A Sprinkle of Snowflakes: 1-2 Minced Fish Congee

*Given the position I'm in, I'll take responsibility for any flaws in the dishes.*

### Dialogue Choices

There are no dialogue choices in this stage.

## Transcript

Expand for script.

* **???:** What's wrong, Master Chef?

* The concerned voice enters my ears, taking away the discomfort caused by the travel.
* I see a beautiful person in front of me and am certain that I have returned to the Great Qian Dynasty.

* **You:** (The crystal ball!)

* I recall why I'm here — because my carelessness had prevented the December Spirit from completing her task — and quickly search my clothing.
* When I discover a small round object, I heave a sigh of relief. But something else weighs on my heart.

* **???:** Master Chef?

* I hear that soft voice again, and quickly snap out of it.

* **You:** I'm fine, I'm just...

* **You:** Just really happy... very happy...

* **You:** That you can stay by my side.

* **Liansheng:** Why are you saying things like this all of a sudden? Didn't we agree that I'll always be with you as your apprentice?

* **Liansheng:** But...

* **Liansheng:** I'm really happy to be able to keep accompanying you.

* The setting sun casts speckled light on Liansheng's charming face, adding a touch of grace and tenderness to her lively demeanor.
* Unfortunately, a sudden harsh voice shatters this peaceful and beautiful scene.

* **???:** Where's the chef? Get her over here!

* **Liansheng:** Why is that tyrant back again?

* Liansheng flicks an unhappy glance over her shoulder.

* **Liansheng:** Just ignore her.

* **Liansheng:** I told Mr. Fu to just make up an excuse and send her away!

* Before she finishes speaking, I hear Mr. Fu's elderly voice ringing outside the house.

* **Mr. Fu:** Ma'am, our chef has gone out.

* **???:** What, running away after causing trouble?

* **???:** Just two years in the palace, and she dares to have such airs?

* **Mr. Fu:** You shouldn't say such things, Ma'am.

* **Mr. Fu:** Since we accepted your job, our chef has been busy working hard and putting in a lot of effort.

* **Mr. Fu:** But you keep changing your mind again and again, and you change the dishes repeatedly. Even the best chef can't handle this kind of turmoil.

* **???:** So you're saying that finding fish bones in the minced fish congee is my fault?

* **You:** (Minced fish congee?)

* **You:** (Finding fish bones in your porridge is a big problem.)

* **You:** (No, I have to go check it out!)

* With this in mind, I disregard Liansheng's dissuasion and walk out.

* **???:** Trying to run away?

* **???:** There isn't even a door!

* I peek out from behind the curtain, and a fierce woman shoves Mr. Fu aside and walks towards me.
* I finally recall everything that took place.

* A slightly haggard woman enters the shop and orders Sister Song's Fish Soup before quietly sitting down to one side.
* Strangely, the arrival of the woman causes many customers in the shop to eat more quickly, hastily putting down their chopsticks and wiping their mouths before leaving.
* I briefly wonder about the strange incident, but I'm busy preparing dishes and don't feel like dwelling on the matter.
* Until... I hear a disdainful voice coming from a corner of the inn.

* **???:** Hmph, this so-called new version of Sister Song's Fish Soup is just lousy food pretending to be a high-end dish!

* I feel rather insulted.

* **You:** (Although the economy is gradually improving, food prices are still high and many ingredients are difficult to find.)

* **You:** (To let people taste a variety of flavors and dishes, I have developed a series of "budget delicacies.")

* **You:** (The aim is to use ordinary ingredients to make delicious food.)

* **You:** (Just to bring a little comfort to the people with my meager abilities in this turbulent world...)

* **You:** (I have always been honest, and I have never sold my dishes under false advertising.)

* I wipe my hands on my apron, and approach the woman.

* **You:** Ma'am, I am the chef here.

* **You:** Due to the impact of the flood, some traditional recipes cannot yet be widely enjoyed among the people.

* **You:** The reason I used the term "budget delicacies" is because I am using the inexpensive and abundant grass carp as a substitute for the expensive mandarin fish. It is seasoned with scallions, ginger, and mulled rice wine.

* **You:** The taste is indeed different from the traditional Sister Song's Fish Soup.

* **You:** Grass carp has its own unique flavor. What's more, this dish is very affordable. It tastes even better when paired with steamed buns or plain noodles.

* **You:** Why don't you give it another try, madam? If you still don't like it, the restaurant will make another dish for you.

* **???:** Stop flattering yourself. I knew you were using grass carp instead of mandarin fish.

* **???:** You did a great job getting rid of the earthy taste of the grass carp. But in order to replicate the freshness of Sister Song's Fish Soup, you added pepper while simmering the broth.

* **You:** (What a sensitive palate!)

* I only added a tiny bit of pepper. With the taste of the mulled rice wine and fresh mushrooms, even I find it hard to detect the pepper.
* The woman ignores my surprise and throws her spoon into the bowl.

* **???:** Pepper is a spice from the west regions, used to cook famous dishes in Jiangnan, but it doesn't quite fit in this dish.

* **You:** So from your perspective... How should we handle Sister Song's Fish Soup?

* **???:** Leave Sister Song's Fish Soup as a famous dish made with fish and known for its freshness with the addition of crab meat.

* **???:** If you want to enhance the freshness of grass carp, just marinate it in sweet cooking wine for a little while and then steam it in a pot.

* The woman's words completely enlighten me.

* **You:** (She's right!)

* **You:** (When I was a child, a fisherman once told me that, but I had forgotten.)

* I smack my head with some annoyance and quickly bow to the woman.

* **You:** Thanks for letting me know that, ma'am. Today, you can have this dish for free.

* **You:** If you ever need to host a banquet, just let us know and we'll do everything we can to help, without taking a penny.

* Mr. Fu lets out a heavy sigh in the corner and heavily pats the server on the back.
* The woman's eyes light up, but then she seems to try to cover up something by lowering her head in thought before slamming a silver ingot on the table.

* **???:** Although your new dish, Sister Song's Fish Soup, isn't quite up to par, it's clear that your basic skills are decent.

* **???:** In ten days, I'm throwing a hundredth-day celebration for my daughter and I'll be inviting a famous teacher to the party.

* **???:** You're in charge of handling the dishes for the hundredth-day celebration.

* After the woman leaves, Mr. Fu walks out with a sigh.

* **Mr. Fu:** Why did you put yourself in this kind of situation again?

* **You:** What did I do wrong?

* **Mr. Fu:** You stay cooped up in the kitchen all day, so you know nothing about the reputation of that woman!

* **Mr. Fu:** She is the wife of the head of the Bureau of Irrigation and Transportation, surnamed Chen, and the nearby residents avoid her at all costs!

* I now understand why the lively inn is suddenly nearly empty after Madam Chen's arrival.

* **You:** The Bureau of Irrigation and Transportation...

* **You:** There's been flooding in Jiangnan. Are the people blaming Madam Chen for that?

* **Mr. Fu:** Certainly some are blaming her, but that's not the main reason.

* **Mr. Fu:** Although the flooding in Jiangnan gets blamed on the Bureau of Irrigation and Transportation, the real villain is the one who deceived everyone.

* **Mr. Fu:** Official Chen is timid and cowardly, and has not achieved anything significant during his years in office.

* **Mr. Fu:** Madam Chen is arrogant and domineering, and takes full advantage of her husband's position. Everyone who has worked under her has nothing but complaints.

* **Mr. Fu:** Across the street, there's a guy named Changfu who used to work at Madam Chen's house. He once accidentally broke a teacup and was fiercely rebuked by Madam Chen as a result.

* **Mr. Fu:** Nowadays, no one wants to work in the Chen household!

* **You:** No wonder she looks a bit haggard.

* **You:** Since no one wants to work in her household, she must have found it really hard to find chefs for the hundredth-day celebration.

* **Mr. Fu:** Exactly. A few days ago, Madam Chen asked the head chef of the Four Seas Restaurant to prepare dishes for her daughter's hundredth-day celebration.

* **Mr. Fu:** The Four Seas Restaurant made excuses, and Madam Chen caused a scene. That night, the restaurant unexpectedly caught on fire.

* **Mr. Fu:** Since the restaurant wouldn't take her job, Madam Chen has been looking for a chef everywhere. But she's so picky that most people don't meet her standards.

* **Mr. Fu:** I had an idea. I wanted the server to secretly add more salt and ginger to her fish soup, so she wouldn't like our food.

* **Mr. Fu:** In the end, the server forgot to do it. But she still got picky about that little bit of fresh pepper.

* **Mr. Fu:** If you hadn't responded to her and let her leave on her own, things would be so much better for you.

* **Mr. Fu:** Now it's too late for regrets!

* I soon discover that Madam Chen is indeed formidable.
* She is extremely strict. If food is accidentally placed on the wrong plate in the kitchen, the dish needs to be cooked again from scratch.
* She also keeps making changes to planned dishes, causing most of our preparation work to go to waste.

* **You:** (It's the same with this minced fish congee.)

* **You:** (I heard that a famous teacher likes fish soup, so these days I've been working hard to develop a new version of Sister Song's Fish Soup.)

* **You:** (When the fish soup was nearly ready, Madam Chen rushed over to urgently request the trial dish to be changed from fish soup to minced fish congee.)

* **You:** (I saw that the guests in charge of tasting dishes had already taken their seats. After we failed to reach an agreement, I had no choice but to hand over the task of preparing the fish paste for the congee to Liansheng.)

* **You:** (I guess something bad happened.)

* By the time I've recalled all of this, Madam Chen has reached me.
* Her face is livid, and she seems ready to kill me.
* I involuntarily take two steps back and bow to the woman.

* **You:** Madam, we apologize. If there were fish bones in the minced fish congee, that was our mistake.

* **You:** I will take full responsibility and seek to make amends.

* **Madam Chen:** Amends?!

* Madam Chen slams her hand onto the table.

* **Madam Chen:** In three days, it's my daughter Daomi's hundredth-day celebration. I wanted to invite a famous teacher to the party and then have my daughter study under Mr. Du when she grows up.

* **Madam Chen:** But Madam Zhao, the Censorate official's wife, is my competitor. She found an excuse to invite Mr. Du to a banquet on the same day.

* **Madam Chen:** Since the dates clash, Mr. Du has to select one invitation and decline the other. Today, an old servant of the Du family came to taste the food and unexpectedly found a fish bone in the porridge!

* **Madam Chen:** If Mr. Du chooses not to come, can you handle the problem?

* **Liansheng:** There's nothing we can't handle.

* A figure dressed in orange stands in front of me.

* **Liansheng:** All you want is for that old man to attend your daughter's hundredth-day celebration, right?

* **Liansheng:** What's so hard about that? We'll take care of it for you.

* **Madam Chen:** You think it's that easy?

* **Madam Chen:** Mr. Du used to work at the Hanlin Academy, but he resigned and returned to his hometown to teach. Over the past ten years, he has taught many students and many of them have become successful scholars.

* **Madam Chen:** How can a nobody like you influence someone like him?

* **Liansheng:** I'll go right now and...

* **You:** Liansheng!

* I gently stop her and apologize to Madam Chen with a smile.

* **You:** Madam Chen, I heard that Mr. Du has not yet returned from his travels, so we still stand a chance.

* **You:** I'll go talk to the old servant, and if there's no solution, we'll find another way to compensate you. What do you think?

* Seeing how earnest I am, Madam Chen's expression finally relaxes a little.

* **Madam Chen:** Hmph! Alright, I'll give you another chance.

* **Madam Chen:** You best make that old man change his mind, or I'll send my people to wreck your inn!

* **Liansheng:** What should we do, Master Chef?

* After Madam Chen leaves, Liansheng timidly glances at me.

* **Liansheng:** If the old man doesn't attend Daomi's hundredth-day celebration, will Madam Chen really destroy our inn?

* I rub my temples, and remain silent.

* **You:** (I'm back this time to help the December Spirit fulfill someone's wish.)

* **You:** (I haven't even found someone who's made a wish, and something like this just happened at such a crucial moment.)

* **Liansheng:** It's all my fault.

* **Liansheng:** If I weren't so easygoing and had focused on refining my cooking skills, we wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

* Liansheng starts blaming herself during my silence. She lowers her head and pulls at the hem of her clothing.
* **You:** Don't blame yourself.

* I don't want to see Liansheng down, so I try to cheer her up, and take her hand.

* **You:** Making fish paste is a complicated and meticulous task.

* **You:** We were rushing for time, and even if I handled it myself, I can't guarantee I wouldn't make a mistake.

* **You:** Plus, Madam Chen suddenly requesting a change in the dishes was causing a lot of complaints.

* **You:** Thanks to you easing the atmosphere and helping out everywhere, we at least ensured that the other dishes were served perfectly.

* **Liansheng:** You... you mean it?

* **Liansheng:** Alright, I'll keep on trying my best!

* **Liansheng:** How will we persuade the old servant? Should I go kidnap him?

* Before I can reject the notion, Liansheng's eyes light up.

* **Liansheng:** I know! I can cast a spell!

* **Liansheng:** I'm really good at magic now! I can make him forget everything just like that!

* **You:** Your amateur magic skills might mess things up instead...

* I pat Liansheng on the back.

* **You:** If you want to impress the old servant, you have to prove your cooking skills to him.

* **Liansheng:** You mean... knife skills, ingredient preparation, heat and time control, and... plating.

* **Liansheng:** So we just show all these techniques to the old servant?

* **You:** We also need to learn more about Mr. Du.

* **You:** Only by knowing his preferences can we prove to the old servant that our dishes are more in line with Mr. Du's taste buds.

* **Liansheng:** But who should we go ask for information?

* **You:** Madam Chen.

* Liansheng and Mr. Fu give me surprised looks.

* **You:** Madam Chen keeps making changes to the dishes, which just proves how much she values the hundredth-day celebration.

* **You:** And Mr. Du is the most important guest at the hundredth-day celebration, so I think she would know something about him.

* **Liansheng:** Now that you mention it, I seem to recall seeing her walking in the direction of the Du mansion several times.

* **You:** Besides, Madam Chen may speak harshly, but we are asking her for help to persuade the old servant.

* **You:** She has no reason not to help us.

* **Liansheng:** Great!

* **Liansheng:** Since you've already made up your mind, I'll go with you.

* **You:** I'm counting on you, little Liansheng.

* Liansheng nods seriously at me and enters the kitchen to make preparations.
* I restrain a smile and look around at the inn I've put so much effort into.

* **You:** (I hope we don't spend too much time on this matter.)

* **You:** (And I hope everything goes smoothly.)