1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 156 Master, don't worry, I won't take this opportunity to retaliate (Part 2)

Just as Zhou Yan put down the cleaver, he saw Xiao Lei walk into the kitchen, followed by a smiling Zheng Qiang.

"Master, Senior Brother Zheng, what rare guests!" Zhou Yan said with a smile as he looked at the two of them.

"I had nothing to do today, so I came to learn a craft from Master Zhou again," Xiao Lei said with a smile.

“That’s right, I’m here to learn cooking from Chef Zhou.” Zheng Qiang stood at the kitchen door with a grin.

Zhou Yan's smile vanished. Fine, fine, so you want him to experience everything that Zheng Shi suffered before, right?
"You haven't been here for a few days, and you've already prepared all the braised vegetables?" Xiao Lei looked at the bowls of braised vegetables, his gaze falling on the half-cut tofu on the cutting board beside him. "This tofu is well-prepared; the outer shell absorbs the flavor well, and the inside is so tender."

“Master is still the best, try it.” Zhou Yan quickly sliced ​​two pieces, handing one to Xiao Lei and the other to Zheng Qiang, who was still standing at the door.

Xiao Lei tasted it carefully, nodding repeatedly, his eyes filled with undisguised amazement. "This braised tofu is really fragrant. The braising liquid goes without saying, and the cooking time is just right. But the tofu itself is too good. It's so tender and delicate, with a texture just like dried egg. There's not a single bit of residue. Did you make it yourself?"

After finishing his meal, Zheng Qiang thought for a moment and said, "I think so too."

Master Xiao was quite perceptive; he could tell from the first bite that this dried tofu was no ordinary product. Zhou Yan smiled and said, "I don't know how to make tofu, Master. You didn't teach me either. This dried tofu was ordered from outside. It's made by a relative who makes tofu, using the authentic Xiba tofu method. Even the soybeans are small yellow soybeans from Xiba."

"Sun's Tofu from Shangshui Village?" Xiao Lei blurted out.

"Eh? Master, you recognize my great-aunt?" Zhou Yan was genuinely surprised this time. Master Xiao was quite something!
"Grandma Sun is your great-aunt? Then Gu Liwei is your cousin?" Xiao Lei sighed. "Last year, when Suji was flooded, the couple went to deliver tofu and were swept away by the flood when they crossed the bridge. I used to buy tofu from him often, but I haven't seen Grandma Sun selling tofu this year. There are so many tofu sellers in Suji, but their tofu is the best."

“My great-aunt has difficulty walking and can’t come out to sell tofu, but now my cousin carries tofu to Suji Bridge every day to sell it. Master, if you want to buy his tofu, turn around in the morning and look for a boy of about fifteen or sixteen selling tofu; that’s him,” Zhou Yan said.
"He usually sells two slabs of tofu. One slab is made by my great-aunt, and the other is made by my cousin. The one in front is the better one. You can choose whichever you like."

Xiao Lei laughed upon hearing this: "You've really exposed all of their secrets."

Zhou Yan said seriously, "We should definitely make things clear since we're family. Master, you have such a discerning palate, you'll know right away after just one bite. But even if it's made by my cousin, it's no worse than other brands, it's just a little lacking in the right touch."

“Okay, I’ll buy tofu from him next time. You’re good at introducing business to your cousin.” Xiao Lei nodded and said, “If I remember correctly, isn’t your cousin deaf and mute? He used to go with his father to deliver tofu. He sat quietly on the donkey cart and was very well-behaved.”

Zhou Yan nodded: "Yes, now the two of them, grandmother and grandson, depend on each other for survival, and they are not having an easy time."

Xiao Lei remained silent, glancing at the dried bean curd sticks in the enamel basin beside him. "Did your aunt make these dried bean curd sticks too?"

"Try it, it's really good." Zhou Yan smiled and handed him a pair of clean chopsticks, and also put a piece on Zheng Qiang's plate.

Xiao Lei tasted a piece and praised, "It's really great! The texture is soft and bouncy, and it has a meaty aroma when you chew it. It's better than meat. The dried bean curd is well made, and Master Zhou's braising skills are also excellent."

"Uncle-Master is right, it's delicious!" Zheng Qiang was also amazed. He looked at Zhou Yan and smiled, "If this weren't a family recipe, I would want to learn from Master Zhou and set up a stall to sell these two things. I don't know how much money I could make in a day."

"Oh dear, Master, Senior Brother Zheng, please don't try to brainwash me." Zhou Yan said helplessly. This uncle and nephew were really good at being sarcastic. He forced a smile and said, "But since you're here, don't leave. Master, didn't the spicy pig liver you made last time not meet your own requirements? Are you going to learn it again?"

“Learn! Learn how to make spicy stir-fried pig liver.” Xiao Lei nodded. “Come on, Master Zhou, we two will be your assistants and cooks for lunch today. You can arrange it however you want.”

"Master, you said it yourself." Zhou Yan glanced at Zheng Qiang, who was still standing at the kitchen door, and laughed, "Master Zheng, what are you standing there for?"

Zheng Qiang spread his hands and said, "If Master Zhou doesn't call out, I wouldn't dare to just walk into your kitchen. There are rules to learning to cook. I can't learn your family's traditional skills, nor can I learn the unique skills that my uncle taught you. You can only enter if you say so."

"Fellow disciples, why are you being so formal?" Zhou Yan smiled and waved. "Want to learn how to make stir-fried pig liver? My master's stir-fried pig liver is also a masterpiece. I learned real skills from him. Come on, let's exchange ideas and improve together."

"Great!" Zheng Qiang entered the room with a beaming smile.

"Come on, see those five cabbages over there? Tear them off first, we'll need them for stir-fried cabbages with pork cracklings for lunch," Zhou Yan said, pointing to the cabbages on the shelf.

Zheng Qiang: "Huh?"

Didn't we agree to learn how to make stir-fried pig liver? Are you really treating me like a kitchen helper or a kitchen helper?

"Then I'll take care of the pig livers we'll be using for lunch. You can go prepare your braised vegetables," Xiao Lei said.

"Alright, then thank you for your hard work, Master and Senior Brother Zheng." Zhou Yan picked up the dried tofu and went out to teach Old Zhou how to cut the dried tofu.

Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang are both experienced workers with many years of experience, and they are very skilled at their jobs. They are adept at using the work tools.

Although Zhou Yan didn't take a break, he was much more relaxed than usual.

Zheng Qiang quickly tore the cabbage into pieces and then leaned over to watch his master prepare the pig liver.

To stir-fry pork liver well, besides perfect control of the heat, proper preparation of the ingredients is also crucial.

His master cooked this dish quite well, but he didn't learn the essence of it.

He used to think that a chef only needed a few signature dishes and the rest of the dishes were passable, which was a bit of a "get by" mentality.

He was often scolded by his master for this, but he didn't take it seriously.

On the contrary, being away from his master and seeing his junior brother Zhou Yan cook this stir-fried pork kidney dish to perfection, and the other dishes getting better and better, spurred him on.

As for his master, Uncle Xiao Lei, he would visit his apprentice's restaurant every few days to humbly learn from him, practice diligently, and pursue the ultimate perfection in culinary skills, all for the sake of those slight differences.

This persistence and sense of conviction made him feel quite ashamed.

For the past two weeks, he has been following Xiao Lei around every day, helping him prepare kitchenware, purchase ingredients, and organize three outdoor banquets.

He admired Uncle Xiao's culinary skills, his ability to manage a situation, and his social skills.

His master taught him how to make the Nine Bowls, how to select ingredients, and how to make a budget, without holding anything back.

In the past two weeks, he has made up for all the things he couldn't learn at the Rongcheng restaurant.

He's still a ways off from being able to handle things on his own, but at least when the host asks about the outdoor banquet, he can talk about it fluently and impress them.

He had a profound understanding of the inheritance from his master.

Besides his master, only his uncle would teach him these things so unreservedly.

Xiao Lei arranged the pig livers, washed his hands, and said, "Zhou Yan, are you free this Sunday? I'll take you two to Jiaozhou for a chef exchange meeting, and I'll also introduce you to your grandmaster."

"Grandmaster Uncle?" Zhou Yan was somewhat surprised to hear this. In his memory, his master had never taken him to any chef exchange meetings before. It was probably because Zhou Yan was not worthy of attending such high-level meetings.

As for my grandmaster uncle, my master did mention him.

Kong Qingfeng, the cousin of the advisor and a famous chef in Jiaozhou.

After his grandmaster Kong Huaifeng passed away, the title of the number one chef in Jiaozhou was automatically passed on to his grandmaster grandmaster.

My master's teacher, Kong Rui, was also a famous chef in Jiaozhou. He was my master's father and the family's culinary skills were known as the "Kong School" in Jiaozhou, famous for cooking fish.

“Yes, this exchange meeting was initiated by your grandmaster, who invited several famous chefs from Jiaozhou.” Xiao Lei nodded with a smile: “He said that the Sichuan Cuisine magazine wanted to interview him and ask him to teach and explain how to cook fish, so that we younger generation could also get some credit and see if we could get a group photo.”

"Sichuan Cuisine! My grandmaster is so amazing! I heard that only top chefs from all over the country get featured in the culinary techniques section of Sichuan Cuisine magazine. Our head chef at Rongcheng Restaurant was interviewed once, talking about the presentation of cold dishes, and he even borrowed a suit to wear." Zheng Qiang's eyes lit up, his face full of envy.

"Later, the head chef gave a copy of that issue of the magazine to everyone he knew, and there was a stack of them in the restaurant lobby. It was quite a spectacle."

"It's just a magazine appearance, is it really that big of a deal?" Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow.

Judging by the time, the fourth issue of "Sichuan Cuisine" magazine should be out soon, right? He Zhiyuan said he wanted to try to get the braised beef on the cover, but I don't know if that will work out.

If it really goes on sale, will he also have to buy a whole stack to give away as gifts?
No, no, this behavior is absolutely disgusting.

Let's send one to Xia Yao.

“What’s so exaggerated? Not at all.” Xiao Lei chimed in, a hint of longing in his eyes. “If I could ever be featured in Sichuan Cuisine magazine, I’d buy hundreds of copies. I’d give one to every friend and relative, and even two to elementary school classmates I haven’t contacted in twenty years. It’s not about bringing glory to my family, but it’s a very prestigious thing in the culinary world. So many chefs across the country read this magazine.”

Zhou Yan suppressed the upward curve of his lips and suddenly wondered what his master's reaction would be if he saw him appear in the Sichuan Cuisine magazine.
Thinking about it this way, he suddenly felt a little ashamed that he hadn't mentioned his master at all in the last interview.

If his name could appear on it, it would give people a sense of participation.

Look how considerate his master is; he always tries to include them in group photos.

We'll just have to wait until next time.

He Zhiyuan said last time that he would come back to interview him about his braised food, but I don't know if that will stand still.

"Uncle-Master, you're even better than my master! You thought of me for such a great opportunity as being featured in a magazine. Don't worry, I'll definitely take good care of you in the future!" Zheng Qiang said, his voice filled with genuine emotion and excitement.

“We might not even get to be featured. For us younger generation, just getting a group photo is good enough. Don’t have too many expectations.” Xiao Lei moved Zheng Qiang’s head away from his and said earnestly, “You all need to study cooking diligently, concentrate your mind and technique, and be diligent in your hands and eyes to see the true skill. Strive to be able to appear on ‘Sichuan Cuisine’ in ten or twenty years when your culinary skills are fully developed. At that time, our Kong School will be proud.”

“Okay!” Zheng Qiang nodded solemnly.

"Mm." Zhou Yan responded, then turned around and silently chopped the cooked pork belly, afraid that he might burst out laughing.

He had made up his mind that if He Zhiyuan came again next time, he would definitely invite his master and senior brother Zheng to come, so that it would show that the entire sect was united.

After lunch, the workers went home, and the restaurant immediately saw a surge in customers.

As before, Zhou Yan was in charge of the other dishes, while his master was in charge of stir-frying pork liver.

Zheng Qiang diligently learned the top-notch stir-frying technique for spicy pork liver from the side, and also took on the job of preparing the side dishes.

The three of them worked together quite well on stage, without any crowding.

Perhaps this is also a form of inheritance within a sect?

After all, they were taught by the same advisor, so they knew exactly what the other party wanted and what their habits were.

When Zhou Yan was stir-frying pork cracklings and cabbage, Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang would take turns giving him pointers, essentially giving him masterclasses on the spot, which significantly improved his skills.

A pretty good stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings

Zhou Yan couldn't help but grin as he looked at the freshly cooked stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings on the stove.

He succeeded! He finally broke through the previous realm!
Xiao Lei glanced at it and nodded: "Not bad, it's better than before, but there's still room for improvement."

“Okay! I’ll keep trying,” Zhou Yan replied with a smile.

It was Xiao Lei's turn to stir-fry the spicy pork liver.

Zhou Yan said while cooking:
"The firepower is a bit lacking!"

"Didn't you eat lunch? Let's get the spatula going!"

"It's burnt! It's burnt! Get it off the stove, you bastard..."

Zheng Qiang stood to the side with his hands behind his back, his eyes darting between Zhou Yan and Xiao Lei, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

No, has Junior Brother Zhou always been this brave?

Who is the master?
Who disciplines their master like that?

It's all thanks to my uncle's good mental fortitude that he didn't get angry even after being scolded like that.

If this were his master, he would have slapped him in the face with a spatula and roared, "Do I need your guidance?"

One noon.

Xiao Lei cooked 36 servings of spicy pork liver.

It seems there's been little progress, and he's already quite far from achieving the perfect spicy pork liver he wants.

This made Master Xiao fall silent, his brows furrowed as if he were deep in thought.

Zhou Yan noticed his emotions, glanced at the mission progress, and raised an eyebrow:
Side Quest: Master's Obsession! Progress 92%

This is a 4% increase!
Zhou Yan immediately launched into praise mode: "Master, your stir-fried pig liver has improved a lot today! I just heard several tables of guests praising how well it was cooked. Your control of the heat is becoming more and more skillful. I think it's no different from what I cook today."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lei's eyes lit up, and the wrinkles between his brows smoothed out considerably.

Sure enough, people love to hear praise and affirmation.

"Did Master Zhou mess with me?" Xiao Lei asked, looking at him.

Zhou Yan said seriously, "I definitely won't mess with you. I'm always very strict about what I say."

Xiao Lei nodded, "I think there's still a bit of a gap, but it's not that big anymore. We're going shopping this afternoon, and I'll come again tomorrow."

"Come on," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

Xiao Lei took off his apron, walked to the kitchen door, stopped, turned around and looked at Zhou Yan, saying, "Zhou Yan, when you were learning to cook before, I was a bit strict with you, and some of my words were a little harsh. Don't take it to heart, I was only doing it for your own good."

"Master, don't worry, I won't take this opportunity to retaliate," Zhou Yan reassured him.

"Just keep it to yourself." Xiao Lei smiled and left with Zheng Qiang.

Zhou Yan took off his apron and came out of the kitchen. Zhou Momo rushed over and hugged his leg, lifting her leg up and hanging on it like a pendant. She looked up at him and said in a childish voice, "Brother, take me to play. School won't let me go to the sledding board during school hours."

"Let your brother take a break. He's been busy all morning." Aunt Zhao handed Zhou Yan an enamel mug and reached out to take Zhou Momo's mug.

"It's alright, I'll take her out for a walk," Zhou Yan said with a smile, picking up his water glass and gulping down a large glass of warm water in a few mouthfuls. It tasted a little sweet, probably because he had added rock sugar to it, and she felt much better after drinking it.

After placing the water glass on the counter, Zhou Yan reached out and lifted Zhou Momo up, letting her ride on his shoulders.

The little guy was laughing happily, swaying his head and humming a little tune he made up: "Riding a horse~ to Chengdu~ to catch a panda to go to school!"

Punishable!

Zhou Yan smiled and led her out.

After walking along the factory wall for a while, the factory-run primary school came into view. A group of children were having a physical education class on the playground, playing hopscotch, climbing poles, and playing on the seesaw, their laughter and smiles filling the air.

Children in this era were not forced to take extra classes, and physical education teachers still had a certain amount of influence and were able to defend their right to teach.

Zhou Momo looked at the children with bright eyes and asked with some envy, "Brother, why can't I go to school?"

"Does Momo want to go to school?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

"Yes, yes, I want to ride the seesaw every day." The little guy nodded.

“Okay, then I’ll send you to kindergarten after the New Year,” Zhou Yan said.

"Okay!" Zhou Momo was even happier, bending down to kiss Zhou Yan's cheek. "You're so great, bro! I'm going to school now!"

Zhou Yan's lips curled up, but it was unclear whether she would actually be able to smile when she actually went to school.

Suji has a town kindergarten and a textile factory-run kindergarten, and children generally enter the kindergarten at the age of three.

However, there are now many children but few schools, and the number of available places is relatively limited.

Zhao Tieying and the others had come to town to inquire before, but because they were a month too young to get a place, they couldn't get one and had to wait until next year.

It's not like it's a government-run kindergarten, so the rules aren't that strict. If you pull some strings, you can actually enroll in September.

Aunt Zhao and Comrade Zhou are still too honest.

When the school winter break came, he tried to make connections to see if he could get Zhou Momo into the kindergarten run by the textile factory, which was close by, new, and had good facilities.

Nowadays, kindergartens mainly focus on group games, aiming to let children have fun together.

Maybe if Zhou Momo goes to school, she really will be able to achieve freedom with the shuttle.

After standing outside the wall for a while, Zhou Yan led her forward.

"Brother, when are you going to help me catch a panda?" Zhou Momo asked earnestly.

"What?"

"Panda Cat! The giant panda from the New Year's paintings."

"I'm afraid I can't hold it down by myself," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Then...then bring Brother Hai along, he can keep him in check."

"Okay, I'll take Hai-ge with me to catch them later."

"it is good!"

Zhou Momo was very happy the whole way. She wanted to get down and walk by herself, hopping and skipping ahead. Sometimes she would squat down to watch the beetles that passed by, and sometimes she would jump up to chase the sparrows that passed by. When she saw the big dog, she knew to shrink back to Zhou Yan's feet, and then, relying on her human strength, she bared her teeth at the big yellow dog: "Woof! Woof woof!"

Da Huang glanced at her, then at Zhou Yan, and ran away with its tail between its legs.

"Look, Da Huang is afraid of me!" Zhou Momo looked up at him, her face full of pride.

Zhou Yan reached out and pinched her chubby cheeks, smiling as he said, "Well, next time if you see a big dog, you should walk around it, or go with an adult, understand?"

"I understand!" Zhou Momo nodded obediently, but her gaze was quickly drawn to the stall selling stir-fried candy at the school gate. She ran forward a couple of steps, then stopped, swallowed hard, and tried to look away.

"Want some?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

Zhou Momo nodded, then quickly shook her head, reaching out to take his hand. "Elbow! Mom said we're not allowed to spend money on candy anymore! Otherwise, she'll beat up Guoguo too."

Zhou Yan looked at the little guy who kept turning back, his determination clearly not as firm as his words, and couldn't help but laugh: "Here's a dime, go buy it yourself, and go home after you've eaten."

"Really?!" Zhou Momo's eyes lit up immediately. She looked at the one-cent coin in Zhou Yan's palm, hesitated for three seconds, took it, and ran towards the auntie selling stir-fried candy.

After a while, she ran back with two taffy candies, held one high, and handed it to Zhou Yan with a smile: "Brother! Two for one cent! One for you, one for me, let's eat together!"

"Okay." Zhou Yan smiled and accepted it.

Two small bamboo sticks were wrapped with a ball of maltose, which was stirred until it turned white and had a kind of thread-like texture. It was clear that a lot of effort had been put into stirring it. The back-and-forth pulling technique was actually a bit similar to pulling noodles.

This stuff is called sugar syrup in the north.

Two for one cent, the price is reasonable.

Zhou Yan took a bite; it was soft and sticky, with the aroma of pure maltose. It wasn't as sweet as she had imagined, and it was quite delicious.

Zhou Momo stirred and bit at the food, having a great time.

The happiness of five cents is that simple.

After she finished the candy, Zhou Yan wiped her mouth clean and checked that there was no syrup left on her teeth before heading home.

"Guoguo~ Momo's feet hurt from walking, I want a hug~" Zhou Momo reached out and grabbed Zhou Yan's clothes, then ran in front of him, opened her arms and waved them, her little ponytail trembling.

Seeing the little one who looked like a miniature figurine, Zhou Yan couldn't resist her coaxing and bent down to pick her up.

Zhou Momo is tiny, soft and fragrant when you hold her, and she will even snuggle on your shoulder and say thank you. It's not tiring to hold her at all.

As they approached the restaurant entrance, they saw Aunt Zhao getting off Old Zhou's back seat, carrying a stack of clothes tied with rope. Seeing Zhou Yan and his companion, she greeted them with a smile, "Come on! The new clothes are ready, come and try them on!"

　Asking for a monthly ticket~~
　　I spent too long writing these two chapters today, so I can't add more.
　　I'll add more tomorrow~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)