Chapter 445 - 445: Killing Two Birds with One Stone

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Actually, not all Sichuan dishes were spicy. There were many dishes of other flavors.

However, in the modern era, people’s pursuit of spicy Sichuan dishes made Sichuan dishes famous for their spiciness. Therefore, those dishes that were not spicy gradually became neglected and many of them even disappeared.

Similarly, some of these Sichuan dishes were very cumbersome. Modern people only paid attention to efficiency, so very few people were willing to make these cumbersome and troublesome dishes. Therefore, many Sichuan dishes gradually disappeared.

Li Xiaoran was lucky enough to try the old Sichuan dishes made by some foodies who promoted old Sichuan dishes, but they didn’t taste as good as what she was eating now.

It had to be said that an imperial chef was indeed impressive. The taste of every dish was top-notch.

As Li Xiaoran ate it bite by bite, the expression on her face kept changing, but in the end, she sighed.

“I was too narrow-minded! Sichuan’s dishes are not just spicy. The other dishes are also quite delicious!”

When Fan Dechang heard Li Xiaoran’s words, his initial respect turned into agreement.

“You two are right. Whenever people hear about Sichuan, they think that our dishes are all spicy dishes. But other than spicy dishes, our other dishes are also very delicious. Unfortunately, it’s very rare for people to see them. At first, every time I heard others say this, I would explain. Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to change the impression people have of us. In addition, it’s not easy to make these dishes, so many Sichuan chefs don’t make these sorts of Sichuan dishes anymore!”

At this point, Fan Dechang sighed.

As a chef, he hoped that all delicious recipes would be passed down.

However, seeing that fewer and fewer chefs knew how to make authentic Sichuan dishes, Fan Dechang felt helpless.

Li Xiaoran could sense the regret in Fan Decheng’s heart. She thought of something and said, “Mr. Fan, why don’t you start a class in the capital to teach people how to make these dishes? Even if these dishes aren’t specifically taught by chefs, as long as someone is willing to learn them, there’s an additional possibility of them being passed down! Chefs feel that it’s more cumbersome to cook, but some people like delicious food, so they have an interest in learning how to cook these dishes! Such good recipes can’t be wasted!”

Fan Dechang didn’t expect Li Xiaoran to make such a suggestion. He was very willing to, but unfortunately, this matter couldn’t be done just like that.

Firstly, he was an imperial chef and had lived in the palace for a long time, so he didn’t have any extra time to teach people.

Secondly, buying ingredients for these dishes also cost money. Therefore, if he wanted to teach, he would definitely have to accept tuition.

At that time, would anyone be willing to learn how to cook these dishes?

Not to mention anything else, just these two points alone would turn off many people.

Luo Cheng saw that Fan Dechang was a little tempted and he felt that passing down these dishes was very meaningful, so he spoke up.

“If you’re willing to do it, I’ll tell the emperor, so that he’ll allow you to come out six times a month for a day each time. I can help you take care of everything else, so just focus on teaching!”

Fan Dechang looked up at Luo Cheng in disbelief.

“Seventh Prince, are you serious?”

Luo Cheng nodded. “Don’t worry, since I agreed, I’ll naturally keep my word!”

“I’m willing. As long as these dishes can be passed down, I’m willing to do anything!” Fan Dechang said excitedly.

“Alright, I’ll accept this task! Sit down with us for dinner now! After you’re done, you should return to the palace to report!” At this point, Luo Cheng thought of something and added, “After you go back, if the emperor or Xiao Dezi ask you about the situation here, you don’t have to hide anything. Just tell them everything. If anyone else asks, don’t say anything!”

“Yes!” Fan Dechang nodded in agreement. Then, he sat down and ate together with them.

Sure enough, after dinner, as soon as Fan Dechang returned to the royal family to report, Xiao Dezi sent someone to call him.

As soon as he heard that the emperor had invited him, Fan Dechang quickly tidied up his appearance and followed the young eunuch who had sent the message towards the palace.

Just as Luo Cheng had instructed, the emperor asked Fan Dechang about his visit to the Seventh Prince’s residence. Fan Dechang didn’t hesitate to tell him what he had seen and done.

“What? You said that the Seventh Prince agreed to help you teach people how to cook Sichuan dishes?” The emperor asked in surprise when he heard what Fan Dechang said.

“That’s right. This suggestion was made by the Seventh Prince’s consort. Seeing that I was a little tempted yet hesitant, the Seventh Prince agreed!” Fan Dechang replied truthfully.

The emperor thought about it for a moment, then waved his hand in dismissal.

“It’s fine. You can leave now! Remember, don’t tell anyone else about you going to the Seventh Prince’s residence today!”

Fan Decheng accepted the order and kowtowed before leaving the emperor’s palace.

After Fan Decheng left, the emperor turned to look at Xiao Dezi.

“Xiao Dezi, why do you think this girl came up with this idea?”

Xiao Dezi thought for a moment and said, “Perhaps the Seventh Prince and consort just think that these dishes are delicious and don’t want them to be lost!”

After the emperor nodded, he fell silent.

In the Seventh Prince’s residence, Luo Cheng asked the same question.

Li Xiaoran pondered for a moment and replied, “Many things might be useless to us now and will gradually be lost. As time passes, perhaps someone will like these dishes again, but at that time, they will be lost already, so it will be very difficult to make them again. Instead of waiting for our descendants to regret it, why don’t we do what we can now?!”

At this point, Li Xiaoran paused.

“Besides, delicious food should be respected and passed down! These things are also a form of cultural heritage of our dynasty, so we should value them!”

“Do you already have a good idea?” Luo Cheng looked at Li Xiaoran and asked.

Li Xiaoran nodded and said, “Don’t you have good wine? We can also open a wine shop in the capital! The difference is that other than side dishes, we can also sell these cumbersome and niche delicacies. The chefs trained by Mr. Fan can work in our wine shop to repay the money they spend on learning how to cook. This way, those talented chefs from poor families can have the chance to learn more skills, and we can also have good chefs to cook. Mr. Fan can also fulfill his dream of passing down Sichuan recipes. This is killing three birds with one stone!”

After Luo Cheng understood Li Xiaoran’s idea, he asked in surprise, “I was wondering why you were so certain that someone would be willing to learn these dishes.. It turns out that you had your eyes on those poor commoners right from the beginning?”