Siheyuan: I am a trader in both worlds!

Chapter 425 Caramelizing Sugar

"Nephew? Didn't you just say that everyone should talk their own thing and that you had nothing to do with Lao Luo? Why are you calling him nephew now?"

Seeing that Ximen Lang had just finished speaking about each side's opinions, he turned around and affectionately called out to Gao Cheng's nephew.

He even patted Gao Cheng on the shoulder in a very respectful manner, like an elder.

Being accused of using connections was already very upsetting for Gao Cheng.

Now, Ximen Lang has pulled this stunt again.

Bai Ling was genuinely worried that Ximen Lang might upset the child and cause him harm. She was both concerned and curious, so she quickly spoke up to stop him.

Ximen Lang was quite embarrassed by Bai Ling's advice.

But there's nothing I can do about it; it just came out of my head.

"I accidentally blurted out 'nephew,' sorry about that."

As he spoke, he realized his mistake and apologized to Gao Cheng.

Then, I really think highly of Gao Cheng, this nephew who is a typical son of a military family.

He patted Gao Cheng on the shoulder again, still seemingly unsatisfied.

Having been a boss and leader for so long, Ximen Lang had gained some experience in this field, and he casually started making grand promises to Gao Cheng.

“Nephew, no, Lao Gao, from now on, you just need to follow Brother Lang and work hard. Of course, you won’t get any credit with me. After all, we’re not going out to fight a war.”

"But in terms of treatment, we are absolutely top-notch! In fact, we are among the very best in the world! Take our three meals a day for example. In the morning, although it's a bit light, there are still plenty of big meat buns to fill you up!"

"You can eat as much as you want—fried dough sticks, steamed buns, paper rolls, eggs—eat whatever you like! As long as you don't waste any, eat however you like! And for lunch and dinner, six dishes and a soup are the standard!"

"At the very least, it has to be three meat dishes, three vegetable dishes, and a soup, plus seasonal fruits! Things like chicken, fish, meat, and eggs, which are in short supply now, are no problem at all here! Even in the wild, this standard won't be lowered much!"

"And then there's this banquet we're having right now. I've said it before, we have it at least once a week here, not counting major holidays! How about that? Our food service is top-notch, isn't it?!" (I checked and it seems like banquets are quite frequent in the military these days. Even though the food isn't particularly fancy, it's better than nothing, so that's how it's designed here.)
The treatment is truly exceptional.

The food rations provided by Ximen Lang would be a privilege reserved for certain military branches, such as surface warship personnel and flight school cadets, even in later times.

Not to mention that this food and ration treatment was based on the standards of 55.

Therefore, Gao Cheng naturally had no objection to this.

just
"Brother, I really didn't come here to enjoy a life of luxury! Most importantly, I really didn't get in through connections!"

Even if there is indeed some degree of this factor...
"We all got in here on our own merit!"

He wanted to take this opportunity to talk to Ximen Lang about the skills he and his warriors had mastered and how excellent they were, in order to change Ximen Lang's perception of them, which was not particularly negative but was still hard to bear!
Upon hearing that Ximen Lang's offer was so generous—meaning that they could eat meat every day, not just every day, but at least three large meat dishes—they were astonished.

Foodie Hao Pingchuan's eyes lit up immediately.

Almost, really, just a hair's breadth away, Hao Pingchuan's greasy hand was about to grab Ximen Lang's arm.

Ximen Lang was so frightened that he almost raised his fist, but Hao Pingchuan awkwardly withdrew his hand.

But still excited, he hurriedly asked Ximen Lang, "Brother Lang, Brother Lang, is the food here really that good? Can you guarantee this standard even in the wilderness? That's fantastic!"

Even the composed Lao Luo was momentarily stunned by the generous offer from Ximen Lang.

I couldn't help but offer my advice.

"Isn't this a bit too lavish? Of course, it's not that I don't want the soldiers to eat well. It's just that once this standard is set, the logistical pressure will be immense."

"You don't need to worry about the logistical issues!"

Seeing that Hao Pingchuan was truly unsophisticated, even Lao Luo's worries were completely unfounded.

Ximen Lang scoffed.

"Old Luo, I've told you this countless times! Now, I'm a real landlord, a rich man! This little bit of stuff is nothing but a drop in the ocean to me!"

"Do you know what 'sprinkling water' means? It's okay if you don't, Ling'er, you tell him!"

Bai Ling was too lazy to pay attention to his smug look, but she still honestly explained to Lao Luo what "sprinkling water" meant in their area.

With Bai Ling providing the straight man, Ximen Lang continued smugly.

"Did you hear that? This little bit of stuff is nothing to me! I can take care of it in the blink of an eye! So, you don't need to worry about any logistical pressures or other kinds of pressures!"

"And look at what you're saying, Lao Hao! Can you even guarantee that? Take that 'can you' off before you talk to me! Believe me or not, I can not only guarantee it, but I can also get the cooks to make you some authentic caramelized sugar before they make braised pork!"

Hao Pingchuan and Lao Luo were speechless for a moment, and could only watch helplessly as Ximen Lang put on a big show in front of them.

They felt that caramelizing sugar was extremely important to the guard battalion.

It's so important that if you don't caramelize the sugar first, the braised pork doesn't feel authentic.

Not only is the braised pork no longer authentic, but even the guard battalion feels a bit off, lacking the pure bloodline.

With this in mind, Ximen Lang decisively asked Hao Pingchuan.

"Speaking of Lao Hao, making caramelized sugar is a big deal! Without it, there's no way to talk about authenticity! So, tell me the truth, are our cooks really professional? Do they know how to make caramelized sugar?"

"If you don't know how to caramelize sugar, you'd better tell me now! Before we set off, I'll quickly find a few more authentic master chefs from elsewhere so that the soldiers in the cookhouse can learn from them step by step!"

"Otherwise, that would be terrible! People would say our bloodline isn't pure!"

The sudden, astonishing words left Hao Pingchuan and Lao Luo completely stunned.

Even after arriving, I still couldn't understand why caramelizing sugar was so important, or even how it could be linked to the purity of one's bloodline.

I'm really torn.

Having finally found an opportunity, Gao Cheng, feeling it was finally time for him to step forward, immediately spoke up.

"Brother Lang, no need to find a master chef, I can make caramelized sugar!"

(End of this chapter)