1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 279 How About I Do It? (Bonus Chapter 385 for Monthly Tickets)

Lu Xiaoji's voice was rather loud, making it seem especially loud in the kitchen where the master chefs were all holding their heads high.

Everyone looked over, their gazes falling on the tall and slender Zhou Yan.

Cooking?

This young man?

He looks to be only in his early twenties!
How did you end up cooking?
Shocked and somewhat suspicious, was there a mistake?
Seeing this, Lin Qing quickly stepped forward to explain, "Chef Zhou Yan, like all the other masters, was invited to cook. As a representative of the younger generation of chefs in Jiaozhou, he has been featured on the cover and in an interview with Sichuan Cuisine magazine. His culinary skills are superb. Today, he is in charge of two dishes: braised beef and snowflake chicken soup."

The kitchen fell silent immediately.

Lin Qing is a staff member of the Municipal Economic Commission, and he was responsible for contacting many of the masters present.

If he says that, then he must be right.

This young man actually came to be the chef, and he's even in charge of two dishes!
It's worth noting that most of the invited masters only prepared one of their signature dishes.

Lu Chuan's eyes widened, his jaw almost dropping to the ground, and he stammered, "No...no, brother? You're in charge of cooking? On par with my master? Then...what am I?"

"What a fool." Lu Xiaoji also looked absurd. He hadn't believed a word Xiao Lei said, but he hadn't expected that Xiao Lei was telling the truth.

At his age, he's acting as a stepping stone for his apprentice, coming along to broaden his horizons?
Fuck you...

Why do I feel a little envious?

In an interview with Sichuan Cuisine magazine, he talked about things he dreamed about.

This young man completed it at the age of twenty, and the dish he made even made it onto the cover!
He remembered!
Last time, we had "Qiaojiao Beef"! Su Ji! Zhou Yan!

All right.

Holy crap, Stone has found a genius!
"Master, look at my claws?" Lu Chuan shrank his neck, sensing that his master's gaze was somewhat unfriendly.

"I'd like to see when you get me on the cover of Sichuan Cuisine magazine." Lu Xiaoji's voice was a little hoarse, and he was incredibly envious of Xiao Lei.

"Don't make such an unreasonable request..." Lu Chuan mumbled.

"Look at other people's apprentices!"

“Look at you, you’ve started to compare yourself to others. That’s not good. Master, you told me before that one should avoid comparing oneself to others.” Lu Chuan waved his hand.

"That's because I didn't know other disciples had this skill. I think you're too idle usually. Start extra training tomorrow!"

“Zhou Yan…I hate you! How did this other person’s apprentice appear again?” Lu Chuan said, his eyes filled with tears.

Li Liangcai arrived at noon. Zhou Yan had greeted him beforehand. Upon hearing the sound, he looked over with a complicated expression, mostly one of envy.

The Kong school is really lucky; they snatched up a talent that only appears once every hundred years.

Qin Kun, standing at the stove next to him, sighed with emotion: "It's a pity Huaifeng left two years too early, otherwise I would have definitely passed on all his culinary skills to him."

“He’s so talented, Xiao Lei can teach him without Huai Feng even having to teach him.” Li Liangcai said with some emotion, “Back then I wondered why Huai Feng taught Xiao Lei everything, but now I understand a bit. It’s a case of intergenerational inheritance.”

"Huh?" Qin Kun was taken aback and looked at his apprentice standing next to him.

"Master, I'll try to find you a genius grand-disciple so that the legacy can be passed down through generations," the disciple stammered.

Qin Kun shook his head: "With your eye for talent when it comes to taking on apprentices, I don't think it'll be good."

Yue Guolong looked at Zhou Yan with the same surprise on his face, and said to Lin Feng beside him, "Zhou Yan, is he the chef of the 'Qiaojiao Beef' dish on the cover of last issue of 'Sichuan Cuisine'? He looks even younger than in the photo. He's quite a promising young man!"

"That's right, to have achieved so much at just over twenty years old, his future is limitless. I never expected him to be Yunliang's nephew. The Kong School truly produces many talented people." Lin Feng nodded in agreement, his expression equally filled with shock.

"Back then, Kong Huaifeng compiled the Confucian school's unique skills into teaching materials, opened classes, and taught without reservation, training batch after batch of Jiaozhou chefs. Now, the seeds sown back then have blossomed and borne fruit." Yue Guolong exclaimed, "Kong Huaifeng was indeed too far ahead of his time and had too high a level of understanding."

"You also teach at Rongleyuan and mentor younger generations at Rongcheng Restaurant. You and Master Kong are both selfless people, so what's the difference?" Lin Feng said.

The chefs looked at Zhou Yan with deep emotion.

Such a young talent is extremely rare in the culinary world.

Zhou Yan remained calm, pressing his lips tightly together to make himself look less like a villain.

After all, Lu Xiaoji had overheard Lu Chuan scolding Lu Chuan, and as someone else's disciple, it was indeed... kind of satisfying.

Zheng Qiang dropped the pretense and grinned smugly: "This is my junior brother."

Kong Guodong, standing to the side, also looked smug: "This is the fourth-generation successor of the Kong school, my nephew."

The Confucian school gained such a genius, and they naturally benefited from it.

It's a pity Xiao Lei wasn't there, otherwise his mouth would be crooked to the sky.

Just as he was feeling smug, Kong Liwei came running in and said to Kong Guodong, "Master! I'm afraid Master can't cook! He's so sick with diarrhea he's almost fainting. I just helped him out of the outhouse. He wants you, Uncle, and Zhou Yan to come out; he has something to say to you." "Is it that serious? The medicine isn't working?" Kong Guodong panicked upon hearing this and quickly said to Zhou Yan, "Zhou Yan, come out with me for a moment."

Zhou Yangang had just taken two kitchen knives out of his bag when he heard the sound, but he put them back in. He looked at Kong Guodong, whose face was grave, and asked with concern, "Uncle-Master, has something happened to Grandmaster?"

Kong Guodong nodded: "He said he was a bit exhausted and probably couldn't make the braised rock carp tonight. He asked me, your master, and you to come over. He must have something to tell you."

"Is it that serious?" Zhou Yan's expression also darkened upon hearing this. Today's banquet was highly valued, and Kong Qingfeng's braised rock carp was an indispensable main dish.

"Let's go check on him first. If Grandmaster Uncle is still not feeling well, let him go to the hospital first. We can't delay his health," Zhou Yan said as he followed Kong Guodong outside.

Zheng Qiang and Kong Liwei quickly followed, equally nervous.

"I wonder how Master Kong is doing? This braised rock carp dish is very demanding, where can we find someone to replace him in the meantime?"

"Kong-style cooking is known for its braised fish. With chefs Kong Guodong and Xiao Lei present, they should be able to handle it, right?"

"It's difficult. Kong Guodong and Xiao Lei's skills aren't outstanding in the Kong school of cooking. Letting them take charge in this kind of situation might tarnish the Kong school's reputation. If Xu Yunliang were here, there wouldn't be a problem. He's quite skilled at making braised rock carp."

The chefs were all somewhat saddened upon hearing this.

With less than two hours left before the banquet started, this unexpected situation was terrible.

Upon hearing this, Lin Qing also looked anxious and quickly followed him out.

Xiao Lei finished killing the chicken and brought back the chicken breast. Upon hearing the news, he also hurriedly came out.

When Zhou Yan and the others arrived at the lounge, Kong Qingfeng was leaning back in a rattan chair, his face pale, and he was sipping salt water.

"Master, you look terrible. Shall I take you to the hospital?" Kong Guodong quickly stepped forward, squatted down in front of Kong Qingfeng, and looked at him with concern.

"Go to hell with the hospital, I've already emptied my bladder, the medicine is starting to work, I'm fine, I won't die." Kong Qingfeng waved his hand, looked at Zhou Yan and the others, and said in a weak voice, "I'm getting old, I just don't have any strength left, I definitely can't make the braised rock carp tonight, now it's up to you to see who can fill in."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Kong Guodong lowered his head, somewhat dejected and ashamed, and said, "Master taught me how to dry-fry rock carp many times, but I still can't get the timing and seasoning right. How could I dare to show it off in this kind of situation? It would be a disgrace to our Kong school."

Kong Qingfeng's gaze fell on Xiao Lei.

Xiao Lei was silent for a while before speaking: "Uncle-Master, to be honest, I've made this dish of braised rock carp less than ten times. There really aren't many opportunities to make this dish in the factory canteen, so I'm far inferior to Senior Brother Yunliang, and my skills may not be as proficient as Senior Brother Guodong's."

Of course, if you feel there isn't enough time to find a suitable replacement and someone has to step in, then I won't refuse. We can't let people think that our Confucian school has deserted its members.

Kong Qingfeng's expression grew increasingly serious as he looked at Zhou Yan beside him: "Zhou Yan, do you know how to make this braised rock carp?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Zhou Yan.

Zheng Qiang hesitated, "Uncle Xiao hasn't even made dry-fried rock carp ten times. Where is Zhou Yan supposed to learn that? Is Grandmaster Uncle making a wish here?"

Although Zhou Yan is a genius, we can't make such excessive demands on him.

Of all the people present, he probably saw his master make the most dry-fried rock carp, and he even tried making it himself a few times.

Although he is not quite as good as his master, he is still presentable.

Zhou Yan was silent for a moment before asking, "Grandmaster Uncle, is it absolutely necessary to make this braised rock carp? Could we talk to the staff and ask one of the other masters to make a different dish?"

“No way.” Kong Qingfeng shook his head and sighed. “The menu has already been written and placed on the banquet table. The chefs all have their own tasks and can’t find suitable ingredients at the last minute. This braised rock carp must be served.”

"If we can't even sit at the table, today's banquet is ruined, and the reputation of our Confucian school is also ruined."

"It's my fault, I shouldn't have been greedy at lunchtime."

Kong Qingfeng leaned back in the rattan chair, his face full of self-reproach, looking much older all of a sudden.

"Master, don't worry, I'll go back and call Wang Mian right now. His braised rock carp is quite good," Kong Guodong said quickly.

“I think you’re even more confused than I am. Wang Mian is off work today and went back to his hometown to see his parents. By the time you get to Muzhen Town, the feast will have already started here,” Kong Qingfeng said, shaking his head.

“Then…then…” Kong Guodong scratched his head anxiously.

If the banquet is ruined by the master today, not only will the reputation of the Kong School be damaged, but Leming Hotel will also suffer. It is estimated that the Municipal Economic Commission will not consider Leming Hotel for any future events.

"At this time, it's really not a good time to change the dishes. We still need to find a solution." Lin Qing was also getting a little anxious. He was in charge of this matter, but he didn't expect that something would go wrong with the usually steady Master Kong. For the time being, he really didn't have a reliable contingency plan to take over.

Just as everyone was racking their brains, trying to come up with a solution.

Zhou Yan stepped forward and said, "How about I do it? I'll make this braised rock carp."

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(End of this chapter)