Just as Zhou Yan put down the knife, 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 skill from Master Zhou again." Xiao Lei said with a smile.
"That's right, I'm here to learn cooking from Master Zhou." Zheng Qiang stood at the kitchen door with a grin.
Zhou Yan's smile vanished. Fine, fine, so he was going to have to experience everything Master Zheng had suffered before?
"Haven't been here for a few days, and you've already started preparing all the braised vegetables?" Xiao Lei looked at the bowls of braised vegetables, his gaze falling on a half-cut dried tofu on the cutting board. "This dried tofu is well-prepared, the outer shell absorbs the flavor well, and the inside is so tender."
"Master is still the expert, try some." Zhou Yan quickly sliced two pieces, handing one to Xiao Lei and the other to Zheng Qiang, who was still standing at the doorway.
Xiao Lei tasted it carefully, nodding repeatedly, his eyes filled with undisguised amazement. "This braised dried tofu is really fragrant. The braising liquid goes without saying, and the heat control is just right. But the dried 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?"
Zheng Qiang finished eating and thought for a moment: "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 Ji's Tofu from Shangshui Village?" Xiao Lei blurted out.
"Eh? Master, you know my great aunt?" Zhou Yan was genuinely surprised this time. Master Xiao was quite something!
"Grandma Sun is your great aunt? Then isn't Gu Liwei your cousin?" Xiao Lei sighed. "Last year, Suji was flooded, and the couple went to deliver tofu. They were swept away by the flood while crossing the bridge. I used to buy tofu from him often, but I haven't seen Grandma Sun selling tofu this year. Of all the tofu sellers in Suji, theirs 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 everyday 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 made by my great aunt's teaching, and the other made by my cousin himself. The one in front is better, you can choose whichever you prefer."
Xiao Lei laughed upon hearing this: "You've really exposed all of their secrets."
Zhou Yan said seriously, "We should definitely be clear with our own people. 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 people, it just needs a little more refinement."
"Okay, I'll buy tofu from him next time. You're good at recommending business to your cousin." Xiao Lei nodded and added, "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 take a piece for Zheng Qiang.
Xiao Lei tasted a piece and praised, "It's really great! The texture is soft and bouncy, and it has a meaty aroma when I chew it. It's better than meat. The dried bean curd sticks is well made, and Master Zhou's braising skills are also excellent."
"Master Uncle is right, it's delicious!" Zheng Qiang also looked at Zhou Yan with amazement and smiled, "If this weren't a family heirloom, I'd want to learn from Master Zhou and set up a stall selling these two dishes. I don't know how much money I could make in a day."
"Aiya, Master, Senior Brother Zheng, please don't try to brainwash me." Zhou Yan said helplessly. This Master Uncle and Master 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 stir-fried pork 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 pork liver." Xiao Lei nodded. "Come on, Master Zhou, we two will be your chopping board operators and kitchen helpers for noon 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, "Master Zhou, if you don't call out, I wouldn't dare to just enter 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 Master Uncle taught you. I can only enter if you say so."
"Fellow disciples, why are you being so formal?" Zhou Yan smiled and beckoned, "Want to learn how to make spicy stir-fried pork liver? My Master's spicy stir-fried pork liver is also exceptional. I learned real skills from him. Come on, let's exchange ideas and improve together."
"Sure!" Zheng Qiang entered with a beaming smile.
"Come on, see those five cabbages over there? Tear them out first, we'll need them for stir-fried pork cracklings with cabbage for noon." Zhou Yan said, pointing to the cabbages on the shelf.
Zheng Qiang: "Huh?"
Wasn't he supposed to learn how to make spicy stir-fried pork liver? Does he really think he's a chopping board operator or a kitchen helper?
"Then I'll handle the pork liver we'll be using for noon. You go prepare your braised vegetables." Xiao Lei volunteered.
"Okay, then thank you for your trouble, Master and Senior Brother Zheng." Zhou Yan picked up the dried tofu and went out to teach Comrade Old Zhou how to cut it.
Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang were both seasoned chefs, and they are very skilled at their jobs. They are adept being chopping board operators.
Zhou Yan wasn't resting either, but he was much more relaxed than usual.
Zheng Qiang quickly tore the cabbage into pieces and then leaned over to watch his Master Uncle prepare the pork liver.
To stir-fry pork liver well, besides perfect control of the heat, proper preparation of the ingredients is crucial.
His Master cooked this dish quite well, but he hadn't grasped the essence.
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 to heart.
On the contrary, being away from his Master and seeing his Junior Brother Zhou Yan cook this spicy stir-fried pork liver dish to perfection, and the other dishes getting better and better, spurred him on.
Meanwhile, his Master Uncle, Xiao Lei, was actually going to 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 everyday, helping him prepare kitchenware, purchase ingredients, and organize three outdoor banquets.
He admired Master Uncle Xiao's culinary skills, his ability to manage a situation, and his social skills.
His Master Uncle taught him how to make the Nine Large Bowls, how to select ingredients, and how to make a budget, without holding anything back.
These past two weeks allowed him to catch up on all the skills he hadn't been able to 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 lineage within his own sect.
Besides his Master, only his Master Uncle would teach him these things so unreservedly.
Xiao Lei arranged the pork livers, washed his hands, and said, "Zhou Yan, are you free this Sunday? I'll take you two to Jiazhou for a chef exchange meeting, and I'll also introduce you two to your Grandmaster Uncle."
"Grandmaster Uncle?" Zhou Yan was somewhat surprised. In his memory, his Master had never taken him to any chef exchange meetings before. It was probably because Little Zhou, a chopping board operator, wasn't qualified to attend such high-level meetings.
As for his Grandmaster Uncle, his Master had mentioned him before.
His Grandmaster's cousin, the famous chef of Jiazhou—Kong Qingfeng.
After his Grandmaster Kong Huaifeng passed away, the title of the number one chef in Jiazhou was automatically passed on to his Grandmaster Uncle.
His Grandmaster's master, Kong Rui, was also a famous chef in Jiazhou. He was his Grandmaster's father, and the family's culinary skills were passed down through generations. Back then, the "Kong Sect" of cooking was famous in Jiazhou, especially for its fish dishes.
"Yes, this exchange meeting was initiated by your Grandmaster Uncle, who invited several famous chefs from Jiazhou." 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. This way, our younger generation can also gain some recognition, and may be we can take a group photo.
"Sichuan Cuisine! Grandmaster Uncle 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 cold dish presentation, 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. He was so proud."
"Just for a magazine, 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 would try to get Cross-legged Beef on the cover, but it's unclear whether that will work.
If he really gets featured, will he buy a whole stack to give away?
No, no, that's just too disgusting.
He'll just send one to Xia Yao.
"What's with the exaggeration? Not at all." Xiao Lei chimed in, a hint of longing in his eyes. "If I ever get featured in 'Sichuan Cuisine' magazine, I'll buy hundreds of copies, one for every friend and relative, even two for elementary school classmates I haven't contacted in twenty years. Forget about bringing glory to the family, it's a huge status symbol in the culinary world. So many chefs across the country read this magazine!"
Zhou Yan suppressed a smile, suddenly wondering what his Master's reaction would be if he saw him in 'Sichuan Cuisine' magazine.
Thinking about it, he suddenly felt a little ashamed. He hadn't even mentioned his Master in the last interview.
If his name could appear in it, at least he'd feel a sense of participation.
Look how considerate his Master is, he even tries to include them in group photos.
Looks like they'll have to wait until next time.
He Zhiyuan said last time that he would come back to interview him about his braised food, but he didn't know if it would actually happen.
"Master Uncle, you're even better than my Master! You thought of me for something as good as being featured in a magazine. Don't worry, I'll definitely take good care of you in the future!" Zheng Qiang said sincerely, somewhat excited.
"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 Sect will be proud."
"Okay!" Zheng Qiang nodded solemnly.
"Mm." Zhou Yan responded, turning around to silently slice the cooked second cut pork, afraid he might burst out laughing.
He had made up his mind: next time He Zhiyuan came, he would definitely invite his Master and Senior Brother Zheng along, so that the entire sect would appear united.
After lunch, the workers finished their shifts, 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 the Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver.
Zheng Qiang diligently studied the top notch stir-frying technique for spicy stir-fried pork liver, while also taking on the kitchen helper duties.
The three of them worked together seamlessly, without any awkwardness.
This…perhaps it's a form of mentorship passed down through generations?
After all, they were taught by the same Grandmaster; they knew exactly what the other wanted and what their habits were.
When Zhou Yan was stir-frying pork cracklings with 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 plate of Stir-fried Pork Cracklings With Cabbage]
Zhou Yan looked at the freshly cooked Stir-fried Pork Crackling With Cabbage on the stove and couldn't help but grin.
It's done!
He finally broke through to the decent level!
Xiao Lei glanced at him and nodded: "Not bad, a bit better than before, but there's still room for improvement."
"Alright! I'll keep trying." Zhou Yan replied with a smile.
It was Xiao Lei's turn to stir-fry the Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver.
Zhou Yan said while stir-frying other dishes:
"The heat's a bit low!"
"Didn't you eat lunch? Get the spatula moving!"
"It's burnt! It's burnt! If you don't get it off the heat, I'll..."
Zheng Qiang stood to the side with his hands behind his back, his eyes darting between Zhou Yan and Xiao Lei, hesitant to speak.
Wait, is Junior Brother Zhou always this brave?
Who's the master here?
Who scolds their master like that?
It's only thanks to his Master Uncle's good temper that he doesn't get angry after being scolded like that.
If this was his master, he would have slapped him on the face with a spatula and yelled, "Do I need your guidance?"
One noon.
Xiao Lei stir-fried 36 servings of Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver.
It seems there's no progress. It's quite a distance from the perfect Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver he wants.
This made Master Xiao a little silent, frowning as if deep in thought.
Zhou Yan noticed his mood, glanced at the quest progress, and raised an eyebrow:
[Side Quest: Master's Obsession! Progress 92%]
"Isn't that a 4% increase?!"
Zhou Yan immediately launched into praise mode: "Master, your Spicy Stir-fried Pork 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."
Xiao Lei's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and the wrinkles between his brows smoothed out considerably.
Sure enough, people love to hear praise and affirmation.
"Master Zhou, you're not lying to me, are you?" Xiao Lei asked, looking at him.
Zhou Yan said seriously, "I would never lie to 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."
"You can come tomorrow." 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 use this as an excuse to retaliate." Zhou Yan reassured him.
"As long as you know what you are doing." Xiao Lei smiled, leaving 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, "Guo Guo, take me to play. School won't let me go to the seesaw 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.
"It's alright, I'll take her out for a walk." Zhou Yan said with a smile, picking up his enamel mug and gulping down a large glass of warm water in a few mouthfuls. It tasted a little sweet, probably because she had added rock sugar. He felt much better after drinking it.
Zhou Yan placed the enamel mug on the counter, then reached out and lifted Zhou Momo onto his shoulders.
The little one was laughing happily, swaying her head and humming a little tune she made up: "Riding a horse~ to Rongcheng~ to catch a panda to go to school!"
This is outrageous!
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, "Guo Guo, why can't I go to school?"
"Momo wants to go to school?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.
"Yes, yes, I want to play on the seesaw everyday." The little one nodded.
"Okay, then after the Chinese New Year, I'll send you to kindergarten." Zhou Yan said.
"Great!" Zhou Momo was even happier, bending down to kiss Zhou Yan's cheek, "Guo Guo is so great~ I want to go to school too!"
Zhou Yan's lips curled up, but he wondered if she would actually be able to smile when she actually went to school.
Suji has a town kindergarten and a textile factory-run kindergarten, with enrollment generally at age three.
However, there are many children and few schools, resulting in a relatively limited number of available places.
Zhao Tieying and her family had come to town to inquire before, but because she was a month too young to get a place, they couldn't secure one and had to wait until next year.
This isn't a government-run kindergarten, so the rules aren't as strict. If you can pull some strings, you can enroll in September.
Aunt Zhao and Comrade Old 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.
May be if Zhou Momo goes to school, she really will be able to achieve freedom with the seesaw.
After watching from outside the wall for a while, Zhou Yan led her forward.
"Guo Guo, when are you going to help me catch a panda?" Zhou Momo asked earnestly.
"Huh?"
"A panda! The giant panda from the New Year's paintings."
"I'm afraid I can't hold it down by myself." Zhou Yan laughed.
"Then...then bring Brother Hai along, he can hold it down."
"Okay, I'll take Brother Hai with me to catch one later."
"Okay!"
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!"
Big Yellow glanced at her, then at Zhou Yan, and ran off with its tail between its legs.
"Guo Guo, look! Big Yellow is afraid of me!" Zhou Momo looked up at him, a smug look on her face.
Zhou Yan reached out and pinched her chubby cheeks, smiling as he said, "Well, next time if you see a big dog, you have to go around it, or go with an adult, understand?"
"Okay!" Zhou Momo nodded obediently, her gaze quickly drawn to the stall selling hand-pulled maltose candy at the school gate. She ran a couple of steps forward, 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. "Let's go! Mom said we're not allowed to spend money on candy anymore! Otherwise, she'll beat you up too, Guo Guo."
Zhou Yan watched the little one, who kept turning back, her resolve clearly not as firm as her words, and couldn't help but laugh. "Here's a ten cents. Go buy some yourself, and we'll go home after you've eaten it."
"Really?!" Zhou Momo's eyes immediately lit up. Looking at the ten cents in Zhou Yan's palm, she hesitated for three seconds, then took it and ran towards the auntie selling hand-pulled maltose candy.
A little while later, she ran back with two hand-pulled maltose candies, holding one high and smiling as she handed it to Zhou Yan: "Guo Guo! Two for a ten cents! One for you, one for me, let's eat together!"
"Okay." Zhou Yan said with a smile, taking 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 a ten cents, the price was quite reasonable.
Zhou Yan took a bite, it was soft and sticky, with the pure aroma of maltose, not as sweet as he had imagined, quite delicious.
Zhou Momo stirred the candy while biting into it, having a great time.
Five cents' worth of happiness, that's all.
After finishing the candy, Zhou Yan wiped her mouth clean and checked her teeth to make sure there was no syrup left before heading home.
"Guo Guo~ Momo's feet hurt from walking, I want a hug~" Zhou Momo reached out and tugged at Zhou Yan's sleeve, then ran to him, opening her arms and waving them, her little ponytail swaying.
Looking at the little one who looked like a miniature figurine, Zhou Yan couldn't resist her sweet talk and bent down to pick her up.
Zhou Momo was tiny, soft and fragrant when he held her, and she would snuggle against his shoulder and say thank you, so it wasn't tiring to carry her at all.
Just as they reached the restaurant entrance, they saw Aunt Zhao getting off the back of Comrade Old Zhou's bicycle, carrying a stack of clothes tied with rope. Seeing Zhou Yan and Momo, she smiled and called out, "Come on! The new clothes are ready, come and try them on!"