1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 162 Evil Cultivators Among Reputable Sects?

Zhou Yangang, who was in charge of the hot pot, had just dried his hands when he heard the sound and looked towards the courtyard gate.

Kong Guodong led the two through the door with a smile.

The slightly chubby, round-faced, dark-skinned middle-aged man walking alongside Kong Guodong was He Zhiyuan, the deputy editor-in-chief of the Sichuan Cuisine magazine.

Following behind him, carrying a crossbody bag and wearing black-rimmed glasses, was the editorial assistant—Niu Ma Xiao Li.

It turns out to be an old acquaintance.

Kong Qingfeng and his apprentices stood up.

He Zhiyuan quickened his pace, smiled, and stepped forward to shake hands with Kong Qingfeng, saying, "Second Master Kong, it's been a long time. How have you been lately?"

"I'm in good health. I can eat, walk, and even go fishing." Kong Qingfeng held He Zhiyuan's hand and looked him up and down with a smile. "Little He, you've gained some weight and gotten quite tanned. If I didn't know you were the deputy editor-in-chief of the magazine, I would have thought you got a tan from sitting by the river fishing every day."

"I've been traveling all over the country gathering materials, and getting tanned and fat is just part of the job," He Zhiyuan laughed heartily. "I don't have the patience for fishing; I'm the kind of person who can't sit still. You, on the other hand, are retired and living a peaceful life, fishing to cultivate your mind and body."

Kong Qingfeng laughed too: "Retirement my ass. I still have to come to the base for an afternoon class every other day. This is only half a retirement."

The two chatted enthusiastically as soon as they met, clearly old acquaintances.

Xiao Li looked around, and when his gaze fell on Zhou Yan, he paused for a moment, clearly a little surprised.

The main reason is that Zhou Yan is too tall; standing there, he is half a head taller than the senior brother next to him.

He has a very distinctive appearance, completely different from the round-faced, thick-necked chefs next to him. He is tall and somewhat handsome.

In the time since the photos were developed, all the single young women at the magazine have been asking him about Zhou Yan.

Their magazine has interviewed quite a few chefs, but this is truly the first one who is so young and handsome.

Zhou Yan smiled at him.

Xiao Li nodded slightly in acknowledgment, wanting to remind the editor-in-chief, but seeing him chatting so enthusiastically with Kong Qingfeng, he didn't dare to disturb them and could only stand quietly.

The Sichuan Cuisine magazine was founded by the Provincial Catering Service Company. When Kong Huaifeng and Kong Qingfeng went to Chengdu for exchanges and learning, He Zhiyuan was in charge of receiving them. Over the years, they still occasionally exchange letters.

After exchanging pleasantries, Kong Qingfeng introduced his apprentices and nephews to He Zhiyuan.

He Zhiyuan smiled and shook hands with everyone.

When shaking hands with Xiao Lei, he said with some emotion, "The Kong School is now full of talented people. It's a pity that the three masters Xu Yunliang, Fang Yifei and Song Bo did not come back, otherwise I could have taken a group photo for you to commemorate the occasion."

Xiao Lei smiled and said, "The three senior brothers are indeed too busy to come back, but we can still take a group photo even if they don't come back. If we can send them a photo, they will definitely be very happy."

Kong Qingfeng nodded with a smile: "That's right. The more successful the chefs of the Kong school are, the harder it is to gather them all. But no matter where they are, they are the pride of the Kong school."

“That makes sense. I was too narrow-minded.” He Zhiyuan nodded. “Then I’ll take a group photo of your Kong school later. I’ll print out a lot of copies so you can all keep them as a memento, and I’ll also send one to those three masters.”

Kong Qingfeng patted him on the shoulder and said, "Then I must cook you a good meal myself tonight."

“Great! I haven’t had Master Kong’s braised yellow catfish in ages,” He Zhiyuan grinned.

"You little rascal, you only know how to pick the best ones to do." Kong Qingfeng laughed and turned to Kong Guodong, saying, "Guodong, go buy two catties of yellow catfish. If you can't buy them on the street, borrow two catties from the restaurant and return them to us first thing tomorrow morning."

"Okay." Kong Guodong responded, walked to the side and waved to Kong Liwei: "You, go buy yellow catfish."

"Master, didn't the master ask you to go?" Kong Liwei pouted. "I also want to take a group photo."

"You're just standing on the edge of the back row, it doesn't matter whether you take pictures or not, I'm going to stand next to your advisor." Kong Guodong waved his hand:
"Besides, if my master orders me around, I'll definitely order my apprentice around too. Are you going or not? Don't make me beat you up in the most respectable situation."

Seeing Kong Guodong about to pull out his belt, Kong Liwei quickly jumped back a step and reached out for money: "Give me money, I only have 28 cents in my pocket."

Kong Guodong handed him two yuan and instructed, "Choose one that's neither too big nor too small, bring it back in water, and make sure it's alive."

"Oh," Kong Liwei replied, pocketing the money as he left, his voice drifting back softly, "I'm just a scrap in the back row, my mother's little pride..."

Kong Qingfeng looked at He Zhiyuan and asked, "Xiao He, how do you want to conduct the interview? Should we cook? Or just have tea and chat?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at He Zhiyuan. When Master Kong informed them, he said that the magazine might interview Kong Pai about his fish-making skills, and that there was a catfish and a bighead carp in the bathtub today.

He Zhiyuan just ordered braised yellow catfish again, which is also one of Master Kong's specialties.

He Zhiyuan looked at Kong Qingfeng and said, "Second Master Kong, I had a meeting with the editor-in-chief and colleagues in the editorial department before I came. This time, instead of cooking fish, let's talk about the Kong School."

Let's talk about how you and Grandpa Kong carried on the legacy, carried forward the Kong school of Sichuan cuisine, and made it as rich in talent as it is today. Some stayed in Jiaozhou, some were chefs in Chengdu restaurants, some promoted Sichuan cuisine in the capital, and some went overseas with leaders.

The renowned chef Kong Rui, drawing on the strengths of various schools, passed on his skills to Kong Huaifeng and Kong Qingfeng. The two masters surpassed their teachers, establishing their own unique style and earning the reputation of the "Kong School".

From family traditions to teaching and accepting numerous disciples, generations of Confucian chefs have passed on their skills and shone brightly, their influence extending far beyond the realm of cooking. We plan to conduct an in-depth interview exploring the inheritance of Confucian cuisine, allowing more people to understand the changes in the transmission of Sichuan cuisine.

In the decades-long development that propelled the formation of the Sichuan cuisine system and ultimately led to its inclusion among the four major cuisines of China, I believe the Confucian school is a very classic example.

Upon hearing this, Kong Qingfeng straightened his back slightly and said solemnly, "Talking about the Kong School is good. Let's go to the conference room, make some tea, and slowly discuss it."

Upon hearing this, the other apprentices all showed expressions of anticipation.

If we talk about the Confucian school, wouldn't their names also appear in magazines?
“Okay.” He Zhiyuan nodded with a smile and followed Kong Qingfeng into the conference room.

Xiao Li quickened his pace to catch up and whispered, "Editor-in-chief, Zhou Yan is here too."

"Zhou Yan?" He Zhiyuan paused, turned around in surprise, and saw Zhou Yan following behind a group of disciples. When he turned around, Zhou Yan smiled at him.

He Zhiyuan nodded to him, continued walking forward with the crowd, and asked Xiao Li, "Is he also a disciple of the Confucian school?"

"Those who came today are all disciples and grand-disciples of the Kong school, probably grand-disciples. In Suji, they are mostly Xiao Lei's disciples," Xiao Li replied softly.

This interview is an important feature of the "Four Scenic Spots" column in the first issue of next year's magazine. The editorial department has already held two meetings and collected a lot of information about the Confucian school in advance, making thorough preparations.

They have a fairly complete grasp of the information about the three generations of disciples of the Confucian school.

Kong Huaifeng has only four formal disciples. His eldest disciple, Xu Yunliang, is a first-class chef and works in the kitchen of Rongcheng Restaurant. His second disciple, Fang Yifei, is a special third-class chef, and Song Bo is also a first-class chef. However, they have not returned to Sichuan for many years, and their culinary skills cannot be simply measured by their skill levels.

The remaining apprentice, Xiao Lei, stayed in Suji and worked as a cook in the textile factory's canteen.

Therefore, when Xiao Li saw Zhou Yan present, he immediately thought of Xiao Lei.

“Okay, I’ll talk to him privately after the interview.” He Zhiyuan nodded.

The training base not only has many kitchens, but also classrooms for theoretical classes and meeting rooms for visiting leaders.

In a bright and spacious private room, a long rectangular table is arranged around the room, which serves as the conference room.

He Zhiyuan waited at the door for a while. When he saw Zhou Yan coming over, he smiled and patted his arm. "Zhou Yan, don't rush to leave later. I've developed the photos and brought them back. I still have something to talk to you about alone."

“Okay.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. Aunt Zhao was still thinking about the family photo a couple of days ago. If he could bring the photo back to her today, she would definitely be happy.

Zheng Qiang entered the conference room one after the other, and vaguely heard someone say "let's talk privately." He sat down in a corner with Zhou Yan and leaned over to ask curiously, "Junior brother, do you know the editor-in-chief of this magazine?"

“I’ve met him once before,” Zhou Yan nodded.

Zheng Qiang's eyes lit up immediately, and he asked with a gossipy look, "Your master took you to see him? Is it about getting on the magazine cover? My master mentioned it to me before. The editor-in-chief of this magazine knows him. He once had dinner with my master's master and was thinking about whether he could get on the cover of 'Sichuan Cuisine' after he passed the first-level chef exam."

"It's just a magazine. If my senior uncle wants to be in it, it's not like he can just get in by force," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

“We can’t go against our conscience. I know my master’s skill level.” Zheng Qiang shook his head and said in a low voice, “Chefs who can be featured in Sichuan Cuisine are either extremely prestigious, like our grandmaster and grand-uncle, who have made a name for themselves among the many schools of Sichuan cuisine, or they are recognized by the culinary world as highly skilled and can be called ‘Grandmaster’.”

They're either exceptionally skilled in a particular area, like making cold dishes with unparalleled skill, or cooking duck exceptionally well. My master does cook fish quite well, but there are so many talented people in our Kong school; everyone is a master at cooking fish. Not to mention my two senior uncles, with my grand-uncle in charge, there's no way my master would ever get a chance to appear in a magazine teaching people how to cook fish.

If he goes first, wouldn't things get chaotic? If word got out, he'd be considered a traitor.

Zhou Yan nodded repeatedly, finding Zheng Qiang's analysis quite reasonable.

So who is he?
Evil cultivators within reputable sects?

No, no, he needs to keep a low profile.

If it were revealed that he had been featured in the Sichuan Cuisine magazine before his master's ancestor, he probably wouldn't be able to walk out of this door today.

Everyone took their seats.

Kong Qingfeng sat in the main seat, and He Zhiyuan sat next to him.

Xiao Li sat next to He Zhiyuan, took out a notebook from his bag and opened it. There were two pens beside him. He sat upright, and his camera bag was also on the table. He was probably preparing to capture some scenes from the interview.

Secondly, people sit according to their seniority.

Kong Guodong sat to Kong Qingfeng's left, and Xiao Lei was right next to him.

Xiao Lei is Kong Huaifeng's last disciple. He joined the school early, in 1955, and has been a disciple for almost thirty years.

Then there were Kong Qingfeng's disciples.

With his disciples and grand-disciples, there were seventeen or eighteen people in total, filling the conference room to capacity.

As the tea was served, Kong Qingfeng began, "Xiao He, ask away. What do you want to talk about? Let's have a frank chat today. Many of these disciples and grand-disciples have taken leave to come back from out of town. The next time we all gather together like this, I might be lying in bed. I would be very happy if I could leave behind something useful."

Upon hearing this, the disciples looked at Kong Qingfeng, whose hair was now gray, and their eyes inevitably showed a hint of sorrow.

“Master, you are in very good health. We will find time to come back and visit you every year.” Zhong Yong said emotionally.

"Exactly! We go back every year."

"Next time, I'll invite all my fellow disciples together and set a time in advance. No matter how busy we are, we'll come to see Master."

The disciples all echoed in agreement.

Kong Qingfeng looked at everyone with a hint of satisfaction on his face and said with a smile, "What's there to see about an old man like me? What makes me happiest is that you hone your skills and teach more and better apprentices."

Zhou Yan was also touched by this scene. The word "master" is an abbreviation of "a teacher for a day is a father for life".

Kong Qingfeng is three years younger than their advisor Kong Huaifeng, and he is also eighty years old this year.

As he said, such gatherings are already rare.

Zhou Yan guessed that the Sichuan Cuisine magazine must have considered this issue when discussing the topic selection.

In terms of the lineage of the Confucian school, Kong Huaifeng is more representative, but he has already passed away.

In recent years, Kong Qingfeng has been teaching cooking training courses, cultivating many Jiaozhou chefs and playing an important role in the inheritance of the Kong school of cooking.

Kong Qingfeng is the most suitable person to talk about the inheritance of the Kong school.

The exchange meeting at noon today refreshed Zhou Yan's understanding and prejudices.

As a disciple of Confucius, he felt a sense of belonging for the first time.

He could feel that his senior brothers and sisters were teaching him everything they knew without reservation.

This open-mindedness is what we call inheritance.

“Master Kong, shall we begin? How about we start with your apprenticeship under Master Kong Rui?” He Zhiyuan said.

“To become an apprentice…” Kong Qingfeng’s gaze fell on the covered bowl on the table, his fingertips tapping lightly on the table like the ticking of a second hand, his eyes gradually drifting away.

After a long silence, he slowly began to speak, his voice low and deep: "That story begins in 1918. I was 14 years old that year. My father contracted tuberculosis and had to sell everything in the house to take medicine. We were so poor that we couldn't even afford to eat. I was just a teenager, skin and bones, and you could tie my belt with a straw."

That day, my uncle came back from Chengdu to visit my father. He brought ten silver dollars to our family and asked if I wanted to learn cooking from him.

I didn't know what learning to cook meant, so I asked him, "Grandpa, can I get a full meal if I learn to cook?"

The old man said, "Yes, we also have dried meat."

I hadn't smelled meat for six months, so when I heard about jerky, my eyes lit up and I agreed without a second thought.

Our hometown is Linjiang Town. My uncle brought my twelve-year-old brother and me to Jiaozhou City, where we entered the Leming Hotel and began our apprenticeships..."

The meeting room was quiet, with only Kong Qingfeng's deep voice and the scribbling of Xiao Li's pen on paper.

Zhou Yan listened attentively. The old man Kong Qingfeng was talking about should be Kong Rui, the founder of the Kong School.

[Ding! Memory fragments dropped by Kong Qingfeng detected!]

[Entering may trigger a random inheritance reward!]

[Pick up and enter? Yes/No]

Just then, a line of subtitles popped up in Zhou Yan's eyes.

Zhou Yan was stunned.

What? What the hell?
He glanced left and right.

Everyone listened attentively to Kong Qingfeng's story.

After hesitating for a moment, he made a decisive choice.

What's there to be afraid of! I'm going to go and see what the true lineage of the Confucian school really is!
"The apprenticeship ceremony was relatively simple, but we still invited several famous chefs from Jiaozhou at the time to be witnesses. The apprenticeship letter was written by someone else at the master's request. My brother and I spent three days memorizing it. I still remember the last sentence: 'I will follow the master's teachings, learn sincerely, serve the master as my father, and never waver for life...'"

Kong Qingfeng's voice gradually faded in Zhou Yan's ears, and then everything suddenly went black.

……

As the view gradually cleared, a spacious and bright main room came into view.

In the center were two reddish-brown lingzhi chairs. On the left sat an elegant middle-aged man in a gray long gown, and on the right sat a middle-aged woman in a cheongsam.

Two thin, half-grown children were kneeling on the ground, holding covered teacups in their hands, and were reciting haltingly: "We will follow the teacher's instructions, sincerely study, serve the teacher as a father, and never waver in our loyalty. We humbly hope for your permission."

He raised his teacup and respectfully offered tea to the middle-aged man.

Standing to the side was a tall, upright young man carrying a tray, with clear features and a resemblance to the middle-aged man.

"These are... our ancestor and his master?"

Zhou Yan looked up, somewhat surprised, at the middle-aged man and the boy beside him.

……

(P.S.: I'll finish writing and post the whole "memory fragments" section tomorrow, no matter how many words it is. I said it!)
(The preservation of Sichuan cuisine is the soul of this book. I've thought long and hard about how to present the fragmented memories, and I've decided to let Zhou Yan witness it firsthand. I hope you understand.)
　Don't worry, I'll update it all at once tomorrow.

　　I'll start writing tonight, and no matter how much it takes, I'll definitely finish writing the memory fragments by tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)