Courtyard Houses: Starting with the principle of hard work paying off

Chapter 116 I just want to quietly show off! (7k)

Regardless of the jokes and speculations, Li Hongbing's latest move has truly astonished everyone.

Everyone knows something about Li Hongbing's situation, and the possibility that he learned the skills beforehand has been largely ruled out.

Even if Guo Youzhong did give Li Hongbing private lessons, it's hard to believe that he could achieve this much in just a few months.

Without long-term practice and accumulation, one cannot develop such knife skills.

The only explanation is that he's a genius.

They've encountered people chasing after their ancestors to feed them before.

This world has never lacked geniuses.

Everyone here who has achieved what they have today possesses some talent.

But people like Li Hongbing have truly opened their eyes.

the other side.

Gu Jianliang, who was also paying attention to Li Hongbing, looked at Luan Xuetang with surprise and couldn't help but ask, "Manager Luan, didn't you say that this young comrade Li Hongbing has only been with Fengzeyuan for a few months? Did he study elsewhere before?"

Even as a layman, Gu Jianliang could tell that Li Hongbing's knife skills were extraordinary, something no novice could achieve.

And this was the only reasonable explanation he could think of.

"This……"

Luan Xuetang was also dumbfounded.

This is unreasonable!
If Luan Xuetang hadn't known about Li Hongbing's situation and hadn't been the one who recruited Li Hongbing into the kitchen, Luan Xuetang would have almost thought that Li Hongbing was an apprentice who had completed three years of culinary training and had reached the level of a master chef.

Many people have doubts.

However, the assessment is still ongoing, and no one has allowed it to be disrupted.

Not long after.

After the knife skills assessment, Li Hongbing's knife skills rating was only at the beginner level, but it was still considered qualified.

Many of those present were experienced masters, and they could tell the result even before it was announced.

The next assessment involved choosing a dish they were good at, based on the available ingredients in the kitchen and from Fengzeyuan's menu, within a limited time.

This assessment is a comprehensive evaluation, involving knife skills, cooking time and seasoning, and is also the most important part.

Considering the skill level of these apprentices, no restrictions were placed on the choice of dishes for the assessment, allowing them to improvise freely.

However, due to the time limit, dishes with complicated procedures and long preparation times are basically automatically excluded.

After thinking for a moment, Li Hongbing did not choose famous dishes such as Wensi Tofu or Fried Double Crispy, which are extremely demanding in terms of knife skills and cooking time.

Everyone, including the others, was aiming to become junior cooks. Choosing such a difficult traditional classic dish was not about showing off or being pretentious, but about increasing the difficulty for themselves and raising the failure rate of the assessment.

If not handled properly, it can easily backfire.

finally.

Li Hongbing chose to make live fish in sauce, a dish he had previously prepared, which is also one of Fengzeyuan's signature dishes, but it is relatively easier and less demanding.

"Old Guo, your apprentice is really capable, and quick-witted, unlike those blockheads who have no sense of propriety at all..."

Seeing the ingredients Li Hongbing chose, as well as his methods of killing and processing the fish, people quickly realized that Li Hongbing was going to make live fish in sauce next.

As for those who choose difficult classic dishes, it makes people shake their heads.

Having confidence is a good thing, but you also need to recognize your own strengths and weaknesses.

"If he were truly clueless, do you think I would have taken him on as an apprentice?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Youzhong couldn't help but smile smugly.

The assessment has just begun, but compared to the choices and performances of others, Li Hongbing is already ahead of the curve.

Guo Youzhong initially had no hope for Li Hongbing, but Li Hongbing's unexpected performances one after another began to make him start to have expectations.

If Li Hongbing could actually pass the test, it would be a huge surprise for him.

Li Hongbing has actually mastered quite a bit about the cooking steps and tips for various dishes, including the various seasonings for each dish. Guo Youzhong has also given him a lot of guidance during this period.

Li Hongbing is not incompetent.

These past few months of freeloading in the kitchen haven't been for nothing.

The only thing missing is hands-on practice.

Knife skills and heat control are things that Guo Youzhong is worried about.

However, Li Hongbing's performance made Guo Youzhong realize that his worries seemed to be somewhat unnecessary.

Because Li Hongbing made a choice that suited him from the beginning, and because the cooking process of the live fish in sauce was relatively quick and simple, and the kitchen stove had enough heat to meet the requirements, he was able to make the dish within the allotted time in just over half an hour.

But it wasn't the first.

Several others had already completed their tasks before Li Hongbing.

One of them was actually the same dish that Li Hongbing had initially ruled out: stir-fried double crispy pastries.

I don't know if he's overconfident and wants to show off today, or if he's completely given up hope and is just giving up.

The results speak for themselves.

The authentic stir-fried double crisp is extremely difficult to make. It not only requires excellent knife skills, but also demands even more precise control over the heat. If it is undercooked for even a second, it will not be cooked through; if it is overcooked for even a second, it will not be crisp. It can be called the pinnacle of cooking with precise heat control.

Not to mention within Shandong cuisine, it is one of the most difficult dishes to prepare among all traditional dishes of all cuisines.

Even the master chefs in the kitchen dare not be careless when making this dish.

With Li Hongbing's braised fish ready, it was time for the crucial moment of tasting and judging. Even Guo Youzhong couldn't help but feel nervous for him.

The personnel responsible for the assessment have been replaced by a new batch, with Gu Jianliang having specially selected several master chefs from the kitchen.

Guo Youzhong is not included.

As one of the participants in the assessment, and Guo Youzhong being his mentor, Li Hongbing should recuse himself from the assessment to ensure fairness.

As for the senior members who were specially invited for today's assessment, they are getting on in years and their energy is waning. After the previous assessments were completed, Gu Jianliang arranged for them to be sent back to rest.

The current skills assessments for apprentices are completely useless; having the head chefs in the kitchen judge them feels like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

In the end, after discussion among the master chefs responsible for the assessment, Li Hongbing's rating was unanimously determined to be at the level of a junior cook.

The live fish in this sauce wasn't too badly made. According to the evaluation standards, it would be better suited for an intermediate-level cook, but it would be perfect for a junior-level cook.

Li Hongbing was very satisfied with the result.

Seeing that everything had settled down, Guo Youzhong also put on a smile.

No longer needing to avoid suspicion, Guo Youzhong took a pair of chopsticks and stepped forward to taste the live fish with sauce that Li Hongbing had just made.

Not only him, but also several other master masters around him, and even Gu Jianliang and Luan Xuetang, began to follow suit out of curiosity.

This scene made the apprentices and workers itch with envy.

Unfortunately, they weren't of high enough status, otherwise they would have liked to try Li Hongbing's braised live fish and see how well he made it.

"It's too sweet, reduce the sugar by one point."

After tasting the sauce, Guo Youzhong looked at Li Hongbing, who had come to his side, and said with a stern face, "Next time, the sauce can be a little thicker. This time, adding half a minute more would have been better."

"it is good!"

Li Hongbing nodded seriously.

Although I have passed the assessment, I have only reached the level of a junior cook.

Li Hongbing knew that his skill in making this dish was definitely not good enough and there was still a lot of room for improvement.

Although he has a system, his current skill level is still quite far behind that of a master chef like Guo Youzhong.

Even if one day, relying on the system or even just through my own efforts, I surpass Guo Youzhong, my master, it will never change the fact that he was my master and had carefully taught me.

"Old Guo, come on, his apprentice has already done a good job. As his master, stop using your high standards to belittle the young man. He passed the junior cook assessment today. Can't you give him some confidence and encouragement?"

At this time.

Hearing Guo Youzhong nitpicking, someone nearby made a sarcastic remark.

Li Hongbing's braised live fish dish may not be perfect, but compared to his peers, it is already far ahead of most people.

This is because Li Hongbing entered this industry late; others started learning at the age of twelve or thirteen, and some even earlier.

"Go away, go away. I'm teaching my own apprentice, don't interfere."

The one who spoke just now was naturally one of the master chefs who was familiar with Guo Youzhong. Seeing him "bewitching Li Xin," Guo Youzhong glared at him angrily and then warned Li Hongbing, "Learn the good things, don't learn the bad things, understand?"

Obvious.

Guo Youzhong's words had a hidden meaning.

What is good and what is bad is self-evident.

This infuriated the person who had spoken earlier.

Fortunately, everyone got along well and knew they were just teasing and bickering, so they didn't hold a grudge.

Sensing the slightly unusual and joyful atmosphere, Gu Jianliang, who was standing next to him, also smiled and tasted Li Hongbing's braised live fish. He couldn't help but ask, "Comrade Li, I'd like to ask you something. You didn't have any prior experience learning this skill, yet in just a few months after joining Fengzeyuan, you've raised your skill level from zero to that of a junior cook. How did you do that?"

Having gained the approval of so many master chefs, Li Hongbing's current culinary skills are beyond doubt.

But this only piqued Gu Jianliang's curiosity.

Not only Gu Jianliang, but everyone around him looked at Li Hongbing after he asked the question.

Li Hongbing knew that his sudden "explosion" in culinary skills would obviously attract a lot of attention and questions, so he had already prepared his explanation.

then.

Under everyone's gaze, Li Hongbing explained somewhat "embarrassedly": "Manager Gu, actually I didn't expect to be able to pass the assessment this time and successfully pass the junior cook rating. Luck probably played a big part."

Although I haven't been with Fengzeyuan for long, as soon as I entered the kitchen, I was assigned to the job of shoveling spoons. Among all the apprentices, I was the one who was closest to the master chefs in the kitchen and had the most contact with them.

I can usually observe the master chefs cooking up close, so I secretly paid attention and wrote down the steps and processes they used to cook.

Later, I was fortunate enough to be favored by my master, who took me under his wing and taught me. During this time, he gave me a lot of guidance, which allowed me to gain more and grow.

In the kitchen, I didn't have the opportunity to cook or practice, but whenever it was my turn to rest, if I wanted to learn a dish, I would go to the market and buy the corresponding ingredients to take home and try to make it at home.

Although I don't have many opportunities to practice, I like to think about things whenever I have time. By being around my master and the chefs in the kitchen, I learn by observation every day, and some things feel particularly easy to pick up.

The live fish in sauce I just made is actually my specialty. I've secretly made it at home several times before, and I did it by a trick..."

There is no success without a reason.

Even geniuses need a process to improve, even if that process is fleeting.

Li Hongbing has a system, but that doesn't mean he hasn't tried.

Gaining experience points also requires effort.

Hearing Li Hongbing's words, many veteran workers nodded in agreement.

“Hongbing is indeed the most talented apprentice I have ever seen.”

"Not only is he quick-witted, but he is also down-to-earth and hardworking, and never complains about hard work."

"Manager Gu, you probably don't know, but this job of scooping spoons is not easy. Not many apprentices are willing to do it. Otherwise, this kid Hongbing wouldn't have been assigned here when he first came in."

“That’s right. We all thought he wouldn’t last long, but this kid didn’t say a word and just gritted his teeth and persevered. He has good comprehension and character. If Lao Guo hadn’t beaten him to it, I would have considered taking him on as my apprentice.”

"This kid Li is really good at thinking things through. He's never idle whenever he has a spare moment. He might have secretly learned all the secret skills of us master craftsmen long ago, but we never even get to hear him say 'Master.' What a huge loss!"

"Master Guo has an exceptionally high eye for talent when it comes to taking on apprentices. Only the most mediocre people can be chosen by him!"

"..."

Everything is traceable.

Considering Li Hongbing's performance in the kitchen over the past few months, many master chefs agreed and spoke up for him.

A group of "great Confucian scholars" debating the classics!

Nothing is more convincing than the approval of these master chefs.

Gu Jianliang didn't doubt anything; he was just curious about Li Hongbing and wanted to discover some talent.

"Not bad!"

Hearing the affirmation from so many master chefs for Li Hongbing, Gu Jianliang looked at him with the same admiration he would give a piece of rough jade, saying, "He is quick to learn, hardworking, thoughtful, and dedicated to research. This is the kind of youth and future that our new China should have."

Gu Jianliang's evaluation is undeniably high.

As the current "number one" figure at Fengzeyuan, the weight of Gu Jianliang's words is self-evident.

For a while.

Many people looked at Li Hongbing with either envy or knowing glances. Li Hongbing didn't react with excessive excitement or rush to curry favor with those who had helped him.

Li Hongbing only had a general grasp of the historical trajectory of Fengzeyuan, mainly focusing on key events at crucial moments. As for the specific people involved, apart from those whose names or deeds have been passed down in history, he knew very little about the others.

He had only heard the name Gu Jianliang for the first time today.

You can't just grab onto any powerful figure; after all, you don't know what their situation will be like when things get tough.

If the baby is switched at birth, I'll be the one who suffers the consequences.

Better to do less than to make mistakes!
As long as you follow the rules, don't cause trouble or do anything reckless, and get through that period peacefully, there shouldn't be any major problems.

After praising Li Hongbing a few times, Gu Jianliang neither paid attention to Li Hongbing's reaction nor thought much of it. There was no question of trying to win him over or get him to take sides.

Putting aside the fact that Li Hongbing doesn't yet have that kind of influence, at best he's just a potential talent waiting to be cultivated.

Gu Jianliang's purpose in coming to Fengzeyuan was not to start a struggle, but to make Fengzeyuan, a pilot project of public-private partnership, work well, complete the tasks assigned by his superiors, and deliver a perfect report.

"Comrade Li Hongbing, congratulations on passing the junior cook assessment. From now on, you will no longer be able to freeload. You will be assigned to Chef Sun's team to do food preparation work. Your salary is tentatively set at 350,000 yuan per month. Do you have any objections?"

After discussing it with Luan Xuetang, and also consulting with Guo Youzhong, Li Hongbing's mentor, and Sun Maoju, the head of the food preparation department, Gu Jianliang publicly announced the job adjustment for Li Hongbing and the final salary assessment.

Li Hongbing has now passed the junior cook assessment, so it would definitely be inappropriate for him to continue doing menial tasks.

Even a junior cook isn't qualified to be in charge of cooking.

Even the intermediate-level cooks weren't even in the running, so how could Li Hongbing, a newcomer who had just transitioned from apprentice to full-fledged cook, possibly get a chance?

Those who can cook in the kitchen of Fengzeyuan are all master chefs who have passed the senior chef examination.

After research, Gu Jianliang found that the most suitable job for Li Hongbing was food preparation in the kitchen.

"Manager Gu, I have no problem."

Li Hongbing stated his attitude neither humbly nor arrogantly, and did not show excessive flattery just because Gu Jianliang was the current head of Fengzeyuan.

A pay rise is a good thing.

This is also the main reason why Li Hongbing actively participated in the assessment.

350,000 is quite a lot; it's almost double the previous apprentice's salary.

I'm just a junior cook right now, so I can't expect my salary to be as high as my master, Guo Youzhong's.

Taking this first step will make it much easier to get opportunities for assessment and promotion later.

The current transformation from an apprentice who only learns to cook is equivalent to becoming a full-fledged chef.

After asking only a token question and seeing that Li Hongbing had no objections, Gu Jianliang stopped talking and continued to pay attention to the other apprentices participating in the assessment.

What frustrated him was...

Half of the apprentices participated in the assessment, but only one person, besides Li Hongbing, ultimately reached the level of a junior cook.

He was also an apprentice of one of the master chefs in the kitchen.

Gu Jianliang was very disappointed, but he also felt the weight of his responsibility.

He decided to find some time to have a serious talk with the master chefs in the kitchen, to persuade them not to hold back their knowledge, to take on more apprentices, and to focus on training the young people in the kitchen.

We need to keep up with the tradition!

With this final round of assessments concluded, the personnel and salary system adjustments at Fengzeyuan are essentially complete.

Apart from Li Hongbing and another apprentice who passed the junior cook exam, the job duties and wages of the other apprentices remained basically unchanged.

Gu Jianliang gave them a chance, but unfortunately they failed to seize it.

Before get off work.

Li Hongbing received his new work permit.

It was still a small red notebook.

The inner page features a black-and-white photo of Li Hongbing, stamped with the official seal of Fengzeyuan Restaurant.

The specific information includes name, gender and age, place of origin and address, work unit, occupational rating of junior cook and specific job position, and finally the date of issuance and the signature and seal of the issuer.

Apart from the seal, everything is handwritten, and the photos are from previous entries added to Fengzeyuan, so no additional preparation is needed.

"Brother Hongbing, you were really amazing today!"

Seeing the junior cook rating on Li Hongbing's new work permit, Wu Jun's eyes were filled with envy and admiration, but he couldn't help feeling lost and frustrated. He said, "I really envy you. We started on the same day, and you've already passed the junior cook exam, while I'm still just an apprentice..."

Wu Jun's fall from grace was too great.

Despite knowing that Li Hongbing had always been ahead of him and better than him.

Seeing how he made a name for himself in front of everyone today, even passing the junior cook assessment in one fell swoop, it would be impossible for Wu Jun not to feel a sense of loss and imbalance.

Seeing this, Li Hongbing slapped Wu Jun on the head in an annoyed tone and comforted him, "What's the rush? You're two years younger than me, you'll have plenty of opportunities in the future."

"really?"

Wu Jun raised his head and looked at Li Hongbing expectantly.

only.

The hope that had just risen in his eyes quickly faded again, and he said dejectedly, "Brother Hongbing, don't try to comfort me. I know I don't have your abilities."

Wu Jun wasn't stupid either.

Not everyone can be Li Hongbing.

If he had Li Hongbing's comprehension and talent, he would have been noticed by the other master chefs in the kitchen long ago and taken in as an apprentice, just like Li Hongbing.

"If you're willing to work hard and want to be like me, you have to be unafraid of hard work. Go find Manager Gu now and volunteer to help out with the cooking."

Li Hongbing pointed out a clear path for Wu Jun.

Now that I've switched to food preparation, no one will be doing the work of taking over the spoons, so I'll definitely need to find someone else to fill in.

This presents an opportunity for Wu Jun.

If you want to learn a skill, learning by rubbing a spoon is an essential step.

As long as Wu Jun is willing to put in the effort, he can completely replicate his path to "success".

The key is that Gu Jianliang is now in charge of the operation and management of Fengzeyuan and has already made sweeping reforms. Next, he will definitely focus on the training of a new generation of kitchen staff. From his actions today, Li Hongbing has already seen that he has this intention.

Under such circumstances, Wu Jun took the initiative to ask Gu Jianliang for help, which put him a step ahead of others and secured his place in advance.

Given Wu Jun's previous resistance to using the spoon for cooking, Li Hongbing wasn't sure if he was willing to do it or if he could stick to it.

"Brother Hongbing, I'll listen to you!"

Faced with Li Hongbing's suggestion, Wu Jun gritted his teeth and made a decision.

He used to be afraid of hardship and fatigue, but now that Li Hongbing has made such great progress, the distance between the two seems to have widened considerably all of a sudden.

This feeling made Wu Jun very uncomfortable.

Moreover, Li Hongbing's "success" is a good example right before our eyes, and it has already set a good example for him. Following in his footsteps will definitely not be wrong.

As Wu Jun left, Guo Youzhong, who had been keeping an eye on the situation, walked over and suddenly asked, "You think so highly of him?"

Before accepting Li Hongbing as his apprentice, Guo Youzhong had naturally paid attention to the other apprentices who came in the same batch. Unfortunately, apart from Li Hongbing, he didn't think much of any of them, including Wu Jun just now.

Putting everything else aside, in terms of endurance and work ethic alone, Wu Jun is far inferior to Li Hongbing.

“Master, it doesn’t matter whether I think he’s good or not, but if he can persevere, it won’t be a bad thing.”

Li Hongbing understood what Guo Youzhong meant and immediately explained, "Wu Jun has a bit of a youthful spirit. He's just a little young and not hardworking or able to endure hardship. But nobody is born like that; everyone grows and improves."

The key thing is, this kid is a chatterbox; he always likes to bother me for no reason.

Find him a busy job, so he won't waste his energy on 'the right path,' and it'll give me some peace and quiet..."

At this point, Li Hongbing couldn't help but laugh.

Guo Youzhong chuckled upon seeing this, but did not expose him.

Although Wu Jun had some flaws, Guo Youzhong didn't think they were any major problems.

The reason his apprentice helped him was probably because he saw that the apprentice was simple-minded and didn't have many tricks up his sleeve, and treated him as a friend.

Remembering the purpose of his visit to Li Hongbing, Guo Youzhong said earnestly, "Hongbing, you have made great progress recently, so much so that I never expected it. I am now completely impressed with you."

However, even though you have passed the junior cook assessment, you must not be arrogant or complacent. When you go to Chef Sun's place next, I hope you can calm down and hone and improve your knife skills, just like you did when you were shoveling spoons before.

I'll speak to Master Sun for you. If you have any questions, you can ask him directly, or you can come find me.

Life-long learning!

You have talent and comprehension, and you shouldn't waste it or become complacent. Surpassing me in the future is not a problem..."

It has to be said that Guo Youzhong has high hopes for Li Hongbing, his newly accepted apprentice.

Although the master and apprentice were still working in the kitchen, Li Hongbing was assigned to work under Sun Maoju, the head of food preparation, which was somewhat different from before.

"Master, I remember."

Li Hongbing humbly accepted Guo Youzhong's earnest teachings.

He has now passed the junior cook exam, but that doesn't mean he's a fully qualified cook.

Guo Youzhong is no ordinary cook. To gain full recognition and become a master under his tutelage is not as simple as just being a junior cook.

Guo Youzhong was very satisfied with Li Hongbing's attitude.

In fact, he has almost never been dissatisfied.

What I just said was nothing more than a master's responsibility and care for his disciple.

After a while.

After chatting for a few more minutes, the master and apprentice left Fengzeyuan together after get off work.

Fengzeyuan is closed today. The main assessment has been completed, and there's nothing much to do, so I don't have to go home as late as usual.

Li Hongbing did not go directly back to the courtyard house, but instead bought a roast duck at Quanjude near Fengzeyuan and then went to Li Hongmei's place.

Today is such a joyous occasion, so naturally I should celebrate with my sister and brother-in-law.

Li Hongbing had no intention of keeping his promotion to junior cook a secret; on the contrary, he wanted to announce it to the world.

Such a big thing as a pay raise must be publicized, otherwise how will people know he's rich?
Now that everyone knows he has a higher income, he can openly and extravagantly spend money, continue to squander it, and live a life that others envy.

He doesn't have any wicked sense of humor. He deliberately kept it a secret, then waited for people in the compound to notice something was "wrong," got reported first, and then turned the tables and slapped them in the face.

Free!

It's best to avoid these kinds of upsetting things as much as possible.

"Red Soldier, am I dreaming?"

"Did you get a fake work ID to fool your sister and deliberately play a trick on me?"

"You've only been here a few months and you're already a junior cook?"

"Wei Guo, can you check if this certificate is genuine?"

"Pinch me right now! I'm afraid I'm still dreaming..."

"..."

When Li Hongmei learned from Li Hongbing what had happened at Fengzeyuan that day, and that her younger brother, who had only joined Fengzeyuan a few months ago, had suddenly gone from apprentice to junior cook with a monthly salary of 350,000 yuan, she looked at the brand-new work permit in her hand over and over again, unable to believe it.

"Sister, would I dare to forge this work ID? It's illegal!"

Knowing that Li Hongmei couldn't accept the surprise right away, Li Hongbing took the work permit back from her hand and said solemnly, "Look, it has Fengzeyuan's official seal on it, as well as the signature and seal of our company's manager. How could this be faked?"

"If you don't believe me, take a day off tomorrow and go to Fengzeyuan to ask our new Manager Gu, the former Manager Luan, and my master. They wouldn't lie to you, would they?"

Li Hongbing knew that this matter had indeed happened somewhat suddenly and was hard to believe, so he was neither anxious nor angry.

“Hongbing, even I can hardly believe it’s your sister, let alone that she’s your sister.”

Hearing Li Hongbing's confident tone, and considering his own understanding of him, Zhao Weiguo rationally believed him, but he still couldn't accept it all at once.

This is somewhat outrageous.

Li Hongbing had to persuade them at length before they reluctantly believed him.

Instead of experiencing the thrill of showing off, Li Hongbing felt somewhat frustrated.

After having dinner at Li Hongmei's place, Li Hongbing rode his bicycle back to his courtyard house.

As soon as I entered the hospital.

Li Hongbing saw Yan Bugui approach him and ask him gossip, "Hongbing, I heard that your Fengzeyuan has been injected with state capital and taken control, and there have been big changes. It was closed for the whole day today. Is that true?"

"Uncle Yan, how did you know I passed the junior cook exam today?"

(End of this chapter)