Bab 21: 021: The more you see the strange, the less strange it seems.

"Tianqi, you're the professional, come and take a look," Zhou Liao said.

Guo Junkai felt reassured but not completely at ease.

While the steamed fish Zhou Liao made appeared to be fine, Guo couldn't tell if it was cooked just by looking, so he asked Li Tianqi to come forward and check as well.

In matters of cooking, he clearly preferred to trust the expert eye of the professional, Li Tianqi.

"This fish looks like it's about one and a half pounds," Li Tianqi noted, his years of culinary training giving him a good eye for such things. He asked Zhou Liao, "Aliao, did you steam it starting with hot water or cold? And for how many minutes?"

"Hot water, for eight minutes."

"Alright, it's ready to come out." After washing his hands and drying them, Li Tianqi took the fish out of the pot.

"What's in this pot?" Guo Junkai asked, noticing another pot covered with a lid from which steam was escaping.

Zhou Liao: "Ribs."

"Also steamed?"

"Yes."