Chapter 177
After the chicken soup was ready, the butler didn’t send it directly to Anthony. Instead, she went to see Lindy first.
Lindy was drinking coffee. When she heard this, her hand that was holding the coffee cup paused slightly.
She slowly put down the coffee cup. “Has Mr. Arthur checked on it?”
The butler knew what Lindy was going to ask and quickly replied, “He checked it. The prescription is very special and seemed to be nutritious, but he isn’t sure if it’s useful.”
Eaton Arthur was an old retired doctor who used to work at the
provincial hospital.
After his retirement, he was hired by the Patterson family to take care of Anthony’s health on a daily basis.
Lindy hesitated, rubbing the sides of her cup with her thumb and index finger, unable to make up her mind.
She didn’t like Olivia, considering her too young.
However, when she saw her cooking the medicinal cuisine, she felt touched.
After some contemplation, her maternal instincts took over.
It was just two bowls of chicken soup. She considered pouring them away since nothing is more important than Anthony’s health.
The prescription seemed fine, but who knew if there would be any
adverse effects after drinking it?
“Pour it.” Lindy picked up her coffee cup and began to sip it.
The butler returned to the kitchen and had the chef pour out the chicken
soup.
“Pour it?” The chef couldn’t control the volume of his voice, and it came out sharply.
The butler glanced at him unhappily, saying, “Why are you being so loud?”
The chef looked at the chicken soup in the pot with a conflicted expression. “How can we pour away something so good? If Anthony doesn’t want it, I’ll drink it.”
175
11:14
15 vouchers
As he spoke, he ladled a bowl of soup and was about to put it in his mouth.
The butler was alarmed by this and quickly stopped him, her eyes widening. “Are you crazy? It contains medicine!”
“It should be fine. Mr. Arthur has seen the prescription and he said it’s nutritious.” The chef didn’t want to waste such a good thing. Plus, he had been smelling the fragrance for an hour. If he didn’t get to taste it, he would be regretful for the rest of his life.
Just as the butler was hesitating, the chef put it into his mouth and took a big sip.
As soon as it entered his mouth, his eyes brightened. He was surprised that the chicken soup is astonishingly delicious.
He didn’t bother to say anything else and quickly swallowed the soup.
The butler was so anxious that she was hopping on her foot. “You are really insane. Why are you in such a hurry? Are you afraid that someone will snatch it from you?”
“It’s so delicious!” The chef finally found a moment to speak. “I’ve never had chicken soup this delicious. It’s amazing!”
The butler was surprised.
After all, the chef was a master in the kitchen, having superb culinary skills. Even he couldn’t help but praise the soup.
Her gaze fell on the pot.
Could this chicken soup really be so delicious?
In the end, the butler and the chef split the remaining chicken soup equally, with each of them getting more than half a bowl. It left them with a mouth–watering experience.
After finishing, the two of them looked at the empty bowl and could not help but feel disappointed. “It’s too little.”
In total, there were just a little more than two bowls.
Amidst their disappointment and frustration, their gazes landed on the chicken left in the pot.
The chef acted quickly, breaking off a drumstick and biting into it.
However, he promptly spat it out.
The butler inquired, “What’s wrong?”
2/5
11:14
The chef tasted it thoughtfully. “It’s tasteless.”
The butler took a bite out of curiosity. It indeed lacked flavor. “The nutrition and flavor must have been absorbed by the soup.”
After placing down her bowl and instructing the chef to discard the remaining chicken and herbs, the butler was ready to leave.
Just before departing, she happened to glance from the corner of her eye and noticed that the chef had not disposed of the remaining chicken. Not only had he not done so, but he was also holding the seasonings in his hand, examining them one by one.
“What are you doing?”
The chef spat out the seasoning. “I want to study how Ms. Olivia cooked the chicken soup so deliciously.”
The chef was also a serious student of cooking and had prepared many delectable dishes.
Although it’s expected that the taste of chicken or fish in the soup might be slightly inferior when compared to cooking them separately, the extent to which it differed was unprecedented. It seemed like all the essence and savory flavor of the chicken had been extracted.
The butler didn’t have much understanding of cooking. She asked, “Is it very difficult?”
“Of course!” The chef glanced at her. “I can’t do it, and even my chef instructor can’t do it.”
Olivia was in her room, engrossed in contemplating the seasonings. She approached every task with great seriousness and was fully absorbed in
Since she had committed to cooking and preparing medicinal cuisine, she was determined to excel, striving for perfection.
This perfection involved not only exquisite taste and appearance but also the ability to provide health benefits.
The key to the distinctive flavors of different dishes is the art of seasoning.
Olivia’s background in traditional medicine allowed her to understand the balance of flavors and the health benefits associated with different ingredients. Every seasoning and ingredient were nutrients in her eyes. Moreover, she had tasted most of them before and understood their medicinal properties.
3/5
11:14
Therefore, as she prepared the dishes, she seemed to do it casually, pinching and sprinkling ingredients with ease. However, it was all the result of high–speed calculations in her mind, ensuring that the dishes achieved a balanced diet.
She knew by heart what seasonings and ingredients would taste like when added together, and what kind of changes would happen under the different heat.
In the past, Gillian had been angry with her and said that she was petty and unwilling to teach her how to make medicinal cuisine.
It was not that she was unwilling to teach. She could not teach at all. When she prepared medicinal cuisine, it was all about improvisation, adding ingredients on the spot. For example, when cooking fresh chicken and frozen chicken, she would use different ingredients for the
preparation. The way they were cooked, whether with high or low heat, will also yield different dishes.
It’s not just about following recipes but about adapting to the situation as needed.
Even if there were a group of people watching her prepare medicinal cuisine and trying to replicate all of her steps, the end results were never quite the same.
This was because even if it’s the same type of medicinal ingredient, they might have subtle differences, such as water content, freshness, or age. These minor variations could significantly impact the final taste of food. The seared salmon with herbed couscous is the only dish that can be replicated, with all the key points written out by her.
However, Gillian didn’t believe her. She thought she was taking advantage of the Smith family’s recipe to win favor.
In Gillian’s eyes, the Smith family didn’t need Olivia to use the receipt and act as a go–between.
After organizing the seasonings, Olivia washed her hands and sat down on the bed.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Billionaire’s Missing Darling (Olivia and Daniel)