinary white walls, only a few calligraphy and paintings hung, not famous, but as if left by the boss or his friends, quite a bit of comfort and style, a few wooden seats are placed on one side of the room, and a small table There is a chessboard, and an endgame has even been laid out.
Seeing that Ai Ye noticed the chess game, Ai Fan smiled and said, "Do you still remember how to play?"
Nodding, Ai Ye really likes to play Go, but there are not many people around who know it, and there are few people who know it.
"Come on, let's play a game together as a father and daughter. We don't care about the food. We don't have to wait for what Lao Wang wants to do." He said and sat on the side of the black chess.
It takes a lot of work to cook Cantonese cuisine, and the waiting time is worse than finding something to do, so Ai Ye sat on the other side in a good manner.
The two of them cleared up the chess game, and Ai Fan said: "You go first." Without bothering with him about these details, Ai Ye took the white and went first.
It is not easy to play Go well, the father and daughter are not mediocre players, this chess game is quite meticulous and thrilling.Ai Ye is very good at seeing the overall situation. Every move has its own meaning, while Ai Fan makes every step without missing any flaws. While defending perfectly, the layout is confusing and difficult to guess. step.
When they met their opponents, both of them were so engrossed that they didn't even notice that the food was being served.
"Good chess! Good chess!" Two compliments awakened the father and daughter, who were fully engaged, and it turned out that the owner and chef of the private kitchen came over.
Over 40 years old, with a fat body, wearing a white chef uniform, but no hat, Boss Wang praised the chess game, without disturbing the self-consciousness of other people's chess game at all: "But you can play chess later, If you don't eat this food, it will be cold."
Only then did Ai Ye realize that it was time to eat.
"By the way, Lao Ai, who is this?" I am also very curious about the young girl Lao Wang who appeared for the first time. I have known Ai Fan for five or six years, and I haven't seen him bring anyone here, including his legend. His wife has only seen him once or twice.
"My daughter," Ai Fan smiled, "baby, let's eat something first."
How come I never heard that you have a daughter?But this question is inappropriate, let's talk about it later.Now that the guests had already eaten, he didn't bother him anymore: "Eat first, just let me know if there is anything you need to say." After finishing his drink, he backed out.
Three dishes and one soup are placed on the small square wooden table, which is enough for two people.
Soft tofu in oyster sauce, pan-fried cod with orange, bergamot ribs, and pork loin in claypot with ginseng and jade bamboo.
"Are you hungry? Don't worry, eat quickly." Ai Fan picked up the chopsticks and said to Ai Ye.
There are not too many complicated crafts and carvings, but it is homely.The white and tender tofu is covered with the aroma of oyster sauce, which is quite attractive in the dishes. What can reflect the chef's profound skills is that the tofu is not scattered at all, and there is no trace of bean smell. Ai Ye digs a mouthful with a spoon, and her eyes light up slightly. She has also eaten a lot of delicious food along with Zhou Zhou, but this taste definitely ranks first.
Try orange fried cod again. The cod is beautifully placed in the center of the plate, sprinkled with black pepper, and the golden orange is cut into slices and placed around. After a bite, the slightly sour and sweetness of the orange meets the tenderness of the cod. Formed a wonderful taste enjoyment.
Seemingly satisfied, Ai Fan also lifted the chopsticks and ate the ribs, and sure enough, his craftsmanship has not deteriorated.
However, Ai Ye was a little silent when she ate the pork loin in stewed ginseng and polygonatum. The taste was very similar to that made by her mother.The mother, who was supposed to keep her fingers above water, learned a lot about making soup for her husband and children.She carefully studied the nutritional content of food, consulted with old Chinese medicine practitioners, learned about herbal diet and health-preserving soup, and cooked silently in the kitchen.
But Ai Ye didn't lose her mind for too long, a sudden noise interrupted her thoughts.
"Ma'am, you can't go in!" It seemed that the young man who led the way was trying to stop someone from breaking in.
"I'll see who dares to stop me!"
Hearing this familiar voice, Ai Fan's eyes flashed an imperceptible impatience. Although he had guessed that she would follow, she still couldn't help feeling dizzy when she really came.
The door was pushed open, and Ai Ye just put down her chopsticks and looked up at the door.
The one who started was a rather flamboyant woman, who looked not too old but not too young, but she had long red hair highlighted, with delicate but exaggerated makeup on her eyebrows and eyes, and her red phoenix eyes were full of red eyes. Proud, the red lips also carried an air of arrogance.A fiery red dress wrapped her exquisite figure, and the extremely high stiletto high heels made her long legs look extraordinarily beautiful, which was also the origin of the crisp footsteps.
"Husband, you are here." The red-haired woman spoke first, and Ai Ye heard about it and glanced at Ai Fan.
"Why come here when you have time, didn't you go to practice yoga?" Ai Fan said softly, got up and gave the woman a hug, his eyes were full of tenderness.
The woman seemed to have calmed down now, and she smiled brightly: "I heard that you came to see my daughter. I, as a stepmother, can't help but show my heart."
Li Mei, Ai Ye recited the name silently in her heart, chewing every single word over and over again.It was this beautiful woman with a venomous thorn who destroyed her home.She clenched her hand under the table tightly, her nails poking into the flesh, and the pain pulled her back to her sanity.
"This is Ai Ye, right? It's really beautiful." The phoenix eyes swept across, and she couldn't tell the sarcasm. She smiled flamboyantly, like a flame, burning someone's eyes.
"Come on, the first time we meet, this card is for you. Girls should treat themselves better. This is the best beauty salon in the city." Zhang Mei took out a gold card from her LV handbag and handed it to Ai Ye , The red nails make the fingers pale.
Ai Ye stood up but did not accept it.
Seeing the stalemate in the atmosphere, Ai Fan said to Ai Ye: "Auntie, you can accept it if you give it to you. You are welcome. By the way, Meimei, you haven't eaten yet, so come over and have some."
"You guys eat these things," Zhang Mei said disdainfully, "the calories are too high, I don't want to touch them."
Sitting on the seat beside her, Zhang Mei raised her legs and said, "I wanted to see you a long time ago, but unfortunately my husband is easy to be overwhelmed. I'm afraid that I will feel bad when I see you. I'm such a petty person, even if I don't see you You, it's not like you haven't seen your daughter-in-law for so many years, right? I just wronged you. "
Anyone could tell if there was any sincerity in the words, but Ai Fan just looked at her. Since she came in, his gaze was focused on her [-]% of the time, as if she was his everything.Now, when I hear such words, I just smile dotingly, as if I can accept and dote on any behavior of my sweetheart.
"You, shall I go shopping with you after dinner?"
"No," Zhang Mei waved her hand, "Eat, yes, don't forget the food." The last sentence was quite meaningful, and then she got up and hugged Ai Fan, kissed him sideways, and then stepped on her high heels and left up.
After she left, there was even more silence.
Ai Fan looked at Ai Ye and didn't know what to say: "Don't mind, she has such a temper, she has no malicious intentions."
mind?What can I mind?Ai Ye bowed her head, took another sip of the soup but it was like chewing wax.
Ai Fan, who originally wanted to ask something, felt that now was not a good time to ask, so it was worth silently ordering food for Ai Ye.However, Ai Ye just put the ribs aside, without any intention of tasting them.
After passing, the young man who led the way appeared again, this time offering desserts, and Ai Ye didn't even touch them.The dessert she liked the most when she was a child, today, it is like a poison that she can't avoid.In fact, it's just a psychological effect. When I was a child, someone always teased her with this kind of pastry. After he left, she was very afraid of seeing it.
After a meal, no one's goal has been achieved, and no one knows how to speak.Not in the mood to continue playing chess, the two left directly.
In the garden, the scenery remained the same, but the lazy cat was gone.
Back at school, before Ai Ye got off the car, Ai Fan finally couldn't hold back and said: "Remember to keep the things your mother left you." He took a deep look at Ai Ye one last time and drove away.
Ai Ye naturally preserved the things left by his mother well, but his words already pointed out something.
Facing the noon sun, Ai Ye narrowed his eyes slightly.