Quick Transmigration: Not My Story

chapter 13 The Cook Mistress（part 12）

Hearing the commotion, the man immediately reassured them, “Find a place to hide, I’ll go take a look. The hoofbeats are uniform, indicating they’re well-trained soldiers. This place isn’t far from the Cangshan military camp; a round trip takes just half an hour. It seems Zhao Liu and Ironhead couldn’t find us and went to get reinforcements.”

Lin Dan nodded, watching him leave. To be cautious, she and the two young girls found a concealed spot to hide. Moments later, the gate of the mountain stronghold slowly opened, and the man entered with a tall, burly general with a thick, bristling beard, followed by Zhao Liu and Luo Ironhead.

“Damn it, dragged out to this godforsaken mountain in the middle of the night for a rescue, only to find out it was a wasted trip! The ones I brought are my personal guards—losing even one of them would be like a knife to my heart. Even though no battle took place tonight, we were prepared for a tough fight. You better remember this favor!” the bearded general grumbled impatiently.

“General, we rescued a few from the woodshed, they’re unharmed,” a soldier reported as he approached, followed closely by Xiao Zhu and the others, who were thanking them profusely.

“What about the shopkeeper? Didn’t you say there was a Lin Shopkeeper who absolutely had to be rescued?” The bearded general looked around impatiently.

“I’m here. Many thanks to the soldiers for coming to our aid. Lin humbly expresses gratitude!” Lin Dan immediately stepped out from her hiding spot and bowed deeply, while Peony and Azalea also nervously cupped their hands in thanks.

The bearded general scrutinized Lin Dan, noting her graceful figure but unremarkable features, and instantly lost interest. He had assumed that the Lin Shopkeeper whom Zhao Liu and Luo Ironhead had been so insistent on rescuing must have been an exceptionally stunning beauty, but it turned out to be just this.

“Forget it, forget it, get up already.” The bearded general grew even more impatient. “My men train hard all day and now had to trek up here in the dead of night. Who knows how many will be exhausted tomorrow? If we’d known this was just a small-time bandit hideout, we wouldn’t have bothered coming at all!”

Zhao Liu and Luo Ironhead looked embarrassed. Had they known these bandits were so insignificant, they wouldn’t have rushed down the mountain to call for reinforcements. Their leader was highly skilled and could surely protect himself, but Lin Shopkeeper and the two young girls were at great risk. Bandits had no humanity—women were violated, and men had their tongues cut out and were sold to the coal mines in the western mountains. They dared not delay and had immediately summoned troops.

“The bandits—did you take care of them all?” The bearded general turned to the handsome man, not doubting for a second that he had the ability.

“They were all taken care of by Lin Shopkeeper,” the man gestured toward the hall.

The group rushed in to check and was utterly stunned.

“Damn it,” the bearded general muttered, pacing back and forth among the sprawled-out bodies of the bandits. He then strode over to the empty wine jar and took a deep sniff, his expression darkening. “What kind of wine is this? It smells incredible!”

Xiao Zhu proudly replied, “This is Thousand-Day Wine, brewed by our shopkeeper.”

“Thousand-Day Wine? The same one that Liu Xuanshi drank?” The bearded general’s voice rose in shock. Unable to resist, he grabbed a used cup from a bandit, poured the remaining drops into his mouth, and smacked his lips noisily.

“Amazing! This is truly rare and exceptional wine! It’s fragrant, rich, strong—smooth going down, burning in the belly, spicy with a sweet aftertaste, and lingers on the palate… This is the best wine I’ve ever had, worthy of its legendary name, Thousand-Day Wine!” The bearded general raved as he grabbed every cup on the table, downing even the last precious drops.

His soldiers, just as fond of drinking as he was, scoured the area for leftover wine, but to no avail. The greedy bandits had already emptied the entire jar.

“Gone! Damn it, all gone! Would it have killed you bastards to save a little?” The bearded general, unable to find more, kicked a passed-out bandit in frustration, swearing, “Damn you! Robbing and drinking on my turf! When you wake up, I’ll make sure you regret it!”

The bandit he kicked coughed up blood but remained unconscious, proving just how potent the wine was.

Sensing the need to defuse the situation, Lin Dan clasped her hands in gratitude. “Thank you, esteemed soldiers, for coming to our aid at this late hour. There is still some food in the kitchen. I will bring it out for everyone to have a bite. After a long journey, you all must be exhausted.”

Zhao Liu and Luo Ironhead, who had been eyeing the remnants of food on the table hungrily, perked up immediately. Even the handsome man swallowed discreetly. The bearded general, who had never tasted Lin Shopkeeper’s cooking, was indifferent, while his soldiers nodded nonchalantly as they secured the bandits with ropes.

Lin Dan smiled and led the two young girls to the kitchen. The bandits had been too focused on drinking to eat much, so most of the food was still warm on the stove.

Soon, the dishes were brought out—a large pot of beef stewed in rice wine, another filled with bone broth and beef meatballs, a plate of braised beef tendons, a plate of stir-fried beef with scallions, and a bucket of white rice. The portions were generous, enough to feed twenty or thirty people. The food was piping hot, steam rising in fragrant waves, filling the hall with an irresistible blend of meaty aroma and rich wine scent.

Gulp. The bearded general swallowed hard.

Gulp, gulp... The personal guards he had brought along stood up one after another, swallowing their saliva while clutching their stomachs, feeling as though a swarm of greedy worms were stirring wildly inside them.

"Thank you, officers, for coming to our rescue. I have little to offer in return, but I have some skill in cooking. Please accept this meal as a token of my gratitude, and I hope you won't find it lacking," Lin Dan expressed her thanks once again, her tone sincere. Her servants had already cleaned up the messy table and were serving rice one by one.

The bearded general stretched his neck and swallowed hard, then quickly waved his hand, "Not at all, not at all! This is well deserved, well deserved!" He grinned widely, all traces of impatience gone. His personal guards gathered around eagerly, looking ready to pounce on the food.

"Eat," the handsome man finally spoke, and at his command, the crowd hastily picked up their bowls and chopsticks.

"This beef stew was cooked with Thousand-Day Wine?" The bearded general widened his already large eyes even further after taking a bite. He immediately quickened his pace, scooping food into his bowl as though a storm was sweeping through. The others were no less enthusiastic, devouring the meal with oil dripping from their lips, their faces full of admiration.

The stewed beef was made from five-flower beef, with tender lean meat interwoven with snowy white fat. It was soft and melt-in-the-mouth; the beef meatballs, made from neck and short rib meat, were pounded repeatedly with wooden sticks until smooth and springy. Once cooked, they naturally formed a hollow center that absorbed the beef oil and broth—one gentle bite would release a burst of rich, savory juice, an irresistible explosion of flavor. The beef tendons were first deep-fried, then steamed for a quarter of an hour, and finally stir-fried in a thick, glossy sauce. The red glaze coated each piece perfectly—at first bite, it was soft and tender, but just before breaking apart, a subtle chewiness emerged, making the texture absolutely divine.

This entire meal was an ultimate feast of flavors—rich where it should be rich, tender where it should be tender, thick where it should be thick, and fresh where it should be fresh. Lin Dan had truly outdone herself! Even though the soldiers wolfed down the food, scrambling for every bite, they were only half full. Any lingering resentment about their late-night mission vanished, replaced only by satisfaction. This trip was worth it—truly worth it!

Noticing that they weren’t completely full, Lin Dan took the time to c***k open beef bones that had been simmering for two hours and made a pot of marrow soup. The soft, stewed bone marrow nestled within the hollow bones could be easily sucked out with a gentle pull—its flavor was rich beyond words, not only cleansing the palate but seemingly refreshing every pore in their bodies.

The bearded general held a beef bone in both hands, slurping the marrow with great enthusiasm. He then turned to Lin Dan, his tone especially eager, "Master Lin, how is your cooking this good? Zhao Liu and the others said you're heading to the capital to open a restaurant? If you do, you must let me know—I’ll bring my brothers over to support your business!"

Lin Dan ladled a spoonful of soup for the handsome man and handed him a bone, humbly replying, "My skills are nothing special, General, you're too kind. But if you ever visit the capital, please feel free to stop by my shop..."

Before she could finish speaking, the handsome man interjected coldly, "Support is fine, but you must pay for your meals. Master Lin is running a business, and it's not easy." He shot a sharp glance at the bearded general, making the latter shiver involuntarily. Hastily, the general promised that he would definitely pay, not a single coin less.

Lin Dan caught the subtle exchange between the two and could tell that the handsome man's status was far from ordinary. However, she chose not to probe further. When traveling, one should avoid speaking too much, looking too closely, or meddling too much—it only leads to trouble. In any case, once they reached the capital, their paths would no longer cross, so there was no need to pry.

After everyone had finished eating, Lin Dan led them to retrieve her carriage and, in the process, confiscated the bandits' stolen goods. The handsome man had no idea how she had managed to uncover the hiding place of the loot, but his respect for her intelligence deepened.

While helping Lin Dan sort through her goods, the bearded general meticulously checked every item, confirming that she truly had no more wine left. Only then did he reluctantly return to his camp. That very night, he brought the small jar of Thousand-Day Wine into the capital, heading straight for his superior—Marquis Weiyuan. If anyone could be said to love wine more than life itself, it was this marquis. Alongside Marquis Yongding, one guarded the southeast, the other the northwest—both were among the most powerful figures in Great Chu. With just a word from him, the bearded general’s rise to glory would be within reach.