Chapter 757

Chapter 757: Eccentric Liu Zhang

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The old man had mentioned that the person making the liver was very easy to recognize . That was indeed the case . At the very least, that was the case for Yuan Zhou .

When Yuan Zhou and Wu Hai reached the food market, the evening session had not started yet . Very few customers were around and even the vendors there were lounging around lazily .

To get fresh livers, one was supposed to come early in the morning as the livestock would be slaughtered then .

But according to the old man, this particular person would only come selling livers before the evening session started . That was why Yuan Zhou and Wu Hai had arrived at this time .

“What a weird timing,” Yuan Zhou sighed inwardly .

While Yuan Zhou and Wu Hai were passionately staring at the entrance of the food market, a person arrived .

He was dressed in a light blue Tang attire, with a black coat on top of it . His hair was neatly combed back, and he was wearing a pair of black cloth shoes . When he walked, his steps were steady . A smile hung at all times on his face, giving off a very amiable feeling .

The reason why this person was very easy to recognize was because he had a very nice beard . The beard reached his chest, with the upper part of it white and the lower part of it black .

His face did not seem too old, and his beard was very clean and neat .

“It’s probably him,” Yuan Zhou turned and said to Wu Hai before walking towards the newcomer .

If this was any other occasion, Yuan Zhou would probably feel too shy to directly speak to a stranger like this .

However, this person was a person capable of making a dish that even the system had claimed to be impossible to make . Therefore, Yuan Zhou spoke forthrightly .

“Hello, I am Yuan Zhou . This is Wu Hai . We are introduced here by the rickshaw-riding grandpa,” Yuan Zhou introduced himself .

Yuan Zhou had only spoken after he stood still in front of that person . That person seemed patient as he stood there smiling while waiting for Yuan Zhou and Wu Hai to speak .

“Oh, I knew you would be coming . I am Liu Zhang,” he spoke with a smile while stroking his beard .

“You are the boss of that extremely good restaurant and is very good at cooking . And you are that mustached guy,” the person spoke in a firm tone . It would have been hard to guess his age from his voice alone .

“Sorry for bothering you,” Yuan Zhou said .

“How did you know we will be coming?” Wu Hai had fewer misgivings and asked after sizing up Liu Zhang’s beard .

Liu Zhang smiled and said, “Simple . He is a chef while you are a foodie . I have heard many things about you two . ”

The rickshaw-riding grandpa was a person who loved telling stories . Therefore, it wasn’t weird for him to have spoken about the affairs of Yuan Zhou’s restaurant while eating with Liu Zhang .

“Wow, so you do know me,” Wu Hai rubbed his mustache .

“Mr . Liu, do you mind letting me prepare your dinner today?” Yuan Zhou asked .

Yuan Zhou had long made up his mind . He would come and have a free liver meal before treating this person to a meal in return .

“I can’t wish for more . That old man had mentioned that the taste of your food is worth the price you charge at your restaurant,” Liu Zhang said .

“We won’t be holding back then,” Yuan Zhou did not bother beating around the bush and said with a nod .

“Let’s go in . I reckon the lamb livers are ready by now,” Liu Zhang said as he stepped forward .

Yuan Zhou started bringing out the attitude of a student as he prepared to observe and learn . As for Wu Hai, he was curiously looking everywhere, his gaze stopping at Liu Zhang’s beard every now and then .

One ought to know that Liu Zhang’s beard was indeed very conspicuous . One single look and anyone would be able to see that Liu Zhang had taken great care of this beard .

“Hahaha, there is nothing to learn . You will know after you try it,” Liu Zhang said with a smile when he saw Yuan Zhou’s solemn attitude .

Yuan Zhou gave a serious reply, “I don’t know how to make this dish . I hope to learn about it from you . ”

“There’s nothing to say about it . You will know soon,” Liu Zhang said indifferently .

From his tone, Yuan Zhou could see that Liu Zhang was not trying to keep him in suspense and was speaking his mind . Therefore, Yuan Zhou calmed down .

“Don’t mind him . He’s always so serious all the time . But of course, being serious will ensure that one does well in his job . After all, I am also a serious person,” Wu Hai remarked .

“Hahaha!” Liu Zhang couldn’t hold his laughter in .

Yuan Zhou pretended like he had heard nothing .

“Lad, your mustache is interesting, and you, as a person, is interesting as well,” Liu Zhang said .

“Of course . I am a charming and witty man,” Wu Hai said as he rubbed his mustache .

“Hoho,” Yuan Zhou gained a new understanding of Wu Hai’s shamelessness .

While speaking, they reached the section of the market where mutton was being sold .

This market was rather huge . There were three long rows of stalls selling pork alone . There was also a long row of stalls selling beef alone . This was something rarely seen in other markets .

After all, Chengdu was located by the southwest of China . The people here ate more pork than beef . Normally, there would only be one or two stalls selling beef in a market . As for mutton stalls, only one or two would appear during winter . During other seasons, one wouldn’t even be able to find any mutton stalls .

But here, there were three stalls selling muttons . Liu Zhang brought them to the stall at the edge of the market .

“This person is very honest while doing business . His lambs were fed with grass to ensure that the flavor of the meat will be stronger while the odor unique to muttons become weaker . Each day, he would kill two lambs . One in the morning and one in the evening,” Liu Zhang explained as he walked .

This explanation was clearly meant for Yuan Zhou .

“Um,” Yuan Zhou nodded and followed behind Liu Zhang like a student .

Anyone bestowing knowledge would be worthy of being treated like a teacher .

As for Wu Hai, he was more curious about the difference between mutton and beef .

“Old Liu, you’re here . Here, this is the fresh lamb liver,” said the man at the stall before Liu Zhang could even say anything .

“Thank you,” Liu Zhang took out a straw bag and accepted the lamb liver .

“You’re welcome . When are you going to prepare some livers for me again? It goes well with liquor,” the man asked in a forthright manner .

“Sure, keep some for me tomorrow and I’ll prepare a bowl for you,” Liu Zhang agreed directly .

“Deal . I’ll look for you tomorrow,” the man replied .

“Sure, sure,” Liu Zhang said as he walked away with the lamb liver .

“This lamb liver sure is small,” Wu Hai said after comparing it with cow liver .

“But the lamb liver is fresher,” Liu Zhang said .

“Um . But it has the odor to it as well,” Yuan Zhou frowned .

“This is the liver of a freshly slaughtered lamb . It is very fresh and if you place it in other containers, it will be tainted with the smell of the container . Using a straw bag is the most optimal way to disinfect and remove the odor from it . The blood would drip out of it and by the time I reach home, I only need to clean the liver,” Liu Zhang explained .

“Thank you, Master Liu,” Yuan Zhou solemnly thanked .

Liu Zhang had the bearing of a master indeed . He did not know Yuan Zhou, yet he was willing to tell Yuan Zhou the secret of his dish down to the little details of it .

There was a saying that the disciple would overtake the master after being taught everything . Therefore, the masters needed to hold back when teaching . If that was the case for masters and disciples, it would be even worse when teaching strangers . It was clear that this Liu Zhang was a very magnanimous person .

“Don’t worry . I am looking forward to your cooking as well,” Liu Zhang said as he leisurely walked .

It took seven minutes to reach Liu Zhang’s house on foot . They talked as they walked and reached not long later .

Liu Zhang’s house was located in a nearby neighborhood . He lived in a single-storied house with a little courtyard . In the courtyard was a tiny wooden table . Around the table, some raw ingredients were planted, giving the courtyard a verdant and lush look .

While walking in the neighborhood, many old people could be seen lounging around in their rocking chairs, swaying back and forth in a leisure and serene manner .

“The scallions, ginger, and garlic are all planted by me . This way, it will be easy for me to get some when I need it,” Liu Zhang explained when he noticed Yuan Zhou looking at the plants .

“You will be able to control the flavor doing this,” Yuan Zhou nodded .

This house was not remote yet serene . It also had enough space to plant a small number of vegetables to be self-sufficient . This was, in a way, a dream lifestyle .

“Have a seat . I won’t bother serving you drinks . The lamb liver can’t afford to wait,” Liu Zhang said as he entered the kitchen with the liver .

“No problem,” Wu Hai immediately sat down . He did not look around and silently waited for food .

This was a good habit of Wu Hai . Whenever there was food to be had, he would be sitting there obediently . One could say that this behavior resembled a dog greatly .

As for Yuan Zhou, he could not stay calm as his gaze was locked onto the kitchen . He had always been one that was very curious about things he did not know .