Chapter 112: Hundred Tastes Cake
Cheng Gong finally sat down under everybody’s earnest gaze.
As soon as his bottom touched the chair, he turned relaxed completely and the muscle of his shoulders got softened. Even his face full of alertness had a tinge of tenderness.
An Rushuang was sitting opposite to her. Given her pretty face and slightly curved lip corners, without catching her bright eyes, Mr. Cheng would surely think she was a gentle noble girl.
When she spoke, the evident confidence in her tone was greatly complemented by her starry eyes. You couldn’t help echoing her words with a nod and trusting her without any hesitation.
An Rushuang said with a chuckle, “I just felt bad that I couldn’t taste the dishes like those of yesterday, and you show up in time. It seems that my dream is realized.”
Cheng Gong wasn’t as passionate as he was when he argued with An Rushuang. Instead, he said in a low voice with a tender smile, “Miss An, I heard that you want to test my cuisine. Since I can cook so many dishes, it is impossible for you to check them all in a single day.”
As an eminent chef in the capital city, there was a tinge of pride in his words.
Catching a glimpse of him, Zhao Xitao had opened the hamper and took the dishes out. The young maid standing aside couldn’t help gasping in admiration once seeing the deserts on the top level.
With the sweet aroma lingering in the air, it seemed that everyone had been intoxicated.
An Rushuang also fixed her eyes on the desert. Different from the so-called Yuanyang Cake last time, it was smaller and more lovely. In the shape of a piggy, this soft and snowy little thing was seemingly staring at her with its pea-like eyes!
Slightly curling her lip corners, An Rushuang was a little curious. There was not a girl in the world who wouldn’t be attracted by such cute food.
“What’s this?”
Hong Yu brought one to the small porcelain dish before her.
Mr. Cheng answered, “This is Hundred Tastes Cake. Have a taste.”
With a frown, Zhao Xiaotao asked in confusion, “It looks like a piggy. Why do you name it Hundred Tastes Cake?”
All the people turned to Mr. Cheng in doubt. He smiled shyly and just said to An Rushuang, “You will know what I mean after tasting it.”
Following his words, An Rushuang had a small bite. There was a tinge of sourness in the sweetness. After another bite, it turned bitter and salty. At last, the slight but refreshing piquancy hidden in the sweetness occupied her mouth, as the old wine with the fragrance of the bamboo. Though pungent, it was mellow and soft.
An Rushuang put down the silver chopsticks and sighed, “Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty, you combined the five tastes perfectly. What a Hundred Tastes Cake!”
The Hundred Tastes Cake of the Baiwei Restaurant!
Eating this cake was just like experiencing all the happiness and sorrows in one’s life. After one was born, one would first taste sweetness, which was coming from the love of his parents.
When he grew up, he would meet a lot of troubles, thus tasting the sourness in the world.
After getting married and had children, he had to support the whole family. Shedding tears while working harder, he would taste the saltiness and bitterness. Though it was too hard to stand all of these, he had to get through all the hardships and sufferings.
After he died, his ashes would be put into a small can, like a pot of pungent liquor, and buried into the earth.
Though getting An Rushuang’s praise, Mr. Cheng wasn’t proud. He was just smiling in silence.
As curious as Zhao Xiaotao was, she couldn’t help wondering why Miss An commended the plainly looked desert. Lost in thought, she also fixed her eyes on the Hundred Tastes Cake.
An Rushuang curled her lip corners before waving her hand. “The rest are yours. Enjoy Mr. Cheng’s dishes as you will.”
With a respond, the piggy-like deserts were shared by all the maids present. However, their face changed one by one after taking a bite.
Hong Yu frowned and swallowed it down with her eyes closed. Considering her expression, An Rushuang knew she didn’t chew it at all. “How come its taste was so strange?”
In fact, if Mr. Cheng hadn’t been here, she would surely complain how terrible it was! There was actually such a strange thing in the world, sour and sweet, bitter and salty, as well as pungently spicy...
An Wushuang glanced at her helplessly and then at Zhao Xiaotao whose face gradually turned peaceful. Having suffered a lot from childhood due to her step father, she should understand better the meaning of this Hundred Tastes Cake.
While An Rushuang was lost in thought, Zhao Xiaotao had closed her eyes slowly with tears trickling down her cheeks.
Cheng Gong couldn’t help feeling panic. He rose to his feet in a hurry and knocked the table forcefully with his legs. Though gritting his teeth because of the sharp pain, he turned to Zhao Xiaotao directly regardless of his injury and comforted her, “Miss Zhao, don’t cry...”
“Is it because this cake tastes so bad? I, I... will not make it any longer.”
He looked down as he spoke. Except for An Rushuang, all the people in the room seemed very painful.
If a chef couldn’t make people happy with the dishes he cooked, then those dishes were as useless as garbage.
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Xiaotao shook her head wildly. With bloodshot eyes and trickling tears, she wiped her eyes and seized Mr. Cheng’s arms so firmly that even he felt slightly painful.
“No! Keep cooking it. I still have wages. I can give all my money to you...”
Zhao Xiaotao turned around and left while sobbing.
If his arm hadn’t hurt, Mr. Cheng would surely think it was merely a dream. He turned to An Rushuang who was also staring at him helplessly.
It was after a while that Mr. Cheng stuttered, “Well, I am leaving now...”
Blushing heavily, he didn’t dare to raise his head, as if all the maids in the room had the same look as Zhao Xiaotao did.
Such being the case, An Rushuang nodded before saying, “Please wait. Hong Yu, ask Qi Da to drive him back. The rain is still heavy.”
With the smell of liquor in her mouth, Hong Yu nodded and said to Mr. Cheng, “Come with me then!”
Intending to say no at first, Mr. Cheng at last nodded when he thought of Zhao Xiaotao’s reaction. “Thank you very much, Miss An.” He bowed deeply.
As if remembering something all of a sudden, An Rushuang called Mr. Cheng.
Cheng Gong turned back in the heavy rain with the umbrella in his hand. “You don’t need to come tomorrow. I will send you the money in a few days. Remember to come to cook for me at my birthday party.”
Though responding subconsciously, Cheng Gong stared at An Rushuang with his eyes wide open and stuttered, his limbs seemingly numb, “Mon... Money?”
It was the birthday party that surprised him the most. As the daughter of the top-level censor in the government, there must be numerous noble men visiting this manor. How was he qualified enough to be her chef?
What a lucky dog he was!
An Rushuang smiled slightly. “What? You don’t want that? No need of my assistance?”
Her voice was blurred by the heavy rain.
However, to Mr. Cheng, every word of hers struck his heart wildly.
Lifting up his robe, he knelt down in the downpour and kowtowed to An Rushuang for three times before straightening up his back and leaving.
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