CHAPTER 62: CHAPTER 062 TRANSLATE TRANSLATE, WHAT IS A SURPRISE! [SEEKING MONTHLY TICKET]

"You can make this with just milk?"

"It sounds so simple."

Lin Xu immediately headed for the door, preparing to go to the supermarket to buy milk.

"It’s best to buy pasteurized milk, as it sets better."

Lin Xu agreed and went to the nearby community supermarket to buy a carton of pasteurized milk.

Once back in the shop, Grandpa Gao had already fished out all the boiled century eggs from the pot, and they were now cooling in cold water.

Seeing Lin Xu return, he pointed to the century eggs and said, "We’ll have to wait for them to cool completely before peeling and cutting them, otherwise they’ll crumble easily. Let’s make the Ginger Milk Pudding first. It’s quick and will only take a few minutes."

"Okay!"

Grandpa Gao chose a stainless steel pot from the store that was rarely used. "Those woks have an oily smell. It’s best not to use them, to avoid getting that flavor into the milk... Ginger Milk Pudding is quite simple. How about I guide you through making it?"

Then how am I supposed to use the Cooking Learning Card?

Lin Xu said, "You go ahead and do it first. I won’t feel confident unless I watch you do it once."

"Be confident, young man."

Grandpa Gao smiled, cleaned the pot, then heated it on the stove to evaporate any remaining water.

Then it was time to make the Ginger Milk Pudding.

This was a dessert every guy should learn to make. Milk is nutritious, and ginger can warm the stomach and induce sweating. This makes it quite beneficial for girls, especially during their period. A bowl of Ginger Milk Pudding can immediately alleviate much of the irritability caused by menstruation.

Grandpa Gao added four small spoonfuls of White Sugar to the pot and then poured in two cartons of milk.

After turning on the heat, he took a clean bamboo spatula and gently stirred the milk in the pot. This not only helped the sugar dissolve faster but also effectively prevented the milk from sticking and burning.

"The ’colliding’ in Ginger Milk Pudding isn’t just a random bump; the temperature is critical. You have to heat the milk to about 65 to 70 degrees Celsius to ensure it sets quickly and well."

Lin Xu nodded earnestly.

This was definitely an important detail to note.

While stirring, Grandpa Gao looked at Lin Xu and asked, "How many bowls do you plan to make?"

"Four. This batch will be for Tiantian and the others. I’ll make Yue’s portion specially for her later."

A heartfelt dessert like this is only meaningful if I make it myself.

"Then get four bowls, and put two small spoonfuls of ginger juice in each."

Lin Xu did as instructed. He placed the bowls filled with ginger juice in a row next to the stove.

"Master, 65 to 70 degrees is a bit hard to gauge. How can I be sure of the temperature?"

Grandpa Gao pointed to the kitchen thermometer hanging on the wall. "Kid, you should never refuse the conveniences technology offers. Of course, if you don’t have a thermometer, you can also use the traditional method..."

He pointed to the milk heating in the pot. "When the milk reaches 65 to 70 degrees, a ring of bubbles will start forming around the edge and gradually grow larger. That’s when you can start ladling it into the bowls containing the ginger juice."

That simple? Isn’t this something anyone could do?

Lin Xu even felt it would be a waste to use a Cooking Learning Card for this.

But then he remembered his greatest culinary talent was boiling water for instant noodles... Oh well, better to waste a card than ruin his image.

When small bubbles began to form around the edge of the milk in the pot, Grandpa Gao held the pot with one hand and a spoon with the other, ladling the milk from the pot into the bowls containing ginger juice. As he ladled the milk, he deliberately held the spoon high, allowing the milk to pour forcefully into the ginger juice in the bowls due to gravity.

Lin Xu took the opportunity to use the Cooking Learning Card.

"Learning target: Gao Peisheng. Current skill: Ginger Milk Pudding. Proceed with learning?"

"Learn!"

A flash of golden light danced through his mind.

"Host has used one Superior Cooking Learning Card and acquired the Superior Ginger Milk Pudding Cooking Technique. Congratulations to the host."

After acquiring the skill, Lin Xu finally understood the principle behind Ginger Milk Pudding. Ginger juice is rich in ginger protease, while milk contains abundant casein and calcium ions. When casein meets protease, it hydrolyzes and then coagulates under the action of calcium ions.

Simply put, this was just a basic chemical reaction.

After pouring all the milk, Grandpa Gao habitually washed the pot and spoon. Once finished, he asked, "Have you learned it?"

"I’ve got it. I’ll start making one now."

With that, Lin Xu took out a small takeaway container, added three small spoonfuls of ginger juice, then placed a stainless steel pot on the stove to heat milk again.

"Master, can I use Brown Sugar instead?"

"You can’t cook Brown Sugar directly into the milk, or the Ginger Milk Pudding won’t be perfectly white. If you want to use Brown Sugar, you can sprinkle a layer of brown sugar powder on top after the Ginger Milk Pudding is done. You can even sprinkle it into a heart shape or other designs. Girls really like that."

How do you know so much? Is this really what they teach in the Fishing Platform’s kitchen?

Lin Xu muttered a couple of complaints to himself, then started to make it. He couldn’t manage a heart shape with the sugar powder, so he stuck to using White Sugar.

Soon, a portion of Ginger Milk Pudding was done. The milky aroma mingled with the scent of ginger; it was so comforting that just smelling it was a delight, let alone tasting it.

After it was ready, Lin Xu called a delivery runner, planning to give Shen Jiayue a surprise.

By this time, the bowls of Ginger Milk Pudding Grandpa Gao had made had set. The test for whether it had set successfully was simple. Place a spoon on the surface of the Ginger Milk Pudding. If it doesn’t sink, it’s a success.

"Tiantian, these bowls of Ginger Milk Pudding are for you four to share."

"Ah? For us?" Song Tiantian, who was checking the accounts, looked up in pleasant surprise. Just moments ago, she had been craving the milky aroma wafting from the kitchen. She hadn’t expected the boss to actually give them some.

Handsome, generous, and such amazing cooking skills! A man like him truly deserves to make a fortune!

At this moment, Lin Xu took out the cooled century eggs and began to peel them. Boiling and then cooling the century eggs had caused the shells to separate from the eggs, making them easy to peel.

He placed the century eggs on the chopping board. Locating the yolks, he sliced the eggs in half, then cut each half into four small wedges. After cutting the century eggs, he arranged them on a plate.

Lin Xu took a small bowl and added some ginger juice. Then he poured in aromatic vinegar and Light Soy Sauce, sprinkled in a bit of salt and White Sugar, drizzled with Seasoning Oil, and stirred everything evenly before pouring it over the century eggs.

Finally, he garnished each piece of century egg with a ring of red chili pepper and placed a small pinch of bright green chopped cilantro in the center. The Ginger Marinated Century Eggs were complete.

「Dongming Building.」

Shen Jiayue was sitting in front of her computer, browsing the Lin Ji’s Food topic feed. Since its popularity had surged, more and more netizens were posting in the topic. And it was easy for trends to catch on.

For instance, today, female netizens were all sharing photos of drinks and snacks their boyfriends had sent them.

"I was swamped at work when I suddenly received milk tea my boyfriend ordered for me. Such a surprise!"

"A summer surprise! Thanks to my treasure for the treat!"

"Ha! My clueless boyfriend secretly sent me osmanthus cake and even specially told the delivery guy to handle it with care. What a surprise! I’m going to give him a big hug when I get home!"

"Kudos to my boyfriend! Food and drinks, all covered. Is this today’s dose of surprise?"

These posts made Shen Jiayue a little envious.

Everyone else’s boyfriends are so romantic!

As she was looking, the voice of a delivery runner suddenly called out from the door: "Shen Jiayue, your delivery is here!"

Huh? Has lunch arrived? But it’s only a little past ten. Isn’t that too early?

Puzzled, Shen Jiayue went to the door and received a small bag.

"Looks like a dessert," the delivery runner said, handing it over before he left.

Dessert?

Shen Jiayue returned to her seat and quickly opened the package. Inside was a small takeaway container with a note attached: "Learned how to make Ginger Milk Pudding from Master today. If you like it, I’ll make it for you every day."

Aaaah, my Xu-bao is so thoughtful!

Shen Jiayue immediately snapped a photo of the note with her phone. Then, she opened the container, took a picture of the Ginger Milk Pudding inside, and eagerly posted it to the Lin Ji’s Food topic feed: "Translate this: *this* is what you call a real surprise!"