readsfreenovel Chapter 197 "He Yuzhu" 1
Chapter 197 "He Yuzhu" 1
While he was thinking about something, he suddenly felt a kick on his butt. Liu Yuxi, no, from now on he'll be called He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu almost kicked back, but then he heard He Daqing's low voice: "You stupid Zhuzi, get up and cook!"
Okay, this really is the original owner's job. I got dressed, washed up, and then went to the kitchen. There wasn't much to choose from, so I made a pot of cornmeal porridge, made a few steamed buns, and chopped a small dish of vegetables. That was it.
Don't think the food was bad. At that time, being able to eat your fill every meal was already considered a good condition for people from the lower classes.
After bringing the food to the main room, He Daqing and He Yushui had finished washing up. While the three of them were eating, He Yuzhu asked, "Dad, do you have anything planned for tonight?"
Sometimes He Daqing would go to the Eight Great Hutongs after He Yushui fell asleep at night, while He Yuzhu, being an apprentice, had to clean up the kitchen after get off work before going home, usually arriving home after 9 pm. So, He Daqing had to communicate with He Yuqing about the time in advance.
"Nothing much today, is something wrong?" He Daqing looked at Zhu Zi, who seemed a bit different today. Usually, this kid was like a big monkey, not very bright, and never quiet. He hadn't said much all morning, and he had just braided He Yushui's hair into two little braids. This was definitely not normal.
"Yes, I heard something. Let's talk about it when I get back tonight," He Yuzhu nodded.
"Okay, you go to Fengzeyuan in a bit. We can talk about it when you get back tonight." He Daqing put down his bowl. "Yushui, eat slowly, don't burn yourself!"
He Daqing truly loved He Yushui. After all, in that war-torn era, it was common for a man to raise even a young boy, let alone a newborn baby.
People say that a father's feelings for his child are cultivated after the child is born. How are these feelings cultivated? How deep are they? It depends on how much time and energy the father devotes to his child.
Therefore, He Daqing's feelings for He Yushui are beyond doubt; otherwise, he wouldn't have continued to send her money every month after fleeing. After all, in this era, the preference for sons over daughters is the prevailing social value.
"Hey!" After finishing the porridge in his bowl in a few gulps, He Yuzhu grabbed a cornbread and some side dishes, then went out.
At this time, there weren't many residents in the courtyard, and it was mealtime, so He Yuzhu didn't run into anyone and walked all the way to Fengzeyuan.
Together with several other apprentices and general helpers, they did the initial sorting and processing of today's ingredients, and also washed the restaurant's commonly used dishes. At this time, several of the hotel's master chefs arrived one after another.
He Yuzhu took his master Wu Dahai's small purple clay teapot, took some tea leaves from his master's cabinet, pinched a small amount into the teapot, poured in boiling water, and handed the teapot to Wu Dahai, saying, "Master, I'm going to chop some vegetables."
Brewing tea is He Yuzhu's exclusive job, since he's currently his master's youngest apprentice. "Go on, practice hard, and in a while I'll teach you a few dishes!"
"Hey! Good!"
He Yuzhu returned to the group of apprentices. Each apprentice had a cutting board in front of them. After serving their master, the apprentices returned one after another and began to practice.
The learning time varied, and so did their proficiency in chopping. They all maintained their own rhythm. Just then, a sound stood out from the others. The "da da da" sound was fast and had a stronger sense of rhythm than the others.
Several master chefs were also attracted by the sound. They walked over to the apprentices and immediately saw that the sound was coming from He Yuzhu. He was cutting potato shreds. In the bowl in front of him, he had cut more potato shreds than the others, and they were all basically the same thickness.
Wang Qingming asked Wu Dahai, "When did Zhu Zi's knife skills become so good?"
Wu Dahai was also puzzled. This kid wasn't at this level yesterday! What? Did he have an epiphany last night? Or did he receive divine guidance? "I don't know either. Let me ask Zhu Zi!"
When He Yuzhu heard his master call him, he responded with a "Yes!" and stopped what he was doing. Seeing that several master chefs were all around him, his heart sank. Oh no, he had been thinking too much while chopping vegetables and seemed to have performed beyond the original owner's level.
However, it wasn't a big problem. He Yuzhu figured that since culinary skills are important, he might as well consider it an epiphany. After all, he planned to graduate as soon as possible, and now that he had an epiphany about chopping and cutting, he could replicate it just by watching once when cooking, which made perfect sense, right?
He put down the knife and walked up to Wu Dahai: "Master, is there something you need?"
"Zhu Zi, your knife skills are so good today!"
"Huh? I don't know either. When I was chopping vegetables, it was no different from usual. It just suddenly felt a little smoother." He Yuzhu scratched his head and replied with a blank look.
Seeing that his apprentice was still as silly and simple-minded as before, Wu Dahai said to He Yuzhu, "Go back and chop the vegetables first. When I cook lunch, you can help me out."
"Hey! Master!" He Yuzhu smiled with delight. His master had asked him to be his assistant, which meant he would be taught how to cook. Once his cooking was approved by his master, he would be able to graduate. A graduate chef could at least work in the second kitchen, and that would earn him a considerable salary.
He Yuzhu hurried back to continue slicing his potatoes, while Wu Dahai and Wang Qingming said, "He probably just suddenly realized it. This kid has been learning the craft from his father, He Daqing, since he was a child, and he's only been working under me for less than a year. I guess he had a solid foundation and that's when he got it."
Wang Qingming nodded in agreement: "Possibly. He Daqing's Tan family cuisine is quite good. He probably watches over Zhuzi at home. But you've really gotten lucky. This kid should have graduated in a shorter time than your other apprentices!"
"Haha, aren't these all friends? What? Envious? It's a pity my second son isn't interested in cooking, otherwise I would have him become your apprentice!"
"My third son is the same. You know, in a family like ours, how come there's always someone in every generation who's not interested in cooking? It's really strange!"
"What's so strange about that? The one who's not interested is the most slick one of the kids. Anyway, someone else will cook for him, so he won't want to work hard on himself!"
"Hey, you know what, my son is the smartest one in the family!" The chefs chatted as they walked toward their break room. When it was time to serve customers, if someone wanted to eat their specialty dish, someone would naturally notify them.
After the master chefs left, the other apprentices in the kitchen whispered to He Yuzhu, "Hey Zhu, did some kind of divine revelation give you a secret technique overnight? How come you've left us guys a million miles behind in just one night?" "Yeah, Zhu, tell us, how did you do that?" "Tell us."
While chopping vegetables, He Yuzhu said, "Brothers, please forgive me. The master just called me over to ask about this, but I really don't know. This morning, when I was chopping vegetables, I suddenly felt that everything was going smoothly. Maybe I chopped the right amount. You guys know that my father is also a chef. We've been practicing since we were kids."
"That's true!" Everyone could only accept this statement, after all, they were together every day, and they all knew whether there was anything else going on.