Why am I, a cook, always involved in cases?

Chapter 189 Golden Phoenix Mask

Lin Zhiruo was wearing a chef's uniform, which consisted of a plain white top, a crimson apron, and red and white sleeves.

After tidying up her clothes, she put on a mask in the shape of a golden phoenix, held a palace lantern decorated with osmanthus branches in her hand, and slowly walked towards the food altar outside the village.

The chefs in the village wore green kitchen robes, and the apprentices wore spice bags around their waists as a symbol of their status.

The deity enshrined here is the god in charge of food, also known as the legendary god of food.

The Golden Phoenix, as a symbol of deliciousness, is revered by chefs in many places.

The autumn wind brings the scent of harvest, and the market is filled with all kinds of food. It is natural to hold a grand food festival.

Suddenly, there was a clear sound of bowls and cups.

Lin Zhiruo noticed that the eye sockets of the golden phoenix mask next to her had lines outlined with special spices.

Ordinary chefs often use cinnabar for decoration, but this mask uses gold foil, and the patterns are beautiful and smooth.

"It looks like the legendary imperial chef's mask." Lin Zhiruo said to Hu Lan'er, whose mask was also carefully decorated.

Hu Lan'er is good at mixing spices, so decorating masks is naturally no problem for her.

Lin Zhiruo couldn't help but smile when she thought of this.

(But this is clearly not the time to laugh.)

However, Lin Zhiruo is optimistic by nature and feels that worrying too much is of no benefit.

"Lin Zhiruo's mask looks just like a real golden phoenix." Hu Lan'er's voice came.

There was a bell hanging in her hairpin, and the sound of the bell was crisp and pleasant, just like the seasoning bell in the kitchen, as she smiled and talked.

If you look closely, you will see a jade spoon carved on the top of the hairpin, which shows her love for cooking.

"Come, Lin Zhiruo, you have to wear it properly too." Hu Lan'er said, helping her tighten the mask strap from behind.

However, the strap passes right over the bun, making it difficult to secure.

"Oh my god, I have to tie it up again. You sit down first." Hu Lan'er asked Lin Zhiruo to sit on the railing of the teahouse, then pulled her hair to one side and tied it up again.

"Hmm - I always feel like something is missing, but this hair tie is too simple." Hu Lan'er said.

"I don't mind." Lin Zhiruo responded.

"I have a hairpin that I can lend you. I have a hairpin in the shape of a spoon, it's very cute." Hu Lan'er suggested.

Lin Zhiruo firmly declined.

She fumbled in her arms and took out the hairpin that Quan Wushuang had given her in the past.

Although this hairpin looks plain, it is actually carved from precious jade.

Lin Zhiruo usually used a hair tie, so she usually kept the hairpin hidden in her bosom.

"Please help me put this hairpin on." Lin Zhiruo said.

"Ah——" Hu Lan'er could imagine her pouting without even looking back.

Lin Zhiruo handed the hairpin to Hu Lan'er without giving any explanation.

"Lin Zhiruo, this hairpin is really nice." Hu Lan'er exclaimed.

"It was given to me by someone else." Lin Zhiruo explained.

Anyone who can give away something like this casually is truly a strange person.

"If I want it, would you be willing to give it to me?" Hu Lan'er asked.

"...No." Lin Zhiruo refused firmly.

She recalled wanting to give it away to someone else, but ultimately failed to do so.

If it was really sent out, who knows how furious that fake eunuch would be?

(But it should be okay if I don't tell him.)

However, Quan Wushuang was able to detect Lin Zhiruo's emotional changes.

Although they have worked together for a long time, he is indeed very sensitive to Lin Zhiruo's subtle expressions.

Although Lin Zhiruo's facial muscles were not very flexible, she thought that only her cheeks moved slightly.

But even so, if I give the hairpin to Hu Lan'er at this moment but cannot return to the capital safely, then everything will be in vain.

"Okay, it's tied up." Hu Lan'er patted Lin Zhiruo's shoulder and stood up.

The hair was tucked behind the right ear, making the mask easier to wear.

She peeked at the village through the small hole in her mask and felt that the world had become completely different.

Perhaps because it was late at night and everyone was asleep, or perhaps because the lights were flickering, the masked people around seemed to have turned into golden phoenixes.

Although standing next to her was a jade phoenix.

Not only is Hu Lan'er's mask decorated with gold foil, but when Lin Zhiruo occasionally passes by the Golden Phoenix Mask, she will also see a chef wearing a green kitchen robe.

These golden lines may hide some deep meaning.

"It feels like entering another world." Lin Zhiruo said.

"That's true." Hu Lan'er agreed.

She is absolutely right.

"Don't you think it's a bit strange?" Lin Zhiruo asked.

"Very straightforward." Hu Lan'er replied.

But in fact, Lin Zhiruo had the same feeling.

They were wearing clogs, not everyday shoes, and every step made a tapping sound.

Add to that the tinkling of bells and the clatter of woks in the kitchen, and it interweaves into a strange kind of music that sounds more and more like a kitchen symphony the more you listen to it.

Amid the symphony of cooking utensils, the two walked forward carrying osmanthus lanterns.

They walked along the village path, and the aroma of food wafted from time to time.

People say that delicious food can whet your appetite. The aroma here is everywhere, and the fragrance of various seasonings wafts from the incense burners on the roadside.

"It seems that there are particularly abundant spices this year." Lin Zhiruo said.

Therefore, a grand sacrifice is needed to express gratitude.

"Do you know why the Golden Phoenix is ​​worshipped as the god of food here?" Hu Lan'er asked as they walked.

"I don't know." Lin Zhiruo replied.

"A family of chefs used to live here," Hu Lan'er explained.

Later, the royal chefs from the north migrated here and settled there.

How could local chefs easily accept foreign cooking skills? Several villages drove them out.

But only one village accepted them.

"Those chefs who came from the north have mastered many precious cooking skills, and there are people in the village who know what they are doing," Hu Lan'er continued.

For example, secret recipes for making delicious dishes, or unique methods of marinating ingredients.

Some people know that these culinary skills are priceless.

But some people are dissatisfied.

After those foreign chefs settled down and intermarried with the locals, people from neighboring villages came to steal their cooking skills and try to take away their recipes.

This happened repeatedly, and later people were afraid of being robbed, so they hid in places where hot springs gushed out and built villages.

That's the place.

As for the Golden Phoenix, it may be a symbol of the first royal chefs from the north who arrived.

It is not uncommon to use the names of mythical birds to represent other races.

In other words, the god of this village is the ancestors of the villagers, and the villagers themselves are the gods of food.

"I heard that the golden phoenix here was originally pure gold, and your mask was also golden at first, but after settling down, it began to be embellished with other colors." Hu Lan'er said.

The gold color may refer to the royal chef, while the mixed colors may be interpreted as the fusion of culinary skills.

(I think I've heard of this.)

Hu Lan'er answered Lin Zhiruo's doubts:

"Most of the male chefs in this village don't know how to season food."

"Don't you know how to season it?" Lin Zhiruo asked in surprise.

"Yes, there are occasionally female chefs who can add seasoning." Hu Lan'er said.

(I see.)

So this place has a lot of male chefs wearing golden masks.